besides, there is nothing savvy about paying all your friends to come and one-star bomb everyone elses lenses just to make space on the top  hundred for you.

its ok.  you'll be subject to the same games yourself or  even worse yet to come, when someone TRULY savvy  comes along and takes your place. 

at least you'll have good screenshots for memories....

Wow - Tiff, give up on this one, you're just encouraging a couple of people who think they're being clever.

One's a twit who wishes he was Tellman Knudson, and who is probably doing all the "sneaky" things he accuses everyone else of, since most people don' think that way.

The other thinks that the best approach to "competition" is to take your ball and go home, because it's impossible that someone could actually rate anything higher than her wonderful lenses.

They both come across as attention whores with the emotional intelligence of shoe leather, so - let it go

Regards,
Greg

and the next tsunami is ON ITS WAY.....

Scammy says, “That contest is the thing that actually made you make it onto the list. Funnily enough you don't comment on that. I wonder why.â€

Yet in post #28 of this thread, I discuss the contest. Can you not read – or is comprehension where you lack skills?

You also say, “I hardly ever hear people saying anything about "write-modules". There was even someone bragging about posting a picture of a video that was actually a picture with a link to another site. That means actually bragging about tricking people.†  

Again, just a pure lie. He was telling people how to hyperlink an image because images and videos have higher conversion rates. Where’s the trickery? I constantly teach people how to create valuable content.

Just because you personally aren’t interested in marketing doesn’t mean thousands of others aren’t. We don’t all have to like the same things.   

Marge says, “its ok, you guys will get it eventually...  it just hasn't happened to you yet.  when it does, and the next flood is already in  the works, you will start to see what i mean. all of these groups that are coming in are using  the same techniques.  they are all using the same tags.  the more and more of those the less and less yours will stand out.â€

More power to them! I welcome whoever shows up – which is why I spread the word everywhere I can.

Marge then goes on to say, “..all they'll see is these videosense groups, internet marketing groups, all the same stuff and they'll think squidoo sucks and the traffic will dry up.â€

Again, lots of people are interested in this. They’re also interested in other things, which is what makes Squidoo such a valuable asset – lots of niches for everyone.

Marge, a tsunami? Really, do you run around yelling FIRE in movie theaters? Bet you do! Calm down, it'll be okay....
tiff

you explain it very well! 

which is why i've decided to  withdraw my lenses from  the  rankings.  you and these  other groups get too much benefit out of the content while giving nothing back to the content providers. 

you don't need my content to draw people to your stuff.

I know it will be ok, because the squidoo lensranking system is irrelevant to  my google rankings.  so i don't NEED to  be up there in squidoo ranking.

but the top hundred list NEEDS something beside internet marketers and videosense people to look like it truly IS a niche, longtail place.  forcing the content providers down and out to gain higher rankings for these very few types of businesses doesn't do the top lensrank list any  good, but it has happened. 

its going to happen again too, because  another  big internetmarketingguru has bountifully just directed all  his disciples to do exactly what you're doing. 

i'm not saying  you are the one responsible for the one star blitz that's been going  on for almost two weeks now.

i'm saying that  very committed people who are in a similar business to yours did do that, and others will also.

i'm just sick of the battle.  if any of my lenses had a mailing list of 20-30,000 people who were willing, just because i asked them to, to come visit and downstar every lens that wasn't in  my group so my guys could rise, how could i feel good about doing it?

it has already  happened and it will again and  again.  the top lensranking list has lost all value and credibility because of it. 

so, one more time, why do you care whether i keep the lensranking enabled on my lenses?  only because my content makes the top one hundred a valuable and interesting list.

without it, and the other content oriented lensmasters lenses, and with only the content you and your confreres provide, the lensrank list is much less interesting.  there won't be sufficient proof that the longtail works, because no really good niches show up  there. only yours.

i'm a content  provider.

you are an information provider who uses information provided free elsewhere, just repackaged.  i  get tons of emails from  the  same type people every day- the list is very, very  long, and as the information put out by the free sources change, so do the emails, but the all carry the same stuff! 

Soon all of those  people too will be 'onto' squidoo, and when they see the 'high rankings' of these other groups who star bombed the content providers to get them, they will all come and do the same. 

so, its alright with me.  if squidoo likes to have all of its top hundred listings offering  the  same things, great!  its not my decision.

what IS my decision is to not play in that sandbox.

there are plenty  of other ways for me to get traffic.  the lensranking hasn't been particularly useful for that, at least in the case of my lenses.  others may feel differently and that's their affair.  i don't expect anyone to make the  same decision i made.  they have to do what they feel is best.

since the content lenses i build are MY lenses, it is my right to have them be on the list, or not.  i have chosen not to.

You don't listen too  well.  Corvette is top ranked on google and the  squidoo ranking is meaningless to it.  it has been from the beginning.  but it does bring plenty  of traffic to  squidoo, and not just bottom feeders either. 

given that showroom new corvettes, that aren't even  close to this car, cost upwards of $60k, the people seriously looking at it are the  kind of market most im'ers would do nearly anything for.

the david requires  the capacity for art appreciation and a sufficient attention span to read the modules.

neither one of them are drawing outside traffic because they are high on the squidoo rankings. 

the point is that the traffic they draw to squidoo probably isn't interested in  the next self-proclaimed internet marketing  genius.

IamConfused




Is Flixya Good or Bad?

Last edited by Iamkaeli (01/14/2007 11:00 pm)

Writertiff wrote:

In fact, I explain clearly that Write modules are best - and to create valuable content and courses so that other Squidooers continue coming to your lens.

That and Make A List. Love those two. I'm surprised they don't suffer from chronic fatigue due to the overworking I give them

If anyone wants to dis the Squid then let them. Those that can: do, and those that can't: knock those that can and do.

IamKaeli: Flixya is bad.. I don't know how I managed to overlook it. I even had to close submissions to the plexo because all the crappy videosense lense were being applied to it. More plexo's on Squidoo have been suffering by them. Also most groups on Squidoo have been spammed with requests. I just think it got up there after i closed it. Bad luck.

And yes, the scammbuster lens has been locked again. It's because of the many people flagging it as a Lens containing Adult Content. As if.... Nothing to worry about really. In the past people with bad intentions have also used this scam to bury competition. Squidoo HQ is working on it I suppose.

Luckily I have a humble sidekick called Squircky. He is safe in his bunker at the moment and is in charge of things. Be sure to swing by.

On his lens are the latest announcements. A sad thing is I won't be able to take people of the Infamous Plexo because of the Parental Lock-Thing. I guess people will have to enjoy being on it a bit longer than needed.

Also there is a new episode to this story on the Scammbuster Blog explaining recent events.

Oh good heavens.  I'm in Tiff's contest too.  I entered it in good faith and good fun. (Sadly mine was hit by a rash of Squidoo bugs and has been all but ravished by them.  Whole modules have disappeared, but that's a different story.)

I would never dream of one-starring anyone just to build myself up.  There is a big difference between strategies for increasing traffic and shoving other folks under just so you can climb to the top.  I do (or did until the bugs) have a strategy for increasing my traffic.  My strategy does not invlove hounding people or hurting people or creating alter egos so I can vote myself up.  That's just stupid.  Any body who does it should be sentenced to ten years teaching Jr. High School (maybe the kids would teach them some maturity).

Squidoo ratings are great...but that doesn't mean they make us money or even get us any business.  My two highest ranking lenses haven't earned me one red cent, but I enjoy them and the people who visit them enjoy them. Squidoo is a place to showcase my writing skill and my creativity and possibly, maybe make $1.82.  It's certainly not worth all this blood and guts fighting.

Btw, I have NEVER known Tiff (and I've known her a while now) to encourage anyone to trample or cheat or lie their way to the top.  She's been generous and helpful to me in many ways and she has integrity.

Last edited by groovyoldlady (01/15/2007 6:53 pm)

groovyoldlady, you hit the nail on the head.  The entire crisis was about  cheaters/scammers coming to vote others down to bring themselves  up.  they spent a LOT of  time doing it. I myself have over 100 lenses!  Mine alone took hours!

It wasn't about all the other things brought up in the arguments.  It was about fair play.  If someone can apply tips and techniques to get to the top 100 in five days, well, go for  it.  If  part of the plan, however, is bringing extra votes up or down that you wouldn't normally get, just to wipe everyone else off the map and make you shine, its an issue.

Someone came through here and did just that.  It generated so many hard feelings because it  was dishonest, that some very hard working honest people were demoralized.

It wasn't about 'can you belong to a forum or a group, or ...', it was about respecting others and playing fair.  If you have better techniques, good for you.  But the one we  got hit with was nothing  but damaging and vicious.  There are more coming, given their own statements, contests and promotions. 

If one follows all  the advice in squidu it will likely get a lens into the top 100 list quite fast and so there is little use in additional advice except for new and extra techniques and outside web development.  Anyone who comes to squid u to make lenses can do a fine job just making use of the tools here and asking questions of the squidizens.  They haven't held anything back.  When we need help and advice they give it, and sometimes they find things we haven't even noticed, even if  we do know about them.

I haven't had time to go browse Tiff's stuff to see for myself her  brilliance.  She seems well thought of in here and good for her.  All her work, would any of you want to see it undone or undermined by a nasty scammer?  We had a really bad lot sweep through here  just before she and her friends did with this contest.  The fact that the contest was discovered when looking at these others really really didn't help.  The fact that other people are picking up on that idea doesnt help either.  Is this her fault?  No.  The timing was bad.  She was unaware of the other controversy that had struck.

What we wanted is to mitigate the damage that can and will be done by folks of none too honorable purposes.   We wanted that to happen BEFORE the rest of them come sliding in here with all their big ideas. 

The idea that I despise self promotion is nonsense.  So, do I  want to sign up for every internet marketing newletter available?  No way.  My inbox is crushing already.  Do I want to sign up for get rich quick by selling to all your friends xxx?  No, thanks, I'd rather keep my friends.  If that is what as defined as loving self-promotion then count me out.

I will do the best lens I can to try to help my brother get a good price on his vette.  I will do  the research I  need to to make sure the vette lovers have good things to look at and enjoy. I will keep it updated to keep them coming back looking for more.  When the vette sells,  I'll still have my little page that I can put to some good use.  So I would like to promote that page.  Its an extremely tight niche that no one else has done much with.  You simply can't find pictures of this particular model anywhere.  Those who love this car can come here, with MY pictures. 

I'd like my  Amish websites to do well too, which requires promotion of them. Do I want to  do it by slamming everyone else's with spam?  No.  Have I done this at the expense of other dealers in Amish goods?  No.  I just happened on squidoo, got good advice from the squidizens, and my products are higher in google than most of my competitors.  Have I slammed my competitors?  No. Do I want to?  No.

So, do I want that work and that little niche slammed by every crowd that comes in here with self promoting, downgrading others- type projects to implement?  No way.  And Tiff, and you and lots of  other lensmasters in squidoo don't want their good work undone or slammed either.

I had lensmasters emailing me, very upset about what happened, all very afraid to speak up about what they were thinking.  What they were thinking WAS NOT GOOD to have unaddressed, I can tell you.  It was alarming.

So I spoke up.  Is there a conspiracy?  Why isn't this noticable to people at squidoo?  Is  something  being done and what?  Oh? I've imagined things? I've started a conspiracy theory?  I took a LOT of heat for speaking up.  Who else even bothered to  try  to  address the problems, among the lensmasters?  Who else even tried to get the  lensmasters back on track, to do  happy joyful lenses and  have fun?  Nobody.

Squidoo is important to me.  Important enough to take some heat if necessary, which I did.  I took all of it that came my way, lots of  it really bad.    I can  only hope that my mistakes will be forgiven because they were honest mistakes. 

At least these issues have been well addressed.  I think that scammers will have a much more difficult time damaging all the good work our lensmasters do in the future.  We also have a lensmaster who is willing  to do the research that will help prepare us for 'incomings', and a cool squidsuperhero with a  sidesquid, invented  by a lensmaster with an incredible sense of humor.  I would  rather see that superhero make squidoo fun and enjoyable, and now he can do that.

So, the first battle against scammers was won.  Time to lay down the arms and get back to work on the reasons we're at squidoo in the first place.  All of  us are now ready for the  next wave, and  we've ALL proven ourselves and our commitment, and the squidoo staff have come out  on  top and beaten any scammers that want to take down their  hard work.  Its all to the good.

Best regards to everyone.