Making Groups Great: Do you have what what it takes?
Hi Lensmasters,
SquidooGroups, as you know, was a feature announced in the fall of 2006 to help groupmasters bring together like-minded lenses and lensmasters for the benefit of all. The main idea was twofold: that lenses would get discovered more when organized into relevant niches, and that giving a Groupmaster a platform for listing and featuring and communicating with her group members would lead to higher quality lenses and increased participation. That’s still an overall concept we believe in, and we intend to support it in several ways big and small throughout the site.
To help set the foundation for even better interactions between lensmasters on Squidoo, and to align with the new quality assurance programs we’re putting in place going forward, we’re making a few changes to SquidooGroups:
1. As of right now, no new Groups can be created.
2. That means the Groups you already have are special. It’s a closed privilege. As such, we’re setting our expectations for your existing Groups a little higher. We hope you’ll take some time to check out our list for taking your Groups from Good to Great, below.
3. Some time before June 1 2009, we’re going to choose up to 100 of the very BEST groups on Squidoo and unlock a special tool just for them. These groups will fit a list of our criteria and be nominated by SquidStaff and our Angels.
4. At the same time, we won’t be shy about locking spam or junk or abandoned Groups over the next few months. So make sure yours don’t get mistaken for such.
To help, we’ve put together 7 important things you can (and should!) do to your Groups to make them better, and three things that probably signal that your Group is spam or junk.
Seven ways to make your Groups rock:
1. Make your group HQ pretty.
The front door of your group is a pretty good indicator of how dedicated you are when you start the group. We’ve seen some lensmasters spend hours on designing a fun group, while some others just phone it in with empty modules and blank HQs. Plus, setting this page up in advance can make it easier to maintain in the future.
I like: The Netherlands
2. Define the focus of your group.
Some groupmasters MIGHT be able to pull off a group on something as big a “travel.” But did you know that by being more selective you can get even more attention and better submissions? Think as niche as you can. “Vegetarian soup recipes” or “Great kitchen gadgets for advanced chefs” is way better than a “Cooking” group, because it lets you set the rules, have criteria for accepting or rejecting lenses, and gives you a clear topic to discuss with your group members. Plus it’s better for traffic, and a lot more interesting.
I like: Tropical Fish Headquarters
3. Go ahead. Fire people. We dare you.
Size doesn’t matter. In fact, the worst performing groups are the ones with tens of thousands of lenses with nothing in common and have no focus. Groups are about curating and showcasing lenses on a specific topic, and about giving you a chance to play Editor in Chief of your slice of the web. It isn’t personal - if you have a lens that doesn’t belong in your group, boot it. If you have a lensmaster who doesn’t participate, kindly bid adieu.
I like: The Costumers’ Guild
4. Give lensmasters something to talk about.
You don’t get to become part of an elite group for the purpose of doing nothing. Give your lensmasters something to do. Host a weekly poll about a hot topic. Start threads on the guestbook. Post Plexos of favorite related links or lenses. Run lensmaking challenges; require a brand new lens every week in order for them to stay in your Group. Go above and beyond and blog or Tweet about your members. Make it a place people WANT to belong to.
I like: Green Crusaders Headquarters
5. Show off your best faces.
The Featured Lens and Featured Lensmaster modules are two of my favorite modules to use on a group homepage. In fact, you can show off your newest members without doing anything - groups come standard with one each of these modules that automatically pulls from the five most recent adds. Better yet, try posting weekly Q&A sessions with your top Group members. Spotlight a review of a new lens that joined your Group. The more you do for your members, the more they’ll do for you.
I like: Ethnic Food Headquarters
6. Keep it current.
If your group hasn’t been published in a while, it’s time for a facelift. Rotate in the new and out the old. Use Featured Lens modules to publicize the most current lenses in your Group. There’s nothing as sad as a stale, abandoned Group.
I like: Shopping Headquarters
7. You’re responsible for your members.
Your group is only as good at its weakest link. If the members of your groups have spammy, junky, and/or SquidDon’t lenses, that reflects on you and could get your Group locked. (Yup, you let them in, after all.) Remember: it’s ok to have specific rules about what lenses must include and what lensmasters must do in order to be a member. If they can follow those directions, they get the prize.
I like: Pimp My Lens
And three common Group mistakes that don’t work (and could get your Group locked someday soon):
1. “Anyone can join” groups
Having groups just for the sake of having them. Creating the biggest group on Squidoo might be a fun trick, but totally pointless if you’re looking for things that matter, like participation, traffic, friends or sales.
2. Groups set up for SquidDon’t lenses
Some lensmasters have taken spam and junk to the next level by creating groups to contain all their lenses. All this really does is draw more attention to them and increase their chances of getting locked or deleted.
3. Topics that are way too general
Groups set up to contain Squidoo categories (entertainment, shopping, and business, for example) aren’t just redundant, they’re usually ineffective for all involved. But if you can prove us otherwise, we’d love to hear about it.
Many of you have been vocal about great ideas for new Groups-related tools and technology and features, and we know we haven’t spent a lot of time on those, in a long time. And here’s one reason why: Great groups can be developed without those extra tools. The secret to a good Group is how you run it. How good of a leader you are. How good your members are. It’s about quality and spirit and going niche and staying relevant and mentoring each other. So if you can rock groups with what you’ve got, we’ll know that they’re a good use of our development time and more attention going forward. So get out there and make your Groups Great!
~Kimberly
YOUR Community and Charity Organizer
PS - learn more about great groups with our Groups Mentor, Barkely
