Squidoo Miscellany

Latest lenses are below. Pardon me if I’ve posted some of these before. Trying to get more organized so as not to do that.

• Tulips: Artwork And Photos Did this because I love tulips and wanted to show off some of the beautiful artwork to be found.
• The Family Today Wanted to get the conversation started about what folks feel that having both parents work outside the home is doing to the family.
• Font And Type Design Even the most artistically challenged could learn how to use typography in a way that adds the unique touch to a lens. This lens shows some ideas and my recommendation for an excellent free software to use.
• Color Schemes For Your Web Pages Well, I’m sure you have run across some lenses that could do with some color help. I have, too. This lens gives a great way to choose better color combos and schemes.
• Best Of Lensmaster Shout-Outs Thought it would be nice to have a record of these Tweets with the RTs and such filtered out.
• Announce New Lenses On Twitter Wanted a way for us to have at least one Tweet we could make about our new lenses and not feel the least bit like a spammer. Also wanted a place where we could find the latest “new and cool.” …I’ve started a TwttrList for “best of,” but it’s on the back burner waiting to see how this one goes.
• Giant Squids Interviews II This one is to get ready for the incoming Squids. It was such fun the other times, and the lens just got out of control, so I decided to make a new one for the next group. I may do a new one each quarter depending upon how it goes this time. Not doing the interviews right now as there are no new Squids yet. But, do stop in and cheer the aspirants on in the guestbook when and if you can — it’ll help it get out of WIP, too, I imagine.

Still working toward my goal. Still feeling that it’s do-able. The lenses I am producing now, though, are not really as good as they could be as far as I’m concerned. I hope to have enough time left before June 30 to give them some more love. :)

Thank you for listening.

Well, I had begun to add more to this blog, then RocketMoms came along, then the Giant Squid race took hold. Still have only 33 lenses, but really aspire to making the leap this time. … So, I’ve been lax over here. …And bushed!

I do want to get in a record of the lenses I did during the initial RocketMoms group. All eight projects are complete except for one; I will add it here once it’s done:

Here are the lenses I’ve done for RocketMoms:

• About Me: Developing Personal Style
• Niche: Pink Tool Kits For Women
• Top 10: The Top 10 Motivational Quotations
• Recipe: How To Fry Fish
• Travel: Florida Keys Getaway
• Charity: Dachshund T-Shirts
• Holiday: Still working on it [Done: Ice Cream Sundae Day]
  
• Lensography: MiMi’s Lensography

Another note I’d like to record: Pink Tool Kits For Women  is currently at #34 overall — and the #1 RocketMoms lens as well as #2 in DIY.

Thanks again and again to Bonnie, HQ, and all fellow participants!

Don’t know what’s gotten into me about these sort of how-to posts and all, but my latest idea for a post here turned into a new lens — which is good, because I need to get some work done. It’s looking like I won’t make Giant Squid this time. Life happens too much. I’ve also been having these cluster migraines and it’s almost impossible to think with those suckers.

I have 24 more lenses to go, plus, what?, at least two backups? That’s a lot for this slow poke. But, I do have to admit that RocketMoms is a huge help in having to get a lens done on deadline. Well, not really a deadline each week; we have to have all projects done by the end of six weeks and can do them whenever, but I am liking getting a project on Monday and trying to have that lens built by the weekend.

Anyway, on to the idea for this post. I’ve been noticing that folks are into using color on their lenses. Some of them are, well, not hitting the mark. So, I was going to post about it here, but it is now a lens called Color Schemes For Your Web Pages.

And a huge thank you to Katinka (Spirituality) who has already come by and blessed this lens. Katinka, your blessings yesterday and this morning have warmed my heart. Thank you.

Well, have a great week!

Oh, yeah! Please check out the blog if you get a moment. I’d appreciate your input.

Not everyone knows that Firefox has a dictionary that works along with the spellchecker and even gives you correctly spelled options to replace the misspelling it found.

Firefox will underline misspelled words. When you right-click on a misspelling, a little grayish-blue list comes up. In the image above, see how it’s giving me choices for the misspelled word spectacular?

Notice the dark blue highlight that reads Add to Dictionary? Well, you wouldn’t add spectakular, but you certainly could add the other two underlined words — Squidoo and lensmaster.

It’s a good idea to add those two words, too. Because, if you haven’t already learned to, there’s a chance you will some day learn to ignore the dotted lines beneath those two words. What if you happen to misspell lensmaster as lenmaster. The line is there telling you it’s a misspelling, but if you’ve learned to ignore lines under lensmaster, it’ll get through.

Ever added a word to Firefox’s dictionary that you had misspelled and now want it out of there? Here’s how to remove it.

What other Squidoo-related words would you add?

Well, off to add Squidoo and lensmaster back to my dictionary.

I‘m curious and want to learn. What Squid doesn’t want to learn, you know? :D

Read on and post answers if you wish…

Some of us search for a product so we can make a lens. Some of us get an idea, flesh it out, then add products. What’s your way?

• Content-products
• Products-content

Can you stay true to yourself using either method? Is it possible to stay true to yourself using a mix of these two methods?

There’s a fine art to adding sales modules to lenses. The worst way is to intersperse them throughout the page in a haphazard manner—obviously not there for the reader’s enjoyment of the page but to sell something. Hopefully.

From the eyes of this consumer, I’d be more happy with someone’s recommendations if they were placed in a way that tells me that I’m about to see what’s in the marketplace for items related to the lens.

Why not add all Amazon Spotlight books to a labeled section—Best Books About Such-And-Such, for example? The haphazard method is confusing. I may note it with interest, but I read on because I’m interested in what is being talked about before I was interrupted with the sales module. However, by the time I’m at the end of the page, I may not be interested anymore in hunting down that mentioned book.

There are ways, yes, to intersperse modules throughout a lens, but if there’s not enough attention paid to the order of things, it can only backfire.

What’s your opinion? Any tips on module placement? How about ways to introduce what you are about to recommend?

Well, I seem to be getting somewhat faster. At this moment, I have 23 lenses. I deleted a couple — would have had 25. :/

The last three are:

Flu Pandemic Information Resources
My Personal Style (A RocketMoms project)
Pink Took Kits for Women (A RocketMoms project)

I must say that RocketMoms is an excellent support system. I really love getting these assignments.

The next one is to create a recipe lens. That one may be put on hold while I concentrate on the extra-credit lens. I’ll do the recipe one once I find the my way to the kitchen. :)

Happy Squidooing!