SquidU

Hello lensmasters!

This spring we contacted a few new lensmasters and asked them what they loved most about Squidoo. It wasn’t hard to get feedback; their comments poured in!

Today we’re sharing feedback from three new lensmasters. TheBurgerKing is the author of The Best Collection of Hamburger Recipes & Burger Adventures Online, Michael-Legge started his Squidoo adventure with Easy Pot Roast Recipe for Your Crock Pot, and kajohu has delighted us with over 20 new lenses in the last six months, including Backyard Birding.

Here’s what they had to say about joining Squidoo:

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Squidoo: How did you find out about Squidoo?

TheBurgerKing: First off let me say I love the site. It’s so easy to use and very interesting thus far. I kinda just stumbled across Squidoo through Digg, and after reading up on it, I was pretty much hooked. I’ve been looking for a medium online that would allow me to talk about the subjects I was interested in with the possibility of monetizing from it, and Squidoo is perfect!

Kajohu: I found out about Squidoo while searching for ways to make money writing online. It took me a few months of reviewing different online options, and as you see, I finally ended up here. I like the creative options available to us for putting together our lenses.

Michael-Legge: I found out about Squidoo while I was doing some research for my website. I was a little intrigued so I started reading some lenses… I was hooked at this point.

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Squidoo: So far, it sounds like we have three very addicted newbies! Which passions are you sharing on Squidoo?

Michael-Legge: I started out with a crock pot recipe lens as this was related to my website and is one of my passions but once I read some more lenses I thought Squidoo would be a great place to share a few things that I am concerned and passionate about, such as our environment. I am a fairly recent new grandfather (grandson is now 2 1/2 years old) and when he was born it put a new sense of urgency into ideas I had about helping reduce our impact on the environment. My wife and I both love the outdoors and want our grandson to be able to enjoy and appreciate the gifts that are our planet.

Kajohu: My first three lenses were about yoga. Probably most of my lenses will be about some aspect of yoga, since this is my biggest passion.

TheBurgerKing: I’m currently sharing my passion for food more specifically BURGERS why? I mean who doesn’t like a good burger? Plus I think it’s the only food I’d wanna bring to a deserted island.

***

Squidoo: New lensmasters who are excited AND have powerful passions! How are you sharing your lenses with others and spreading your ideas?

Kajohu: So far the most effective way to share my lenses seems to be through SquidU and through commenting on other lenses that I like. I’m trying to reciprocate, by leaving feedback for the people who have visited and critiqued my lenses.

Michael-Legge: I am promoting my lenses mostly through my website I am not as proficient at keywords and SEO as I would like to be but I am working on it.

TheBurgerKing: I’m sharing my lens by linking it with my Twitter account and posting it on Facebook. I’m using the power of social media to fuel my page, and I’m keeping up by reviewing lenses and commenting on them.

***

Lensmasters new and veteran can learn from these ideas. Join us in welcoming these new lensmasters and encouraging them to keep on Squidooing!

~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer
Join me for Morning Coffee every weekday.

Hi Lensmasters! Hopefully you’ve set a time and location for your local Meetup on Worldwide Squidoo Meetup Day…because it’s tomorrow!

If you weren’t able to join us for the Meetup chats yesterday, we were lucky to have RMS, aka Robin, present to tell us how she’s been holding successful meet-and-greets with a group of local lensmasters, The Triangle Squids, for several months.

Here are her tips for making your Meetup magical:

Squidoo: Robin, how did you get started with The Triangle Squids?

Robin: I found Ann by chance because of a post on Get Cracking and we decided to meet in real life. When Beth heard about it she contacted me and wanted to meet us also, so we did, and Jane joined us for the next meeting after that.

Squidoo: Where do you meet, and what do you chat about?

Robin: We meet at Panera Bread for coffee and bagels. They are awesome there, they never kick us out or make us feel uncomfortable, even though our meetings usually last for hours. We love our meetings because we can speak “Squidoo” and we all understand each other. We discuss lensmaking and affiliate marketing and our personal lives. We started as friends online, and we’ve become friends in real life now too.

Squidoo: Do you “Squidoo” while you’re meeting?

Robin: We haven’t made any lenses yet but I’ve learned a lot at these meetings. Everyone approaches their lensmaking in a different way and discussing it is a true eyeopener to new inspiration. Usually someone will say something, and one of the others will say, “Did you make a lens about that?” We always leave excited about making more lenses.

Squidoo: Do you have an agenda for your meetings? Any official setup?

Robin: We’ve never planned what we will discuss ahead of time, but if you are meeting someone for the first time it might be useful to have a few topics in mind. It’s a weird feeling when you first start talking because you’re looking at a stranger but speaking to an old friend. The worst part is finding each other when you first get there; no one looks like their photos!

Squidoo: I know that after hearing about your fun meetings other lensmasters are totally jealous and excited about their own events on Meetup Day. Did you know it would catch on?

Robin: Beth made our Triangle Squids lens after she met with us the first time. She wanted to encourage everyone to do this. Now we meet once a month. It’s such an inspiration. We all leave revved up and raring to go. I can’t wait to hear about everyone else’s meetups!

***

Me too! When you hold your meetup, be sure to take notes and lots of pictures. Send them to kimberly at squidoo.com and build a lens. Not able to make it to a Meetup? Join us for a virtual meet and greet Thursday night in the Squidoo chat room.

Just because Meetup Day is Thursday doesn’t mean you can’t schedule another date! Continue to search for local lensmasters and use Meetup.com/Squidoo to set your own dates.

Have fun!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer

Hey, partner charities, we need to talk!

If you didn’t already know, Squidoo is giving you an opportunity to in $99 a day for 60 days this summer.

That’s right! Starting June 7th and running weekdays through August 27th, we’re selecting one awesome lens that benefits a Squidoo partner charity and giving that charity $99. (We’re also giving $99 to the lensmaster who created it, so if your charity creates it, double bonus!) It’s called the Squidoo Summer Sunshine Award and it’s starting in just three days.

Winning $99 with an awesome lens is simple and takes only three little steps:

1. Build lenses.
When your organization builds lenses and wins, you’ll get the whole $198. That’s right! So if you haven’t built biographies for all your staff and volunteers, or recaps of your events, or promotions for your upcoming fundraisers, get cracking.

2. Get others to build lenses.
If your volunteers have been hesitant to build lenses on Squidoo, maybe $99 will entice them. Hold a pizza party in a venue with WIFI and have everyone bring their laptops. Build lenses together and hold internal contests for most visitors or funniest photos.

(In fact, June 10th is Worldwide Squidoo Meetup Day. Why not host it then?)

3. Submit lenses all summer long.
The first lens is awarded June 7th but the contest is far from over. Continue to build lenses and nominate them all summer long. It’s easy with this simple form.

We’re looking forward to sending out mega donations to our partner charities this summer. It’s what we do. It’s not surprising to us that some of our smallest charities are in the lead for number of lenses and number of nominations made for this contest. There’s still plenty of time to catch up.

May the best lenses, and charities, win!

~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer

The idea of meeting virtual friends in real life can be scary.

“What if they don’t like me?”
“What if it’s awkward?”
“What will we talk about?”

Planning an event with so many unknowns can be a challenge, but it isn’t impossible. Here are seven simple tips for making your Squidoo Worldwide Meetup Day event exciting and memorable.

Make it free.
Free removes 80% of the barriers people have to attending events, and it aligns with Squidoo’s mission of making lenses and Meetups accessible to all.

Provide food.
Whether it’s donating homemade cupcakes, asking for potluck offerings, or simply meeting at a restaurant or coffee shop, making food options available is always a draw for visitors.

Find a flexible venue.
A coffee shop with room for 2 or 10 will ensure everyone has a comfortable place to sit, just in case your RSVP list changes.

Have a Plan B.
Did your guest list suddenly expand to 30? Hooray! Is the Weather Channel expecting severe weather? Oh no! The Meetup must go on, so consider options for larger crowds, indoor shelters, and extra seating. Just in case.

Give them something to talk about.
Make a list of questions to discuss and write one each on the back of index cards. If the conversation gets sticky, play a round-robin game of Lensmaster Q&A.

Bring non-lensmasters.
There’s no better way to get a friend involved than to expose them to passionate success stories from your peers.

Put names and faces with…faces.
Our real faces are often different from our online faces. Nametags with lensmaster names and avatars will help visitors match famous lensmasters with their human counterparts.

Worldwide Squidoo Meetup Day is less than two weeks away, and there are still plenty of opportunities to secure a spot as organizer for your city. Learn more at the Official Squidoo lens and build your list today!

See you there!

~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer

PS - if you’re within 4 hours of North Central WI, you might just see ME on June 10th!

Happy Monday!

It’s true! Summer is almost here. We’re celebrating in a few great ways, and here’s how you can join in the fun. If you were one of the lucky lensmasters who was able to participate in one of our live chats last week, your head is probably still a-buzzin’ with dozens of ideas for building great lenses.

Today we’re learning about three great categories of lenses you can build for summer, as well as one special reason to do it. Trust me, you’ll like this.

(Joining us from the southern hemisphere? You can do the same for winter themes!)

When it comes to event lenses, we know that building in advance is your best bet for being prepared for the swarms of searchers who want their information NOW at the time of the event. It isn’t uncommon for lensmasters to build lenses two, three, or even six months in advance so they’re indexed by search engines and ready to promote when the time is right. But it’s hard to think so far ahead! What is there to write about?

1. Holidays and Special Dates
Nearly every one of us has used Squidoo or Google to search for great info on Easter, or Christmas, or Valentine’s Day. Searchers across the country will be doing the same for Father’s Day, 4th of July, the Queen’s birthday, etc. Besides the obvious dates, there are also special themes for months, days, and weeks. Lensmaster SusanVillasLewis has some excellent resources for these such dates with her Carnival of Squid lenses for May, June, July, and August.

2. Summer Themes
Summer is known for surfing and picnics and fishing and bikinis and Hawaiian parties and kids off school and barbeques and swim lessons and family vacations…a lot! While these themes aren’t tied to specific dates, prospective readers will be looking for all the information they can soak up. You don’t have to look far. Tell us what you do in everyday life. Yes, someone else out there DOES want to know how to get sand out of their minivan!

3. Your personal experiences
Have an upcoming wedding? Family reunion? Trip to Mexico? Start a journal lens and chronicle your journey. Check in each day to add photos, links, a brief message, and voila! It’s a lens built right before your eyes. Everyone has something unique to share about these special events, and we want to hear your ideas.

One important issue to note is that just because a holiday or event or theme exists doesn’t mean you should write about it. Readers can tell if you’re not into your topic, so use the passion you have for the niches you really love.

Speaking of things you love, this summer your awesome lenses could earn $99 for the charity of your choice…and yourself! That’s right, for 60 days this summer we’re giving away $99 to 60 deserving lenses and the charities they support. Learn more about our Squidoo Summer Sunshine Awards and get building.

So many fabulous ideas, so many worthwhile reasons to build a lens. Have fun!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer

On March 31st, 2010, the Giant Squids added a new group of lensmasters to their ranks. These individuals have worked hard to build 50 amazing lenses each. In addition to that, each quarter the Giant 100 Club is growing as well, as more Giants are reaching the milestone of 100 awesome lenses.

We all have our reasons for loving Squidoo. The friendly community, the fun modules, the ability to earn a little extra cash. We wanted to know what our Giants think about building dozens of lenses. Here’s what they said.

What made you decide to go for Giant?

During my first few months at Squidoo, I looked at a lot of lenses created by others. Some of them were very creative. So I looked at more lenses created by the same Squids. That was when I discovered many of them had the Giant Squid Badge on their Fan Page and on their lenses next to their profile pictures.

Putting two and two together, I figured it takes a bit of practice to learn how to make a good lens and the Giant Squid Badge must have had something to do with that.

So, I visited SquidU, searched the Squidoo site for lenses about what it takes to become a Giant. That’s when I learned about the Giant Squid Challenge and all the support Community Organizers and other Giant Squids offer beginners.

I was hooked and decided I wanted to be part of the fun. I figured by the time I made fifty lenses, I’d be able to lend a hand to others too.

I followed pckmr, Poddys, AndyPo, Evelyn-Saez, ArtbyLinda, Kiwi, CleanerLife, funride, Rewards4Life, and a_willow, so I could imitate them. There are many others, but these folks were real inspirations.

Thank you, folks. I look forward to growing with you.

~ Kirt (Quesea)

Fifty lenses! Wahoo! What’s next?

Next up . . . 50 more! I had a blast writing the first 50. I’ve loved writing for years and just kept it tucked away in notebooks and computer files. Squidoo has given me a place to share my words with the world. It’s also proven to be a tremendous marketing tool. I’m getting hits to lenses like I’ve never been able to get on my blog. It’s the perfect solution for me.

I also have to continue to develop the fifty I have. I really enjoy leaving “more to come.” I’m hoping it gives folks a reason to come back. So, you’ll see additional content on all of those each month.

The last thing I want to do is help others who are coming to Squidoo. My life mission is to help others become the best they can be. Although my schedule doesn’t allow me to spend a lot of time in the forums, I enjoy visiting and offering feedback to those looking for help.

I really appreciate Squidoo giving us this opportunity to share and create!

~ Lynne (rlmodranski)

With all the publishing options out there, why did YOU choose Squidoo?

My husband was looking for ways to make a little extra money online and came across Squidoo. He thought it might be something I would be interested in. I’m a stay-at-home mom to four kids ages 18 months to 7 years old and I was hoping to make a little extra money for my family. I really enjoy spending time on Squidoo and I have met some great people!

~ Shannon (momto4)


As an international publisher making money through affiliate sales is rather a chore. Squidoo gives me the opportunity to use affiliate programs like Amazon and eBay, without having to have a US bank account.

Squidoo bundles all that revenue together and pays out through PayPal, which is very well supported for The Netherlands. This means that for me, Squidoo works better than Hubpages for instance, which only lets you use affiliate programs you have a personal relationship with.

Particularly for my calendar lenses (my 2nd Squidoo account to get into the Giant Squid program), this makes a huge difference to my bottom line.

~ Katinka (spirituality and calendarsblog)

And we have some Giant 100s joining us. Who-hoo! One hundred lenses…what’s next?

Next on my list is concentrating on Friends Of The Park - a proud Squidoo Partner Non Profit! I currently have 8 lenses set at 100% of the royalties going to Friends Of The Park and hope to have 10 real soon. We are in the midst of our “Step Up To The Plate” Fundraising Campaign for the Ball Fields at Veterans Park and Squidoo is playing a very important role in this. Not only as a donor through lens royalties but also as a way to keep everyone informed through our Step Up To The Plate lens. We appreciate Squidoo being such a significant part of this worthwhile cause.

~ Nancy (OhMe)


I love Squidoo! I ventured across the site one day in early August, 2009, surfing the net. On 8/8/09, I published my first lens, “Beth’s Vegetable Garden”. That’s how the journey began. I started getting 5 star ratings on my lenses, a lot of them. The SquidAngels started finding me and blessed some lenses. SquidAngel blessings are so special. I still am impressed when my lenses get blessed. Then came friends. There are so many great people here on Squidoo. I want to thank everyone for your support, encouragement, and praise. You are all so special to me.

Someone thought I wrote pretty good lenses and nominated me for Giant Squid. I only had about 25 lenses at the time and 50 just seemed an insurmountable task. I joined Rocketmoms, Senior Squids, and several other groups that offered challenges. The lenses just seemed to write themselves.

2010 started out as a banner year for me on Squidoo. I was a new Giant Squid and became a SquidAngel. I was so honored. I even started making some small sales on some of my lenses. As a Giant Squid, I was eligible to receive Purple Stars and I have 4 of them to date. Now I have been accepted into the Giant 100 Club. So many of my mentors are in this club and I am privileged to be among them.

So, what’s next? I still haven’t received a LotD Award. I would love to get at least one of these. I plan to work on my lenses to improve my lensrank and sales. I see so many great lenses with html extras and want to become more comfortable with that. I want to continue to write quality lenses that help others, teach, and make me some extra income in the process. Thank you, Squidoo, for all you have done for me!

~ Beth (bethd821)


How about going for 200 lenses?

Actually, while that may very well turn out to be the case, I think my next focus is going to be on making my lenses a little more niche than many of them are at present. It will, likely, result in quite a few lensographies tying them all together, but that’s all right. In time, I may have one lens just showcasing my lensographies.

I also plan on expanding my line of Zazzle products and featuring those on Squidoo, thinking in terms of niche, of course. A lens for nature mugs is awesome but some folks prefer flowers or animals, and most anything else one can imagine…so my imagination is really the limit to what can be created and showcased.

All I know is that I won’t struggle with ideas for creating lenses; my struggle will be deciding which lens I would like to create first!

~ Norma (Norma_Budden)

For someone who is just starting out and only has five lenses, what advice would you give them about getting to Giant?

First off, anyone can become a Giant Squid! I never would have thought, at five lenses, that I would one day be a Giant. I’d seen the badges, of course, but I had always assumed they were magical things that were gained through some mystical and mysterious process.

Nothing could be farther from the truth! There are so many wonderful, motivating people out there who want you to be a Giant Squid, sometimes almost as much as you want it yourself. I think it’s safe to say that no one ever becomes a Giant Squid without a little outside help. Never be afraid to ask questions and seek advice. The more help you get, the faster you’ll reach that coveted 50 lens total. I know that I never would have become a Giant Squid if it weren’t for Bonnie and Robin’s Lens A Day Challenge, as well as LotusMalas and all the other people over at the So You Want To Be A Giant Squid? topic in the forums.

Still looking for that certain someone to give you a leg up? Feel free to check out my personal journey to Giant Squid-dom complete with a step-by-step guide detailing how I achieved the feat. And I never turn down personal requests for critique or help!

~ Emma (emmalarkins


The Cliff’s Notes version:
Congratulate yourself on building 5 lenses.
Work within your own time-line not in others.
Decide what you want to work on and then FOCUS.
Decide if you want to go for Giant Squid - not everyone does nor should.
If you decide Yes, apply early and often.
Learn different tips and tricks from the Giant Squid Mentors each time you apply.
Frequently spend time exploring other lenses and try to find your angle in each theme.
Build your lens as a cottage; then you’ll have opportunities to update/build mansion later.

When you are closer, but still not there - join a group, a club — something that has a CHALLENGE associated with it. Accept your responsibility and welcome the accountability; it will be what gets you there this time.

~ Carol (purplelady)


Squidoo is very addictive and it is challenges like this that keep it so. But every contest has its rewards and none more so than being accepted as a Giant.

Gianthood signifies excellence as there is a limited number of recipients. The thrill of attaining this goal, however, is amazing. Not only do you get a badge and a gold star on all your lenses, which tells everyone you are special, but you are in line for other awards, such as the purple star for extra special lenses. This only goes to Giants and then only to 1000 a year.

If you have completed 5 lenses it is time to consider a special invitation that may come your way. You might be asked to try out for Giant status. That means that you have impressed with the quality of the work presented by you so far. If it happens then jump right in.

There is every reason to be a Giant. So give it a shot if someone extends an invitation. Don’t be shy in coming forward as we are all here to help you succeed, and what better way is there to get on top than through the Giant status that you can acquire with just a little effort.

~ Norma (skiesgreen)


To help yourself reach the goal of giant status I would advise educating yourself about Squidoo and everything it has to offer.

Firstly, learn about different modules, themes, editing your bio and sidebar widgets. Then, use these features to ensure that you are using everything squidoo has to offer to create high quality lenses.

To reach the goal of Giant status you also need motivation. It’s hard to keep up motivation to reach Giant status unless you have traffic coming to your lenses. So, learn about how Squidoo can help you increase traffic to your lenses through effective use of tags, the featured lenses module, links from sites like SquidU and other methods.

There are lots of lensmasters out there who will help you learn about Squidoo. Many have written articles with lots of valuable information. Find them and read these lenses as they will help you on the journey to Giant.

~ Louise (Lou1842)

Who has helped you achieve Giant Squid status? Who would you like to thank?

The real turbocharged shots-in-the-arm have come from the RocketMoms group. That community was a brilliant idea on Bonnie’s and Megan’s part, and I’ve loved being a part of it, even if I can’t participate in all the elements and sessions. It’s so helpful to have a built-in group of caring, positive, smart people to consistently support & be supported by. Squidoo is such a large community that, as great as the Squid U boards are, it’s easy to get lost. RocketMoms really solved that problem for me.

Getting chosen as one of the Charity Cookoff winners was hugely inspiring, as well, but I’m not sure who to thank for that one. How many writers get to take one of their favorite topics, spend a few hours writing about it, and win $1,000 for their favorite charity? Pretty much a dream come true.

~Mary (KarateKatGraphics)


There has not been just a single person who has helped me make it to 100 lenses. I think the main thing was when I joined the Rocketmoms. That is what really got me going in Squidoo. All of the Rocketmoms are so helpful and supportive, even when it comes to non-squidoo things. So I would like to thank my success of making 100 lenses to all of the Rocketmoms out there.

~ Brandy (BrandyT)

Wow! How’s all that for some inspiring reasons to become a Giant Squid? To learn what it takes and how to apply, visit the Giant Squids official lens.

Congratulations to ALL our new Giant Squids and Giant 100 Club members. We look forward to seeing another exciting round of applicants at the June 30th deadline.

Happy lensmaking!

~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer

April is the month for Easter, spring cleaning, and getting back outside in the bright sun and warm weather. Things are greening up in more ways than one, and on Squidoo we’re celebrating Green Living in April.

A relatively new category, Green Living is now one of the most popular topics on Squidoo. With topics ranging from green gift giving to reusing household odds and ends to building your own mini-house, lensmasters are embracing the laws of recycling and sharing their secrets with others.

How can you celebrate Green Living on Squidoo with a winning lens?

1. The best lenses share been-there-done-that advice.
SEO tactics can get anyone to your lens once, but readers are most likely to return to lenses that tell stories and show projects from experience. We want to hear about the plastic bag crafts or aquaponic garden or self-sustaining homestead that YOU built.

2. Think like a magazine cover.
Publishers sell magazines with headlines like 50 Things You Can Reuse and 10 Activities for Earth Hour. These savvy lensmasters know what gets readers’ attention.

3. Capitalize on a holiday or event.
It’s no secret that being relevant to current events makes your lenses easier to promote. Take what you already know (education) and combine it with a holiday (Earth Day) to get Earth Day Bulletin Board Ideas. Or, mainstream your niche to help brides plan a green wedding shower.

4. Pick one topic and be THE authority on it.
I’ve never seen so many uses for egg shells, and beautiful ones at that!

5. Put a spin on it.
Ok, I should recycle. But what will happen if I don’t?

6. Do something no one has ever heard of.
This may take a bit of research but it’s sure to get attention. Have you ever seen a solar food dehydrator? Or a toilet/sink combo? These gadgets are truly share-worthy.

7. Promote your supporters.
Our lensmasters know that big change starts at home, and they also know that help from activists like Severn Suzuki and these green charities is important to the overall cause. Celebrate the individuals and organizations that are working to make a difference. On Squidoo, you might even be able to support them financially by sending them your lens royalties. Double bonus!

Join us in loving Mother Earth in April. Build your own Green Living lens on Squidoo today.

Think green!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer

Good evening,

TGIF! If you’re planning time this weekend to work on your lenses, take some hints from today’s lensmaster interview with David and Marta.

David and Marta are the team behind Rewards4life, and have been cranking out lenses about art, food, and nature for nearly two years. Get to know them, their passions, and learn how they’ve used Squidoo to express themselves.

*****
Squidoo: By reading your lenses, it’s obvious you’re not only knowledgeable, but passionate about teaching others. How did you take your “real life” passions and turn them into Squidoo lenses?

David and Marta: We both have a love for life, our work and also share many of the same interests (cooking, pets, writing, books and art, are but a few), which I think is one of the benefits we have, we can encourage each other to help them grow. When we discovered Squidoo we had initially wanted to use it for promoting our publishing business, but not long after creating our first couple of lenses we decided to use it to feature our other passions.

We are animal owners, food fanciers and nature lovers, so finding a place like Squidoo to express and share our knowledge in this way was perfect for us. Having interests which a lot of people enjoy too, helps us to continually look for ways and reasons to exploit our hobbies, now when we do things we plan how we can base a lens around it. We both share a love for Squidoo and have found it perfect for showcasing our real life passions as it has so many subject matters, you can create lenses on almost everything that interests you.

Squidoo: You sure can! We’ve seen such a variety of unique topics in your account. How have lenses helped you have more fun with these fav niches?

David and Marta: We founded our ebook business in Jan 2008, and not long after that we joined Squidoo. We were new to this social platform, and made every newbie mistake possible. But our goal was to share information on our business, and let people know who we were. Well, this is how it’s started. Thanks to Squidoo we managed to publish a few of our ebooks online, providing an ongoing “free read” for our customers.

Squidoo works so well with Google and other major search engines it has become our favourite and most powerful tool to use, it’s also the most enjoyable. It has such a versatile platform and gives you so much flexibility and control over your content and no real restrictions on topics. This means we can create lenses based on the products we sell as well as our other general interests. The keyword (tag) setting and discovery tool are paramount to anyone wanting to increase traffic to their lens and/or website, you can really target your audience and with the stats screen you can track how effective your lenses are.

When we learned more about Squidoo and it’s community, we decided to share our non-business interests with others. We have had fun with some of our hobby niches and created lenses on our pets, our holidays in Wales and as we love cooking we decided to create the Squidoo Recipe collection. This was a collaboration between us and other participating lensmasters to create the first Squidoo community cookbooks, which we published last year.

Squidoo: Ooh, we love freebies on Squidoo, and I heard the Community Cookbook was a hit!

Which are your favorite modules to use and why?

David and Marta: Here we are torn as we both love all and both favour different ones.
Marta loves the Text module, as it’s so versatile, it allows you to have complete control over how it looks and reads. You can add photos and links, format your text to the standard you wish it be. It’s just brilliant.

I (David) am a bit greedy as I can’t decide between the Text module (for the same reasons) or the promotional modules, Lulu and Zazzle are the ones we use most as they help to promote both of our stores. They are also customisable so you can select the content you want to display, this gives extra attention to detail so you can maintain the theme of your lens by displaying relevant content.

I also can’t wait until the music module is created as I write and produce my own music, this will give me the perfect excuse to share some of my songs.

Squidoo: Just in time for a cool surprise, we released the Yahoo music widget a few days ago. Many lensmasters want to know, “how are you successfully promoting your lenses?”

David and Marta: As we all know, social bookmaking and sharing sites are “a must”, we have profiles in Facebook, Myspace and Twitter as well as Tagfoot, Redgage and Gather. We have tried several places and do favour some over others depending on what we are promoting. We have found our niche groups, we participate in conversations and share our related Squidoo lenses.

We also use some free classifieds sites for our book promotion lenses. This gives us a broad range by covering many countries, cities and towns in a short space of time. We can then localise certain products by concentrating on areas which have shown previous interest.

Blogging is our other way of promoting lenses. You can share everything you create with all of your followers or you can create a specialised blog (like gardening or cooking) targeted to people with the same interests.

Squidoo: It sounds like you’re doing a lot of those authentic forms of promotion we love to hear about, including joining and actively participating in niche circles. What best tip do you have for other lensmasters building their niche lenses?

David and Marta: If you want to create a successful lens you first need to see how other people are doing it. And not only on Squidoo, everywhere on the web, there are so many professionals who will share their web design, web typography or SEO secrets for free. This is the best way to learn, you then need to find your own style. Be yourself and try to give your lens a personal, honest feel. We love to share and learn information about ourselves and others, when you read something it’s nice to see the affiliation between the information and the person writing it. It feels like you are sharing their experiences which makes what you are reading more believable, credible and enjoyable.

*****

You sure are right about that last statement. Thanks for all the work you do on Squidoo, David and Marta!

Be sure to visit their lenses to say hi and learn from their accomplishments. In fact, you can use this one to make a special Saturday morning breakfast treat.

Until next time…
~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer

PS - want to be a SquidAngel?

Hi Lensmaster!

In response to inquiries about designing your own advertisements and using space in the right column of your published lens, we’ve developed a new tool that helps you do both: The Amazon Spotlight Widget.

By adding the Amazon Spotlight Widget to your lenses, you’ll be able to create your very own customized, relevant, creative ads that fit your lenses to a T. After all, you get to pick the products. And just like regular Amazon modules, the commission you earn is earmarked directly to your lens.

Here are a few awesome examples of how lensmasters have used the Amazon Widget to enhance their lens content:

WebSpinstress showcases her most unique accessory on Alice in Wonderland Bedroom Theme Ideas

If you’ve already read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, kimmanleyort already has your next suggested read picked out.

_Joan_ is capitalizing on instant gratification by helping readers watch Dr. Strangelove “right now!”

Every Vegetarian Easter menu needs cute accessories. hlkljgk helps you choose.

OhMe helps potential volunteers learn more on her Friends of the Park official sponsored charity lens.

Veggie Dogs taste much better when they’re cooked in a cute container. enslavedbyfaeries approves.

Create your own March Madness with this perfect BB pick from bethd821.

(New to Squidoo? Get a Widget how-to overview.)

As you can see, the Amazon Spotlight Widget allows you to create your own advertisements with products that are relevant but don’t directly compete with your lens. In a prominent spot where readers are sure to be enticed, these ads are sure to add to your earnings.

Have fun!

~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer
PS - you can also supplement lenses with screencasts, blog feeds, and featured lenses. Learn more at Sidebar Widgets.

Many a lensmaster have discovered Squidoo for one niche, then put our lens tools to good use for other favorite topics. BevsPaper joined Squidoo to talk about art and business, and has branched into several other niches on which she’s quickly become known as an expert.

Bev shared her excitement for lensbuilding in this short interview. Learn how her obvious passion helps drive her contagious success.

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Squidoo: Tell us about how you discovered Squidoo and what it meant to you.
BevsPaper: When I discovered Squidoo, it was an almost magical day. Realizing that there was a platform that would allow me to write about so many topics that I have a passion for was like a dream come true. Squidoo doesn’t require that I write about only one thing, although if that were my preference I could do that too. One of my passions is the illustrators of the past who made stories come alive with their art, made us want to purchase a product from the images they gave us, and decorated magazine covers for our delight.

Creating lenses to share this love seems a natural thing to do. Using lenses, I can “focus” in on another passion of mine which is Native American Spirituality. The platform also allows me to share deep personal stories of my own life in hopes of helping others who might be going through the same pain, the same sorrow, or the same healing process. The possibilities of taking real life passions and creating lenses are simply endless.

Squidoo: You truly are the master of paper collectibles knowledge on Squidoo, and have developed quite a selection of lenses on Native American customs. How have lenses helped you promote your business niche and have more fun with your hobby niche?
BevsPaper:
Writing on Squidoo has helped me grow as a writer but also to share the history and the spirituality of the Native American Peoples of North America. Sharing the history and the traditions of the First People brings me great joy and also helps me to grow as a person as I research what I want to write about.

Creating lenses about illustration artists and ephemera brings knowledge of an area of collecting that is sometimes overlooked.

A relatively new niche that I’ve been working with is from a Grandmother’s perspective of what grandparents might consider when they are looking for gifts for their grandchildren. Being a Grandma, myself, I’m able to share the products that I think are worth looking into for birthdays, special holidays, and just “I love you gifts” for those precious little ones that brighten our lives. I’ve been concentrating on educational, developmental, and just for fun gifts and I’m having great fun doing it.

Squidoo: Which are your favorite modules to use and why?
BevsPaper: The text module is one of my most favorite modules because I can do so much with it.

As far as affiliate potential, my very favorite is the Amazon Spotlight module. I love that I can add good content and keyword phrases above the product that I’m spotlighting and that I can place review information and more good content just under the product.

Depending on the topic I also love the Blackbox module for emphasis on a short point I want to make. And I’ve just learned some really nifty uses for the Guestbook module that I plan to implement in creative ways.

Squidoo: You definitely put those modules to good use with creative methods. Now that you have over 150 featured lenses, how are you promoting them?
BevsPaper:
Promotion is key to our success and I use a variety of formats. Facebook and Twitter are 2 common places that I use along with RedGage and Tagfoot. I belong to some Ning groups that work well because they are focused on certain topics or have an audience that would be interested in a new lens that I’ve created.

Squidoo: Lensmasters can learn a lot from your variety and polished content. What best tip do you have for other lensmasters building their niche lenses?
BevsPaper: Research the topic you plan to write about. Find good keywords and keyword phrases to include in your writing. But most of all write good strong original content. Notice I said original. Make the lens YOURS with your own spin on the topic. Put your personality into it. Content is king when it comes to the search engines finding your lens and placing it in the results of a search by someone who is looking for the very thing you have written about. So, be original…be you…show your passion.

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Thanks again, Bev, for joining us to share your knowledge. A lensmaster since June 2008, Bev knows success isn’t found overnight, but through consistent, creative, well-planned lenses and all the supporting features that go with original content. Be sure to visit her lenses, say hi, and steal a tip or two to make your lenses great.

Until next time!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells
YOUR Community & Charity Organizer