Squidoo Lenses - Quickly and Efficiently

When I have an idea for a lens, I don't immediately rush to my computer and start building it. I check to see if anybody else has written about the same subject on Squidoo. If they have, I take a look at the top ranked lens to see if I can do better. If I believe I can't, then I don't take the idea forward.

If I decide to make the lens, I think about it when walking the dogs, cooking a meal, anytime when I don't have to concentrate on what I'm doing. Then I might make notes.

By the time I am ready to use the computer, I have a good idea of what I'm going to cover in the lens, the order I'm going to do it and the viewpoint from which I'll write it.

Next, I check my own photographs and those online available for use, eg public domain, creative commons. I want striking, relevant images because they brighten and add interest to a lens. If I have a good idea of the pictures I'll use, I don't have to waste time while I'm writing or when I've finished.

If you are a Giant on Squidoo, use the template facility.

You can make a variety of templates with the modules you require and in the order you want them. Many Giants have a prepared, saved template for book reviews, another for travel lenses, one for recipes and one for general use.

For example, if you are doing a book review and aren't using Squidlit for some reason, you will want a template with Amazon modules in it. Probably at least one of those will be an Amazon Spotlight for drawing attention to the book you are reviewing and making it easy for visitors to buy it.

Having all the modules you usually want for a particular type of lens and in approximately the right order saves time and means you won't forget to put a particular module into the lens, perhaps a Countdown for one about Christmas, Halloween or a special event.

I can spend hours in the morning checking forums and posting in them, reading and replying to emails and don't even ask me how long I can waste on Twitter or in a chatroom anytime of day.

Yesterday, I meant to start this lens but I spent two and half hours in the Wiwon Team Chatroom so I am doing it today instead.

There are so many distractions on the web or even on your own computer in the form of Patience and other games. If you want to get enough lenses finished to become a Giant Squid or a Giant 100 Club member, you have to resist these temptations.

I don't usually have more than one lens in 'works in progress' (WIP). The one time I decided to do series of lens and made about six lenses in WIP with just the template done along with a title, I never felt any inclination at all to go and make them. In the end, I deleted them all and I have never made lenses on those subjects.

I know the best way for me to work is to concentrate on one lens or web page at a time. If I do that, I'm focused on it and enthusiastic about it. I can work on it for as long as it takes to at least finish a first draft in somewhere between two to four hours usually. I'll then leave it to the following day and then read it through for sense, typos, grammatical, spelling and other errors.

When lenses in WIP are glaring at me from the bottom of the lens list, I am instantly devoid of enthusiasm for them and have no vestige of inspiration to add to them.

You might find that WIP lenses don't have this affect on you but, if they do, don't leave them to fester and give you a bad conscience. Either get on and work on them or delete them. Personally, I find lenses listed in red look very belligerent and reproachful. I wouldn't be surprised to find one of them punching me in the mouth because I won't finish it.

When I was trying to reach the target of 100 lenses so I became a member of the Giant 100 Club, I hit a mental brick wall when I still had ten lenses to make and very little time. Then I discovered Twittrlists and I love them.

The main reasons are they are fun to make and they can look lovely. Best of all, they are quick.

I used them mainly for displaying beautiful pictures with a small amount of original text. I made five Twttrlists and they were all "Best of..." The one illustrated here is Best of Desserts on Twitter. I found pictures I could use, mostly on Wikipedia Commons, and then used the Twttrlist module to find relevant tweets.

I could make two or three of these a day as long as I chose subjects I could write about without research and there were plenty of good pictures easily available. They have the added advantage that I could use them as mini-lensographies (see below).

Now find out about more using cobranded lenses.