• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, May 13, 2009

Women's media network BlogHer has secured $7 million in Series C funding from existing investors Venrock and Peacock Equity, along with new investor Azure Capital. The new capital will be used to expand BlogHer's social-networking technology and advertising infrastructure, according to Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer co-founder and chief operating officer.

"This funding will allow us to invest in more and better tools for the women in our community," Camahort Page said. Kara Swisher of The Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital blog broke the funding news early Wednesday.

Last summer, BlogHer entered into a strategic partnership with iVillage, which gave the NBC unit access to BlogHer's network of some 2,500 women's blogs, along with promotional opportunities across its female audience. The deal included a $5 million series-B investment, financed by Peacock Equity -- the joint venture between NBC Universal and GE Commercial Finance's Media, Communications and Entertainment business -- and returning investor Venrock, a venture capital firm.

The additional investment "confirms the growing recognition of the influence and power of women online, specifically via their social media activities," Camahort Page -- along with fellow co-founders Lisa Stone and Jory Des Jardins -- said in a joint statement.

Founded in 2005, BlogHer is now made up of some 30 employees, with a network reaching north of 14 million unique monthly visitors, according to the company.

Still, BlogHer faces competition from a number of publishers and publisher networks, targeting a broad swath of women online. The Glam Network, for one, constitutes over 40 million monthly unique visitors, which is made up of both women-tailored content and unisex fare from the likes of MyYearBook.com. Meredith Corp. Women's Network, which encompasses Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and Fitness along with its Mixing Bowl social network, makes up roughly 12 million unique visitors a month. The Real Girls Network, meanwhile, is made up of about 30 female-focused communities and social networks, which make up about 3 million unique visitors.