How To Squidoo And Change The World
Creating a Squidoo lens can help make a difference in the world or your little corner of it. Would you like to raise awareness and/or money for a good cause? Find a missing child? Tell someone you love them? Get an animal adopted? Show people how to build their business? Save a polar bear? Bathe their cat? Promote your business or website? Make a movie? Write a book? Introduce them to the world of art or even cook with tofu? Sell your product? Well, Squidoo is for you.
I love Squidoo because it allows me to get my message out easily. I don't have to be a cyber-geek to figure out the tools. It's all there for the taking and it is easy and so much fun to do.
There are many lenses that tell you how to create a lens and what each module does. I will defer to them (and give you links to find them). Here I'll share with you what I've learned while creating my lenses: how to create a great lens. One that makes people say, "WOW". And, how to get them to come back again and again. I'll also share the resources I've found that help me get traffic to my lenses and other great lenses on Squidoo. Check them out. See what makes them great. Learn from them. Immulate them.
You have something to share with the world. You know it and I know it. Read this lens, see what is possible, then make it happen.
Before you leave, please sign my guest book and let me know your plans. When you say it out loud or write it down, it's more likely to happen. Squidoo can help you make a difference in the world. Are you up for it?
EXAMPLE: Polaroid Module
Why I Created This Lens
What Gives Me The Right?
Why I Created This Lens
You may be wondering if or why you should follow my advice -- just what gives me the right to put together this lens?
First: People ask me questions about Squidoo and how to create a good lens several times a week. 5 of the people who like my lenses, know the success I've had with them and who I've shared my knowledge with, have suggested that I create a how-to Squidoo lens.
Second: I've been successful and have learned a lot and love to be able to share that knowledge. I became a Lensmaster at the end of March 2007. However, in less than 30 days of going live, my 1st lens, Are You Polar Bear Aware? made Lens of The Day, ranked in the top 100, and a PR3 by Google. Since then, it has continue to be ranked in the top 100 and was named 2nd Runner Up, Lens of the Year, 2007.
I've had 2 other Lens of the Day awards for Longterm Care For People You Love and Kartick Satyanarayan: Champion of India's Dancing Bears which also won an Honorable Mention in the Squidoo Superhero contest in 2008. By 7/31/07, I had 3 lenses in the top 100. And added a 4th in July 2008 (Saving the Dancing Bears of India).
I am a Squidoo Activist (Champion for Charity) and a Giant Squid, creating over 70+ lenses.
Third: I love to teach and creating this lens will reach more people than just answering individual's questions.
Forth: I want to give back to the Squidoo community and help build it and promote it. Squidoo truly is a way to change the world -- by exposing people to new ideas, knowledge, and other people.
In short, this lens is my pay-back to Squidoo and the community that has helped me become successful.
Has Squidoo Got Its Tentacles Hooked On You Yet?
Just How Hooked Are You?
You can tell a true Squidooer by the number of lenses she has. How many do you have? Or, are you still in the thinking stages?
"Check out Squidoo's widgets, like this Talk Bubble. Add them to your lens for more impact."
How To Create A Lens - The Preparation
Taking The First 10 Steps
Lens Creation Preparation
1. Decide on your category (Animals & Nature; Arts & Literature; Business; Shopping, etc.)
2. Check out the top 10-15 ranked lenses -- ALL categories. Check these lenses for url, title, overall impression, content, structure, graphics, resource links, etc. This is invaluable as you will see different ways to create lenses. It will give you ideas for the lens you are creating that you may not get on lenses in your specific category only.
3. Check the top 10 ranked lenses -- in your category and see how different lensmasters present their topic. Check these lenses for url, title, overall impression, content, structure, graphics, resource links, etc.
4. Write down ideas of what impressed you on the lenses you visited and how you can use those techniques, etc. in your lens. Is there something missing from their lens? What would make their lens better? Is there a better approach, structure or layout? How will you make yours different / better?
5. Decide on your approach for this particular lens. Keep in mind that you may want to do more than 1 lens on a topic. Also, selling a product is different than educating about an issue (see Cat Trees... where I'm trying to sell cat furniture and make some money vs Save Feral Cats... where I'm trying to educate and convince people to save feral cats. I also hope to sell stuff on the feral cat lens, which will be donated to Alley Cat Allies, but that is NOT the main purpose of the lens.
6. Determine your content needs and collect those resources (photos, links, information, etc.)
7. Select your url. You may not get the first one you try so be prepared to try different ones.
8. Create your lens. Click here to get started: Create A Lens
9. Select a lens "Title" that is catchy & gets your point across about your lens. People select the lens they want to read, like a book, by it's title.
Examples:
URL: http://www.squidoo.com/polarbearaware
TITLE: Are You Polar Bear Aware?
GOAL: Raise awareness and money to save polar bears.
URL: http://www.squidoo.com/polarbearware
TITLE: All Polar Bear Ware, All The Time
GOAL: Make money selling bear-ware.
URL: http://www.squidoo.com/saveferalcats
TITLE: Saving Feral Cats And Stop Overpopulation Through TNR
GOAL: Educate people about feral cats and TNR.
URL: http://www.squidoo.com/sphynx-the-cat
TITLE: Sphynx Cats: What's Hair Got To Do With It?
GOAL: Introduce these cute hairless cats.
10. Write your intro geared toward your topic/approach but keep in mind that the couple of sentences is what will show up on Google and other places.
Squidoo Newsletters Are MUST Reads
Get These Publications
1. Squidoo Daily
2. Squidu
I highly recommend that you sign up for both. They are critical to keep you aware of new happenings, advice for lens improvement, and announcements of the Lens of The Day.
Check out the Lens of The Day every day you can. You will get ideas for improving your lens and learn a lot about almost everything to boot. These are considered great lenses and my motto is Learn from the best!
What Are Your Pet Peeves About Squidoo Lenses?
Tell Lensmasters What Doesn't Work For You
List your biggest pet peeve about Squidoo lenses you've visited. Give Lensmasters the feedback that maybe you were too nice to leave in their guestbook. List your title, then share an example or suggestion for how to do it right in the details. Then vote on the 1 or 2 that bug you the most. Thanks!
#1
Links to completely unrelated topics or organizations.
I found one lens on a topic that had a module listing over 100 links to totally irrelevant articles! It was blatant advertising for his website.11 points
#2
No pictures!
I'm immediately turned off to a lens if I see long paragraphs of text and no pictures or other modules to break it up. Even if a lens is mostly educational or informational, you can still (1) make smaller paragraphs, (2) add relevant pictures, and/or (3) add polls, relevant modules, etc.10 points
#3
Having links that do NOT work!
This I really hate. If you have links, they should be checked to make sure they work -- at least weekly. Don't waste my time.9 points
#4
Too many hyperlinks!
Give me more information in the lens and fewer hyperlinks.7 points
#5
Lack of Personal Contribution
Whether written content or images, a lens that just looks like a cut and paste job with no personal contribution will not get much traffic or viewing time. People will see right through this and quickly exit. Personal reviews, opinions, stories, images and other content created by the lensmaster are what keep people coming back for more.7 points
#6
Too many affiliate links!
Lenses that focus on trying to sell me something without adding value.5 points
#7
Star Rating Abuse and Guest Solicitations for Ratings
Part of this really falls under the Self-Serving Guestbook Posts. How many of you are bothered by Guests leaving solicitations for ratings at your lenses? Most of these turn out to be false as it is - I JUST GAVE YOUR LENS 5 *s, COME RATE MINE. That's funny, the number of people rating my lens didn't change after they were here- hmmm, that says they didn't really bother to rate my lens, they're just hoping I'll give THEM 5 stars. That's not a swap at all. It's OK to give a lens 5 stars and to te...5 points
#8
Irrelevant , Self-Serving or Canned Guestbook Posts
We've all seen them. These are just plain R-U-D-E, especially when they post hyperlinks to their irrelevant lens or websites. This is like a guest walking into someone else's party and trying to make it all about THEM AND THEIR AGENDA while attempting to steal the guests. A courteous guest will say something nice about the lens and then leave it at that. The ONLY exception is if the lens or site content being mentioned or linked is clearly relevant, and NOT in competition with the lens of the...4 points
#9
Too many Animations
Like the main drag in Vegas at night, this can distract from the content and not allow readers to focus long enough to absorb and appreciate the lens content. Unless carefully done, it can look gimmicky. Just sprinkle in a few, and space them far apart so there will not be more than one visible on the screen at a time.1 point
To Let Them Contact You Or Not, That Is The Question
5 Reasons I'm Glad I Let People Contact Me
You Can Make Valuable Contacts
When you sign up, you pick whether or not people can contact you. Your private email address is NOT given out. When a person sends you an email, it is received by Squidoo, and then forwarded to your email address. So you don't have to worry that people will get your email address if you don't want them to. I highly recommend You Allow Contact
5 reasons I'm glad I let people contact me:
1. David Booth from Cabin Fever Art was one of the first to contact me. He has become a good friend and contributes the weekly polar bear cartoon on my lens, Are You Polar Bear Aware.2. I've met people who've sent me polar bear pictures and articles.
3. I've met other people who have contacted me to give me content for several of my other lenses.
4. I've developed relationships with other Lensmasters. We bounce ideas off of each other and answer questions, etc.
5. I've gotten affiliates for my website.
So you can see, I've benefited and maybe you will too. What do you have to lose?
How to Get Good Content for a Lens
How To Get Good Content
When creating a Squidoo lens, the purpose is to educate, inform, convince, or entertain your reader - you get to choose the direction it takes to unfold in all of its glory. But the one thing you don't want to do is be boring.
Being a Squidoo lensmaster means giving good content, and you'll be pleased to know you don't have to be a professional writer to accomplish the task. First, look for ideas that flow well from one module to the next.
Your content should start at the natural beginning. If you're explaining why people need to "Go Green," for instance, start with an introduction about what green means - and then move on to the why and how of it all.
It's easy to find ideas for your content - you can look to the news media, at other lenses, on YouTube, and in your local library. But the #1 rule for generating Squidtastic content is to make it original.
Never ever copy and paste your lens content from another place on the web. If you read a story about the same topic, close the browser and write from scratch (so there's not even the tiniest hint of plagiarism). And put your own spin on the topic if possible - something they haven't read on 12,000 other websites.
Using Squidoo's Bookmarklet To Get Content
One Of Squidoos' Secret Weapons For Lens Building
Content Secret Weapon
The Squidoo Bookmarklet is one of Squidoo's secret weapons for building lenses FAST. I use it all of the time to keep my lenses current.
What is it? It's a tool that you can put on your toolbar. (It literally takes less than 1 minute to do this.) Then whenever you find a link you want to add to your lens, click the Bookmarklet widget. It will bring up a screen where you...
1. Select the lens you want to add the link to.
2. Then it will show you a list of the link list modules for that particular lens. Select the on you want.
3. Then you can either let it add the link and take you to your lens or it can add it and publish your lens automatically.
It is a fantastic tool for adding content and keeping your lens current! To find out more or to get the Bookmarklet, click Bookmarklet
Google Alerts - How To Use Them
For Ideas And Research
How To Use Google Alerts
You can sign up for Google Alerts to get instant, daily, or weekly notification whenever something new appears on the web about your subject matter. The links are delivered straight to your email inbox, so your lens can always have a fresh take on the topic at hand.Be conversational when you're writing a Squidoo lens, just like this lens is! You don't have to be stiff and academic for the Squidoo reader - even if the subject matter is medical or difficult in its own right.
Remember that the average reader reads at an 8th grade reading level, so you don't want to make them stumble through your content trying to figure out what it is you just wrote. Keep it simple, but entertaining and informative and your readers will keep coming back for more!
Squidooing Cat Caption Contest
What Is This Cat Doing?
Vote for your favorite Squidoo Caption or add your own. Don't Forget to vote and come back to see new entries and vote again.
#1
All Squidooed Out
10 points
#2
Ommmmmmmmmm...
8 points
#3
This is the closest I will get to a mouse today...
6 points
#4
A little nap always helps my writer's block
3 points
#5
I'm Hungry...
and I'm not moving until he feeds me3 points
#6
Dreaming Of Squidooing
2 points
#7
Taking A Break Before Squidooing Again
2 points
#8
Squidoo This!
2 points
#10
One tired pussy squid...
Fried feline, off-line...1 point
#11
I need a nap. That mouse was filling.
1 point
#12
I am not sleeping I am squiditating.
1 point
#13
Basking in the joy of the internet...
And loving every minute of it.1 point
Star Rankings -- Why Give Them And How
My Philosophy About Star Ratings
Show Em Some Love By Giving Stars
My philosophyI believe that star rating is a way to give people good feedback, otherwise it's not worth doing. I try to be as honest as I can. I've seen enough lenses that I know what I feel is a 5 and I do not give 5's unless I think the person deserves it.
I've seen lenses with 5 stars that deserve, at best, a 3 and I'm appalled. People are embarrashed to be truthful if someone asks them to rank their lens so they gush over nothing. That's not fair to anyone, especially the person who created the lens. You give her a 5 on a 3 star lens and she thinks she's done a great job. No need to do more!
I rate 99% of the lenses I visit. The 1% I do not rank are:
(1) Lenses that say "under construction" -- I'm the only one I've seen do that but IF I found one, I would not rank it because they've said it's not ready. If I felt is was worth a 5 already, I'd go ahead and give them a 5 but that's not likely. I don't want to hurt their star ranking.
(2) Lenses I KNOW are really new and so the person is probably still working on it AND I probably won't be coming back (maybe it's not something I'm that interested in). IF I knew I was coming back, I would rank it because although you can only vote 1 time -- you can change your vote. Say, I gave them a 2 so they get the feedback they need, then I come back and they now deserve a 5, I make it a 5.
You Need A Thick Skin
Sometimes you'll have people who disagree with your message or content and they'll use that as their reason/excuse to not give you the stars your effort and content might deserve. Expect it for sure if you are creating any lenses on politics, religion, abuse of any sort, even endangered species.
There also has been problems in the past with star ratings -- unscrupulous groups voted 1 stars to 5 star lenses to lower their rankings. This is just poor sportsmanship and just plain wrong. If you're like me, you'll put a lot of effort and love into every lens you create so it's hard not to take it personally when someone disses your lens, however, it happens and you just have to get over it. Your lens, if it's a 5 star, will naturally over time get back to that over all rating because most people are fair.
Again, Star Ratings are currently used in the algorithm for overall rankings. However, Squidoo can change that at any time.
5 Things That Will Get Repeat Traffic To Your Lens
How To Get People To Come Back Again And Again
Give Them A Reason To Come Back!
People will come back only if they have a reason. So, give them one. Here are 5 ways to get people to come back:
1. Have photos or animations that they just have to see again and again -- or show to friends. See Cats Just Wanna Have Fun for examples of great cat photos, many with animation that draws people back.
2. Update often -- Tell them what you've added. See the introduction to Are You Polar Bear Aware? for example of how new sections are listed. (I do not add simple changes like adding pictures to an older Flickr module only whole new sections or major changes.)
3. Give them loads of fasinating stuff. For example Michelangelo's David is so packed with interesting information that you have to come back to see it all. It's amazing.
4. Have a feature that changes weekly. For Example, in Are You Polar Bear Aware? I have a Polar Bear cartoon by David Booth of Cabin Fever Art that changes every Monday. People come back to see what David's done this time.
5. Have a comprehensive list of relevant/helpful links. An example is Senior Long Term Care whose lists are critical for anyone who needs to do long term care planning.
6. Have a contest with a prize. An example is
Calvin and Hobbes. The current contest runs ends July 15, 2008. Check it out and enter the contest while you're there! What's A Group Got To Do With It?
Why Join A Group
I join as many groups as my lens fits into. For instance, if my lens is in the Animals and Nature category, then I first look at groups in that category.
A group is like a club so I feel I should mingle with the members; leave a message on the Group's message/guest book; visit other Lensmaster's lenses and give them feedback, rank them and favorite them if you really like them.
Group Rules
Be sure to read if the group has any rules.
How To Join A Group
1. From your Dashboard, select My Groups.
2. On the top of your My Group page, you'll have a choice of the following:
# Start a Group
# Join a Group
# Most Active Groups
# Movers & Shakers
# Newest Groups
3. Select the one you wish to explore.
4. Select a Group from within this listing.
5. On the group page, read the rules
6. On the right side under the JOIN OUR GROUP, select Add An Existing Lens.
7. This will take you to a selection page to select the lens(es) you want to join the group.
Group Benefits
1. Find like-minded folks. People you might want to get to know better.
2. Find lenses about your topic that you may be interested in visiting.
3. Others who see your lens listed on the Group's page will likely visit your site, thus increasing your traffic.
4. A link back to your lens.
5. Many groups support each other by sharing ideas, resources and links .
6. Some hold contests and other fun things.
NOTE: Many Group pages will have a place for you to list your lens and vote for it. The one with the highest # of votes shows up first on the list, so make sure you vote for yourself (many people forget to do that). That's another link to your page and some people will see your lens there and visit your site and maybe even vote for you.
"Squidoo" means never having to bang your head on your computer in frustration.
Squidoo Stuff -- Show Your Love For Squidoo
Why Add Pictures To Spice Up Your Lens
Answers To The Questions I've Gotten
Having pictures on your lens is a must. Pictures grab peoples attention and sometimes they even make a point. Keep in mind that they should be relevant to your lens. Polar bear pictures on a lens about tractors won't work unless the bear is on a tractor or connected somehow.Here are a couple of questions I've been asked about my photos and my answers:
Where did you get the great photo on this lens? (face with world map on it) I got it from istockphoto (listed below). I paid $1 and added the writing on it in PhotoShop.
Can I use photos that I don't know where they came from? It's up to you. Personally, if I like a photo and cannot track down the photographer / owner, I use it. I figure if anyone shows me proof they own it, then I'll offer to give them credit on the lens or take the picture off. That's the best I can do. So far, I've never been approached.
What if I just can't find a photo. What can I do? You can use fonts. For instance, change the color of the font and / or make it larger, or both. Scroll through this lens to see how I've done it. Notice, I don't have a graphic in every module, but I try to do something to make it attract attention or eye appealing.
Where do you get your photos? I get lots of pictures from friends and I take some of my own. However, I mostly get them from the sources listed in the next module called "Where To Get Photos Free Or Cheap".
If you have any other questions about photos, ask it in the guest book or send me an email. If I don't know the answer, I'll find it for you. Thanks!
Where To Get Pictures Free Or Cheap
Great Resources For Your Lenscrafting
Where To Get Photos Free or Cheap
I get lots of pictures from friends and I take some of my own. However, I mostly get them from the following sources. Some are free and others are low cost ($1-$2). Share your favorites by adding them to the list and voting. Thanks!
#1
Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing
Being able to use pictures from Flickr is really a plus for any lens. And it FREE. Be sure to acknowledge to photographer whenever you can.3 points
#2
http://www.istockphoto.com
I love istockphoto. They have professional images (photos, vector, video, flash, illustrations) cheap. I've only done photos but I pay only about $1 t...2 points
#3
morguefile.com Where photo reference lives.
Morguefile.com free stock photos1 point
#4
stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site
stock photography community - browse our huge gallery for high quality stock photos or share yours with others.1 point
Excellent Tools For The Lensmaster
Lenscrafting & Maintenance
- SquidUtils - Utilities and Tools for the Expert Lensmaster
- SquidUtils has complementry utilities and tools for Squidoo Lensmasters. Tools include: the advanced dashboard, lensmaster feeds, plus Amazon links and feeds.
- Squidaholic
- Squidoo addicts, listen up!
With one little click you can find out who's talking about your lens, keep up with the latest scoop on your topic, and get all kinds of nifty ideas for promoting your lenses. Not to mention keep an eye on your competition.
Why And How To Favorite A Lens
My Philosophy About Making A Lens A Favorite
Give Em Some More Love
My Philosophy:I favorite all the lenses that (1) I really, really like (2) or have valuable information so I might want to visit again, or, (3) I would recommend to others.
There does not seem to be a limit to how many lenses you can favorite. I think some people hoard them, but why? Spread the wealth! Be generous is what I say. Great lenses deserve the compliment in my opinion.
Your Favorite list, if you make it public, is a way to let people see what you think are good lenses. So, show them some!
How To Favorite:
When you are visiting a lens that you really like just click on Add To Favorites located down the left side of the lens. You'll get a message that says it's been added to your Favorites and you just press "close". It will mark the lens you are on as a Favorite and put it in your list of favorites.
Favorites is "by lensmaster". In other words, you can only favorite a lens 1 time. Your Favorite List is a fast way to find a lens you want to get to but can't remember the name. You can get to that lens quickly by just clicking on the name.
Others can see your List of Favorites (if you allow them to on your Profile) and click to see them as well. For this reason, you'll want to list your lenses as favorites too -- after all, you created them so they must be a Favorite. Right?
Favorites And Lens Rankings
Favorites are currently part of the algorithm for overall ranking on Squidoo so Favoriting a lens helps them. However, Squidoo can change that at any time, however.
How Many Lensmasters Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb?
Do You Have Any Idea?
How Many Lensmasters Does It Take
To Change A Light Bulb?
Add your answers below and vote for the best.
#1
None. Lensmasters will Squidoo in the dark!
14 points
#2
Light bulb? We don't need no stink'n light bulb.
6 points
#3
One, but the bulb won't really shine until it's got backlinks.
5 points
#4
One lensmaster + one CFL = World Change
1 point
The Best Way To Learn The HTML You Need On Squidoo
Lenses That Teach You HTMP
Best Way To Learn HTML
I found these links extremely helpful. I did NOT know any html when I started and now thanks to these lenses, I can do almost anything I want on my lenses. They rock!
#1
#2
http://www.squidoo.com/basichtml/
4 points
#3
http://www.squidoo.com/advancedhtml/
3 points
#4
How To Lens - html sample codes, CSS, alter background colors, fonts, pictures, table of contents for Squidoo Lensmasters
How To use HTML and CSS in lens modules - sample c more...2 points
#5
My Favourite CSS Tricks for Lenses
The basic tools provided by Squidoo will do pretty more...2 points
Cheap And Fast Ways To Increase Traffic To Your Lens
How To Increase Traffic
Ways To Increase Traffic To Your Lens
Below I've listed ways I use to get traffic to my lenses. Vote for the 1 or 2 that you use that gets you the best results. If you have something you use that's not here, please add so we can all learn from it. Thanks!
#1
Add Link To and From Your Blog
If you have a relevant blog, link to it and link from it. If it's relevent, people should be interested in both.7 points
#2
Join Squidoo Groups
Joining relevant groups -- the keyword is relevant -- on Squidoo puts your lens in front of people who are interested in your topic which means they'll probably visit your site. (See the module on this lens called "What Are Squidoo Groups?" for more details.5 points
#3
Send Out Press Releases
If you can make your lens newsworthy, send out a press release and list your url in it. Maybe your lens is the only place that has some particular information or you are introducing a new product and your lens is about it, then you can add the link to the PR you do on your product.4 points
#4
Use Blog Aggregators -- THIS IS A BIG ONE!
See section called "Use Blog Aggregators To Increase Traffic To Your Lens" for exactly how to do this.3 points
#5
List Your Lens On Your Social Networking Page
Most social networking pages (your profile) allow you to list your website. Make sure to to include the full url (example: http://www.squidoo.com/polarbearaware). Make the link live if possible.2 points
#6
Add A Signature To Your Emails
Most mail programs will let you add signature line(s) to your email. That means every time you send out an email, your signature shows up. So you can have your name and a direct link to your lens(es). You can even add a blurb.2 points
#7
Create a video about your lens
I created a lens when my Are You Polar Bear Aware was nominated for Lens of the Year. It has increased my traffic. See the video in the module below.2 points
#8
Use The Back Of Your Business Card
If you have a business card, it is fairly cheap to print on the back side (you know the side that most people leave blank). Write a small blurb about your lenses here with the url, of course.1 point
#9
Submit your lens to Google at www.google.com/addurl
1 point
#10
Create videos of your topic or lens
And upload them to YouTube and other video places or TubeMogal which is a video aggregator who will disburse them to a bunch of the video places.0 points
EXAMPLE: Video of a Lens
It is a fairly simple, straight-forward video -- some screen shots and pictures from the lens, a few special effects, and some music. Check it out and let me know what you think. Just to give you an idea of how powerful this is, I had 50 views within 4 hours of uploading the video on YouTube alone. No, that doesn't mean they cam to my lens, but they know it's there when they want to see more.
" Polar Bear Aware "
Runtime: 3:18
1502 views
1