Jack Vettriano - the Book: My New Squidoo Lens

My new lens, Jack Vettriano – The Book, is the first I’ve made for over two months. I just couldn’t get on with any. I started several, decided they bored me so I deleted them.

I’m so glad I remembered how much I liked this book about the artist Jack Vettriano because it gave me the opportunity to write about something that really interested me even after I began to lens.

I’ve never seen an original painting by Vettriano, only prints or other reproductions so I can’t make any judgment on his talent as an artist on a technical level. What I do know is that many of his paintings are fascinating because they hint at a story behind them. They look like a glimpse into someone else’s love life or other drama.

When I lose the urge to write, I need a subject that just flows from my fingertips. I usually love research but when I’m in a non-writing phase, I don’t have the patience or the inclination. Now I’ve got ideas for new lenses and I want to get on with them, I’m pleased to say.

Default logo and text on Squidoo Lens

I see many lenses by newcomers to Squidoo that are spoilt because they haven’t bothered to fill in their biography or put in a picture to represent themselves.

On the right you can see the orange blob and “Hello world. This is my bio. I can edit it later.”

This is what you get when you haven’t bothered to provide a picture of yourself or an avatar to represent you and don’t put in a little basic information. It doesn’t look good, does it? I’ve blotted out the lensmaster’s name to avoid embarrassment.

It looks lazy at best or as if you have something to hide at worst. On Squidoo, most people are either imparting information or trying to sell something, sometimes both. How can you expect anybody to trust what you tell them if you hide your identity behind an orange blob? If you can’t be bothered to edit your bio and apparently are happy to tell everybody this, how can anybody trust you to make sure that what you write is accurate?

I believe that all newcomers to Squidoo should add a picture and some information before they make their first lens. It doesn’t take long. If you don’t want to use a picture of yourself, you can use a cartoon or some other picture as long as you aren’t infringing somebody else’s copyright. Use a picture of your dog, cat, hamster, or goldfish. Some people use pictures of themselves as babies or a back view. Use a picture of some scenery.

Almost anything will do as long as you use it on all your lenses so people can quickly recognise it. Your lensmaster picture is like your logo.