Top Reasons Squidoo Accounts Get Deleted

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Top five reasons accounts get deleted, plus a bonus and a new reason

Squidoo loves lensmasters, and when they're new and trying new things, we love to give them the benefit of the doubt. But occasionally, we get bad actors who just aren't interested in creating great lenses and insist on breaking the rules.

Below we've outlined our five main reasons why Squidoo lenses and accounts get deleted, plus a bonus reason, and a new reason.

Image by mzacha.

Reason #1: Your group or lens smells like spam 

If your lens or group smells a lot like spam, it could get deleted.

This means the content is recycled, or ripped from somewhere (or someone) else without credit, or used on multiple lenses.

It could also mean that your lens is uncurated, featuring only 1 or 2 modules without sharing personal or relevant recommendations.

Squidoo is a spam-free zone. You can learn more about what not to do at Squid Don't.

Reason #2: You spammed with your links 

You spammed a Squidoo lensmaster, or Groupmaster, or a blogger with irrelevant links one of your lenses.

Examples of this include (but are not limited to):
  • You created a Twitter account (or 2 or 10) and repeatedly posted your lens URL over and over, with no other content.
  • You spammed a blog with your URL or irrelevant ad.
  • You created a digg, or del.icio.us, or other profile for the sole purpose of link spamming.

Reason #3: Traffic redirects, hacks, and TOS violations. 

You're automatically redirecting traffic from your lens to another site. Or employing any other kind of hack that is against our TOS.

Examples of this include (but are not limited to):
  • Setting up a script so when someone visits a lens they automatically go to another site.
  • Software that automatically creates, updates, or promotes Squidoo lenses.
  • Using scripts or software to bypass administrative Squidoo functions.

Reason #4: You contact-spammed 

You spammed a Squidoo lensmaster via the Contact Me link, or in their Guestbook, or you've been reported for email spam off the site.

Examples of this include (but are not limited to):
  • Spamming guestbooks (which can get you banned from leaving comments altogether, as well as getting your account deleted).
  • You used the Contact Me link to spam, solicit, or otherwise be mean to a lensmaster.
  • You directly emailed spammy content to a non-user.

Reason #5: Your lenses are X-rated  

...but are not marked as such.

Or, when we changed your ratings to X, you changed them back.

Bonus reason: Things just aren't good. 

Squidoo's community of lensmasters has high editorial standards. We reserve the right to lock, or delete, accounts that strike us as illegal, offensive, spammy, uncurated, junky, or otherwise harmful to Squidoo, and to the web at large.

If your lens fits into this category, you'll usually be able to tell just by asking a fellow lensmaster. If you're worried, visit our peer-driven forum to get a review.

A new reason for deleting accounts: LensSquatting 

Lensmasters who claim an extensive number of lenses without populating and publishing them, or claim several lenses with basically the same URL, are subject to account deletion.

The definition of this is left to interpretation by our SquidStaff. Lensmasters with a history of creating great lenses who decide to claim 5 or 10 lenses to build, are probably ok. However, if you just claimed 487 lens URLs having to do with translation services or porn, you can consider them gone.

Do you want to delete your lenses or account?

Sometimes cleaning up boo-boos is too tricky, and it's easier to start over. To delete a single lens, click the "delete" link that pops down under the lens name on your My Lenses page.

To delete an account, find the "account status" item in your My Profile page, and click "change."

Have a question about this? 

If you have already received an email about this, you have 24 hours to request a review of your account by sending a report here.

If you just have questions, leave a message below. Kimberly, Squidoo's Community Organizer, can help point you in the right direction. If you think your lens can be better, try getting a peer review at our lensmaster driven forum at SquidU.

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  • Reply
    lakeerieartists Dec 4, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
    Very clear and excellent resource. :)
  • Reply
    cakobu Oct 16, 2009 @ 5:59 am
    Great page! Thank you. I'm newcomer, and I work on my lenses whenever I can find time in my crammed schedule. Each time I think I find a good lens idea, I create a related lens, on which I plan to work later. I'm going much slower than I originally desired, and those empty lenses are piling up. That's why I was worried whether I would lose them. Now I feel better. This lend was very informative.
  • Reply
    angelsmummy Oct 10, 2009 @ 12:24 pm
    I found this after creating 2 lenses glad to see I havent broken rules!
  • Reply
    SquidooKimberly Jun 15, 2009 @ 10:45 am | in reply to ErgoRehab
    We don't allow PHP or other similar uploads, and participating in methods like that to raise your rank, generate links automatically, or exchange traffic COULD be against our TOS and cause your lenses/account to be locked/deleted.

    I'd concentrate on authentic, hand-built linking methods for better results.
  • Reply
    ErgoRehab Jun 15, 2009 @ 10:42 am
    Kimberly: I just learned of a program that creates 3 way links to a website that will increase google ranking. It requires the uploading of a PHP file into the website you are promoting. Question: Is it possible to upload a PHP file into a lens? If this is acceptable and possible how does one do that?

    Thanks!
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by SquidooKimberly

I'm Kimberly, your Community & Charity Organizer on Squidoo. Check out these lenses for more helpful tips on using your favorite internet service - Sq... (more)
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