Squidoo News

Archive for October, 2009

Did you see today’s Lens of the Day? It’s Hotdog Halloween Costumes for the Whole Family by lensmaster luvmyludwig (Crystal). I think it’s a brilliant sales lens, very well done with great content and keyword placement. Notice the black boxes dividing the sections and how Crystal included the best keywords shoppers are using to to find hotdog costumes for every member of the family. I checked “hotdog halloween costume” and the lens is on page 1 of Google!

I also like what Crystal included with the hot dog costumes. The ketchup and mustard costumes, the hot dog candy, a couple of videos, and a short link list plus just a few other things that fit her topic well but with the most important items at the top. I’ve seen so many lenses recently with a great main topic but that veer off into some other items that just don’t fit. This lens is such a great example of what to include and what to leave off.

That’s what I think. What do you think?

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When I was little, my mom made matching Raggedy Ann Halloween costumes for me and my sister. But what some families are wishing to be is a group of Oscar Meyer weiners!

Hotdog Halloween Costumes For The Whole Family is luvmyludwig‘s crazy collection of hotdog costumes to fit everyone, even Fido. Not kosher with hotdogs? They have ketchup and mustard costumes. If dressing up isn’t your thing, you can even feel festive with a hat.

Not every lens can carry off a long-tail niche like this one. Luvmyludwig has artfully kept the focus on her hotdog costumes while adding closely related resources. This helped her create a bun-filled lens that doesn’t look sparse.

“What are you waiting for, you’re going to eat these Halloween costumes up!”

http://www.squidoo.com/hotdog-halloween-costumes-family

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I wasn’t born with perfect hostess skills so any party planning advice I can get is great. When it comes to planning a Halloween start to finish, I’ve found the best advice at Halloween Potluck Party Ideas, by lensmaster prosperity66.

Potlucks mean not spending all day in the kitchen while your family is enjoying the holiday without you. From creating boo-tiful invites to entertaining your little goblins, to spooky food ideas and a strict costume policy, planning a party can be easy with lots of help from your guests and this all-inclusive guide.

Not doing anything this weekend? It isn’t too late to throw together your own spook-spectacular!

http://www.squidoo.com/ideasforhalloweenparty

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New Giant Squid JkVkDailey would like you to take a look at  Books That Boys Will Love to Read Grades 3 -7.

Here’s why:

I personally believe having a love of reading is so important.  There is so much that books can teach us.  From what I hear parents seem to have a harder time getting their boys to read for fun, so I wanted to create a lens that gives them some ideas on book their boys may actually enjoy reading!  Having 2 boys myself – ages 7 and 9 – it was fun to get their suggestions on the books that I chose for this lens. ~ jkvkdailey

Books for Boys is a great niche topic and jkvkdailey has created a great lens that offers great boy-friendly book selections and tips to help you get your child to read.  Take a look!

http://www.squidoo.com/books-for-boys

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Thanksgiving is a month away but it isn’t too early to start counting your blessings, and then count them again.

When times are tough it’s hard to remember what we do have, but Ramkitten knows there are dozens of things to be thankful for – at least 100!

100 Things I’m Thankful For is a heart-warming reminder that we all have so much to be thankful for, and that the most important things in life aren’t things. We can be thankful for who we are, what we’ve done, what we’ve overcome, and even unanswered wishes.

Personally, I think everyone should have a lens like this!

http://www.squidoo.com/100-things-thankful

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Today we turn the Squid Spotlight on to 100 Club member Mysticmama who graciously shares about her fiction, poetry, body art, and her very first lens.

1. From reading your lenses I know you also write fiction and poetry. What is your favorite genre to write and is any of your work available online?

I love everything but really technical (like text book) writing…
I actually have 2 books of poetry & one novel that were published years ago under my maiden name…they are out of print now, but I’m working on getting them back into circulation.

You can find a bunch of my poems over on Helium, and I do have a short story lens here on Squidoo:  A Catfish Tale

I’m also in the final stages of publishing a Intuitive Tarot Guide, A Metaphysics book and a novel. I’ve also done tons of copywriting over the years, created & published a community cookbook to raise funds for our local Burn Center, and wrote a caretakers guide for the families of severe burn survivors.

2. Tell us a little bit about being a certified henna tattoo artist.

I actually do all types of body art, including body painting, Temptu & permanent tattooing. To become an Internationally Certified Henna Artist one has to first learn all aspects of Henna work & history, skin safety, and prove to the ICNHA board that the quality of their henna artwork is at the highest level.

I do a variety of Body art from home by private appointments, and also offer party & private appointments at other locations. Also sometimes set up a booth at fairs & festivals.

My oldest son (who is an incredible artist) are currently in the beginning process of opening an actual Tattoo shop, where we will offer both real tattoos as well as Henna & body painting.

3.. Which of your many lenses was first and what inspired you to write it?

My very first lens was the one that is now my Mystic Mama lens… I joined Squidoo through cafepress and that lens was originally just a bunch of cafepress modules, lol…

My first actual lens was either my hamburger lens or the Kitty Wompuss lens, I made those both at the same time and that was what made me realize what an amazing site Squidoo is for creative people.

4. Day or night?

I am definitely a night person, I worked the graveyard shift for almost 20 years, so my internal clock is set for nights.

Thank you Mysticmama!

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The days are getting cooler and Halloween is near! Horror movies and creepy music aren’t the only freaky ways to enjoy the season. If tombstones and jack-o-lanterns have you jaded, librarian lensmaster Undeadrat knows just the tricks and treats you crave.

Halloween Stories is a hand-picked collection of Halloween related horror stories. Undeadrat, also known as Greg, takes the time to add a short book description to each Amazon module, which enhances the browsing experience and helps readers select their perfect spooky story. Can’t get enough of creepy endings? Undeadrat knows where Halloween hangs out all year long, or break away from Hallows Eve and browse his list of other niche horror reading lists.

Cuddling up with a mug of spiced cider and a bone chilling novel could be the perfect grown-up Halloween entertainment, if you’re brave enough to turn the page.

http://www.squidoo.com/halloweenstories

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Copyright law can be confusing. Most of what internet publishers know about copyright is learned after they’ve already found their stuff being used without permission. What nerve! Copyright law is too important to be ignorant about, which is why I love Copyright by lensmaster Kinnally.

From his personal experiences with copyright infringement (he’s an artist) to tips on what can be copyrighted, to how Creative Commons and public domain works, Kinnally covers the ins and outs of US Copyright regulations.

Did you know you can even get a poor man’s copyright at your local post office? (Ok, so it isn’t a totally airtight method…) Either way you’ll be happy to know that both Google and Squidoo are very much against copyright infringement and plagiarism.

While you’re at it, be sure to visit some of Kinnally’s other lenses, which showcase his amazing giclee prints.

http://www.squidoo.com/copyright-infringement

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