Squidblog

Here at Squidoo, we’re inspired by our founder (and Original Squid) Seth Godin every day.

And we’re not the only ones. Not by a long shot.

People who read his blog, pick up his books, hear his speeches, read his lenses, meet him on the street… hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people are inspired and moved and challenged by Seth. Probably more like millions.

So as a way to wish him a happy birthday this year–and more important, to celebrate his unflagging spirit of generosity, community and innovation–we’re creating this virtual birthday card.

But it’s not for him, not really. It’s for you. It’s for you to share your own make a difference story. Because that’s what Seth really wants for his birthday.

Sign it. Tweet it. Share it. Pass it on.

Let’s turn ‘happy birthday’ into a universal way of saying ‘thanks for making a difference.’

We’re grateful for all you Squids. We think you make a difference with every masterpiece lens you create. Happy birthday.

Over the holidays last year, we ran a red ribbon on all lenses that donated royalties to charity. Go figure, it was a wildly popular little feature.

This time, we’ve released a new charity tagline customized to your lens that will show up in place of the Glam banner ad — if you’ve set your lens 100% to charity and opted out of Glam ads. As well as a chance for your readers to make their own lenses (and give you the recruitment credit).

So your lens would look like this instead of this.

Of course, if you’d rather get the cash, or earn more money for your charity, keep the Glam ad there!

Either way, thanks for the good work.

As you know, in 2008 Squidoo gave away over $100,000 to charities from our Squidoo Charity Fund. This month, we’re giving away $3,000 to a charity that really, really wants it.

If you’re the spokesperson for a charity sponsored on Squidoo, and you want to know how to win $3,000, send a note to charitycash@squidoo.com. Include your name, the charity you work for, and a short blurb about what you would do with $3,000. Don’t delay! …or this opportunity might pass you by.

And if you’re not a charity official but want your favorite charity to participate, call them up and let them know. Have them send us a note ASAP to find out how they can be entered to win. Voting is less than 10 days away!

* Must be a currently, officially sponsored Squidoo charity to participate. If you’re not, find out how you can apply.

Read the whole scoop on SquidU.

Feel free to share your thoughts there.

We’ve always got an ear to the ground.

Thanks!

When grandmas know that by buying a box of Girl Scout cookies, they’re sending a girl to camp, it makes them feel warm and fuzzy inside. When a phone donor knows their donation is keeping public radio on the air, or providing medical treatments to a boy in Memphis, they’re likely to give more. But if a reader comes across your lens, will they know what their money is helping achieve, and want to go out of their way to donate?

I formerly served as the director of a county-wide non-profit, and part of my job was to get employees in larger businesses to commit to donating by having money automatically deducted to their paychecks. One thing we did that helped tremendously was to show donors, with pictures and stories, exactly what their money was doing for their community.

Some of the props we used were:

- a group scout photo holding a bill for camp
- a soldier care package with items laid out and price tags attached
- colored pictures of a swing set the daycare kids wanted
- stacks of books for advanced reading goals
- a boxed and canned food “castle” representing food for a family for a week

By seeing what items each charity was buying, donors could tell their donations were going to legitimate projects. And since they knew their neighbors were benefiting, they could easily put faces to each need.

Use your Squidoo lens (or create a shiny new one) to show off all the little things your donations are helping purchase. Show your readers the money, or at least what it’s being used for. When donors trust you, they’re more likely to give more, give more often, and help spread the word.

1. Matt has never heard of your organization.
2. Matt has no idea what you do.
3. Matt visits your lens.
4. Matt still has no idea what you do.
5. Matt leaves.

This sounds weird but it’s very common! Since you work for/started/run/love your organization, you know what you do. You know the day-to-day operations of your office. You know where monetary and in-kind donations are going. You know how needed your services are, and how many people depend on you each day.

But your readers don’t.

After visiting your lens, any prospect donor should be able to summarize who you are, what you do, stats about your organization, and at least one name of a real live person who works there. Try having a distant relative or friend view your lens. (Honest friends are best.) They should easily be able to tell you what’s missing.

We’re deep in a 2-week experiment with new forms of advertising on lenses.

You’ve probably seen the Glam ad banner by now, as well as some green text link ads on lenses.

There’s good news (some of it is working very well!) and lots of background, philosophy, and detail in this announcement and thread on SquidU, in case you missed it.

And before you worry too much about the (not so gory) details, remember that if you’re not here for the royalties, you can easily opt-out of any of these ads!

Thanks for reading the thread.

And happy 4th.

The Giant Squids are showing us that Summer School isn’t just for remedial math and taking organic chemistry a second time.

No, summer school Giant Squid style is about going above and beyond and innovating and building. It’s about going faster and pushing yourselves and helping each other refine the craft of making lenses. While the rest of the world is in a summery daze.

Here’s what they’ve done so far. And there are still 5 more weeks to go!

Week #1: Caption Contest Lenses
For week one, Giants in summer school had to make a Caption Contest lens (and were the first to see the brand new module). Here are just a few of the best so far:

• How To Bathe a Cat
• Rocky the Raccoon: Caption Me!
• My Wonderful West Virginia Family

Week #2: Prized Possessions Lenses
We challenged Giants to make Prized Possession lenses for week two. Why? I can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard that the oddball, niche, personal review lenses are the ones that (unexpectedly) perform best. Plus, as we know, recommendations that come from personal satisfaction go a long long way. Here are some standout lenses that came out of that contest.

• A picture of my grandmother, Rose
• Whittards of Chelsea: Coffee Mugs, Cups & Teapots
• My favorite paint brushes

Week #3: Restaurant Review Lenses
This week Giants are busy getting creative with Restaurant Review “local” lenses. Check these out!

• Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina
• Judy’s on Cherry: Hearth-fired Euro Cafe
• Johnny Carinos Italian Kitchen

And hey: If you’re not one of the few who gets to take the Giant Squid Summer School challenge, maybe it’s time to ask yourself the question: What lenses could you be working on, for 5 minutes every day, while everyone else is taking the summer off?

The most recent application deadline for Giant Squids has passed, but the good news is you have plenty of time to whip your lenses into shape for the next round!

Many a Squid-in-waiting is wondering, “does my lens have to rank well to be considered great?”

Here’s what Giant Squid Mentor and Organizer RMS has to say:

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How Is Your Lens Ranking?

Whether they are being found by thousands of people or only just a few, Giant Squid lenses always rank high with their individual readers and that, in my opinion, is what makes their lenses great.

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There you have it! All lenses start out at the bottom of the ranking scale, and must earn their way to the top. So just because your lens isn’t currently ranked well doesn’t mean it’s not great. Plus, as the number of lenses grows, the competition gets more fierce. By regularly maintaining and promoting your lenses, you’ll soon create a reputation for developing content that’s clean, fun to read, and newsworthy.

Got more Giant questions? Get your answers at the Giant Mentor lens.