Merry Christmas from Susan52

Wishing all of my Squidoo friends a very Merry Christmas.

I hope your holiday is filled with fun and family - 

and Jesus, whose birth we celebrate!

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New Year's Resolution: Re-Balance the Scale

It's really hard to believe that Christmas is just a few days away. It's been a nice holiday sales season and I'm not looking forward to watching the volume of Squidoo visits and sales start dropping like Santa's tired elves on December 26th.

I do have a couple of lenses that I'm counting on for after-Christmas shoppers, though, then there's the New Year's resolutions crowd and I'm hoping to profit from that as well. Valentine's Day will be next. After that, Easter will be here before we know it, then summer, then we'll start preparing for Christmas all over again. Say it with me: Time flies when you're having fun!

This year has been different for our family. We spent the first few months building a new house and the next several months getting it furnished and settling in. With all that we've had going on for the last year and a half, my concentration has been on family. And you know what? It's been nice! But now it's time to get back to business.

For me, it's time to re-balance the priority scale. Family will always be first, but I'm looking forward to having some time freed up again to dedicate to the online things that I love. Over the next several days I'll be reassessing, setting goals, and making lists and plans for 2013. It's been a very, very good year, but it's time to move on. I can hardly wait!

How about you? Have you made any New Year's resolutions? Feel free to share your thoughts and goals.

Image used via a Creative Commons license

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.

Don't Forget Thanksgiving!

It's November 1st and already the online atmosphere has switched from the orange and black of Halloween to the red and green, chestnuts roasting on an open fire feel of Christmas.  Amazon has opened its Black Friday deals store.  Walmart has countered with its Gift of the Day and Ultimate Online Specials.  Gift shopping season is underway!

But don't forget Thanksgiving!

As you're creating your Celebrate gift guides (and I hope you're doing that) feel free to add a Thanksgiving-focused lens or two or three.  Thanksgiving may not be a huge money-maker, but there are plenty of people out there who need new turkey platters, table linens, fresh side dish recipes, cute Thanksgiving outfits for baby, and more. 

Think about how your family prepares for and celebrates Thanksgiving and turn some of those things into lens ideas.  Your audience may not be huge (although you might be surprised) but if it's targeted very specifically, your attention to this almost forgotten holiday may pay off for you in a good amount of traffic and hopefully even some nice Thanksgiving sales.

What comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving?  Have you made a lens about it?

Spode turkey platter available here.

How to Lose Followers on Pinterest

Please don't hijack the Pinterest home page.  Sheesh!

I follow quite a few people on Pinterest, but how irritating when one of those people pins and pins and pins, taking nearly every spot on the home page.  It's easy to tell it's one person, too, just by the similarity of the pins.  Makes it very tempting - and quite easy - to click their "Unfollow all boards" link.

If you want to keep your Pinterest friends, just pin a little bit at a time.  Then go back later and pin a little more.  Be courteous!

Please? 

(Getting off the soapbox now.)

P.S.  Wondering how this is related to Squidoo?  Pinterest is a fabulous place for finding cool stuff, including cool lenses.  I hope you're (judiciously) pinning your best lenses there for others to find. 

Why It's Okay to Make a Sales Lens

It isn't unusual for new lensmasters to worry about making "sales" lenses.  I know because I was one of those people who just wasn't sure why anyone would want to listen to me telling them what's best to buy. 

But I was looking at the subject the wrong way.  When I turned it around and put myself in the position of the shopper rather than the seller, then I remembered how appreciative I am, when I'm shopping online, to find a legitimately good product review or gift guide. 

When my outlook changed, then I became comfortable recommending products to people.  While I've made my share of awful lenses with product after product (the type of lenses that don't deserve the trust of a shopper) I finally learned to be a product reviewer, a personal shopper, a gift guide author who provides great customer service - instead of a salesperson who really doesn't care.

So if you're worried about making a "sales" lens, make a gift guide lens instead.  Research the products you present, anticipate and answer shoppers' questions, and provide a much-needed service.  This year the number of online shoppers is projected to be even higher than last year's huge number.  No doubt many of those folks will be looking for information so they can make good buying decisions.  Be their personal shopper.  Write your gift guides with real people in mind.  Pretend you're shopping with your best friend, providing advice and expert information to help her choose the best gifts.  Picture her smiling in the checkout line knowing that you, the Gift Guide, helped make her shopping - and buying - experience a good one.

Now, isn't that a great feeling? 

For more information, read 5 Tips for Creating a Niche Gift Guide.

Celebrate!

There's a new magazine in Squidoo-town. 

Well, almost. 

Are you ready to Celebrate!

Totally In Love With Autumn

Fall has always been my favorite season and this year, following a long, hot, dry summer, I've fallen absolutely in love with autumn. 

Squidoo loves autumn, too, and is celebrating with a new lens theme. It probably goes without saying that I love it!  I've switched over some of my seasonal lenses to the new theme and they look so clear and crisp and fresh, just like I feel this time of year.  I'm feeling so inspired, in fact, that today I made a new lens for the theme (and, I confess, to satisfy a Squidoo quest while I was at it). 

The Razorbacks lost today, the truck repair came to a screeching halt when the part didn't fit, the new part for the riding mower didn't arrive, in fact in many ways this has been a bust of a weekend . . . but I don't even care. 

Did I mention that I'm in love with autumn?  I hope you love your autumn, too.

Who Uses Squidoo?

Ever wonder who's on Squidoo?  Where they're from?  How they got there?  How much money they've made?

Lensmaster --Chazz wondered, too, so he made a lens about it, a page of polls that reveal these and other statistics about the users of Squidoo. 

As you participate in these anonymous polls designed for anyone who writes on Squidoo (you don't have to be cephalopodic, but it helps), you'll also enjoy the very relevant humor and practical self-help devices in between.  You'll participate in an example of excellent lenscrafting, too. 

If you've ever been curious about the demographics of Squidoo, or if you just want your tentacles tickled, don't miss Squidoo Users Poll and Stats. 

Squidoo Quick Tip of the Day - Save Your Changes!

Tip of the Day:  When you're in workshop mode, creating or editing a lens, make sure to "apply" or "save" once you've made changes.  This particularly applies to editing the workshop tools on the right sidebar, everything from the lens theme to your bio, to "How to you want to get paid?" and Dashboard Labels and tags. 

If you edit a module in the body of the lens, you have to save or cancel to continue editing.  There's no warning if you make a change in one of the categories on the right.  It's very easy to make those changes and forget to save them.  Always save and then publish the lens so your changes will take effect.

I don't have to tell you how I know.  :)  Hope your short-term memory is better than mine!

Megan Says Goodbye to Squidoo - Listen to the Words Wednesday

Thanks for everything, Megan, and best of success in your new venture!

Have You Discovered Your Dashboard?

Recently I undertook a project to examine all the information I could find on my Squidoo dashboard.  Actually, I just wanted to check out every link on there to see what information I didn't know existed and, by golly, I found some. 

So, I wrote a series of posts about the dashboard and its hidden treasures this week for SquidooHQ. 

The most useful information I found that I didn't know existed was the payout settings manager.  I didn't realize there was one place where I could see my cash and charity settings for each individual lens.  Or maybe I knew in the past but had forgotten (that happens to me a lot these days).

My favorite part of the dashboard, though, is the "sales" tab, or maybe it's just the lens list where I can see loads of statistics about all of my lenses all on one page, sorted in a variety of ways.

What's your favorite tool on the Squidoo dashboard?  I'd love to know how you use all the great information that's provided there. 

People Are Kind

I deal with lots of people online on a daily basis, mostly "newbie" lensmasters on Squidoo.

Just wanted to say here, for the record if anyone's keeping track, that there are so many very, very kind people out there.  I am touched daily by the appreciative emails that I receive and the lovely comments I get on my profile page. 

It takes time to seek out that profile page then compose an email or type a comment.  It's very, very humbling to be on the receiving end of such a generous gesture, usually multiple times a day.

I guess that's it, except just to say "thank you."  You make my day.

Summer Fun on Squidoo - With Prizes!

Have you seen SquidWoot on Squidoo?  The lensmaking challenge starts today and there will be a new one each Monday through July. With prizes!

First prize this week is an iPad so if you've always wanted one, hey, today could be your lucky day!

Visit the official SquidWoot announcement at SquidooHQ for information and rules. 

Ready, set . . . hey, where did everyone go?

Lens Promotion: How To Get Your Lens Noticed

Have you been following the How to Promote Your Lens series on the SquidooHQ blog? 

Subjects of the three posts (or steps) on lens promotion include how to make your lens promotion-worthy, promoting within the Squidoo community, and promoting a lens in other places outside of Squidoo.

It's always a good idea to start with the basics of creating a page with unique content and useful information, and many of those who commented on step 1 agreed.  It was also nice to see in the comments on step 2 the number of people who confirmed that promoting within Squidoo is a worthwhile effort, one that pays off both short-term and long-term.  One early comment on step 3 reinforces that "you have to take the time to make it work."  In this instant gratification day and age, that's a difficult lesson to learn.

My personal philosophy is that promotion has its place, and it's an important place, but when topics and keywords are properly researched before the lens is written, then the search engines will do their job and promote the lens to the top of the SERPs for you.  Watch for a tip with that theme, coming in the near future.

I'd love to read your comments on the series.  Do you have any advice to add for those looking for tips on Squidoo lens promotion?