Help Me Bump My Lens?

I guess nobody likes eBay videos or eBay humor anymore (and that is entirely possible).

Or maybe I've just ignored my lowest-ranking lens for too long.

Either way, it's number 169 of my 169 published lenses. I just checked and it appears that every single video link is working. That, frankly, is amazing.

I actually kind of like this lens. So I tweaked a few things, put a poll near the top, and twittered it. It'll be on its way to Facebook as soon as I finish here.

Lensrank is 282,491 today. What will it be tomorrow?

Want to help bump it up? Check it out.

Awesome eBay Module Sale

It isn't mine, but a visitor to one lucky lensmaster's lens clicked through an eBay module link, signed up as a buyer on eBay, bid and bought . . .

Should I tell you or make you look? I think I'll make you look. It's worth the visit to the forum.

Here.

People Are Watching

I've discovered something rather interesting on Squidoo. People pay attention. They watch you. Having a fan club is fun and cool, even flattering, but it's actually a big responsibility. Add Giant Squid to your lensmaster status and people really start watching. Add SquidAngel to the mix and lensmasters start seeking you out. Sometimes it can be a little scary.

I used to think that I was a rather anonymous soul on the internet and, in fact, I pretty much was with a couple of nondescript websites that were easily overlooked. Then I started blogging and found a few people who began listening to what I had to say, but even that was on such a small scale it seemed that what I said or how I said it wasn't particularly important.

After Squidoo came along and one lens grew to two then 10 then, suddenly, I had 50 lenses and became a Giant Squid, by golly, people began to know who I was and what I said began to matter. Hiding behind my childhood-picture avatar was somewhat comforting, but as time has passed and I've built not only my brand on Squidoo but a reputation, the comfort level has really changed. Now I regularly get contacted with questions as well as getting asked for advice. I've even done a couple of interviews. Whoa, people actually care what I think!

That's pretty humbling, you know? I may be a Giant Squid and may, for awhile, have SquidAngel as part of my job description, but I'm really still just little ol' me. I take the responsibilities seriously and try to do my best and not let anyone down, though I might from time to time. I'm still that little girl in the picture, just a bit older. Okay, a lot older. When you do see me around, just remember that behind that orange halo lies a regular squid person who puts her pants on one tentacle at a time, just like you.

Synergism, Squidoo Style

Another thought about using Squidoo to promote your eBay business.

If you blog about eBay, be sure to put the blog link on your eBay "me" page*. If you have a Squidoo lens, put that link on your blog! If you have a Squidoo lens and a blog, use the RSS feed module on Squidoo to automatically feed your blog content to your Squidoo lens.

It's simply synergistic!

P.S. Are you on Twitter? Add that to the mix and your business may become absolutely explosive!

*UPDATE: EBay policy now forbids off-eBay links even on your "me" page, so go take those off! All the more reason to blog, tweet, and otherwise talk up your eBay business around the web. To learn how to best use social networking sites to promote your businesses, check out these tips.

Today's Squidoo Lesson: Making a Lens About Your eBay Business

If you're going to make a Squidoo lens about your eBay business, you have several options.

First is the older eBay Squid template which looks like this. If you like the look of that template, go to the top right where it says "Make Your Own" and when you make your lens there, it will have that template. An OK choice; my third choice, though. My first and second choices follow.

Next is the SquidBids template, which is newer than the one above. SquidBids headquarters is here. Scroll down and choose a lens from among those listed to see what that template looks like. Create the lens from this page and it will have you fill in some information and build a simple lens for you. GOOD choice, maybe best depending on what you want your lens to look like. SquidBids HQ is a very good place to look at a lot of other eBay sellers' lenses to see what those people included in theirs. Some are good, some are better. It's really a matter of personal preference and what appeals most to you.

Third choice is the regular Squidoo template, a sample of which is here. This particular lens belongs to someone I met on Squidoo yesterday, a terrific lensmaster who has a really nice eBay store and a really good lens about her eBay business. She used HTML to add extra pictures, so the lens looks extra nice, I think. GOOD choice, but it doesn't specifically identify the lens as being an eBay lens, so it's up to you if you want it to be obvious from the start that the lens is about your online auctions. Again, a matter of your preference.

End of today's lesson. Now go enjoy Mother's Day!

Use Squidoo to Promote your eBay Business

Have an eBay business? You should have a Squidoo lens.

It’s super simple to set up a Squidoo lens with a special eBay template that sets the lens apart as an eBay lens. You can start with this lens to see what the template looks like. Then, if you want a lens like it, look at the top of the page and click on “Make Your Own.” When you publish the lens, it’ll have the eBay squid template.

If you want to know why you should make a Squidoo lens to promote your eBay business, go back to the top of the same page and click on the link that says “Get the eBook” and Megan will tell you why.

So, what are you waiting for? Squidaddle on over there and get busy.