Honey, It's Not What You Think

After more than forty years of marriage, there are few gifts a husband hasn’t already given his wife. But local man Shelly Neider has managed to find one.

“One year ago Shelly Neider of Houston wanted to give his high school sweetheart and wife of over 40 years a gift to express his love,” Becky Lewis of Danielides Communications, Inc. in New York writes in what has to be one the best press releases ever sent to Hair Balls. “Over the course of their lives together he had purchased enough jewelry, chocolates, clothing, and flowers to last her a lifetime. Mr. Neider needed to find a gift as meaningful as the years he had spent with his wife.”

What was it? “IMFRENZY.com, a resourceful social networking website just for teenage girls.”

Hey honey, I’m on the Internet dealing with teenage girls!! It’s a gift!! For you!!

Neider confirmed the story to Hair Balls, saying he worked on the website secretly for a year — in total, he’s spent 16 months on it — before surprising his wife with it at a party. How did she react? “I think she was completely flabbergasted,” he says, and we believe him. “You’d have to meet Susan, because she’s so enthusiastic. My wife is effervescent, she just bubbles. This really got her attention.”

(Note: Your mileage may vary.)

The site now has about 1,500 members, girls ages 13 to 21. Besides
social networking, it has features such as journalism contests, fashion
design contests, and experts girls can send questions to who appear in
videos on the site.

“The gynecologist has a very nice article,” says Neider, “and I think
we’re up to three video clips on him. You can click on him and see him.
If a girl has a question she doesn’t want to ask her mama or her
girlfriends, she emails in and asks him. How do you like that?”

You don’t have to be a young girl to enjoy the site. Click here to see Dr. Christian Webb of Houston chit-chatting to teenagers about painful menstrual cycles.

Neider says he wouldn’t call IMFRENZY.com profitable yet, but he does
have five employees and a new spokesperson — Shannon Bex of Danity
Kane, who appeared at both the New York and Houston launches of the
website.

Who does he have to thank for Bex’s participation? Danielides Communications, Inc. — our new favorite PR firm.