Giant Squid Community Showcase

Just a quick note to let you know that for the next few weeks, Giant organizer bdkz will be running the Choose Your Favorite Giant Lens Contest.

If you have any questions, comments, or thoughts about the competition please send them her way.  She’ll be able to help you with anything you need.

It’s not too late to get your Giant lens votes and nominations in for this week’s competition.  Winners are chosen every Friday.  Remember, top lens at the Giant Squid Community Showcase lens wins the featured spot and bragging rights for the week!  You gotta be in it to win it . . . asking your friends and fellow lensmasters to vote for you doesn’t hurt either!  But, you didn’t hear that from me.

Lenses on truly unique and specific topics have a better chance of getting noticed by the search engines.    Sure, you’ll have a smaller audience but that audience will be extremely well targeted and perhaps ready, willing, and able to make a purchase at your lens.

To see how this works, think about how many lenses at Squidoo feature jewelry.  Quite a few, right?  But how many of those lenses are specifically about Chain Maille Jewelry?  Ah ha!  Not many at all.  In fact, the search I did found a few lenses that touch on the topic but only one that was completely specific to it.   Giant lensmaster JvilleKid has virtually cornered the Squidoo market on the topic of Chain Maille jewelry with a great lens. 

The lens, Chain Maille Jewelry, explains the history of Chain Maille (which dates all the way back to 500 BC)  Chain Maille was historically used as protection in the form of armour.   Today the same technique is used for making really cool jewelry.  The lens includes video lessons on how to make Chain Maille along with providing links to help you find all the supplies you need to get started.  And for those who aren’t all that crafty, you’ll find ready made Chain Maille jewelry and items available for purchase. 

Think about your own list of lenses.  Do you have any that could possibly be more specific?  Why not make a new lens that concentrates on the smaller details of your topic.  When you’re done be sure to link those lenses together.  Choosing unique and very specific topics is a sure fire way of becoming successful at Squidoo.

Mega Giant Squid Lensmaster JaguarJulie has really outdone herself with  Squidoo for Dummies - A How-To Squidoo with Tips from Giant Squids, Squid Angels and Squidoo Lensmasters!  I honestly wish I’d seen this lens before I got started at Squidoo. 

I really like that Jaguarjulie has included snapshot photos of the actual pages newcomers to Squidoo.com will find when they make their first lens.  We Giants have seen those pages so many times we forget how intimidating they might look to a newbie.  She’s also included snapshot photos of all the co-brand pages, groups pages, the categories list, and basically every other page we experienced lensmasters see everyday, allowing newbies the chance to get comfortable before they get addicted, I mean . . . before they start, so they’ll know exactly what to expect.

Squidoo for Dummies - A How-To Squidoo with Tips from Giant Squids, Squid Angels and Squidoo Lensmasters!  offers remarkable help for the new-to-Squidoo user.  Be sure to pass it along to all the new lensmasters you meet at Squidu and to anyone you know who might be thinking about joining Squidoo.

P.S. Are you a member of Jaguarjulie’s amazing 500 strong fan club?  Have you seen her tribute to YOU! 

Squidoo’s popular co-brand Squidwho makes it easy to make lenses about your favorite celebrities but with so much competition out there, just how many fan pages will you have to fight off to get to the top of the search engines? 

Giant lensmaster Boredofeducation has figured out a way to narrow the field with his JK Rowlings Squidwho lens.  Instead of just making a generalized lens about his favorite author, he’s used her many awards as the basis of his lens and in doing so he’s created an outstanding lens that really stands out from the crowd. 

At JK Rowling Award Winning Author, Boredofeducation has covered the many, many awards received by the famous Harry Potter creator by way of an easy to read timeline.  He’s  also started a movement to bring public attention to his desire to see this very deserving author win the Nobel Prize in Literature.   The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded annually to an author who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced “the most outstanding work of an idealistic tendency.”

Stop by JK Rowling Award Winning Author  to add your vote of encouragement to the list and help Boredofeducation get the word out about JK Rowling’s worthiness to win her biggest award ever. 

Whos’s your favorite celebrity?  Have they done anything special that makes them stand out?  Why not make a stand-out  Squidwho about it today?

Believe it or not Hollywood musicals are once again on the upswing.  You can call me old-fashioned but I do love a good musical.  That’s why when I saw two new musicals at the top of today’s contest results I just had to call it a draw and award both with a featured spot at the Showcase.

The actual (at the top of the list) winner this week is Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog by none other than Giant lensmaster thefluffanutta.  His fabulously laid out lens contains all you need to know to be able to find and watch the “first ever superhero musical” including dates of initial internet broadcasts (act three starts tomorrow) a video of the trailer, links to the site, and information on how you can purchase a copy for yourself.

You might be asking, If Fluff won, why am I featuring two lenses?  Well . . . to be honest . . . I’m actually featuring 4.  Let me explain.  Although Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog did come out on top, the next three runner-up lenses were all created by the same lensmaster, about the same movie.  When added together, those 3 lenses received more winning votes than we’ve ever had since we started this contest.  I just couldn’t ignore numbers like that!

And so the co-winner of this week’s Choose Your Favorite Giant Lens Contest is Mamma Mia! The Movie by Giant lensmaster Comfortdoc.

MammaMia! The Movie, which opens today by the way, is being called the Feel Good cinema event of the summer and I have to tell you that Comfordoc has really captured the joyous good nature of this film in her lenses.

Her fabulous Squidflix lens, Momma Mia! The Movie gives you information, background, song track lisitings, a peek at the video trailer, news, and everything else you’ll need to know about Momma Mia! The Movie.   Her lens,  Mamma Mia! The Movie, the Music, The Musical, The Song is another outstanding lens where you can watch video clips, vote in some fun polls and just really enjoy yourself while you learn even more, and her Host a Mamma Mia Party is just a great idea to bring the good time feel and upbeat music of ABBA found in this awesome movie directly into your home!

Check out all of the above musical movie lenses and you’ll know why I’ve given them all winning status in the contest this week!

Giant Squid mulberry has got a Master’s Degree in a Health Care related field and loves to hike, bicycly, read, travel, garden, volunteer and spend time with her family. 

As creator/webmaster of the Home Media Store she can tell you everything you need to know about texting and cells phones! I hate to admit this but I don’t really know much about text messaging so her lens Text Messaging was a big help for me. I learned how to cut down on my text messaging costs, about group text messaging and most importantly what “ADBB” means (for all you newbies it’s “All done, bye, bye”)!

For some more indepth information try International Text Messaging and Text Messaging Plans. And THX to Lensmaster mulberry for some XLNT advice on Text Messaging. TTYL.

Are you asking your readers the right questions?

Giant lensmaster kiwisoutback has created an extremely imaginative and useful lens to help you get the most out of using Squidoo’s Poll Module.  Of course we all know that the poll module is basically used to encourage interaction between reader and lensmaster by asking questions and getting answers but there are a number of different ways that you can ask those questions, in fact, Kiwisoutback has come up with an incredible  48 Ways to Use the Poll Module.

Did you realize that you can use the poll module to increase traffic to your other lenses, promote your lensography, your groups, and even to make money?  Yes, I said money.  If you are an Amazon affiliate, you can actually use text links in your poll modules to send potential buyers shopping for products that you have quietly recommended.

Visit 48 Ways to Use the Poll Module to learn the rest of this lensmasters terrific interactive poll module secrets and start asking your readers the right questions today!

Giant Squid lensmaster  Loyalis keeps a monthly report of the economics of Squidoo at his lens, Squidconomy - The Economics of Squidoo. 

For those interested in the history of the earning power of Squidoo, (and which lensmaster isn’t?) Loyalis keeps track of Squidoo Adsense payouts dating back to July 2007 with a break down of each tier level and amount paid per lens.   The increase in payment over one year’s time is pretty amazing. 

Squidconomy - The Economics of Squidoo also contains links to more helpful lenses and sites that can help you increase your Squidoo earnings.

You might also be interested in learning about selling some of your lenses.  The Captain has you covered in that department as well with his wonderful  How to Value a Squidoo Lens , lens where he explains several different stategies you might use to uncover the real value of your lenses and recommends the best ways to sell them.

In my opinion, when a lensmaster announces that he’s accomplished making One Month, One Lens, $1,000.00 , we should all listen!

Giant lensmaster Daoine  has created a fabulous lens called Melbourne Restaurants where she recommends some of her favorite restaurants in the Melbourne Austrailia area.  At the lens, she gives a short review of each eatery, explains what types of food they prepare, and also includes a direct link to the restaurant’s personal website so that her visitors can find all of the dining information they need about each establishment.

 Daoine has also included a guestbook where she encourages her readers to recommend their favorite restaurants in that area as well and ties it all up nicely with several cookbook recommendations.  The lens is fun to read and extremely useful to local patrons, newcomers to Melbourne, and tourists looking for a great meal. 

Have you explored the possiblities of making any localized lenses yet?  We lensmasters tend to look mostly at the big picture when we make our lenses and ignore a pretty nice playground,  (and huge potential) right under our very noses in our own backyards. 

Before you start your next lens, think about what’s around you in your own city or town.  Are there any places like museums, beaches, silly tourist traps, historical landmarks, shopping centers, restaurants, theaters, etc. that you love?  People love reading personal recommendations about places they want to visit and you may just be surprised at how large the audience for these types of lenses can be.

Have you made a lens about your favorite place yet?  What are you waiting for?

This week’s Giant winner of the Choose Your Favorite Giant Lens Contest is Kartick Satyanarayan - Champion of India’s Dancing Bears by Giant lensmaster Frankster and before I begin telling you about it, let me just say - WOW!

The lens was made for the Superhero Charity group and donates to Wildlife SOS , a charity that Frankster introduced to Squidoo that works to save these beautiful creatures from the tortures they are forced to endure.  It’s about a man named Kartick Satyanarayan who has dedicated his life to animal rescue and saving the dancing bears of India.  The lens is gorgeously designed and the topic is extraordinary.  I can see why you picked it as a favorite!

You’ll want to read Saving the Dancing Bears of India (This one was this week’s runner up in the contest that’s why I’m featuring them together. ) to get the entire picture of just what the plight of the dancing bears is all about.  (Caution: It will upset you.  This is a tragedy beyond belief.)

The thing that really blew me away upon reading these two unbelievable lenses is contained in the following statement taken directly from one of the lenses:

“Karen de la Carriere of Thomas Kinkade fame, inspired and turned over the making of the Dancing Bears lens to me, even though it was dear to her heart because of my connection with Bears.

 

We’re going to India! That’s right, this summer, Karen and I are going to visit with Geeta and Kartick and the rescued Dancing Bears ~~ we are on a mission to get the last Dancing Bears off the streets ~~ and we will be back with so much more info. We can bear-ly contain our excitement!

We’re going to India! That’s right, this summer, Karen and I are going to visit with Geeta and Kartick and the rescued Dancing Bears ~~ we are on a mission to get the last Dancing Bears off the streets ~~ and we will be back with so much more info. We can bear-ly contain our excitement!”

I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to see the lenses these two awesome and inspiring lensmasters make when they return!