Squidlog.net

As I am not a member of Tenfinity, the group of lensmasters that has brought us the Squidoo Step by Step guide, I decided that I can feel free to brag about it.

Squidoo Step by Step is the absolutely best and crystal clear Squidoo guidebook that I have seen since I started on Squidoo in June of 2008, almost 2 years ago.  I read through the book just yesterday, (no one says that I am the first to get to anything), and realized that I already know just about everything in the guide.  What that says to me is that I have learned quite a bit in my not quite 2 years on Squidoo.

However, much of what I have learned was learned through trial and error, learning and unlearning, and wasting a lot of time boiling instructions from several sources down to the bare bones.  Had I had this Squidoo Step by Step guidebook in my hands at the beginning, I would have reached where I am today much faster.  Squidoo Step by Step is an excellent resource for all lensmasters to understand the basics and the intermediary lessons that Squidoo has to teach us.

If you want to see if you are moving in the right direction, especially if Squidoo is your initiation to the internet web 2.0 or web 3.0, I highly suggest that you download a copy.  What is the price, you ask?  $29.95? $5.95?  Nope, the Squidoo Step by Step guide is completely free.  How about that!

Now the group that brought us the Squidoo Step by Step guide has also started a wonderful Ning called Professional Squids.  The idea behind Professional Squids is to help people understand the Squidoo Step by Step guide, and go beyond the guide.  And the group is, yep you guessed it, totally professional in nature.  And guess how much this Ning costs to join and continue the excellent learning that started in Squidoo Step by Step?!  Free again.  Two amazing free resources that will vastly improve your efficiency and proficiency on Squidoo.  What are you waiting for?

Join Professional Squids by clicking here!

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First, I noticed a tweet: “I updated my Squidoo lens…”. Then, I found a comment in one of my own lens guest books. Two different lensmasters – both newbies. One of them had her first lens published, the other one had already 4 under her belt.

All 5 lenses were niche efforts on the topic “How to get your boyfriend or ex back”.

Get your back ex-ed?

I couldn’t help but think of this metaphor:

About 5 years ago, a marketing company announced a promotional campaign that promised $50 to the first 1000 persons who would participate in their hour-long pitch fest. The $50,000 were given away within the first week, but to this very day people are lining up every morning for a shot at the quick and easy money.

It doesn’t matter that the promotional funds were exhausted a long time ago – the seductive idea of making $50 in an hour keeps living on…thousand of like-minded “entrepreneurs” can’t be wrong, right?

What a waste of time, energy and effort!

When I see the content of such a lens I can literally read the author’s mind:

• What story can I make up so I come across as an expert with plenty of experience in getting my ex back?
• When can I introduce the Clickbank link already?
• Will there be enough gullible visitors who accept me as an authority on their specific relationship issues even though we’ve never talked to each other?
• How can I damage their self-esteem even more so they’re desperate enough to look at a stranger for help?
• How can I sound like a completely happy person in love with the perfect partner?
• How can I hide the fact that I’ve never bought or read this ebook myself?
• Is now a good time to mention that Clickbank link again?
• I hate it when my boyfriend is cruising the bars with his buddies while I’m slaving away at this computer!
• Oh, by the way – here is my favorite link!

The Squidoo Advantage

With pre-fab modules, tutorials and lots of community support, Squidoo makes it easy for us to share our unique, personal content with the world. We can focus on what is true and valuable for us – which might in turn help someone else. We can build our own audience, a loyal following – our tribe. We can become leaders in our social networks. We can become self-confident through peer support and our own integrity. We can then begin to sell stuff with authority.

We won’t even need that crummy ex back in our lives anymore…

Do we really want to start our new online endeavors with a chase for long-gone 25 bucks?

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Our own Margaret Schaut has written a fabulous primer on this question:

Why Should You Squidoo?

Considering the vast opportunities for free web sites, blogs, wikis, facebook and MySpace pages – it’s important to take a good look at the benefits of creating Squidoo lenses.

Margaret explores these viewpoints in different area of life and work -

• Business
• Art
• Relationships
• Resources
• Marketing
• Personal Branding, etc.

So, if you are new to Squidoo – welcome, we’re so happy you are here! Mosey on over to Margaret’s lens and get a quick idea of what Squidoo has in store for you. Don’t be shy, it takes only 10 minutes…

What to do on Squidoo?

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Veteran lensmaster Victoria Neely has been several times around the proverbial buoy. A Squidoo member since June ‘07 with 184 lenses under her tentacles – Victoria knows what she’s doing, no doubt about it.

I’d like for you to take a look at this “oldie but goodie”: Common Newbie Squidoo Mistakes – a Squidoo Classic if there ever was one!

“Making a Squidoo lens is easy. Making a good Squidoo lens, well, that’s another story.”

Victoria continues, “A lot of Squidoo newbies ask veterans to critique their lenses, and most of these lenses are not nearly as good as they could be. (There are exceptions!) Hopefully this lens will help new lensmasters avoid some of the more common Squidoo pitfalls.”

And then she dives right into her newbie curriculum…

• Mistake #1: Not Enough Modules
• Mistake #2: Not Enough Content
• Mistake #3: Few or No Pictures
• Mistake #4: Not Using Tags to the Best Advantage
• Mistake #5: Not Having a Bio or Personal Picture
• Mistake #6: More Ads than Content
• Mistake #7: Poor Writing
• Mistake #8: Unrelated Content
• Mistake #9: Not Changing Default Text
• Mistake #10: Never Updating the Lens
• Mistake #11: Not Allowing Contact
• Mistake #12: Expecting Overnight Success
• Mistake #13: Thinking Your Lens is Perfect
• Mistake #14: Stealing Content
• Mistake #15: Going Crazy With HTML
• Mistake #16: Spamming Guestbooks

I’ll make you a special deal – study these 16 points first and then I’ll tell you about the other 984, ok? 

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(Chef-Editor’s Note: This is a much-appreciated guest post by lensmaster clouda9)

Hard to imagine that it will be two years on May 10th that I joined Squidoo! Started with the thought of building one lens and now I am at 60+ and counting. Yes I am squiddicted! And if you are like many of us nutty folks {tongue in cheek} on here…you will be too.

I believe these ideas will help give some perspective and provide you with some focus. My share of things I’ve learned along the way:

• I had little or no knowledge of HTML. Gather information from lenses that offer help and or from files on the Internet.  Resources: Visit The Answer Deck and check out my fave on the Internet, Tizag Tutorials.
• I’d learn something and then forget where I found it. You can bookmark it in your browser or start a notepad file on your computer and label it Squidoo. Add all the tips and tricks you discover along the way so you have it to refer back to (plus it makes for easy copy/paste). This is a snapshot of my NotePad that I refer to often as I build a lens.
• Search for subjects on Squidoo that you love and leave your feedback on guest books, via the e-mail link or Contact Me button. If you think you have another way to offer the information…go ahead and build your lens about it. That is the beauty of Squidoo…lots of people contributing, it may just be your twist that gets noticed.
• Sound advice – learned it from my mom: if you cannot say something nice or constructive, don’t say it at all…move on. Imagine how you would feel to get negative vibes from someone.
• Connect to the SquidU forum, there are lots of people talking there! It is, at least, a must that you introduce yourself on the forum.

In closing, my hope is that you forever enjoy your journey here. If it becomes a chore or all you see are dollar signs, Squidoo may not be for you. Accept that, move on, search and discover for another niche.

~Peace
Correen
aka: clouda9

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