Archive for March, 2007
Happy Friday! This week we’re taking a look at how to share your knowledge with others (and make a little extra cash in the process!)
1. Designing a how-to lens
2. Making money by teaching others
3. Fun SquidBits of the week
4. Lensmaster interview
Once you’ve created a lens using these tips, show it off at http://www.squidoo.com/squidureview. You might see it featured in a future edition, to 25,000 of your fellow lensmasters!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells, Editor of the SquidU Review
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1. Designing a How-To Lens
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Spring cleaning regularly leads to projects around the house and tinkering in the garage. Maybe you’re into building exotic birdhouses, scrapbooking your kids’ activities, or cooking up cool treats for summer. Whatever your passion, you can become an instant expert by sharing your genius with others. Here are some tips for designing a masterful how-to lens.
1. What are we doing?
You might know exactly what it means to get organized (http://www.squidoo.com/homemaking) but newbies might not understand what all is involved. What will you actually be creating? What are some of the steps? Will you be using power tools or getting messy? How long will it take? Give readers an overview to prepare them for what is ahead.
2. What do I need?
Before your virtual apprentices get started, they need to know what tools to gather. This is especially important for cooking and crafting, because you want to make sure you have all your ingredients before you start playing with the oven (or glue gun!) Here you’ll find a great example of a supply list: http://www.squidoo.com/fairywings
3. What are the steps?
Instructions are very important since your students can’t get instant feedback or see you in action in real life. The “Step 1, Step 2, Step 3″ standby works great for explaining the order of putting parts together, gluing and painting, etc.
4. How should it look?
Flickr is a great place to search for project photos to give your readers and idea of what their finished projects should look like. You can even use Flickr to display your own photos. If you have the equipment, direct your own mini-video for YouTube. Your audience will love you for it.
5. Where can I learn more?
You taught me how to make origami mobiles, and now I’m really interested! Where can I learn more? Link lists and blog feeds are great for directing your newly addicted students to additional sites where they can find patterns, tips, and techniques for partaking in their newfound hobby. TIP: Try the MAKE blog module!
When one teaches, two learn, and putting together your how-to lens can help you learn more about the art or science of your hobbies, making you an even more educated enthusiast.
For more great examples, visit some of my favorite how-to lenses:
http://www.squidoo.com/warcraftgold - this lens bursts with suggestions and descriptions
http://www.squidoo.com/jodiesjeans - the right/wrong photos make this lens a winner
http://www.squidoo.com/coolpics - your lens doesn’t have to be long to be effective
http://www.squidoo.com/carsoncoots - your lens can be about serious business…
http://www.squidoo.com/chopsticks - …or about the little things that plague us daily
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2. Making money by teaching others
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Did you know you can make money by teaching others how to enjoy the same activities that you are so passionate about? Find out how the modules on Squidoo can turn your mini-instruction manual into some extra cash.
1. The basic supplies
Nearly every project will require some supplies, so why not offer them for sale on your lens? Try the specialty money-making modules, such as Cooking.com, Better Homes and Gardens, and Camera World.
2. Parts is parts
If your project requires parts, such as mini mirrors, scrap wood, or drawer pulls, direct your users to eBay where they can buy supplies on the cheap. eBay is also great for project kits, such as for scrapbooking, clock making, needlepoint, and beading.
3. Learning on the page
How-to books that you personally recommend can be one of the greatest resources for learning about sports, crafts, and hobbies. Keep your recommendations to five or less, or split them into categories by topic or difficulty. If you have one to three must reads, spotlight each individually in an Amazon module with a brief summary of what makes the book so great.
4. Media-enhanced education
Besides books, you can use DVDs and CDs to learn gardening, cooking, yoga, German, and more. Try the Amazon and eBay modules for finding multi-media tools.
5. Pride in your hobby
What do woodworkers do? We wear shirts about how much we love woodworking, that’s what we do! For every passion there is a shirt. Check the CafePress module for shirts and gifts for every hobby imaginable.
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3. Fun SquidBits of the Week
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1. Have you started a PhotoPhight yet? http://www.squidoo.com/photophights/hq
2. Who will win Lens of the Year? Voting ends today! http://www.squidoo.com/thelensoftheyear
3. There are some important new improvements to the platform today.
* Squidoo now has a G, R and X-rating system for lenses. Find out more about it here: http://www.squidoo.com/pages/faq#ratingpolicy
* O Groupmasters suffering from Groupspammers, here’s some headache medicine for you. Lenses that spam 2 or more Groups will not be allowed to join more Groups. You can now also “report” groupspammers. And change your Group settings to be a little more selective. Plus a few more improvements to makeyour Groupmastering go more smoothly. Keep an eye out at SquidU for more details.
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4. Lensmaster Profile
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Savvy lensmaster extraordinare John Couke has the good tips for creating niche lenses that run their own SEO show. Read the whole interview here:
http://www.squidu.com/Profiles/getting-to-know-john-couke
Welcome to spring! For me, in northern Wisconsin (brrrr), this has been a long-anticipated event. To celebrate, I’m doing a little spring cleaning on my lenses.
When you first build a lens, everything is in its place. But over time things change: New facts are discovered, new modules become available, and current events and hot topics change the ebb and flow of your traffic. Keeping your lenses fresh makes search engines happy and makes visitors want to return!
What can you do to breathe some fresh air into your existing lenses?
1. Tidying up your lenses
2. Thinking ahead to summer and fall
3. Fun news of the weird, I mean, week
4. Lensmaster Interview
So, roll up your sleeves and have fun!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells, Editor of the SquidU Review
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1. Tidying Up Your Lenses
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Are you ready to get your lenses in shape? Join me in the Lens Tidy Workout to lose that squid flab and tone your lenses into works of web art. In just eight minutes or less!
Warmup - 1 minute per lens
1. The Blank Module Deleter
Blank modules plague published lenses. Let’s clear the slate by deleting unused modules. If your lens is a work in progress, you can always add them back when you’re ready.
2. Generic Module Renamer
Still working with titles such as “New Guestbook Module” and “New Link List?” Give your unnamed modules a quick facelift with catchy titles.
The Big Checker Workout - 5 minutes per lens
3. The Biggie View
View your lens and check it for blatant errors, such as modules that aren’t working, Flickr pics and CafePress items that are obsolete, and anything else that looks funky. Make sure you view it as others will see it. There are some differences between what you see in the edit screen and the published version.
4. Long Text Shortener
Are your text modules a manageable size? If your intro has gotten too long, try breaking it into smaller modules. Readers love short blocks of text and lists.
The Little Checker Workout - 5 minutes per lens
5. The Tagchecker
Review your tags. Is it time to freshen them up? Add newer more relevant, more timely ones?
6. What’s missing?
What’s missing from your lens that could make it better? You don’t have to add it all now. Make a list and plan a time to beef up your content later.
Cool Down - 2 minutes per lens
7. The Emailer
Who do you know that would love to see your lens in action? Your boss? Your mom? Email your lens to friends and family using the email feature on Squidoo.
8. The Del.icio.us Stretch
Help bookmarkers find your links by adding them to your del.icio.us profile. Bonus: if you have FireFox, get the del.icio.us extension.
9. Digg It
Add your lenses to Digg so other diggers can see what’s hot.
Daily Mini Workout - 60 seconds per lens as needed
10. The Link Fixer
If you have link lists, check them regularly for broken links and relevant content.
11. The Switcheroo
Rotate your modules to make your content look fresh. Better yet, swap out old photos and products for newer ones. You know who does this like a pro? Kate, of laptop bag fame. No wonder she’s #1. http://www.squidoo.com/laptopbag
12. The Modernizer
Many lenses, such as those big moneymakers, can be changed up to make them relevant for the season. Your XBox lens title can become “Give an XBox for Father’s Day” or “XBox Games for Road Trips.”
13. The Publisher
Publishing your lenses frequently reminds you to check them for updates and keeps them fresh.
By doing the Lens Tidy Workout just once a month, with daily mini workouts scattered in between, you too can have firm, informative lenses that attract visitors and generate cash.
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2. Thinking Ahead to Summer
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It’s hard to think about beaching it while we’re still watching the snow melt, but all great marketers know you need to think ahead–and that’s just what you are as a lensmaster. You’re the #1 marketer of your own lenses. It takes a while for search engines and potential linking partners to realize, “Hey! Lensmaster Lucy82 created a new lens on hot summer vacation destinations.” If you get in too late, summer could be over before all those vactioners find your “20 Best Swimsuit Styles.”
Here are some ideas for thinking ahead:
** Upcoming holidays - think common and uncommon holidays
- Gift giving guides for all ages, budgets, and situations
- Cards to make; scrapbooking or journalling the holiday
- How you celebrated - your personal story.
- Food, crafts, decorations, clothing, games, books, music, movies, and entertaining for the holidays
** Vacation and recreation
- Places to go, things to see, stuff to do, where to eat and stay, what to stay away from
- Local interest guides for parades, carnivals, events, competitions, walks, concerts, etc.
- Your trip journal, or how you spent your vacation
- Budget-friendly travel ideas ranging to luxury getaways
- Guides for singles, couples, kids, and families
** Summer weather
- Beating the heat, cooling tips and appliances, skin care, health precautions
- Summer clothes, shoes, swimsuits, hairdos, sunglasses, fashion
- Landscaping, gardening, lawn care, building projects
- Recommendations for kids: bikes, swimming and beach toys, outdoor recreation
** Fair weather activities
- Stats, news, gifts, and apparel for summer and fall sports
- Maps, accessories, and tips for biking, hiking, walking, rock climbing, star gazing, etc.
- Tips and ideas for summer fundraisers, family reunions, sports tournaments
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4. Fun News of the Week
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** Last week we celebrated lots of big things, one of which was the SXSW Best Community Award. A few of you have written in to say: great, but WHAT did we win? Check it out: a shiney…glass…award…thingy. It’s the thought that counts.
http://www.squidoo.com/blog/?p=131.
** Have you voted for The Lens of the Year yet? The winner will be announced on Friday March 30. So get in there and make your mark!
http://www.squidoo.com/thelensoftheyear.
** Sneak Preview: There’s a hot new PhotoPhights community project in the works on Squidoo. Stage “phights” with your favorite Flickr pictures. It’s not officially launched yet, so check it out before the crowds descend!
http://www.squidoo.com/photophights/hq.
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5. Lensmaster Profile
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Best known for her Procrastination Destination lens, Groovy Old Lady has a lot more going on than just how to put off cleaning the toilet. Read the whole interview here: http://www.squidu.com/Profiles/destination-groovy-old-lady
What a week for lensmasters! In the past few days, you won a big award for best online community, crossed the 100,000 lens milestone, got paid the biggest total amount of royalties yet… not to mention the thousands of dollars donated to the ASPCA and Polly Klaas Foundation! Wow.
In the middle of all this excitement, I’ve been busy testing out new lensmaking ideas, and I see from the forums and browsing around that many of you have too. I’d love to hear about them! So, if you have a unique idea or project you’d like to share, send it in via the SquidU Review lens. Next week you may find yourself reading here about…yourself! (Scroll to the very bottom for details).
And now: here’s your weekly dose of tips and announcements:
1. SXSW calls YOU extraordinary and exceptional!
2. SquidOffers open to the public
3. Get out and socialize
4. Fun stat of the week: Vote for Lens of the Year
5. Lensmaster Interview
Keep up the great work and let’s see those creative ideas for lenses.
~Kimberly Dawn Wells, Editor of the SquidU Review
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1. SXSW Winner
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What happens when you cross informative lenses with an interactive forum, helpful lensmasters, and charitable donations? Why, a SXSW award, of course!
SXSW is the South by Southwest web awards where Squidoo was recently honored in the community category for “sites and wikis that have quickly developed an EXTRAORDINARILY ACTIVE multi-user community and an EXCEPTIONAL following of users who assist with content development.” That’s us all right! Over the last 18 months our users have taken a passionate hold on all that Squidoo has to offer, and every day we’re seeing new and unique uses for Squidoo lenses and Groups. Our forum traffic has also exploded with dedicated lensmasters offering advice and sharing new tips and tricks for building traffic and revenue. Way to go.
Read more about the SXSW award winners here: http://www.squidoo.com/blog/?p=127.
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2. SquidOffers are Live
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Over the last few weeks we’ve tested the waters with SquidOffers, the “advertisements” that you vote on based on what you like and want to see. Now, if you’re the curious marketing sort, you’re invited to create your very own SquidOffer!
All Squidoo is selling is a gangbusters opportunity at very low risk. What you make of it is entirely up to you, the awesomeness of your Offer, and the opinions of millions of people who stop by Squidoo every month. You can promote your Squidoo lenses, other websites, shops, or affiliate links.
Find out what makes a good Offer great: http://www.squidoo.com/squidoffersthatrock, and make sure you know how not to get your Offer declined! http://ww.squidoo.com/declinereasons.
Right now SquidOffers are only $25 per week, and their only promise is that the price will go up. Slots are filling up fast! To get started, stop by http://www.squidoo.com/squidoffers/start.
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3. Get Out and Socialize
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Pop quiz: How is using Squidoo different from taking the SATs?
Answer: We actually encourage you to socialize and help each other. By all means, get caught looking at your friend’s paper!
Squidoo’s success is largely built on the ability and extent to which our lensmasters socialize. We’re loving how lensmasters are always coming up with creative new ways to use Squidoo socially.
What community features are available to users?
1. Peer ratings
You get to rate the lenses you visit, with one star being “ick” and five stars being “awesome.” Don’t forget to do this when you visit lenses, along with…
2. Guestbook entries
Wherever guestbooks are found, leave your mark. Say hi, give a suggestion or example, or even just thank them for what they shared. If you want to ramble on a bit more than 300 characters or share a secret with the lensmaster, you can always…
3. Contact the lensmaster
This sends an email to the lensmaster via a form, so lensmasters, there’s no need to fret about spreading your email address online. If you don’t have your contact button activated, learn how to do that here: http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo-preferences/.
4. Hit the forums
At the SquidU Forums we have the tentacle on groups, charity, making money, getting traffic, and all around creating great lenses. If you haven’t joined in the discussion, visit us and say hi. We love to see what our lensmasters are up to. http://www.squidu.com/forum
5. Plexo
The Plexo modules AND our latest and great SquidOffers are more user-rated ways to tell us what you want to see. What do you think is hot? What is not so hot? When you see these, feel free to vote them up and down as you see fit. Your vote counts!
So, join the discussion and share in the wealth of knowledge that fellow lensmasters have to offer. The knowledge is yours for the taking, so go do something great with it!
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4. Fun Stats of the Week
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Did you know?
Squidoo just hit 100,000 lenses (yippee), and to celebrate they’ve collected all the previous Lens of the Day winners and are asking YOU to decide: which should be lens of the year?! Go vote: http://www.squidoo.com/thelensoftheyear.
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5. Lensmaster Profile
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This week, Curtis Hart, known and loved as Oniyagi, interviews Shane McElveen, a self-proclaimed graphic design monkey, illustrator, and wannabe novelist. Learn more about Shane’s art and love for Squidoo here: http://www.squidu.com/Profiles/getting-graphic-with-shane-mcelveen.
Hello lensmasters! This week it’s all about the money. As a group we are discovering new and improved ways to generate more royalties with our lenses. So I’ve put this newsletter together as a cheat sheet to help you up your bucks.
Whether you created your lens for the sole purpose of spreading an idea and sharing info, or as a fun way to make some cash, your lenses stand a good chance of earning some royalties. And the site makes makes sales dead simple. Once you’ve set up a moneymaking module on your lens, very little maintenance is required by you. Plus there are no inventory, shipping, or return hassles to worry about. Just collect your royalties each month, or send them off to charity. Finito!
How are we making more money in March?
1. Modules you never knew existed
2. How to make more money
3. Selling your own products and services
4. Fun stats of the week
5. Lensmaster Interview
As with any website, solid content on your lens is VASTLY important to the money making process. The appearance of your lens and an authentic tone clues shoppers in to whether or not they want to stick around. Keep this in mind for your introduction and module descriptions, and you’ll be well on your way to setting up your own Squidshop lenses!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells, Editor of the SquidU Review
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1. Modules you Never Knew Existed
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You’ve probably heard of the Plexo module, but did you know there’s a Vermont Teddy Bear module? How about an Overstock.com module? Camera World? eBags? Hello Direct? Squidoo recently added 45 new money making modules that will enhance your current lenses and give you ideas for new ones. Here’s just a handful of what you’ll find.
Backcountry.com
Camera World
CompUSA
eBags
Golfsmith
Guitar Trader
Laptops for Less
Office Depot
Overstock.com
Panasonic Direct
Paragon Sports
Payless Shoes
Petco
Shutterfly
Wine.com
And lots lots lots lots lots more.
All these modules can help you add moneymaking power to your lenses. Use them to spotlight individual products or create a mini-mall of related offers. Your visitors will enjoy the variety and by sending them to a niche shop, they might end up buying more than either of you bargained for!
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2. How to Make More Money
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Every lensmaster wants to know, “how can I make more money?” Google ads aside, a lensmaster makes money every time a reader clicks on an item for sale and purchases it (or winds up buying something else on that site, later in the clickstream). So: how can we get more visitors to buy the stuff we’re passionately recommending?!
1. Start relevant, stay relevant.
If your lens starts with the history of stuffed animals and trails into, “cheap boat motor parts on eBay,” you’ve just lost a fabulous opportunity to sell related accessories to your visitors. What would stuffed animal historians possibly want to buy? How about acrylic cases to keep their stuffed toys clean, or oak display shelves that fit their living room decor, or a journal to record their collection? By offering related products on your site you keep your content focused and your visitors interested. A lot of lensmasters fall into the trap of using unrelated offers to fill up space. You’re better off with a short, focused lens that readers will want to come back to. If you want to get greedy for more money, make more lenses! Don’t jam it all in to one.
2. Make a recommendation
People want to get their hands on the things their friends use and love, so why not make a recommendation? If you love a product (or book or music or DVD), incorporate a module to showcase that one specific item and review it. Why do you love it? What are the pros and cons of using it? How will your visitor benefit from purchasing it? Don’t just say, “It’s great!” That doesn’t mean anything to a shopper.
3. Make more lenses!
If you’re an expert on, say, wallpaper borders, brainstorm multiple lens ideas for using wallpaper borders.
- Borders for the bathroom, kitchen, kids rooms, etc.
- Borders for decorating furniture, closet doors, bookcases, etc.
- Borders for craft projects, scrapbooking, card making, etc.
- Borders by application style (glue or self-stick)
You get the idea. THEN…link them all together!
Likewise you could do a series of lenses on:
- pottery for beginners, children, kitchenware, and wall art
- board games for kids, college students, family reunions, and blind dates
- sunglasses for snow bunnies, state troopers, Paris Hilton lookalikes, and Matrix fans
- golf equipment by color, for lefties, with team logos, and for ladies
Don’t put all your squids in one basket, and don’t limit yourself to just one or two mega-lenses on a topic. More lenses will mean better chances of getting found in search engines and more niche markets to target.
Tip: Be sure each of your lenses is unique, and doesn’t have copied and pasted text. Search engines (and SquidStaffers) frown upon multiple sites with the exact same content. (Hello, spam, anyone?) Target your text for your niche offer to draw your readers in.
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3. Selling your Own Products and Services
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Making money with modules can be fun and easy. There are no shipping, inventory, or money concerns. You set up a lens and you’re ready to go. But what if you want to sell your own products and services on Squidoo? Promoting your own products works in much the same way.
1. Share a few freebies
Internet shoppers love their freebies! By sharing your articles, a coupon, or a short preview of your project, visitors will become more interested in what you have to offer. Consider what it would take to sell you on a certain product or service. Would you hire a copyeditor before seeing examples of his work? Would you purchase a video game before seeing a demo? Would you buy a fiction ebook before getting a taste of the plot and characters? Comfort your prospects by giving them a sample of what they can expect.
2. Post testimonials
Well written testimonials are a great way to install confidence in an unsure shopper. Effective testimonials start by stating a problem for the user, and end by describing how your product or service solved that problem. Photos and links to the happy customers’ websites will make the testimonials realistic, and if they’re from someone famous that’s even better!
3. Use lots of photos
If a shopper can’t touch, feel, and examine your product, photos are the next best thing. If you have the resources, consider making a video to show how your product works. The Flickr and YouTube modules are perfect for these purposes.
4. Create multiple lenses
The same rule applies for selling your own products. Create multiple lenses for each of your individual products (if appropriate) and for each of your niche markets. Not sure what your niche markets are? Make them up! Even if you really don’t have any Pippy Longstocking Fan Club members looking for your handmade patchwork skirts, it would make a fun lens that’s sure to get some attention!
5. Be REAL
Shoppers are getting smarter, and they’re shying away from sales letters and false fronts. If you want to be successful online you need to be approachable, down-to-earth, and genuine, just as in real life. Let shoppers get to know you as a real person with a short bio and some fun facts. Write to them as if you were talking to them in a casual conversation. This will make them feel comfortable contacting and working with you.
Don’t forget to promote your lenses outside of Squidoo! Post links on your blog, MySpace page, and other websites to maximize your traffic.
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4. Fun Stats of the Week
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* The eBay module is the top moneymaker on the site. The Amazon module is up next. These two are surefire bets.
* Congratulations to our top 3 most profitable lensmasters this month:
Lewis Smile! : http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/MrLewisSmile
Rachel Schwarz: http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/relache
GreenDRV: http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Greendrv/
Go see what the masters are doing with product review and commerce lenses. Stealing inspiration is allowed 
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5. Lensmaster Profile
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This week lensmaster JimH gets deep and shares his thoughts about how to make great lenses.
Read the interview here: http://squidu.com/Profiles/the-many-interests-of-jimh!
If March comes in like a lion, boy do we have the lion’s share of exciting things to look forward to this month!  Why not use this opportunity to put some power into your lenses?
1. Ta-da! It’s SquidOffers
2. Maximizing your lenses
3. The power of feedback
4. Fun tip of the week
5. Lensmaster Interview
They say, “knowledge is power.” I say, “knowledge is power when shared and applied.” When you use Squidoo to share that knowledge, everyone benefits. So get out there and be powerful!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells, Editor of the SquidU Review
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1. Ta-da! It’s SquidOffers
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You’ve probably noticed some pretty wild changes to the righthand sidebar of your lenses. This is the hot new Plexo-powered SquidOffers system!
Squidoo calls it “the new user-generated, community-voted, turbocharged, gotta-have-it ‘advertising’ system. It’s like Plexo or Reddit or Digg, except every single listing is a cool offer from someone who wants to promote something. So, the best offers rise to the top and get the most traffic.” When marketers compete, everyone wins. (Including lensmasters!)
Check out, say, this video games page for more information and a great Q&A about SquidOffers. Start browsing and voting from there and see what you think! http://www.squidoo.com/browse/offers/videogames
But first, some quick answers for curious minds.
* “I’m a lensmaster. What’s in it for me?” SquidOffers are a good way to connect the millions and millions of people stopping by Squidoo every month to fun offers and authentic marketers. The good stuff gets voted up and the lousy ones get buried. Just as with our existing AdSense pool and PayRank system, lensmasters get half of the earnings from SquidOffers, after the SquidStaff pays their monthly overhead to keep the site running. So, chances are if you have a lot of good lenses (which boosts your PayRank–your share of the pie), the inclusion of SquidOffers will help your monthly royalties go up.
* “Can I click the links on my own lenses?” Yes! By clicking on the ads featured on your own lenses, you are not causing any monetary exchange (such as in AdSense which is a pay-per-click system). Feel free to vote on any SquidOffers you see. Your vote counts.
* “What do I need to do?” Nothing! Maxed lenses will automatically see these changes.
* “What if I’m just not sure?” If you need a little more time to get used to SquidOffers, you can “unmax” your lens (see below) for now, to make them disappear. But, you won’t get a tentacle in the money pot.
For more details and to join the exciting discussion visit: http://squidu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2458
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2. Maximizing your Lenses
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Last Fall, Squidoo unleashed their minimizing and maximizing system for lenses, to give lensmasters control over some of the new features we’ve been playing with. But what exactly does this mean?
Our awesome Squidstaff is always playing with new things. They’re watching the lenses, keeping a big squid eye on what works and doesn’t work, and quietly testing new techniques and tools. Some lensmasters love this and want in on the action, and some lensmasters just want their lenses to be left alone. The min/max system gives you the power to choose what you think is best for your lens.
If you choose “max” for your lens, they’ll take what Squidoo has learned about the system and make it available for your lens. It’s an automatic and free way to take advantage of more traffic, new lens layouts, and extra royalties. And they promise not to play with your content - Squid’s honor.
If you would rather keep your lens just the way it is, you can “un-max” your lens at any time. It will automatically revert back to the “min” state, and you don’t have to do anything else. Then again, for those of us who like to change our minds a lot, you can flip back and forth whenever you want.
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3. The Power of Feedback
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There are several ways you can create better lenses, and one of the most helpful tools for collecting information on this is feedback. On Squidoo, you can solicit feedback in a number of ways.
* Polls - you can use the poll module to survey your visitors. They are easy to use and anonymous, so there’s no risk to your visitors to click and express themselves. The downside is visitors can’t tell you a whole lot in their own words.
* Guestbook - the guestbook module allows your readers to leave a message. There are several admin options that come with the module, including the ability to limit messages to those from logged-in Squidoo members only. You can also choose to approve messages before they appear, and a few other display options. Guestbooks are great for kudos, and for keeping an active conversation going with very little effort!
* Contact Me - the “allow contact” option must be set in your preferences section, and you can find a great tutorial here: http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo-preferences.  When you have this turned on, people won’t actually see your email address when shooting you a note. They will fill out a form (which must be confirmed with a security word to deter dirty spammers) which is forwarded to the email address associated with your Squidoo account. If you currently don’t allow other lensmasters to contact you, you could be missing out on a lot of great stuff, including group invitations and ideas for your lenses!
Part of the power of feedback comes from the fact that more heads are better than one. A fellow lensmaster may be able to clue you in to a moneymaking option, spelling mistake, or great new YouTube clip that you hadn’t noticed. By choosing the contact and feedback methods that are best from you, you can take advantage of the experience and resources of others.
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4. Fun Tips and Partners of the Week
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* Amazon got its start as a popular online warehouse for buying books on the cheap, but it has since evolved into a marketplace for dozens of categories of products, where you can shop for any one of several thousand different things. Keep this in mind when you’re using Amazon as a money maker for your lenses. Find out what our savvy lensmasters are saying about Amazon, here: http://www.squidu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=45
* March Nonprofit Madness! It’s a big week for nonprofits at Squidoo. Newest partners include the American Refugee Committee and the Polly Klaas Foundation (who are running a clever challenge to help missing kids). Find out more about the programs here: http://www.squidoo.com/blog/?p=125
* Are you a National Geographic fan? Do you geek out over maps and nature shows, rainsticks and African drums? Squidoo’s friends at National Geographic World Music have just the thing for you: http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/home.
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5. Lensmaster Profile
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This week Citizen Squid Marti Lawrence takes a look at what makes lensmaster Rick Phillips THE Anomaly Man.
Read on here: http://www.squidu.com/Profiles/rick-phillips-resident-anomaly
