Squidoo Modules 101 - The Starter Package

If you're brand new to Squidoo, setting off on the journey of building your first lens can be a bit daunting. So much to do, so many strange tools and terms, so many things to write about -- and the LAST thing we want to see is a Daunted Lensmaster.

For that reason, the nice folks at Squidoo have set up a special learning section called SquidU (pronounced .. Squidoo University, I think), chockful of great articles and guidance, mentorship and marvelous articles - and a Lensmaster Lounge where we all hang out and ask, and answer, questions and such.

In addition to that, those same nice folks at Squidoo have mobilized a team of Squid Greeters, each one eager to answer your questions and help you out with confusions. You'll find many of us up in SquidU, dashing around in the Lounge and forum sections, listening for signs of Lensmasters in need of assistance. So shout loud! (place a post in the Discussion areas named New? Introduce Yourself! or Help, Please)

The Text / Write module is an essential and, like the engine of a car, you may not get very far without one. I consider the Text / Write module to be the foundation, and almost all of the other modules to be supportive, augmentive, icing and frosting, and use them to enhance the lens.

Once you get used to the Text / Write module, you can use some pretty nifty CSS tricks to gussy up the contents. For this box, I used a border, background, margin and padding, all inside a <p> tag-set (aka paragraph).

THE REAL MODULE IS ABOVE. The description box and things that are shown in the Lijit module itself do not appear in the lens itself, or they do not appear for "some browsers" - I can't make the distinction. All I know is that nothing shows up for me except the little Lijit box.

That said - here's what's in the description box for the Lijit module (at least, here's what I wrote that you can't see):

Hm.. new terrain. I have never seen this before, so explore with me while I go figure this one out.

It appears to be some sort of search functionality, and it wants my Lijit username. Since I've never heard of it, the odds are I don't have one, so I'll establish a Lijit account while you have some coffee. BRB

----
(chooses a username)
(enters an email address)
(gets taken offsite to do the password thing)
(gets the confirmation)
----
Ok, I'm back - that was painless.
It appears that all I have to do is enter my username in the box and stand back.
So that's all I'm going to do - and that seems to be automatically accepting all 51 or so of my active lenses.

What have I got myself into!?

see above above above all the way at the top of the lens, where I drive a new Text / Write module all over the place.