SquidDon't!

Some topics are just irresistible to spammers. These are topics that don't generally exist in the real world, that aren't particularly useful, and that are very profitable to people who spam.

The short version is that spambait is potential spam.

The longer version is: There are topics we're just not going to let people write about. We wish we didn't have to do that, but it's the best plan available to remove the bad actors that want to take advantage, while keeping the site open for passionate people of all stripes.

This is NOT an exhaustive list, it is just a roundup of examples of topics that will probably result in your lens getting locked.

The biggest offenders in the spam world, and topics that aren't okay on Squidoo, are:

--Pharmaceutical, drug, and diet aid reviews and diet pill sales. (Examples: Viagra, Hoodia Gordoni, Penis Enlargement pills, acai berry etc)

--Yes, weight loss and dieting lenses are far more often spam than good--especially when they're selling something, or promoting an affiliate site. Acai berry reviews have earned a rotten reputation elsewhere on the web, for example, and that's seeping into Squidoo as well.

--Affiliate lenses promoting other affiliate programs. Go figure. (For example, the Yuwie affiliate network has been spamming Squidoo with the same content, thousands of pages a week, for a while. So, they've earned their way onto our SquidDon't list. If you've got a Yuwie lens, chances are it will get shut down. Sorry).

--Gambling lenses. (Yeah, that means you, TexasHoldem lenses. And most poker lenses. We'll probably overcorrect heavily on these, and can't guarantee that we can move swiftly to unlock false positives. Your best bet is just to stay away from gambling and lottery lenses or the topic in general).

--Dealing with credit card debt, cash gifting, envelope stuffing, mortgages, currency trading, Forex, Regenesis, etc. There's a clear way to make good stuff on this topic, but alas, most people just make spambait on it.

--Hate lenses. Sure, you can give negative reviews. But spewing hate at a person crosses the line, and if we get contacted about them we might lock them. Think happy thoughts.
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--Ringtones lenses. Free (and so-called legal) movie download lenses. Free Mp3 download lenses. Yikes. These exploded in the last year, and we've never seen ONE that's worth anyone's time. Really.

--Illegal Adult lenses. Child pornography, anyone? No.

--Lyrics lenses. Be careful. We're getting swamped by these, and most of the time they are junky, copied and pasted, and have serious copyright issues. If you have an entire account dedicated to lyrics lenses, make sure you're adding a significant amount of personal review and curation, quoting correctly, and don't steal from someone else on the web.

--And a few that are harder to generalize, but obvious when we see them.

So the deal is: You can't build any content on these kinds of topics on Squidoo.

If you are interested in these areas, it's entirely possible you will bump into our filter (we call it the SquidDon't filter). If you do, don't be surprised if your lenses get locked or your accounts get suspended.

Hey, there must be other things you're passionate about in this world. Why not make a lens on that, and leave the onlinetexasholdem4u pages out.

My hope is that 99% of you won't even know the spamfilter is there.

No, we're not trying to censor anyone. No, we don't like mediating. No, we're not trying to keep the site Puritanical.

We're just trying to keep it something that we're all proud to be a part of. So if that means you're left scratching your head over editorial choices or standards, we apologize in advance.

Let's say you make a lens on where to buy Xanax online. Sorry, that's not something Squidoo permits lenses on. More often than not, lenses on that topic act badly and lead to spam.

When you go to publish that lens to the world, you'll bump into our spam filter.

You'll see a note, with 3 choices.

1. Go back and edit your lens. Make it about something else.

2. Delete the lens. Make another about something else.

3. Stake your reputation on the fact that your lens actually isn't spambait, and actually isn't trying to sell Xanax online, and you think it's worth having a real live person look at it. If you choose this, we'll have your lens hand-reviewed by the SquidTeam within 30 days. During that time you won't be able to Publish any changes to your lens.

If we agree that the lens was accidentally caught in the spam filter, and that it's actually safe for the roads, we'll publish it for you and send a note.

But be careful! If we disagree with your claim, and think the lens is spambait, we'll lock it for good, and possibly all the other lenses in your account. So make sure you're playing fair and have a lens you'd be proud to show your grandmother before you ask us to hand review.

* Make lenses about things that interest you.
* Write good introductions.
* Have intro photos.
* Upload a photo of yourself (or your avatar) while you're at it.
* Try out a bunch of different modules.
* Replace the default module titles, like "New Guestbook."
* UUU - Unique, useful, updated content rocks!
* Don't copy. Don't cut and paste. Don't plagiarize. Obviously.
* Keep an eye out for style. Junky lenses send readers running.
* Stop by the SquidU forum and get feedback. Ask politely.
* Stay relevant on your lens.
* G-rated or R-rated, please.
* You're an author: act like one. Don't publish half-baked lenses. If you do, tell everyone it's just a first draft and in-progress!
* Watch for typos.
* Be kind to fellow lensmasters and your readers.
* Don't spam.
* Sure, sell stuff; but don't sound like a snakeoil salesman when you do.
* Invite readers to participate. Or not.
* Recommend things you know.
* Explain your topic to new readers.
* Experiment with "front doors" like SquidWho and SquidSports and SquidBoo and SquidFlix, but don't ONLY make those lenses. (Those are meant to give you starter templates to edit, not just stop with the status quo).
* Own a niche and make lots of lenses in it. But don't repeat yourself on the same topic. 40 lenses that say the exact same thing aren't kosher.
* Diversify.
* Link to and feature other people's lenses. It feels good to give back.
* Be passionate. Be you.
* Be honest and straightforward and creative.

Here are some guidelines for what not to do, above and beyond the usual TOS stuff.

* Spam. Obviously.
* X-rated content.
* Spamming. No matter how good your lenses are, if you spam the verb, you're out.
* Copied lenses.
* Or even worse: mean-intentioned lenses.
* Undeveloped "starter" lenses with no personalized content.
* Lenses that sell selfishly (lenses that yell at the reader, or flash BUY ME BUY ME in all caps).
* Being meanspirited or malicious on the SquidU forums. Regardless of how good your content might be.
* Typo-riddled lenses.
* Empty or expired modules.
* Lots of modules with generic default titles like "New Amazon Plexo."
* Tricking your readers into clicking on links they weren't expecting.
* Lenses on SquidDon't topics, like pharmaceuticals and ringtones and gambling and weight loss pills and Yuwie and various affiliate marketing programs.
* Empty introduction modules.
* No lensmaster photos.
* Anonymity hurts.