My Journey on Squidoo

I started a CafePress shop about 5 years ago that sells funny sayings on t-shirts and other gifts. While it hasn't made me rich, far from it, I like to make people laugh or smile and what better way to do it then wear something funny. While in one of the forums, I saw a post from someone that was using Squidoo to promote their shop and thought it might be a good idea. So, I looked around the site a bit (about an hour or so) and jumped right in, building my first lens about my CafePress Shop. That's me, I love trying things new and tend to jump in without learning everything there is to know. But, I stumbled through it and published it and it kind of sat there. While I was waiting around for it to just take off (ha ha), I started looking at all that Squidoo had to offer. I was amazed.

I found the forums and introduced myself and started looking at other lenses out there. I quickly saw that this could be so much more then what I originally came here for. I also learned that I had a lot to learn. My original lens was not good. I started researching and came across a lensmaster that was offering to give personal help to anyone that asked. While he wasn't really big on lenses that were trying to sell something, he agreed to help. He reviewed my lens and emailed me some very helpful tips to improve on it. After making the suggestions to my lens, he also gave me some tips on how to help market my lens.

I was very thankful and appreciated this complete stranger offering his own personal time to help me out. I mean, weren't we all in some type of competition here? Well, I spent some more time searching around, reading other's lenses and found that that this is one big community with a lot of people willing to help each other out. I was hooked.

My husband is a good father and husband. He is into sports, but not your typical sports like football and baseball. He loves the martial arts and is a current Highland Games Competitor. He also loves to work out and inline skating. While I don't really get into it much, he loves history and watches the learning channel. So, when I run into an "idea" block, I go to him and feed off of all of his knowledge and ideas. He gave me a few ideas in between modules.

My kids are also a great inspiration. My daughter made a comment one night about the vacations we'd taken, so I started some lenses about some of these vacations. Still have many to go.

I will admit, with my 1970's lens I went a little overboard and the lens is pretty big, but it's also my most popular one. While creating this lens, I visited a lot of Squidoo tips lenses and learned a lot. Found ways to add widgets to lenses and how to add a playlist to your lens, which I did and added 70's music so visitors could listen to music while viewing it. I also found some Squidoo tips lenses on html and started learning about how I could add other things to my lenses.

The playlist gave me the idea to start some lenses about some of my favorite singing artists. Still have more to come, but started with my favorite 2. From the things I learned in my research, I went back and updated some of my other modules, adding html codes to change font size, color, borders, etc.

As I've said before, I love helping others. I learned a lot from other Squidoo lensmasters and wanted to give a little back if I could. While I'd been active in the forums, welcoming new lensmasters and offering a little advice in the Critique Me forum, I wanted to go a bit farther. So, I came up with the idea of doing a series of lenses on each of the many, many modules Squidoo had to offer.

After all, my "day" job is to test and train users on new software applications, along with writing Best Practice documentation on how to use it, why not put my specialties to use. When I first thought of the idea, I didn't realize what a project it was going to be. Because there are so many of them, I knew I couldn't get them all in one lens and tried to figure out the best way to organize them without leaving any out. Trying to categorize all of them is almost impossible. After a lot of thought, decided to do them by letters. I learned a lot doing this series, as there are a lot of modules for a lensmaster to use, depending on your lens topic. I have not completed the series, but have gotten through the T modules. I hope to finish them before the end of September. Had to take a bit of a break though, as I have a list of other lenses I wanted to do and didn't want the ideas to get cold. But, will be getting back to them really soon.

As I stated earlier, I had to take a bit of a break from the module lenses. I created some local lenses on places I've been to in Florida that I really loved. Have some ideas for other travel lenses, the list keeps getting bigger. I also have a few odd balls I through in their, including my most recent "Strange laws" and a couple other's I did based on my mood that day.


Just recently, I was asked to join the WiWow team, which is a group of people that get together to help out those of us that want to be a giant squid and we get to help others in their journey for the same. That is my goal, and I hope to obtain it by the end of September, 2009. As of right now, I have 29 published lenses and 8 others waiting in the wings (including this one). I have my work cut out for me, but am up to the challenge. Below you'll find the "odd ball" lenses I've also created through my journey here on Squidoo.

Also below, i've listed the many other great Squidoo tips lenses not yet mentioned, that I have learned a lot from. Take advantage of what other Squidoo lensmasters have to offer and remember to have fun!!