SquidU

In the complicated world we live in, getting back to basics can be very refreshing. Sometimes you don’t need the whole banana split with cherries on top. Sometimes a simple chocolate cone will do. Today, we have some info for you on getting back to the basics of Squidoo.

1. What’s Missing?
2. Your Lens Basics
3. Your Personal Basics
4. Back to Basics, with Citizen Squid Glen

Like learning to walk, the basics need to be in place before mastering running. As you create bigger and better lenses, you’ll realize that all great things are built out of many, many easy-as-pie pieces.

Happy lensmastery!

Kimberly Dawn Wells
Editor of the SquidU Review

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. What’s Missing?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Squidoo offers so many great interactive and optional features that it is hard to keep track. While most of them come and go between lenses, a few are standard throughout. To make a great impression, there are four areas that everyone should pay special attention to:

1. Your bio photo
A blank orange photo? Hrm, something is fishy here. We want to get to know you, and it’s easier to relate with people when you have a face to go with a name. Dig out those proper profile photos and goofy family snapshots. We’ll even host it for you.

2. Your bio
“This is my bio”; is true enough, I suppose. But not very sexy. We want to know who YOU are. Tell us a bit about yourself. Why you built this lens. What it means to you. And remember, showing that there’s a REAL LIVE HUMAN BEING behind this lens is super appealing to surfers. Studies show that pages creted by real people–ie you–are trusted more and have lower bounce rates. You are unique. Tell people about it.

3. Module titles
Each time you add a module a title appears, but we know you can do snazzier than “New Amazon Module.” Module titles should reflect the benefit that your reader will receive from them. For example, “Five Must-Have Books for Programmers” or “The Three Best Kiddie Toys for Summer!”

4. Your intro module
This is a BIG ONE. This affects the entire first impression of someone landing on your page. The image you use for your intro module (and your bio) is what viewers see when they search for your lens or see it featured on a group page. When your intro image is missing, you miss out on that extra visual zip that readers love to see and click on. There are plenty of places to find royalty-free images, or take your own photos and show them off.

These basics are part of the foundation upon which your lenses are promoted, showcased, and found. These small but important features add great detail and personality to your listing, and encourage surfers to stay for a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Your Lens Basics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each lens comes pre-loaded with a bunch of features and preferences. Most of these you’ve probably noticed and worked with, such as the tags. Maybe you know about the new rating system and lens category, but did you know you can set payment preferences and a unique biography for each and every lens? Let’s take a look!

1. My Bio
When you go to the edit page for one of your lenses, the first customizable item in the right column will be “My Bio.” If you have a lot of lenses, or a variety of lens topics, you can use this section to personalize your biography for that topic. Perhaps you’re new to kickboxing, love to travel to warm places, and baking perfect cakes is old hat. This is a perfect place to reflect that for each of those three types of lenses.

2. Lens Category
Next you will see Lens Category. These have changed since the beginning of the year, so if you haven’t browsed the categories lately, it’s time to give it a try.

3. Tags
You probably remember selecting tags for your lenses, including one tag that fits it best. This is where you can change your tags. Try finding 5-10 tags for your lenses that reflect the content. If you discover that the tags you chose aren’t words you’ve used in your lens, it’s time to do a little rewriting. (Learn more on this in an upcoming issue!)

4. Payment Options
Perhaps you want most of your revenue to come to you, but want to donate the royalties from a few specific lenses. Each lens allows you to select a brand new donor if you wish, and even split your royalties from one lens.

5. Lens Rating
In this section you’ll see a drop down menu with three ratings - G, R, and X. Previously, the “adult” and “non-adult” ratings didn’t fit all lenses, because a lens could be meant for a mature audience without being of the adult nature. Make sure your ratings reflect the content of your lens. Is your lens REALLY safe for all eyeballs?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Personal Basics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How long has it been since you jumped headlong into the world that is you? On Squidoo, each lensmaster and member has a special page devoted just to them and what they like. Here, you’ll find some special features that you’ll want to pay attention to. Just login to Squidoo and go to your Account page: http://www.squidoo.com/member/profile.

1. Safe Search
Starting with the smaller bubble of features to the right, you can choose which lenses you want to see. If you only want to see lenses that lensmasters think are G rated, or G and R rated, you can do that. If you want to see everything and anything, select the bottom option.

2. Share my Squidoo
When you bless lenses as your favorites, they are posted on your “favorites” page. If you would like others to see what you think is great, turn this feature on. If you want to keep your stash under wraps, feel free to disable it.

3. Open External Links in a New Window
Especially helpful if you have FireFox (for tabbed browsing), when this is turned on you can visit new lenses without leaving your old ones. If you don’t want a lot of browser windows clogging your desktop, you can turn it off.

4. Allow Contact
Do you want people to be able to contact you? This feature allows them to send you mail withOUT giving up your secret email. fuzzywuzzy23@iheartbears.com is safe with us. (PS - if they can’t contact you, you’re missing out on a ton!)

5. Newsletter Preferences
Skip down most of the way in the left section and you’ll see Newsletter Preferences. (The rest is all easy contact stuff.) This is where you can change your preferences for the weekly and daily newsletters. Not getting one of these? The nerve! Just click the box to be automatically added to the list. Getting too much email? Unselect the boxes to be unsubscribed. I promise I won’t cry. Well maybe just a little.

While they seem simple, these basics lay the foundation for what you see, what you get, and what you can do on Squidoo. For many, these simple preferences are what allow lenses to be found, people to connect, and transactions to take place. You can go back at any time to change them, so why not give them a whirl?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. The Basics with Glen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you’re looking for how-to tips for Squidoo and capturing the basics of lensmastery, read our interview with out-of-this-world lensmaster and Citizen Squid, Glen.

http://www.squidu.com/profiles/glen

I have a hard time keeping my fingers out of the cookie jar.  I like to be involved in lots of exciting things all at once.  However I have found that amidst the variety, specializing in a few niche topics really comes in handy.  Each of us has unique knowledge to add to the mix.  When you get really good at one very specific thing, you become the go-to person for that niche, and that’s just the type of person we’re looking for! It’s also the type of thing search engines, and surfers, drool over. So, here’s an overview of things you might consider when you make your lens lens.

1. No Niche is Too Small
2. Breaking Down your Niche
3. Spreading the Word
4. Interview with Margaret

As you’re implementing these ideas, you might find it hard to stick with one niche.  If you’re still new to designing lenses, try starting with one topic and expand on it.  Soon you’ll discover all sorts of creative ways to show off your talents and teach others!
Happy lens-crafting!

~Kimberly Dawn Wells
SquidU Review Editor

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
1. No Niche is Too Small
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

No niche is too small.  It’s mind-boggling what people collect, read about, participate in, and become fanatical about.  Think swiss cheese making, underwater instruction, and amateur song writing are too niche to be interesting?  The national associations for each of these hobbies and skills don’t.  The truth is that no matter what you are interested in, there are other people out there that are also fascinated by collecting old horseshoes and potato chip bags, or building loudspeakers from parts.
When you build lenses about these things, you enhance the availability of information for your niche and position yourself as an expert on the topic.  The more lenses you build, the more there will be for people to find and the more opportunities you have to make money and get recognized!

Most niches won’t be quite this obscure, but consider the following:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles PEZ Dispensers - http://www.squidoo.com/tmntpez/
Miniature Thread Crochet Bears - http://www.squidoo.com/thread_crochet_bears/
Japanese Gift Wrapping - http://www.squidoo.com/gift-wrap/
Vintage VW Cars and Busses for Sale - http://www.squidoo.com/vintage-vw/
Nursing Home Volunteers - http://www.squidoo.com/willworkfortheelderly/
Canned Fish - http://www.squidoo.com/cannedfish/
Amish Bread Boxes - http://www.squidoo.com/amishbreadboxes/

Each of these could be a larger category, such as PEZ, crochet, gift wrapping, vehicles for sale, volunteerism, food, or furniture.  By focusing a specific type for each category, these wise lensmasters have created top-niche lenses that are among the best on Squidoo.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
2. Breaking Down your Niche
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

You’ve decided you really love buttons, but there are only so many lenses you can do on buttons.  Or are there?  If you think you’re stuck on ideas for your niche product or service, try doing what I do for everything from lenses to novels.

Create a mind map!

On a large piece of paper, write your topic title in the center.  Let’s say it’s buttons.  Draw lines radiating away from the word ‘buttons,’ and at the end of each each, write a word that describes or is related to your main topic.  Think about the color, size, designs, uses, history, methods of purchase or sale, and where to find more info.  You name it.  (Think 5W-How.)

For each of those, draw lines radiating away from the words.  At the end of each of these lines, write a word related to both your main word and the word it is branching off.  The idea is to create a chart of ideas by brainstorming possible topics and themes.  Keep drawing and doodling until you run out of room or run out of ideas.  Don’t sensor any of your ideas at this time.  Something that sounds too weird or too obvious could be the magic lens idea that gets you the attention you need.

When you are done, if you are so inclined, type your list in the order from easiest to implement to most challenging.  Write some deadlines into your schedule for attending to these updates.  There’s nothing like an exciting goal to motivate a lensmaster into taking some action!

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
3. Spreading the Word
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Pre-Internet, getting the word out about niche ideas, and just about any idea for that matter, was tough.  Marketers were still operating under old marketing rules: get out to the people.  Today, smart marketers (that means you!) are operating under a different set of rules: attract the right people and impress them.  Squidoo makes it easy to impress the right people.  What can you do to help attract them?

1. Go where they go
Where do your ideal customers go for information?  Is it a blog, forum, or directory?  Is it an association website or weekly newsletter?  Be there.  Simple as that.

2. Get listed
If there aren’t a lot of resources for your niche, that is actually a bonus for you!  With less marketers competing for keywords, they become more valuable.  With a little SEO savvy you too can be the top ranked site for squirrel racing, fire eating, or even green eggs and ham fans.

3. Create a following
If there isn’t a place to go for information on Venus fly trap farms, create one.  Be THE place to go for information on your niche.  It will take a little time and pro-active PR on your part, but could be very profitable for you in several ways.  Money is a big one, but consider the name recognition and traffic as a huge perk as well.
4.  Link ‘em Up
Don’t rely solely on outside traffic for help.  Each one of your niche lenses is a traffic generating powerhouse for your other niche lenses!  Add a simple links module to the bottom of your lens, or lensroll them all together.  When readers are done at one of your lenses, they can easily visit the rest.

It might seem easier to promote a topic such as ‘marketing’ than a topic such as ’selling skis using postcards,’ but consider how much competition you have with more general terms.  Niche is good, and more and more users are discovering this idea as well.   Keep moving toward your niche with new and exciting ideas.  Some will work and some might not, but all will help you achieve your goals.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
4. Interview with Margaret
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

If you have questions about niche lenses, Margaret is the woman to ask.  This owner of an Amish furniture store explains how Squidoo has enhanced her business.

http://www.squidu.com/Profiles/margaret

It’s been a big week! We got new lens designs, met the SquidAngels, and are seeing tons of first-timers making cool new lenses.

There are a lot of questions kicking about these days, so I’m doing things a little differently and am using the bulk of this newsletter to answer a few for you. Hope this comes in handy.

Happy friday!

Kimberly Dawn Wells
Editor of the SquidU Review

Q: What are SquidAngels, and how does this affect me?
A: SquidAngels are a team of some of our best lensmasters. They’re floating around checking out lenses and “blessing” the ones that really stand out. Could you get your lens blessed? Read more here: http://www.squidoo.com/groups/squidangels.

Q: When I have a problem should I file a bug report or ask in the SquidU forum?
A: Deciding where to go for answers to your burning questions can be tricky. If you’re having a fishy technical problem, like a feature that is not working right, file a bug report. Squidoo’s bug tracker will get it to the right person quickly.

If you’re trying to do something that you suspect someone else has already done: visit SquidU. This includes, but is not limited to, using modules, promoting lenses, setting up groups, and other lens development techniques.

Q: How should you file a bug report?
A: Just click the bug report link at the bottom of your screen. Follow the steps and be really, painfully specific. Provide the following information:
1. what you were doing when the problem occurred
2. what should have happened
3. what happened instead
Please be patient when awaiting your bug report response. Many times the bug squashing team has to go in search of the sneaky problem, which takes some time. And remember, there are only THREE full time Squidoo employees. And about 70,000 Squidoo members. Holy moly!

Q: How can I find previously answered questions on the SquidU forum?
A: If you would like to see if someone has already answered your question at the SquidU forum, a simple search will tell you! To access the forum, go to http://www.squidu.com/forum. You can view messages at the forum without logging in, but to post a comment you’ll need to log in using your username (not your full email address) and Squidoo password. Click the tab at the top of the page titled “Search”. You can look for articles that include a specific word or phrase, or that were written by a specific lensmaster. If you are looking for a conversation you previously read, try one or two keywords and the username of someone involved in the thread. This can help you find those discussions that you kind of glanced at but want to go back and reference.

The SquidU forums are a wealth of knowledge, and the content expands every day. A quick search can often help you find want you want, fast.

Q: I have lenses that I’m no longer interested in maintaining. What can I do with them?
A:No problem! There are four main things you can do with lenses (and groups) you no longer want.
1. Give it away!
One great feature of Squidoo is your ability to transfer a lens to someone else. You can post a notice on the forum to gather requests or give it to someone you know.
2. Sell it… (you little entrepreneur you)
Marti Lawrence made history by offering the first lens for sale on the SquidU Forums. Her Bette Davis Eyes lens was purchased by Jeffry Vance. Since then, several lenses have been auctioned or sold flat out. Lenses about celebrities and moneymakers are good candidates for this, though if you’re lucky, a few lensmasters are taking or buying lenses on nearly any topic.
3. Create a contest for someone to win your lens.
A fun little contest is sure to generate interest. What better to win than a pre-made lens that’s already getting traffic and earning royalties?
4. Delete it. Sniff.
While we’re often sad to see them go, all you need to do to delete your lens is click on the X to the far right of the lens title on your dashboard. Remember this is permanent! But I’m sure someone somewhere will be happy to see the lens URL go back up for grabs.

Q: What are the coolest, easiest, most powerful things I can do RIGHT NOW to help promote my lens?
A:Once your lens is in good shape and you’re proud to have people checking it out, try these 4 things:
1. Add it to StumbleUpon or del.icio.us.
2. Drop a note to someone who runs a blog on your topic and ask (politely) for their feedback on your lens.
3. Stop by Yahoo Answers. Did someone ask a question that your lens has the answer to? Post it. Lenses are amazing formats for sharing info fast.
4. Invite your friends to check it out and pass it on!

Have a great weekend, everyone.