Calling All Experts

There is one time of the year in America, that all the experts come crawling out of the woodwork. March. Yes, March Madness sets in and everyone is an expert who will no doubt win the office pool for the NCAA Tournament. What's funny, it's usually the bobble headed blond in the steno pool who wins out of dumb luck.

Actually, we all have an expertise, or at least we think we do. Some of us are multi-talented and others flounder at the one area we know about. But we all are experts at something.

When we are in the groove and totally focused in our field of expertise, there is no one or, no thing that can take us out of the zone. Everything slows down around us as our thoughts and motions become fluid and even ethereal at times.

Try to explain those moments. Try to write about the actual act of being in the groove. Words will always fall short. Because in the end, the experience is one that has to be felt. "You just had to be there."

 The image for this post is available by longhorndave via Creative Commons licensing

Is Promotion A Natural Act?

"I just updated my Squidoo lens: Underwater Basket Weaving And You."
"I just updated my Squidoo lens: Underwater Basket Weaving And You."
"I just updated my Squidoo lens: Underwater Basket Weaving And You."
"I just updated my Squidoo lens: Underwater Basket Weaving And You."
"I just updated my Squidoo lens: Underwater Basket Weaving And You." 
DM: Hey! Check out my new lens on Underwater Basket Weaving.



Although we seem to be bombarded by all forms of promotion because of the Internet, promotion is an idea as old as humans have been around. From the dawn of time we have grunted things like, "Ugh. The hunting is far greater on the plains on THAT side of the lake than they are on this side," to, "My pop is better than yours."

It is a natural act and sometimes the only way that anyone will know anything about what we have to offer, but too much tarnishes the horn we toot from. True, long standing success is built on the qualities of those who pitch into our cause. Selfless promotion has long-winded legs and says a lot about our personal branding. People will naturally look upon the generosity in our actions of goodwill towards others as a sign of being genuine and worthwhile.

How, what, and why do you promote the way you do?

Factor Y Says They Are The Best For The Job

Hire me. I am the best candidate for the position. If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself at the plexo lens for the first assignment of Session One at Factor Y.

This bare bones exercise is all about building a resume and is titled SquidWho is the best... . When I say bare bones, I don't mean that the lenses will lack any content. No, these lenses may prove to be the most powerful lenses ever crafted  by the men in Factor Y. These lenses may be invaluable tools to some of the gentlemen, and will most certainly be a different take on lens crafting for them all.

Walk tall. Walk proud.

The New Day That Will Rock The Internet

A new day has dawned, not only at Squidoo, but on the Internet in general. Factor Y officially started Session 1 today and even before the doors opened, there has been a hotbed of activity.

The significance of this is that Squidoo is in the top 500 visited web sites every month. Top 500. Just ponder that for a moment. Now, think of the far reaching impact that a fresh and energetic message can have on Internet life, such as the one that  Factor Y  will broadcast.

Times are a changin' in the arena of marketing products, ideas,and ourselves, and Factor Y is poised to proudly be a front runner in the new wave that is building.

Day 1 is now!

Factor Y On A Roll, But Not Without The Community

Amazing. Simply amazing. The Squidoo community will never cease to leave me awestruck with it's support. With the help of many in the community, Factor Y is gaining momentum as a force and our doors aren't even open yet.

Yesterday, we were featured Giant Squid News and Giant Showcase. Monday, there was the  Giant OpenMike radio show. It seems the RocketMoms are coming out by the droves. Maybe the greatest acknowledgment can be seen in the Purple Star that now hangs on the front door of the Factor Y HQ. The support has been beyond tremendous.

I wish to thank you on the behalf of the group, and to let you all know that we will shine!

Factor Y, For Male Squidoo Lensmasters

Why do male Squidoo Lensmasters need Factor Y? Men have a whole different spectrum of needs than women when it comes to Internet usage. Males are also the current gender minority when using the Internet.

• according to a study released in 2007, the number women using the Internet was surpassing men by a great amount.
• men use the Internet in ways that are vastly different then women

Men "surf" the Internet much like the legendary "channel surfing" with the television remote. Women find what they are looking for and focus on that point of interest; immersing themselves in the information they find. Men flit. Due to imprinting of gender behavioral expectations, women are natural multi-taskers by design, thus making focus a primary need in everything they do. Whereas men have been taught to primarily perform one duty (hunt, gather, win the bread, etc.) and find that any time away from that task is too little. This causes a need in males to have their sensory systems assaulted constantly during the "down time". Focus becomes secondary, especially with the visual media of television and the Internet.

The world economy is changing as witnessed through the shrinking of the industrial complex, which in turn is motivating more males to seek opportunities to earn a living, or at the very least pad their current income, through the Internet. Work At Home Moms (WAHM) have the advantage of a previous movement for women to stay at home with the children while raising funds. A tough task to be sure and the women are stellar at this. The men are "newbies" in this adventure and have a tough row of their own to hoe, especially when it comes to shattering the bonds of social perceptions. We are supposed to leave the home to gain sustenance.

So, why not a support group for men?

Factor Y is designed to help males tackle these issues by using tried and true models for similar groups. But, there is some tweaking of those models to suit the male needs for learning how to use the powerful tool of Squidoo to propel the men into greater successes. Through this tweaking, Factor Y will operate by using these basic tenets:

• sharing of experience and information
• teaching and learning
• support
• promotion
• quality Squidoo lenscrafting

The first session of Factor Y opens August 31, 2009. As of the publishing of this post, there are eight slots open. If any male lensmaster is interested in joining us (even after the official session opens), contact me (Alex) at Drifter for an Info Kit, or download the kit from the sidebar here.

Monday August 24, 2009, Factor Y will be on the Giant Squid OpenMike radio show, which is broadcast live at 4 p.m. EST.  Feel free to call in and ask questions about this exciting new group.

Thanks!

The post image is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 License