Making your First Lens Mentor

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 117 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #20 in Squidoo Tips, #936 overall

First Squidoo Rule: Enjoy Yourself!!!

EVERYBODY can Squidoo! You can too!

It might take you an afternoon to 'get the hang of it', but that afternoon can be LOTS of fun.

You don't need to be an expert in anything 'internet-y' to be able to build a beautiful, useful and successful Squidoo lens.

Don't get overwhelmed, get busy! One step at a time, step by step, baby step by baby step and you'll shortly be lensmastering with the best of the best.

So put aside your anxieties, get playful and get the feel of what it is like to Squidoo!

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Naming Baby: Doodling with your Account Name 

Makes a BIG Squid-difference!

Before you worry about naming your new baby squidoo lens, its a good idea to think about naming your new baby squidoo account!

If you get it wrong, you can still open another new account.

BUT, if you get it right, you'll get known more quickly, make a name for yourself much faster, and you can save the other possible names for other accounts you may want or need.

Below is my list of things you might want to consider when it is time to pick your first new account name.

A Quick Orientation! 

Should YOU Squidoo?

Squidoo is incredibly flexible. There are LOTS of people who should be Squidooing and aren't, and lots of people who should be Squidooing lots more.

Dealing with your main Account Name 

Things to consider

I've seen lots of account names on thousands of pages, and some are more successful than others.

If you have an idea of why you squidoo, choosing your main account name is much easier, will work better for you over time, and make managing your squidoo account much easier.

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  • You should always have one main account with your name. This helps you to build an audience, build trust with your audience, and adds to your own internet 'resume'.
  • Your name can be your own name, like my main account, or it can be something you'd like to be 'known' by, such as 'fluffanuttta' or 'bored of education'- but however you choose your main account name, it is best to be something you will 'stick with.'
  • You can have one or many accounts. The fewer accounts, the easier it is to manage your squidooing. Each account will have a separate dashboard, separate promotion issues, separate payment issues. The more accounts, the more complicated it will be to manage your squidooing.
  • It is a mistake to make your main account name the same as a product (ANY product) that you are trying to sell. If you want an account specifically for and with pages selling a product, it is best to have it be a SECONDARY account.

Second Squidoo Rule: Squidoo is an Original and SO ARE YOU! 

Originality and creativity are PRIZED on Squidoo!

Squidoo is built on a very important premise.

That is, 'Everyone is an Expert' (about SOMETHING).

That includes YOU.

Bring your best expertise, your best creativity, your most original YOU to your first Squidoo lens.

Create a lens that you can have FUN with. One you'll nurture, enjoy and care for!

BEFORE You Begin- Keep These Things in Mind! 

A few tips

  1. Every Squidoo Page is different (or is supposed to be).
  2. Magic Builder is different each time, depending on what you tell it!
  3. The type of page or the topic determines what the Magic Builder will assemble.
  4. The ONLY thing written in stone is the page url.
  5. Everything else can be changed!
  6. If you make a mistake, DON'T WORRY. They are all EASILY FIXED.
  7. Take everything one step at a time.

Now, Take a DEEP Breath and PLUNGE IN! 

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About the Magic Builder 

The Super Squidoo Highway!

To make it especially easy, Squidoo has developed the 'Magic Builder' which gives you a good basis for your first page.

Squidoo MIGHT first ask you to sign up and create your account. If it asks you to do this first, this is the page you'll see.

If not, you'll see this when Magic Builder is done with your page, and wants you to 'claim your page.'

Once you establish your account, before or after you've started your first lens, every page you make will be accessible to you, in a list, on your 'dashboard'.

Fill out every field on this sign up screen.

When every field has the correct information, fill out the security word and click 'continue'.

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Here's Squidoo's NEW Magic Builder! 

Sign up easily!

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First Step with the Magic Builder 

Taking the leap!

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The first step in building a Squidoo page is always the url, or internet address.

Every squidoo page begins with http://www.squidoo.com

People will find YOUR page based on what comes after the .com

Therefore, the first question asked is 'what is your page about?' and you see they recommend as few words as possible, just one or two. You can have more, but remember this is the url- NOT the title!

If you are selling footie socks, you would put in 'footie socks' and your url would look like www.squidoo.com/footie-socks

The second line is your title, which is what will show on your dashboard, on the top 100 list, in the groups, or as the very top dark line when someone visits your page.

Your title for the footie socks page could be:

"Fabulous Footie Socks for Your Sneakier Side!"

I know that's a ridiculous title, but for search purposes the url should be specifically about your product or topic, and your title should be something that gets the attention of visitors.

Category: to get the right kind of page, and get it listed in the proper area, click the radio button for the category that most closely matches the field that your page should be in. In the case of footie socks, shopping would be the best category.

The category determines what type of page will be magically set-up for you. For example, if you click 'me' you will get a 'Squid Who' set-up page. If you click 'local' you will get a 'Squid Zipper' set-up page. If you click 'duel' you will get a 'Monkey Brains' set-up page.

What you get in your magic builder depends on the category you choose, so make sure you get the category as closely as possible.

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Dealing with urls: For your first few lenses, forget the SEO pressure! 

Give yourself a SOLID foundation FIRST.

Many squidoo'rs come to Squidoo with a high-pressured outlook. They want to promote a product and make money FAST.

With an approach like that, your squidooing will be an enormous waste of time!

Forget the tips and techniques of the 'internet marketing guru wannabees' and BEGIN WITH A GOOD FOUNDATION, at least for your first few pages!

THEN your squidooing will have staying power, it will remain RELEVANT, and you will build your reputation, your income, and your marketing reach and then Squidoo will SERVE YOU for the long haul!
  • The very best squidooing is DONE LIKE A SQUID. You build series of related lenses, all connected to ONE MAIN LENS. A squid has one head with many tentacles. Make your first lenses in the same way.
  • I always recommend that a lensmaster make an url out of their account name. For your first lens, this would be an immediate 'squid-head' and the place you can link the other lenses you make. You can choose to send traffic to this main lens, or you can promote your other lenses, but either way, it is a VERY USEFUL WAY to organize the beginning of your squidooing, and demonstrate how it works.
  • You want your url to be as specifically about your topic focus as possible. For example : www.squidoo.com/johngalt or .com/robberbarons
  • If your url is taken, there will be an error message telling you so. Try adding a dash: .com/john-galt; .com/robber-barons. If the url is still taken, use underscores _ or add further information- try something like .com/whoisjohngalt or .com/industrialistrobberbarons.
  • A specific url will help the search engines find you.
  • A specific url will set the expectations of your visitors. Anyone who searches for one topic, but clicking through finds a different topic feels cheated at best. Make your url about your topic, and make your topic a specific focus, and you'll build trust.
  • A specific url with a focused topic makes things like tags/keywords; module titles and subtitles much easier for you. That improves your search engine rankings and is the heart of seo techniques.
  • You can have as many squidoo lenses, urls, as you need, to cover your entire topic. Keep each one focused, and link them together with featured lens modules.

Step 2 Magic Builder- Fill in some Gaps! 

A 'Good Enough' beginning!

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The magic builder gives you some help filling in modules. Modules are what are used to build Squidoo pages.

Each section that you fill in here will show up on your page. You will be able to see which section it fills when you save or publish.

Notice the little grey 'remove' boxes at the top right of each separate section. There is a round spot with an x inside of it. If you don't want to add a blog feed or information about yourself, then click that x and removed the module.

Remember, depending on the category, each page may have a different structure of modules. If yours looks different, just fill in the information step-by-step, click continue and go to the next page.

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Third Step Magic Building 

Each page looks different!

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This is the top section of your page.

The lower section is different for everybody.

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Specifics with Magic Builder- Arts Category 

An Example

This is an 'arts' category question.

As you can see here, you can go with the template that Squidoo offers for arts category pages, or you can select 'do your own thing.'

Either choice is just fine.

The template gives you a selection of modules that are popular with arts pages, and you may or may not use them all.

Doing your own thing means you select the modules that you want to, when you want to. The lens that shows up won't have very many modules. You'll need to go to the right sidebar and, using the module selector, pick the modules you want to use.

Delete any modules that don't help the focus of your lens!

Scrolling down...Here are your empty modules! 

You may have some or all of these, or you may have different modules.

Scrolling down, you can see your empty modules.

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These modules you will either keep and add information to, or you will delete!

See? Even if you think you made a mistake, you can add or delete modules and everything will be fine.



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Here's your lens "Workshop"! 

Only YOU see this part!

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This is your lens "workshop" page. Now you can start entering stuff!" But first, look over the right-hand side. There are a lot of functions and settings over there. Much of what you do with your Squidoo lens will be originated from there..

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You can edit the tags that the lens can be found under, and the overall topic for the lens. You can add modules, move modules, create favorites, decide money issues, and lots of other things. Now scroll down and look at more stuff...

Choosing Your Lens Theme 

Choose from 9 different lens themes

In the upper right corner of your lens workshop is section called "Themes." This is your opportunity to choose a color theme for your lens. You can change these at any time. You can't see the themes in the workshop mode, so for now leave it on default, then after you publish you can come back and change it to see the others. Each theme has its own personality and color scheme, or you can just leave your lens on default to get the blue and orange main Squidoo theme.

Squidoo Lens Themes

Really, REALLY Getting Started! 

Here is where YOU will shine!

To open any module, click the orange 'edit' button.

This 'opens' the empty module and permits you to add your text, upload photos, add links, and so on.

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Here you'll type the introduction to your lens. Tell us what it's about, your particular slant on your topic, and why we might want to read it!

You add a lens photo here, from your computer. Click "browse" and choose a photo.



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PHOTO TIPS

Don't forget to click "upload"!

And make sure the photo is under 1 megabyte, or when you try to load it, nothing will happen.



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A couple of important mentions! 

See those buttons at the top?

Add modules, Health, Stats , Save Draft, and PUBLISH?

When you're done editing, be sure to click "Save Draft" and then "Publish!" Without "Publish!" no one will ever see your wonderful work!

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NATURAL SEO is BEST

Focused, natural pages will ALWAYS be successful lenses. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for interesting, knowledgeable and helpful Squidoo lenses. SEO (search engine optimization) techniques will always work best on lenses that are full of original content. Once your page is built and published, THAT is the best time to focus on SEO techniques, tips and tricks. First have something to OFFER the internet, and then hone, define and increase its reach using the best that SEO can recommend.

A Word About Keywords 

This is a terrific guide to keywords for beginners

Before You Write Your Lens, Get a Good Understanding of How People Search for Things Online 

This reference is an easy read and will really give you a good background

Your Introduction Module is VERY Important 

It sets the tone, helps people grasp what they will see.

  • Use a vivid, clear picture that illustrates your topic well
  • Always add a photo to your introduction module!
  • Don't use a busy photo in the intro- it is too hard to see & understand
  • Just INTRODUCE your topic in the intro module. Tell the story in the rest of your modules
  • This is NOT the place for your big sales pitch! It IS the place to introduce your topic.
  • Make your introduction brief, concise and energizing.

The Introduction Module

A final word about the intro module.

This is the ONLY module that can never be deleted.

That is the reason I have spent so much time on that module- it is very, very important for YOU, and also for Squidoo!

Writing Tips for your Introduction Module 

Simple classic techniques

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Everyone reads and writes, and has certain expectations of writers. Whether you're writing a speech, a sermon, an article or a Squidoo lens, they are very useful techniques! Let's take a look...
  1. Tell them what you are going to tell them (introduction)
  2. Tell them what you are telling them (modules)
  3. Tell them what you have just told them (ending)
  4. Q & A wrap-up (Feedback, guestbook)

Your Introduction- Common Mistakes: Instant Sales Pitch. 

Improve your page performance very easily.

Perhaps the worst mistake of all is to make your introduction a sales pitch. You will make NO SALE from such a use of your intro, and guarantee that people click OUT as quickly as possible.

Squidoo is based on PERMISSION MARKETING, meaning that rather than assaulting your visitors with a high pressure BUY NOW intro, you instead respect their decision making and begin with an interesting lead-in to your product. Let the visitor CHOOSE whether they want to do business with you or not.

Do you believe that Squidoo visitors are able to make decisions? Good choices, good decisions? Your introduction module is the first place to convince them of your respect.

This is a big reason why building TRUST with your visitors is extremely important.

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Common Intro Mistakes- Telling the Whole Story 

Take your audience step by step!

Many times I have seen an introduction that is a mile long of text.

Why? Because lensmasters think they need to tell the whole story at one time!

I've seen so many WONDERFUL stories ruined by the presentation!

Long text blocks are difficult to read on a computer, and get very boring almost instantly.

Even if it is a great story, you cannot tell it well all in one chunk!

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More Introduction Tips 

DON'T make THIS your bio!

Even if this page is all about SquidYOU, don't use your introduction module to give all the information about yourself!

Just like you would introduce anything else, use the intro module as a teaser, an invitation to get to know you by looking farther down the page!

You already have TWO bios that you will be able to fill in and share lots of information about yourself.

If your topic is 'Hurricane Katrina' it won't feel right to a visitor if the introduction module is all about you, unless you inform them that you were a victim of Katrina, and you want to fill them in on details.

If your topic is about Batman, then expressing your lifelong interest in Batman is best done on your page bio, accessible in the right sidebar. Make the page itself about Batman, and your visitors won't be disappointed.

Make the introduction clearly about the topic and title of your page!

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Your Workshop Tools 

Very important section of your behind-the-scenes page!

Notice in the upper right corner of your lens, you will see the 'workshop tools'. This is where you will fill out your page bio, your avatar, your modules. Farther down will be a list of modules on your page, and you can add modules, delete them and reorder them. You'll manage your tags, lens settings, royalties (payments!) and your lensroll.

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Common Mistakes- Your Avatar 

Building your 'identity'

Using Squidoo to help build your online identity is very important, and very useful for LOTS of reason.

One very handy way to give you a 'brand' is by your choice of avatar- a picture of some kind that will be identified with YOU.

You may want anonymity, but you've given none away by using an avatar of some sort.

The very biggest mistake that I see looking at lensmaster's avatars is the use of some product. Before a visitor ever gets near to your page, they see a product as an avatar, and alarm bells go off in their mind: 'sales/spam/marketing' and they'll click past your page as fast as possible.

Such avatars ruin your chances of building a true online business, ruin credibility, and make visitors distrust Squidoo and its lensmasters.

Pick a clear picture of yourself, or some other really cool pic that is interesting, striking, slick or has a great theme.

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Under the Hood: Try out your default modules 

Experimenting is FUN

Depending on your category and whether you received default modules, you will want to explore them and see how they work.

Practice uploading pictures, writing text, creating text lists or link lists, anything that Squidoo provided you as a module on your first lens, see if you can make it work!

It will help you to explore the various functions. Most of them you may be experienced with, such as 'save' or 'cancel' or 'edit'. Others may not be as familiar, such as the Amazon modules, the eBay modules, RSS feeds or plexos.

Experimenting with them and trying them out will give you the chance to see what it is like to Squidoo, what's 'under the hood' and how you like the different modules.

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Module titles help move your points, and your story, along! 

make good use of your titles and subtitles!

Each module is useful for moving your story or your information along point by point. You could think of them each as a paragraph.

Titles are what you use to fill in the 'contents' part of your introduction module. You will pick which modules will be in the table of contents by their title.

If you haven't named your modules, and they all have the default title, you won't know which one to choose, and neither will your visitors.

Good titles and subtitles will ideally help the seo (search engine opitimization) of your page. They certainly help squidoo decided which are the most appropriate pages in the squidoo internal search.

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Squidoo Tags

Your squidoo tags need to be related to your topic, your url and your title.

Add squidoo tags at the right sidebar function. These are how searchers on Squidoo find your lens.

You can have a MAXIMUM of 40 tags.

Delete the Modules You Don't Need! 

If they don't support your topic, they'll be a DISTRACTION!

Depending on the focus of your squidoo lens, modules may not only be useless, but may actually damage the look and feel of the page, and distract your audience.

Empty lenses may show up with default titles when you publish, making your lens look like an unfinished, untidy mess!

Some modules may detract from your topic, or get your visitor's minds on something else, and encourage them to leave before they've finished YOUR page!

Keep it clean of empty or useless modules, keep it focused, and remove anything that doesn't support the main topic of your page.

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Avoid Common Newbie Mistakes 

We all make them

Need Some Help Coming Up With Ideas? 

This lens is a great place to start

Sometimes it is hard to come up with ideas and you need a nudge. Here is a great place to start.

Squidoo Strategy: Make a Personal Page! 

link EVERYTHING in one spot!

If you have blogs, websites and personal pages like myspace or facebook, and you'd like to increase their reach, think about making a personal page.

We also call these 'lensographies' which is a page listing all of your interests, all of your squidoo pages, all of your blogs, everything!

When you get enough, you may want to start an entire group devoted just to your own pages.

Could you think of your lenses like this? 

Central Lens

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Lensrank is always changing 

Squidoo lensmasters watch their dashboards!

Many, many lensmasters watch their lensrank and star ratings every day. Its no wonder that they are all very interested in their performance.

Here is a primer on how to interpret lensrank.

Ratings System

Remember to rate your lens APPROPRIATELY! Only G rated lenses are available on the Squidoo site search. Most groups only accept G, or R rated lenses, though there are some that accept X rated lenses.

It is VERY UNPOPULAR here to be known as a lensmaster that rates X pages as G!

Squidoo Answer Deck Has the Answers 

Check there first

FAQ: Publishing, WIP and Lensrank 

They are all related...

Your lens is published as soon as you click the publish button. That doesn't take care of all publishing issues, though!

A new lens cannot be added to groups until it leaves WorkInProgress (wip) status. This is a MINIMUM of 3 modules NOT INCLUDING the introduction and guestbook. This can change very quickly so I suggest a minimum of 5 content modules, not 3.

You can't join groups until your page has left wip status. Even if you have the proper number of modules, this won't happen until Squidoo re-ranks all the lenses. It could happen 5 minutes after you publish, or up to 48 hours!

Lensrank is immediately improved once a lens has re-ranked through the system, and the fresher, the better! However, you will not gain in lensrank unless things happen like visitors, emails, favoriting, comments, and so on.

Therefore, the more interactive modules that visitors are actually using, the better your lensrank is likely to be!

Need More Help? 

Our Very Creative and Special Lensmasters have Given LOTS of help!

Here are some great lenses to get more help.

Join the SquidU Forum 

Become part of the community and get critiqued


You can get some great help from the SquidU forum in the Critique Me Section and the Help, Please Section.

"Stuck?
At the top of this page click 'contact me' and I'll be sure to respond!"

Need More Tips? 

Follow the Howling Squid Review



For ongoing tips, ideas, and suggestions of how to improve your lenses and earn more money on Squido, follow the Howling Squid Review.

Need a Boost? I'm a SquidAngel! 

With special thanks. . . 

to Margaret Schaut

Margaret Schaut was the first First Lens Mentor, and she is an awe inspiring act to follow. Thank you Margaret for all of your time and effort, and leaving behind a great legacy.

Love This Lens? 

If you would like to rate this lens, then you can do so here (Squidoo members only)

Add this to your lens »

Want more help? 

If you have more questions, or something exciting you've discovered. Click the orange "submit your blurb" button, and drop me a line!

Better yet, tell us about YOUR first lens.

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Lensmaster lakeerieartists has been a member since June 5 2008, has rated 2,103 lenses, favorited 135, and has created 257 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "I'm Dreaming Of A Pink Christmas". See all my lenses

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