Out of COM, a social networking site just for dudes
A guy may have founded Facebook, but it's women who use it the most. Keeping this in mind, two BU graduates - including media ventures alumnus Phil Mark - created a social network just for men, according to The Christian Science Monitor:
It's a tough nut to crack: While the number of social media users in America doubled from 2008 to 2010, the number of male users during that time dropped 3 percent, according to Pew, which released a report on social media last year. But men also want to maintain their friendships, these entrepreneurs argue. If a start-up company can figure out how to cater to them, it can capture a new engaged audience for social media.
Mr. Mark's first foray into the space is Jaxx, a social networking smart-phone app. Created with a former fraternity brother and fellow MBA student at Boston University and targeted at men ages 25-50, Jaxx is designed to overcome the traditional barriers to maintaining male friendship by allowing men to stay in touch around activities rather than shared feelings.
In practice, this means that once a guy signs up, he forms a private circle with other close friends. Within the group, friends can keep in touch around activities such as sharing pro sports scores or placing friendly group bets. Currently, the product is still in early development.
