I Had a Mini-Stroke

I’ve been away for 10 days on vacation and came back a week ago. I didn’t have access to a computer while I was away so I couldn’t update any of my Squidoo lenses. Actually, if I’m being honest, I probably wouldn’t have done so anyway – I was too busy enjoying my vacation.

I have just four lenses that are in the top thousand regularly. In fact, these sometimes get into the top 200 at times so I’m very keen to update them to maintain their position. When I came back, all four were hovering on the edge of falling out of the top 2000. I went into overdrive – I had to update them and fast.

The top one is I Had a Mini-Stroke and What Happened After so that was the one I updated first. I then updated the other three on the same day. When lens rank was recalculated a few hours later, the updating of the lenses had no positive effect. If anything, all four had dropped slightly. This has happened before so I wasn’t worried. About 24 hours later, lens rank was again recalculated and all four had made it into the top 1000 lenses. I’ll keep working on them, making sure they are fresh because I’m sure it helps with Google too because all four get good traffic from there. I also hope to get them back into the top 200 Squidoo lenses.

I have a continuous program of updating my lenses and usually do several each day. Sometimes I make big changes, sometimes they are only small ones. I’ve even found typos on old lenses that I’ve missed many, many times.

What’s the point of all this, you might ask? I’m telling you that updating web pages works. In a way, Squidoo lens rank is the least important part of doing it. The lenses I update most often are the ones with the highest traffic, clickouts, affiliate sales and they are the ones that get the most traffic from Google and other search engines. Even ones that I had given up hope of ever getting decent numbers of visitors have had improved traffic as I’ve regularly updated them.

My recommendation is that you update lenses regularly. It’s not worth bothering too much with seasonal ones like Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter. Just start updating those 3 to 4 months before the event. Update your most popular pages but don’t neglect the less popular ones either. Taking a fresh look at them from time to time might inspire you to make improvements. If you make major changes, you can send out a Squidcast telling people about them. You can blog about the changes, you might also be inspired to find more places for backlinks for them too.

I’ve had some of my Squidoo lenses critiqued and the ones that have been most helpful are those that point out ways to improve them. The most annoying, for me, are those that say “Great lens” or “Well done.”

Conceited as I may appear, even I don’t think that my work is perfect and doesn’t need improving. In fact, there is usually something, however small, that could be improved on any web page.

It’s fine to say, “Great lens but I spotted a typo in the second paragraph and it’s ….(whatever)”. This is helpful. Telling someone that maybe the page would read better if some of the information was moved around or expressed in a slightly different way might help too. Sometimes all we need is another pair of eyes and some suggestions to introduce us to new ways of working or doing something.

When we’ve worked hard on a Squidoo lens, we can get too close to it and we read it the way we hear it in our minds. We put the emphasis where we know it should go even if the natural way to read a sentence would put the emphasis elsewhere. Pointing this out helps us to read it with a fresh approach and we can try to forget the way we want it read.

When I read these non-critiques in Critique Me, I assume the poster is just trying to get a bit of exposure for their own work – often comfirmed when they ask for a visit in the same post.

Next time you see someone ask for a critique, read the page carefully. Look for ways to improve it. Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

• Do you get a good first impression? If not, why not?
• Is there a bio and picture in the top right or is it the default text and orange blob?
• Are the pictures good and relevant?
• Are the ads relevant?
• Are there any typos, wrong spellings or errors in grammar?
• Is the text well written?
• Does the page flow well from one point to the next?
• Does anything irritate you about the writing or layout? If the answer is yes, analyse what it is and assess whether this is a personal foible or whether most people would react the same. If you think other people would feel the same, then it is worth mentioning in your critique.

These aren’t the only points to consider but they are probably the main ones. Don’t just point out what you think is wrong, make suggestions on how to fix the problem.

There are benefits of doing critiques – you become aware of problems that you can avoid in your own writing and page making.

I hope none of you are working on new Valentine’s Day lenses or web pages right now. You’ve almost certainly left it too late to get much profitable traffic this year, if you are.

Easter, though, is nine weeks away. This gives you time to get a lens or two online. You’ll have time to choose a good subject, hopefully one that puts a slightly different spin on the usual Easter eggs and little bunny rabbits. You don’t want to compete head-on with the top Easter pages, do you? Maybe you know about some Easter customs unique to your area, or your family has its own traditions or recipes for the festival.

The good thing is, you have time to look for a different perspective. To try to give you some ideas for thinking laterally, here are three top-ranking Squidoo lenses about Easter:

Easter Music for Your Church Choir – it doesn’t have a lot of original content but it’s a great resource for anybody looking for Easter music.

Simple & Affordable Little Girls’ Easter Dresses For Spring & Summer – I would never have thought of writing about Easter dresses for little girls but it’s a great idea.

Painting Wooden Easter Eggs – the lensmaster tells us about her family custom of painting wooden eggs for Easter and she also tells us how to do it.

Can you think of something about Easter that will rank highly on Squidoo and, better still, get picked up by Google and other search engines?

I picked up many tips just by looking. It’s what I’ve always done to learn to improve my writing and web page building. Look at what the experts do and learn from them.

I am amazed at the number of new lensmasters who ask how to improve their lenses or get more traffic but a quick look at their profiles shows that they have not rated or favourited any other lenses. That always leads me to assume, possibly wrongly, that they haven’t bothered to look at any or many others.

It truly appalls me when a quick look at their lenses indicates they have no idea at all how to make one that is appealing to the casual visitor.

Who would stop and read a lens that is text heavy with no graphics of any kind unless they are desperate for the information and can’t find it anywhere else? Well, not me for a start!

Even worse, if you do begin to read because you are desperate or perhaps kinder than I am, and you find it’s poorly spelled, ungrammatical and full of text-speak, would you persevere? I think most people would give up.

Why does anybody think this is acceptable? Why would anybody assume this is what other people are prepared to read? I have no idea. What I do know is that too many people new to lens or web page building or blogging think this is perfectly acceptable.

Guess who has seen too many bad web pages and lenses recently!

Seriously, I’m not joking. You should not only be thinking about Squidoo lenses or web pages for Valentine’s Day on February 14th 2010 now, you should also be thinking about Easter next year too.

I wouldn’t consider publishing a lens for Christmas now. The time for that, in my opinion, is at the end of August or in September. I might even publish one as late as October but that’s about my limit. Why? I want to have time to get it indexed by search engines. Although Google and other search engines can pick up a lens or web page within 24 hours, sometime they take longer than that.

My other reason for doing ’special occasion’ lenses early is because many people start thinking about Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter two or three months before the event and this is when many of them start browsing the web for information. I want my Squidoo lens there, ready and waiting for them. I don’t want to miss the boat and not even get the opportunity for many people to see my work.

Susanna Duffy, Squid Angel

I’ve known Australian Susanna Duffy online for several years and she has always made great web pages. It’s a talent she’s transferred to Squidoo and now makes great lenses too.

She was made a Squid Angel a few months ago and she has carried out her Angel duties assiduously – I wouldn’t expect anything else from her.

How does she find time for all her many activities and enterprises? I have no idea except I suspect she works long hours and doesn’t waste too long sleeping.

Read more about her in this interview.

When did you join Squidoo?
There are really 2 dates which mark my entrance into squidoo. The first was September 2006 when I joined and made a lens as a backlink to a website. After that I went off about my other business leaving that lens to sit alone, unattended, without a backwards glance from me for exactly two years.

I didn’t return until September 2008, a date which marks my ‘real’ Squidoo start. Things looked different – squidoo had changed! More to the point, I had also changed and from that day last year I embraced Squidoo with passion.

Would you call yourself a Squidoo addict?
One third of my time online is spent on Squidoo, I’m more addicted to my online business if addiction is a word which can be used for online work. I make 70% of my income online. The business is called Virtual PA.

What do you like best about Squidoo?
Squidoo is fabulous and fast! And where else do you find such a friendly community? Like all communities, there are ups and downs and the occasional pest, but the wealth of supportive lensmasters far outweighs the complainers. SquidU Forums are a source of answers, advice and tips for everyone of all levels.

What annoys or irritates you about it?
The abuse of Squidoo is more than irritating, it’s quite sickening. Cheats, liars and scammers have to be hunted down to clean it up for the rest of the world. They give us all a bad name.

Which was your first lens and why did you write it?
My original foray into Squidoo was about my first love, mythology. I’ve since turned that first lens into a lensography which lists some of my lenses on the topic. It’s still not what could be called a ‘good’ lens, it needs work, but I’m attached to it now and read the few comments with fondness.

I now have a much better understanding of what makes an interesting lens but it’s hard to say goodbye to my first shaky attempt.

What is your favourite lens of your own and why?
I’m particularly fond of my Roman recipes. I’ve been trying lots more too so I’m planning a second (or third) lens on this topic.

The fascinating part about ancient Roman recipes is that they have no measurement of ingredients, no explanation of many of those ingredients – and no instructions! You have to guess it, cook it, taste it and then make a judgement for modern palates. It’s like solving a mystery, a two thousand year old mystery.

I have a small restaurant, Cafe Porridge, and specialise in ancient foods so I’m always experimenting with something new – or ‘old’.

Have you enjoyed your time as a Squidoo Angel?

Nowadays I’m an Honorary Angel and I have truly loved my time with wings. Cleaning up the baddies in Squidoo has been a constant delight although not as delightful as blessing excellent lenses.

The Curious Town of Coober Pedy

You write about many different topics – Australia and Australians, myths and legends, recipes, to name just a few. Do you have a preference for a particular one or more subjects amongst those you’ve covered?

Mythology is my number one topic but I write on Australia as so many people really know very little about this vast continent. My favourite about Australia is The Curious Town of Coober Pedy.

Recipes? I love my kitchen.

Why are you particularly fascinated by mythology? Do you think some of them are based on real events and have just been embroidered over the centuries?

Stories told for thousands of years have an impact on us today. They don’t last because of fashion, taste or religion, they remain in our consciousness because they have an ageless message to give us. Look at the story of Demeter. As I say in the introductory module, myths can be read as symbols, and can be used as working templates for modern times. If you read past the supernatural, Demeter is relevant for women of today. Right here and now.

Have you any ambitions to fulfill on Squidoo?

I want to be in the Squidoo Hall of Fame! If we had such a thing. I should write a lens about it

September 30th saw the final deadline to make Squidoo Giant or a Giant 100 Clubber. The Wiwon Team did well and I think many of its members will qualify with either 50 or 100 lenses. They’ll know later this week. In the meantime, I know from experience, it’s quite worrying wondering if your lenses are good enough even though you hit the target number.

The members of my small coaching group have improved a lot over the course of the last 8 to 10 weeks. Some people’s work has changed enormously and for the better. Even though I was coaching them, I learned from them too. It’s always a learning experience to look at other people’s lenses or web pages. Sometimes you learn a new technique or an unusual way of using modules that you’ll find useful, sometimes you see what people do wrong and that teaches you something too.

Squidoo won’t be using the different challenge groups like Wiwon for the next round of people going for Giant or the 100 Club. Instead, it’s one big group run through the Ning Forum network.

It will be interesting to see how this will work. It appears to me as if there will be a lower ratio of mentors to prospective Giants or 100 Clubbers. I think many people benefited from the small groups last time because they got almost individual attention and help. I had just eight people in my coaching group, for example, so it was relatively easy for me to take a detailed look at every lens each person made and I had the time to give a detailed critique when necessary.

A lot of the Squids from Wiwon and other Challenge teams have said the think this kind of attention helped them enormously.

Well, we’ll see in January whether the new system works as well or maybe it will work even better.

Sylvestermouse's Avatar on Squidoo

No, I’m not suggesting you shake the tentacle of a denizen of the deep blue sea but rather learn about one of the great people who write on Squidoo. The first in this series is Sylvestermouse, AKA Cynthia.

I became aware of her when she posted a critique request for her first lens (web page) in Squidoo’s forum – Sewing in the House of Sylvestermouse.  I took a look at it and, although there were things that needed to be done, it was obvious to me that Cynthia could write in a good and interesting way. I made some suggestions, as did other people, and she actually implemented them – not something that always happens. After that, I’ve taken an interest in her progress and she has done very well, having made many interesting lenses. I now think of her as my ‘baby Squid’ who is growing up fast.

Read what she has to say about why she joined Squidoo and her thoughts on different aspects of the network.

Why did you join Squidoo?

Originally I joined Squidoo to promote my ebay store.

If it was to promote your business, what made you go on to build so many different lenses which don’t do that?

I found that I enjoyed reading and writing lenses so much, that my store has become secondary. I have met some really great people on Squidoo and I truly enjoy the community.

Would you call yourself a Squidoo addict?

The Original Sylvester Mouse

Absolutely! Sometimes I am so busy reading and writing that I forget to eat or sleep. Once I have locked on to an idea, I simply can’t stop until it is finished.

In addition to working on my own lenses, I try to read every new lens of my fellow teammates on Team One as well as the challenge lenses of the Rocket Moms. When reading lenses, I find the educational element of some lensmasters so intriguing and the personal element of others so captivating, that I simply cannot stop. It’s like a good book you can’t put down.

How are you finding the journey to become a giant? Is it stressful or are you enjoying it?

Surprisingly, I am loving every minute of it.

Have you found your Giant Challenge group a great help and support?

Now I could write for days on this subject! I have the creme de la creme supporting me and helping me. I have been amazed by their tenacious attention. I barely get my lenses published before one or two of them has already commented and they are so sweet in the way they gently correct and guide. We are a small group, but if I had searched the internet over, I could not have found a more devoted alliance.

How are you enjoying Rocket Moms? Are you learning new skills?

Rocket Moms

Rocket Moms has given me a separate challenge altogether.

It has taken me longer to adjust to the larger group, but again, I have made several wonderful friends.

Around my home, I even refer to these lensmasters by name when I am relating their stories to my family. Literally hours of conversation and dinnertime entertainment have resulted from my Rocket Mom’s association.

This week’s travel assignment has been wonderful for us. We love to travel and I have shown several of the lenses to them as suggestions for planning our next adventure. I have a whole “collection” to choose from now.

Since all Squidoo skills are new to me, there is no question that I am learning new ways to improve my lenses.

Do you think these small groups are helpful and give a greater feeling of community?

Ha, ha, ha! Well, clearly I didn’t read the questions in advance before I started answering the first ones. I guess I shall let this be a lesson to me! Yes, I believe it would be extremely easy to be lost in the sea of squids and never reach one’s individual potential without the “family” or “school” of fellow lensmasters. If I had not had encouragement from my mentor (Cynthia says she considers me to be her mentor)  and my team, I probably would not have written any lenses after the first two. I felt so dejected when my second lens received less than a 5* rating. I remember thinking “what do they want?” I found it isn’t easy to write instructional lenses for crochet even though I tried very hard to think from a beginners perspective.

What do you like best about Squidoo?

I like the opportunity to learn and expand my personal horizons. I enjoy the challenge of presenting a thought and evoking a response because, again, I am learning something about the subject of the lens or about people. My favorite example of this so far, was my lens “Hangin’ with Vampire Bats.” I could almost feel the cringes of the readers when I read their comments.

What annoys or irritates you about it?

When members give lower ratings without explanation or critiques. I really do believe if you think a lens is lacking, you should contact the lensmaster and ask questions. Usually if you ask a question, the lensmaster will add content to their lens that supplies the answer. Thus, the results are a better lens.

Hangin' With Kangeroo Rats

You must love animals, you’ve written many lenses about them…

Yes, I do indeed love all animals even the ones that are commonly unlovable. Um…perhaps I like the unlovable ones even better. I suppose that is the “protect the underdog” inclination that is the drive behind some of my lenses. I have even found that I have a certain affinity for squids.

Are you going to expand on your needlework or handicrafts series of lenses?
I definitely have plans to write additional craft lenses. As you can tell by the two I have already published, they are extremely time-consuming endeavors and I want to make sure I am using a helpful and easy to follow format before I write another one.

What do you enjoy outside of Squidoo?

Is there an “outside of Squidoo?” Okay, all joking aside: I enjoy many activities from traveling to sewing at home. I love nature, planting seeds and watching them grow, watching the birds and animals that temporarily brighten my life, occasionally swimming or riding horses. I used to even water ski and fish. I would still enjoy water-skiing if there was a lake that would permit it close by. People could just laugh at the “old poo” on the water-skis. I love to read. When I am not “doing” something, I like to read about someone else’s adventures. I like to cook what my family likes to eat. There really is a difference in liking to cook and liking to please someone else with your cooking. I have had a full life of many kinds of adventures but my focus remains on my religious beliefs and my family.

Cynthia is a lovely person as well as being a good lensmaster. She is very generous with her praise of other people’s work and takes time to look at many Squidoo lenses. See a full list of her lenses on her Sylvestermouse page.

The Fun Side of Work

Almost anybody who writes has been there. You need to write something new, maybe because your blog need updating, you write for a site like Squidoo and you’re taking part in a challenge or perhaps you are lucky enough to have been invited to submit ideas. Some days, though, your mind just goes blank, you can’t think of a thing to write about.

This week’s Squidoo Senior Squids challenge was on Labor or Labor Day. I’m English and we don’t have Labor Day here so it doesn’t mean much to me. I knew that for the purposes of the challenge Labor meant anything job or work related. It didn’t need to be about Labor Day.

I didn’t want to write a lot on the topic because I had a Rocket Moms lens to do as well and this week it was a recipe. That meant cooking something and taking photographs of each stage. It was relatively easy to choose Quick and Easy Blueberry Cake because it’s quick and easy!

I still needed an idea for the Labor one. I came up with The Fun Side of Work. It contains a lot of humorous pictures from Allposters.com plus a couple of public domain ones from Wikipedia Commons.  I wrote a couple of anecdotes from my own experience at work.  Then I put in a few funny quotations about working like “Anyone can do any amount of provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment.”

Sometimes you can use your own amusing or interesting memories in a lens or web page. Your readers aren’t going to be bored with them like friends and family. They haven’t heard you tell the same stories over and over again.

You can take one particular memory and weave an entire lens or web page around it. Perhaps you took a particularly interesting or exciting vacation, maybe you endured a trauma and writing about it might help you come to terms with it.

When you are suffering from writer’s block, think back through your favourite anecdotes and your experiences. Can you use any of them as the basis of your article?

Rocket Moms on Squidoo

I must be crazy joining the Squidoo group, Rocket Moms, right now when I’m so busy. It involves writing a new lens every week on some aspect of a certain subject, which is posted on Mondays. This week it was A Favourite Toy so I chose Meccano.

At the same time, I had to write a lens about Using Pictures Effectively for the Wiwon Challenge Group by next Monday.  I was only asked to do it on Wednesday so it didn’t give me a lot of time especially as I’d just started one for the Senior Squids weekly challenge on bugs. That one has had to go on the back burner. I might have time to work on it tomorrow.

The good news is that I’m not one of those retired people who is bored out of her mind. I never expected to retire. I thought, as I worked for myself, I’d just carry on working forever. I’ve always been so healthy it didn’t occur to me that my health would mean I’d have to give up.

Squidoo is so good for people like me who can’t work. It gives us a purpose, goals and even deadlines sometimes. On top of that, there’s also a great sense of community which has been enhanced by the smaller groups that have been set up over the last few months like Rocket Moms, Senior Squids and the Wiwon Challenge Team. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes writing and making web pages.