iVillage.com, the women’s online community, has hosted message boards for a decade where women have exchanged financial tales. The company plans to launch blogs within six months, recognizing first that blogs are a natural extension of message boards, and second because readers increasingly are turning to blogs for financial advice.

An article from Dow Jones Newswires appearing in the Chicago Tribune (subscription required) notes that an increasing number of investors depend on blogs “for free financial advice that’s presented in a friendly, non-aggressive manner.”

Blog operators say women in particular are trolling online blogs to learn market terminology and gain a deeper level of financial sophistication. Blog users say they like to read about another person’s uncensored financial experiences before they consult a broker who might be biased toward certain products such as funds or insurance.

While some might view this development as an opportunity for organizations to hype their stocks to financial bloggers, the greater opportunities may rest in creating a company financial blog that offers an individual’s insights and advice free of the usual investor relations hype.