In 2009, RockfordWoman.com was reborn with its own local social network. Through it, we created an intimate, amazing circle of support, sharing and humor.

Online, and later in person in a few cases, I've met Gloriann and her yorkies, Kathy and her "camp", funny Mary Kay, military mom Kathy, stamping Cathy and dozens of other women. We even were happy to have Michael, our honorary "Rockford Woman," sharing the tales of Hannah Marie, Julie and "the boy child."

Unfortunately, this afternoon, the social networking element of RockfordWoman.com is going away. It's just too much to maintain for too few. While hundreds signed up, especially when we had weekly giveaways, only a few dozen actively participated. 

And let's face it: A lot has changed in two years. People are much more comfortable in the world of Facebook and Twitter, and they are spending their time there. That's a good thing, and I hope that our social network helped some people feel comfortable making that leap. That's what we wanted. And many RW users are connected now on those platforms. 

RockfordWoman.com is NOT going away. It's just going to look different -- more like rrstar.com.

We'll continue to post magazine content every two months as well as stories and features of interest to women, like the kinds of things we share on our Facebook page.

Thanks to everyone who participated in and supported our network. I've enjoyed it so much.