No Angel

The SquidAngels are here to keep an eye out for good quality lenses. When we see one, we give it a "blessing" - a small thumbs up which boosts the lens a little in lens rank.

We want to see the top lenses where they rightfully belong - at the top. We may write you a review too, but that's all down to how much time we have.

At the same time, we keep a watchful eye for any spammy lenses. When we spot one, we don't bless, we ding it down. If your lens gets dinged, you'll notice a LensRank fall.

All angels are different and we all have our own standards for a lens blessing. These ones are mine - and not the views of the angels as a group.

Bio No lens is complete without your bio and an image to represent you. If you have a default bio it looks like you just don't care. Remember, you can change your bio at any time - even have a different one on each lens.

Default Modules : Same thing. Name your modules. Remember, module titles function as tags!

Intro : The introduction is the most important part of your lens. In this opening you have the chance to catch the reader's attention, do this by having an interesting image to illustrate your content and make your content count. Use your keywords here, but don't go over the top, we don't want it reading like a list of metatags, use your own good sense. Please, don't ask for stumbles, ratings, diggs etc here - they should be at the end of your lens when people have read your content and are in a position to judge.

Content Modules : Squidoo considers lenses with fewer than three content modules to be unimproved and I do too. I don't count long extracts from wikipedia as content either. Use one if you wish, but I much prefer to see your own content, rewrite it in your own words.

Pictures : Squidoo likes pictures. Vary your modules and use the Text with BIG picture as well as the regular text module. Experiment.

Amazon Modules : There are a number of amazon modules but, whichever you choose, write something yourself about the item. It makes your lens more personal and the item more attractive.

Affiliate Links : If you have your own affilliate links, don't throw them at the reader in the introduction. Spread them throughout your lens - once again, use your own good sense.

Spelling and Grammar : Check your grammar and spelling. If English is not your first language please mention it in your bio or somewhere. No one is going to get dinged just because they are learning to write in English but native English speakers who haven't checked their spelling will miss out on a blessing for sure. If you're uncertain as to how to spell a word, then try typing it into google, you'll almost always get the question "did you mean ...."

Engage your readers : Get them to interact through a poll, a duel, a plexo. Don't overload your lens with too many, once again use your own good sense and look at your lens through the eyes of a visitor.

Links : Are your links working? Test them to make sure.

Originality, Your Own Voice and Flair : What makes your lens different from all of the other lenses on the same topic? Why should anyone read it? If you're writing on a topic that's very popular you had better make it different and not cut from the exact same cloth as the other hundred thousand competing for our attention. Give it your own style, your own interpretation, your own pitch. Give it your own voice. If you like something - tell us why.

Probably the most glaring omission for new lensmasters is the Bio.

I can't understand why people would go to the trouble of creating a lens or, for that matter, creating an account, without spending 5 minutes to write a few lines in the Bio.

Is there anything more off-putting than seeing "Hello World. This is my bio. I can edit it later" ? No one is going to come back and look at it later!

If you have the default Bio - go and customise it now. Quickly! In your dashboard, look up in the top left corner for the link to Edit your Bio. Just below that link is yet another link to Change Picture. .

As for the photo .. if you're camera-shy it doesn't have to be a photo of yourself, you can use an image to represent what you're about. Have a look around at other lensmasters. Many use an icon or avatar of some kind instead of a real life photo. But that default orange guy? Eeek, no! (Sometimes I wonder what people are trying to hide)

If you experience some difficulty in uploading your photo - (about 125 X125 is a good size - and not over 1mb) - write something in your bio first.This should do the trick :)

Photo : The beautiful angel is Maria Sangiorgi, teacher of Middle Eastern dance in Melbourne, Australia.

I have a problem with the misuse of apostrophes. If I see you have them mixed up I will write and let you know the correct way but, to save us both some time, let's go through the rules for apostrophes again.

There are two methods in which an apostrophe is used. One is to show that a word is possessive and one to show that a letter or two is missing.

If the breakfast belongs to the dog, it's the dog's breakfast.

The first example it's shows that a letter is missing from it is and yes, the breakfast does belong to the dog. It's the dog's breakfast.

Remember : "it's" always means "it is" or "it has" and nothing else.

The exception to the general rule : there is NO apostrophe when it denotes possession - there's always an exception to the rule isn't there?

An apostrophe is used to show possession.

That flower is beautiful its petals are yellow.

If you are unsure about using the apostrophe in the word it's, just read the sentence out aloud to yourself. Every time you see it's, change the word to it is. Does it make sense?

10% of my income goes to continue the work of Fred Hollows in treating avoidable blindness and improving indigenous health.

Photo : Khim Rath, who can now see after a successful cataract operation, Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia.

Blindness is a significant public health issue in Cambodia. Over 160,000 people are blind and an additional 20,000 become blind each year. The main cause of blindness is cataract, which can be treated by a simple 15 minute operation at an average cost of $25 (AUD$35).