One of our most generous lensmasters, Elizabeth Jean Allen, submitted this guest post with tips and instructions on the many fabulous things we can do with the Blackbox module. Thank you, Liz! 
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I’ve been on Squidoo for a year and a half now and have read and rated a lot of lenses. Some were good, others awesome, and some are not worth mentioning. I have a few lenses in need of a major overhaul, but most of my lenses lagging in the ranks just need a little pizzazz to bring them back to life.
Over the last few months I’ve started experimenting with the Blackbox. I wanted a little module that could add some punch without having to tear the lens apart and starting over. Unfortunately, dressed in black and white the Blackbox took the punch, and fell flat. And changing the background color didn’t do much to revive it.
Unwilling to give up, I started experimenting with changing the text color (the brighter the better,) adding graphics, and animations. I loved the results. It grabbed the reader’s attention for a moment, but didn’t detract from the meat of the lens.
Blackbox Module
I use the Blackbox to add quotes, restate a major point, add humor, or to direct the reader’s attention in another direction. In Top Ten Reasons to Add Walking to Your Daily Routine, I used the Blackbox to highlight important facts.
I’ve come to think of the Blackbox as the underdog in a boxing match. Dressed for the ring, it’s a scrappy little fighter. Small in comparison to the rest of the modules, it has little chance of winning the day, but I always root for the underdogs – they are the ones I remember.
Utilizing the Blackbox Module offers a short, but sweet tutorial on creative uses for the Blackbox. Take a look. It just might be what you were looking for.
Lizzy
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