Communicate with Music
R. Andrew Jeter
Graphic Design Instructor
Cape Coral, Florida
Squidoo: What brought you to Squidoo?
Andrew: I first learned of Squidoo's beta release on the Museum of Modern Betas. I decided to give it a whirl and found myself quickly addicted. It had an easy setup, I could gather content related to my topic from many of my favorite sources (like Flickr, Amazon, etc.), and Squidoo allowed me to promote both the subject of focus for my lens and my own web sites and blogs through link lists as well.
S: How did you decide what to make your lenses about?
A: I picked something I was passionate about: music and my favorite bands.
S: What do you hope to communicate to others about your favorite bands? Why are they worth sharing?
A: I hope to communicate what makes the band one of my favorites. It may be anything from their style to their stage antics. This is easy to communicate through the Flickr and YouTube modules. The other thing I think about is what kind of information would I be looking for if I wanted to look into a band. When I create a links list, I look into sites that help people learn more about the history of the band (like a Wikipedia entry), listen to band's music online (like PureVolume), or connect with the band (like MySpace).
Creating a lens dedicated to a band is the virtual way of wearing a band's logo on a T-shirt or slapping a bumper sticker on your car. There's some undescribable bond that makes you want to advertise that band and say "Hey! These guys rock!". It also allows you to connect on another level with band than just listening to a CD or going to a show: You get to give something back to the band and show them that you appreciate their music.
S: Do you maintain a web site or blog otherwise?
A: Yes: my personal web site, as well as music and technology related blogs on Blogger.
S: What have you done with your lenses that you can't do elsewhere?
A: Squidoo has allowed me to incorporate content from several sources while allowing me to give my own touch with customizable modules. One of my favorite aspects is the ability to integrate RSS feeds, Flickr photos and YouTube videos related to my topics. I also like that I can promote the products I have created on Cafepress, as they relate to my topic.
S: How else do you promote your CafePress offerings?
A: I normally promote my Cafepress products through my own personal web site. As far as Squidoo goes, I focus mainly on content. The commerce is a bonus. If I make a sale or earn a commision on Squidoo I'm happier to have impacted someone enough through my lens to buy something than I am with earning a buck.
S: Did you consider doing so using a blog or similar web page?
A: It's tedious work to develop a web page that incorporates the type of content I use on Squidoo. I don't think I would have the time or ambition to create a web page that is comparable to a lens. Squidoo makes that job so much easier.
S: Have you taken any cues from other lenses so far?
A: I've looked at lenses in the Top 100 according to lensrank as well as lenses focusing on similar topics. I look at what's effective for those lenses and try to apply the same tactics in the organization of my lenses. However, most of what I have created has been simply a process of experimenting with new modules as they are released. For instance, as soon as I saw the YouTube and Poll modules, I added them and thought about how I could incorporate them.
S: Can you give an example?
A: When I started using the YouTube module, I simply set it up to display videos from a search result focusing on my topic. As I looked deeper into the options made available for the module I decided to hand pick the videos for some of my lenses. For instance, on my Less Than Jake and Warped Tour lenses. I had previously video taped Less Than Jake's set at the Warped Tour. I uploaded my video to YouTube and was able to pick it for both lenses.
When the Poll module came out, I stuck one on my Warped Tour lens to ask visitors their favorite band on this year's lineup. On my Dance Hall Crasher's lens I asked visitors their favorite DHC album.
S: Once you've published a lens, what do you do with it?
A: I usually do a little promotion by "digging" and blogging about my lens as well as leaving a message on MySpace. Sites like MySpace are a great place to address people specifically interested in your topic and bands really appreciate when a fan has created a lens dedicated to them. For instance, one of my favorite bands is Buck-O-Nine. After I created a lens dedicated to them, I left a message on their MySpace with a link to my lens. Within a few hours one of the members replied with an email thanking me for creating the site.
S: What advice or ideas would you offer other lensmasters?
A: Don't just create a lens and leave it alone. Consider it a work in progress and promote it. New Squidoo modules come out regularly, and there's bound to be something new to try out. In addition, nothing stinks worse than stagnant info... find out the latest info regarding your topic and write about it.
S: What one lens do you wish existed?
A: A lens about boiled peanuts would be awesome!
S: Boiled peanuts? Really?
A: I'm a boiled peanuts fanatic. I grew up begging my folks to pull over to get a nice, hot, and steamy bag of salty and juicy boiled peanuts. I have attempted making them myself. I can't get the recipe quite right to get that roadside vendor flavor. I've tried boiling them in salt water, beer, using crock pots, you name it. I know there's some boiled peanuts knowledge out there. It's just a matter of finding it. I've even looked up the domain name... it turns out that boiledpeanuts.com belongs to the Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Company and they ship the so-called "redneck caviar" if you order online!
