Not having the page filled with banner ads and affiliate text links.

A group that doesn't have automatic acceptance

Christene wrote:

Not having the page filled with banner ads and affiliate text links.

Seconded. Everything else all depends on what you're looking for in a group IMO

Kate-Phizackerley wrote:

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  I'm not sure about featuring every lensmaster (by adding a section and a link to their profile page).  Firstly, not all lensmasters have a profile page but also I think perhaps lensmasters should only be featured when, say, they have had five lenses accepted into the group.

Kate

Kate, if a lensmaster doesn't have a profile page then they aren't interested in making anything worthwhile. I don't accept a lens from anyone who can't be bothered.  if I only feature lensmasters who have 5 lenses in my group I would have a group too big to handle.

Your list is roughly the same as my list of criteria for great groups: http://www.squidoo.com/great-groups

I personally think it's very nice when groups feature the lensmasters. It means that every lensmaster gets at least one link. Bigger groups should have link plexo's to compensate for the fact that they can't feature all lenses - and they should accept all lenses that were accepted to the group in the link plexo(s).

Personally I have lensmaster modules featuring all lensmasters in most of my groups - but I think I'll delete them when the groups become too big. After all the lensmaster module gives no text or information relevant to the topic at all. In big groups it may indeed be a good idea to only feature lensmasters with more than say 5 lenses in the group.

One of the disadvantages of listing all the lensmasters is that the group page does not actually give a RELEVANT link to anybody. I've recently seen groups which don't feature lenses at all - merely a few lensmasters. This means that the whole ' on topic'  thing doesn't work. Not for the few lenses featured, nor for the group page itself.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect groups to just stop growing, or become groupographies, when they become too big. But lensmasters should be smart enough to realize that they cannot expect their lens to be featured there, so they should only join when there is a link plexo. And they should come back to put their lens IN the link plexo after the lens is accepted. I notice most people forget all about that...

spirituality wrote:

I don't think it's reasonable to expect groups to just stop growing, or become groupographies, when they become too big. But lensmasters should be smart enough to realize that they cannot expect their lens to be featured there, so they should only join when there is a link plexo. And they should come back to put their lens IN the link plexo after the lens is accepted. I notice most people forget all about that...

Plexo lists have a dreadful look, and they doesn't appeal to the reader (no clicks).
Featured lenses is what really works (showcasing).
If the group's too big, then the group is not really focused or it has a broad criteria.
Thus, "lensmasters should be smart enough to realize that" it's not worth it to join that group.

To be purely pragmatic, which I'm afraid I am at times, groups which accept everybody aren't going to help much with SEO anyway.  Good SEO strategy is to get links from webpages that have similar content, including the same keyword phrases in headers, links, and titles, as your own.

So, for example, if you've got a lens showcasing your Poetry, don't add it to "anything goes" groups. Add it to groups with "Poetry" in the group title, where all the lenses are Poetry lenses and have "Poetry" in their lens titles and links as well.

You can go overboard with that -- Squidoo groups are for PEOPLE, not search engines, and you'll get traffic from people interested in the group topic regardless of search engines.

However, if you are using groups for SEO, don't fall into that "join everything" or "accept everybody!" trap. People flinging backlinks all over the internet are like my cat flinging grit everywhere in the catbox (and out of it) except over the poop -- they have the general idea, and they're putting a tremendous amount of time and effort into the process, but they are not aiming at the target!

You don't want to get too narrow -- we're not talking long-tail here --  but I bet if you use some basic SEO strategy for groups, it might be beneficial to the group as a whole as well as the lenses in it. Target a niche. Encourage lensmasters of that niche to join. Keep the content relevant, related, and focused. Most of all, have a plan, and maybe (even if you never share it) a Mission Statement on what your group's purpose is for and what the criteria are.

Last edited by Greekgeek (03/02/2009 12:56 pm)

I agree. A group should not be about the head of the group, it should be about the members and a narrow topic. It should gather people with the same interest, passion, experience regarding the topic. Of course it's always about profit, but cheating will get you nowhere.
   A group should take in account every member, be open for suggestions and grant equal opportunities for them. A group is stronger when it comes to making a statement. It should be about  "taking the word out" on that specific topic even more.

Nice discussion on this subject.  Thanks for the contributions!

Well, there is NO WAY to 'close' a group and stop accepting lenses.  All you'll get is a list a thousand miles long of pending applications.

I have stopped using featured lensmaster modules.  They don't help the lensmasters, and as more accounts are abandoned or deleted, the 'dead' links just link to a default lens that is owned by a lensmaster that is most likely not part of my group anyway.  If he is part of the group, I'd much rather choose which of his member lenses to feature.

Some of us have worked hard to bring traffic to our group members.  Blogging off site, for one thing.  There are other ways that I've tried, and that I know others have tried.

It is extremely time consuming to get member lensmasters to participate in ANY of the projects or activities a group master might want to do, and almost impossible to get any support from group members- so people can complain all they want to, but unless they are actively working with the group master to support those projects, there isn't much for them to complain about.  I have tried all kinds of activities with little or no response from members.

Now I tend to go with the lensmasters that show some initiative and that care.  That doesn't mean I ignore the rest of the lensmasters, but it does mean that I appreciate and support those who are interested and involved in Squidoo, in offsite promotions, and visit my own lenses as they want me to visit theirs. 

Groups are best, no matter what, if the group masters and group members work together!