AJ Shares With Us Her Story

What is your goal for doing lenses on Squidoo?

I started on Squidoo when I became ill, with Otosclerosis. This is a disease of the middle ear and means not only have I started to lose the hearing in my right ear, I also have balance and co-ordination problems. I was no longer able to work or do a lot of other stuff, such as produce Musicals or play tennis. Sounds horrendous, but I am recovering, although slowly, and my brain is starting to compensate. So, I decided to do something I always wanted to do and that is write. I did some research about "writing on the net", landed on Janet21's excellent lens and here I am! My goal is to just carry on publishing what I hope are quality lenses and I am aiming to apply for Giant on 30 June. And yes, of course I would like to build up a reasonable income through Squidooing - it's great to get paid for doing what you love!

How long have you been building Squidoo lenses?

Since July 10 2008. I am not the most prolific publisher - others who joined
the same time as me made Giant by 30 September - but I now have 30 lenses
under my belt and am happy at doing it at my own pace.

What is your best lens, or lenses?

That is soooo hard to answer because each of my lenses means a different
thing to me. The two that have performed the best and have generally stayed
in the Top 2000 since I published them are about my girls:Auditory Processing Disorder) is about my daughter Lizzie and a condition she has. It really is a must read lens for any parent whose child is struggling at school and no one can tell them why. This lens
has the distinction of being awarded Lens of the Day twice.

Then there is Bullying at Primary School, which is about the three years of hell we had when "Sparky" was
bullied, what we learned and the strategies we developed for dealing with
the school.

I suppose I should mention my other Lens of the Day:Twelve Days of a Green & Ethical Christmas as green and environmental issues are very important to me.

But at the moment, my favourite lens has to be Wannabe a writer? - it is actually a book review but like a lot of my lenses it sort of evolved into something perhaps a bit different to what you might expect. I have had the idea to do this lens since the beginning of the year but a couple of weeks ago I sat down to do it and had a ball! The book itself is extremely funny as it gives a lot of info and advice about being a writer and as I discuss what the author Jane Wenham-Jones says I have added in some very "AJ tips" as well. I feel that this lens above all others really captures my own character and how I am in real life. My daughters also did some hilarious cartoons about "Mummy being a writer" and I like the fact that they have contributed to the lens.

Do you like the support that you get on Squidoo?

The support on Squidoo is fantastic. I sympathise with the Team at HQ, which
is sometimes too small to deal with everything that comes their way
quickly - or at least as fast as some people would like. But hey, that's OK!
Squidoo is a free site after all and I think the Team at HQ do a great job.

But it is not just the paid team who support you. There's so many other Lensmasters who pitch in and help out, particularly on the SquidU Forum. Then there's the groups on Tagfoot, Twitter and SquidTop, plus all the other Squidoo-related sites and blogs, (I daren't name them in case I miss someone out!) where people are happy to promote each other's lenses as well as their own.

As far as I am concerned Squidoo is a give and take Community (sadly, not everyone seems to realise this) and I have made some great friends on Squidoo. My life is more blessed because of it. If it was not for Squidoo, I don't think I would have had the confidence to start blogging - I have a new blog at AJ is always juggling

The Squidoo Community saved my sanity at a very bleak time in my life and I
think I am here to stay!

Another one of our great lensmasters Willow

What is your goal for doing lenses on Squidoo?

When I joined Squidoo, it was from pure curiosity - since I live in Croatia, I haven't heard of Squidoo before and I stumbled on it while doing some research. After joining, I was amazed how simple it was to make a page and since I'm not really shy person, I wasn't afraid to ask whatever wasn't clear to me over at SquidU. Everybody was so helpful and sharing and this great community became inspiration for making Fresh Squid group and all other related lenses.
My goal when I started was to earn some extra money. And still is. My other goal is to share and encourage new lensmasters to fulfill their potentials.

How long have you been building Squidoo lenses?

I joined Squidoo on July, 17th 2008. Pushed myself into becoming Giant in next 3 months (September 30 deadline). So, by then I had 50 lenses. Since then I made 32 more lenses (well, 84 counting from today since I published two new lenses in a day - first time ever!).

What is your best lens, or lenses?

My best lens (from the day it was published and still is) is How to Reuse Paper Rolls. This was lens that was also featured as LOTD. Reusing became one of my niches and at this moment I have 15 lenses on this subject.

Do you like the support that you get on Squidoo?

Well, yep! I had no problems with Squidoo HQ or other Squidoo members. I needed their support very much when I started and I have to say that everybody I asked for helped replied. Now, I trying to pay it forward, so to speak with Fresh Squids.

A great interview from lensmaster Nancy Oram

What is your goal for doing lenses on Squidoo?

My goal has become a dynamic thing, in that it seems to change often. For me it's definitely tied in to income -- it's just a nice bonus that Squidoo is so fun at the same time. First and foremost, every lens I build has to add value to the Squidoo site and to the Internet. I feel passionate about making sure I don't add to the Internet litterbug problem. Then the goal is to make a whole boatload of lenses, over time, realizing that they'll all rise and fall at different times and hoping that as a whole they will become a part of my income goals. I tend to work on Squidoo several weeks at a time, then let it rest for a month or two while I keep my other plates spinning. I usually check in every day, though. I don't consistently market my lenses. That part is excruciatingly hard work for me. Any of my work online is pretty much organic.

How long have you been building Squidoo lenses?

Tomorrow(3/19) is actually my first anniversary on Squidoo -- or at least the date on my first lens. I believe I built it the same day I joined.

What is your best lens, or lenses?

Old Fashioned Candy Secrets has consistently been at the top and is definitely one of my most complete lenses as far as content goes. I'm also quite satisfied with my lens on Charles Dickens - a Life Documented because I was able to do some genealogical research on him and actually find some original documents to share. I have groups of lenses about my "real" work as a Notary, my interests and hobbies, some selling lenses, and a group supporting my small vintage pattern store. Anyone interested in my eclectic assortment can visit my lensography

Do you like the support that you get on Squidoo?

The only time I needed help I got a same-day response from Gil himself and was quite happy with the support.

A fine interview with a dash of salt from our own chefkeem

What is your goal for doing lenses on Squidoo?

I love to write about things that strike me as funny: my passion
for a good weenie, our strange behavior in traffic, my personal bout
with alcoholism (oh, yes - this can be very sad as well, but we better
learn quickly not to take ourselves too seriously!) - this is the
"hobby" part of my lensmaster life. And then I'm grateful for the
opportunity to promote my professional life as a chef and candy
producer. So, I'm in it for the money, too. The lens about my latest candy:
Espresso Sea Salt Caramel Truffles has led to quite a few online orders already.
Finally, I love to share my knowledge and personal advice with my
peers. My Squidoo Tips Lensography

How long have you been building Squidoo lenses?

I signed up with Squidoo.com on January 29, 2008. (And I never
looked back. Love it.)

What is your best lens, or lenses?

My lensography has been voted "Best Lensography of 2008", and I
agree with this judgment. LOL

Do you like the support that you get on Squidoo?

Absolutely. I can't really complain about lack of responsiveness
in "bug" issues - I haven't had any problems so far. (Knock on my ink
sack!) However, I trust HQ to do anything in their power to solve our difficulties as quickly as they can. It's in the interest of Squidoo staff to keep us lensmasters happy, isn't it? The peer support is outstanding. It feels like a huge family of friends who really care about each other. It has been my experience over the last year that you get as much out of it as you are willing to invest. Need more support? Give more support. Once you're accepted as a contributor to our community, you can ask for almost anything and a huge wave of helping hands will reach out to you. Squidoo - A Good Investment? Is It Really Worth It?

Here we have an interview from another great lensmaster Christene

What is your goal for doing lenses on Squidoo?

Well, my original goal was to promote my CafePress shops. CP was my online addiction at the time…that was until I fell under the spell of the Squid eye. Ha. I thought it would be a great way to give my designs more exposure. But after only one lens I was hooked. All I could think about was what else I could make a lens on…then it was learning html…then affiliate marketing.

Somewhere along the way it became a really fun hobby, a great learning experience, and a way to earn some money. I hardly use it to promote CafePress anymore.


How long have you been building Squidoo lenses?

Two years, 1 month and 6 days…but who’s counting ;)

I wish I had started when I first heard about it. It was almost three years ago when I first looked at lenses, thinking I could never learn how to do that. Then I finally said ‘what the heck’ and gave it a shot. I’m so glad I did!


What is your best lens, or lenses?

Hmm…that’s a hard one. I think two my best lenses are where I wrote about my personal experiences. Only Children and ASL For Everyone. My most successful lens has been Webkinz World, but I’m afraid that ship has sailed. When I started it there were only 3 other lenses about Webkinz, and none did what I wanted to do. It really took off. I just did a search and 'webkinz' returned 495 lenses. :P


Do you like the support that you get on Squidoo?

This question made me pause. I love Squidoo and think highly of the people behind it so I don’t want to say anything that would suggest otherwise, but I’m also honest to a fault. First I have to say that when I started two years ago the support was exceptional…both from HQ and the SquidU community. But for the past, I’m not sure how long, both have seemed to lessen. Squidoo has grown so much that I think HQ just can’t keep up with everyone, and there are so many great Squidoo related blogs and mini-communities that have formed around the net, and add to that changes at SquidU, that the forum isn’t what it once was.


I so do not want to leave this on a low note so I want to say I am a big big pro-Squidoo squid. I’m not going anywhere and look forward to what’s to come. It’s been quite a ride so far. :)

-Christene

Lensmaster trekkiemelissa gives a great interview

What is your goal for doing lenses on Squidoo?


I write about what I like. I am not going to write about something that I am not passionate in some way about. Mostly I like to be informative about my subjects.


How long have you been building Squidoo lenses?


Since July 13, 2008. I originally came under the name trekkieandrea, but changed it later on to trekkiemelissa.


What do you think is your best lens, or lenses?


Up until recently my htmlcss was my top lens when my htmlcssmentor had taken that honor. By lensrank, they are both close together.


Do you like the support that you get on Squidoo?


Yes. The only thing I wish is that when you submit bug reports, that you'd get an actual person whom answers it instead of an automatic email with no personal touch. The reason I would prefer that is how do you know that they actually received it. You could be sending out an email and get that response and they never received it. Other than that issue, the support staff is great at squidoo. I've never had a problem.

Another Great Lensmaster Mulberry aka Christine

What is your goal for doing lenses on Squidoo?

It started off merely as a way to promote my website, which was basically just a "hobby". I wanted to challenge myself with something totally new; like online marketing. It's since run away with itself. I guess 75% of my goal now is to generate income from my lenses and 25% for fun and mental stimulation. I do, on the other hand, genuinely appreciate how easy Squidoo makes it to contribute to charitable causes and I hope to do even more with this in the future despite the fact I tend to love the hands on part.

How Long have you been building lenses on Squidoo?

I joined back during the Paleozoic era, like Feb. of 2007, but it all made no real sense to me and I was still just getting involved in many other things online. I went away basically and didn't really start in earnest until the start of 2008.

What is your best lens?

I don't really know. For some months my Homemade Vegetable Soup lens has been my best ranking lens. However there are others that to me are more useful for the people who are interested in the topic, and some that were even more fun for me to put together. I guess, I'll say my Abandoned Kittens lens is my sentimental favorite. It's not that unique of a topic but like many people I love my pets and would love to help those out there without a home.

Do you like the support you get on Squidoo?

The admin at Squidoo is obviously fabulous, but most of the support I've encountered is from the gallery of other lensmasters. They are helpful, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. It's one of those few things you encounter that exceeds anything you ever expected. It's a culture and I hope it never changes. Even when you don't interact directly with some of the individuals, you can be inspired by their energy, their success, their honesty and openess, and so forth. The ability to learn here is invaluable.