What makes Squidoo great?

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 42 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #3,126 in People, #59,230 overall

The answer: It's the lensmasters!

Yes, the thing that makes Squidoo special is the people who spend their time here crafting quality lenses, and then generously sharing that knowledge and experience with all the new lensmasters.

I have been a member of Squidoo for a little less than a month (at time of writing) and in that time have been encouraged by some of Squidoo's finest lensmasters.

These are the people who are the heart and soul of Squidoo. They volunteer their time and hard-won skills to make it a welcoming place for the intrepid newcomer. Because of them, no new voice is ignored and no plea for help unanswered.

One problem facing all those who are new both to lensmaking and to self-promotion of any kind on the Internet is that we will begin with very little traffic and a discouragingly poor lensrank. At this point, it's tempting to chalk it up as a failed experiment and wander off to the next 'big thing' to hit the Internet, leaving our lenses to forever languish unloved and undiscovered.

Then, quite unexpectedly, we see we have a visitor. A comment. Very likely also a rating. Sometimes the Fanclub, embarassing in its utter emptiness, suddenly has a friendly picture beneath it!

These are the things that can rescue a first encounter with Squidoo, and which can take a new lensmaster from small fry to Giant Squid and beyond!

This is what makes Squidoo great. So this lens is a tribute to Squidoo Greeters, Angels and Giant Squid everywhere. It's also my own personal thank you to a few truly special lensmasters who have encouraged me on my own journey.

[Image credit to ArtByLinda, another generous lensmaster who shares her images in Squidoo Tips.]

Thank you for being an inspiration!

More great lensmasters! 

The Angels 

Yes indeed, Squidoo has angels who fly in on feathery wings to watch over things and bestow blessings on the lenses that impress them the most.

I've heard that a blessing can give your lensrank a substantial boost for a while (it does wear off), which is an added incentive. But it's also just nice to know that someone out there thinks that your creation is something to be proud of.

Below, I introduce you to three of these heavenly creatures.

Lensmaster 'A Willow' 

a_willow has created an impressive 129 lenses and is also a Squidoo Angel. On top of that, she looks after Fresh Wonders, where Wonder Squids and Fresh Squids meet to share, support and learn!

Her How to Reuse Paper Rolls lens responded to a dilemma shared by many, and made it to Lens Of The Day. As in all her lenses, she here presents her innovative ideas in an attractive format that proved to be a winning combination.

Of course, she has many other fantastic lenses to her credit. I'd like to showcase some of my own favorites here. I'm sure you'll agree, she has mastered the art of producing work that is both beautiful AND useful.
featured lens How to Find and Expand a Niche

There is a lot of talk about building a niche. Everyone is saying: make niche lenses! They have a better chance to be found by search engines! Become an expert in your niche! This is all great! And you should do this! But... how? Today there is so...

featured lens How to Reuse Old Mouse Pad?

On this page you'll find some cool ideas how to reuse old mouse pads but also links to many online sources with instructions and tutorials how to make your own homemade mouse pad. All mouse pad images on this page are from my Zazzle gallery - Will...

featured lens Dazzle by Halloween on Zazzle

This is a showcase of Halloween art designs applied on things like cards, aprons, shoes, etc. that I found the most fun, scary and beautiful. There are many more of them at Zazzle.com! When I first joined Zazzle.com I wasn't aware how many really g...

Lensmaster 'JaguarJulie' 

It's so easy to see how Jaguar Julie got her 1643 (and counting) fans. She truly is a Squidoo superstar, who not only has created a knockout 512 lenses to date but also has a boundless dedication to this community, inspiring all who encounter her.

While I was working on this lens, JaguarJulie took the time to visit, rate, and leave relevant and thoughtful comments on every single one of my lenses, even those that had begun to sink without a trace and I was starting to consider as my failed experiments. I can only imagine how many other people she has encouraged in this way.

With so many lenses to choose from, I picked 3 at random, based on their names.

Poppy Flower Art sounded like a happy subject and was indeed a very pretty lens. The Art of Cucumbers is a quirky idea that has been beautifully put together. Finally, Washi (Art from Paper) is yet another very stylish and informative lens.
featured lens The Art of Cucumbers

Cucumbers can be art! There is beauty in food art. Art is all around us. As beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so can there be beauty in cucumbers! Walk through a patch of cucumbers and you will find a bit of nature in food art -- a delectable, ta...

featured lens Poppy Flower Art

Saying it with large, bold and beautiful flowers is precisely what you do with Poppy Flower Art prints! When you think of the poppy, probably the most recognizable artist that comes to mind is Georgia O'Keeffe. I actually have this very poppy flower...

featured lens Washi -- Wagami -- Art from Paper

If you are into crafting, you may already know about and use Washi papers. Washi or Wagami is a type of paper made in Japan. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia papyrifera), or the pap...

Lensmaster 'mukunda22' 

Mukunda22 now has 137 lenses. She celebrates her own appreciation of life in many of these. This happy and spiritual individual clearly has a focus on what's great about life - and enjoys sharing it on Squidoo.

One lens which really does have something for everyone is 66 Personal Excellence Tips. A fascinating lens that fits well with Halloween is Ghost Nurses. Finally, a unique and personal story about a recipe box in I Hate To Cook.
featured lens Ghost Nurses

The stories take on an eerie feeling to them as night wears on to early morning, and you have no choice but to stay awake. The ability to hallucinate is ever present. Noises grate upon the psyche the more exhausted you become. And the ghosts that...

featured lens 66 Personal Excellence Tips

I submitted a Personal Excellence Tip into a contest at the end of 2008 and my tip was included in the lineup! All of these tips are awesome!! Of course, you may not be able to incorporate all of these into your schedule, but just reading these open...

featured lens I Hate To Cook

Cooking is a necessity of life and for some, like Jaguar Julie and Chef Keem, perhaps, cooking is is one of those great enjoyments of life. I certainly admire that. And I wish I could muster up the same enthusiasm. But I'd rather go dancing! I am on...

The Greeters 

These are the Squidoo cheerleaders, who encourage and coax the best from lensmasters, and generally ensure that Squidoo makes the most of its talented members. They are also ever ready to answer questions and guide new (and not so new) lensmasters.

Like Angels, Greeters often invest a lot of their time in the community and Squidoo would not be the same without them.

Lensmaster 'OhMe' 

OhMe is both an Angel and a Greeter. She's also a Giant, with a mighty 73 lenses under her belt so far.

She has a true passion for her hometown of Pendleton, which she shares in many of her lenses. Her love of nature is also a topic which is beautifully illustrated, often with her own photos.

Her Fall Trees lens is a glorious celebration of Autumn that combines both of these interests. And the Doggie Birthday Party really shows her sense of fun! I love her collection of old photos of Pendleton - what a resource for anyone researching local or family history.
featured lens Fall Trees - A Stroll Around Pendleton SC

I took a stroll around Pendleton in Fall 2008 and soaked up the beauty of the Fall Trees around the Village Green and around our home. I was able to snap some pictures that I would like to share with you along with a poem by Helen Baeseman titled &qu...

featured lens Old Pendleton Photos Part 2

This lens is a continuation of Pendleton Old Photos. Pendleton Old Photos It was getting quite long with nearly 50 pictures and I thought it was about time to start a second part as I still have more photos to share. Pendleton folks of all ages have...

featured lens Doggie Birthday Party

Squidoo has lots and lots of lenses on just about any subject you can think of. Some are meant to educate, some are meant to entertain and some are just beautiful to look at. There are even lenses about interesting personal happenings. This is such a...

Lensmaster 'luvmyludwig' 

Luvmyludwig is another angelic Greeter. She clearly takes a pride in her Squidoo roles and is currently also hosting a class on modules over on the Fresh Wonders Ning group.

This lovely lady has 78 lenses at time of writing. Her fun mix of lenses suggest someone who cares deeply about people, especially the small and the vulnerable. Serious issues are lifted with many a light-hearted topic.

I thought her A Taste of Memories was a really clever idea - full of fun and interesting anecdotes. Her zest for life shines through in I Love Little Baby Ducks. On a more serious note, her Mental Health and Learning Disorders lens offers an overview of her lenses on some important topics.
featured lens I Love Little Baby Ducks...

I love all of the things mentioned in Tom T Hall's song "I Love". All of the things mentioned in the song are simple, everyday things that can seem extraordinary when looked at through rose colored glasses. To see beauty and grace in the face of the...

featured lens A Taste Of Memories

Does food bring back memories for you? Are transported to another time and place by the smells and tastes of certain foods? A few weeks ago my husband and I were eating breakfast and I was pouting because the place we chose didn't have pancakes. He...

featured lens Mental Health And Learning Disorder Lenses

This is a lens directory of lenses about mental illness and learning disorders. I wrote these lenses (web pages) because I have a mental illness and so do several of my family members. My main goal is to erase stigmas associated with mental illness b...

Giants 

There are some Squidoo lensmasters who don't fall into either of the above categories but, with over 50 (sometimes considerably more) lenses, are nonetheless experienced and skilled members of the community. These are the Giants. Their encouragement and advice is greatly appreciated by new lensmasters.

For this reason, I wanted to say a big Thank You to a couple of Giants who have helped me in my earliest Squidoo adventures.

Lensmaster 'AndyPo' 

It's about time a man was featured amongst all these ladies, but that's by no means the only reason AndyPo is on this list. This talented lensmaster currently has 157 lenses, but took time out to be the first to welcome and advise me... and has continued to be a very welcome visitor to my new lenses. Thanks Andy! He was also my very first 'fan'.

In addition to being a kindly presence, Andy is an inspirational crafter of lenses. These have some wonderful photos as well as being packed with information. As one of the featured lenses, I'm actually going to recommend his Lensography which is a delight to read. His Travel Photography lens showcases his world travels - perfect for the armchair explorer! Finally, straightforward photography advice from an expert is always welcome, and is provided in Which Digital SLR Camera?.
featured lens Worldwide Travel Photography

This article is about travel-photography all over the world including Brazil, China, Peru, USA, Canada, UK, Morocco, Mexico, Egypt, India, Thailand. I have published several travel photography articles, which I have listed below with some of the ph...

featured lens AndyPo: A Lensography

This lens is all about me, just in case you are interested; My life from South West England to Oxford University, London, then the rest of the world: lots of photos and a few links to some of my other favourite lenses... And some of travel and wild...

featured lens Which Digital SLR Camera?

There are so many good digital SLR cameras on the market now, with a wide range of prices and specifications, but which one should you buy and from which manufacturer? Why should you buy an SLR instead of a compact? What other features should you lo...

Lensmaster 'Ramkitten' 

SquidU deserves a mention as a great place to get help and advice, and Ramkitten is a friendly presence over there. So I'd like to choose her as the representative of all those folks on SquidU who devote time each day to helping everyone and ensuring Squidoo has a thriving community.

Ramkitten is almost at the big 100, with 99 lenses. While I enjoy seeking out some of the lesser known work of Squidoo's most popular and prolific lensmasters, I couldn't resist visiting her second-ranked lens, 100 Things I'm Thankful For. This joyful lens is one that should inspire many others to do something similar. This adventurer has many lenses relating to her hiking and travels. One wonderful example is Hiking the Appalachian Trail: A story in postcards. For something completely different, Ramkitten has devoted an entire lens to the color Chartreuse - and has made a fantastic job of it. It may be very 'niche' but this color-themed lens is well worth a look, in my opinion.
featured lens 100 Things I'm Thankful For

Lensmaster LittleIsMore (aka Claudette Mitchell) started a thread in the SquidU forums titled, "What are you thankful for?"  She wrote: Although I knew how important it was to be thankful, I only learned a few years ago the significance...

featured lens Hiking the Appalachian Trail: A Story in Postcards

On a recent snowed-in lazy day, I plopped myself on the floor in front of my shelf full of scrapbooks and started flipping through some memories. Three of the scrapbooks contained keepsakes from my  six-month Appalachian Trail thru-hike, includi...

featured lens Chartreuse: More Than Your Average Color

And I suppose yellowish-green would work. But I prefer the fancy, French version of one of my favorite colors. "Chartreuse" just sounds so ... sophisticated. So unique. Which it is. Chartreuse isn't a color you see coming and going, th...

But wait...

there's more!

Squidoo has many great lensmasters 

Unfortunately, there are too many of you to include here.

Some I have met in passing and am grateful for your support. I hope to see much more of you on Squidoo.

Others of you I may not have met yet. I'm still new here.* But I know you exist and are part of what makes Squidoo work so well.

So I've included a guestbook in the hope that you will feel free to use it to nominate your own favorite lensmasters. It's not intended as a popularity contest, just as a quick and easy way to say Thanks to those who haven't been featured here.

* I created this lens during my first month on Squidoo, for a Fresh Wonders contest!

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Who has inspired or encouraged you? 

Please share your stories of how Angels, Greeters, Giants or other Squidoo lensmasters have given you a helping hand.

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by WordCustard

I didn't know what to expect from Squidoo. What I found was an online community like no other! This lens is my tribute to just some of the people that... (more)

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