Diary of a Wimpy Squid

When I was considering doing this lens, I was batting around a few titles . . . Diary of a Squidaholic, Memoirs of a Little Squid, etc. Then, I was sitting at my brother's house and saw a book which had been given to my oldest nephew. The title was perfect. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney.

Again, this title was perfect, and the word "Kid" was easily interchanged with the rhyming, squid. I now had a catchy title for my Squidoo lens.

When I first arrived at Squidoo, I wanted to play too. I gained a primitive, basic understanding of what Squidoo was about and created a few lenses about what I knew . . . Car Rental. To be perfectly honest, I was not viewing Squidoo as a site which would be a focal point of my daily routines but rather as a tool to gain web presence and traffic at my personal sites.

I spent a few days creating the lenses, wrote mirrored articles at my primary web site, and then I published the lenses. Unfortunately, car rental is not a popular subject on Squidoo, and my lenses have struggled initially. I was confused. In the world that I knew, car rental was everything. How could car rental not be popular here? I was at a loss. The thing I knew about wasn't something my audience cared about. Although, I have had a few visitors of late. If it was you, thanks for stopping by!

What is a squid to do? I am quickly realizing that being a member of this community isn't just about making a lens, publishing it, and then crossing your fingers hoping for visitors. I have to participate, read lenses, make friends, as well as create and improve my own works. To put it simply, this is where the real story begins.

I had managed to stay away from the MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter outbreaks which have occurred in the past few years. I just didn't see myself as one of "those people," and I wasn't alone. One of my oldest friends of more than 20 years is a successful webmaster, and he agreed. Social networking sites weren't for him either. I thought if he didn't need 'em, neither did I. So there I was without those "time wasters" in my life . . . disconnected and lonely.

Then it happened. I realized that Squidoo was more than just a marketing opportunity. This is a community, and I want to be a contributing member.

Whew . . . that is an eye full. Basically, squids should play nice with each other and should not plagiarize, spam, etc. I get it. I like it.

Read it for yourself here.

I am a goal oriented, task driven person. What does that mean? I would say that I have multiple goals right now for my Squidoo experience. In order to achieve those goals I need to set tasks and develop a routine that will allow me to work in the "here and now" while still focusing on the long term goals that I have envisioned.

I have always liked lists. For me, lists are goal oriented organizational tools that help keep me stay on task. For this reason, I am going to create two lists: Short Term and Long Term. The short term list will consist of daily / weekly tasks that I will work to achieve on Squidoo and the long term list will help me to focus the efforts of my short term tasks toward the long term results for which I am striving.

My Vision: I hope to achieve Giant Squidhood by 2011.

My Mission: I will create good, strong, interesting lens content in Squidoo categories about which I have considerable knowledge or enthusiastic passion.

• Read 1-5 New Lenses Every Day I am on Squidoo (in different categories if possible)
• Update this Lens As Required
• Find at least 1 New Favorite Lens Each Week
• Create one new lens per week.

• Create at least 1 lens in 10 of the 30 categories featured on the Squidoo Home Page.
• About Me
• Duels
• Food & Cooking
• Home & Garden
• Local
• Movies and TV
• Sports and Recreation
• Squidoo Tips
• Travel
• Video Games
• Make the Top 100 List in one of those categories

I have already made a few lenses. Every time I published a lens. I was encouraged to brag about it on Facebook and/or Twitter. As I wrote before, I don't have have accounts for those proverbial "time wasters." I figure this isn't going to fly anymore. Time to bite the bullet.

I am choosing Facebook as compared to Twitter.com for this reason. Facebook seems a little more my pace. While having a Facebook account will still be light years ahead of where I was only a few months ago, I think I can handle it more than a Twitter account. From an outsider's perspective and continuing with the High School metaphor. Facebook is the Chess Team. Twitter is the Pep Squad. Meaning, success on Twitter takes far too much energy. Facebook seems a bit more "chillaxed."

So off to Facebook, signing up, and here I go . . . wow, that is fun. I have already connected with people who I hadn't spoken to in more than a decade. This is crazy! DANG IT! I really wanted to hate that. Oh well, life goes on.

Okay, so now that I have signed up for Facebook and intend to brag about the lenses I will create, the style and type of lenses that I am envisioning are already changing. It is time to think about what Lens I will do first.

February 21, 2010 — I have chosen today to publish this lens. I have worked on this lens for about one week. I believe that while this lens will improve over time, it is the best that it can be right now.

I am using a baseball metaphor (i like metaphors - can you tell) to describe lenses that I am considering (in the hole), working on (on deck), and publishing (up to bat). I have chosen this metaphor as it will continue to work after the lenses have been published as some lenses will be homeruns, others will have to work their way around the bases, and others may get stranded at first base. I am not so arrogant to believe that I will bat a thousand here, but I am going to get in the batter's box and swing away. I'm not scared; are you?

Up to Bat

February 21, 2010: Diary of a Wimpy Squid
February 25, 2010: Sports Star vs Role Model
February 25, 2010: Are Personal Boycotts Worth It?
March 4, 2010: Beginning to Cycle
July 2010: Country Life Facebook Game
August 2010: 12,000 Reps Challenge
September 21, 2010: New Releases
September 30, 2010: Crowdtap.com
November 09, 2010: Palmetto, FL
November 09, 2010: The T Shirt Life
November 14, 2010: Will Smith Music
November 15, 2010: Ponsettia
November 16, 2010: Taco vs Burrito
November 17, 2010: Tuna Salad vs Egg Salad
November 18, 2010: Hard Boiled Eggs
November 19, 2010: Apple vs Banana
November 20, 2010: Blu-Ray, DVD, Digital Copy
November 21, 2010: NFL Running Back: Peyton Hillis
November 22, 2010: Chuck Taylors Forever
November 23, 2010: David Simon: Creator of The Wire
November 23, 2010: Raising Hope
November 24, 2010: Generation Kill
November 29, 2010: Actor: Zachary Levi
November 30, 2010: ABC's The Middle
December 1, 2010: USA Network's Psych
December 2, 2010: ABC's Better With You
December 2, 2010: Running Back: Mike Bellamy
December 3, 2010: NBC's The Cape
December 4, 2010: FSU Quarterback: EJ Manuel
December 5, 2010: Coffee Table Books
December 6, 2010: Quarterback: Tyrod Taylor
December 6, 2010: Logitech Revue
December 7, 2010: Christmas Classic Movies and More
December 8, 2010: TNT's Memphis Beat
December 8, 2010: Crosman
December 9, 2010: USA Network's Fairly Legal
December 10, 2010: ABC's Cougar Town
December 12, 2010: NFL Wide Receiver: Mike Williams
December 12, 2010: NFL Running Back: Mike Tolbert
December 13, 2010: NFL Running Back: Legarrette Blount
December 13, 2010: NHL Center: Brandon Dubinsky
December 17, 2010: Movie Night Gift Pack
December 19, 2010: NFL Quarterback: Colt McCoy
December 21, 2010: NFL Running Back: LeSean McCoy
December 22, 2010: WKU Running Back: Bobby Rainey
December 24, 2010: UCONN Running Back: Jordan Todman
December 26, 2010: NBA Center: Dwight Howard
December 26, 2010: ABC's OFF THE MAP
December 29, 2010: MLB Outfielder: Carl Crawford
December 29, 2010: NFL Quarterback: Joe Webb
December 30, 2010: USA Network's Royal Pains

January 1, 2011: OU Quarterback: Landry Jones
January 2, 2011: NFL Tight End: Jimmy Graham
January 4, 2011: Stanford Quarterback: Andrew Luck
January 6, 2011: NFL Wide Receiver: Larry Fitzgerald
January 7, 2011: NFL Tight End: Rob Gronkowski
January 7, 2011: MLB Infielder: Evan Longoria
January 8, 2011: Florida Quarterback: Jeff Driskel
January 8, 2011: Tampa Bay Sports: Information and Jerseys for Tampa Bay Sports Fans
January 9, 2011: NFL Running Back: Danny Woodhead
January 9, 2011: NFL Running Back: Ray Rice
January 10, 2011: NFL Wide Receiver: Julio Jones
January 10, 2011: NFL Running Back: Jamaal Charles
January 10, 2011: MLB Outfielder: BJ Upton
January 11, 2011: NFL Cornerback: Asante Samuel
January 11, 2011: NFL Hard Hats
January 12, 2011: MLB Infielder: Ben Zobrist
January 12, 2011: NFL Safety: Atari Bigby
January 12, 2011: UCF Knights Athletics
January 13, 2011: NFL Wide Receiver: Brandon Marshall
January 13, 2011: MLB Outfielder: Justin Upton
January 13, 2011: Garden Gnomes for Sports of All Sorts
January 14, 2011: MLB Outfielder: Bryce Harper
January 15, 2011: NFL Wide Receiver: Jordy Nelson
January 16, 2011: Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Fan Gear and Apparel
January 24, 2011: NBA Forward: Blake Griffin
January 26, 2011: NFL Running Back: James Starks
January 26, 2011: Basketball Guard: Jimmer Fredette
January 26, 2011: Emerson Point Preserve
January 31, 2011: Jeffster! from NBC's Chuck
February 6, 2011: Crosman's Optimus Air Rifle
February 9, 2011: Crosman's Pumpmaster 760
February 10, 2011: Crosmans's American Classic Pump Pistol
February 10, 2011: Crosman's Quest 1000 Air Rifle
February 12, 2011: Gnomeo and Juliet: Blue vs. Red
February 16, 2011: Wide Receiver: AJ Green
February 17, 2011: Running Back: Mark Ingram
February 18, 2011: Crosman Phantom 1000 Break Barrel Air Rifle
February 19, 2011: NASCAR Driver: Trevor Bayne
February 22, 2011: Crosman Classic 2100 Air Rifle
February 23, 2011: Wide Receiver: Sidney Rice
February 23, 2011: Crosman Model C31 CO2 Air Gun
February 24, 2011: Emotion Kayaks - Buy Online
February 25, 2011: Emotion Glide Sit-Inside Kayak
February 26, 2011: Benjamin Discovery 22 Caliber PCP Air Rifle
February 27, 2011: Emotion Spitfire Sit-On-Top Kayak

February 24, 2010 - Even now as I am trying to update this lens, I can't think of anything good to say. This is frustrating.

February 25, 2010 - When I think about it, the issue I'm having is that the lenses I create must match up with my mission to create good, strong, interesting content. Beginning the creative process relatively easy as I am able to come up with new lens ideas. The process of developing those lenses is where the struggle is happening. Ultimately, the decision to hit the "Publish" button is a battle for me. Far to often, I come across lenses that most likely have a good thought behind them, but the process in creating the lens seems to lack the TLC that I covet in my own work. Obvious and elementary grammatical, spelling, and flow issues abound in so many lenses. I am not professing that I am or will be perfect, but I want my work to be as good as possible. As Professor Duncan Dixon (UCF School of Hospitality) taught me, we achieve excellence through striving for perfection.

Concisely, my Squidder's block is coming from my mental battle between simply creating a lens, and creating a good, strong, interesting one.

February 26, 2010 - In an attempt to break my continuing squidder's block, I started thinking outside the box in which I had put myself. Here's what happened.

In our house, Friday night is pizza night. I thought, there's a lens; I could do a lens about Pizza. Next, I did a quick search for "pizza" on Squidoo and looked at a few of the results. There's some good stuff out there, but I wanted to shake it up a bit. Most of the lenses I saw were about recipes, doughs, and making pizzas. I didn't see one about what pizza, pizza nights, and pizza parties mean. How pizza can bring people together. Now, I am thinking about what kind of pizza we are going to have tonight. . .got it. It's personal biscuit pizzas. There's a good start for the pizza lens.

So, now we have to go shopping and guess what, we're going to Wal-Mart. This brought to mind a blog post I saw yesterday regarding a friend who has boycotted wal-mart, and various other establishments. Boom, there's another lens. This one will be a duel: Are personal boycotts worth it?

I am hoping that these lenses will help break the block.

March 1, 2010 - Okay, I think I've broken down the block. I published the "Personal Boycotts" lens a few days ago. This lens has already had a few visitors. I am working steadily on the cycling and pizza lens, and I think I just thought of a great lens to accompany my cycling lens. I have three lenses on deck, and I have been presented with new problem.

In Chapter 9, I'll discuss the problem that has just come up with a past lens. It's a good problem, and I am happy to have it.

Over the last few days, an old lens has received some new attention. This chapter is dedicated to the importance of reviewing, revising, and revitalizing old lenses.

A while back, I created a duel of McDonalds vs Burger King, and I sort of let it do it's thing. At first, I got a visitor here and there, but it was nothing to really mention. In the last 2 days, this lens has gotten two visitors, and some interaction with the poll questions. As a result, I have revisited the page and have been able to make some subtle improvements.

I attribute catching the slight mistakes to having fresh eyes. No matter how good I think my lenses are when I first publish, I am recognizing that all lenses can be made better. When we stare at a lens for too long, it can get out of focus. Sometimes, we just need to take a break for a while, then look back at our lenses with fresh eyes, but we do have to revisit our lenses on a regular basis to make sure that they stay in focus.

March 29, 2010 - Visits to this this lens are "booming" now (at least in my wimpy little Squidoo world). I have had more than 16 visits in the last week and have climbed up to approximately 69,000 lens rank. I have continued to make subtle adjustments to module content and improve keywords. I believe this is where the new attention is coming from. . .not to mention the overall popularity of the lens topic.

April 23, 2010 - Visits have started to dwindle and lens rank has dropped to about 130,000. This is my own fault. I have failed to keep the lens fresh, add content, and make it better. I explain this by blaming Facebook. I am having too much fun on there. It is seriously effecting my productivity.

November 24, 2010 - I am currently getting 3-4 visits per day. My lens rank is hovering between 39,000 and 44,000 and I am ranked #118 in Duels today. I am trying very hard to get into the top 100 for Duels. Please stop by and participate. It's fun.

I have not updated this lens in a while. It's not because I haven't been paying attention, it's because I have been trying to learn. Well, that's partly true.

First, I joined Facebook (back in Chapter 5), and things went all kittywampus on me. Slowly but surely, I got into too many games, which caused me problems because I was too busy making "Friends" that always needed game help. It started with Country Life, which is a great game, because it requires that you need neighbors in order to accomplish different levels and goals. I went out and got some, but those neighbors played other games. So, I started playing other games. All day long, it seemed like I was helping this neighbor or sending that one a gift.That stuff eats up time. As a Tester for UserTesting.com, I have to play some games in order to be eligible for some of the Jobs that become available. However, I am now down to one or two games that I play for the fun of it.

I realized that my time needs to be spent on more productive things, so I have started blogging. I am hoping that I can still retain some of those friends through my blog, and create some new ones. I am also hoping that the blogging will help me with Squidooing as well.

Section Added: Added 11/13/2010

In early September, Squidoo began introducing their new points system. I knew I was going to like this feature, because I like playing games. Now, I am sure I like it. There isn't a definitive way to describe how to go about getting Trophies and Points, but it is pretty simple. Stay active on Squidoo. Simple enough right?

Completing the Quests

Quest: Herman the Merman.
Submitted on 11/14/2010
Approved 11/15/2010

Squid Like and Comment on 7 Different Music Lenses.

1. Spin Doctors
2. Garth Brooks
3. Christmas Songs
4. ZZ Top
5. Green Day
6. Singing Actors
7. Dinner Music

My New Lens: Will Smith Music

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Quest: Kipsy's Return
Submitted on 11/29/2010
Approved on 11/30/2010

Part 1. Exercise Lenses

1. Marathon Training
2. Benefits of Walking
3. Play Better Golf
4. Acrosport Gymnastics
5. Kayak Mania

Part 2: Food Lenses

1. Grape Jelly Meatballs
2. Baked Pumpkin Seeds
3. Easy Mexican Recipes
4. Chicken Soup
5. Cabbage Soup

Part 3. Fashion Lenses

1. Levi Skinny Jeans
2. Crazy Socks
3. Bow Ties
4. Tuxedo Shirts
5. Chuck Taylor Colors

Part 4: New Lens, Actor: Zachary Levi

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Trophies

Trophies are a little pat on the back for being a good Squid.

See My Trophies

Facebook Firestarter: Unlocked on December 30, 2010 when I liked my twentieth lens on Facebook.

I am currently working to update various lenses and my biography. This has naturally led to me updating this lens.

As I continue to explore Squidoo, I run across things every now and then that I think could be done just a little bit differently. These aren't big things, but I believe changes in these small areas could drastically improve Squidoo's usability and performance for everyone. As I find them, I am just going to make a notation in this section.

Please understand that I am not saying that Squidoo is in any way bad. Overall this web site is the neatest, coolest, and most fun site of which I am a member. I am just finding some pet peeves that I wish were done a little differently. This is my diary, so I am writing about them here.

February 28, 2010 — Back to Top: Many lenses are strong and long. The "Table of Contents" is a good resource to allow users to quickly navigate to a particular issue in the lens from the top of the page. However once you are in the lens, there is no quick navigation tool that allows you to return to the top of the page. I like to go back to the top of the page to review the Table of Contents, rate the lens, or make it a favorite. I just wish I could get there quicker.

March 1, 2010 — Broke to 50,000 page rank with Diary of a Wimpy Squid ranked 48,471 overall and 316 in About Me.
December 7, 2010 — Made the SquidooSpririt Top 40 List!
December 13, 2010 — My NFL Running Back: Peyton Hillis lens broke the 10,000 page rank at 8,574!