• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, May 12, 2006

BlogHer LLC, a media company aimed at women, expects to launch an ad network before June, it said Thursday. At launch, Whole Earth Sweetener Company's Sweet Simplicity Sweetener will be the sole advertiser, but BlogHer said it has others lined up for this summer.

"What differentiates us is that we understand what the community will find appealing," said Elisa Camahort, BlogHer co-founder and president of events and marketing.

If they choose, participating blog publishers can refuse to carry a particular advertiser. They may also carry ads from other networks, but BlogHer is insisting that its advertising be the only graphic media advertising on a partner publisher's blog.

The BlogHer blog community was launched in beta at the end of January, and now consists of 60 editors covering more than 20 topics, from parenting to politics. Participating bloggers retain their own URLs, traffic, and communities, and agree to publish according to editorial guidelines.

Over the next two quarters, Camahort said, BlogHer plans to expand its network of bloggers, and the contextual categories available to advertisers. The next BlogHer advertising network to launch will feature food bloggers.