More changes with the templates at Squidoo.com this past week. Have you noticed? To properly take advantage of those changes, you need to update your lenses with these three things in mind.
1. First, there's a new, optional, built-in table of contents at the top of every lens. When you update your intro module now, you'll notice that it has been renamed the Introduction, Contents, & Discover Tool. Those three components are accessible by tabs that you'll see in the edit mode. The Introduction tab is for the text that appears in that module; no changes here. The second tab is for a built-in table of contents. Squidoo has that set to opt out, but if you opt in you'll activate an expandable section on your lens that appears immediately below the contents of your intro module. The first half dozen or so of your modules show up, along with a "more . ." link which will expand the module in order to show the titles of all the modules on your lens. Have some modules that you don't want to include here? Just un-check the box next to those module names. This new table of contents appears on a very attractive blue background. The advantage? If you have more than five modules on your lens, it's shorter than a regular table of contents module, so it takes up less room. It also gives your visitor the option of navigating your lens via the module links or they can skip the table of contents altogether and just browse on through. If you like how this module looks, you might choose to opt in and use it instead of the separate table of contents module. It's up to you.
2. Second reason to update your lenses now is the Discover Tool, on the third tab in that first module of your lens. That one is set to opt in, so if you haven't visited your lenses lately, you'll be in for a surprise when you see it there. Bad news is that it gives your visitors the opportunity to pass up your lens and go directly to a lens of Squidoo's choice (based on your tags) that's listed there. Good news is that you can add up to three lenses of your own to include there, so if you have related lenses you might want to list them and continue to opt in to this feature. More good news is that you can opt out if you prefer, but that choice comes with some bad news. If you opt out of the Discovery Tool on any particular lens, that lens will not be included as a choice on anyone else's lens, so while you'll avoid outgoing links you'll be eliminating an opportunity for incoming traffic from someone else's lens. What to do? You'll have to weigh this option carefully. If you have multiple related lenses, certainly opt in to this option and include three of those related lenses so they'll show up as links in the "Explore related pages" section that shows up, again on a pretty blue background, just below your introduction module and Squidoo's table of contents module (if you have chosen to opt in to that). If you have a lens that sells a product and you don't want to chance that someone will link on out to another lens that sells that same product, then by all means opt out. Watch your traffic and see what happens and make changes as those statistics warrant.
3. A third reason to update now is the change in the placement of your lensmaster picture and bio on the lens. Instead of appearing in the top right of the lens, it now appears front and center below the lens title and just above the introduction module. It is much more prominent and hard to overlook. So if you haven't updated your lensmaster biography, you'd certainly better do it now. I found, too, that this change gave me great incentive to write short, individual biographies for many of my lenses rather than using my default bio on every lens. If your default bio is very specific to a particular category or target reader, then consider rewriting a different bio for a lens that doesn't fall into that particular category. Or, instead, rewrite your default bio to be more generic.
Change can be hard to take, but in the long run it's a good thing for anything online. It is in the best interest of The Powers That Be at Squidoo for every lensmaster to succeed, and the site is managed accordingly. Stay on top of these changes as Squidoo continues to refine and improve the site. Time spent in updating your lenses is never time wasted, so use the incentives of these changes to go update a lens or two right away, then work your way through the rest. Watch your stats and adjust your changes and personal strategy accordingly and, most importantly, continue to have fun while you Squidoo!
