Draw a Bead on Your Passions
Janet Crosby
Owner, Firefly Art Center
Spokane Valley, Washington
Squidoo: What brought you to Squidoo?
Janet: A good friend of mine, Julianne Gentile, who has several lenses here at Squidoo. We met online about nine years ago and became great friends via ICQ and email. She is an ubergeek and got me started learning my way around the web -- newbie that I was. She taught me everything I know.
S: How did you decide what to make your lenses about?
J: I made my lenses about glass because glass is "where it's at" for me! I created my first one as simply another facet to my own site, blog, and store; and the second lens was geared more for information about glass -- for people interested in getting into lampworking and people who simply want to know more about the process and the beads that they are buying. I have several lenses in mind for the future, but it will likely be fall or winter before I can get them developed.
S: Do you maintain a web site or blog otherwise?
J: Yes, I maintain my main site and use WordPress blog software to keep the "available beads" page fresh. I also have a site for my studio.
S: What have you done with your lenses that you can't do elsewhere?
J: Hmm. Well, RSS and the other types of "blog networking tools" are new to me. I have had to ask Julianne what a few of them do! I have my online store in my lens pages with the RSS tool, and it is nice to have automatic updates when I list new items in my store. I also like the easy Amazon integration. (I had Amazon links on my Squidoo pages but need to update them and have taken them down for a short while.)
S: Have you taken any cues from other lenses so far?
J: I have noticed new modules that are available by browsing other lenses, and I have seen how to "expand" the current tools to make a really unique, eye-catching, and navigable page.
S: Once you've published a lens, what do you do with it?
J: I list it in my site and blog -- and mention it to my newsletter subscribers. I have also networked with other shopkeepers on Etsy.com (my online store) about Squidoo. A friend of mine who is a soap maker on Etsy recently started her own lens, and we plan to do some cross-promotion. Squidoo has sent traffic to my site and my store.
S: What advice or ideas would you offer other lensmasters?
J: Update your lens more frequently than I do!
Also, network on Squidoo and other places. Blogs, forums, and email lists are a great way to build traffic to your lens and create a community feeling.
S: What one lens do you wish existed?
J: I don't even feel that I have scratched the surface of what lenses are available on Squidoo! I like that there are often more than one lens for most topics. It's nice to have a few perspectives.
