Why I Needed Squidoo

But I do have a few clues about how to get my message out to my readers. We live in a world that loves sound bites. The information highway of yesterday is bumper to bumper traffic.

Many solutions exist for capturing a small part of all the information. We can pick and choose what we add to our readers. We can choose favorites to revisit regularly. I have found that I have to be brutal in my selection of what sites I receive by RSS or I have so much information that I get nothing else done.

So--back to my question--how do I get traffic? Over the past two years, I have invested many, many hours studying that question by downloading most of the really great help that is online in blogs and is free (if you don't count the time invested).

Most of the guidance for traffic I've checked out was for those bloggers who chose to do things the regular way-allow comments, read and comment on the comments, post to sites to get noticed, join with other bloggers in some sort of network, and/or write articles with link back to the personal blog.

So I proceeded to go this route. By the time I had quit creating new blogs, sites and lenses, I had about 40 choices. So I am offering 6 Wordpress.org (all with individual domain names),16-20 Squidoo lenses (as I keep adding to these), and

During this time, I also had written several ebooks that I offered for sale on my blog, kathyberman.com. My reservations about ebooks are: (1) the customer has to do all the download, (2) most ebooks are too long to read online, and (3) my main complaint, all the links in ebooks aren't interactive. After I have paid or not paid for the ebook, I still have to type in the links that I want to visit from the ebook.

So I decided to go another way. I took five topics from my main blog and put them each on a separate blog. Then I took all the information and put it into an ebook. The ebook, the Changemaker Test, is for sale at kathyberman.com. The test can be used over and over to your family, friends and/or co-workers to help understand them and how you all interrelate. All the "answers" are included in the ebook. With the new blogs, anyone with compassion can begin his/her own groups to help others to better understand themselves.

As I posted at the beginning of this page, I knew that readers like "sound-bite" information. The reason I never did much with all the Blogger and Wordpress sites I have created is that posting to each 3-4 times a week is very draining. Also the posting got less and less fresh and lively. Several bloggers have several blogs that are very diverse and they keep up the pace and content. I am not one of those bloggers.

I saw Squidoo links on another site and decided to check it out again. Presto-Zippo-it was the answer to my sound-bite postings. I love Squidoo for many reasons. Some of these are:

(1) It allows for focused, precise information.
(2) It is simplified.
(3) With the same format for all, lensmasters can focus on content only.
(4) Squidoo organizes information visually so readers can pick and choose what he/she reads.
(5) When I do a search, if I want basic information, I use Google to begin the search. However, I only look on the first page of searches because Google information is often very old. I had to get used to reading the date published quickly to sort things out.

If I want explanatory information I use the amazing resource of Wikipedia.

I then search Delicious to get some current references for my search. I love Delicious for keeping my bookmarks straight and for providing me current links that are very good.

I see Squidoo as a natural progression here for short reference lens of information. For this reason, I find the lens that are created from someone's passion to be right on target information.

Welcome to Changemaker Family of Blogs. Changemaker is committed to the basic belief that each person has the opportunity for self-discovery and the potential for self-healing. As individuals, we sometimes choose paths that may be harmful to us. To get off that path and onto a new road takes exploration and experimentation.

The Changemaker Test offers education for self-discovery as we believe that the change within a person involves the courage to see (insight) and the courage to act (action). The test will teach anyone 10 or more labels about themselves.

Therefore, by using the labels to change themselves, the changemaker is the person who decides to learn and make the change happen.

In advocating the self-discovery model for understanding ourselves and others, Changemaker believes that the Changemaker Test can be used to help groups of persons interested in learning about themselves.

Healing begins when, in spite of all the negative self-talk going on inside a person, that person feels someone caring and loving them for no apparent reason. This unconditional love comes in spite of attempts to search for a motive.

The Changemaker Family of Blogs includes five blogs that each includes one of the basic topics from our main site, kathyberman.com.

1) answersbyemail.com -I wrote the Changemaker Test in 1990 and have only recently included it in my work. As a counselor and teacher, I realized that most of the self-discovery labels were only known by counselors. So I took the 5 major personality indicators and arranged a "test" that anyone can use to find 10 of his/her labels.

Therapy is the study of personality but it has been high-jacked by the mental health field to define mental illness. I say high jacked because most people need information/education and not therapy. I don't believe you can help anyone negatively. I have always pictured a person in denial as sitting out in the cold wrapped up in a thin blanket called denial. Many times people want to "help" by yanking off the blanket. How does that help anyone except the "helper's ego"?

2) changemakergroups.com - Changemaker Groups provide short-term specialized direction and solutions to help others to better understand themselves and us. With this direction and self-knowledge others will learn to implement techniques designed to lead to greater self-mastery. These groups are started by lay persons interested in self-discovery and helping others. Anyone with compassion for others and the humility to know that he/she doesn't have the answers for anyone's life except his/her own life.

Groups are the recognized best method for people to gain information and acceptance from others. One of the main underpinnings of AA is that all members are peers. Anyone has the opportunity to share and to be heard. The Changemaker Groups can be started at several free online community sites and/or in person.

3) cmlibrary.com -In 2005, I began selecting and defining the books I felt were the best for ten main topics developed in Changemaker. The topics are core (basic selection of 4 books that could be the foundation for life change), creativity, exercise, food, health, meditation, peace of mind, personal development, spiritual direction, and stress reduction. The core books are comprehensive and may be all the books someone needs. I have included several books I've used as my "textbooks" for my personal growth.

4) healingforyou.com -This blog will include all the topics needed for healing mentally, physically and emotionally. It also includes many links to tools to help you in your spiritual journey. I believe that each of us has a soul and our main life quest is the discovery and growth of our soul. I also believe that our soul is awakened by our creativity and that maturity is becoming that joyful, playful child that God created in us.

5) highenergygoals.com-I quit drinking alcohol in 1976, smoking in 1988, but I had gained weight. For over 10 years, I tried eating different ways with no weight loss. Then in 2006, I developed my basic weight loss plan. I lost 20 pounds which I have kept over for over a year. I am now beginning my Phase 2-20 more pounds. The High Energy plan includes food suggestions, exercise suggestions, and emotional and mental techniques needed for stress reduction. The plan is created by you to include the food, exercise, and techniques that you most enjoy. I know that a total life plan has to be enjoyable to be used.