Why Every Serious Lensmaster NEEDS The SquidU Discussion Forums

If you think about the name, "SquidU" would be short for Squidoo University, which lets you know that it's a place for higher Squidoo learning. There is even a library there! However, the college experience is about more than just going to class. The student body interaction is what makes college memorable and meaningful.

That interaction takes place in the SquidU Discussion Forums.

This lens will give you an overview of what's available for squid students and why becoming an active member of the Squidoo community is so vital to your user experience.

Scroll to the top of the page and look toward the left - you'll see a link to SquidU! You can always follow that link or simply type http://www.squidu.com/forum/index.php directly into your address bar to go directly to the discussion forum!

actually joined Squidoo in December of 2005 at the advice of a fellow entrepreneur. The site and the concept were still very new, and I just didn't get it. I made a couple horrible lenses, and I left for a few years. Not a good experience at all.

However, in early 2008 I began to see more and more Squidoo lenses coming up on the first page of my Google and Yahoo! searches, so I figured it was time to give it a second look. Then, when I logged in, I saw that the couple horrible lenses that I left behind had actually made some money! It was very little, but over the years Squidoo kept making little deposits in my reserve hopper, just waiting for the day that I would get a payout. I thought that was really cool - Squidoo was effective and reliable. So, I began thinking seriously about how I would use Squidoo, and I started creating lenses again.

As I created lenses I visited lenses, and I began to read about how some squids were making real income on Squidoo. I was convinced that I could do the same if I took the time to learn what they were doing (and not doing). Some of this research took me to the SquidU Discussion Forums, where I noticed there was a LOT of chatter going on between people who were getting real marketing and income results by using this website.

I was thoroughly impressed.

So, taking the basics of what I had learned, I created The 60 Day Squidoo Challenge to get the ball rolling. However, I would have never been able to create the high quality, topically relevant lenses that I do without the knowledge and advice that I have received in the SquidU Discussion forums. Having friends and colleagues who are willing to help you and who are genuinely happy to see you succeed is one of the best assets a squid can have :-)

here are lots of different areas in the SquidU Discussion Forums, so instead of list them all (you should visit and see them for yourself), I will list some of the most important ones here:

his area is one of the most valuable in the entire forum. Squids from every level of the sea come here to ask for and give honest critiques of each others' lenses.

And the critiques are very good!

Squids usually don't comment unless they have something valuable to add, so you don't get a lot of sugarcoated encouragement, nor do you get any mean discouragement. The boards are closely moderated, so there's no monkey business.

Really.

So, it's okay to open up, make yourself a little vulnerable, and ask for some advice. I do it, and it makes a huge difference.

his is where the Squidoo Staff and other important Squidoo team members announce new developments that affect your user experience. It's a great way to stay ahead of the curve and up to date on the latest and greatest ways to improve your lenses.

They take a lot of painstaking efforts to make the Squidoo experience a good one - take adavntage of this news portal.

iant Squids and newbies alike come here to chew the fat, vent, network, and share. You can gain lots of insight into what experienced users go through and care about by listening in here. You can also observe what other newer users are expriencing, too.

Or, you can just chat it up with other like-minded people.

Either way, it's a great way to meet, greet, and learn!

anna know the who, what, when, where, or why about a lens creation issue? Got questions about how others are doing what they're doing or why your lens isn't doing something it should?

Ask for help!

NOTE: Perform some due dilligence before asking questions in this forum. You may find that the FAQ or a Sticky post has already answered it for you. There may also be another thread that addresses your same issue. So, do your homework so that there are no redundancies.

The Squidoo community is eager to give you a helping hand and an honest opinion on whatever it is you need to know. You can learn a LOT just by reading the threads that are already posted!

This forum is a wealth of dynamic, ever growing and evolving information that you can't afford to pass up.

his forum is where some of the best of the best share their knowledge about making money and achieving high lensrank on Squidoo. If you are looking to make a supplemental income or become a Giant Squid or higher, you HAVE to take the time to read and participate in this forum. As a newbie you'll be mostly reading, but it's well worth it to just swim with the big squids, even if you don't have much to add to the conversation.

Don't skip class on this one - you won't get this kind of help anywhere else!

re you an eBay seller and a squid? Then you need to become a regular in the eBay Users Forum. Learn how to combine your eBay and Squidoo efforts to make the most profit.

ave you ever been blessed by a Squid Angel? Do you want to be? You don't have to wait for a Squid Angel to flutter by your lens and hope for a sprinkling - you can actually ask the Angels to review your lens and leave a blessing!

How cool is THAT?

They are not obligated to bless your lens just because you ask, but most of them are very generous and are looking to help those lensmasters who are worthy of the help. If you have taken the time to build great lenses that add value to Squidoo and the web as a whole, you wil definitely get some support in this forum.

From the Mouth of an Angel: A suggestion to those looking for angel blessings -- post to the Critique Me forum first. Get some feedback, make adjustments, and THEN ask for the blessings. You'll be more likely to get them after some revisions. The Critique Me forum is a great resource.

For more on how to qualify for blessing, read Confessions of a Squid Angel: Top Ten Tips for a Bless-Worthy Lens and What I Look For In A Lens! by a Squid Angel for more information :-)