XP's How to Squid

WELCOME to XP's How to Squid

2008-05-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

Thank you for taking a moment to visit ... glad you made it here!

This blog is the perfect place for anyone new to Squidoo to learn how to get started.

Be sure to begin with the How to Squid: Intro post under Blog Archive (see links at left ... no, your other left) and then continue to read the blog entries in order.

Using affiliate partners (also called performance marketing) and how to increase the amount your lens can make for you, is now published. You can find it in April's post archive.

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

Squidoo for Small Business

2008-04-05T11:51:00.002-04:00

Say you have something to sell.
Why Squidoo?

Squidoo lenses get excellent search ranking in Google results ... it is a GREAT way to get your product exposure!

It's free. I mean, that's got to be good for something.

It's not only free, it's fairly simple. I wouldn't say "easy" only because there are people out there who prove the idea that "anyone can do it" wrong every day... but if you can post on a message board or send an email, you've got the potential to be a great Squidoo lensmaster.

What do you Squidoo next?

Personally, I know people who sell Breyer model horses, used horse tack and show clothing, handmade jewelry (for horses and humans) made from beads and/or horsehair, and merch on CafePress. There is a Squidoo lens out there waiting for each of them -- that can help them sell MORE items, faster -- than ONLY using an eBay auction, a CafePress free basic shop, or an internet classified such as Craigslist.

(More later ... the sun is out for the first time in a million years, and my horse needs to be brushed!)

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

Money is waiting for you.

2008-04-04T16:11:00.008-04:00

So, what you really want to know is ...
how is it that I make money doing this?

Here is my second best advice:
Get yourself checked into Commission Junction.

They like to send me money for posting little bits of code on my pages.

Here is a screen cap of my exact Commission Junction earnings, from my first check to present:

Now, these check amounts aren't huge. But, I really wasn't doing much of any promotion.

That decent October 2007 check is probably related to the fact that I was asking everyone I could think of to go and look at our wedding photos on some digital photo printing sites I was affiliated with ... and then got $13 or so for each person who ordered prints.

20 FREE PRINTS at Snapfish

20 FREE PRINTS at Clark Color

Now that I'm promoting the heck out of myself and my pages, I do expect the check amounts to skyrocket.

I am also using domain registration as a major tool for promotion. For instance, I want horse people to go to http://www.squidoo.com/groups/allhorses and join Squidoo from that page for two reasons:

I will get credit for referring them to Squidoo ($5 if they make $15), and

Their first lens will automatically be included in the Squidoo group "All Horses"

But, I don't want to put that l-o-n-g Web address on flyers, business cards and other things I might use to entice people to join. Who's going to type all that in?

I don't even want to post it on horse-related Web sites where I am a regular ... it just doesn't have the professional appeal that www.AllHorses.us gives my project.

So I visit a domain name registrar such as GoDaddy or Dotster, and buy the URL I want. I then simply forward that domain to the page I want to appear, and I'm in business.

Then, I visit VistaPrint and have FREE business cards printed up with my new short URL to hand out at the next horse expo I attend. :)

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: Published, now what?

2008-02-06T11:37:00.001-05:00

Remember a few steps back when I told you to take a good look at that confirmation page you saw after you published your lens for the first time?

You want people to see your page, read your advice, and possibly even share it with friends, rate it with lots of sparkly stars, add it to their favorites, maybe even join your fan club ... and chances are, you want people to buy stuff so you can make a commission.

Let's go back to the official Squidoo recommendations:

Okay, so you made a lens. And you probably hope someone other than your hamster will see it. What to do?

1. Email it. To your friends, your mom, your boss. Don't be shy about bragging, you deserve a little limelight!

2. Blog it. Post your lens to your blog. Send a note to someone you admire who runs a blog on your topic, and ask them to check out your lens. Sincere flattery gets you everywhere.

3. Link it. Link to the lens on your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, Flickr profile, eBay auctions, email signature. Create your own little traffic network and get discovered in more places. Wouldn't you like to get found more online?

4. Group it! Find a Group that's busy talking about your topic and request to join. Get friendly, get relevant, get feedback, get found.

5. Compete. Stop by the Lens of the Day Group for inspiration from winning lenses. And if your lens is up to snuff, enter it in the contest.

P.S. For more ideas, trot on over to SquidU.com and see what hundreds of other lensmasters are up to...

What does it all mean? Let's break it down into Squidiot-ease.

E-mail it. WHO would like to receive this information? Make sure you don't send it to anyone who might consider it SPAM and have you banished.

Blog it. WHY blog? It gives people with similar interests a little more insight into the reasons behind your opinions. It keeps you in touch with friends and family. And your stalker appreciates it.

Link it. WHERE is the best place to share this information? One possibility is bulletin boards or message groups related to the topic. But be careful and make sure that posting your Squidoo page (a commercial link) is not prohibited or sternly frowned upon by the group. Some online classified sites are another option.

Group it. WHAT interests are shared by people who would enjoy your lens? If you build one about downhill skiing, join a Winter Sports Lovers group. Choose relevant subjects for the best results ... the Knitting & Crocheting Experts group probably doesn't want your lens on the merits of at-will flatulence.

Compete. HOW? Enter it for consideration for Lens of the Day. Make sure you've checked it carefully for spelling, grammar, punctuation and broken links or images first.

There are a lot of other ways to promote your lens.

I'm purchasing a small amount of daily advertising on Google to get my online photo coupon codes lens seen by people looking for free prints.
You might (or might not) want to add your "resume" lens URL to your business card.
For more ideas, search Squidoo for a lens about promoting your lenses!

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: New Modules

2008-02-06T10:04:00.001-05:00

Squidoo's own Megan published this lens about the newest modules. It names them, and shows examples, but doesn't really tell you HOW to use them. However, it's handy to use to show you what they look like in practice, and to illustrate that you should NOT OVER-DO IT when it comes to the more gaudy page-breaker-uppers.

Another great lens about the more commonly used modules can be found here. I met Glen (N376) at SquidU.com and he is very friendly and helpful to n00bs like me (yes, I'm still a Squidn00b).

I know I'm behind on explaining the fun behind-the-scenes world of lensmaking. I'll be back, swears.

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: The Dashboard

2008-02-02T15:43:00.002-05:00

When last we met, we added modules and published our first lens, and it was good.

Now it it time to meet: The Dashboard.

Actually, it's not quite time, yet. I've got a prior engagement.
Be back later to show you around.

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: Adding Modules

2008-02-02T13:47:00.001-05:00

When I left you, we had just entered information in the first module of your first lens. You're doing great!

Toward the top of your page (see screencap from previous blog entry) you will see a magical button called Add Modules. Go ahead, click on it now.

The default tab is Starter Package. There are several other tabs, and different modules under each. We are not going to learn every module today. We are just going to start with some of those I use in many lens start-ups.

Your first module today will be the Text/Write Module. Click the orange Add link once. You might not notice anything happen, but don't keep clicking or you'll add a dozen of them. Below the Starter Package tab, you'll see another box and the words You've Added: with the name(s) of the module(s) you selected. For starters, we'll add one at a time. Click the Save button toward the bottom.

Now, below your original Introduction module, you will see the header for your new Text/Write Module and the words "No contents yet - please edit this module to customize its settings" below that. Click on the Edit button in the header to begin customizing your new module.

Give your module a title. This can be skipped, but remember that it creates a "subhead" on your finished lens that helps break up the page. I'm not going to hold your hand through this whole process, so come up with something on your own. The subtitle can also be skipped, but is a good place to put a few words about why this module exists. Now start entering your text. Note that you have a limit: "The limit is 10,000 characters." but don't worry about counting characters ... you'll see under your text box, that Squidoo is doing it for you. Good boy, nice squid.

Said all you got to say? You have the option of adding a photo to this module as well. Your choice. Again, obey the basic and polite directions given: ".jpg or .gif files under 1 MB, please" and all will be just dandy. There is no Upload Photo button this time. I don't know why. Click on Save, and you'll be magically transported back to your main lens creation page. Just see for yourself!

Your page is now only slightly more interesting. If you tried to Publish now, the squid would slap you on the wrist. Go ahead, click on Publish, with only two modules in place, and see what happens. (Be sure to obey the squid, so we end up on the same page when you're done testing him.)

All right, time to introduce another new module. Let's start with Amazon. Go to Add Modules, then click on Amazon twice. (You should see "You've Added: Amazon (2)" below.) Click Save.

Some modules have settings within them that give very different results when displayed. We are going to add three items to each so you can see what happens. For fun, let's add a book, a DVD, and a CD that you like to the first module, and then a book, a DVD, and a CD that you don't like. Click on Edit in the header of the first Amazon module.

The top looks a bit like a Text/Write Module ... choose a title, choose a subtitle (or none) and a brief description of what you're about to offer. Below that, you'll see two tabs, with Pick Your Products on top. I like to be in control of things, so I'm going to select LET ME PICK.

Wow! Once I click on that, I have more options magically available. I did not memorize the Amazon ASIN for each item, so I'll click Help Me Find Products. Whee! Another window opens, with a search box for Amazon's website. This is easy! Now, search for your first book. When you find it, click on the Add This Product link just below it, and it is now part of your module. Now change the search drop-down selection to DVD and find a movie, then change to Music and find a CD. Then click the All Done button. The Amazon search window will disappear ... poof! You're back at your Amazon module, and you're pretty much done. Click the Save button. You'll see the products you selected, displayed in a vertical format.

Repeat the same steps for the second module, with the book, DVD and CD you dislike, but STOP right before you click Save and instead, scroll up and click on the other tab, Display Options. Change "Use Thumbnail View?" from Nope to Yep. Now click Save. You'll see that the thumbnails for these items are displayed horizontally. (There is a limit of 5 products per Amazon module.)

Things look a little different after you Publish. The lens that is displayed to the world does not have the editing tools in the headers, and if you're using any HTML code at all, you'll want to preview it the way the world is going to see it. If you're getting curious about how your lens looks at this point, it is okay to click Publish ... go ahead ... you've earned it.

Squidoo has some information and tips for you, so take a quick look at this confirmation page before succumbing to the urge to click View This Lens at the upper left.

Enjoy your hard work for a moment. Get a feel for how the different things you typed are now displayed. This lens, as is, really isn't going to win any Best of the Web awards ... your chances of a 5 star rating are pretty dismal. Get yourself back to the lens creation page, immediately!! (There is a link on the right to "Edit my lens" and the trusty Back browser command, but right now, let's meet our new best friend. Click on My Dashboard at the very top right.

(Next: The Dashboard)

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: Your First Lens

2008-02-01T21:17:00.001-05:00

At this point, I have to assume you followed the Step-by-Step instructions to create your first lens. If not, better go do that right now. I'll wait.

Okay, now we should all be on the same page... a very boring page, actually. Your first lens is REALLY drab. We should dress it up a bit.

Screencap of where we are now:

Get familiar with this page ... you're going to be seeing it A LOT. This is where the magic begins—you're building a lens all about you.

First, let's add a little to the Introduction. This shows up in a lot of places, so we'll keep it brief and full of relevant keywords for this lens.

Each module has a header with an Edit button and a X to delete it. Once you have more than one module you can move, there will also be up and down arrows for changing the order of your modules. To get started, click Edit on the Introduction module.

The first thing you can input is a Lens Intro Title. Each module has a title that appears at the top of the module in the final viewing mode as a subhead. These are optional, but great at dividing your page into useful sections. We already used "About Me" so how about, My Bio.

Now for the Lens Description. Remember to keep this brief in the intro. A few sentences is all you need. Geek alert—if you're not a geek, skip to the next paragraph now. (If you are comfortable with basic HTML coding, you can add bold, italic and hyperlinks. The only thing wonky I've noticed is page breaks don't automatically format—sometimes—use the line break code BR to double-space if needed.)

Okay, back to the Squidiot version of the manual. Don't click Save just yet. I don't know why it is above the final step instead of below it. The last step IS optional, though. If you have a photo that you want to use for this page, under Lens Photo click "Browse" and select it from your computer. Then click Upload Photo. (You can skip the photo by going straight to Save, but for your "real" lenses, you'll want one for a thumbnail for search results.)

Whether you go right to Save or if you find a suitable image and click Upload Photo, your results will be the same ... you've created your first module.

(Next: Adding Modules)

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: Step-by-Step

2008-02-01T20:16:00.001-05:00

Now I'm going to walk you through making your very first lens. Do not be afraid. Embrace the squid. You'll soon be squiddicted.

This LINK should open in a new tab or window. (Use either tabbed browsing, or another browser window, so that you have this blog page open while you are creating your first lens.)

(Joining Squidoo using any other link will void your opportunity to make a bonus $5.00.)

You're going to see a screen that might alarm you. Right away, it is going to ask:

Step 1: So, what's your lens about?

Don't be afraid. Your very first lens, your practice page, is going to be about a subject you know pretty well. Hopefully. YOU.

This page will be a little "about me" page that you can edit as we go along, and eventually delete once you're squidding like a pro—if you so choose. I rather enjoy my profile lens. It isn't bound to make me a lot of money, but it's quirky—like me.

So in the box, enter "About Me: your_nickname" and click Go to Step 2 (quick, before you chicken out).

Now you have to make another life-changing decision with little or no notice:

Step 2: What do you want to do with your lens?

Once again, do not panic. I've tried several of the options, and my favorite remains the last option: I just want to do my own thing.

(Don't be fooled by option 2 ... you're still going to earn $$ ... just probably not so much with THIS lens.)

Now bravely click on Go to Step 3.

It's going to ask more of you than ever before. There are four things to consider on this page.

What is your lens title? (About Me: XP is fine for me.)
Pick your URL: (if you're pretty sure you're not going to want to use it for anything else, just go with your username; otherwise, you're on your own—I'm using xp here)
Pick a category for your lens: (if you're not sure, you can double-check, but I think most of us can choose People for this)
Please rate your lens: Finally on this page, you're going to choose if your lens about yourself is G, R or X rated. (For the sake of my continued innocence, please select and conform to a G rating for this exercise.)

You're almost ready to begin your masterpiece! Click on Go to Step 4.

(NOTE: if your lens URL has already been claimed, you'll have to select a different one. Sorry.)

We've arrived at a very important step:

Step 4: Help people find your lens

You may not care so much for THIS lens, but in the future, you're going to care VERY MUCH about tags. Tags are what help people find your page. This is a GOOD THING. On this page, you'll only need to enter between one and four tags, but later you'll learn where to go to add more—lots more. Every possible relevant combination of words that should lead to your lens.

For today, entering biography or resume or rockstar should suffice.

One more itty bitty thing before you launch into the lens creator: don't forget to enter the Captcha (goofy word) so the computer knows you are a living being and not a pesky automated spambot from Hades.

Then you can click Done.

(Next: Your First Lens)

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: Groups

2008-02-01T11:08:00.002-05:00

Find a group on the subject you'd like to write about.

You'll see ideas of what other people have done already, what the highest-ranking lenses in the group look like, and might be inspired to write a complimentary article ... or take a stand on the opposing side! Either way, contact the lensmaster and offer to link to his/her lens and chances are they will link back to you as well.

My group is called All Horses. I have a lens that is expressly built for recruiting new Squidoo lensmakers that are skilled in some aspect of horses; whether it is riding, breeding, training, or even an expert at feeding them! (Check out Are you a horse expert? lens.)

Reminder: Although there is a "Make my own page" or "Create your own lens" link on almost every page, you won't get the $5.00 bonus unless you join using a referral link. That's just what they told me at SquidU.com — another valuable resource available to you once you've joined.

Next: Step-by-Step

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: Getting Started

2008-02-01T10:42:00.004-05:00

Getting started:

Don't be afraid! Check out this lens made by the founder of Squidoo:

Why Build a Lens?

The best way to learn to do Squidoo, is to simply DO IT.

You will quickly get the hang of adding, moving and editing "modules" and what each one looks like and does.

This lens has some dated screen shots, but the basics should be covered:

How to Make Your First Squidoo Lens

Visit some of the high-ranked pages (check out some of the Top 100 lenses) and see how the successful people build their lenses.

Here is a beginners guide to the limited HTML coding that is supported within select modules.

Remember to use my
REFERRAL LINK
to get the $5.00 bonus!

Ready for more? This lens is about Building a Successful Lens ... get comfortable with the basics first!

(Next: Groups)

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: The Basics

2008-02-01T10:18:00.005-05:00

I've been migrating pages from my website to Squidoo, because ... well, getting more traffic, and getting paid, simply sounds good to me!

from the site:

What's Squidoo? Squidoo is the free (yes, free), simple tool that makes it easy for you to publish your passions online and share real, human recommendations on the web. From authors and astronauts to marketers and musicians, to cat lovers and seahorse keepers and quiltmakers and video gamers and teachers and... well, everyone... anyone with something to say, share, promote and recommend is welcome on Squidoo.

No idea what to write about? Write about what you know. Write about something you're passionate about. Review a great book. Warn people away from a horrible movie. Introduce someone to your hobby.

Not a pro at webpage coding? No problem. Squidoo has these doo-dads called "modules" that do most of the work for you. Headers and links, bulleted lists and more, made simple.

Still stumped? Check out the Top 100 Lenses of the day. But please remember to sign up and create your first lens with my referral link and you'll get a bonus $5.

(I only get paid if YOU do, so I have every reason to want to help you succeed!)

(Next: Getting Started)

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!

How to Squid: Intro

2008-02-01T09:00:00.004-05:00

This evolving site, How To Squid, was created to ease any anxiety you may have about the Web site www.Squidoo.com by answering all of your important questions before you take the plunge and create your first lens.

I will try to explain every step in detail for even the most Web-phobic user.

(*cough* n00b *cough*)

For those who are skeptical about making REAL money with Squidoo and other sites I provide links to, along the way I include screen shots that show you dollar amounts that I personally have made ... money that is now in my local credit union account because I received a check in the mail or a transfer through PayPal or RME.

Comments welcome! If you have any questions about a step of the process, leave me a comment under that blog entry, so I can improve the quality of the information I provide.

Now, get comfortable, and proceed to the next step: The Basics.

Who am I? | What do I do? | Create your first lens!