Why I Love Squidoo

I'm So Glad I Found Squidoo!

Very few things in life excite me as much as Squidoo has. I jumped in and got caught up in the current, writing lenses as fast as I could and making notes for dozens more to be written in the future. For the first two weeks I couldn't sleep at night. It was like being in love. Why does it intrigue me so much? Just what is it that attracts me? Why do I love Squidoo?

I pondered the question to try to take my mind off the lens ideas that kept springing up while I was trying to sleep at night. Finally it dawned on me. Squidoo allows -- even encourages -- me to indulge all my passions. I love reading, learning, writing, organizing, and so much more. I find I can combine all my interests here. Squidoo lets me be me!

Refuse To Choose

A book that helped me tremendously

Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams

by: Barbara Sher

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

Some people have a single passion in life. Not me. I'm interested in so many different things. I always wondered if there was something wrong with me, if I was supposed to be finding just one thing to do and then do it. This book assured me that not only is it common, but it's okay to pursue many interests. What a relief it was to find out I'm not the only one, and to recognize myself in the pages of the book.

I Love to Read

All my life I've loved to read. If there's a written word, I'll read it. I was reading labels long before it became the thing to do. I read everything from fiction to dictionaries. Squidoo gives me more to read, as well as a reason to read -- to find information for more lenses!

A Few Books I've Enjoyed

The Long Walk

A Walk Across America

A Walk in the Woods: Redi...

Walking with Spring

And when we're done with our books, we can pass them on and make money, too!

I Love to Learn

Yes, I'm one of those who enjoyed school: grade school, high school, college. If I could afford it, I'd be a career student. I especially like forms of education that don't require me to be at a certain place at a certain time and that don't cost an arm and a leg. Squidoo is a vast repository of knowledge that I can access whenever and wherever I want -- and it's free. Besides, it gives me an excuse to keep learning new things: more lenses!

Some Sources of Education

Free-ed.net provides free distance education.

MIT OpenCourseWare is a free web-based publication of MIT course content.

The Graduate School of USDA offers work-at-your-own-pace distance learning courses. It's not free, but I've taken one of their courses and was pleased with the content and service.

I Love to Research

Though I've done research for college papers, most of my fact-finding has been informal and just for my own gratification. Trouble was, since I never really did anything with the information, all my notes tended to pile up and feel like clutter, leading me to periodically purge my files. I've probably discarded more data than most people even bother to dig up in the first place. Squidoo lenses let me put my research efforts to good use, offering what I've learned to others who are interested in the same subjects.

How to Research

The Oxford Guide to Library Research

by: Thomas Mann

Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 12/26/2009)

The Craft of Research, 2nd edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)

by: Wayne C. Booth, Joseph M. Williams, Gregory G. Colomb

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

I Love to Write

Ever since I learned to make letters, I've been writing stories, poems, essays, journals, and lists. But what became of all that paper and ink? More clutter. I didn't have the confidence to submit most of my writings for publication; I don't handle rejection well. Squidoo gives me a venue for my writings. Starting out, the relative anonymity made putting my efforts out in public an acceptable risk. Now, watching my lenses rise in rank and getting positive comments is a real ego boost. Squidoo encourages me to refine my writing skills and to stretch the limits of my comfort zone.

My Previously Published Work

My essay about aging appeared in my local paper: Old Shelves.

My pride and joy (so far) is the book I wrote about my hike on the Appalachian Trail. Just as the hike itself was a journey of personal growth, the writing and publishing of the book was an exercise in pushing through my fears.

My Own Hike

by: Nancy Shepherd

Amazon Price: $15.95 (as of 12/26/2009)

I Love to Design

Okay, I'm no artist, and I don't have many graphics manipulation skills, but I do have creative urges. I enjoy putting text and images together to create a nice flow on the page. Squidoo makes it easy to do just that, and my fellow lensmasters generously provide graphics and instructions for customizing my lenses.

Add Some HTML, Color, and Graphics to Your Lens

Basic HTML for Squidoo

Before you start reading all this, you may want to open Advanced HTML in a new tab, because you'll be wanting to check it out as soon as you've finished this! You can use basic HTML in a few of the lens modules. Mostly used to create hyperlinks (the...

Free Spacers & fillers for your Lens

Yes, Janusz is back to help you make your Lenses even better than they are already :). This is #3 in a series of "How To" make your Lens look Great!. I have made a number of Spacers & Pics that you can add to your Lens. As always all are FREE for...

HTML Tips for Color

Color can be applied via HTML tags to fonts, borders and backgrounds. squidoo.com/basichtml and squidoo.com/advancedhtml show how to implement these colors. This lens however isn't going to show how the code is applied, but is a repository for the...

I Love the Internet

I first got online in 1997. It wasn't long before I was hooked. The internet opened up the world. There is so much information out there -- things that I might never have known existed -- and, in fact, things that didn't exist before the internet. It's so much more vast than any library, and it's in the comfort of my own home. Most of the things I've done in this century I wouldn't have been able to do without the internet -- my Appalachian Trail hike, my International Appalachian Trail hike, my 9,000-mile bicycle trip, and seasonal work, for example -- either because I didn't know it was available, or I didn't have access to the information to make it possible. Even most of my personal relationships have come about because of activities I learned about on the internet. Now there's Squidoo, and the door to the world has opened a little further. How exciting to see where this branch of the information highway will lead!

Enhance Your Squidooing Experience

Aluratek AIRJ01F USB Internet Radio Jukebox

Amazon Price: $13.53 (as of 12/26/2009)

Music while you create your Squidoo lenses! This device lets you listen to and save your favorite music from around the world.

I Love to Be Organized

A place for everything, and everything in its place -- that's how I like my life. I want to be able to find and grab whatever I want at a moment's notice, among my intellectual, as well as physical, possessions. Squidoo lenses give me a place to keep all the information and knowledge I've acquired for easy reference. Also, writing, maintaining, and promoting my lenses demands organization.

Here Are Joan4's Organization Tips

Squidoo To-Do Lists

I am by nature a list-maker. I make lists of everything! As I started learning about Squidoo and making lenses, I started making lists. Return often. As I learn and grow in Squidoo land, I am sure my lists will change also. Join me on this fantastic...

I Love Community...

...at a distance

It's not that I don't like people, but I'm somewhat of a loner. I've always had a hard time making friends. I can remember being an outsider all the way back to first grade. I just can't relate to many people. As an adult, I've figured out a lot of why that is -- issues relating to confidence, self-esteem, and fear of rejection -- but knowing why isn't an excuse for remaining that way. I try to accept my past, starting from who I am now and stretching to grow into someone even better. I still value solitude -- I like myself well enough to enjoy my own company -- but I do try to reach out and include others in my life. I have found Squidoo lensmasters to be among the most generous, caring, encouraging, and supportive people anywhere. I don't say much on the forums yet, but I'm working on it. Squidoo is bringing me out of my shell.

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Join the Squidoo forum here.

Feel the Fear

...And Do It Anyway

Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway (r)

by: Susan Jeffers

Amazon Price: $10.04 (as of 12/26/2009)

From this book I learned that everyone feels fear, but those who accomplish the most are the ones who don't let that fear stop them. I learned that there are no wrong choices, only different choices with different learning opportunities along the way. I learned to believe in myself and my ability to handle whatever comes my way.

I Love Competition

It may be odd, but even as a person with a lack of self-confidence and a fear of failure, I still have a competitive spirit. It's those perfectionistic tendencies lurking within me. However, I rarely compete openly, and not often against other people; mostly I compete with myself. I know lens rank isn't everything, but it's such fun to watch my lenses climb in the rankings. And when my 9,000-Mile Bicycle Tour lens was selected Lens of the Day, I was on top of the world. On Squidoo I can quietly compete not only with others, but with myself, challenging myself to make each new lens better than the last.

See My Lens of the Day Lens

9,000-Mile Bicycle Tour

In July, 2008, I embarked on a year-long bicycle tour to celebrate my fiftieth birthday. I wanted to accomplish as many goals as possible in that one year. The backbone of the adventure was to be a 12,000-mile self-supported bicycle tour around the p...

I Love My Soapbox

I'm a quiet activist. I have my favorite causes, and I like to promote them. But I'm a better writer than a speaker. Face-to-face, I tend to get too excited, forget key supporting facts, and wither when someone voices opposition. Writing allows me to organize my facts, back up my opinions, and state my case without interruption. Squidoo is a solid soapbox to stand on.

My Future Soapbox Lens Subjects

Fast Food Nation

Nourishing Traditions: T...

In Defense of Food: An Ea...

Silent Spring

Sugar Blues

I Love Money

Okay, so it's not the most important thing in life, but money does make life easier. I like the idea that with some effort, I can set things up on Squidoo to earn money. I'm just getting started here, but I look forward to the day when my lenses and affiliate accounts make money for me while I'm off doing something else.

The Word From a Lensmaster Who's Doing It Now

Are you a Stay at Home Mom (or Dad) Interested in Earning a Monthly Income?

Okay, I am sure you are all thinking, "What's the catch?" Don't worry, there isn't one. I promise. I am a stay at home mom and I will show you how Squidoo is helping me earn a monthly income while still being home to take care of my children. What i...

I Love Adventures

Maybe this is not what we normally consider adventure, but I love that Squidoo offers me a place to write about my adventures!

My Adventure Lenses

9,000-Mile Bicycle Tour

In July, 2008, I embarked on a year-long bicycle tour to celebrate my fiftieth birthday. I wanted to accomplish as many goals as possible in that one year. The backbone of the adventure was to be a 12,000-mile self-supported bicycle tour around the p...

Hiking The International Appalachian Trail

It was a long winter - a long, cold winter - nearly unbearable for those of us who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and for those who must live around us. I was miserable from the cold, and I struggled daily to show up at a job that no longer...

My Hike On The Appalachian Trail

I'd dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail for a dozen or so years, but I'd grown up in a family too pragmatic to do much more than dream. All my life I'd followed the rules and worried what others thought of me. I'd always been shy and easily intim...

Most Importantly...

I fought writer's block for about five years, but no more. Squidoo has reawakened my muse!

Like This Lens?

Why Do You Love Squidoo?

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ftuley ftuley Dec 2, 2009 @ 3:18 am

Great lens! 5*****

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Jewelsofawe Jewelsofawe Nov 19, 2009 @ 7:43 pm

I enjoyed seeing why you love squidoo. Alot of us end up loving squidoo. It is a cool community to be a part of and there are lots of cool people here. Blessed by an angel!

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Joan4 Joan4 May 31, 2009 @ 9:07 pm

I am soooooooooo very flattered that you featured my lens on this one! Thank you!
I totally agree with you - Squidoo allows me to be more of me - to write, to learn, to meet people, and to discover new things! Your lens is a beautiful description of Squidoo - and yes, the friendly community just makes all those wonderful things even better.

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OhMe OhMe May 31, 2009 @ 8:25 pm

This is wonderful. I am lensrolling to my TwitterStorm "Does Your Family Understand Your Love for Squidoo?"

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MysticTurtle MysticTurtle Mar 23, 2009 @ 12:52 pm

It's fun to find a kindred soul, isn't it? And what about that turtle connection!
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Lensmaster MysticTurtle has been a member since February 25 2009, has rated 352 lenses, favorited 95, and has created 55 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "I Live In A Van". See all my lenses

My Bio

I had a normal childhood, but somewhere along the way I took off on my own path. I backpacked the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail in 2001 and the 700-mile International Appalachian Trail in 2003, and I'm always dreaming of the next long hike. I spent the winters of 2004-05 and 2005-06 living in my Astro van at a hot springs resort in Arizona and on the beach in Texas. I recently completed a 9,000-mile bicycle trip around the United States. I have degrees in Equine Management from Ohio State University and in Business Management from Akron University, but so far I have been able to avoid working in either field. My interests include reading, writing, sewing, quilting, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, gardening, natural foods, and voluntary simplicity.

Check out these great lenses...

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: My Hike On The Appalachian Trail
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: How To Prepare For A Thru-Hike
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