Progress Bar on Squidoo - Pros and Cons?

Have you seen the new progress bar on Squidoo?  In case you haven't, go look at one of your own lenses now.  On the right, just below your bio, is a green bar showing "lens progress" with a percentage posted next to it.  Click on "see your progress" below the bar for details.  There you'll see a list with 11 items, with the completed ones checked off.

New lensmasters that I know really like the progress bar.  As they make a new lens, they are prompted to complete each one of the steps (write more in your intro, add an intro photo, pick a topic and subtopic, add a social module, etc.).  It's very encouraging for these young Squids to achieve some immediate gratification as well as to be able to gauge their progress.

The last two items on the list, "Get at least 20 SquidLikes" and "Get SquidLiked By a Giant Squid," have generated some controversy among experienced Squids.  While the first nine items on the progress list are items that lensmasters directly control, completion of the last two items requires other registered Squidoo users to visit and "like" the lens, with at least one of those "likes" being from a Giant Squid.  While there are ways to promote a lens within the Squidoo community, most lenses are written with a different audience in mind.  Most lensmasters would be much happier with 20 visits to the lens from strangers rather than having 20 fellow Squidizens visit and like the lens. In fact, many people couldn't care less how many SquidLikes a lens gets in its lifetime - as long as it gets search engine traffic from shoppers.

While a number of people have voiced their concerns (some rather loudly) about these last two "requirements," at least one person has suggested that the first nine items on the list should comprise 100% completeness while the last two be added on as a bonus. That seems like a good idea.  Obviously having traffic from shoppers is very important, but it's also true that participation in the social aspects of Squidoo figures into lensrank calculation.  So, having those peer "likes" has potential monetary benefit, too. 

I've been around Squidoo long enough to know that almost all changes create controversy and, occasionally, chaos among the troops and some lensmasters can be very vocal about their disapproval.  "This too shall pass" is usually the way I handle situations like this one, but I'll admit that I was glad, and somewhat relieved, to hear the positive feedback from those in my small group of young Squids about the progress bar. 

My plan is to take those last two items on the progress list and use them as an object lesson for teaching promotion of lenses in general and participation in the Squidoo community in particular.  If others will stop worrying and simply adhere to TOS and not beg, bribe, or otherwise plead for their 20 "likes" but use good promotion and social media practices instead, I think they'll be far better off.  Which I'm pretty sure was the reason for the progress bar in the first place.

Sales Lenses vs Product Review Lenses: What's the Difference and Why Should You Care?

I really like today's SquidBlog post, written by Robin about Brenda's recommendation of Katinka's lens about her favorite office chair.  But enough name dropping.  Let me get to the point.

Robin points out that to create a good, well-written "sales" lens, don't think sales.  Think product recommendation.

What do you as a consumer want to learn from a product review or recommendation?  You probably want to know a lot about the product, including details and specs, but you probably also want to know how a real person feels about that product.  I know that I am far more comfortable shopping based on personal recommendations than from "facts" that oftentimes sound as if they've been translated from a foreign language by a computer.

I agree with Brenda and Robin.  Katinka did a fabulous job presenting the product in her lens, covering both the technical aspects and the psychological or emotional aspects in a way that not only makes for a quality lens but is very likely to convert readers to customers.  Read the blog post, then visit the lens if you're interested in learning how to write a product recommendation or review lens that people will actually want to read.

Hooked By a Renaissance Woman

Have you seen today's Lens of the Day?  Take a look.

This is a wonderful example of a unique, useful lens.  Full of original content, personal stories, and passion.  And a hook.

The author can easily expand this lens if she wants to, updating it with more questions and answers (as Kimberly explained in her LOTD blog write-up).  I hope that's all she adds.

Notice that there's only one sales module in the body of the lens, a nice selection of books that follow her story.  She does have a couple of items on the right sidebar.  They're applicable to her topic but had she placed them in the body of the lens, I think they would have detracted greatly from her simple living topic. 

When I read this lens, I found myself wanting to know more about the author, so I clicked on her bio.  That took me to another of her Renaissance lenses that also included some well-presented, wisely-chosen books.  Not too much, but just enough.  Again, simple and uncluttered, complementing her lifestyle.  Very nicely done.

I can imagine this series expanding with the addition of how-to lenses on self-discovery, self-sufficiency, and survival topics. I don't know what her plans are, but I suspect that as she writes more lenses, those topics will be her choices since they seem to be her life.  I hope so.  I'm hooked and I want to read more. 

Do you have a passion or a hobby or a lifestyle or even a business to share?  Make a lens.  Make it unique.  Keep it simple.  Hook someone on you so they'll want more.

Lensmasters, This is a Great Lens

"Gentlemen, this is a football."   It is said that at the beginning of every season, legendary football coach Vince Lombardi would open the first team meeting with that statement.  Of course his players knew what a football was, but the point was to remind them of the importance of never losing sight of the basics.  It's a lesson that applies to many aspects of life, including making lenses on Squidoo.

When you're planning your next Squidoo lens, stop for a minute and think of the basics of good lenscrafting. Will your lens contain useful, up-to-date information?  Will you make the lens unique by injecting into the lens your experiences and your passion for the subject?  If not, it might be a good idea to go back to the drawing board and re-think your plan.

The difference between a mediocre lens and a good lens should be obvious.  The difference between a good lens and a great lens is rooted in the basics of excellent lenscrafting.   Remember those basics so that when it's time to click the "Publish" button  you'll be able to proudly say to yourself, "Lensmaster, this is a great lens!"

P.S.  If you need to review the basics of crafting great lenses on Squidoo, take a look right here.

Look Familiar?

Got my shirt.  Look familiar?

Check the right sidebar.  See it?

You can get one, too. Right here.

Poke the Box for a Buck!

The other day I wrote about Seth Godin's new book, Poke the Box, coming out on March 1st. 

Well, HEADS UP!  The price of the Kindle version of the book is now $1 (that's one dollar - one buck) if you preorder before March 1st when the price goes back up.

If you didn't order your copy yet, do it today before you forget!  If you don't have Kindle, no problem!  Just get one of the free Kindle reading apps here.  I'm sure you have one of the platforms for which they're available, including the one you're reading this on right now.

Go, do it!  Poke The Box.

How to Start a Blog

I think most readers of this blog already have a blog of their own, but in case you don't, here's a page I just found that gives a good overview of how to start a blog on blogger.

The "How to create a blog with blogger" video that you'll find linked on that page is 2 minutes long and, while ever so slightly out of date, is a very good overview.

If you don't have a blog yet, I'd highly recommend you get one started.  A blog is a good place to post your new Squidoo lenses in order to provide a backlink.  I don't necessarily recommend a blog just to post your lenses.  Instead, start a personal blog or a business blog and add posts occasionally (once or twice a week is good) to share interesting, related information about what you like personally or what you do professionally, including your new lens links.  Consider the purpose of your blog before you give it a name and consider a name that reflects your "brand."  In fact, if you're going to use your name online, might as well grab the URL for your name and use that for your blog.

Not sure what else to write about?  Holidays like today (President's Day in the U.S.) are a great excuse for a blog post.  For example,  here's my post for today on my personal blog.

Checking out other people's blog is a really good way to get ideas for your own.  Do you have a blog?  Feel free to leave the link on a comment below so we can take a look.  If you don't, click here to learn how to start a blog today!

Will You Poke the Box?

Most of you probably know that Seth Godin is the founder of Squidoo. He also is the author of a dozen bestselling books. His new one, Poke The Box, will be out March 1st.

Last night I saw the book's complete cover for the first time. It's different, but so is Seth.

What I love is the description on the flap of the book cover, starting with, "When is the last time you did something for the first time?"

Well, do you remember when you did?

The description just gets better from there. I would encourage you to read it. Read how Seth defines our position in the world. Maybe it's just me, but I find those words intriguing and very inspiring. In fact, I've read that whole section several times and keep going back to it, wondering about my position in the world and what uniqueness I have yet to contribute.

If you like what you read on the cover, consider ordering the book. You can find it here.  (The Kindle edition is currently the best price and remember, you don't have to have a Kindle to read Kindle books. You can download one of the free reading apps for PC, Mac, or most smart phones and read it in any (or all) of those places. The free reading apps are here.)

And if you do buy the book, come back in early March after you read it and let me know what you've decided to instigate or provoke. There's going to be a lot of that going on, so you'd might as well be part of it!

Speaking of Squidoo Video Tutorials

Yesterday I posted a video tutorial that I made about lensrolling on Squidoo. Today, I'd like to point you to The Official Squidoo Channel on YouTube.

Topics covered by the Squid Staff so far include how to send a Squidcast, how to sign up for Squidoo, how to use the Zazzle module, an explanation and demonstration of Squidoo sidebar widgets, and more.  

If you're among those who like to learn by watching video demonstrations, then you might want to subscribe to Squidoo's YouTube channel.  Consider subscribing to my channel, too, so you don't miss my "learn to Squidoo" video tutorials as they're added.  Even if you don't want to subscribe, I strongly recommend that you open an account on YouTube to claim your online brand name - before somebody else does (it happens).  Then let me know when you make your first video to use on a lens on Squidoo!

How and Why to Lensroll Lenses on Squidoo

This video shows you, step by step, how to lensroll a lens on Squidoo.



For more information, check out this lens.

Which way do you prefer learning, from a video or from reading an explanation on a lens?  Please let me know in a comment below!

New Themes on Squidoo!

I'm tickled pink about the latest new themes on Squidoo.

There are four of them, announced here with samples linked here.

My Think Pink lens has been waiting for years for the bubblegum pink theme and I'm very happy with the way it looks.  

Next task will be to go through my list of lenses and see if any others might be candidates for an easy face lift.  I like the timing - pink in time for Valentine's Day and all the rest just ahead of spring cleaning and spruce-up time!

What do you think?  Like the new themes?  Which is your favorite?  Leave a comment to let us know.

How to Sell Expensive Items on Squidoo

Someone asked me yesterday how to write a lens about an item that is higher priced but still affordable so they could increase their income from Squidoo.  Thought I'd share my answer here.

The simple answer is that you write about expensive items the exact same way you write about lower priced items. You provide the UUU (useful, updated, unique) content but choose a higher priced item that people actually buy.  To find one, go to Amazon.com and look at the bestsellers in the categories that you like writing about. Find a higher priced item that appeals to you, research it, and make a lens about it.

A fact I try to remember is this: Just because I can't afford it doesn't mean nobody can afford it. If it's a bestseller on Amazon, that means people are buying it - so somebody can afford it! I couldn't afford a Kindle when they first came out, but it appealed to me so I researched it, wrote about it, provided what at that time was very unique information about it, and I sold enough of them through my lenses that I could afford to buy one for myself!  No reason you can't choose any other popular item and do the same thing.

Keep your lens very oriented to that one particular item, make the information worthwhile (useful), put your own spin on it (unique) and people will find your lens. The method isn't foolproof, but you have nothing to lose by choosing an expensive item to promote. If it doesn't work, try it again.  If it does work, by all means try it again and watch your income grow! 

Do you sell expensive items on Squidoo?  I'd love to hear about your experience in a comment below. 

Discouraged With Your Progress on Squidoo?

If you get discouraged with your progress on Squidoo (we all do sometimes, don't we?) read this advice which I offered to a new lensmaster today on the SquidU forum.  (It did me good to read it after I wrote it.  I hope it helps you, too.)

Set daily goals as well as long-term goals. Write down what you will do each day and when you finish one thing, draw a line through it. Seeing a list with completed tasks each evening is very encouraging.

Devote a portion of your day to Squidoo education, some to promotion and social networking, and some to updating old or making new lenses.

Pace yourself and focus, focus, focus and I think you'll find yourself feeling encouraged more than discouraged with your progress on Squidoo.

Rainbow Fonts - Just Say No!

Oh, my.  I know it's fun to play with color codes and make our lenses look pretty, but I'd like to offer a piece of advice.  Please don't use multiple colors of text on a lens.  If there's a particular, really important piece of text that warrants highlighting, then it maybe, possibly, might be okay to make that text a different color.  But in most cases, in fact in almost all cases, black text on the normal Squidoo lens background is perfectly sufficient and much easier to read - all the way down the page. 

That's all I'm going to say about that. 

What do you think?  Am I right or just being a cranky baby boomer? 

Squidoo Quick Tip: Celebrity Birthdays

If you have a Squidoo lens about a celebrity or other public figure, or even a historical character, include their age and date of birth on the lens.  People often google, "How old is" so-and-so and if you have a lens about their so-and-so, your lens might just show on the search results.

Consider using a countdown module for the birthday, too, but keep a record on your calendar so you can update the counter each year on the appropriate day.

That's today's Squidoo quick tip.

P.S.  Happy 7th birthday, Kaitlyn Maher!