Help your Friends and Family use Squidoo!
Sharing Squidoo with friends and family can be daunting. What if they don’t get it? How can I explain it? What help can I give them?
Luckily, there are dozens of helpful lenses on how to use Squidoo.
In March, we’re targeting 9 groups of people in your community who can use Squidoo to increase their exposure, get found more often in searches, sharpen their technological IQ, promote their wares, and make more money. Groups like teachers, small restaurant owners, realtors, and mommies. If you happen to know anyone that fits into these categories, and we bet the biscuit you do, you’ll want to forward these emails and spread the wealth. And if they need a little help, THIS email is designed to give it!
Ready? Set? It’s learn about Squidoo time!
1. Step one - signing up.
Signing up for Squidoo is free, easy, and required to create lenses and interact with other lensmasters. Get started here. (We don’t require a confirmation email, so you can get started right away. Just be sure to read our Terms of Service.)
You’ll want to pick a username you love, because it’s permanent, and write down your username, email address, and password. (And double check that they’re spelled correctly!) If you need to reset your password, you can do it here.
2. Get to know your dashboard
Your dashboard is the first place you’ll go after logging in at Squidoo.com. For now, your dashboard will look different than the screenshots on Take a Dashboard Tour because you don’t have lenses or groups yet. Spend some time on the My Profile tab and be sure to fill in the very important PayPal address info. For more info on how this works, visit Payment FAQ and It’s Payday!
The My Lenses tab is important because it gives you access to all the features of each of your lenses. Once you create lenses, you can put your mouse over them to display a menu where you can edit them and access stats and more.
3. Make your first lens!
Making a lens shouldn’t be a stressful process. It should be fun! So while you’re making your first lens, keep in mind that you can skip whatever you want to or don’t understand, and come back to it later. There are three ways to build a lens, and you can test drive them all. For beginners, try the Magic Builder. (One pointer: pick your lens URL wisely. It’s permanent.)
Margaret is our First Lens Mentor, meaning she specializes in helping people create their first lens. Check out her lens on the topic, and if you still have questions, ask her by leaving a guestbook comment at the bottom of the page. After you publish a lens for the first time, read the important directions listed on the page that displays. If you miss this page, check out these links to learn what you missed:
- What is a WIP lens, and what do I need to know about it?
- Why is my lens still under construction?
- How do I get back to the edit screen for my lens?
4. Get help from other mentors
Just as there are specific parts to building a Squidoo lens, we have specific mentors to help you with those needs. Ener-G is our Module Mentor, and is an expert at using a variety of modules to do fun things. If you’re willing to learn a little code, TrekkieMelissa is our HTML/CSS Mentor. She’ll help you jazz up your lenses. When you’re ready to promote your lenses, jeffwend is our Lens Promotion Mentor. He has great tips on spreading the word about your lens.
5. Join the conversation
As a member of Squidoo you have automatic access to SquidU Forum! Just log in using your username (not email address) and password. If it’s your first visit, try searching for the answer to your question first. You can also do a search for helpful lenses at The Answer Deck.
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If you follow these five steps, and read all the helpful lenses, you’ll have gained access to almost all the tools you need to use Squidoo succesfully. You’ll know where to go for help, and learn about more lenses linked from these to find out how to take your lenses to the next level.
Now that you know how to help your friends and family become a part of Squidoo, forward this email to them so they can sign up for the SquidU Review. You’ll be the first ones to know how using Squidoo can help local businesses and people be great!
Enjoy the rest of your February, and here’s to a rockin’ March!
~Kimberly
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer
