thank you lensmaster – squidoo reviews

This is going to probably be one of the last squidangels I get to thank. Jimmie is also a giant squid and a homeschool mom.

Why are you a squidoo lensmaster?

I began making lenses as an organized and attractive way to collect related links. It was totally selfish. I just wanted a one-stop place for all my favorite online resources about a certain topic. Then I realized that others were benefiting from the lens I had created!

I also use lensmaking as a way to research something new and then organize what I learn.

What is your favorite lens?

Now, Katinka! You know that’s an impossible question to answer. But I’ll choose one for you!

I’m really proud of my Shakespeare for Children lens because it’s filled with so many freebies, some of which I made myself. With that lens you can have all you need to introduce children to Shakespeare.

What lens of yours is most under appreciated?

My Crazy English lens is really fun! It’s mainly just photos of Chinglish I’ve found all over China. [I love that lens. If it's under appreciated I'm really glad it gets some notice now]

What lens of yours is most popular?

As you know, popularity varies; lensrank rises and falls. But overall, my first lens is my most popular: Lapbooking . It has been among the top 100 for about a year, only recently dropping out. Currently, my Thanksgiving Lapbook lens is doing the best!

What’s one thing you see lensmasters doing that doesn’t work – and why doesn’t it?

Loading lots of plain text in a lens without any photos or graphics is just plain boring. Online readers are very visual. You’ve got to dress it up with bold, italics, bulleted lists, colors, backgrounds, and photos. Online readers actually don’t read a lot. They scan. So you’ve got to make the content scan-able. The investment in learning a little HTML pays off richly.

What’s your most important squidoo promotion method?

I simply share links where I think people will be helped by them: mostly on my blog and in answers questions at forums. I don’t really see it as promotion. It’s simply helping others. Some of my lenses came about because I kept sharing my pictures and ideas over and over via forums or email groups. I finally just organized it all into one lens. Now I answer the question with a link. I get so many thank you comments and emails from other moms for my homeschooling lenses.

Which lensmaster(s) have helped you most?

Bonnie and her blog about becoming a giant squid encouraged me to aim for Giant-dom. I really appreciate that! Her enthusiasm about my lenses gave me the confidence to keep building lenses.
And there are some lensmasters who consistently answer tough questions at the SquidU Forum. I’ve learned a lot from them. Thefluffanutta and Glen immediately come to mind.