25,000th Poll Response

I just got this message (along with 200 points) from Squidoo: "Someone just took the 25,000th poll created by you!"  Woo-hoo!

(Wish I'd have grabbed a screen shot of the message, but here's a screen shot of the poll.)

The poll that put me over the 25,000 mark is this one, on my popcorn popper reviews lens. What really impressed me when I took a look at the poll is that there are twice as many responses to the poll as there are Squidlikes on that lens. What does this tell me? A few things:

1. To Squidlike a lens, you have to be a Squidoo member. Any reader can participate in a poll - and in this case since there are far more poll responses than likes, it's clear that non-lensmaster readers are participating.

2. I wrote this poll to get an idea of why people are visiting the lens. Do they already know what popcorn popper they're looking for or do they want more general information? Nearly one-third of the visitors answer that they don't know what kind of popper they want yet (that's why they're on the lens) while just under 3% choose the "Just passing through" option. Not scientific, but rather interesting.

3. The poll is placed near the top of the lens, a place where you really can't miss it, but it isn't terribly intrusive or in the way of the main information. People do continue reading after they answer the poll (based on the fact that the lens does make sales). Had I put a "Did you find what you were looking for?" poll at the end, I wouldn't expect nearly as much participation.

4. The poll is worded well enough that people don't have a difficult time choosing an answer. Sometimes I see a poll on a lens and there's no clear choice for me or I have to think too hard to choose an answer, so I skip it. It's good to have a choice for everyone, even if the final choice is "Other."

It really is important to engage your readers and a poll is a good way to do that. I appreciate that readers take a minute or so to read the choices and register their vote. The lens does make sales, but I'd like to see the click-through rate go up a bit. I'll be watching to see how the stats change with the holiday shopping season getting into full swing.

How do you use polls? Do you think they add value to your lenses? I'd love some input on the subject.

Lens Affiliate Ads Survey Results

For the last 10 days or so we had a poll posted here which asked the following question: What do you think of lensmasters placing multiple affiliate ads on their profile page and in the bio section of their lenses? The results are in.

We had only 21 votes and several comments. Thirty-eight percent of those who voted said only one or two ads at the most should appear while 28 percent said it was fine to include multiple ads. Twenty-three percent voted that more than one or two ads looks unprofessional while nine percent said they didn't like the look at all.

In the comments, one person had not really noticed ads on Squidoo lenses, one admitted to having placed too many ads in the past, and one said she preferred to keep her profile panel clean and so did not post ads there at all. Another lensmaster stated that he saw no need for ads, but that the product on the lens should sell itself. Good point.

The conclusion that I come to, then, is that most people don't mind an extra ad or two. It seems that one or two ads that are related to the topic of the lens are about the right amount while any more than that might appear unprofessional or even unsightly.

Thanks to those who participated in the poll. Let me know if the results cause you to reevaluate the way you use, or don't use, affiliate ads on your Squidoo lenses.

Please Participate in Our Poll

What do you think of lensmasters placing multiple affiliate ads on their profile page and in the bio section of their lenses?

This seems to be a growing trend on Squidoo lately and, while I can see that an ad or two might be fruitful, I've seen some presentations that look downright unprofessional and have to think that they might actually be counterproductive.

In my opinion.

I want to know what you think, so I've placed a poll on the left margin of this blog. Would you please take a moment and answer the question? If you have more to add, feel free to leave a comment below.

I appreciate your input.