At a time when many media companies are retrenching, women’s magazine publisher Meredith (NYSE: MDP) Corp has pulled out its checkbook and taken a minority stake in Real Girls Media Network. The publisher of Better Homes and Gardens and Fitness wants to use the San Francisco-based women’s content and social net aggregator to buttress its 31 websites. In particular, Meredith and Real Girls Media will combine their inventory and sales forces. Also, as part of the investment, Meredith will have access to Real Girls Media’s technology and apply its tools to the mag publisher’s existing sites. The amount of the stake wasn’t disclosed.

SEE ALSO: Meredith Buys Health Marketing Firm Big Communications; Alerts Investors To $16M After-tax Charge

Real Girls Media, founded by Kate Everett-Thorp, a WaldenVC venture partner and former president of marketing agency AKQA, raised a $6 million first round of funding two years ago. Among the sites it operates is DivineCaroline, which mixes user-gen and professional content around channels that range from relationships to travel to style. Release