Beverly Owens
There is a new group for men on the internet that I would like for my readers to know about. It is called Factor Y and was started by a friend of mine Alex Crabtree. Alex is also a fellow lensmaster on Squidoo and is known there as Drifter0658. Alex and I met last Spring while we were both trying to obtain our Giant Squid status. He is an incredibly fine writer and very witty.

To better inform you about Alex's new venture, I asked him for a short interview. I figured the information would best come straight from him about his newly formed group.

Bev: What prompted you to start a group for men on the internet?
Alex: First and foremost the motivating factor was the RocketMoms program at Squidoo. The support and quality shining through from that group is nothing short of inspirational.

As I began to consider a group for men, I had to ask myself why. What real purpose would it serve? Researching that question turned upon what turns out to be some very obvious answers. One of which is men being the gender minority in Internet usage. This being the case, women have had a huge head start in the area of making money online. They have a leg up on the ins and outs, and with the economic atmosphere being in a volatile upheaval, more men are turning to the Internet to pad their pockets. We need help.

Another reason is the way men use the Internet. We are nowhere near as focused as we need to be to apply the tools that are laying around. We need to quit channel surfing and work a plan.

In short, I put this group together to catch the leading edge of a change that is sweeping the surface of the Internet.

Bev: How many men have signed up for Session 1?
Alex: We have 15 men right now and have two more spots available. Joining late would not be a shortcoming due to the structure of the group and the power of support.

Bev: Will you have weekly assignments for the guys to produce for Squidoo on specific topics as the RocketMoms do?
Alex: Yes. One of the stated goals is to show how powerful Squidoo is as a tool to gain an advantage, and creating lenses makes for excellent exercises.

Bev: What is the most exciting thing that has happened so far?
Alex: Outside of the buzz created by all the incredibly cool outside support, it has to be all the buzz created inside the group. Even before the doors officially opened, there were numerous discussions and lessons posted in the forums and classrooms.

Bev: Were you surprised by the female support that you have received for Factor Y?
Alex: That is truly a tough question. On one hand I'd have to say no because the women of the community are by and large very supportive and have the biggest hearts I've ever seen, yet the amount of support has been nothing short of overwhelming.

So, how can you find out more about Factor Y? You can visit the official blog at Factor Y or you can also read Alex's lens about it on Squidoo - Factor Y ~ Supporting Male Lensmasters.

I predict that these gentleman will become a driving force in the future of the internet. I wish them the very best and look forward to the contributions they make along the way. Congrats to Alex and the guys on their new adventure!
1 Response
  1. MiMi Says:

    Your prediction is spot on, Bev! Great interview!