If you want to become popular on squidoo...

Ranked #1,004 in Squidoo Community, #104,466 overall | Donates to Inner-City Scholarship Fund

Squidoo as a popularity contest

In some ways squidoo is like a popularity contest. I've done pretty well here with as I write more than 760 fans (over 1000 on my spirituality account at the moment Squidoo stopped counting fans). So I feel qualified to write this lens about the subject.

BTW - the graphics on this lens are a mix of the 2009 and the 2010 squidoo - squids AND monsters...

I created this lens in 2008 when lens ratings had the potential to get your lens into top tier. Because the top lenses get so much traffic, this is no longer common, though a decent traffic lens can still get second or even first tier payouts because it's ALSO popular enough to get a lot of ratings at once.

In other words, especially now that the option to squidcast is gone and we no longer have fanclubs, Squidoo isn't as much a popularity contest any more.

On the other hand: with those options gone, people will be looking at who squidliked their lenses more, so squidliking other people's (best) lenses has become more important as a method of becoming popular.

Monsters come to squidoo town

September 2010

Monsters come to squidoo town

Since I started this lens, we've seen some changes on Squidoo, but the biggest change yet turned Squidoo into more than a popularity contest... it's now a bit like a popularity game.

Things that made a person more popular before, are now likely to REALLY help make you more popular. There's a point system in place, and full transparency. We can now see who has squidliked (aka thumbed up) our lenses. We earn points by commenting, but also by having comments on our lenses. We earn points by squidliking lenses, but also by getting lenses squidliked.

Everything's in place for a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' bananza.

It used to be that only commenting on a lens was visible to the owner of it. Now I can see who commented, but forgot to squidlike. I can see who squidliked, but did not comment. Squidliking has become economics - of sorts. The reward does not translate into money though. It translates into privileges. Privileges like using certain themes on lenses, doing a 'quest', having certain monster badges on your profile.

It's a bit weird, and I'm not quite used to it yet. I do know though that it seems like Squidoo is stimulating us to become more popular, to do more to get people to interact on our lenses, to rate other people's lenses. It will be interesting to see how this changes the game.

Ultimately though: creating great lenses is the only way forward on Squidoo. After all - even with incentives like this, this is a site devoted to creating lenses, articles, webpages - whether for fun, for profit or for starting a debate.

What you need to do to become popular on squidoo

Please add your own tips on becoming popular. Of course you don't need ALL of these to become popular. But each helps.

Check out the lenses of people who show up on your lenses

74 points

Make great lenses

This really helps. People love seeing, voting on a more...63 points

Leave a friendly message on THEIR guestbook

52 points

Be helpful on the forums - be real, be fun

41 points

Have guestbook modules on each lens.

Let others show their stuff40 points

Be nice

This is important in any contest: the person who i more...34 points

Vote on other peoples lenses

34 points

Have a personalised profile

23 points

Become a GIANT squid

23 points

Be fun

Everyone wants to be around people who are fun.18 points

Have a unique avatar

14 points

Always look to give before you take!

Remember Squidoo is a Community!14 points

Become a squidangel

13 points

Join people's fan clubs

No longer possible13 points

Use interactive modules in your lenses

12 points

Use the discovery tool to promote your friends

Lensmasters who Google themselves just might stumb more...9 points

Give Positive Vibes and Smiles :)

8 points

Have a links plexo on your most popular lenses

People LOVE to leave their links.7 points

Be open minded

Go in to lenses with an open mind and if you learn more...7 points

Get an email signature setup within squidoo

By clicking on your profile within squidu. Have it more...5 points

Del.icio.us

Lenses you fans want to be LotD, Del.icio.us them more...5 points

Lighten up!

Don't take things so seriously, have some fun with more...5 points

Become a giant squid community organizer

4 points

Create an award / contest

3 points

Give away money!

self explanitory2 points

view all 27 comments

Be helpful on the forums = be helpful on squidu

http://www.squidu.com/forum/Unfortunately changes in my personal life, and in the way squidu is managed, have made me decide to stop answering questions on that forum. I'm also too busy to answer questions elsewhere.

I am available for consulting though, but that doesn't come cheap. For $99 you get a month of asking whatever questions you want and advice on your SEO strategy, link building, optimizing your blog etc. SEO consult online publishing.

If you aren't willing to pay up, you'll have to be content to stay updated on my Marketing Spiritual Blog where I am also willing to answer any questions related to the posts. It also contains a free ebook.

I'm active on twitter and facebook.

Make great lenses

Only if you provide another service to lensmasters can you do without making great lenses. Like you needed the right clothes and being seen at the right parties to be popular in high school - you need to make great lenses to become popular on squidoo. There is no getting around it.

Here are some lenses that will help you do just that, though the quality content is what you have to provide yourself.
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Write well - whether it's lenses, squidcasts or blogposts

Lens of the Day Trophy sept. 2010Always write in such a way that your main message comes across. I've seen too many squidcasts and blogposts where people just write how great they've done, without letting me know WHY it's great what they've done.

  1. Use proper titles

  2. Explain why it's interesting

  3. DO use emotion, but have a clear message as well
Shown here is the Lens of the Day (LOTD) trophy, which is the highest Squidoo honor (though some people are complaining that they don't want this monster disgracing their well crafted lenses). Anyhow, they only go to lenses that fit the bill: good titles, interesting content, and usually personal stories.

Why you want to be popular on squidoo

Popular lensmasters get their lenses featured on other lenses more

You've got to love that extra backlink30 points

It's great to be loved

Don't we all want to be popular?29 points

Popular lensmasters get more votes on their lenses

More votes = higher lensrank23 points

I don't care to be popular...

but I do want to be read.16 points

Popularity brings readers...

...and readers equals conversation. I love creatin more...16 points

To get a positive message out

To the people on squidoo and to the world.15 points

I like to know my writing is Valuable

I like when people read my work5 points

To reach like-minded individuals so as to unite for a good cause

There is such a need out there to educate people a more...3 points

Have a guestbook on each lens

comment ninja badgeThis one is important.

We all want to see our face on your lenses when we vote. We want to know that you know who squidliked. Even with the new system where we can see exactly who squidliked our lenses, we still like to have someone tell us, in words, how much they appreciated our hard work. Yes - other lensmasters want to be popular too - so give us the illusion we can be and put up that guestbook.

Shown here is the 'comment ninja' badge for your profile. You get it for having at least a hundred comments on your lenses (or is it on one lens only? Wondering why I don't have this one as I'm sure I have more than a hundred comments on my lenses combined).

Anyhow - without guestbooks and duel modules, this badge is forever beyond your reach.

The NEGATIVE consequences of becoming popular

If popularity on squidoo is like a rose - that rose does have its thorns:

  1. Popular squids are more likely to get their lenses voted with only one star (no longer relevant, since summer 2010)

  2. You have to try and keep that popularity up.

  3. You will be judged by higher standards

  4. You may get hatemail, because when you say something controversial, it WILL be noticed

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Create a lens (or more than one) which features other lenses

giant squid top 100 badge sept. 2010This one is something I think every lensmaster should do. On any topic where you are interested, but not likely to make lenses yourself: why not make a lensography with the best lenses on that topic? Or just a lensography with your favorite lensographies? Or your favorite lenses?

Certainly anyone aspiring to be a giant squid should have one or several of these under their belt. It's easy, it's fun - and you are giving something back to the community.

And you know how it is: those who give will receive. Do unto others as you would have them to unto you - etc.

Oh - and in order to become popular (the subject of this lens after all) : do let people know you are featuring their lens!. Don't forget now :)

Shown here is the giant squid top 100 club member badge - wow that was a mouthful. Anyhow, it's a badge for lensmasters who've made at least 100 quality lenses.

Now for... my least popular lenses

The above was all about how to become popular. Now I'd like you to meet my 20 least appreciated lenses.
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So leave your feedback, opinions and stuff...



I may just look at your profile and vote for lenses that appeal to me... Or I may not.

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