Angel. Even the word makes you smile.
But have you heard of the dark side of being an Angel?
Not all Squid Angels are so innocent.
Balancing the awesome power to bless a worthy lens is the unique ability to smite a deserving one as well.It's called a ding, and all Squid Angels have the power to wield this surprising weapon against corrupt, evil lenses.
Few might enjoy having such a power as much as a Dark Angel, however.
Seriously, the kids were WAY more impressed with the power to smite than the power to bless. Little imps.
Learn more about Squid Angels.
Review these lenses for more details about the honor and responsibility of blessing and dinging other lenses.-
Squid Angel -- Blessings to YOU!
-
This is the first instance on Squidoo that I've actually written about my Catholic upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio, and what an impact it had on my spiritual being. You see, it was the nuns and priests that I encountered in elementary and grade sch...
-
WHO? SquidAngels!
-
Get to know the SquidAngels! We are a small group of dedicated lensmasters with special powers to bless remarkable lenses for a little LensRank (and ego) boost. We also help to keep Squidoo safe from spam and other bad apples. Did you know?: Eve...
-
Ten Tips for a Bless-Worthy Squidoo Lens
-
Being a Squid Angel is a responsibility I take very seriously. I'm currently serving my third term as a Squid Angel, and am thrilled to have an opportunity to recognize and reward Squidoo lenses worthy of a boost. It's exciting to meet...
-
Squid Angel
-
SquidAngel Blessing | If you have found your way here you have probably been 'Blessed By A Squid Angel!' What just happened? Read on to find out more about Squid Blessings and more about SemperFidelis. Perhaps some randomness, as well!
-
Is A Squid Angel Looking Over Your Shoulder?
-
Have you been Blessed by a Squid Angel? Did you even know that there is a group of lensmasters on Squidoo who are Squid Angels? You may never even have heard of the Squid Angels. Or perhaps you know that they exist but know little about them. Well I...
Reasons an Angel may "ding" your lens
While we are given a lot of freedom to exercise our powers as we see fit, the Angels follow a simple set of guidelines to help us know when to bless, when to ding, and when to simply fly over.I have modified the short list to suit my personality, as all Angels are different, but still use the key points as a guide:
Ding and Report—any lenses that are harmful, hateful, violate terms of service, promote illegal activity, etc.
Ding—any lenses that do not include useful, original content; may be constructed solely by "content scraping" (copying and pasting from another site); undeveloped or of no value to the reader.
Ding—poor quality lenses in the Top 100 lists (subjective)
Fly By—poor quality lenses NOT in the Top 100 lists (subjective)
Angels may, at their discretion, leave public or private messages for lensmasters to help them improve promising lenses.
Chances are unlikely that you will receive written notification of a ding.
Please remember before taking offense at any well-intentioned comments that suggest you make changes to your "baby" that Squid Angels are only trying to help beautify the Squidoo community. You are under no obligation to make changes; there is no penalty if you choose not to. What we offer is only friendly advice, yours to take or leave at will.
Do not assume that because you got a comment from a Squid Angel that didn't expressly say you were blessed, that it means you got a ding. This isn't a pass/fail test, and most of us will simply "skip" any lens that falls somewhere in the middle.
The Twilight
Since all Angels are people too, one Angel's idea of a poor quality lens and another's will differ.This makes cleaning up the Top 100 lists one of the most difficult tasks Angels are assigned.
The same "questionable" lens might be ignored by one Angel and dinged by another.
It is that gray area that defines the Dark Angel. If I find a lens to be truly poor in quality, I will not have any qualms about registering a deserved ding.
However, I'm not overzealous.
I will NOT ding a lens because I disagree with the viewpoint of the author. I prefer cats to dogs. I won't ding a lens because the lensmaster prefers dogs to cats. (I also will not bless a lens simply because it favors cats, but I would bless a great dog lens.)
I will NOT ding a lens because it is plain. There are lots of tricks to make text more appealing. I do not expect everyone to be handy with code. Good information stands on its own.
I will NOT ding a lens because of a past personal dispute, a lens that promotes a competitor, or a lens that uses too much Comic Sans. Unless, of course, the lens (regardless of subject) fails to include original, useful content.
I will NOT ding a lens for having too much advertising unless the ads are: monopolizing the page, unedited default "I just want to make money" modules AND irrelevant or unrelated to the topic of the page.
In short, your lens has to really stink to get a ding, so don't live in fear of offending a Dark Angel or any of the other Squid Angels. The majority of our time is spent blessing the best, not seeking out the worst.
Dare to answer?
Do you think it is fair that Squid Angels can ding a lens, or should they only be able to promote great lenses by blessing them?
Too much power?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes. Not very nice.
Mickie_G says:
As much as I would not like to get one, sometimes I think it is a necessary thing to ding.
Posted July 29, 2009
patbham says:
Yes, It helps to have things short to keep them around. Like a music vidio playing while they are reading, pictures, just good writing. For me short, informative, and or entertainig. Put your self in their shoes, edit what is fluf, after your lens has been out a while and see if you can hold readers longer.
Pat
Posted May 08, 2009
drifter0658 says:
yes. because the blessing/ding in themselves are not the MOST important aspect. It's what we take away from those actions.
Posted February 24, 2009
starlitparlit says:
I think that certain lenses should be dinged. Not lenses that others have worked hard on though.
Posted February 06, 2009
TheGreenerMe says:
I can't stand seeing spammy lenses, I'm glad you're cleaning it up out there!
Posted January 23, 2009
No. It's a good thing!
ChapelHillFiddler says:
I wish they would ding more. When I happen upon venal, sterile lenses, it depresses me and makes me wonder why I am a Squidoo addict. They make me hesitate to recommend squidoo to my friends, or always add an embarrassed proviso: "well, there's a lot of junk there too...."
Posted September 11, 2009
Mickie_G says:
oops, I ended up on the wrong side. I amend my answer to the dark side! Yes, dings are sometimes necessary! (does this mean I might get a ding soon?)
Posted July 29, 2009
Pastiche says:
I wouldn't know whether I were dinged or blessed unless an Angel whispered in my ear, but I do try to stay on the Heaven side of Squidoo at all times. I'd prefer over a ding that an agel please send me a private message if tempted to ding me for something I could undo if told/educated of the offense. I learn quickly ... a blessing is delightful when received and not something taken for granted at any time.
Posted March 08, 2009
aj2008 says:
Dinging is a good thing, providing it is done privately - praise in public, criticise in private.
Posted February 27, 2009
.jpg)
MattTaylor says:
Absolutely! I got a 1 star drive-by from someone who disagreed with one of my lenses. No comments just a 1 star and obviously, my lens was not a bad one... On the other hands, I think it is not right to use a spammy lens.
Matt
Posted February 10, 2009
I may be a Dark Angel, but I play fair.
I wouldn't just slap a lens for a viewpoint I don't agree with, or even for using Comic Sans. (Gah.)But if it looks like someone copied and pasted (ie. stole) the whole thing, with any bits of "original" copy so sloppy a trained Fiji mermaid could do better, I'll ding it with utter DELIGHT.
Nothing personal.
I dinged one of my own unfinished lenses just to get a tingle. *grin*
Dark Angels to entertain you
Angels need your help!
Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer-led nonprofit that encompasses over 20 different teams and programs. They send letters, care packages, and comfort items to deployed American service members, and we support their families here at home.
by XP
Explore related pages
Jensen Ackles- Jensen Ackles is an American actor.
Lee Hyori- The enchanting goddess, Lee Hyori is a South Korean actress and singer who was b...
Diary of a Squid Angel (2008)
- In March 2008, Squidoo HQ announced a new group of Squid Angels. I was editing a...
Jessica Alba- Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28 1981 in Pomona California) is an American actr...
Squid Angel Blessings by Chef Keem- With a Squid Angel Blessing your lenses will get a boost for your lens rank, whi...
