Finally! A new lens!

It's been forever since I've posted on here (or updated a lens on Squidoo), but I've finally gotten myself in the right moodset again, and I'm working on my lenses! I published a new lens yesterday on a new hobby (sport? art form? I still don't know) of mine, fire hooping. If you haven't heard about it, or aren't sure exactly what it is, and you want to learn more (or maybe even try it yourself!), check out my lens here!

I've got a few tricks and lots of videos on the lens, so if you're looking to learn, hopefully the lens will be helpful with that! Leave me a comment on the lens and tell me your thoughts!

Also, it's November again, which means NaNoWriMo time! I'm behind on my word count (again), but hopefully I can catch up. I'm also back to working on my NaNoWriMo experience lens, and hopefully I will actually have a full novel by the end of this month!

That's really all I have to write on for now, but I'll try to update tomorrow and continuously this month!

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!

Yay purple stars!

It's been a while since I updated, since life has been a bit busy lately, but here I am, back again with the posting! Happy May!

So Squidoo has been awesome with the handing out of purple stars, and guess who got a lovely purple star yesterday...me! My lens, 9 Reasons to Adopt a Dog, got a purple star and my lensrank has gone up, yay! :D

I've been slacking on my lenses lately...hopefully the summer will bring me more time and some inspiration for my lenses! Also, my Recipe for Double Chocolate Chip Cookies lens was featured in a blog! The Culinary Favorites from A to Z blog on SquidTop! Check it out and the other featured lenses that rock!

How are the rest of you doing with purple stars? Anyone else gotten any yet? :)

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

New Lens: Hannah Montana the Movie

I've been working like a busy little bee on my new Hannah Montana lens today! I'm not a big Hannah Montana fan (in fact, that's the first statement I make in the intro, and I'm thinking of changing that, haha), but I did like the movie. So the lens is a nice little review of the movie, showing the good and the bad sides of it! If you want, stop by and tell me what you think--I think I did a pretty good job, if I may say so myself, but I still have a lot more I want to add to it!

So here it is, Hannah Montana: The Movie Lens, for all the world to see. And I know there are tons of Hannah fans out there, so I hope it's good enough for the world. :) Leave a comment if you'd like!

Also, good luck to all of you trying for the 100 Club and for Giant Squid in June! I was reading the threads on SquidU, but was just too lazy to post. ;)

6 Reasons to Create a Lensography

What is a lensography, you might ask? A lensography is the Squidoo form of a biography: a little way for people to get to know you better both online and off! thefluffanutta coined the phrase of "lensography", and ever since, Squidoo lensmasters have been creating lensographies so that the world can get to know them better! So here are 6 reasons to create a lensography on Squidoo...

1. It's a way to collect all your best lenses on one page...in a great display and with a system of organization.
2. When people Google your name, they'll come up with your lensography! (Unless you have a really popular name...haha)
3. Lensography is just a fun word. Say it. Really, it's fun, right?
4. You can make a lensography for different niches!
5. It's a great way to explain why you love making lenses. People will be more interested in what you're doing if they know why you're doing it.
6. It's a good way to get your website even MORE promoted. More links, yay!

So keep those things in mind and go make your lensography! If you already have one, try and integrate these things into it. And if you already have done that too, well then, good job! *high fives*

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! :)

Congrats to Greekgeek for LOTD!

Congratulations to GreekGeek for getting her Jackie Robinson: An American Hero lens I wrote about Tuesday, selected for Lens of the Day! Check out the post in the LOTD blog right here.

In other news, I've been extremely busy lately and haven't had time to work on many new lenses at the time, or write for this blog either. My brain is frazzled, I tell ya. I meant to put up a guide for fixing your groups and maybe posting some great new groups a couple of days ago, but time slipped by me very easily. I had some time to update a few lenses, but not much other than that and school work.

But I will try and post a few new lenses and hopefully a Group Guide in the next week, so if I have a lack of posting, I'm sorry!

-Steph

Some great lenses I've found lately...

I've been scouring the lenses on Squidoo lately and these are a few of the awesome lenses I've found!

Crazy Things I've Never Said-Hilarious phrases that people from the South (U.S.) say!

Sugar Cookie Recipes-Some great recipes for making sugar cookies.

Ways for Writers to Make Money Online-Whether it's Helium, Squidoo, Associated Content, there are a ton of places to earn money from, and this lens shows the best of them.

Wordola: Word Game on Twitter-Learn more about the word game on Twitter, Wordola!

Jackie Robinson-Jackie Robinson Day is tomorrow, so learn more about the famous baseball player and all the amazing things he has accomplished! <-btw, you should totally nominate this lens for LOTD, it's great!

Also, I've published a new lens! Double chocolate chip cookie recipes! I made the cookies this weekend for a bake sale so I wanted to publish a lens with the recipes. See the cookies? YUM! :)

Squidoo goes through some changes...

This week has been crazy busy for Squidoo, apparently. New Giants inducted, a whole new front page layout, and the huge change with groups. So, what are these changes so far?

Well, obviously, I have become a Giant! :D I love the feeling of it! I've been making some templates but haven't yet published a lens as a Giant yet...but some of my lenses have definitely increased in Lensrank. And I've gained a few new fans...*does little dance*

Squidoo has also redone their entire front page! There's a pretty big debate about it over at SquidU, but I like the new style. It lacks some graphics, but it's a lot easier to maneuver through, especially for new visitors. It now features the top 5 lenses of every topic, so more lenses get their chances to be clicked upon, and it's a lot more user-friendly.

And last but not least, the big changes that have to do with Groups. I'm going to make a bigger post about it later, but for now, Squidoo has closed off the creation of all new groups and will also be closing down some old groups that just are too spammy or junky. Just FYI. :)

It's also my birthday today, so if you want to give me a pretty pretty present...visit my 9 Reasons to Adopt a Dog (From a Shelter) lens! Hee :D

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!

Almost there!

I'm in the middle of finishing up my 47th lens, and I already published my 45th lens, How to Build A Care Package for College Students, and my 46th lens, Maximum Ride Gear, both of which I love. :) I did remember one thing in the midst of my editing, and I thought I should share it with all of you guys, because I always forget to do this. TAGS. They are important in finding your lens on Squidoo searches. It's true that they don't help out with being found in Google or other search sites, but add your lenses makes it possible to have links in other related lenses, and helps you get traffic from Squidoo.

Another thing? Awesome new module! You can now add a Photo Gallery to your lens with up to 10 photos and a 5-25 second interval! It's really useful for lenses like this one, my Photography Tips lens. Just click the "Add Modules" button, click "See All" and click "P", and there you go. Or you can just search for it, haha.

Watching Supernatural at the moment, it's a very intriguing episode. Only 5 days left until the deadline! *scream* That's all for now, have fun with the new module!

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!

Lens 41! And only 12 days left!

So I still have nine lenses to go, and only twelve days left! But my 41st lens is about something very important to me: adopting dogs from the shelter. I've made a list of 9 really good reasons to adopt a dog, and turned it into a lens! I think adopting dogs is important, and I'm proud of my lens, yet I still feel I can do more with it. It donates to the ASPCA as well, so check it out!

Happy St. Patrick's Day readers!

Celebrate by reading these St. Patty's Day lenses!
St. Patrick's Day - St. Patrick's Day Party Ideas and Games
Saint Patrick, Patron of Ireland

Tips for updating your Squidoo lenses...

If you don't already know, updating your Squidoo lenses on a more frequent basis helps bring up its lens rank. However, if you just update without making any changes, it's pretty pointless. If you really want to spice up your lens and bring in some new visitors, you have to make a few changes. So, here are a few tips on updating an out-of-date lens!

1. Check for typos
Make sure your grammar and spelling is correct in your lens! If you see mistakes, be sure to fix them! And you can also tweak sentences around to make them sound better.
2. Change out your intro picture
Make your lens feel more fresh with a bigger more interesting intro picture!
3. Try out a few new modules
Go into the Module Adder and click to see all modules. You might find a few you didn't know existed!
4. Play around with the HTML...
...And maybe you'll find a new style you like that you can reformat your lens in! Happens to me all the time. ;)
5. Take it to the forums at SquidU.
If you haven't asked already, ask other lensmasters for critique on your lens! I've gotten some great feedback, and hopefully given some as well. It's really helpful!

Also, I FINALLY published my 40th lens. I don't think I can make this Giant Squid deadline however. Only 15 days left and I still need 10 lenses. Maybe I'll try for the June deadline. That way I can make sure my lenses are all high quality. *sigh* We'll see. I know I'm going to be very busy in June, what with the moving and all. But 40 is a happy number as well! :)

So here is my 40th lens! What new features do you want to see in the new iPhone OS 3.0? With the firmware coming out this summer, everyone is buzzing about the rumors, so I decided to go ahead and make a Twtterstrm for it. Tell me what y'all think!

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!

Using Amazon to it's fullest on your lenses

There's more to Amazon then books and DVDs! There's clothing, food, cooking utensils, and more! And it's important to add some of these things to your lenses!

In my lens, Hugs: The Emotional Heimlich, I didn't only focus on books and DVDs...I added some of the actual Hershey Hugs to my lens! Ok, it's not a huge money maker, but maybe some people might get a little hungry for chocolate? And it's not all about literature books either: JaguarJulie's lens, Stuffed Cabbage, puts stuffed cabbage from Amazon!

Think of the other things you can put instead of books or DVDs! Cookbooks, clothing, food, toys, etc! Think outside the box!

Looking for more tips? Bookmark this blog for weekly tips!

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!

Looking for lens ideas?

With the start of March, there are so many lens ideas around...here are a few topics if you're looking to make some lenses!

-St. Patrick's Day Tees and more!
-The Origins of St. Patrick's Day
-Pi Day! (03/14/09)
-St. Patrick's day recipes (cupcakes, cookies, whatever)
-Planning a St. Patrick's Day Party
-Staying safe on St. Patrick's day
-What is the Ides of March? (seriously, what is it? I'm not even sure)
-International Women's Day (March 8!)

And don't forget to start preparing some lenses for:

-Spring break!
-Easter
-Ash Wednesday

How great would it be to start off the summer with some lovely payouts from Squidoo? Get to working on those lenses and make them awesome so you can put some extra cash in your pocket this summer!

A Review of the Two New Modules

"About Me"
The new "About Me" module puts a little gray block of your bio into your lens, wherever you choose. You can also choose to display your top five lenses that you feature in your bio.
This module is a very useful one, in my opinion. Not only can you just put in the default bio, but you can also customize it. It's better for giving the readers a little slice of information, and maybe they'll want to check out your full profile as well. I'm working on integrating it into my lenses, mostly at the bottom and out of the way so as not to distract the reader from the important content.
♥♥♥♥♥
"Pandora.com"
While I truly love the new "About Me" module, I am not as amazed by the "Pandora.com" module. The new module seems to be nothing more than a glorified link module. It asks you for your Pandora username, and then to select one of your playlists. Then, it simply just links to the playlist. This easily could have been done with a link list, or even HTML in a text module. I was hoping for something a bit more like the Amazon MP3 module, with the ability to see the cover art as well as listen to the song right from the lens. I am definitely disappointed by this one Squidoo...
♥♥

Woot-Lens 37!

I've published my 37th lens! Looking for The Office videos? Watch full episodes online! Find the links at this Squidoo lens, updated weekly with every new episode! Hulu.com puts up the latest 5 episodes every week, so find the links here! Also, you can find some hilarious The Office videos from YouTube, buy the seasons on DVD, and more!

In other news, I really like the SquidUtils toolbar. I've been using it a lot since I installed it. And tomorrow I'll be posting my review of the two new modules Squidoo has added.

Leave a comment, tell me what you think of my new lens! And don't forget to bookmark this blog for future updates!

Taking some time off...

So, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with Squidoo and I decided to take a few days off. A few days turned into a week and a half, but I'm back and I think that I'm ready to start my lensmaking again! I only have 14 more lenses to go and 34 days left until the deadline, so hopefully I can meet it.

My 36th lens-The Tales of Sushi and Yoshi. I still have quite a lot to add to it, but I don't really know what. But I published it for now. It works. The lens is about my two dogs, Sushi and Yoshi. I'm going to start a bit of a diary, but not right now. Maybe later.

On another note, there are now two new modules as well as a new module showcase! Whoo Squidoo! Be sure to check out the new "About Me" module, as well as a "Pandora" module to add music. So far I'm liking the "About Me" module, but I haven't tried out the Pandora module. I'll post a review of both of them in a few days, most likely, so be sure to check back for it.

That's all for today! Be sure to subscribe to our feed or bookmark the blog so you can read the reviews on the new modules!

Two New Modules!

Squidoo has now added two new modules...the Giant Squid Community Showcase and the Want to Be a Giant Squid, both featuring the blogs! They've also now added a Twttrstrm module, so you can add just the module to your other lenses! Yay!

I really like the Twttrstrm module, and am already working on adding it to my lenses. :D

So what's the other news? I now have my 35th lens published. :) Only 15 more lenses to go! And I still have 46 (I think?) days left! Woot!

In the meantime, I have 25 WIP lenses and I really want to get rid of them all. That is my goal! So be sure to check out this awesome forum post to help get rid of them!

Get to working on those WIP lenses, then! Here's to hoping I make Giant Squid this April!

December 2008 Payout

So Squidoo has sent out the payments for the month of December last year...I didn't do as well as my best month, September (what a random month, eh?), but I still did pretty good for my standards. Of course, I'm hoping to make more in the coming months, haha!



Highest Tier: $8.73
Middle Tier: $3.56
Lowest Tier: $0.85

And I gave some money to ASPCA! Though I wish it was more. When I get some extra money, I'm going to totally donate a good amount. In fact, I'm working on one lens about my dogs and all my money from that lens is going to go to the ASPCA. :D Now I'm just considering what I can buy with my $35...Suggestions?

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!

SquidUtils Toolbar!

Remember that post about pinging and Squid Utils from just a few days ago? Well just recently, SquidUtils.com released their Toolbar!

Here's a screencap of it from my own window, in case you want to see...

From what I see so far, this toolbar is very useful! I've already been using it some, and I love it! Here's a list of the main features of the toolbar...

Main Features

• Keep up to date with the latest blog posts from Squidoo HQ
• Switch easily between multiple Lensmaster accounts
• Quick access to your dashboard, with notification of Lensrank updates
• Rate, favorite and comment on lenses without scrolling up and down
• Submit a lens to social bookmarking sites and lens directories
• Build a new lens with any of the co-brands
• Direct access to all the tools you love at SquidUtils.com

Check out the Squidoo lens for more information on the new toolbar!

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!

Ping! It works!

If you're a Squidoo Squidmaster and you haven't visited (or used) SquidUtils.com yet, you should go...run!

SquidUtils has tons of widgets that are great for lensmasters...you can edit your lenses, see all your groups, and have access to utilities and tools that are very helpful.

Check out the lens to learn more about SquidUtils, or better yet, just check out the site!

But this post is about more than just using SquidUtils: specifically, it's about the Pinging. What is Pinging? Ok, it's a verb I just made up, but on SquidUtils, it actually means submitting your lens to multiple search engines! How much easier can life get with this!? And from what I see from my lenses so far, all my lenses that have been "pinged" get more traffic from Google and MSN, some of them even getting traffic within hours of being published! Now, it's not all concrete that it is actually the "pinging" that is helping out my lenses, but I highly suggest everyone out there who Squidoos' (more verb inventing) to go and "Ping" your lenses! It's free and it won't hurt!

Well, there's my tip for the day. I'm done procrastinating from those 2 essays I have to write as well as a plethora of math.

Squidoo and Facebook Connect!

We've seen in the last few weeks Squidoo unite with Twitter for Twttrstrm, but Squidoo is stretching its tentacles even more! Facebook and Squidoo are now connected with Facebook Connect! What does this mean for you lensmasters? After you publish a lens, you will see the option to publish a "story" to Facebook, announcing your lens to all your friends on Facebook!

Check out this awesome lens for 7 reasons to use SquidooFacebook Connect.

6 lenses to help you use Squidcasting to your advantage!

Once you've built your fan club up, how are you supposed to update them on your latest Squidoo lenses, updates, and more? SquidCasting can be used to the advantage of any Squidoo lensmaster! It's a way to tell your fans about your latest lens, your blog, or anything else important. Here are a few lenses I like that help you learn about Squid casting!

1. 50 Ways to Use Squidcasting
2. Squidcasting - how to squidcast on squidoo
3. Getting More Out Of Squidcasts
4. Building Your Squidoo Fan Club
5. How To SquidCast A Group
6. Keeping Current With A Squidcast Calendar

Getting your Squidoo Lenses noticed by Google

Contrary to popular belief, lens rank isn't what is important in getting your Squidoo lenses noticed. It's all about getting your lens recognized by Google, and other search engines! What way is there to do this? Well, first off, you could use SquidUtils.com, a resourceful site for Squidoo lensmasters. If you "Ping" your lenses, they get submitted to different engines like Google Blog Search, and etc.

Another, easier way to get your lenses listed by Google is to just post the link in other places! When Google sees more links to your lens, you move up in the Google chain! Instead of a #43 ranking, you could move up #19 ranking!

So just remember...promote your lenses! Get the links up on other websites, and you'll get noticed by Google eventually! SEO is a vital part for any website (or Squidoo lens)!

TWTTRSTRM Arrives!

Twttrstrm is an awesome new feature: Squidoo has teamed up with Twitter to have Squidoo duels! It's pretty awesome, and I've been loving it.

So far, I've made three lenses with Twttrstrm! My favorite one so far, though, is the most related to an upcoming holiday...Valentine's Day! Yes, I've been going crazy with the seasonal lenses, but that's ok. They're fun. :)

Is Valentine's Day Overrated?
Answer the question that everyone is wondering. Is it really a special day to celebrate with your loved ones, or do you think it's an over-commercialized holiday meant to sell more chocolates and teddy bears than usual? You respond!




More of my Twttrstrm lenses...
Pirates Vs. Ninjas!
Love or Money?

So if you love Twitter or you love Squidoo or you love both, then get Twitter storming! Head on over to Twttrstrm!

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?

Blessed and Featured!

It must have been my lucky Squidoo day yesterday, because I got my lens blessed by a SquidAngel, and both my new Valentine's lenses were featured in the SquidBlog! So those of you out there reading this, just a note, get to working on some Valentine's Day lenses! Holiday lenses may be seasonal, but they definitely get noticed in that season.

So check out my lenses:
The True Story of Valentine's Day
Valentine's Cards, Apparel, Gifts, and More!