A (Not So) Secret Squidoo Lab

Ranked #1,253 in Squidoo Community, #124,122 overall

Three months later I am celebrating my Squidoo status and stats!

It only took me three months but at last I am celebrating because I finally achieved my goal of earning more than $300 per month and have every expectation of staying there -- and hopefully doing even better in the long run.

This means I have found the best way to optimize the time I spend working on my lenses and a pretty good strategy for predicting my earnings -- which further helps me optimize my time.

Why I wasn't so happy...

I became a Squidoo lensmaster four years ago (March 11 was my anniversary) and I only joined to promote my then-successful online publishing business encompassing blogs and ezines. However, I was soon drawn in by the fun I could have with lens creation and then I discovered I could make money with my Squidoo lenses too ($6,545.26 to date)!

Much of my time on Squidoo I have been working on my Ph.D. as well as working more than full time and serving as a church elder as well as being a wife and mother. Squidoo has clearly not been high on my priority list but I still managed to do OK.

This Fall when I finished drafting my dissertation and found some breathing room I began to spend more time on Squidoo. I've created a number of lenses since then and updated and improved even more. I was feeling pretty good about my lensmaster skills and feeling even better that I would soon begin to reap the reward for my effort and see my Squidoo earnings increase.

However, during the coming months I was bitterly disappointed to see my earnings were lower or on par with the months when I was doing very little if at all with my lenses. It is pretty depressing for me to think that despite my hard work to be a better lensmaster and to be a better Squidoo community member I did better when I barely maintained my Squidoo citizenship.

And so I did not feel much like celebrating my Squidoo anniversary or the intervening paydays. It was frustrating when only 116 of my 308 lenses made money in January and infuriating that most of those only earned a few cents. Not much of a payoff for all my hard work. Maybe some Squidoo honors would have balanced some of that out but I still have only one LOTD and my Purple Stars are still in the single digits. It was enough to make a grown Squid cry.

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My plan to increase my Squidoo earnings

When I originally began updating and improving my lenses this Fall I thought that would automatically increase my earnings. I thought that the cream would rise to the top and everything would be happy. Not to be as you can see from my disappointment in the introduction to this lens.

So after receiving some advice from some other lensmasters I have decided to ignore everything that is outside the tiers (or close enough that some attention can make a difference). It is hard -- oh so hard to ignore so many of my babies but I'm working on it.

I believe this month's stats bear out the advice I received. I have a higher payout this month despite the fact I have fewer lenses in the money. Definitely the right strategy.

One of the things I have done since I've started really working on my lenses (as opposed to the dabbling I did previously) has been to keep track of my numbers -- especially how many lenses are in each Tier. Now this is tricky because lenses do fluctuate (although my top 2 lenses say pretty steady) and this means there is some movement between tiers. This is further complicated because some of the Squidoo income streams (infolinks etc.) do not break at the same point as the tier payouts. There always seems to be a gray area between the tiers that I'm still trying to understand but from what I've seen that gray area has boggled smarter and more experienced lensmasters as well.

A look at my Tier 1 numbers:

I tracked that throughout February I had between 3 and 5 lenses consistently in Tier 1 -- my February payout included 4
In March I managed to increase that to between 4 and 7 lenses consistently in Tier 1 -- my March payout included 4
In April I had between 4 and 9 lenses in Tier 1 -- my April payout included 5.
In May I had 4-6 lenses consistently in Tier 1 -- my May payout included 5.
In June I had 4-7 lenses consistently in Tier 1.
In July I had 4-7 lenses consistently in Tier 1.

Tier 2:
February 18-25 (including the Tier 1 lenses) -- my February payout included 15 (so if you add in the 4 that were in Tier 1 that looks about right)
March 23-29 (including the Tier 1 lenses) -- my March payout included 22 (so if you add in the 4 that were in Tier 1 that looks about right)
April 26-29 (including the Tier 1 lenses) -- my April payout included 20
May 24-27 (including the Tier 1 lenses) -- my May payout included 17
June 21-27
July 16-21

Tier 3:
February 32-47 (including Tiers 1 and 2) -- my February payout included 149
March 37-47 (including Tiers 1 and 2) -- my March payout included 145
April 36-49 (including Tiers 1 and 2)-- 104 in my April payout
May 34-42 (including Tiers 1 and 2) -- 119 in my May payout

So that is where I am -- we'll see what the next payout brings!

The story behind this lens

The original idea behind this lens was to provide an overview of my Squidoo dashboard stats to help me see the big picture as well as my progress in the long term. Hence the original title -- Rwoman's Squidoo Stats.

However, this lens languished for months as I no longer track stats like I used to and I was mulling over various options for this lens when I saw a Squidcast that Margaret Schaut sent about her lens Secret Squidoo Testing & Experiment Laboratory. Now I've long been a fan of her work so of course I visited the lens. The lens is great but not what I thought it was going to be and so I thought why not steal her idea (or rather what I thought was her idea) and make this lens my very own Secret Squidoo Laboratory. What do you think? Is that a grand idea for a remake of this lens?
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What do you think of my idea?

I'll share my goals and predictions as well as report on the results of my experiments and overall Squidoo progress

Is this a good idea for a lens?

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Great idea

COUNTRYLUTHIER says:

Go for it squiddly, someone has to and I vote You!

Frank2009 says:

True inspiration!

GrammaLinda says:

I have been focusing on my tier 1 to tier 3 lenses, and have seen a steady increase. Not as much as you have, but an increase. Enough to keep me going.

Markus says:

Excellent idea. Plus, if you combine this with something like Feed Shark to help promote your lens - you can't go wrong.

franstan says:

It gives those of us who are nowhere near earning that much money encouragement that we can succeed.

Silly idea

kevinw1 says:

Ditto on what vallain says - work on your almost-tier-1 or tier-2 lenses, and/or your lenses that get decent Google traffic. As they improve, links from them to your lower-ranked lenses will help those at the bottom to rise as well.

vallain says:

Don't put so much attention on the bottom lenses on your list. Look at the ones close to tier one and tier two and give them a boost. That's where the bigger earnings are. Going from tier two into tier one is worth $20 to $25 on a single lens. Work towards that.

javrsmith says:

This should have been my idea.

2muchtrash says:

I really want to say it is a great idea, but we need to even up the score a little, so I am going with 'silly idea'. (but its not!)

 
view all 35 comments

New & Recently Revived Lenses

In the interest of preparing to meet the challenge of earning Purple Star and Lens of the Day awards, not to mention honoring my Squidoo Pledge I am polishing select lenses. It quickly became clear to me that I needed a lensography to keep up with them all! Of course, because I am a Squidooholic I can't help but continue creating new lenses. These lensographies chronicle this work.
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My Squidoo Honors

I decided this month that it was time to create my own Trophy Case lens to showcase my Squidoo honors and achievements.
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Learn more about me

Deanna Mascle aka Rwoman

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Important!

My goals and milestones

Important!

July 2011

I continue to work on lensrank for my top lenses in hopes to see my payouts increase. I've also got plans for some new lenses as I have time! I was also named a Colossal Squid (250+) on July 7.

July 2011

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Important!

June 2011

I continue to be busy with things other than Squidoo but the demise of the page break module led me to split one of my big lenses into new lenses so this appearance of diligence is a bit misleading. On the good news front I did finally achieve my goal of reaching a $300 payout! Now let's just see if I can stay there!

June 2011

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Important!

May 2011

Another busy month that left me short-changing Squidoo but I did manage to create two lenses (can you see where my mind was?) and saw me getting closer to my goal of $300 per month.

May 2011

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Important!

April 2011

I was mostly focused on things other than Squidoo and yet I managed to publish four new lenses and update several more. This payout got close to my goal -- which isn't too bad for not being as dedicated a lensmaster as I had hoped for this month.

April 2011

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Important!

March 2011

Still not anywhere near my goal of achieving $300 payout but have worked out a new Squidoo plan which hopefully will help me do so.

March 2011

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Important!

February 2011

I'm still struggling with raising my lowest lensranks. I understand that I will always have some lenses out of the money but don't understand why some lenses just drop so far down when I think they are worthy of much higher ranking. Need to study this more closely.

My predictive powers are pitiful and I was very disappointed with my last payout and the fact my work didn't pay off. I think I have reworked my system and if I am correct I will finally achieve my goal of breaking $300 next month.

February 2011

Pretty excited to make another "Best of" list on Squidoo. Wow For Women was named among The Best Intro Photos On Squidoo and won a Purple Star for the effort.
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Important!

January 2011

Guess what! I was named a Giant Squid 100 which is an awesome way to kick off the new year!

How did I do on my goals? I didn't get all my lenses under 200K lensrank but I came darn close (with an average lensrank of 98,648) so I think I can do it in February. Have to wait and see re pushing my earnings closer to $300 a month.

I created some new lenses but managed to focus on working on my existing lenses so that is all good!

January 2011

I also joined the Squidoo Virtual Jenga Game and contributed Lens #29 to the stack! Can we make 50? My other new lens is a result of taking Harry's Hobby challenge. Can you tell which is which? After becoming a Giant Squid 100 I also thought it was time to create my own Squidoo Showcase. My fourth lens was created for the Goals 2011 Quest for Giant Squids. My fifth lens (looks like I'll be staying at 5 new lenses for January) was created for the Professional Squids Nichiest Niche Lens Contest.
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Can I do it?

My prediction

Can I achieve my goal?

Reader predictions:

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agoofyidea, at 8pm on September 10, 2011 predicts:

I believe you can.

Duane_Jackson, at 8pm on June 26, 2011 predicts:

yes...go for it!

GabrielaFargasch, at 12pm on April 15, 2011 predicts:

Yes you can!!!! Don't focus on what is not working and just see the end results!!

Irenemaria, at 11am on April 15, 2011 predicts:

Aim for the stars and you might reach the moon!

ChineseKitesforKids, at 12pm on April 13, 2011 predicts:

Gods will be done.

 
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Squidoo Profits

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2011 Stats

January 2011 royalties (paid out 03/15/2011)
Total featured lenses on date: 116 lenses
Total paid: $174.63

February 2011 royalties (paid out 04/14/2011)
Total featured lenses on date: 168 lenses
Total paid: $245.31

March 2011 royalties (paid out 5/13/2011)
Total featured lenses on date: 171 lenses
Total paid: $293.92

April 2011 royalties (paid out 06/10/2011)
Total featured lenses on date: 146 lenses
Total paid: $329.38

May 2011 royalties (paid out 07/14/2011)
Total featured lenses on date: 155 lenses
Total paid: $332.60

2010 Stats

December 2010 royalties (paid out 02/15/2011)
Total featured lenses on date: 133 lenses
Total paid: $218.85

November 2010 royalties (paid out 1/11/2011)
Total featured lenses on date: 147 lenses
Total paid: $233.48

October 2010 royalties (paid out 12/15/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 146 lenses
Total paid: $219.94 * This is grand news because this is the time period I started work on lenses so hopefully this is a result of my efforts!

September 2010 royalties (paid out 11/16/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 151 lenses
Total paid: $134.22

August 2010 royalties (paid out 10/13/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 147 lenses
Total paid: $198.39

July 2010 royalties (paid out 09/13/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 166 lenses
Total paid: $176.88

June 2010 royalties (paid out 08/13/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 170 lenses
Total paid: $192.15

May 2010 royalties (paid out 07/14/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 181 lenses
Total paid: $234.98

April 2010 royalties (paid out 06/10/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 194 lenses
Total paid: $237.54

March 2010 royalties (paid out 05/06/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 200 lenses
Total paid: $217.24

February 2010 royalties (paid out 04/13/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 191 lenses
Total paid: $221.50

January 2010 royalties (paid out 03/09/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 203 lenses
Total paid: $178.01

2009 Stats

December 2009 royalties (paid out 02/10/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 218 lenses
Total paid: $163.89

November 2009 royalties (paid out 01/12/2010)
Total featured lenses on date: 221 lenses
Total paid: $151.70

October 2009 royalties (paid out 12/15/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 245 lenses
Total paid: $161.86

September 2009 royalties (paid out 11/05/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 238 lenses
Total paid: $132.80

August 2009 royalties (paid out 10/08/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 237 lenses
Total paid: $83.66

July 2009 royalties (paid out 09/15/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 227 lenses
Total paid: $87.97

June 2009 royalties (paid out 08/13/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 190 lenses
Total paid: $87.60

May 2009 royalties (paid out 07/10/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 211 lenses
Total paid: $84.20

April 2009 royalties (paid out 06/10/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 216 lenses
Total paid: $94.99

March 2009 royalties (paid out 05/14/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 212 lenses
Total paid: $127.22

February 2009 royalties (paid out 04/07/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 225 lenses
Total paid: $140.51

January 2009 royalties (paid out 03/11/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 219 lenses
Total paid: $118.17

2008 Stats

December 2008 royalties (paid out 02/10/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 236 lenses
Total paid: $161.19

November 2008 royalties (paid out 01/09/2009)
Total featured lenses on date: 234 lenses
Total paid: $179.22

October 2008 royalties (paid out 12/11/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 233 lenses
Total paid: $195.09

September 2008 royalties (paid out 11/10/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 227 lenses
Total paid: $197.08

August 2008 royalties (paid out 10/06/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 213 lenses
Total paid: $212.75

July 2008 royalties (paid out 09/08/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 215 lenses
Total paid: $144.12

June 2008 royalties (paid out 08/07/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 199 lenses
Total paid: $113.15

May 2008 royalties (paid out 07/10/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 185 lenses
Total paid: $121.10

*** Named A Giant Squid on May 2!

April 2008 royalties (paid out 06/04/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 152 lenses
Total paid: $99.70

March 2008 royalties (paid out 05/07/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 117 lenses
Total paid: $106.95

February 2008 royalties (paid out 04/08/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 79 lenses
Total paid: $21.04

January 2008 royalties (paid out 03/08/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 67 lenses
Total paid: $21.85

2007 Stats

November 2007 royalties (paid out 01/08/2008)
Total featured lenses on date: 41 lenses
Total paid: $11.64

June 2007 royalties (paid out 08/06/2007)
Total featured lenses on date: 18 lenses
Total paid: $11.

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