Squid Etiquette
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Squidoo tips - a Guide to the Do's and Don'ts on Squidoo
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 some very important things or we may do things that actually, if you really stop and think about it, are not very clever.
And I have to admit that some of what I say, has been learned through my own experience. But it is OK to make a mistake, providing you only make the mistake once and providing you learn from it.
This Squidoo guide is not just about getting traffic. It's also about building a "Squidoo reputation". I hope this lens helps you build a good reputation on Squidoo rather than one that is perhaps not so good!
In our enthusiasm to not only publish our first few Squidoo lenses but also get traffic, we may forget some very important things or we may do things that actually, if you really stop and think about it, are not very clever.
And I have to admit that some of what I say, has been learned through my own experience. But it is OK to make a mistake, providing you only make the mistake once and providing you learn from it.
This Squidoo guide is not just about getting traffic. It's also about building a "Squidoo reputation". I hope this lens helps you build a good reputation on Squidoo rather than one that is perhaps not so good!
What is Squidoo to me?
A personal view of Squidoo
Squidoo is not....
....a competition. Squidoo is big enough to accommodate everyone. It's not about who has the most friends on Facebook. It's not about who has the most lenses. It is not about who has the most "likes" on their lenses. It is certainly not about who gets to Number 1.
Squidoo is....
....about creating lenses that help other people as well as yourself. By that I mean it's OK to earn an income from your lenses but you need to give as well as try to take. You may be surprised at what you get back.
....a competition. Squidoo is big enough to accommodate everyone. It's not about who has the most friends on Facebook. It's not about who has the most lenses. It is not about who has the most "likes" on their lenses. It is certainly not about who gets to Number 1.
Squidoo is....
....about creating lenses that help other people as well as yourself. By that I mean it's OK to earn an income from your lenses but you need to give as well as try to take. You may be surprised at what you get back.
Remember: Squidoo is more about giving as well as taking - get the balance right!
Squidoo Community
What Squidoo means to its members
Quotes from some Lensmasters on what the
Squidoo Community means to them
My 50th Squidoo Lens!
What is Squidoo to HQ?
Tips from Megan Casey
Before you publish your first lens, there's a lot of research you need to do and some of it is definitely about what NOT to do. That may sound a tad negative but it will stand you in good stead as you start to build your Squidoo reputation.
Megan Casey (Squidoo's Editor in Chief) asks the question: What's your reputation worth?
Read it. It really is worth it.
Megan Casey (Squidoo's Editor in Chief) asks the question: What's your reputation worth?
Read it. It really is worth it.
The Squidoo lens NOT to make
Squidoo tips on how NOT to Squidoo
Then have a look at this
The Squidoo Forum - SquidU
SquidU Etiquette
All Newbie Lensmasters should head over to the Lensmasters' Lounge at the SquidU Forum.The AJ definition of "Community":
"A group of people who share the same aims and who help each other to achieve those aims."
Note crucial phrase: "Help each other!"
New Lensmasters
Welcome on board. It's good that you introduce yourselves on SquidU. But before you post a hello in the "New? Introduce Yourself" thread - have a look at the Forum Guidelines and the stickies at the top of each thread. They are stuck there for a reason. Please read them and they will make sure that in your enthusiam to jump into the Forum sea, you wont make a huge mistake and end up marooned with no friends!
When you have read and absorbed these messages then say Hello, go and visit another new lensmaster and say Hi to them in their thread as well. Then before you ask for feedback on your very first lens, make sure you have visited other people's. This shows that you are not just trying to tip the scales and that you are trying to take more than you give. This is good!
Don't be in a hurry to publish that first lens. Navigate around the Sea of Squidoo. Visit "how to" lenses. Visit lenses that are about your niche topics. It's amazing what you can learn from what has already been published. And if you do learn something then don't forget to say thank you in the Guestbook. This is very, very good!
Lens Critiques
Lensmasters are encouraged to seek feedback and help with their lenses. People help their fellow lensmasters. This is good!
But before you ask for a critique, read this post on SquidU.
The Lensmaster asking for the help gets increased traffic to their lenses as others check it out to give feedback. The visitors then spend time, and some of them spend quite a bit of time, thinking about what would help before they post a message of support, with tips and ideas. This is good!
But for those people asking for help (and getting extra traffic as a result) do you ever critique or visit other people's lenses in return? If you do not, then this is bad!
Don't be shy about commenting on other people's lenses - but it might be better to follow Thumper's Dad's advice:
"If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all!"
Buy at AllPosters.com
Check out other people's critiques and see how they go about it. Also apply the AJ Rule for giving feedback:
"Always say something positive before you say something negative. Then finish with a positive."
Remember AJ's definition of "community"? So, make a point of visiting someone else's lens before you ask for a critique of your own. Help each other. This is good!
One of the Squidoo lenses I have given feedback on
Plus another Lens about Critiques
Sample Critique
What I said to Old Grampa about his Halloween lens
"Hi Grampa.
IMHO there's some great modules in your lens particularly about the origins of Halloween from Samhain. But.... and those who know me on Squidoo will say "Here she goes again!" .....you mention in your introduction that you have loved Halloween since you were a small child. So give us some more personal stories. What was your favourite activity? What is your favourite memory?
Also, and this assumes you like YouTube, you could put one or two of your favourite Monster/Spooky songs on there so people could listen to while they read. Could be "The Monster Mash", "Thriller" - I'm sure you can think of more."
IMHO there's some great modules in your lens particularly about the origins of Halloween from Samhain. But.... and those who know me on Squidoo will say "Here she goes again!" .....you mention in your introduction that you have loved Halloween since you were a small child. So give us some more personal stories. What was your favourite activity? What is your favourite memory?
Also, and this assumes you like YouTube, you could put one or two of your favourite Monster/Spooky songs on there so people could listen to while they read. Could be "The Monster Mash", "Thriller" - I'm sure you can think of more."
More Squidoo Etiquette on SquidU
Think about what you should and should not do on the forum
Oldie Lensmasters saying hello
By old I don't actually mean "old".....
Say hello to a Newbie, every so often. Actually, go do it every day if you can. It will make them feel good, it will make them feel welcome. That is good!
Do not hijack a forum thread
Have you ever been having a conversation with a group of people, when someone simply changes the topic to something else without warning? Children do it, but we usually tell them to wait their turn.
You read a thread on the SquidU Forum, it ignites a thought or question that you may have about a different topic. Do not hijack the thread that someone else has started by switching the topic to something you want to ask about. This is bad!
Go start your own thread.
Starting threads
This advice comes as a result of me making a big mistake - it was not good!
The Forum is a great place to exchange views about all things Squidoo and most of the time the conversation is light, helpful and considerate. However, there's inevitably times when you are "having a bad day/week/month". This is probably NOT a good time to start a thread about something that bugs you, has upset you or annoyed you so much, that you feel you have to say something.
I kicked off a thread (and kicked off in it) about something I had seen, that caused me to get pretty steamed up. I did wait 24 hours before starting the thread, but actually I should have waited at least 48 hours. Oh dear - in this case 72 hours may have been even better.
Then when I started the discussion, instead of making a definite statement, I should have asked a general question and not been so specific in what I said. Praise in public, criticise in private!
I was very bad, but once I had realised what I had done, I posted a message saying how I should have handled it and apologised. That was better!
By old I don't actually mean "old".....
Say hello to a Newbie, every so often. Actually, go do it every day if you can. It will make them feel good, it will make them feel welcome. That is good!
Do not hijack a forum thread
Have you ever been having a conversation with a group of people, when someone simply changes the topic to something else without warning? Children do it, but we usually tell them to wait their turn.
You read a thread on the SquidU Forum, it ignites a thought or question that you may have about a different topic. Do not hijack the thread that someone else has started by switching the topic to something you want to ask about. This is bad!
Go start your own thread.
Starting threads
This advice comes as a result of me making a big mistake - it was not good!
The Forum is a great place to exchange views about all things Squidoo and most of the time the conversation is light, helpful and considerate. However, there's inevitably times when you are "having a bad day/week/month". This is probably NOT a good time to start a thread about something that bugs you, has upset you or annoyed you so much, that you feel you have to say something.
I kicked off a thread (and kicked off in it) about something I had seen, that caused me to get pretty steamed up. I did wait 24 hours before starting the thread, but actually I should have waited at least 48 hours. Oh dear - in this case 72 hours may have been even better.
Then when I started the discussion, instead of making a definite statement, I should have asked a general question and not been so specific in what I said. Praise in public, criticise in private!
I was very bad, but once I had realised what I had done, I posted a message saying how I should have handled it and apologised. That was better!
You can find more information about what AJ thinks about the SquidU Forum on SquidLog:SquidU Etiquette: a different way of looking at the SquidU Forum.
Squidoo Angel Blessings
Blessings are not a right!
Friends are angels who lift us to our feet
when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly
(source unknown)
Remember that the Angels are a group of volunteers who visit lenses and if they like a lens, they will bless it and it will get a boost in the overall lensrankings. However, getting a blessing does not help you get noticed on Google. It is purely a Squidoo boost.
When the angels visit a lens, they can do one of three things:
Bless the lens - this is good, in fact it's fantastic
Quietly slip away - this is fine
Ding the lens - gasp! This is bad!
Visit the links below to find out more.
Have a look at some of the Squidangels' lenses below. Some are now retired but these lenses tell you what Angels look for when they visit a lens. This will tell you what, in their opinion, makes a good lens.
Further reading, AJ musing on SquidLog: Ding Dong, Angels calling. Do Squidoo Angels behave like Angels on Squidoo? and Ding Dong, how to get Angel Blessings
Squid Angels
AJ is a retired Squid Angel
AJ first became a Squidoo Angel in April 2009 and was re-appointed in October 2009 - retired 31 December 2009. This lens is AJ's personal view on what she looked for in a "Bless-worthy" lens.
Squidangels Squidoo too!
Find out more about the Squidoo Angels
The Squidoo Lensography
Every Lensmaster should have one!
Remember - it's a Lensography NOT a Linkography!We want to know who you are, not what you want to sell. Let's see lists of what you love, what you hate, what you read, what you want to do. OK tell us about your favourite films, books and music. But if you use an Amazon link list, please tell us why you love the stuff!
Ideas for modules
What do you think about when you hear your favourite tune? Tell us - we really do want to know. Find a YouTube video with your favourite music on it. Put it towards the beginning of the lens, so we can listen to it while we read. Chef Keem does this to great effect in his lensography. Click on the link below to see what I mean.
Just a few ideas to make your lensography unique to you:
What is the best present anyone ever gave you?
What is the worst present anyone ever gave you?
What do you want to do/achieve in the short, medium or long term?
Why do you Squidoo?
Get creative, make your Lensography unique to you.
My lensographies: My Squidoo Story and Always Juggling on Squidoo
Squidoo Lensographies I like
A variety of styles
These Lensographies are great examples of how to make an interesting lensography. The reason why I like them is because not only are they very different but you also feel you are really getting to know the Lensmaster.
Squidoo lenses full of links
Beware of Spam!
Are you a Spammer? Spammers try to generate profit from free links from one webpage to another. They have no interest in publishing quality content.
If you are not sure if your Lens is "spammy", then look at the text modules. Then be very, very honest. Do they stand up on their own? Are you giving information that does not solely depend on the reader clicking out to another website?
There is nothing more frustrating (well IMHO anyway) to see a great Lens Title that makes you want to visit it straight away. Then you click on it and find all the lensmaster has done is give you link after link to go somewhere else.
Don't get me wrong. Links are good, but a lens that is full of links and that does not have your own content in them is very, very bad.
If you are not sure if your Lens is "spammy", then look at the text modules. Then be very, very honest. Do they stand up on their own? Are you giving information that does not solely depend on the reader clicking out to another website?
There is nothing more frustrating (well IMHO anyway) to see a great Lens Title that makes you want to visit it straight away. Then you click on it and find all the lensmaster has done is give you link after link to go somewhere else.
Don't get me wrong. Links are good, but a lens that is full of links and that does not have your own content in them is very, very bad.
A Squidoo Lens that is NOT "spammy"
Affiliate Marketing can be full of Spam
A lot of Lensmasters on Squidoo are Affiliate Marketers and they do it ethically. They write lenses that are helpful and they give thought to what links they will include in their lenses - this is good!
When I found the lens I am featuring below, I must admit I held my breath as I scrolled through, waiting for the link lists to appear that would direct me to sites, where I would be promised amazing special offers at prices that would not stay this low for much longer, so you MUST buy it now or lose out forever. But the links never materialised apart from one Amazon module, recommending some helpful books. I am not sure that the inclusion of a book on Cupcakes is relevant, but hey, the Lensmaster has probably got a sense of humour!
So thank you DennisW for giving me some clear and down to earth advice and for not leaving me disillusioned about landing on your lens.
When I found the lens I am featuring below, I must admit I held my breath as I scrolled through, waiting for the link lists to appear that would direct me to sites, where I would be promised amazing special offers at prices that would not stay this low for much longer, so you MUST buy it now or lose out forever. But the links never materialised apart from one Amazon module, recommending some helpful books. I am not sure that the inclusion of a book on Cupcakes is relevant, but hey, the Lensmaster has probably got a sense of humour!
So thank you DennisW for giving me some clear and down to earth advice and for not leaving me disillusioned about landing on your lens.
Because of the topic, I was half expecting a "spammy" lens
But it was not "spammy" at all - phew
Spam? You do know what is meant by Spam?
Oops, you don't? Then read on...
Extract from Wikipedia:
It is widely believed the term spam is derived from the 1970 SPAM sketch of the BBC television comedy series: Monty Python's Flying Circus.
The sketch is set in a cafe where nearly every item on the menu includes SPAM luncheon meat. As the waiter recites the SPAM-filled menu, a chorus of Viking patrons drowns out all conversations with a song repeating "SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM... lovely SPAM, wonderful SPAM", hence "SPAMming" the dialogue.
The excessive amount of SPAM mentioned in the sketch is a reference to British rationing during World War II. SPAM was one of the few meat products that avoided rationing, and hence was widely available.
SPAMMING anywhere is not good - in Squidoo it is very, very bad!
There are many types of electronic Spam, including:
It is widely believed the term spam is derived from the 1970 SPAM sketch of the BBC television comedy series: Monty Python's Flying Circus.
The sketch is set in a cafe where nearly every item on the menu includes SPAM luncheon meat. As the waiter recites the SPAM-filled menu, a chorus of Viking patrons drowns out all conversations with a song repeating "SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM... lovely SPAM, wonderful SPAM", hence "SPAMming" the dialogue.
The excessive amount of SPAM mentioned in the sketch is a reference to British rationing during World War II. SPAM was one of the few meat products that avoided rationing, and hence was widely available.
SPAMMING anywhere is not good - in Squidoo it is very, very bad!
There are many types of electronic Spam, including:
E-mail spam - unsolicited e-mail
Mobile phone spam - unsolicited text messages
Forum spam - posting advertisements or useless posts on a forum
Spam in blogs - posting random comments and links to unrelated topics
Newsgroup spam - advertisements and forgery on newsgroups
Still tempted to SPAM on Squidoo?
Lens of the Day - 13 November 2008
I just love this page! If you want to know how not to win friends and influence people then go and see what this lensmaster has to say about Spammy lenses
What other Lensmasters are blogging about Squidoo Spammers
- Mortira on the Face of Spam
- One Lensmaster's ponderings about the Lensmaster who spammed her
- MiMi's Commentiquette
- MimI says: "Comments are gratifying to any lens author. However, I am bothered by comments that end with a request to visit a particular lens."
Read on - it may just be enough to make you think twice before leaving a link in a Guestbook.
Do you have a lens or blogpost about Spamming?
Not How to Spam but How NOT to Spam!
Please no Spam!
1
The Best Squidoo Lens NOT To Do
Oh, yippee yay! This is all about me and my Websit more...4 points
2
SquidDon't!
Don't do it!It's simple: given our pedigree, our p more...3 points
3
Be a Good Squid
I decided to make this page for fellow Squidoo-ers more...3 points
4
One Man's Spam Is Another Man's Lunch by MysticMama
I've had a lot of frustration with other people's more...3 points
5
The Worst Lens Ever Made
In this introduction, I am going to say something more...2 points
6
Always Juggling: Don't you just love Squidoo Guestbook Spammers? NOT!
Someone was daft enough to Spam one of AJ's Guestb more...2 points
7
Always Juggling: Putting a positive Spin on Spam
There is an upside to getting Spam on a Plexo!2 points
Be careful what you promise on Squidoo
Only promise what you can genuinely deliver
It's OK to want to make money on Squidoo. It is OK to promote your lenses on Squidoo. It is OK to share your experiences and recommend products that may make you money. But don't promise that anyone reading your lens can get something for free and then when they go take a look that is not the case at all. This is bad!
I found an article that was promising something for free. There was a link to another website and in order to get the "free something" you had to pay $67 to get the information. Hmmmmm!
Following on from my disillusionment a lens was promoted in the SquidU Forum that promised the opportunity to learn Spanish for free. As learning a language is one of the topics promoted heavily as a potential money earner in various e-books written about Squidoo, I admit I was sceptical. "Here we go again" I thought "more SPAM."
But no, I was wrong. The Lensmaster delivered what he had promised. Lots of brilliant links to websites that teach you Spanish for free and no irrelevant links to affiliate products. This is very good!
I found an article that was promising something for free. There was a link to another website and in order to get the "free something" you had to pay $67 to get the information. Hmmmmm!
Following on from my disillusionment a lens was promoted in the SquidU Forum that promised the opportunity to learn Spanish for free. As learning a language is one of the topics promoted heavily as a potential money earner in various e-books written about Squidoo, I admit I was sceptical. "Here we go again" I thought "more SPAM."
But no, I was wrong. The Lensmaster delivered what he had promised. Lots of brilliant links to websites that teach you Spanish for free and no irrelevant links to affiliate products. This is very good!
Learn Spanish for free - yes, really!
Thank you Derren for delivering what you promised.
STOP! Before you publish that first Squidoo Lens
Actually BEFORE you pick that first Squidoo topic....
..have a look at what the founder of Squidoo, Seth Godin, has to say about the choices you need to make.
curated content from YouTube
Has another Lensmaster contributed to your lens?
Say thank you!
By this I mean, did you post a thread asking for help in the SquidU forum? Or did you post a message on SquidTop? Did you find out what you needed because someone took the time and trouble to post a reply? Did you then use this advice in a lens?
Then don't just thank them in the forum or on Squidtop. Thank them on your lens - put a link in to their Lensography, if they have one, or their Bio or a lens that is relevant. Thanking people is good!
Further reading on SquidLog: Saying Thank You on Squidoo.
Then don't just thank them in the forum or on Squidtop. Thank them on your lens - put a link in to their Lensography, if they have one, or their Bio or a lens that is relevant. Thanking people is good!
Further reading on SquidLog: Saying Thank You on Squidoo.
Thanks for the help
Thanking some Lensmasters
There's not many people who join Squidoo who do not benefit from help from their fellow Lensmasters. And there are some Lensmasters who are just soooo special that you just have to make a Lens about them
Twittiquette
Stop and think before you Tweet that update!
Twitter is a great way to quickly let your Twitter followers know when you have updated a lens. As soon as you hit the Publish button, up pops a few options including the message: "Tweet your update". Oh, it is just so easy. No logging on to Twitter, you just click on the link and hey presto! It's all done and all your friends find out in a tweet what you have been doing.But just a minute. Stop and think. What updating did you do? Did you correct a couple of typos? Just add a couple of lines of text. One small new picture? Or did you add a new module or new information?
Return visits from your friends and fans is good! It increases traffic and they may leave another comment in the Guestbook. This is all good!
But if they come back expecting to learn something new and they cannot see any significant changes, they may feel they have wasted their time. This is bad!
Don't Tweet every single itty bitty update. Just let people know when you have made significant updates or changes. Your friends will still stay your friends. This is good!
Don't be scared to block people from following you on Twitter. You are allowed to!
I found someone rather strange following me. He was not a Squidoo lensmaster and his Avatar was very much "Cop a load of these muscles". His web pages were full of products that I definitely did not want to know anything about. Body building and taking dubious supplements is just not my thing. He made me feel uncomfortable.
I blocked him. I am not THAT desperate to have hundreds of friends on Twitter!
Further reading: AJ Musing on SquidLog: Twitiquette: How not to get unfollowed on Twitter
Twit Etiquette
Take note!
Some very good advice here!
Follow me on Twitter
And if you are not Spammy I will not block you!
Self Promotion
Take it easy!
Think about it....
You are friends with your next door neighbour and you have some news for them. You pop round, (OK, I know some of you live in isolated farms in the mountains in the mid-west and this may not apply to you, but please bear with me here!) you knock on the door, they answer and you have a quick chat.
Thirty seconds later, you hear something else you really MUST share. You pop round, knock on the door and you share the news.
Two minutes later you think of something else you really, really, really MUST share. You pop around, you knock on the door and are you really surprised that actually, you have really hacked off your friend?
End of friendship?
You are friends with your next door neighbour and you have some news for them. You pop round, (OK, I know some of you live in isolated farms in the mountains in the mid-west and this may not apply to you, but please bear with me here!) you knock on the door, they answer and you have a quick chat.
Thirty seconds later, you hear something else you really MUST share. You pop round, knock on the door and you share the news.
Two minutes later you think of something else you really, really, really MUST share. You pop around, you knock on the door and are you really surprised that actually, you have really hacked off your friend?
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"Psst, I know it is only two minutes since we last spoke but..."
End of friendship?
Further Reading:
The Difference Between Self Promotion and Self Adulation
Netiquette
Spreading the social butter by The Fluffanutta
Some time ago, Squidoo founder Seth Godin, blogged about The sad truth about marketing shortcuts. This in turn inspired a blog post from The Fluffanutta on Squidutils. He called it Spreading the social butter.
Fluff says:
Joining a new network just to connect to the same friends you already have is pointless, and spreading your followers across different sites is equally futile.
AJ suggests that before you spread yourself too thin, then you go and read this post. This will be very good!
Fluff says:
Joining a new network just to connect to the same friends you already have is pointless, and spreading your followers across different sites is equally futile.
AJ suggests that before you spread yourself too thin, then you go and read this post. This will be very good!
Squidoo Networking Online
Listen to what the Squidoo founder has to say about online networking
Before you start following people on Twitter, making friends on Facebook, Mixxing, Stumbling and goodness knows else, listen to what Seth Godin has to say about online networking. Those people who wonder why I carefully choose who I follow on Twitter will see why.....
curated content from YouTube
Grabbing a URL
Ooo, I'll 'ave that before anyone else gets it!
You get an idea for a lens. That "Make a Page" button is screaming to be hit! It's as compulsive as bidding on e-bay!Oh joy! The URL you want has not been grabbed by anyone else. You grab it. Fantastic - it's like having the winning bid on e-bay!
But don't then leave the lens as a WIP (work in progress) for the next year. It's selfish. It's not good! Be honest with yourself. Is that lens ever going to get written? If the answer is no, then that is very, very bad.
If after a few months have gone by and you know full well that you are not going to make the lens after all, then delete it. Release the URL. Give someone else a chance.
You could even post it on SquidTop or SquidU that you have deleted the URL and let people know it is up for grabs again. That is good!
Think outside the box!
Think outside your Squidoo "niche"
Expand your horizons
Yep, I know the phrase is very similar to "Think outside the box" but thinking outside your niche or box or whatever you want to call it is good!
I joined Squidoo to publish lenses on parenting and environmental issues. However, I have ended up publishing lenses on other topics as well. It happens!
At first I just visited lenses that were about things I knew about and was specifically interested in. But now I make myself go take a peek at other stuff.
Checking out my fans made me think about this, so I try to visit the bios of my new fans. Some of them publish lenses that I would not normally be interested in but now I have started looking at more lenses outside my main niches. Do it. It will broaden your horizons. It may give you more ideas. This is good!
I joined Squidoo to publish lenses on parenting and environmental issues. However, I have ended up publishing lenses on other topics as well. It happens!
At first I just visited lenses that were about things I knew about and was specifically interested in. But now I make myself go take a peek at other stuff.
Checking out my fans made me think about this, so I try to visit the bios of my new fans. Some of them publish lenses that I would not normally be interested in but now I have started looking at more lenses outside my main niches. Do it. It will broaden your horizons. It may give you more ideas. This is good!
Lenses that have broadened my horizons
I found some of these lenses as a result of either reading about them in the "Please critique me" thread on SquidU or I discovered them through Squidtop. Others I just found by chance
What Squidoo manners matter most to you?
Your turn now
What Squid Etiquette is the most important to you? Don't be a hypocrite. You can only add something that you definitely always do yourself. Tell us why it is important to you.
4
Featuring or linking to lenses you like or that are in your niche
Links are of long lasting real help to other peopl more...9 points
6
Add the lens to your favorites or Digg them
If I like a particularly good lens I will add it t more...6 points
Squidoo Lens of the Day
Get nominating!
Show your appreciation for an excellent lens you have found on Squidoo.
Check out the Lens of the Day blog to find out how
but remember to nominate someone else's len NOT your own!
My Lenses of the Day
And one of them got it twice!
I am very proud of my Lenses of the Day, especially as one of them got it twice! One of them is one of my most successful lenses. They are very different but they may give you an idea about what sort of lenses get LOTD
Let's trade Likes
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
Yep, there's people out there on Squidoo who think that this is a "normal marketing tactic". Not in this Lensmaster's world Buster! This is horrendously bad!
Visit lenses because you want to. Not because "someone" has suggested creating a group of "like minded" lensmasters who want to cheat their way to the top. And before temptation gets the better of you, remember that lensranking doesn't count for much on Google.
So, please do not even go there. That is very good.
"Psssst, wanna trade some likes?"
Buy at AllPosters.com
Visit lenses because you want to. Not because "someone" has suggested creating a group of "like minded" lensmasters who want to cheat their way to the top. And before temptation gets the better of you, remember that lensranking doesn't count for much on Google.
So, please do not even go there. That is very good.
Lensmasters helping Lensmasters
How to Squidoo lenses
Every so often you come across a lens that is just soooooo helpful. This is very good!
Guestbook Etiquette
Use the Guestbook appropriately!
Leave a message that will mean something to the Lensmaster. Try to pick something from the lens that you really liked - that way we will all know that you actually read it - and say why you liked it. But don't spoil it by leaving a totally irrelevant link to your own lens that has absolutely diddly squat to do with the lens you are reading. It's not good!
It's not good because, actually, it usually annoys the heck out of the Lensmaster, who may just suspect that you are only "giving in order to receive" and lots of other Lensmasters who read your comment will probably think the same as well. It's not at all good!
Don't use the Guestbook to inform the Lensmaster about errors or typos. Send them an email via the "Contact me" button. This is tactful and diplomatic. It is good to be tactful and diplomatic!
Remember:
Praise in public, criticise in private!
It's not good because, actually, it usually annoys the heck out of the Lensmaster, who may just suspect that you are only "giving in order to receive" and lots of other Lensmasters who read your comment will probably think the same as well. It's not at all good!
Don't use the Guestbook to inform the Lensmaster about errors or typos. Send them an email via the "Contact me" button. This is tactful and diplomatic. It is good to be tactful and diplomatic!
Remember:
Praise in public, criticise in private!
More about the Guestbook and Spam
The Guestbook is NOT to be used to build up a mailing list of people you can Spam - this is the very baddest thing you could possibly do!
Lensmasters generally visit other lenses because they want to read them, and yes, they know they may learn a thing or two as well; whether it be some information they needed, some links that will be useful or how to make a great lens. This is all good!
But most Lensmasters, well certainly the ones I know, do not want to receive an unwelcome email as the result of leaving genuine and thoughtful feedback in the Guestbook. It's very bad and will definitely lose you friends!
Lensmasters generally visit other lenses because they want to read them, and yes, they know they may learn a thing or two as well; whether it be some information they needed, some links that will be useful or how to make a great lens. This is all good!
But most Lensmasters, well certainly the ones I know, do not want to receive an unwelcome email as the result of leaving genuine and thoughtful feedback in the Guestbook. It's very bad and will definitely lose you friends!
Don't forget who makes Squidoo possible!
While we are all having a great time creating and publishing lenses and making new friends on Squidoo, let's not forget about the people who started it all and keep it going. Let's remember to say thank you to them sometimes. Drop them a line in an email occasionally.Say thank you to Seth for coming up with such a fantastic idea in the first place
Say thank you to Megan for making you lens of the day and also check out what Megan has to say about Squidbehaviour on the Squidblog.
Tips from the founder of Squidoo
Links to Seth Godin's blog
Seth Godin is the master of internet and electronic etiquette. Many of his blog posts are relevant to making Squidoo lenses
- How to send a personal email
- Here are some easy to follow tips that will help you avoid being seen as a spammer, or having your emails trashed or ignored.
- Some more of Seth's thoughts on how we behave
- There is a link in this blog post to some great advice from Megan Casey, Squidoo Editor
- How to give feedback
- Seth gives feedback on giving feedback
Ending on a positive note
Squidoo is a great place to be, providing you remember that the founder Seth Godin believes in the concept of "permission marketing" where the business provides something of value to the customer by obtaining his/her permission before doing any marketing.There's a lot of Lensmasters out there who are willing to give valuable time and support to anyone taking their first dip into the Sea of Squid. I will now leave you to go and find out who they all are.
Good luck, enjoy Squidoo but above all respect the ethics of its founder. This is very, very, very good!
And if you have not had enough of Squidoo Etiquette
There's more on SquidLog in "AJ's Musings"
Thinking about Squidoo Etiquette and manners on the internet - or is that Netiquette?For the forseeable future AJ will be musing about Etiquette on Squidoo and Netiquette
Ding dong - Angels calling? Do Squidoo Angels behave like Angels on Squidoo?
Are Squidoo Angels behaving badly on Squidoo?
Ding Dong - How to get Squidoo Angel Blessings
How Lensmasters can get Squidoo Angel Blessings
Squidoo Lensmasters note: How not to tread on toes at Tagfoot!
Tagfoot is a relatively new networking site, with a difference. Lensmaster debnet is a Tagfoot Bigfoot . . . .
Multiple accounts on Squidoo
Good or bad? Depends on who's using them!
Saying Thank You on Squidoo
What it says in the title!
Love This Lens?
Please consider if it deserves a like
If you would like to like this lens, then you can do so here (Squidoo members only) - Thank you!
This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.
Please stop by and say hello
and if you find any typos then send me an email!
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SayGuddaycom
Feb 9, 2012 @ 5:31 pm | delete
- This was a really helpful lens, thanks a lot.
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scrapperkare
Feb 5, 2012 @ 7:13 pm | delete
- This is great stuff, even for someone like me who's been squidooing for many years . . . I've pinned it on my "Squid University" board on Pinterest. Thanks so much for your work in putting this together!
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TrendyBoots
Feb 3, 2012 @ 4:16 pm | delete
- I really enjoyed your content here. Thanks for sharing!
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Afteretc
Jan 19, 2012 @ 11:44 am | delete
- This was helpful, thank you!
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LittleTwoTwo
Jan 19, 2012 @ 1:22 am | delete
- I have enjoyed a number of your lenses, they are always helpful and importantly, easy to understand. Thank you.
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Who is AJ?
AJ is Always Juggling
by aj2008
aj2008
Squid Etiquette - what I have learned, since I first joined Squidoo about how to give as well as take in the Squidoo Community.
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