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?

"Liking" Our Neighbors on Squidoo

One of my goals for the week is to reach the 10,000 mark on "lenses rated."  I'm at 9749 right now.

That's a lot of lenses, but when I compare my numbers to those of Tipi (35,466) or Jaguar Julie (24,826) or KimGiancaterino (15,842) or OhMe (12,919), my number seems like small potatoes and my efforts over the years pale in comparison to lensmasters like these (and certainly there are others) who give so much back to the Squidoo community. I really appreciate their setting the bar nice and high!

There are lots of ways to be a good neighbor on Squidoo, and visiting and rating lenses with a simple click on the "like" button is akin to serving cake to your fellow lensmasters.  Leaving a thoughtful, kind comment while you're at it is the icing on the cake and only takes a few seconds more. Not surprisingly, there's a trophy for that, too!

What's your number?  Have you earned your Epic SquidLiking trophy yet?  Is it a goal?  If it wasn't before, I hope now that it is.  It's good to be a good neighbor.    

Wordless Wednesday: Woooooooo!

What is that crazy woman doing?

Irresistible Lens Titles on Squidoo

Squidoo's choice for Lens of the Day today has one of the most irresistible, "Must click NOW!" titles of any lens title I can remember, ever. 

How to Design Your Really Weird Alien

That's the title.  Isn't it awesome?  Doesn't it make you say, "Huh?" and want to click and read the lens - immediately?  Or is it just me who wants answers to all those questions the title generates in my puny brain?  ("My alien?"  "Why is it weird, even really weird?  I need to design an alien?  Did I miss an assignment somewhere?) 

I recently wrote about choosing a title for your lens, the man and machine elements to consider.  I'm not positive this title nailed the machine element; I'd have to do some keyword research to find out.  I am positive, though, that it hit the human element smack dab on the head.  At least it hit my head.  In fact, it almost knocked me over.

Are you still reading this?  If you want answers, too, then go right now and click on the title and check out the lens.  I hope you're as curious as I was about what this really weird alien thing is all about.  And I hope I can come up with a title as compelling and irresistible as this one for my next lens.  Love it! 

Man, Machine, and Better Squidoo Lens Titles

What do "man" and "machine" have to do with choosing titles for your Squidoo lenses?

You'll find the answer in The 2 Most Important Elements of a Great Lens Title, a post I wrote yesterday for the SquidooHQ blog.

I mentioned recently that SquidooHQ is the place to find great Squidoo tips, and this post is no exception.  Pardon me if it appears that I'm tooting my own horn, but I'm basing this statement on the excellent feedback this man/machine post has received.  So if you want to learn how to create a better title for your lenses and (most likely) get more traffic as a result, then just go read the post.

Then I'd love if you'd come back and leave a comment here to let me know your thoughts on the subject.

Time to Clean House on Squidoo

It's housekeeping time on Squidoo.

There's a new quest on my dashboard today - maybe you have it, too - called "Clean Up a Lens Day."  The point is to take a lens that is sitting down low on your dashboard and give it a nice freshening up.  In fact, the quest lens includes a list of 10 ways to clean up an old lens.  Fabulous tips!

If this quest doesn't apply to you, then bless you my friend.  You're a better squid than I.  As for me, I've actually been (slowly) working on freshening a few old lenses recently.  I feel better for it and the lenses I've updated have shot up in lensrank like Howard Wolowitz's rocket.

Will you accept the challenge and complete the quest?  Let me know, and feel free to leave a comment that includes the lensrank of your cleaned-up lens before and then after its freshening.  (Woohoo in advance for that!)

Where to Find the Best Squidoo Tips

Want to learn more about Squidoo and how to make great lenses?  Then check out tips like these on the SquidooHQ blog.

All this time I should have been writing (and intended to write) tips like these right here on my own blog, but (no excuses) it seems I just didn't get here nearly as often as I intended.  Now, though, I'm writing tips (among other things) for the SQHQ blog on a regular basis and really enjoying both the writing and the feedback. 

The longer I'm on Squidoo, the more I discover that Squidoo (including the HQ blog) really is the best place to learn about Squidoo.

I'll keep writing here and I hope you'll keep reading.  Just don't overlook the source of all the excitement and information, and the best tips ever, Squidoo itself. 

Wordless Wednesday: Like My Shirt?

Happy Squidiversary to Me!

Today is my five-year, one-day anniversary on Squidoo! 

Can't believe I forgot about it yesterday, on the big day.  Almost missed my new trophy, too.  Love it!

Love you, Squidoo.  Here's to many more years of squidded bliss.

Kindle's Gone But Not Forgotten

Most of those who know me also know that I'm a big fan of the Amazon Kindle.  Have been since the Kindle was first introduced.

Sad day about a week ago.  Well, it started back in July of last year when we had our house fire.  We lost pretty much everything in the fire (except lives and cars - praise the Lord for that) including my beloved first Kindle.  Now, our house has been rebuilt and we moved in about a week ago.  As we were finalizing the move from our rented duplex last week, my husband told me that he still had my burned Kindle stored in the garage.  He had found it in the rubble of the fire months ago and I insisted at that time on keeping it.

This time I let it go.  Sadly, it went out in our final load of trash. I'm determined not to accumulate useless "stuff" anymore and those remains were definitely useless. 

I did take pictures, though, in case my aging brain forgets.  I've included one of the melted keyboard here, and visitors to this lens can see the charred remains as they read about our family's new Kindles.  Yes, that's plural.  My son has one model and I have two more, the Kindle Keyboard (nicknamed "Pinkie") and a Kindle Fire tablet (nicknamed "Friendly Fire" for obvious reasons).

So long, first Kindle.  You served me well.  You'll be remembered, always.

Everyone's an Expert

Everyone's an expert (on something) and Squidoo was created as a platform for any one of those everyones to promote their cause, share their expertise, spread their influence.

If you're not entirely sure what all that means, take about 10 minutes and read Everyone's an Expert (On Something), the e-book by Seth Godin, the book that explains what Squidoo is really all about.

If you're serious about Squidoo, read this little book.  You'll learn about focusing and about why Squidoo isn't a blog.  You'll learn how to deliver what users (web surfers) want and how to get those same users to take action.  You'll re-learn, or maybe actually learn for the first time, how to be a lensmaster. 

What Are Your Squidoo Goals for February?

Can you believe the first month of the year is gone already?  Around here we've been having spring-like weather so it seems that we should have turned the calendar to April rather than February!  Be that as it may, now is the time to firm up some February goals.

Traffic to my lenses has picked up recently, partly due to Valentine's Day shoppers.  It's time to make some quick updates to my Valentine's lenses to take advantage of the buyers who may visit during the coming week to 10 days or so.

Additionally, it's time to look ahead to the next few buying occasions and do some lensmaking and updating with those in mind.  St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and Mother's Day are the next few special occasions on the calendar and one of my goals this month will be to see what I have to do to freshen lenses up for those holidays. 

Of course I always advice people to review their profiles, bio, and featured lenses at the beginning of the month.  I recently updated my bio and I'll be changing featured lenses soon since interest in Valentine's Day topics will drop off.  I'm thinking Spring!

How about you.  Any Squidoo goals for February that you'd like to share?

Image by YesterdayCafe on Zazzle