Archive for December, 2007
Whew! Here in Wisconsin I’m halfway through a very busy holiday season, and looking forward to hitting 2008 running - with all good things of course. Everyone has a wish list at Christmas, and Squidoo brought me a very special present this year with my favorite new thing to date. Check out #1 to find out what I mean!
I hope you got everything you asked for, and will get everything you wish for next year!
~Kimberly
Your Community Organizer
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1. Read my lens: SquidLit.com is here!
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New books, old books, black books, blue books. Dogeared books, highlighted books, books with notes in the margins, books from the library, books everywhere! No matter what shape or size, we all love books. Now, you can tell the world about the books you love, or the books you wrote, or even the books you’re going to write, with SquidLit.
Like our other recent front doors, SquidLit is an easy way to get started on a fan lens for those multi-paged creations that make us laugh and make us cry. Just enter your book title and author, and we give you a framework to start with! Then you get to make it your own.
* Talk about the awesome book you just read.
* Share what you learned from the latest book you read.
* Reminisce about books from your childhood.
* Promote your book by building an online fan club.
* Hold a virtual reading.
The possibilities are endless. How will YOU use SquidLit?
Get started today! SquidLit.com
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2. Don’t forget about SquidWho, Bids, Vids, Flix, and Ever!
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The new stuff Squidoo comes out with is so exciting to use that sometimes the lenses from weeks past get neglected. But did you know how well all our front doors work together? Consider these most popular categories:
Art and Literature: This one’s a gimme. There are unlimited ways to connect your authors and actors and characters between Lit and Flix and Vids! Don’t forget about fan merchandise on Bids, and start your own fan club with Ever.
Business: Business doesn’t have to be boring. There are tons of fun ways to promote new ideas with Lit, Bid on supplies, talk about who’s Who in CEOdom, and relay ideas in motion with Vids.
DIY & Hobbies/How-To & Education: Showing is so much better than telling. Some of the most successful people have built their empire on taking their know-how to TV, books, and beyond. Think Rachael Ray and Ty Pennington. Then put their best work on display with Lit, Vids, Bids, Who - and link them all together!
Food and Cooking: Be someone’s hero! Not everyone is born a chef, and now there’s no reason not to be able to find great step-by-step recipes live on Vids and for the home on Lit. And don’t forget tastiest.______.ever.com!
Health and Medicine: Health is hot, but who knows what to believe? If you have a testimonial you’d love to share for a Who or what, let us know. Exercise can be made fun on Flix or Vids, and the most patient-friendly books are made for Lit.
Movies & TV/Music: Another gimme!! But instead of doing a simple discography, why not kick it up a notch with a trivia or karaoke contest?
Sports & Recreation: Nowadays, people don’t want to just sit around and watch sports, they want to experience them - even if they are just sitting around and watching them. What does every sports enthusiast need? Gently used gear from Bids? How-to guides from Lit? Follow through tips from Vids? Greatest bloopers from Flix? And don’t forget, the best.flatscreentv.ever to watch it on!
Video Games: Whether you’re an old school Nintendoer or a hard core WoWer, Squidoo makes it easy to share what you know, learn from others, meet new friends, and become the Xbox champion of your block. How will you combine our front doors, grasshopper?
Bonus: Three-way link your lenses.
1. Lensroll them to each other.
2. Place a featured lenses module to categorize options.
3. Use in-text links for smooth flow and pertinent suggestions.
Try a new lens combination today!
Who - Bids - Vids - Flix - Lit - Ever
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3. Is your lens the best?
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Psst! Our Angels have been hard at work scouring the web for the best lenses of 2007. Will yours make the grade? Keep an eye on the forums for updates on the 2007 Lens of the Year Contest!
Good luck!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells
Squidoo’s Community Organizer
Happy December!
This holiday season is full of eights. There are eight candles on a Menorah to celebrate eight nights of light. Santa’s sleigh is pulled by eight tiny reindeer. Kwanzaa honors eight (minus one) days of heritage. And soon we’ll be welcoming the start of 2008.
To celebrate the crazy eights during these last few weeks of 2007, Squidoo is proud to present eight AWESOME new modules.
http://www.squidoo.com/hotnewmodules
The Talk Bubble Module
Don’t you ever wish you could spout off about something important on your lens? Now you can. Say it loud and large with a full-size, orange bordered speech bubble.
The Blackbox
Adding contrast to an otherwise black-on-white lens was the inspiration for this white-on-black box that makes a bold statement.
The Institutional Yellow Sticky Note
Give in to your internal office geek. Slap some of these on your lenses for a cool side-note or reminder.
The Polaroid Module
Flickr and photo fans, this one’s for you! Get BIG with your photos and frame them in delightful Polaroid style.
The Duel Module
Which came first: the chicken or the egg? Debate to your heart’s content, and poll the audience while allowing for detailed feedback. This module looks especially sexy on our new SquidFlix.com lenses.
The Most Important Thing Module
What IS the most important thing? You tell us, in a crazy-huge orange framed box.
The Big Arrow Link Module
Make sure NO one misses your business website URL with this gianormous pair of pointing arrows that draw so much attention to your link, your neighbor at Starbucks will do a double-take.
The Countdown Module
How long until Kimberly’s coffee buzz wears off? Well folks, we could be here a while. Better wind up a countdown module. Awesome for all those fun events you look forward to: birthdays, babies, retirement, January 20th, 2009…
Have you been putting off revamping those lenses you created over spring break? Now is the perfect time to ring in the new year with fun new toys. Give the search engines a shiny new reason to share the love.
Tip: these modules look best when used sparingly. Too many bold points trample each other, and soon nothing stands out!
Here are those previews once more: http://www.squidoo.com/hotnewmodules
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Wild Widgets
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The Clippers are 9-15 for the season. Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” is STILL the number one song. And people get really mad when they don’t get their banana split sundaes.
How do I know all this? Why, Squidoo’s wonderful wild widgets of course!
Add fun and fresh news to your lenses with a few simple clicks of the mouse. Neat stuff like hot stats for NBA team fans, Blender’s top 100 songs, and The Apprentice’s Virtual Ice Cream Parlor Challenge.
There are too many to mention. Get them today, while they’re hot! Found under the “widgets” tab of your “add module” function.
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PSSST: while you’re at it, find out what Seth has to say about using your lenses to win the “find me online” wars.
Unique, Useful, & Updated: Three Secrets to Web Traffic
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That’s all folks! However you are celebrating this holiday season, be safe and have a joyful time!
~Kimberly
YOUR Community Organizer
Hello Lensmasters!
This has been such an exciting week, what with the launch of #1 below (which includes the bonus new module release), taking communications to new heights with #2, making more money by applying #3, making your mark on the world like Seth says in #4, and being a building block of Squidoo with our great #5 team.
Confused? 
Read on to find out what I mean.
Keep making things great,
~Kimberly
YOUR Community Organizer
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Special Announcement #1
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First, it was the Amazon module.
And it was good.
Then, the Netflix module.
And it was great.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any easier and more fun to talk about and share your favorite movies…
Squidoo presents SquidFlix!
Pick your movie title and tell us - love it or hate it? Then we’ll help you MagicBuild your lens based on whether it’s the best or worst. Tell the world what you think and get feedback from fellow fans or foes using our brand new Duel module.
What’s the best?
Dougeby loves Braveheart
SemperFidelis loves Live Free or Die Hard
Christene loves Labyrinth
What’s the worst?
Jeffwend hates Ghost Rider
But we bet there are more!
What do you love? What do you hate? SquidFlix is here, get it now, don’t wait!
PSST - we’re still tweaking a few things, so if it’s a little buggy, bear with us. There were known issues with IE7, and FireFox seems to be handling it beautifully.
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Special Announcement #2
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Do you love Squidoo?
Are you a master at some aspect of lens making?
Can you put together a complete sentence?
Excellent!
We want YOU to contribute to our weekly SquidU Review or one of our soon-to-be-launched mini-newsletters that will focus on SquidWho, SquidVids, and Ever.
Learn what it takes to be a guest editor for one of our newsletters, and apply, at www.squidoo.com/squidureview
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Special Announcement #3
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Money, money, money. This month we paid out gangbusters cash to lensmasters and deserving charities. Wouldn’t you love to know what some of the top selling items are, so you can put them on your lenses and make even more moola?
Now you can!
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Special Announcement #4
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How powerful can you be on Squidoo? See what Seth says.
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Special Announcement #5
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Over the last six weeks you’ve probably noticed some familiar, and some new, names taking over as moderators on the forums. These six wonderful lensmasters on rotation are our Citizen Squids! They’re putting fresh ideas into the forum, keeping it neat and tidy, and helping answer your questions and get you on your way back to lensmastering.
Besides the forums, this great group of folks is also testing new releases, sharing Squidoo with the world, and learning tips from the pros for making Squidoo work for them. If you would like to be considered for our next round of Squidizenship, visit coolest.lensmasterperk.ever.com to apply.
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Bonus Special Announcement #6
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Have a fabulous day!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells
Squidoo’s Community Organizer
