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Confessions of a Giant Squid

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 97 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #91 in Squidoo Tips, #7975 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

How I Became a Giant Squid

 

I am so very excited to become a Giant Squid. It is truly an honor and a privilege to be part of such a great group of people.

I have worked hard to get here, but I could not have gotten here without lots of mentoring, encouragement, and help from others in the Squidoo community. This lens is to thank everyone, and also to provide potential Giant Squids with the tools that I used to learn.

What Brought Me to Squidoo 

Interview on Etsy

Seth Godin

My first inkling of something called Squidoo was in an interview Seth Godin did with Etsy's online blog The Storque. I have a store on Etsy featuring some items from my brick and mortar gallery, Lake Erie Artists Gallery, and was in the process of adding a shopping cart to my home website. I was looking for ways to promote Lake Erie Artists Gallery on the internet. I am really a total novice to the internet, and pretty much soak up whatever I can from sources all around me, (including my teenage daughter, Tamar, who introduced me to Facebook).

The article, initially about how to market Etsy to men, sparked my attention. I had heard of Seth Godin's books before, although I had never read one; I knew that he advocated permission marketing, so I decided to look into Squidoo.

What Brought You to Squidoo? 

Or Did You Find Squidoo on Your Own?

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A LIttle Bit About Me 

Lake Erie Artists Gallery

Lake Erie Artists Gallery

I am the owner of a unique gallery in Cleveland, Ohio----Lake Erie Artists Gallery, and a jewelry designer. My primary goal is to promote my gallery, my artwork, and the artwork of the artists that I represent in my gallery.

This year, I have been working to steadily to increase my presence online through social networking. From the interview, Squidoo, seemed like it would be another place to promote Lake Erie Artists Gallery.

So I joined and I wrote a few lenses--about the gallery, about myself, and about my job as a gallery owner.

What to Do Next? 

Thank You Janet 21

Once I had written my lenses, I wasn't sure what to do next. Then I happened upon a lens that drew me right in--Are you a Stay at Home Mom (or Dad) Interested in Earning a Monthly Income? by Janet 21.

I am not a stay at home mom, but I was looking to make extra income to help stabilize the bottom line of my gallery. The art business is tough, especially in Cleveland.

Janet's lens really inspired me. First of all, I was really intrigued by the idea that over time, I could really make money on Squidoo. I had been working all year to build the gallery in many ways and this could be one more. I was willing to work for it, and wait several months to see results.

I took Janet's advice. The first step was to submit my lenses to the Isle of Squid. Then I started submitting to other forums, and sites listed on her lens. I started really learning more about Squidoo, and how to promote my lenses and how to make them better.

A Must Read for Newbies 

I Still Read it Often

Seth Godin's Newest Book--Releasing October 16, 2008 

Tribes by Seth Godin

Tribes by Seth Godin


Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

About the Author

Seth Godin is the author of ten international bestsellers, including the New York Times bestseller The Dip. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages and include Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, and Meatball Sundae. He is also the founder and CEO of Squidoo.com (a huge and fast-growing tribe) and the most popular business blogger in the world.

Tribe Management (from Seth's blog-posted by Seth Godin on January 30, 2008)

Brand management is so 1999.

Brand management was top down, internally focused, political and money based. It involved an MBA managing the brand, the ads, the shelf space, etc. The MBA argued with product development and manufacturing to get decent stuff, and with the CFO to get more cash to spend on ads.

Tribe management is a whole different way of looking at the world.

It starts with permission, the understanding that the real asset most organizations can build isn't an amorphous brand but is in fact the privilege of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who want to get them.

It adds to that the fact that what people really want is the ability to connect to each other, not to companies. So the permission is used to build a tribe, to build people who want to hear from the company because it helps them connect, it helps them find each other, it gives them a story to tell and something to talk about.

And of course, since this is so important, product development and manufacturing and the CFO work for the tribal manager. Everything the organization does is to feed and grow and satisfy the tribe.

Instead of looking for customers for your products, you seek out products (and services) for the tribe. Jerry Garcia understood this. Do you?

Who does this work for? Try record companies and bloggers, real estate agents and recruiters, book publishers and insurance companies. It works for Andrew Weil and for Rickie Lee Jones and for Rupert at the WSJ... But it also works for a small web development firm or a venture capitalist.

People form tribes with or without us. The challenge is to work for the tribe and make it something even better.

Being Remarkable Works on Squidoo Too! 

Seth Godin

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

Amazon Price: $14.25 (as of 01/08/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $20.95

The world is changing ever more rapidly, and the rules of marketing are no different, writes Godin, the field's reigning guru. The old ways-run-of-the-mill TV commercials, ads in the Wall Street Journal and so on-don't work like they used to, because such messages are so plentiful that consumers have tuned them out. This means you have to toss out everything you know and do something "remarkable" (the way a purple cow in a field of Guernseys would be remarkable) to have any effect at all, writes Godin (Permission Marketing; Unleashing the Ideavirus). He cites companies like HBO, Starbucks and JetBlue, all of which created new ways of doing old businesses and saw their brands sizzle as a result. Godin's style is punchy and irreverent, using short, sharp messages to drive his points home. As a result the book is fiery, but not entirely cohesive; at times it resembles a stream-of-consciousness monologue. Still, his wide-ranging advice-be outrageous, tell the truth, test the limits and never settle for just "very good"-is solid and timely.

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Becoming a Giant Squid is a Learning Process 

You Need to Write a Lot of Lenses to Understand What Really Works

Giant Squid

One of the challenges to becoming a Giant Squid is that you have to create at least 50 quality lenses. What I learned along the way is that finding 50 lens topics is not hard.

Each lens was a new learning process that I needed to go through to continue to make better lenses. On each lens I tried something new that I learned from doing research on Squidoo and reading other people's lenses.

Every time that I write a lens now, that lens is better than all of the lenses that I have written before because I use the giant squid information that I have learned along the way.

It Took a While to Find a Niche That I Was Comfortable With 

I Found That I Had to Change My Focus

Writing about a closely focused niche is what a lens is all about. That is more difficult than it sounds, but it makes the lenses sharper and more interesting. By really focusing on a topic, you have to write a richer, more developed lens with better research.

I had trouble finding a niche at first that readers really responded to. That was discouraging. But I kept writing anyway, and happened upon a subject of interest--living green. From there, I learned to find ideas in other lenses, and learn from other lensmasters.

 

Writing


"When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing." ~Enrique Jardiel Poncela

There are Many Mentors Here at Squidoo 

Squid U Forum

I am very proud of being part of the Squidoo community. And this is a site with a real community. The SquidU Forum is just full of encouraging, helpful people that have more experience in one way or another, and the great thing is--they want to share!

I have learned so much from other lensmasters over the past few months. There is no way to list all of you here, but thank you. And what is so great now, is that I can find newbies and help them learn.


Squidoo Community

Where, Who and How Do I Find Mentors? 

Squidoo Mentors are All Around You

Here are links to lenses by just a few of the great mentors on Squidoo. At SquidU, there are lots more mentors in the forums.

Permission Marketing 

Turning Customers into Friends

Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers

Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 01/08/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $25.00

Seth Godin, one of the world's foremost online promoters, offers his best advice for advertising in Permission Marketing. Godin argues that businesses can no longer rely solely on traditional forms of "interruption advertising" in magazines, mailings, or radio and television commercials. He writes that today consumers are bombarded by marketing messages almost everywhere they go. If you want to grab someone's attention, you first need to get his or her permission with some kind of bait--a free sample, a big discount, a contest, an 800 number, or even just an opinion survey. Once a customer volunteers his or her time, you're on your way to establishing a long-term relationship and making a sale. "By talking only to volunteers, Permission Marketing guarantees that consumers pay more attention to the marketing message," he writes. "It serves both customers and marketers in a symbiotic exchange."

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Squidoo Resources

Squidoo is a Great Resource for Squidooing 

Here are the Resources That I Like Best

I am going to devote the rest of this lens to letting you know what resources I use to improve my lenses. There is no secret formula or catch. All successful lensmasters spend a lot of sweat equity on each and every lens, group, forum, or directory that they run.

You can write a lens in 5 minutes but a great lens takes much longer. And each lens is a work in process. The best ones are consistently being updated, revised, and added to. Content is king, and it is what the search engines look for. So don't skimp on content. Everything that you add to your lens is something that a person may search for online. So make your additions count.

My Favorite Beginner Resources 

Great Places to Newbies to Start

 

PJN Promo

As an Artist, I Place a High Priority on Visuals 

Make Your Lens Look Snazzy

Morning by Paula Atwell (Watercolor)

I am an artist, and I believe that people like to look at great pictures.

And pictures are not the only way to make your lens look great! There are loads of ways to make your lens interesting without cluttering it up.

Here are some of the lenses that I have used cool special effects to enhance the look of the lens.

Rosh Hashanah--The Jewish New Year

Wedding Gift Guide: Where to Find the Hottest, Most Trendy Gifts

Weddings Gone Green

Unusual, Unique, and One of a Kind Holiday Gifts

More Lenses With Special Effects 

Resources to Enhance Visuals on Your Lenses 

Easy Add-Ons to Improve the Look of Your Lens

What is Your Opinion About the Visual Look of a Lens? 

Do You Think Great Visuals are Important on a Lens?

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Presentation is Half the Battle--I Love Great Pictures!

bragova says:

I'm a visual artist too...so for me visuals ARE content.

packratgraph says:

Visuals are very important in conjunction with content, they engage the reader and stimulate the brain in other ways than just boring old text.

LisaKG says:

Of course, it adds quality to the lens

blu_baby77 says:

yes

cleansing-diet says:

pictures are worth a thousands words.

Content is Everything--Visuals are Not Important!

mdvaldosta says:

I'm all about providing useful, unique and well written content. Visuals are eye candy and when used appropriately accent your content... unfortunately many lensmasters overuse the visuals like many myspace profiles do, for example. People don't visit lenses for visuals!

tandemonimom says:

I am split here: content is what I look for, but visuals can keep my attention until I find it! If there's no content, though, the best visuals are just random pixels and can't keep my attention. So a very close 49/51 vote!

 
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It is Not Enough to Just Write a Great Lens 

You Also Need to Promote It

Squidoo T-shirt by flowergardener


More information on this T-shirt can be found here.

No matter how great your lens is, it will not get noticed unless you promote it. Or maybe I should say, it will get noticed by more people much, much faster if you promote it.

There are many places online to promote your lenses, and also places offline. Some very simple hints are to add your lenses or lensmaster page to your email signature. If you have a blog, then add it there. Most of us are already members of some online communities; talk about your topics, add links to your lenses, find discussions where you can bring them up. The more backlinks you have, the more roadways that traffic can follow to find your lens.

Need Help Promoting Your Lenses? 

Here are Some Guidelines

CSS Help 

Enhance Your Lens

Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML

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HTML for Dummies 

Or HTML for the Clueless

HTML 4 For Dummies, 5th Edition

Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 01/08/2009)Buy Now

In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.

A Special Mention of SquidUtils 

thefluffanutta is always right on!

thefluffanetta

I want to make a special mention of SquidUtils, a site run by thefluffanutta. This site has very useful tools to help you understand some of the ways that your lenses are linked to the rest of the internet, and how to streamline your lenses to make them more search engine friendly. I know that thefluffanutta has way beyond my own understanding on these topics and I appreciate his willingness to share with the Squidoo community.
Update on 12/3/2008: After chatting with thefluffanutta and Captain Squid in the Squidoo Chat Room yesterday, I was interested in trying out the upgrades to SquidUtils, especially the keyword evaluator. Captain Squid and thefluffanutta assured me that it would only work in Firefox. I hadn't used Firefox before, but decided to take the plunge, and now I am so sorry that I didn't before. I have been missing so much that SquidUtils can offer. What Firefox does is integrate SquidUtils right into the regular lensmaster dashboard. It is incredible! This is a must do for every lensmaster! You don't know what you are missing until you try it out.

Squidoo Charity Fund 

Help Others Less Fortunate

The Squidoo Charity Fund has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. Thanks to the Squidoo community, we've built schools in Cambodia, given underprivileged classrooms computers and software, funded important reseach against Juvenile Diabetes

We at Squidoo passionately believe in creating new ways to support good causes online. By making a donation to Squidoo Charity Fund from this page, you are sending money directly to that organization, in whatever amount you want. We don't touch it. We don't even see it. The author of this page doesn't either. And if you made it this far, thanks for caring.

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A Wonderful New Lens on the Block 

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe of Squidoo Lens Creation!

Adez7

There are really very many resources on Squidoo, so many that they can be hard to keep track of, especially for newbies. Adez7, recently created The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe of Squidoo Lens Creation! to help guide all of us through the Squidoo Universe.

The Hitchhiker's Guide is jam packed with loads of links to useful and informative lenses. Adez7 has done a wonderful job of providing us with a thorough guide as to where to find information on how to Squidoo. This is a lens to bookmark and revisit when you have a question.

In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later. ~Harold Geneen

Do You Have a Style? 

Develop Your Personality in Your Writing

Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry in Los Angeles



Do you have a style? This building does.

When we write on the internet, it is very similar to speaking in public.

In some ways, we are reverting to an earlier era, when most people communicated via correspondence, before telephones. The difference is the rate at which we communicate.

My point is that your writing needs to reflect your personality. You need to develop a style that your fans can come to rely on.

You may have one style of writing for your blog, another for Facebook, and even one or two for Squidoo. However, I firmly believe that you should have a style that is your own. That will add life to your lenses, and invite people into your subject matter, whatever it may be.

To get an idea of what I mean, read other lensmasters' work with style in mind. See if you can see the differences between, for instance, the way Jaguar Julie writes and rms writes.

 


WhiteSmoke - Writing Tool

Great Deals on HTML Books 

More Help to Improve Your Squidoo Lenses

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Making Money Online with Squidoo for Yourself or Charity 

Yes, You Can Make Money

There is no free lunch.

Everyone can make money online with Squidoo. But it is not a get rich overnight kind of scheme. And frankly, that makes me believe in Squidoo even more, because "there is no free lunch". Squidoo is similar to many businesses in that you have to build your customer base, your inventory, and your marketing in order to make real money. The more customers that come into your store, the more customers that will buy.

Squidoo has several ways that you can earn money either for yourself or for charity. It is very easy to monetize your lens.

I do want to urge caution when you do monetize your lens. Your customer is more likely to donate or buy from you if you encourage them, not slam them with a giant commercial. Think about how you feel when approached by an in your face salesman. As offensive as that can be in person, in writing it can even be more offensive and annoying.

I recommend either writing your lens around the topic of what you are selling or selling items that relate to your content. Let your customer decide to browse or buy based on your interesting content. And if your lens is all about selling, then let the reader know in the introduction, so that they don't feel duped. An example of this is my lens, Unusual, Unique, and One of a Kind Holiday Gifts. The first sentence of the introduction is, "This holiday gift guide is an eclectic mix of unusual, unique, and one-of-a-kind gifts." That way, if someone isn't interested, they just won't even click on it.

Making Money on Squidoo Through Squidoo 

Squidoo Pays You in Several Ways

Make a Fortune Promoting Other People's Stuff Online 

Affiliate Marketing

Make a Fortune Promoting Other People's Stuff Online: How Affiliate Marketing Can Make You Rich

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Make a Fortune Promoting Other People's Stuff Online is your hands-on guide to starting your own profitable affiliate marketing business quickly, easily, and inexpensively. Leading affiliate marketing authority Rosalind Gardner gives you a proven five-step plan for identifying a niche with a huge market, choosing products to promote, and selling the benefits effectively. You'll see how to:

Navigate the different affiliate programs, from commissioned-based "click-through" programs to CPM impressions to flat-fee referral
Identify the products and programs that are profitable-and the ones to avoid
Ask the right questions before you join an affiliate program
Research, understand, and sell to your niche market
Negotiate for a higher percentage on your commission
Stay on top of developments in the industry
Packed with time- and money-saving techniques-including twelve ways to drive traffic to your website at no cost-this comprehensive guide is all you need to make big profits as an affiliate marketer!

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Affiliate Marketing 

How to Make Money on Squidoo Through Other Companies

In addition to the money you can make through Squidoo tiered ranking, and through Squidoo money making modules, another way to earn money from your lenses is to become an affiliate marketer.

Affiliate marketers sign up with companies to help promote products and services. You can sign up with some companies directly, but most you have to sign up with through an agent or broker. Most affiliate programs cost you absolutely nothing to join, and they pay when a customer uses your link to purchase a product or service. Your payout usually comes 45 to 60 days later.

Here are some of the companies that I am signed up with:

Clickbank



Commission Junction

Pepperjam Network--they give you a $10 Sign On Bonus

LinkShare Referral Prg

LinkShare UK

Amazon

The AllPosters.com Affiliates Program

Affiliate Marketing Can Exponentially Increase Your Sales 

 

Marketing Your Lens

Marketing Your Lens Offline 

Sending Traffic to Your Lens

As anyone in any kind of business knows, in order to get people to come to your store or buy your product, you need to market. Marketing is a tough concept to explain for people who don't already know what it is--but this is how I think of it.

If you are having a party at your house, and you want people to come, you invite them either by phone, by mail or evite. Otherwise, how else do they know about the party? Sometimes you ask them to RSVP to confirm that they are coming.

Inviting people to the party is the essence of marketing. You are not selling anything, you are inviting. You may sell something in the end, but if so, it is your guest who makes that decision.

Marketing for a website or lens is the same as marketing for a brick and mortar store. You can market by passing out business cards, or other print items that have your website or lensmaster web address. You can market one single lens or all of your lenses.

Marketing offline will send traffic to your lenses. Frankly, I would put it on your business cards, or on postcards and just hand them out when you meet people at various events. I do it all of the time when I meet people anywhere to let them know about my gallery.

The one thing to understand about marketing is that you never know when you will get a return on your investment. Sometimes it happens immediately, but more often it happens when you are not expecting it, months later.

 

What is Your Experience With Squidoo So Far? 

Are You Enjoying the Journey?

Taking the Journey

BikoBill wrote...

Plenty of good information here, so many great lens listed here I don't know where to go soak more information up first!

ReplyPosted December 31, 2008

seedplanter wrote...

You inspire me not only because you're an artist, but because you're such a giving person. This lens is an example of that. Lots to soak up here. Thank you! I'm lensrolling it to my two Squidoo-related lenses.

ReplyPosted December 28, 2008

Margo_Arrowsmith wrote...

Nice lens, great idea. *****

ReplyPosted December 16, 2008

anthropos wrote...

Always looking for more to improve my lenses. From an aspiring Giant Squid, thanks for the info.

ReplyPosted December 16, 2008

booklvr wrote...

Thanks for all the tips and how to's. I just joined and I loved this lens! 5 stars is not enough.

ReplyPosted November 26, 2008

 
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