Happy Squid Half-Anniversary to Me

Image by coreyweb via Flickr

February 7 marked six months since I skidded through the doors of Squidoo. It wasn't my destination. I hadn't planned on staying long. But as most of you may remember, once the toe of your shoe hits the Squidoo welcome mat, it's hard to pull back. That very day, I sat down and built my first lens.

One lens looked pretty silly sitting there alone, so of course I had to make a second and a third and a...Well,
I'm sure your story is similar.

So, what have I learned in these six months?

• A good lens may require vulnerability. When I published A Quilt Story: Voices from the Great Depression, I knew that I wanted this quilt to somehow connect three generations. It was a sad-but-sweet story I'd been wanting to share for two years, and Squidoo offered a way to do that with pictures and modules that helped shape the topic. But...I would need to open myself up to strangers in order to tell the story. I'm glad I did, because of the wonderful friends I made through that lens.
• Let go of ideas that can't be revived. I've begun a few lenses on an enthusiastic high, only to find them in need of CPR the next morning. I've learned to let them simmer for a week and if they don't excite me anymore, I toss them. No use wasting time on something that's destined for failure.
• Appreciate those who know more, as well as those who know less. I've learned so much about Squidoo techniques, by visiting lenses and hanging onto the coattails of lensmasters who have more experience than I. If I don't learn something new every day, I'm disappointed. I love to write, but a good recipe for a lens takes more than just one skill or ingredient. (Try leaving out baking powder and see what happens to your next cake.) I so appreciate how open Squidoo lensmasters are to sharing what they know. I now try to contact a few newbies a week just to encourage them, because that's what kept me going in the beginning.
• Know when enough is enough! Years ago, I used to watch a painting program on tv. One day this guy was demonstrating the final steps of portrait painting. He sat back for a long moment, cocked his head, and said he was finished...except for one thing. He dipped a thin brush into a light-colored paint and added a reflection of light in his subject's eyes. "There," he said, setting down his brush. He had added life to his work--a final gleam. It's the same with lenses. Knowing when to quit is as important as knowing how to begin.
• Laugh! If I want to mope, the early morning news offers plenty to drag me down. Humor lightens the load of lensmaster and reader alike. Maybe that's why some of my favorite lenses--both mine and others--are in the Humor category. Blame it on Squidoo struck a chord with many of my Squidoo friends out there. Help! I've Lost my Hippocampus gave us a chance to laugh at our ever-aging brains. Laugh therapy is good for the soul, especially in these financially-strapped times.

Thanks, everyone, for making my Squidoo experience such a joy!

Seedplanter (Bonnie)

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How to Explain Squidoo

"So, what are you working on today?"

"Squidoo."

"SquidWHAT?"

"Squidoo. It's creative...um...sort of like building a website, except it's just one page."

"Oh, so you're designing websites? Cool! I hear web designers make good money."

And so it goes.

Explaining Squidoo sometimes makes me weak-kneed and speechless. It's like trying to drink Jello through a straw--possible, but not without a lot of time and effort.

Kind of reminds me of an experience I had in Germany when I tried to ask for directions to the zoo. We were living there at the time, and had just arrived in-country two weeks prior, when we decided to take our kids on a big outing. The zoo's name was the Wilhelma Zoo and Botanical Gardens, but of course I didn't realize that before our first visit. After our fourth loop around the city, I spotted a bus driver standing by his empty tour bus. Probably waiting for everyone to return from a lunch stop, I figured. All I knew is that I couldn't communicate and this poor man tried his best to understand what I meant by "zoo".

I resorted to setting aside my pride and acting like a stupid tourist. I pantomined an elephant walk. I know, I know. It wasn't the brightest thing I'd ever done, but all I could see were my kids' disappointed faces pressed against the car window. So finally, the guy points to a sign bearing the silhouette of an elephant. Seems we were parked directly across the street from the zoo, on the opposite site of the main entrance, but all we'd seen was a big wall that circled the grounds.

Until Squidoo visitors stay and try their hand at Squidoo, all they may see on their first trip there is a big wall, too. That's where good, practical lenses of Squidoo Tips come in handy. If we receive the infamous Blank Stare at the mention of Squidoo, just direct 'em to one of the excellent technical lenses there.

Or, we can share examples of our own best lenses and let them speak for themselves.

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Planting a Giant Seed...

Just add water. Better - add stars! Squidoo lens love, that is. Ta-ta-ah!

Ladies and Guys, may I introduce to you - Giant Squid Lensmaster seedplanter!

Not only has Bonnie written her first guest post on this blog (a "hammer", by the way) - some of you have been so smitten by her words that you've missed the nail and assumed that I (your bud Keem) was the author. Nope, I don't write that well. She does! And she did. Here:

Cooking Disasters I Lived To Tell About

The Craziest Things I Never Said

Help! I've Lost My Hippocampus!

And my latest favorite:

If Only

Seedplanter in her own words:

I'm a writer, nature photographer,and product reviewer who has flipped over the creative potential of Squidoo.

Interests: family (can you spell grandchildren?), gardening, travel, music, photography, camping, good coffee, books, history, and beading.

My friend Bonnie - in my own words:

Several months ago, someone recommended that I check out seedplanter's lenses. I never turned back - I'm still checking out every word she writes. I so love her stuff! Funny as hell, smart, witty, thoughtful, inspiring, entertaining. And then some.

Now she's writing for us, here on this blog. More than one post, I hope! Welcome, Bonnie!

Thank you for the kind comments on Bonnie's first post. I'll pass them on.

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