Amazon Module Basics

by 528 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #397 in How-To, #4,085 overall | Donates to Room to Read

Get the most out of Squidoo's Amazon Modules

Squidoo's Amazon module can be used in a lot of ways. It can, obviously, feature books, toys, games, etc.

You can also modify the look with html, hyperlinks, and graphics.

Read on to see what features are available with examples.

Update:
Squidoo has added some variations on the basic Amazon module. Sample modules are included below.

If you like this lens please give it 4 or 5 stars above.

Getting Fancy: Adding Images
The Plexo Module
Amazon Spotlight

more...

The Basics Part I

Title
Although it seems obvious, you want to have a title that gets the reader's attention. It could be the title of the book like in the next module.

Subtitle
This field is optional. For my example I used the author's name.

Module Description
Although this field is optional, it makes a big difference if you tell your visitors why you recommend the book.

Small is the New Big

by Seth Godin

Seth's newest book is a collection of essays from his blog and his Fast Company column. The entries are arranged alphabetically and not chronologically. So they don't need to be read in order. Read them backwards and you will still come away with new ideas for your business or other venture.

Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas

by: Seth Godin

After reading Seth's book I am even more convinced that Squidoo is going to be REALLY BIG.

Avg. Customer Rating:

Amazon Price: $17.13 (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $25.95
Used Price: $0.99

Usually ships in 24 hours

The Basics Part II

Pick Your Products
You can let Amazon pick the products to be displayed based on keywords you enter. Or you can choose your own. Personally, I feel more comfortable recommending items that I picked rather than deferring the decision to the Amazon search engine.

Display Options
The Small is the New Big module includes all of the display options which are
* Title
* Picture
* Rank
* Availability
* Release Date (if available)
* Amazon Price
* List Price
* Used Price
Some of these options may not be best for you. You can see in the module that there is almost too much information. Think about what your visitors really need and limit it to that.

Item Description
You can also add a short description of each item which is displayed in italics. Personal recommendation goes a long way.

Getting Fancy: Basic HTML and Hyperlinks

Basic HTML
The following tags are supported in the description section.
Bold looks like Bold
Italic looks like Italic

Adding Hyperlinks
Adding links in your description section can help visitors get more information about the items. The HTML for the link in the following module looks like
<a href="http://www.morrisinstitute.com/">Morris Institute for Human Values</a>

Harry Potter and Philosophy

The philosopher Tom Morris started out writing an essay for a friend about Harry Potter's courage. He couldn't stop writing and ended up with If Harry Potter Ran General Electric. It explores the philosophy that is evident throughout the Harry Potter series.

Tom also created the Morris Institute for Human Values "to bring a re-energized vision of philosophy into the lives of as many people as possible" especially in the business world.

If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards

by: Tom Morris

Essential reading for leaders in any field.

Avg. Customer Rating:

Amazon Price: $18.98 (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $26.00

Usually ships in 24 hours

Getting Fancy: Adding Images

Pictures and More
You can also add pictures in the description field using the <img> tag. All you have to do is find an image hosting site such as photobucket. Upload your pictures and then link to them in the Amazon module. The image hosting site usually gives you the code you need.

The Speed of Trust

Stephen M.R. Covey is the former CEO of Covey Leadership Center. Under his leadership the company's revenues doubled to $112 million dollars and his father's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People became one of the bestselling business books ever selling over 15 million copies in 38 languages.

Covey is the co-founder and CEO of CoveyLink, which is a consulting practice that helps leaders and organizations increase trust. The Speed of Trust represents over a decade of research and practice on the results of creating high trust organizations. Covey outlines 13 behaviors of trust-inspiring leaders.

The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything

by: Stephen M.R. Covey

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/12/2009)

The Plexo Module

The Plexo Module allows you to select several books to display. The cool part is that visitors can vote for their favorite items and even add their own.

All of the tools mentioned above will still work.

Amazon Module Basics

Get the most out of Squidoo's Amazon Modules

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

The Basics Part I

Small is the New Big

by Seth Godin

The Basics Part II

Getting Fancy: Basic HTML and Hyperlinks

Harry Potter and Philosophy

Getting Fancy: Adding Images

The Speed of Trust

The Plexo Module

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Please pick your widget size and display. Then click "Make the Widget" to get the code that's just right for you.

Voila: Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

Oopsey! Please login to Squidoo in order to add this module to your lens.

Amazon Spotlight

Amazon Recommendations

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

#19

#20

#21

#22

#23

#24

#25

#26

#27

#28

#29

#30

#31

#32

#33

#34

#35

#36

#37

#38

#39

#40

#41

#42

#43

#44

#45

#46

#47

#48

#49

#50

^#1

^#2

^#3

^#4

^#5

^#6

^#7

^#8

^#9

^#10

^#11

^#12

^#13

^#14

^#15

^#16

^#17

^#18

^#19

^#20

^#21

^#22

^#23

^#24

^#25

^#26

^#27

^#28

^#29

^#30

^#31

^#32

^#33

^#34

^#35

^#36

^#37

^#38

^#39

^#40

^#41

^#42

^#43

^#44

^#45

^#46

^#47

^#48

^#49

^#50

^#51

^#52