BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:

Greer Wylder’s name became synonymous with Newport-Mesa lifestyle as a 14-year columnist for the Daily Pilot, and after a brief lull, she’s back sharing her shopping, dining, fashion and other lifestyle tips with her new website, GreersOC.com.

Wylder’s site launched July 24. In her inaugural two weeks, she was already sending out 10,000 free e-mail newsletters every week to discerning consumers who want to hear about the latest and greatest trends in the county.

“There are similar e-mail newsletters around,” she said, sitting in her stylish Costa Mesa home as two of her four sons milled around. “It was something Orange County was missing.”

Although her coverage area jumped from roughly 30 miles to almost 800 miles, she said she’s eager to expand her repertoire.

“I think it’s so much fun, I love it,” she said of exploring the county’s offerings.

Sondra Ames, chief executive officer of Wonderland Bakery in Newport Beach, was excited when she saw Wylder’s e-mail alerts.

“I’m on her list,” said Ames, who got to know Wylder while she wrote for the Daily Pilot. “I love it, what a fun site ? She’s such a girlie-girl, and with all those boys in the house, she’s way glam.”

Wylder grew up in the area — she was a fashionista even as a student at Newport Harbor High School — and is by no means abandoning Newport-Mesa as she sends dispatches, with stories about The Living Room Salon and Art Gallery in Costa Mesa, Tiffany’s in South Coast Plaza and Costa Mesa’s Café Blanc, hitting people’s inboxes during her first two weeks online.

“I love and admire South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island is so wonderful,” she said, adding that The Irvine Company’s other upscale retail areas are also among her favorites.

Both South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island are among her pioneer advertisers, but Wylder said her business model keeps advertising and her editorial content separate.

“South Coast Plaza is an advertiser, but I’m going to write about them whether they do or not,” she said. “I don’t want to be bought.”

Buzz is floating around print and Web media, and her advertising was mentioned in a business-to-business marketing blog, heralding Wylder for her use of micro-advertising — a way to target very specific demographics.

“I need to be selective with my advertisers,” Wylder says. “I’m looking for more upscale fashion companies and higher-end businesses.”

She did not want to disclose what she charges advertisers or how much it cost to start Greer’s OC, but said there are a few different advertising options, including a mass e-mail option and banner ads.

Also selective in her editorial, Wylder is on the hunt for bargains, as well as high-end services and goods. She updates the site as often as she goes shopping, which is often.

When November rolls around and viewers begin to obsess about another season of Fox’s hit show “The OC,” Wylder’s two oldest sons — who are students at Newport Harbor — will write next-day reviews of the show. In the “The OC Sliced” section of the site, Taylor and Tristan will write “from the perspective of a student who attends the real Harbor High.”

“We kind of thought of it,” she said. “The kids they go to Harbor with talk about it at school — we’re testing out their writing skills.”

Wylder hopes to cover more special events and write about travel destinations in the future, but for now, she’s just concentrating on the initial success of the site.

“I’m taking it day-by-day right now,” she said.