SquidU

Happy Tuesday!

I’m almost embarrassed to say that I have 37 WIP lenses. Oops. That’s right, confession of the century. But seriously, if you’ve been on Squidoo long enough, chances are you have those lenses too.

You know the kind of lenses I’m talking about. You started them with good intentions, and never brought the total topic to fruition. They have a module, maybe two, or they’ve only been reserved and you haven’t done a thing with them. You might even have groups like this. How can you tell if they’re worth finishing or if the topic has passed its prime? Read on to learn what should stay, and what should go.

“Should I keep or drop that WIP lens?”
The first step in deciding what to do with a WIP or long abandoned lens is to figure out WHY you haven’t finished it.

1. Is it the type of lens that is going to require more maintenance than you can commit to? If so, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by dropping it. It may be an awesome idea, but if the lens gets stale, so could your reputation. If not, keep reading.
2. Is it spammy, really junky, or against Squidoo’s TOS? If you haven’t finished that lens on online blackjack, acai berries, or winning back your man, don’t bother. (Especially if it’s about all three.) Squidoo is very much about genuine content on real topics that real people are interested in. Yes, you can create a genuine lens on these topics, but since so many people abuse them, we’ve banned them for everyone. Visit SquidDon’t to find out if the topic is on this list.
3. Is the topic old news? If you originally started the lens about a special event that is now past, chances are you’ll never recover your efforts by continuing to build the lens. If it’s about a holiday that will come around next time, you can always start fresh later.
4. Do you really love the topic? If you started a lens just for the sake of having a lens, but really aren’t that into the topic, don’t stress yourself out by forcing yourself to finish it. Get rid of it and work on stuff you really do love.
5. Will it take more than an hour to finish? If you can get your lens to a publish-ready state in less than an hour (or 15 minutes a day for a week), go for it. But don’t just say you’ll do it, commit to it by writing it on your calendar. You probably waste fifteen minutes a day playing astronaut in the bathroom mirror anyway. Why not use that time to create a lens that will make money?

“Dropping a lens: should I delete or donate?”
Any lenses that you’re thinking of getting rid of but is still in WIP is a candidate for deletion. Your URL will go back into the pot, and another lensmaster will get a chance to use it. If you’re feeling generous, you can even post a note on the forum that it’s available.

Learn how to delete a lens.

“What should I do about the group I abandoned?”
Group URLs, like lenses, go back into the open pool once a group is disbanded. But there may be hope for your group if a little work has already been put into it. Again, here are some questions to ask when deciding whether to delete or donate a group.

1. Is it on an ‘honorable’ topic? By honorable we mean homeschooling projects, or best business books, or tips for saving the whales. If it revolves around miracle cures for infections or getting out of debt fast or your ringtone collection, forget it. These are on our SquidDon’t list.
2. Does it have any lenses? If you only have 10 lenses and they’re mostly yours, the group’s future may be dim. But if you already have 25-50 lenses by more than 5-6 other lensmasters, it means other people are creating lenses on this topic, which is a plus. Maybe one of these members would like to take the group over, or you can put it on the Lens Marketplace.
3. Is the HQ set up? If your HQ hasn’t yet been dressed for success, it’s hard to get someone else to adopt your group. They may be willing to approve or deny new lenses, but don’t want to have to recreate the headquarters page from scratch. If you haven’t filled in all the basics, it’s a good sign you’re ready to let go.

Note: to learn how to properly transfer a group to a new groupmaster, read this first.

Old lenses can get a new lease on life if you’re willing to put forth the work, and it feels good to have a clean dashboard. By applying these tips, you can make satisfying decisions on what to keep and what to drop, so you can continue making the best possible lenses.

Have fun!
~Kimberly
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer

PS - learn more on @squidoonews and leave feedback here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 5:01 pm and is filed under SquidU Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.