Home » Education

Making a lens in 30 minutes-an experiment

Ranked #18,537 in Education, #369,848 overall

Making a 30 minute lens- An Experiment

It is 3:08 PM and I have just started this lens.-I have been a lensmaker on Squidoo just under a month now, and at times I am frustrated by the publicity that you can make a lens in less than 30 minutes. I have been stalling out on making my next lens so I have decided to try an experiment. I am setting my timer for 30 minutes. Follow me as I try to publish it at 3:38 PM!

REMEMBER-the experiment is to make and publish a lens from start to finish in 30 minutes. In order to get content for the lens, I have chosen taking DETOURS and SIMPLIFYING LIFE as my theme.

*All post 30 minutes additions are added in black boxes, most important thing, talk bubble, sticky note and polls....you get the idea!

**A note to all**
I did this lens as an exercise and an affirmation that I could get motivated and not get bogged down. After all is said and done, do I think you can make a GREAT lens in 30 minutes? Absolutely, NOT. Give yourself 30 minutes to create a great layout and have a plan. Get creative and brainstorm. THEN take the time to put it all together to make that GREAT lens.

Going with the flow and not overthinking things

3:09 PM

My first inclination when I start a new project is to research it from top to bottom. In our family many of us suffer from this disease which is now called, 'analysis paralysis'.....

I am attempting to break free and live my email signature which is, "Life is an adventure-take detours". I have done well with the detours in life such as picking up and moving the family to Malaysia. Moving a 5 year old to the Ivory Coast with 2 weeks notice. Travel in and through various places in SE Asia with no agenda other than the plane ticket that got me there.

Since I came to Squidoo, I have realized that I can do the same thing when I make a lens. I can write without knowing everything. I can take the detours as I create the lens.

2 minutes in and already stuck

Here is the first example of where a 'Great' 30 minute lens is not realistic. The first time I tried to add to Amazon, and I got an error message. I also was more pre-occupied with publishing than taking the time to really look at the book links.

So what can I find on Amazon to help me break free?

OK- my flow is blocked. I keep getting error messages. I will go to the next module and return here later. Time is now 3:17 PM I am back and have some books now. Time is 3:29 PM
Loading

Can I find detours and simplifying related pictures?

It is 3:18 PM!

OK- here I could have and normally would have spent a lot more time really identifying photos that created the feeling I was looking for. I spent about 2 minutes here for my experiment. Normally it would have been at least 15 minutes and I would have tried more keywords as well.
Loading

Where will YouTube take me? The topic is detours

Time: 3:20 PM

I chose detours as my topic since it is my signature line. What does the word "detour" mean to others?

Once again, on any other lens, I would have personally looked at each Youtube video to make sure the content meshed with my topic. No time if you are simply trying to get a lens published in 30 minutes.
Loading

Del.icio.us- a module I have not used before

Time now, 3:21PM

Here again, I tried a module I was not familiar with and I was not able to make it work.

Sorry, we couldn't connect to Del.icio.us. Please try again later.
Powered by Del.icio.us

Making my name in the Squidoo Chain- my blog

Did I mention I have no idea what to do with this RSS feed?

This is my blog. Or I should say, this is a little diary I have started to document my journey in the Squidoo Sea. I have never really blogged before, so this is another detour for me in my life!
Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

Do other people post about taking detours in life?

I want to know how many other people think you should chose to detour off your normal path.

Time 3:31 PM
RIGHT TURN ONLY!! Good Knight, Sweetheart
When his family is attacked by a Hollow?a malevolent lost soul?Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace. The Soul Reapers must guard the four pillars that are ...
Checking In With The Valentines Day Experts Meet The Over 50 Club
Fifty-five years ago Larry and Elisse Gebo graduated from high school in 1957 and started off on an adventure of married life. Was it love at first sight? Nope. But it was a loving partnership that has become even stronger with the count of three ...
Bedside Manner: Into the Unknown (With a Slight Detour to New York): What we ...
6 "Adventure ho!" might as well be my running theme these days. It follows me from page to screen to life and back again, and though I write about it occasionally, others write of it better than I. My adventures pale in comparison.
Movie Scoreboard: 'Chronicle,' 'Safe House,' 'The Vow'
Universal Pictures Three teenagers acquire super powers in this entertaining comics-like adventure. Featuring effects that put the last two "Spider-Man" movies to shame, engaging characters and a sort of melodramatic screenplay, ...
Powered by Google

How do you choose your lens subject?

This experiment has shown me so far, that there is at least 3 times the interest in making a 30 minute lens than in either of my other two lenses-( which I spent days on and which I am enormously proud of).

It has made me wonder how other people choose their lens topic.

So......................

Loading poll. Please Wait...

“Whether you are a newbie like me or a Giant Squid - what is your opinion? What makes a GREAT lens?”

What makes a lens GREAT?

Through this experiment, I have found in all certainty, that a GREAT lens is NOT possible in 30 minutes. So........

These are the components I can think of in about a minute that go into many if not most lenses. They were only added as my brain managed to think of them.

Your job? Rank them in the order you think are the most important elements in a GREAT lens! If I forgot something (OK- I know I forgot a lot of somethings...) feel free to add to the list.

1

Vote Up
Vote Down

Original content12 points

2

Vote Up
Vote Down

Topic6 points

3

Vote Up
Vote Down

Visual interest photographs6 points

4

Vote Up
Vote Down

Humor3 points

5

Vote Up
Vote Down

Using Unique Content (black box, sticky note, etc. more...3 points

6

Vote Up
Vote Down

External content-what other people know about your more...2 points

7

Vote Up
Vote Down

Honesty2 points

8

Vote Up
Vote Down

Long lens1 point

9

Vote Up
Vote Down

Short lens1 point

10

Vote Up
Vote Down

Using polls1 point

11

Vote Up
Vote Down

Affiliate links that bring in extra money0 points

12

Vote Up
Vote Down

Using Plexo voting0 points

Important!

Test yourself, here's what you've got to do!!

Make a new lens.If you are willing to take a chance, you can always delete it later. Set your timer for 30 minutes and see what you can do. Chose a topic and begin. Then come back and tell us something you learned about lensmaking and even about yourself!

Hey Squid Masters, it would be nice to hear from you too!

Here are some resources to help with the brainstorming!

Types of Squidoo Lenses
If you are new to Squidoo, or you have been creating only the 'usual' lenses, you might not know yet that Squidoo actually has several breeds of them. They usually have a different layout and look, and choosing the right type should help you get more visitors. The greatest thing is that you can edit
Making a Squidoo Lens - Step by Step | PotPieGirl.com
I made two new lenses on Squidoo today. Guess I had a sudden rush of inspiration come over me =) Ok - truth is that I came across some good keywords and

Let us see your 30 minute experiment

Here is your chance to show what you can do in 30 minutes. Go ahead give it your best shot! You might end up learning something and teaching the rest of us something in the end. The purpose in the experiment is to go with the flow and see where it takes you.

You can do it....be brave!
Motley Crue Live in Concert Music Videos!
Are you planning on catching Motley Crue at Crue Fest 2008, as they tour for their latest album Saints of Los Angeles? Or maybe you have already seen Motley Crue and just want to re live some of those great concert moments! Well I have gathered some of the best Motley Crue live concert footage video

It is 3:38 PM and time to publish my lens!

Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

I did it! I can (and will) add so much to this, but now I know it can be done and it has been a good lesson and reminder to

1) not overthink things
2) have fun
3) just write!

If you try the experiment, give the link and tell us what you learned in the process.
Don't have 30 minutes? Tell us how long it takes you to make a GREAT lens!

Thanks for stopping by!

submit
Show All

Have you been to the Isle of Squid?

Take a trip to the Islands. Rest, relax!

A great resource of lenses!
Visit Isle of Squid

The Isle of Squid
Please leave a review of this lens if you would!
Important!

Something else I forgot to do!

Another lesson learned and another reason to have a list or outline before you get started. You need to remember to promote your other lenses!

My other lenses- The ones that took days.

A comparison. These are my first two lenses. I spent days on each of them.
Searching for the perfect college
For most of us, the idea of finding the perfect university for our child is like finding the Holy Grail. The possibilities seem endless, the costs prohibitive. They are, and...they are. But with a little effort, there will be "the right" college for your child too!
Shopping to make a dorm room home
As much as we hate to think about it-our kids dorms will be "home" all too soon. So what can we do to help them create their new home away from home?

On our way to letting go, we need to get them ready to leave. That means shopping. Where do we start? With "the list".

by

annetteghallowell

Hello world! Thanks for stopping by.
Let me introduce myself. I am mom to a beautiful, kind, talented almost 21 year old daughter (see the photo above!).... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags