Confessions of a Squid Angel
Being a Squid Angel is a responsibility I take very seriously. I'm currently serving my third term as a Squid Angel, and am thrilled to have an opportunity to recognize and reward Squidoo lenses worthy of a boost. It's exciting to meet new lensmasters at Squidoo, and to discover outstanding lenses by our existing lensmasters and Giant Squids. How can your favorite lens receive a blessing? The Squid Angels are constantly scanning the Top 100 lenses in Squidoo's main categories (that's more than 3,000 lenses right there!) They also check in regularly at the Angels Forum for blessing requests. Many randomly search topics to see if there are any lenses worthy of a blessing. Suffice it to say, the Squid Angels are very busy, often working quietly and furiously behind the scenes. My goal here is to help you make your lens bless-worthy. I've listed many of the qualities I look for, with help from some of my favorite lenses, highlighted below. Each received an Angel Blessing from me, though many of the respective lensmasters may not have realized it. That's part of the fun, since Squid Angels can strike anonymously if they choose to do so.
Will your lens be next? Try these tips and see!
Ten Tips for a Bless-Worthy Lens
- ONE: Get Rid of the Default Stuff
- TWO: Add Some Gorgeous Pictures & Graphics
- THREE: Check Spelling & Grammar
- FOUR: Interact with Your Visitors
- FIVE: Don't Begin with a Sales Pitch
- SIX: Make Sure Your Lens has a Guestbook
- SEVEN: Spice Up Your Lens with New Modules
- EIGHT: Feature Other Relevant Lenses
- NINE: Lensroll with Related Lenses
- TEN: Make the World a Better Place
ONE: Get Rid of the Default Stuff
It's All About Personalizing Your Lens
Okay, so the orange guy's a dead giveaway... Anyone using the default avatar is either new to Squidoo or extremely shy. If I see this on a lens, I tend to move on. Your biography doesn't have to be carved in stone. I've changed mine lots of times and have gradually revealed more about myself as I've grown comfortable with the Squidoo community. Start by sharing a few facts about yourself, and be sure to add a photo or graphic to distinguish yourself from the rest of the squids. I've also been running across lenses with the default orange introduction graphic or default module titles. Both scream 'work in progress' to me. Remember, module titles are your friends! They function as tags and help your lens get discovered. Savvy lensmasters pack their module titles and subtitles with powerful keywords to attract visitors to their lenses. TWO: Add Some Gorgeous Pictures & Graphics
It's All About the Eye Candy
I once managed a Squidoo travel group and it always puzzled me when people submitted lenses about beautiful places accompanied by one or two postage-stamp-sized photos. Squidoo makes it so easy to add photos and they even host them for you! Check out these dazzlers:-
The Hawaiian Islands
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The State of Hawaii , is an archipelagic state of the United States located in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, south of Alaska, and north of Tahiti. From a physiographic and ethnographic perspective, this archipe...
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My Flower Garden
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I'm Deb the Flowergardener, and I'd like to share my backyard flower garden and flower photos with you! I've designed and created a 2,000 square foot flower garden in my back yard which is truly unique, matching my personality and life st...
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Mojitos - The Perfect Rum Drink
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I didn't discover mojito's until a few years ago, and I cannot believe it took me that long to find this incredible drink. I have long been a fan of rum over all other spirits, and this tropical delight fits so well into my beverage repertoir...
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Ancient Greece Odyssey: A Traveler's Journal
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Myth major seeks armchair travelers, art lovers, and born-again pagans for a ramble through the ruins of ancient Greece. Odyssey Latest Update: Palace of Tiryns Posted 11.22.09 I visited Greece in spring 2005 for the first time, where I have been going...
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RMS Titanic, Ship of Dreams
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On April 14th 1912 the most luxurious passenger liner on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York hit icebergs and sank in less than 3 hours later. 1,500 people lost their lives. The Titanic sank in Canadian waters, about 400 miles off the coa...
THREE: Check Spelling & Grammar
It's All About the Details
I've edited lots of articles and publications over the years, so proper grammar and spelling are important to me. But I must confess, I had a glaring typo in one of my lens introductions that went undetected for 5 months! I know you're anxious to post your latest lens in the Angels Forum, but make sure it's up to snuff. Unless someone specifically asks for my advice, I'm not going to point out spelling or grammatical errors while reviewing a lens. But don't worry... I'll never ding a lens because of bad grammar or misspellings. Also, if English is not your primary language, it helps us when you mention it in your bio. FOUR: Interact with Your Visitors
It's All About Social Networking
Add poll, duel, and plexo modules to encourage participation in your topic. These lensmasters know how to get their visitors talking:-
Housework - Make it Fast, Make it Fun
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"Housework" and "fun" don't seem like two words that go well together, but cleaning house doesn't have to be a dreaded chore that takes forever. There are ways to make it easier, faster, and even ways to make it fun. Before you get started on your s...
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Squidoo's Peculiar Lensranking System!
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How would you feel if your creator hadn't bothered to give you a name? (S)He (It's) our All Important Squidoo mascot, and a very busy boy (girl) (thing)! It's just... outrageous! Help right the wrongs done to this poor little squid. Help us Sec...
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Smoking should be banned in ALL public places
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Smoking should be banned in all public places. A smoker's (poor) choice should not affect the health of others. Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of toxic chemicals including arsenic ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, benzene, and vinyl chlor...
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DOGS vs. CATS - Dogs RULE!
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DOGS vs. CATS - Dogs RULE! DOGS are Cool, ain't no FOOL, and Dogs RULE! It goes without saying. PROOF POSITIVE. Dogs make better pets than Cats. Period. And EVERYONE who's anyone KNOWS IT! Hey, if you are injured and lost in the woods, who would you...
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Peeps or Cadbury Creme Eggs?
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Peeps or Cadbury Creme Eggs? Cadbury eggs: Creamy, gooey, chocolatey goodness. Peeps: Jet fuel in marshmallow form. You can't have a proper Easter without Just Born Peeps or Cadbury creme eggs. But while Peeps have that cute baby chick thing going...
FIVE: Don't Begin with a Sales Pitch
It's All About Proper Netiquette
It's okay to sell things on Squidoo... in fact, it's highly encouraged. I love to visit commercial lenses, if they're done properly. But when I see a lens introduction bogged down with hyperlinks to other non-Squidoo sites, my interest declines rapidly. Save those for later, and place them sporadically and tastefully throughout your lens. The same goes for requests for star ratings, favoriting, lensrolling, etc. Put these toward the bottom of your lens, preferably near your guestbook. Speaking of which... SIX: Make Sure Your Lens has a Guestbook
It's All About Accessibility
These lensmasters not only have busy guestbooks, they encourage interaction with their visitors. By the way, I will still bless a lens without a guestbook if 'Contact Me' is enabled.-
Tuscan Gardens
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Dreaming of having your own romantic Tuscan Gardens? The gardens of Tuscany are a sight to behold, casual yet elegant, comfortable, inviting and extremely romantic. Tuscan Gardens, is dedicated to helping you create a b...
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Organic Flavored Agave Nectar and Diabetic Sweetener - Low Glycemic Agasweet
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Recipes and information on Agasweet flavored agave nectar, which due to its extremely low glycemic index rating is a perfect alternative sweetener, suitable even for most diabetics! Agave syrup is a 100 percent organic and natural sweetener for every...
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Laminate Flooring Guide: the ultimate guide on laminate flooring, laminate wood flooring and many other types of laminate flooring
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Unlike hardwood, laminate floors will not stain, fade, dent and are far more scratch and water resistant. Warranties range from 10 years to lifetime and cover such factors as mentioned above. Entry level laminate wood flooring is designed for light t...
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Parasols (umbrellas to shade from the sun)
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Why parasols? I like parasols. They seem so romantic! I like to pick topics for my lens that I don't think anyone else might have.They say parasols are making a come-back. They keep the sun off your delicate skin and celebrities are now being seen wi...
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VINTAGE APRONS: Look Cute & Sexy While Cooking & Cleaning!
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Vintage aprons are cute, collectible and homey as well as functional items to have in the kitchen. Featured here are dozens of pretty vintage aprons that you can bid on or buy now from eBay, books and sewing patterns for making your own aprons,...
SEVEN: Spice Up Your Lens with New Modules
It's All About the Widgets
You've published your lens and are ready to go... or are you? In my opinion, there's always room for more. And that's where the new Squidoo widgets come in. My favorites include the Polaroid, Black Box (with its exciting new rainbow variations), The Most Important Thing, and StickyNote modules, but there are many more to choose from and new ones being added all the time. If you haven't experimented with the new Table of Contents module, you're really missing out. (Hint: I'm using one on this lens.) How do you find the widgets? While in edit mode, click on the 'Add Modules' button and search for them under the 'Widgets' and 'Search A-Z' tabs. The best way to see the new widgets in action is to simply visit other lenses. That's where I get most of my ideas. EIGHT: Feature Other Relevant Lenses
It's All About the Community
When I hear someone wax on about link leakage, I have to figure they don't need a boost from me. These lenses go the extra mile to feature the work of other worthy lensmasters (and their lens ranks aren't suffering, either!)-
How to Make Your First (or Second) Squidoo Lens
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Step-by-step, here's how to get started, answers to clear up some confusion, and all the basics to help you be a GREAT lensmaster right off the bat! There are FAQs, instructions, tips and techniques, common mistakes, some strategies and some technic...
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50 Ways To Use Squidcasting
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What the heck is Squidcasting? No it's not fishing for Squid! It's the awesome new interactive tool from the Squidoo HQ team. In a nutshell Squidcasting allows you to interact and react with your fans and fellow Squids. Check out my 50 Ways to Use Sq...
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Richland Recycling Center | Recycle Washington | Tri City Wa Waste Management | Paper Aluminum Computer and Plastic Recycling
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Recycling, brought to you by real estate agents, Joe and Colleen Lane of The Lane Real Estate Team. Recycled issues and recycle news, and ways you can contribute positively to the environment in Richland Washington specifically, and a lens on recycli...
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Journey of Hearts - Grief, Loss & Transitions
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Journey of Hearts was launched in the Fall of 1997 as "a Healing Place in CyberSpace." It was the as the first and only physician sponsored website devoted to educating people about the normal grief response. In the fall of 2007 Jo...
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Eco Friendly Guide
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The Eco Friendly Guide, will give you the resources for raising green kids. Tools to create awareness in the minds of our future. Teaching them early, about the importance of their planet's health. "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, w...
NINE: Lensroll with Related Lenses
It's All About Spreading the Link Love
Every so often I get a guestbook comment along the lines of "Gee, I liked your lens and I'm lensrolling it to my lens on xyz." Do I check out their lens? Naturally. Do I reciprocate and lensroll to their lens? You bet! These lensmasters really get the spirit of social networking. It's even more fun when someone spots their lens on one of my lensrolls and expresses appreciation. When I'm in bless-mode and scanning lenses all over Squidoo, nothing pleases me more than a guestbook comment saying "I just lensrolled your lens to mine." You don't have to use html. A mention of your lens title is all that's needed. TEN: Make the World a Better Place
It's All About Giving Back
Lastly, I have a soft spot for lenses that support our troops, animals, the environment, or people in need. Still... I'm looking for the cream of the crop. Here are some great examples:-
Beautiful Sierra Leone
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Kusheh ow di bohdi? Literally translated to: Hello how's your body? This lens is about Beautiful Sierra Leone. Chock a block full of beautiful pictures and engaging videos. Her people are the kindest individuals I've ever met. Time and time again pe...
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Are You Polar Bear Aware?
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Polar bears are affected by global warming, oil exploration, and big game hunters, all of which negatively affect their population. The purpose of this lens is to raise money to help save Polar Bears from extinction while helping more people become P...
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Ferrets Unlimited
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From this lens you can view the news updates from our rescue, check out some of our current projects, and see the ferrets currently available for adoption. Please visit the Ferrets Unlimited Headquarters here at Squidoo where you may create your own...
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Twas The Night Before Christmas - A Holiday Tribute For Our American Soldiers
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Many of our military troops will not be home with their families for the holidays this year. Our soldiers deserve to be in our thoughts and prayers this Christmas season. They fight for our freedom and we owe them so much. I received a tribute to ou...
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BlueFridays.Org
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What are Blue Fridays? - You are not alone in your interest about "Blue Fridays". Blue Fridays are an ever-growing American tradition to wear something blue on Fridays to show support for our troops. Join the cause and wear something blue t...
My Squid Angel Diaries
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Diary of a Squid Angel (2008)
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In March 2008, Squidoo HQ announced a new group of Squid Angels. I was editing a bunch of lenses, and upon refreshing a page, the lovely yellow Angel badge popped up on my title bar. That's how I learned of my Squid Angel status. It wasn't hard to fi...
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Diary of a Squid Angel (2009)
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Dozens of hard-working Squid Angels are looking for the best of the best on Squidoo. The program has evolved a bit since I last took part, and Squid Angels are now entrusted with three Squidoo categories. Here are the ones I'm assigned to: H...
Here's my favorite link:
Squid Angel Bless-a-Thons
A Big Thank You to Some of My Squidoo Fans
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A Day of One Hundred Squid Angel Blessings
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On the occasion of publishing my 250th lens, I've decided to celebrate with a one-day Squid Angel bless-a-thon. Blessing a hundred lenses in one day is probably a lot like 5-minute dating, but I've been an Angel twice and can spot winners pretty quic...
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Another Day of One Hundred Squid Angel Blessings
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For my last 100-lens bless-a-thon I randomly chose members of my Squidoo fan club. This time I searched for lensmasters who appeared in guestbooks all over Squidoo. This is one of my favorite ways to find new lensmasters and new lenses to bless. It's...
Squid Angel Tribute
Need Help With Grammar & Style?
... or Perhaps a Little Comic Relief?
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Write Good With Help From William Safire's Fumblerules
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Years ago, way before I was cornated as a Giant Squid, folks was always trying to illicit my good writing secrets. Heck, what was I suppose to do? Hoard them like a greedy miser in my chester drawers? Anyways, I could care less about there getting be...
Thanks for Visiting
Are your lenses ready to receive Squid Angel Blessings?
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Reply
- thesuccess thesuccess Nov 18, 2009 @ 10:19 am
- How should I thank a Squid Angel for a blessing?, and how can I promote the fact that I've had a blessing, I think some people add an icon?
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Reply
- ImportEyedeas ImportEyedeas Nov 16, 2009 @ 12:01 pm
- thanks for the heads up! people(Angels) like you are what makes Squidoo so Great... bc you take so much time out just to help others succeed. its nice to be part of a real community.
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Reply
- blujeanmomma blujeanmomma Nov 7, 2009 @ 6:22 pm
- Kim, thanks for all the tips and my recent angel blessing.
I don't know how you do it. You have tons of lenses and still find time to help others. I guess you really are an angel :)
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Reply
- spunkyduckling spunkyduckling Nov 6, 2009 @ 8:07 pm
- Don't have anymore lens yet for blessings. LOL
Hey these tips are great. Thanks for sharing. Learned something new. P.S That orange guy to the top of the lens still look better than the other orange pair on a newbie bio. :) I agree with you about the photos. Although I knew that a picture could mean a thousand words..I thought on the internet content meant more. But people really do love pics and I couldn't appreciate the full value until joined squidoo, its community and the easy tools.
You are so generous with everything you do..what a nice quality..I'll be taking the feature other lenses into consideration. Got one already on the mind...
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Reply
- stargazer00 stargazer00 Oct 31, 2009 @ 9:50 pm
- Great advice for all of us! Blessed and featured on Angels Unaware!
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This Lens Supports SquidAid
Humane Society of the United States
Proceeds from this lens are designated for the Humane Society of the United States. All Squidoo Lensmasters are encouraged to become SquidAid Responders. It's easy... get the details at SquidAid Group Headquarters and Join the SquidAid Responders.SquidAid Squidoodles are designed by and appear courtesy of © 2007 LensDoc (Kirsti A. Dyer). Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License.
Marketing Wisdom from Seth Godin
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Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Amazon Price: $12.24 (as of 11/25/2009)
What do Starbucks, JetBlue, and KrispyKreme have that you don't? Every day, consumers come face to face with a lot of brown cows... but you can bet they won't forget a Purple Cow. As Seth states, You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice. Read more about Purple Cow right here on Squidoo!
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Courtesies
Snake Oil Graphic Courtesy of Hugh MacLeod
Creative Commons License
Plagiarism is No Laughing Matter
© 2009 Kim GiancaterinoThis Squidoo Lens by Kim Giancaterino is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Mona Lisa Simpson © FOX Broadcasting Company
About the Author
Lensmaster KimGiancaterino has been a member since October 30 2006, has rated 8,025 lenses, favorited 3,945, and has created 288 lenses from scratch. Kim Giancaterino donates their royalties to Asante Africa Foundation. This member's top-ranked page is "Diary of a Squid Angel (2009)". See all my lenses
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