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Here I thought I was being all cool and creating a printer-friendly PDF for you to create a Valentine’s Day Mind Map with. Gahr! But the link didn’t work.

Here’s a new one: Valentine’s Day Mind Map for YOU!

And I fixed the link in the other post. By the way, did you know we’re on Twitter @squidoonews?

Happy Tuesday!
~Kimberly

Squidoo is home of the smartest lensmasters on the web. You don’t have to tell them twice that an important lens-building holiday is coming up! They’re ready in advance with a selection of Valentine’s Day lenses fit for any Valentine in your life. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s blossoming for February:

Valentine’s Day Gifts
Show off your shop. If you’re on Cafepress or Zazzle or Etsy, turn a lens into a promotion and showcase the best of your love. (And don’t forget to do it using our Cafepress, Zazzle, and Etsy modules!)

West Chester Pa Discount Flowers for Valentines Day
Bring it all home for V-Day by creating a SquidZippers lens for the best Valentine’s deals in your hometown. Then tell all your friends and family!

Valentine’s Day Love in Many Languages
Love comes in all languages, and this lens appeals to an international audience.

Chef Keem’s Personalized Valentine Gift Ideas
Say their name without speaking a word. Personalized gifts are the ultimate expression of individuality, and Chef Keem has cooked up another fabulous lens to show you how.

Valentine’s Day Flowers
Learn what each colored rose really means, or send this year’s love letters through a romantic post office.

The True Story of Valentine’s Day
Learn the TRUE story of St. Valentine’s Day, plus how Cupid plays a part in it all. (See - Valentine’s Day was around before Hallmark!)

Valentine’s Cards, Apparel, Gifts, and More
Think outside the roses and put together your dream gift shop. (Then be sure to leave the URL where your honey can see it!)

Vintage Valentine’s Day Cards
Show off the history of the holiday. Here you can even learn how to make one of my favorite crafts of all time - the button card.

Anti-Valentine’s T-shirts, Gifts & More
Dun, dun, DUUUUUUN. That’s my best “impending doom” sound effect. If you’re totally against all that mushy romantic stuff, there are hundreds of ways to benefit from others who are.

MMmm, all these lenses are making me hungry for chocolate.

If you’re ready to get started with your own money-making lenses, download this lensmaking mind map. It will help you outline your ideas and commit to daily progress.

PS - have a lens? Want to a make it better? Here are the most noticeable boo-boos you can fix in a flash:
1. Rename those default module titles. (No more “new guestbook.”)
2. Add photos, pictures, graphics, and color.
3. Update your bio and avatar so we know who you are!
4. Head to the SquidU Forum for a critique.
5. Get started somewhere! If you don’t publish, you can’t profit!

PPS - share the love. If you make two lenses, donate the royalties from one to charity. Ooh. That feels good!

To celebrate the beginning of a new year, dozens of our forum frequenters are setting lensmaking goals for 2009. While some just want to “make more lenses,” most are setting goals in the form of numbers. “Ten new lenses.” “Twenty-five new lenses.” “Fifty new lenses!”

Setting a number to strive for is a great way to help yourself plan your work and work your plan. Since you know how many days are in a week, how many weeks are in a month, and how many months are in a year, all you need is simple math to create a game plan.

How many lenses do you want to create in 2009? Here are a few examples:

If you make 1 lens a month, that’s over 10 this year.
If you make 2 per month, that’s almost 25.
If you make one lens per week, that’s over 50.
If you make two lenses per week, that’s over 100.
If you make three lenses per week, that’s over 150.
If you make a lens every day, that’s 365!

Once you’ve determined how much time you can commit to making lenses, you can schedule time in your day planner and get to work on all those ideas that are piling up. It’s easy to see how a few minutes of work a few times a week can add up to some major accomplishments over a full year!

BONUS: you can put this same plan into action for your charity lenses. Just two lenses per month for charity will earn you a whopping 24 lenses that are sending their earnings to a good cause! What if your family made a lens together every Sunday afternoon? That’s 52 lenses to help those in need. How easy is that?

Double bonus: 50 awesome lenses could get you to Giant Squiddom. 100 could get you into the 100 club.

Squidoo is lucky; we have some uber smart lensmasters. They’re always up for sharing advice on the finer points of using Squidoo. Here’s what lensmasters are asking about and learning about this week on our SquidU Forum:

• Why don’t my lenses show on my bio page?
• Why do lenses look different between browsers?
• How do I add HTML code to a lens?
• Can I change my username?
• Can I create links in my SquidCasts?
• How do I join a lensmaster’s fan club?

Do you have a question you’re itching to ask? First, search for the answer on the The Answer Deck or on the SquidU Forum. Can’t find it? Start a new thread at SquidU and one of our hundreds of helpful lensmasters will reply.

(Have answers you’re itching to share? If you’re a Giant Squid you can create a lens at The Answer Deck, and anyone can reply at the forums!)