A Squid is Born

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Born into the Sea of Squidoo

This is a tale of how I came to be the Squidoo Lensmaster known as BevsPaper. You will read about how I came to swim in the Sea of Squidoo and follow my journey through the waters.

I will also introduce you to fellow Lensmasters who have swam with me along the way. They might have offered me encouragement as my tentacles began to grow. They might have given me instructions and helpful hints on how to make my ink be a darker, more readable, blue.

Some of the fellow squids are Squid Angels who have been kind enough to bless a lens or two making my tentacles grow stronger and swim greater lengths in the rating pool.

This lens is a personal journey with hints and tips on how to grow and succeed here on Squidoo. I dedicate it to all the wonderful squids I've met and hope that new "Baby Squids" will glean some insight on how to swim in the great Sea of Squidoo.

The graphic at the left is from the Graphics Factory of which I am a member and can use their images.

It All Began with Sylvia 

In June of 2008, Sylvia aka boutiqueshops suggested to the members of a Small Business Forum that we check out Squidoo.

She explained about writing a lens and how that could be helped to promote our business and provide deeper backlinks for some of our pages on our websites. Her explanations were interesting and I came over to see what she was talking about.

Sylvia didn't stop with just an invitation. She encouraged me with reading my first lens, giving some tips and sharing her knowledge.

Her insight into the construction of a lens was helpful. I remember one of her comments was "I see the possibility of 3 other lenses that can be written from this one lens". Then she explained what she meant. I always think of her when I'm constructing an outline for a lens idea. Looking to see if there is another lens that can add to the one I'm working on.

She became my first fan, rated my lens, and left a comment. She has continued to give me support along the way and I so appreciate her nurturing my first attempts as a newborn Baby Squid. I would not have discovered Squidoo if it hadn't been for her. I would not have continued without her guidance in the beginning. Thank you, Sylvia!

On June 18, 2008, thanks to Sylvia, a new Baby Squid was born and named BevsPaper.

A few Lenses by BoutiqueShops 

Sylvia has written many lenses so this is just a sampling of her work.
featured lens The Cat Who Loves Lilian Jackson Braun

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featured lens Homemade Gift Basket Ideas For Men

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It takes a village to raise a Baby Squid. One thing I learned very quickly was that there were all of these wonderful Squids who were willing to take the time to read my work, comment on it, and rate it for me. Willing to nurture and encourage a young squid just as we do with infants.

EelKat helps me grow 

Eelkat was the first person to join my fan club that wasn't someone I already knew. I felt so honored as she was already well known in the Sea of Squidoo and she had written some really awesome lenses.

I can't remember if she was already a Giant Squid or if that came shortly after she joined by Fan Club. Wendy continues to write some pretty awesome stuff. You don't always know that Eelkat stopped by. She will sometimes favorite a lens but rarely leaves a comment. But she does reach out in other ways, by promoting a lens on one of her lenses.

Eelkat recently (April 2009) became a Squid Angel and she now records her blessings in monthly lenses.

Angel? I'm Not An Angel I'm Your Faerie Squid Mother

Blessed April 2009

Blessed May 2009

Squidoo Teachers 

As my little tentacles began to grow, I began to swim around in the school of squid. I have found many wonderful teachers which use their time and talents teaching the Baby Squid and Giant Squids how to use html coding and css coding to dress up our lenses. Make them prettier, help define certain areas, and so much more.

The picture above was done by Steve Thompson (tagsforkids) who permits us to use his art with the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License. attached. And a link back to his lens SquidArtToo ... the Sea Quell

My Favorite Teachers 

in the School of Squid

featured lens Squidoo CSS - my favorite code to spice up a lens

I've gathered my favorite Squidoo-code for later reference. I'm tired of trying to find that specific lens I used a css effect on and then having to go to edit-mode, copy paste, and then go back to the lens I was working on. This lens will he...

featured lens The Stylish Squid - Cool Graphics To Deck Out Your Lens!

Does your lens need a little extra something? Find it here at The Stylish Squid! Here you will find some of the most original banner and divider graphics tailored specifically for the Squidoo Community. It may be just the push you need to make your...

featured lens Add Borders to Your Lens Photos on Squidoo

Would you like to jazz up the photos on your lenses? You can use borders on your images to give them much more impact and to help them "pop." You just need to use a little bit of simple HTML magic. I have included easy instructions for a variety of...

featured lens HTML Squidoo Tricks How To Lens with sample codes step-by-step

HTML Squidoo Tricks How To Lens with sample codes & step-by-step instructions to change fonts, background colors, table of contents, modules & images.

featured lens bdkz's Best Squidoo Tips

Welcome! I'm Bonnie, lensmaster bdkz. I'm a Giant Squid & RocketMoms Organizer here on Squidoo. I have created over 400 lenses, been "Lens of the Day" twice and have had 15 of my lens in the Top 100. I have been with Squidoo fo...

A Teacher's Lessons on Modules 

to use while swimming the waters of Squidoo

This is a really awesome series by lensmaster (Teacher) FunGifts4All. Sandra has come up with a lesson plan that fits all Squidooers, from the Baby to the Grown-up Squid.
featured lens E & F Modules

The E and F modules have a lot to offer. The eBay Module let's you add eBay products to your lens and earn money when readers purchase items when they click on the products from your lens. The ESPN Module let's you display ESPN News on lots of sports...

featured lens "C" Modules

Tired of using the same old modules on your lenses? Want to spice them up a little or try something new? From CafePress to Craig's List, the C Modules have a lot to offer. Promote your CafePress shop. Add a CNet News module to your lens. Check out t...

featured lens "B" Modules

While there may not be a lot of them, B modules can be a lot of fun. Spice up your lens with Backtype by following conversations about your topic. Use the Big Arrow Module to spotlight one of your favorite links about your topic. And, what about Boi...

featured lens D Modules

A lof of fun modules that begin with the letter D. You get community type lenses such as Digg and Dipity. Some fun modules like Duel and Did You Know. Also a module that helps you raise money for your favorite charity. So check them out and spice up...

featured lens "A" Modules

When I originally started this lens, I was going to list all modules and how they can be used. But, after taking a closer look at how many are out there, (over 150) I realized that it would be an impossible task to try and display all modules in a si...

Teachers Give Us Tools Too 

Some teachers of the Squidoo School offer us tools in the forms of widgets to use in our lenses.

One of my favorite "Teachers" in this category is thefluffanutta
featured lens Lensmaster Tools and Utilities

SQUIDUtils.com Utilities and Tools for the Expert Lensmaster SquidUtils is the place to find complementary utilities and tools for your Lenses on Squidoo. Here you can see all of your lenses and groups, with shortcuts to some of the most vital func...

featured lens Love This Lens Widget

One of the (many) secrets of getting a good Lensrank is the star ratings that other Lensmasters can give to your lens. Getting them to actually visit your lens is hard enough, yet sometimes they leave without clicking on the stars at the top. This w...

featured lens Lens Health Check Tool

Originally developed for SQUIDUtils.com, the Health Check Tool can quickly identify common issues with your lens. The advice that it gives can help improve the ranking of your lens in the search engines. This lens will tell you more about what it do...

 

A very important place to swim to is SquidU. You meet other Squids there who give you advice, encourage your efforts, and can learn some tips. I saw a big difference in my success after I swam over to those waters.

Etiquette in the Sea of Squidoo 

Personally, I believe this lens should be required reading when each new lensmaster joins Squidoo.
featured lens Squid Etiquette

Squid Etiquette is all about what to do and what NOT to do on Squidoo! It is a very different How To Squidoo than you have probably seen before. In our enthusiasm to not only publish our first few Squidoo lenses but also get traffic, we may forget...

Giant Squid Program 

This is an elite group of squids to swim with and it is my hope that I will have grown enough to join this group at the next cut-off date of June 2009.

In order to swim with this group in the waters of the Sea of Squidoo, you must have at least 50 quality lenses. You submit your lenses to the group of greeters and they will decide if your ink is strong enough.

Sometimes a young squid doesn't make Giant Squid on their first attempt. From what I understand you will be given some advice on what you can do to improve your work and then submit it again by the next cut-off date.

The picture above was done by Steve Thompson (tagsforkids) who permits us to use his art with the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License attached. And a link back to his lens SquidArt

Helping Me in the Giant Squid Marathon Swim 

I was invited to join the Kab's Fabulous Squid Squad while I swim towards my goal of being a Giant Squid.
featured lens Kab's Fab Squid Squad

Hey there, fellow lensmaster. So, you're trying to become a Giant Squid, eh? Or, what's that, you're shooting for Giant Squid 100 Club? Well, welcome to Kab's Fab Squid Squad, a team of lensmasters just like you in a race for their lives (and when I...

Mentor Squids 

When you are trying to achieve the rank of Giant Squid there are Mentors who will help you with your quest.

They offer advice on things that you can do to improve your lenses. Cheer you on and help you use the strongest ink from your tentacles. They are very good people to know.

My Official Mentors 

Robin invited me to look for a mentor and Kiwi's Outback graciously offered to mentor me.
featured lens Giant Squid Mentor Kiwisoutback

The Giant Squid Program is a prestigous honor and a completely attainable goal. With 50 lenses published under your belt, you'll be much better at crafting amazing lenses, selling products, promoting your website, and raising money for charity. Many...

featured lens Giant Squid Mentor

It's true. Squidoo is a great place to create web pages for free. But did you know that part of the magic of Squidoo also comes from the membership? Since Squidoo started in the fall of 2006, our lensmasters have continued to create great lenses and...

 

Squid Angels swim with us in the Sea of Squidoo. They give us blessings when they read something that they feel is worthy. Some will tell you they left the blessing, some will give one anonymously, and some will contact you with advice on what you can do to improve your lens before it is worthy of a blessing.

I always feel so humbled when I receive a blessing. It touches me deeply that they deemed me worthy. Their blessings encourage me to keep swimming and I thank them from the bottom of my little Squid heart.

Squid Angels That Have Blessed Me 

Some of the Squid Angels are mentioned above for other reasons, so I won't repeat them here.

Swimming with the Rocket Moms 

While swimming around the Sea of Squidoo, a Rocket Mom asked me if I would like to join an amazing group of women from the internet waters in an 8 week course of study and fellowship.

Beginning in June 2009 I started swimming with this remarkable group of women who offer support to each other in the lensmaking process. We share tips on making our lenses look nice. There are tips on using different modules for our lenses to help with traffic and money making ideas.

Each and every one of the Rocket Moms should get a special badge for the encouragement they offer both veteran squidooers and the Baby Squids in our group!

The goal of these intelligent and talented ladies is to help to improve the quality of writing on Squidoo by working together.

Some of my Favorite Squidoo Lensmasters 

Many have encouraged my growth, given me good advice, or just written some awesome lenses that impress my tentacles.
featured lens Chef Keem :: My Lensography

My world looks different through my squid eyes: clearer, more thought-out, better researched, better understood. Make no bones about it - I love Squidoo, and it was love at first sight. On January 29th, 2008 I discovered a completely new opportunity...

featured lens Who is Susan52?

Known on Squidoo as Susan52, I'm a wife and a mom, a baby boomer, a writer and editor, and a busy businessperson who's still trying to figure out what she really wants to be when she grows up. As for the 52, well, let's just say it was a very go...

featured lens Lensography of CherylK

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featured lens Drifter's Tales

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My Great-Grandmother was a Native American. My Grandmother related to me many times the story of how her Mother died in her arms when she was only seven. That story is almost the only connection I have with my Native American heritage. Little is know...

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featured lens My RocketMoms Experience

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featured lens Homeless In America

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Growing up in the Sea of Squidoo 

Well, there you have it, my tales of swimming in the Sea of Squidoo and how it came to be. I'll continue to swim the waters, making new friends and growing stronger tentacles to produce better inked lenses. I'll let you know about my progress and add other tips for you to think about looking into as you swim the wonderful waters of this great Sea.

It is a wonderful place to swim in, but you must be careful. It is so easy to become addicted to the ink filled waters. Then again, there are much worse things to become addicted to.

The graphic of a Squidaholic was done by Steve Thompson and can be found at SquidArt.

Baby Squid Becomes Giant Squid 

July 2, 2009 I got the announcement e-mail. I am no longer a Baby Squid. Today I hold my head up high as a Giant Squid. I feel honored to have been accepted into this tremendous group of swimmers!

Sure, I worked hard and I was able to create 68 lenses instead of the needed 50 for application. However, I would have never made it without the inspiration, encouragement, and friendship of my fellow Squidooers!

Seriously, if you think you would like to be a Giant Squid there are many of us who are willing to help you on that journey. Swim around some of the places that I've suggested above. Get to know people and most importantly WRITE.

If I can help you with ideas, proof-reading, or anything; please don't hesitate to use the "contact me" button on my profile. I was helped along the way by so many lensmasters and I'm ready to play it forward for Giant Squid hopefuls.

Baby Squid Grows Into a Giant and now a Coach 

This past year has been quite an experience for someone who started the year as a "Baby Squid" and then grew into a Giant Squid. And now as I continue to swim the waters of Squidoo I've become a coach for the September 2009 Giant Squid Challenge. I'm now ready to be a part of the Village that helps to raise a baby squid.
featured lens Bev's Baby Squids at Team One

A new Giant Squid Challenge is set to begin on August 1, 2009. I'm Bev Owens aka BevsPaper here on Squidoo and I am one of the team members of Team One led by Mimi aka GrowWear. Our team is offering coaching for this session to anyone who joins our t...

Giant Squid Joins 100 Club 

The baby squid who started this lens has grown along the way, swimming in new waters and meeting new Squids along the way. I joined the September 2009 challenge to try to become a member of the Giant 100 Club.

On October 5, 2009, I received the e-mail letting me know that I had passed the test and was now an official member of the Giant 100 Club here at Squidoo.

Woot!

As this Squid grows...she becomes a Giant Greeter 

In September 2009, Bonnie and Robin who are the Giant Squid Organizers contacted me to ask if I would be interested in becoming an official Giant Greeter. I can't tell you just how excited I was to get this invitation! What an honor!

I'm so pleased to be a part of the Giant Challenges and to be able to officially encourage new Baby Squids as they hone their lensmaking skills and try to become a Giant Squid or a new member of the 100 Club.

Now, I get to pay it forward for all of the help and kindness that was shown to me when I was new and swimming in the waters of Squidoo.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed your visit here and that you will leave me a comment about your visit.

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Growing Squids Love to be Rated 

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Things I've written while swimming around 

Lensmaster BevsPaper has been a member since June 18 2008, has rated 3,236 lenses, favorited 411, and has created 141 lenses from scratch. Bev Owens donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "Recipe For Happiness". See all my lenses

Copyright Notice 

Copyright: May 15, 2009 by BevsPaper (Beverly Owens)

by BevsPaper

Hello, my name is Bev and I sell vintage ephemera at The Paper Trail. I love swimming in the Sea of Squidoo and writing lenses about things that inter... (more)

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