Top Ten Best Tips for a Bless-Worthy Squidoo Lens
Ranked #686 in Squidoo Community, #77,950 overall | Donates to ASPCA
Confessions of a Returning Squid Angel
I've had the privilege of serving as a Squid Angel for three terms, and was recently appointed again to keep an eye on the Entertainment > Performing Arts neighborhood. Squid Angels are able to bless lenses in all categories, though we've made a commitment to watch over our assigned areas. Most Squid Angels are in the habit of visiting lots of lenses all over Squidoo, so you never know where a blessing will come from. How can your favorite lens receive a blessing? If your lens is already in the Top 100 for a specific category, you'll want to keep it fresh and updated. A Squid Angel is probably looking over your shoulder.
How can you stand out from the crowd? My best advice is to leave comments in guestbooks. That's where I tend to look for new faces and people to check out. When I see the same face over and over, I know they're participating in the community. Squid Angels are busy people, and have learned to bless as they go. If you're showing up regularly in guestbooks, you will be found. 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 (all of which were blessed by me at one time or another).
Will your lens be next? Try these tips and see!
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How can you stand out from the crowd? My best advice is to leave comments in guestbooks. That's where I tend to look for new faces and people to check out. When I see the same face over and over, I know they're participating in the community. Squid Angels are busy people, and have learned to bless as they go. If you're showing up regularly in guestbooks, you will be found. 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 (all of which were blessed by me at one time or another).
Will your lens be next? Try these tips and see!
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My Top Ten Tips for a Bless-Worthy Lens
Squid Angels Love to Bless Worthy Lenses!
ONE: Get Rid of the Default Stuff
It's All About Personalizing Your Lens
Okay, so the orange cartoon squids are 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 over the years. 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 default module titles, which screams 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:
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 catch a lot of spelling mistakes in newly published lenses, and there are even some lenses in Squidoo's Top 100 that have spelling errors! (My lips are sealed there.) 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'd never ding a lens because of bad grammar or misspellings. It only takes a few minutes to run a spell check. Play it safe if you have any doubts.Spelling Bee Champ Ornament by bugspot
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:
FIVE: Don't Begin with a Sales Pitch
It's All About Proper Netiquette
It's okay to sell things on Squidoo—indeed, that's why most of us are here. I love to visit commercial lenses, if they're done properly with lots of interesting photos and graphics. Personal testimonials and product reviews make a big difference too. However, 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 all text links and banners sporadically and tastefully throughout your lens. The same goes for requests for thumbs up, purple stars, LOTD consideration, Facebook liking, etc. Put requests of this nature 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 have busy guestbooks, and encourage interaction with their visitors.
SEVEN: Try Some New Modules and Themes
It's All About the Widgets and Colorful Designs
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 Squidoo widgets come in. My favorites include the Polaroid, Black Box (with its exciting new rainbow variations), Big Arrow Link, 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, go to the Workshop Tools and click on Add Modules, then Browse all modules. Search for widgets under All or browse through the A-Z tabs. The best way to see 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!)
NINE: Add a Poll or Quiz Module
Engage Your Readers and Solicit Opinions on Your Topic
I'm a big fan of poll and quiz modules. Readers won't always have time to leave a guestbook comment, but they will take a few seconds to click on a poll. I've included polls on nearly all of my lenses, and am constantly amazed by the responses. Squidoo polls and quizzes are great for earning monster points and leveling up. People also like to see how their responses compare to other poll takers. They're fun, quick, and they provide insight to what people are thinking about your topic. Try adding at least one poll or quiz module to each of your lenses.Rainbow Question Marks by orsobear
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, nature, or people in need. Still ... I'm looking for the cream of the crop, backed by passion for the topic. Here are some great examples:
My Squid Angel Diaries
Squid Angel Terms in 2008 and 2009
Squid Angel Tribute
Produced by Chef Keem
Meet the past and present Squid Angels. Video and music by retired Squid Angel, Achim Thiemermann (Chef Keem). He's busy with a new business venture, and we hope to welcome him back as an Angel when his schedule settles down a bit.
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Squid Angel Bless-a-Thons
A Big Thank You to Some of My Fellow Lensmasters
Squidoo Squid Angel Kim Giancaterino Angel Fountain in Napa, California
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MillBucks
Feb 14, 2012 @ 4:04 pm | delete
- Great tips, as a new member here on Squidoo I am constantly researching and learning more as I move along. I've been blessed by a few Squid Angels and I appreciate each and every one of them. Their acknowledgement and encouragement let's me know how great this community is towards others as we gain the experience to one day earn our wings also.
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MissionBoundCreations
Feb 14, 2012 @ 1:32 pm | delete
- I visited a lens that featured the squid angels that had blessed that lens. What is the module that allows this awesome feature. I want to thank the busy person who took the time to bless my lens and all the future Angels that i know will be coming by to sprinkle some joy. I hope you can help me .
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MissionBoundCreations
Feb 14, 2012 @ 1:32 pm | delete
- I visited a lens that featured the squid angels that had blessed that lens. What is the module that allows this awesome feature. I want to thank the busy person who took the time to bless my lens and all the future Angels that i know will be coming by to sprinkle some joy. I hope you can help me .
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CaptainJeremiahObadiah Feb 13, 2012 @ 6:30 pm | delete
- Great Lens, much helpful and thought provoking advice. My interest is in using Squidoo to promote my business as a performer, rather than to make money from Lenses, but I can see how transferrable the principles are! Thank You.
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nickirc
Feb 7, 2012 @ 11:08 pm | delete
- No questions just praise, thank you this was very helpful:)
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Top Ten Best Tips for a Bless-Worthy Squidoo Lens was created by Kim Giancaterino on March 30, 2008. This Squidoo page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
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Lensography, Squid Angel, Journal of the Traveling Squid, and More!
Kim Giancaterino Lensography ∗ Giant Squid 100 Club Charter Member ∗ Mission: Possible ~ Becoming a Giant Squid in 2012 ∗ Top Ten Best Tips for a Bless-Worthy Squidoo Lens ∗ Diary of a Squid Angel (2008) ∗ Diary of a Squid Angel (2009) ∗ A Day of One Hundred Squid Angel Blessings ∗ Another Day of One Hundred Squid Angel Blessings ∗ Ten Outstanding Performing Arts Lenses ∗ Kim Giancaterino Giant Squid Summer School Lensography ∗ Kim Giancaterino Giant Squid Back to School Lensography ∗ Ten New Lenses by Kim Giancaterino ∗ The Journal of the Traveling Squid Goes Hollywood ∗ Kipsy's Return: How I Completed the Mission (and Discovered Some Great New Lenses Along the Way) ∗ Facebook Fan Pages ∗ Squidoo Southern California Meetup 2010: Brookside Park, Pasadena ∗ Still Lamenting the Loss of Lensroll? ∗ Join the Pollapalooza ~ Earn Lots of Monster Points and Trophies with Squidoo Poll Modules ∗ Pollapalooza ~ 100 Polls About Food ∗ Pollapalooza ~ 100 Polls About Holidays ∗ Pollapalooza ~ 100 Polls About Television ∗ Earn Lots of Monster Points and Trophies with Squidoo QuizzesSquidArt Courtesy of tagsforkids
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Top Ten Best Tips for a Bless-Worthy Squidoo Lens
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- A Day of One Hundred Squid Angel Blessings A Day of One Hundred Squid Angel Blessings
- Join the Pollapalooza ~ Earn Lots of Monster Points and Trophies with Squidoo Poll Modules Join the Pollapalooza ~ Earn Lots of Monster Points and Trophies with Squidoo Poll Modules
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