SquidWho, a Sub-Community of Squidoo
SquidWho is one of Squidoo's most recent projects giving lensmasters extra tools and further exposure to traffic. Focusing on people, deal or alive, real or fictional, SquidWho is a specialized sub-set of squidoo's lenses. With an additional portal and a specialized look, SquidWho lenses stand out as different than normal lenses, while still having the easy to work with wizards and the opportunity to make money.
SquidWho Links
- SquidWho - A people-powered Who's Who on the Web
- SquidWho by Squidoo - The new front door for Squidoo lenses on people.
- SquidWho FAQ
- The FAQ to the SquidWho that is in beta-ish alpha. Or something.
Why SquidWho?
Those sites focus on the facts - a useful trait in a site if facts are what you are looking for. However, SquidWho allows for the wonderful world of opinions. Your SquidWho lens need not be a biography of the person with a list of all of the wonderful things they have done. It can be, but also you can say which of their movies were terrible, or explain where their career jumped the shark. You can also do fluff pieces about things that are interesting today, but of no real historical importance. You can even poke fun at them if you chose. You can have a SquidWho lens on someone you like or someone you hate. Whatever you want.- Those sites have public pages. But, not everyone likes to share. It's nice to have a place where your writing stays there until YOU say otherwise. "One lensmaster (that's you), one page."
- When was the last time you got paid for writing for wikipedia? SquidWho earns money - for a charity or for you! Time is money, and Squidoo knows it. Put a little time into a good lens, and you will see results.
SquidWho Examples
These SquidWhos are great examples of what you can do.-
JKRowling: Award Winning Author
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Joanne (Jo) Rowling has won a gazillion awards for the Harry Potter novels. Do you think she should win the Nobel Prize in Literature? Vote in my poll below. (And find out about some of the other awards she has won.) Update: The Swed...
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Johnny Depp
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Here's something I don't always readily admit - or maybe I do - I've had a crush on Johnny Depp since I was 12 years old. Scary, huh? Once labeled a "pretty boy," Johnny Depp fought that label by showing Hollywood and the rest of us just how...
Okay, so how's it work?
The Ins and the Outs about "Best Lens Wins"
Search for someone...anyone.
If no one made a SquidWho lens on the person you are looking for, then you can. SQUIDWHO WILL AUTOMATICALLY GET YOU STARTED! It will grab their wikipedia entry, some photos on flickr, some videos on Youtube, and some related items on Amazon. Just click "I Want It" on the right hand side, by the big orange flower, and you are on your way. You will be brought through a lens making wizard easy to understand and similiar to the squidoo wizards you are used to.
If someone already made a SquidWho lens on that person, then SquidWho will return the SquidWho lens on them WITH THE BEST RATING. That's right, it will bring you just to the best. BEST LENS WINS. That means 1) there can be more than one SquidWho entry on a particular person and 2) traffic will automatically get to your lens if you have the best rating without having to pick your lens off a search results list.
So, lets say you look up a name and someone already made a lens for them...and it stinks. They didn't do anything with it more then what is automatically generated. That's okay, you can make ANOTHER! That's right, SquidWho allows more than one lens on each person. The highest rated lens is the one that SquidWho will direct people to, but they will have the opportunity to see them all. Plus they can be viewed through Squidoo. So, make your lens great, and your rating will probably go above the other guys crappy lens - you will take over that slot. And, traffic will automatically go to your lens when that name is searched.
SquidWho Lenses
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Oprah Winfrey
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Oprah Gail Winfrey is thought to be the most influential woman in the world now. She is also considered to be the most philanthropic African-American of all time and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the United States. Oprah, as she is kno...
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Hillary Clinton
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She's Hugh and Dorothy's daughter. She's Hugh Jr. and Tony's sister. She's a Yale Law School graduate. She's Bill's wife. She's Chelsea's mom. She's a former First Lady twice, wife of a governor and a president. She's the junior senator from the state of N...
What are the eligibility guidelines for subjects of a SquidWho lens?
We're not worthy ! ... or are we?
This is squidoo, not IMDB...they don't have to have anything to do with show biz.
This is squidoo, not wikipedia...they don't have to meet some unwritten guideline of "encyclopedia worthy importance".
Whether a president, a poet, an actress, or just your sister, they are worthy of a SquidWho lens. They can be a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, a criminal....(sorry, I flashed into an 80's movie for a second there).
But, a word to the wise...all SquidWho lenses need to be people or characters. Businesses are not people. If you have a SquidWho lens that is not on a person (real or fictional), it will eventually be moved out of SquidWho and be left in regular Squidoo. Squidoo is a "who's who", not a "what's what".
Bands though they aren't just one person, are allowed as SquidWho lenses.
You need not be a huge fan of them...
Anti-Fan is Okay !
Having an interest in a person makes for a great SquidWho, whether its a favorable interest or not. If you can make it interesting, and possibly funny, then it will be worthwhile.-
Barry Williams will do anything for $50
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Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby set forth to prove: Barry Williams will do anything for $50.
Why "a new frontdoor"?
A new portal; a new gateway; a new "In"
Again, as it bears repeating, that the new frontdoor is not the only door. Its sits right next to the other front door (which I realize makes for a silly looking house, but we are all for silly here at Squidoo).
Another Few Examples
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Shel Silverstein
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Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (1930-1999) is one of America's most beloved authors of children's books. But children's literature was not his first passion. Like anyone else, Silverstein was a multifaceted human being with int...
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Dwight Schrute
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Dwight Schrute is a very important part of The Office, as Assistant (to the) Regional Manager. If you haven't seen The Office yet, make room on your Tivo! It's a sharply funny, sometimes uncomfortably politically incorrect, pseudo-documen...
How can I turn my regular Squidoo lens into a SquidWho lens?
But, cheer up...you can always make another lens.
SquidWho Groups
Groups are a great way to get people to your site.
Once you have your SquidWho lens up and going (after it has been put into the ranking system and is live), use groups to drive traffic to you. Many groups specificly for SquidWho lenses are out there. KimberlyDawnWells has put together a good list:-
SquidWho Groups
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Wowzers! Who knew SquidWho would be so popular? After just a week online, hundreds of our great lensmasters have created thousands of people pages. Sports people, book people, business people, president people, and other people just...
Personalize It!
Why do YOU like them - or why you hate them? Why do you think they are important? What can you tell us that Wikipedia can't? Wikipedia has millions of people combing over its contents and deciding what to throw out. SquidoWho is your chance to show the world what YOU think is important or interesting.
Add a few modules; develop the ones automatically generated. If you don't, then no one will stick around. People will quickly learn the layout of an undeveloped SquidWho lens...and they will jump right over it. No one wants to read and look at what a computer thinks is important, simply because it is not always accurate. Human hands are needed. That's the whole point of Squidoo in the first place.
Apathy for the subject makes for the most boring lenses. If you don't care about it, then don't bother with it. Don't waste people's time. It's rude. Do something with the lens or don't start it in the first place.
A Few More Examples
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Maya Angelou
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She has seen sorrow, she has experienced pain, yet she inspires all to press on and enjoy the life that has been given to them. Maya Angelou can touch people's hearts, and make them see things they have not seen. Words are tools, and Maya...
What people are saying...
- Not Just Another Squidwho
- Squidoo's popular co-brand Squidwho makes it easy to make lenses about your favorite celebrities b...
- Check out all your squidwho lenses: new design
- You may want to check out all your squidwho lenses. HQ is implementing a new design, which includes...
- Promoting Your Own Website With Squidwho
- I love Squidwho. I think the layout is great and it is easy to make a lens look good. Tonight I made...
- Spiritual Teachers: squidwho lenses
- I have made a lot of Lenses about spiritual teachers. In this post I want to highlight a few that I...
What's the deal with the Acumen Fund?
By default SquidWho lenses donate its royalties to the Acumen Fund, which is an amazing organization that supports enterprises that increase income, increase assets and create jobs for the four billion people on earth who earn a few dollars a day.A new SquidWho page will have a module at the bottom explaining this. Of course, since SquidWho is part of Squidoo, and in Squidoo you pick where the money goes, it is still your choice. It would be nice for you to continue to give to the Acumen Fund (since together what a difference we could make), but to each his own.
Send the money to the charity of your choice, including your own pocket. But, if you choose not to give royalties to the Acumen Fund, please get rid of the module that says you do. Don't mislead people, it's rude.
Guestbook
Do you have any more tips for us? Any questions? Ideas?
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triathlontraining
Well, if you make an artist SquidWho, feel free to look up the SquidWho Artists group and add your lens. Posted July 11, 2008 |
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FoxMusic
Thanks for the Insight on SquidWho Posted April 28, 2008 |
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cboyd
Squidwho is amazing, although there's not enough hours in the day to use Squidoo for all my idea's Posted April 16, 2008 |
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chefkeem
Finally - I'm learning how to do this right. Thanks for this tutorial on SquidWho. Gotta go change my primary tag. ***** Posted April 11, 2008 |
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Clarissa789
Great lens. I'm thinking of maybe trying a SquidWho.... :-) Posted March 18, 2008 |
