Squidblog

One of the benefits of Squidoo is that it can be used as tool for organizing and presenting research in an easy-to-digest format. Take geneaology. I’m a big fan of geneaology, but I’m often frustrated trying to keep all of my materials and research organized — much less in such a way that it’s easy to share with other people in my family.

In the last couple of days, I’ve come across several genealogy-related lenses that might help me reapproach my genaological research entirely.

Genealogy Columns and Articles is the most comprehensive lens on this topic to date. Jeffry Vance has collected an impressive range of resources, including genealogy books, magazines, and articles — including a feed from Genealogy Today.

Beginners Genealogy Tips is more focused, and perhaps more practical and functional. Vicki, the “ancestor hunter,” recommends free research tools and sites focusing on specific enthnicities.

Barbara Vance built Genealogy Is Fun to share genealogy with her grandchildren. This lens is very family specific, concentrating primarily on Arkansas and Sweden, but the Amazon module alone makes this worth a visit. Who knew there were books designed to introduce children to genealogy?

And George Washington Corson focuses on the life of one man: George Washington Corson. Featuring Flickr photos taken from old tintypes, family-related resources, notable books — and a map of where Corson settled in 1886 — the lens is a wonderful snapshot of a person I may have never known about otherwise. Imagine how useful the lens will be to descendents of Corson!

Some lenses have made me want to read a book. Some have helped me learn about a new tool.

This lens makes me want to go on vacation. And it’s got me thinking about the promise lenses can offer real estate agents, people who rent their vacation home, and others involved in the rental market.

If location is the most important thing in real estate, promoting a property online — in a lens — can help you give that property all the depth it needs. By adding a Google Map, links about the surrounding towns area, and pictures of the property, you can really share what a place is like.

But this doesn’t just work for real estate agents. Whether you rent or are looking to buy, whether you’re looking for a vacation spot or to sublet for the summer, Squidoo can make the process easier.

Location, location, location… in a lens!

As any good author will tell you, the work is only just beginning when you turn in the finished manuscript.

Promotion and passion are the two defining principles that take authors (and their book sales) from good to great.

Would you write a book, put it on the shelves at your local Barnes&Noble, and sit back and hope people sniff it out? Would you spend time on something you’re proud of, then ignore it?

No, you’d send it to friends. You’d post it on whatever signposts you know. You’d talk. You’d listen. You’d hope people liked your work, and that it inspired them. You might even hope your book made a difference, no matter how small.

Our best lensmasters act like great authors. They promote, with passion. They email their lenses to friends. They blog about them. They watch them and update them. They check the Squidoo Top 100 list, just as authors follow the Amazon bestseller list.

Why do they do this? Is it an inflated ego? Not really. Is it because they’re hoping to become independently wealthy off of their lenses? Not yet.

It’s because it feels good when people get it. It feels good to help, to educate, to connect, to change minds, to meet readers, to be the expert.

Storytelling is a huge factor in your lens’s success.

When stories ramble, run too long, or are out of order, the punchline is lost. The takeaway is buried.

Instead, think of each lens like a book.

First, there’s the title. Good nonfiction titles communicate the meaning of the book while also grabbing your attention. Titles like French Women Don’t Get Fat, or The Tipping Point, or The World is Flat. Now, think about your lens title (and the URL attached to it). Does it stand out? Is it tied in to your topic? Does it make sense?

Then, there’s the front cover design of your book (lens). Your cover is your chance to make a whopping first impression. It should suggest what the book is about, and be more than a little intriguing, right? So too of your lens image. Otherwise someone might just put the book back on the shelf and move on to the next. (Would you take a second look at a book with a blank cover?)

Next up is the brief intro, which gives your readers the big picture overview of what this lens is about, talks a little about your topic or idea, and even highlights what someone could learn from it.

Followed by… the modules; think of these as chapters. Each chapter develops another aspect of your topic. Think about where each chapter goes. Should you swap chapter 9 with chapter 3? Do you want to open your book with photos, text, a definition, a link, or the product you’re talking about? The better chapter 1 is, the more likely your reader will continue to chapter 2, and so on. Ordering matters.

And what about a conclusion? Great books end with provocative conclusions that make you want to DO something. Some great lenses end with funny signoffs: “So long, and thanks for all the fish!” Some close with an inspiring “What To Do Now” call to action (donate to this charity, buy this book, contact me!–of course, you can open your lens with those as well). But saying adieu can make for a classy conclusion.

Finally, the back cover. Turn over any John Grisham or Stephen King novel, and what do you find? Them, staring back at you! Photos add personality, authenticity, and trustworthiness to your lens. And don’t forget an author bio… Tell us what you do and why you’re good at it. Show off a little. Remember, no one else has this exact experience, this perspective, this unique view, this recommendation.

This is your topic. Your book. Your lens.

Richard Ball of Apogee Web Consulting took the initiative to create the Squidoo TagMan game, an online version of Hangman in which Squidoo tags are the words you try to guess.

Drawing on Squidoo’s Popular Tags page, the game is a fun grassroots project. And when you win a game of Squidoo TagMan, you can jump to a list of lenses that use the tag.

Thanks, Richard! We can’t wait to see what else people do with the Squidoo idea.

Ethan Poole recently interviewed me and Gil Hildebrand, Jr., Squidoo’s chief engineer, for the webmaster e-zine Lowter. The conversation addresses the ideas behind Squidoo, how lenses compare and contrast to other web publishing tools, how lensmasters can benefit by building better lenses, and Squidoo’s use of Ajax and other technology tools.

The interview does well to capture some of the major building blocks of the Squidoo platform. Lensmasters and non-lensmasters alike might find it useful. Thanks, Ethan, for your attention and interest!

Last week, a lensmaster emailed me asking how to best “attract new types of users to the Squidoo family.” While we encourage people to let their friends, family and colleagues know about the platform — and more importantly, your lenses — I just discovered a couple of lenses that show a new and promising way to approach newcomers.

Following a lively discussion thread in Ryze’s Refreshing Marketing Network, Lisa Boyd created a lens entitled Ryzers on Squidoo. She built the lens to link to lenses created by other members of the online business network. This might be the first example of grassroots group forming within Squidoo. (Thanks for your support, Lisa!) What lensmasters do you run with? How might you better represent those connections using the Squidoo platform?

In parallel, lensmaster Martin Bamford recently created the Ecademy Squidoo Club lens to introduce members of that online business network to the platform, to highlight members’ lenses and to connect with Ecademy’s Squidoo Club itself. Yes, Martin created a business club within Ecademy to help Squidoo lensmasters better connect and collaborate. It’s awesome to see Squidoo lensmasters interacting outside of the platform, as well. We’re looking forward to see how the club develops!

What groups are you part of? Should members of your book club, church choir, tennis league, or chamber of commerce build lenses? It’s not a bad idea!

What better way to start off a new year than by offering a new module? Today, we introduced the Indeed module, which you can see in Top Modules/Top Content Modules list when adding modules to a lens.

The module taps into the web service Indeed, a “search engine for jobs.” According to the Wall Street Journal, Indeed draws on listings in more than 500 job sites.

If you’re working on a lens about a specific geographic region, profession, or practice, consider adding the Indeed module — and be sure to let us know what you think!

Update: David Parmet informs me that Indeed is in fact tapping “thousands of sources.” Thanks for the head’s up!

Happy new year, everyone! In catching up with some of the newer lenses, I was quite excited to see Ray Daly’s lens 2005 Top 10 Lists. If you’d like to explore some of the best books, movies, records, ads, photos and news stories from last year, Ray’s lens collects a multitude of such lists all in one place — thanks, Ray!

Update: And looking forward, Arda Kutsal has built a quick lens rounding up predictions for 2006 — primarily in business and technology.

King Kong
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Red Wine
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Fondue
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My New Year’s Eve.

What did you do?

Did you drink it in?
See the ball drop?
Discover a new restaurant?
Or stay in with a DVD?

And what about resolutions… what are yours?

Be more charitable?
Save money (and make money)?
Start eating right and stay healthy?

There are lenses for your every whim. Find out what you don’t know. Share what you do.

What will you discover on Squidoo this year?