Squidoo introduces the new Caption Module

As part of the new Giant Summer School challenge, Squidoo has introduced a Caption Contest module to go along with the first challenge of the summer: a caption contest lens! If you've ever felt the need to add a picture with captions, then this module is perfect for you. I'm working on my lens at the moment, but check out a few of these lenses that make great use of the module!

You Got That On Film? by GypsyPirate
Look what I got! by bdkz

And find even more lenses here from the Giant Squid summer school!

It's time for Squidoo summer school!

If you're a Giant, then you've got an awesome opportunity for learning coming up this summer...Squidoo has announced a Giant Squid summer school for Giants to learn more about lensmaking and a bunch of other fun stuff! They've announced that there will be challenges, prizes, daily tips, secret Giant forums, and more! How exciting is that?! If you're a Giant, you can register at the Giant Squid School lens. School starts tomorrow, but you can late register until June 19th, so hurry up!

In other news, Squidoo has announced it's release of SquidThemes, coming TOMORROW! I was one of the fortunate few to be able to test them, and I can't tell you much yet (of course), but they are pretty amazing. I'm excited for more themes to come, and I can't wait to make my lens prettier with these new themes! I've been looking at all my lenses today trying to figure out which themes to use on which lens. :) So yes, be excited...be very excited! Til tomorrow's epic Squidoo day!

Spotlight...on me!

The Giant Squid Showcase has put out another spotlight on a Giant Squid....me! :) But not to make this entire post all about myself, you really should check out all the other spotlights on the other Giants! They've got a lot of great tips to offer to every lensmaster, whether or not you're a Giant Squid! Check out my own spotlight (*cough*) and everyone else's as well! After all, Squidoo is the place where we can all shine!

In other news...I've been slacking a bit, not only on my blog and Squidoo, but on just about everything else as well. I'm feeling kind of worn out since I've been sick these last few weeks, and I just can't find any inspiration for my lenses. So how do you guys deal with this problem? How do you find inspiration for your Squidoo lenses when you're feeling run down? Once I figure it out, I think I'll make a blog post...haha!

That's all I can think of for now, but I'll be trying to write more this week! Maybe tomorrow! So share your tips with me on finding inspiration!

Hot Topics and Purple Stars...don't forget!

Don't forget fellow Giants, the 15 hot topics were posted at the secret Giant Squid blog on Monday, and lenses are being nominated for purple stars tomorrow! So if you're not done yet, get to working on those lenses!

I'm still currently working on my lens...for which topic, I won't say ;) Just reminding all you awesome Giant Squids out there to go go go!

Also, if you're not a Giant Squid yet, and are looking to become one for the June 31st deadline, check out the Giant Squid Challenge June 2009! Join a team and have fun! I think I'm going to try out for the 100 club in September or December as I'm nowhere near 100 lenses, haha.

Good luck with the purple stars! :D

The New Purple Star!

Giants now have another amazing new perk...purple stars!

The first group of purple star recipients was chosen yesterday, and you can see all the lenses on the SquidU forum topic.

So who earns these purple stars? Only Giant Squids can earn them, and only by being nominated. Every week, Squidoo will pick 15 hot topics and Giants can nominate their lenses or someone elses to earn purple stars! Up to 6 amazing lenses will be chosen...you can either create a new lens for the topic or choose one of your older ones, "classic" ones as Squidoo is calling them now. New lenses will have greater chances of being chosen, however, over older lenses for purple stars.

Purple stars give your lens a HUGE boost in lensrank, so if you haven't thought about going for Giant before, you should give it some thought now with this huge benefit.

If you're looking to learn more about purple stars, check out the Squidoo lens for it! Congrats to all those Giants who got purple stars for their lenses already! :)

The new Giant on the block

Guess who's one of the newest Giant Squids? Me-- that's who!

I peered in my inbox today and found a message from the Squidoo Giant Squids with the subject "Congrats Giant Squid!" As you can imagine, I did a little dance around the room and cheered, haha. My Giant Squid badge also just appeared on my lensmaster profile, which makes me happy, but I'm waiting for that little yellow star to appear. :)

Now I'm just reading the Giant Squid tips blog (ooh, secrets) and surfing the net happily. Can't wait til my account is fully activated or whatever as Giant, because I hear they have a special dashboard and etc etc so I can start making some templates and stuff. ;)

-Stephanie
(the GIANT SQUID)

New Squidoo modules and more!

thefluffanutta has created some awesome new widgets for your Squidoo lenses! While it's not currently supported by Squidoo, it's really easy to add and than edit later.

Bookmark This-A module with the bookmark button from Addthis, right on your lens in huge format! It helps users save your lens for later with different options such as Digging it, Stumbling it, sending it to Technorati, and more from all different bookmark networks.

Love this Lens-This module is great for getting ratings, because sometimes Squidooers forget to leave that rating at the top! So place this module at the bottom so they can favorite it and email it and of course, rate it.

Tomorrow is the day they announce the new batch of Giant Squids! *teeth chatter nervously* I'm working on a new lens at the moment, and hopefully that will take my mind off my nervousness, lol. :)

Ready for Giant Squidom...I hope.

Today I had a free day and spent it playing Rock Band and working on updating my lenses. It was more like work on lenses, play some Rock Band, lenses, Rock Band, lenses, Rock Band. Actually, I took breaks from Rock Band to work on my lenses, hahaha. My hands started hurting. *nurses blisters* I actually have been playing Rock Band since 3PM yesterday, so it was about 24 hours I was playing. I didn't sleep. At all. 0_o It was the fear of my 51 lenses being bad quality and getting rejected. GAH.

I'm so completely and utterly impatient, this week is going to be killer waiting to see if I made Giant Squid. If I didn't, I'll be very disappointed, of course. But I'll just have to try again in June. I currently stand at 51 lenses, and I think they're all quality lenses, but who knows. *chews nails nervously*. I don't take rejection very well, LOL, its happened too many times for me to accept it willingly.

Now I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping for a good message from Bonnie from Squidoo. Excited and nervous too. *taps fingers on desk* ladeedadeeda......

I finished my 50 lenses!

But somehow, I still can't be slowed down. I still have 18 WIP lenses (it was 16, but I thought of a few more lens ideas, haha), and I'm trying to update all my current lenses while working on some new ones. And yet, I can finally take a deep breath because I finished my 50 lenses. Is it strange that during my midterms I was worrying about finishing my lenses? Because that's exactly what I was doing, but now I feel as if a big burden has been lifted off my shoulders.

For my 50th lens, I published my lensography! Do you guys have lensographies out there? I'd love to see them, comment with a link! :)

I'd also like to present Sharing Hearts, a great idea by MysticMama. It's a way to share your inspirational Squidoo lenses with others, and I love it. So go check it out.

49 lenses done...one to go!

I've been a busy little bee today...I've published three lenses today, and I'm working on my 50th lens. Hopefully I'll get it done today and I can take a nice breather for the rest of the weekend, haha.

Tonight is Earth Hour, which I'll be celebrating with my family. I really like this lens, 10 things to do during Earth Hour. Don't know what Earth Hour is? I suggest the website, I think Earth Hour is great. :)

So here are my 3 lenses that I published today:
Maximum Ride Movie
27 Reasons Why Squidoo Rocks
Geek Tees and Gifts

I'd love for you all to participate in my 27 reasons Why Squidoo Rocks Twttrstrm! :)

That's all for now, I'm going to keep working on my FINAL 50TH LENS.

Working on a few more lenses...

So I spent the day out of the house, which was fun, but it detracted from my lensmaking. I went to the beach and had lots of fun, and then later I went to my friend's show, which was great. I wish I'd gotten a chance to take some pictures, but I completely forgot until I was soaking wet (at the beach) and then my hands were too sandy to be able to use my camera. I forgot my towels, heh. I had one, but it was tiny and I was sitting on it, so it too was covered in sand.

Anyyyyywayyyyys, all this adventuring means that I have 4, yes, that is 4 lenses to make tomorrow. TOMORROW. ONE DAY! *scream* I know I can do it though, because I have nothing to do all day and I have plenty of topics. I still have 18 WIP lenses sitting around, I just am having problems with them, but I know I have to do it, because I need my lenses to be featured by the 31st!

How are the rest of you guys doing with your Giant Squid goals? Only a few days left! Good luck everyone!

Write what you know...

While searching on Squidoo the other day, I came across a lens that bugged me a lot. It wasn't on a controversial topic; it wasn't anything offensive or at all. It was one of those cookie cutter lenses with information from Wikipedia, a few pictures, and nothing at all valuable to me. The writer obviously didn't know anything about the subject, and the lens screamed "COPY/PASTE". I doubt there was an original thought on the page, and it made me sad.

I just felt like reminding all lensmasters: write what you know. Don't go making a lens just because and put all copy and pasted information. Make the lens feel more real: write original content and people will like your lens.

So remember UUU. Unique, useful, updated content! That way you'll know you have some quality lenses!

Speaking of quality lenses (I hope), I've published my 42nd and 43rd lenses! I've made a lens on Using Your Lensmaster Profile to the Fullest, but I could use some more tips to write about, so drop a comment if you have any! My other lens is about a book I recently read, Midnighters. I still feel the lens needs some more, but it is complete for now. I only have 9 days left until the Giant Squid deadline, and still 7 lenses to go! *cue panic* But I think I can do it. I'm better at making quality lenses in less time. It used to take me days to spew out a decent lens, haha.

I've also lowered my WIP count to 21! *cheers* I wonder if I'll ever fully get rid of it? LOL

So, how are the rest of you Giant Squid potentials doing on your 50 lenses? Let me know!

Campfire Chats are great!

Every once in a while, Squidoo holds Campfire Chats for those who want to become Giant Squids, for the upcoming deadline or the next one. I participated in my first Campfire Chat, and it was great! There were a few Giant Squids and then a few lensmasters who were looking to become Giant Squids. We all talked and critiqued each others lenses and it was really fun. I got some great tips on two of my lenses, as well as some compliments, so I'm happy!

The next Campfire Chat is on Thursday, March 19 at 1PM! I wish I could go on, but I'm busy that day, so all of you potential Giants be sure to go on and get critiqued!

Lens 38, and only 27 days left until the deadline!

With only 27 days left until the deadline, I've published my 38th lens! I'm getting a bit nervous now that I won't finish, because I want to try and have at least 52 lenses by then, just in case. I really have to pick up the pace while still shooting out my quality lenses. At least if I can't apply this time, I still have June 2009.

My 38th lens is about the new Nickelodeon movie, Spectacular! It's sort of like the Nick version of High School Musical and Camp Rock. I'm a fan of musical movies, so I decided to check it out, and I really liked it. So, I decided to build a lens about it! Check it out for the review, links, pictures, and to buy the DVD and more! Tell me what you think of the lens!

How's everyone else doing on the Giant Squid challenge? Have 50 lenses yet? Are they all up to par? Drop a comment, tell me how you're doing!

I'm on fire!

Three lenses in the last two days! I might actually make the March 31st deadline if I keep this up! So far, 33 lenses published...though that kind of big number of WIP lenses has actually increased, not decreased. But, I actually did publish one of my old WIPs, and then published two new ones! Yay!

A Review of The Gemma Doyle Trilogy
Gilmore Girls Apparel, Hoodies, and More
Edward Cullen in Your Bedroom- Creepy or Cute?

How are any of you potential Giants doing with your goals out there? Drop me a comment! Come on, we can root each other on!

Stay on target....

Reading other Squidoo helpful blogs and just by my general experience so far, I have one thing to say for you guys working to be Giant Squids for the March 31st deadline (like me): Stay on target. Don't go making a bunch of WIP (work in progress) lenses and leave them there. Currently, I have 20 WIP lenses, and that is NOT good! I really have to get to working on my WIPs!

The important point here is that you should make one lens at a time. Start one lens, and finish it before you start another. If you desperately want that link for your lens, than go ahead and claim it by making a unpublished lens, but if it just sits there, you might be nice and let someone else give it a go. One or two lenses at a time is my suggestion, no more.

Currently, I have 29 lenses published and 20 WIPs. Once I get all those 20 WIPs completed...it's Giant Squid time!

Burger Shop Game - New Lens

Love playing those silly little computer games like Diner Dash, Wedding Dash, or...Burger Shop? Apparently there were no reviews of the Burger Shop game on Squidoo, so I had to make my own lens! The game costs $20 on average! Check out the lens!

Not to mention that with this new lens I just made, that means that I am now HALFWAY done to getting my 50 lenses so that I can apply to be a Giant Squid! Woot!

Reaching for Giant Squid Status

I love that feeling I get when I publish a new lens...I feel one step closer to Giant Squid status! Which is what I've decided is going to be my New Year's resolution!

So, my new goal is to make at least two lenses every week. I think it's working, since I've made 8 new lenses in the last 2 weeks, haha! I might change it to more often, since I really want to make the March 31st deadline. So far, I have 23 lenses (working on 24). And I have quite a few WIP lenses that I have to be working on.

I guess we'll see how I do by the end of this month. I'm nearly halfway there! Next Giant Squid deadline....March 31st! Go!

PS: Check out my new lens using Twttrstorm! Is Valentine's Day overrated?