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On behalf of everyone at iVillage and Parent Soup, I'd like to thank the President and the Vice President for inviting us to participate in today's historic event.

I was joking with Lou Gerstner before we came in here that the headline for today's event might read: Big Blue and Who?
But as I listened to the Vice President's remarks, I realized that the story of iVillage is the story of the Internet.

You know, two years ago iVillage, and its flagship site Parent Soup, were nothing more than an idea scrawled on the back of a napkin. Today, iVillage employs 100 people; the company has seen its revenues grow 300 percent in 6 months; and about a quarter of a million people have registered as members of its sites.

The secret to iVillage's success lies in a concept as simple as it is elegant. The concept is community.

Recently, the President said that the most difficult job is not being President, the most difficult job is being a parent. At Parent Soup, we certainly agree. When my mother had the very difficult task of raising me, at least she could talk with neighbors over the backyard clothesline, exchanging stories and tips. But today, such casual, impromptu conversations are harder to come by. Maybe it's because both parents work, or because we move more and haven't put down roots in our neighborhood. Whatever the reason, where is a working parent to turn today after a hard day at the office - maybe even the Oval Office - to talk to others about the difficulties of raising an ADD son or share the joys and fears he feels as he watches his daughter go off to college.

Because of the vision of iVillage, he turns to the Internet. He turns to Parent Soup.

Parent Soup is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week community where real people talk about the issues important to them. Where else but the Internet could we have created a place where your backyard stretches around the globe and a trusted neighbor can live 5000 miles away.

The advertisers who participate as sponsors in Parent Soup become the shopkeepers in a trusted, well-lit community. The members of Parent Soup talk about the goods and services sold there, becoming our advocates and sales people.

We know that for the members of Parent Soup, the Internet has already become an integral part of their daily lives. And we know that we've succeeded, in part, because of the entrepreneurial spirit that reigns from Silicon Alley to Silicon Valley. That's why we're proud to participate in the ongoing conversation to assure that other start-up dreams like iVillage will prosper, and that other sites like Parent Soup will touch the lives of people everywhere.

Thank you.