Lensmaster Clouda9 Interview

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What makes you passionate about Squidoo.com?


Clouda9: The passion I have for Squidoo really is threefold...I can create anything I want about anything I can imagine, my creative juices flow because of it, and the people here are the best I've 'met' on the Internet today!


Squidoo Lens Reviews: Squidoo perfect already or what could make it better?


Clouda9: Squidoo is just about perfect...one thing I would like to see is a better way to manage the fanclub. My thought: an alert on dashboard or via email when someone joins so I can drop them a line or visit one of their lenses!


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What inspires you to make a new lens?


Clouda9: Most of my inspirations come from life experiences. For instance, my newest lens Cowboy Candy Recipes came to life after reading an article about the top recipe clicks on Chow.com. I tried the recipe and knew I just had to share it! The added pictures of 'real' cowboy candy was a chance for me to add some humor!


Squidoo Lens Reviews: How many lenses do you have?


Clouda9: 65 and three in WIP! Wow, I did not even realize I had that many...lol!


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What is your most popular lens?


Clouda9: Right now it is my Menopause: You Need Some Laughter lens. Proud to say it was the winner for 2008 Giant Squid Awards as Best Humor Lens! Just goes to show people love to laugh...especially about life situations. Psst! Make sure to have a Depends on before heading over to read...especially if you are an over 50-something woman :) [As of this posting, Best Baked Macaroni and Cheese and Self Improvement Guides have taken the lead.]


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What one sentence or one word describes your success?


Clouda9: Enthusiastic!


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What should a newbie do first?


Squidoo Lens Reviews: I believe it is beneficial if a newbie goes into the forum at SquidU to introduce themselves and wonder around in there to see what people are up to on Squidoo.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: Which of your lenses do you want to make sure the whole world knows about?


Clouda9: My shining example of who I really am is Meet Your Girl Friday. It is so totally me...colorful, showcases what I have learned about design, and has evolved into a new blog, Your Girl Friday! I feel that this lens and the blog are going to be the start of something wonderful for me personally! Thank you Squidoo and to each and everyone of you!


Correen aka Clouda9

Learn To Draw

On her lens, Sensational Sketches In Six Simple Steps, Lensmaster spiritartist declares that along with "patience and desire, anyone can learn to draw!" by using the KISS system (Keep it Sensationally Simple). Interested? Try it!

Oscar Wilde Meets His Fate

Lensmaster Stazjia has given us an interesting read in Oscar Wilde Meets His Fate. Great mix of author viewpoint, photographs, videos, and book recommendations.

American Civics

Whether you're helping a young student with their studies in American civics or are yourself interested in broadening your own knowledge or involvement, American Civics: Understanding and Participating in Government makes a resourceful starting point -- from Lensmaster Stumax.

Time To Laugh

The best thing about today's lens is that each reading makes you appreciate it more. I have retold its story to my husband while riding down the sleep-inducing interstate. He was engrossed and laughing, I was barely intelligible -- it's hard to tell a story while choked up with laughter! I've loaded the lens on my screen and read it to my hubby. It's a good thing he was looking on as I was barely intelligible yet again. I have laughed with my sister as she sat in my chair scrolling down the lens appreciatively. ...It's a great lens for a great laugh. I don't know why I am stirred to list it today, I just know that it's on my mind, and I'm trusting that someone somewhere needs a feel-good moment. Read it for the first time or read it again. It's that much of a good-natured and fun story. Release yourself some endorphins at Doggie Birthday Party from Lensmaster OhMe.

Widgetize!

Learn about building interactivity and fun into your lenses by making and using widgets from ClearSpring. Thefluffanutta tells you How to Make a Widget for Squidoo.

Are You Missing?

 

Hmmm... Lost eight Followers at one time. Could I have said something insulting or is it the automatic migration from Feedburner to Google? Sigh.

Lensmaster Chefkeem Interview

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What makes you passionate about Squidoo.com?


Chefkeem: It’s the intimacy of the whole experience - making close friends, writing from the heart and learning a lot about myself, others, and online relationships. Superhero Squidoo


Squidoo Lens Reviews: Is Squidoo perfect already or what could make it better?


Chefkeem: Nothing is perfect, but Squidoo is constantly evolving and improving. That’s all I can ask for. It would be easy to say that higher payouts would make Squidoo “better”, but the truth for me is: Squidoo has given me a tremendous education in internet marketing (and much more) - for free! Now I can go and apply what I’ve learned to my web-based ventures for real income opportunities.
Squidoo - A Good Investment? Is It Really Worth It?


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What inspires you to make a new lens?


Chefkeem: Usually, an idea pops into my head and I get excited about it. There’s also a huge pile of notes with lens ideas on my desk. (Notes on ideas that popped into my head...) So far, I’ve run out of time (every night..lol) - but never out of ideas for lenses.
Ms. Keemie's Love Advice Column



Squidoo Lens Reviews: How many lenses do you have?


Chefkeem: 107 published and 3 in WIP. Chef Keem :: My Lensography


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What is your most popular lens?


Chefkeem: This is an amazing story for me: Shortly after I’ve published my lens “My Parents - My Superheroes” in June 2008, it has climbed to the number one spot of all my lenses and never fallen back. It had about 2,000 visits so far and was listed on Squidoo’s overall Top 100 for 42 days, constantly moving in and out of this most prestigious ranking. Hail to my folks! My Parents - My Superheroes! [As of this posting, Chefkeem's candy lens is taking the cake! His new #1 is Espresso Sea Salt Caramel Truffles - My Best Candy Ever. Ever. ...He reports that it's his most successful lens to date!]


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What one sentence or one word describes your success?


Chefkeem: Ham.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What should a newbie do first?


Chefkeem: Read the Squidoo FAQ


Squidoo Lens Reviews: Which of your lenses do you want to make sure the whole world knows about?


Chefkeem: “How to say I love you (before it’s too late)”


Keem aka Chefkeem

American Gothic Redux

What do you know about the famous painting, American Gothic? Is it one of your favorites? Want to see some spoofs of it? Visit American Gothic Parodies: Spoofs of the Well Known Painting from Lensmaster Kab.

Flash and Drabble

Can you write Drabble? Have you ever heard of it? Lensmaster rms has a fun lens that will tell you all about it. Can you write Flash? Lensmaster drifter0658 gives you Flashes of Darkness.

America's Homeless

This is a powerful lens about America's Homeless -- from BostonRob. Especially heartfelt and helpful is the 10 Simple Things You Can Do To Help The Homeless.

Trailer Trash Toffee

Always on the lookout for easy recipes that taste rich and delicious, I was surprised to have just come across Trailer Trash Toffee. Lensmaster AdrienneJenkins makes it sound wonderful; I can't wait to make some!

Your Legacy

The lady who helped to keep Anne Frank and Family in hiding for two years -- and saved Anne's papers in hopes that she'd return to collect them one day -- turned 100 years old yesterday (February 15). Happy birthday to Miep Gies! Thinking of Miep Gies made me ponder the concept of compassion. My thoughts led me to this new TwitterStorm lens by Lensmaster seedplanter: What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind someday?

Lensmaster GramaBarb Interview

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What makes you passionate about Squidoo.com?


GramaBarb: It is the freedom to write and express my feelings about the joys and responsibility of being a Grandmother. The freedom to create a shopping mall. The freedom to create. The freedom to spread your wings and fly because I can link and include my other web sites too.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: Is Squidoo perfect already or what could make it better?


GramaBarb: No it is not perfect. What I would really like to see is the text module to open up like a mini word processor like it does in most emails or when you post in Blogger for example. I would like a little tool bar to run across the top of the text module - it would save so much time to have the basics there.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What inspires you to make a new lens?


GramaBarb: Life! I am a genealogist so I get many ideas from history. I am a nature lover - so all things nature inspire me. For example after watching a nature show that included the snub-nosed monkey - I was so impressed I had to make a lens about it.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: How many lenses do you have?


GramaBarb: 170 (one in WIP until about tomorrow) but my goal is to have 200


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What is your most popular lens?


GramaBarb: They constantly change according to the season. But my very first lens continues to stay in the top 5 for 3 years (and it has been 35 days in the top 100) - A Grandmother's Love - plus it sums up who I am.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What one sentence or one word describes your success?


GramaBarb: Never give up.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What should a newbie do first?


GramaBarb: Read FAQ. Read a few 'how to squidoo' lenses. Then just start building - you can't break anything and you can edit later.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: Which of your lenses do you want to make sure the whole world knows about?


GramaBarb: The A Grandmother's Love and others in the Grandma series [check her lensmaster bio for others in the series -- link below] because families need their grandmothers and grandmothers need to feel loved for their contribution to everyone's life.


Barb aka GramaBarb


Postscript from GramaBarb : I am very fortunate to have a loving, supportive family but I live a place where there are many grandparents that are forgotten by their family and most of their friends have died. It is very sad.

Happy Valentine's Day, Squidoo!

Happy Valentine's Day Weekend to my fellow lensmasters! Today, I'd like to focus on the giving and loving nature of Squidoo... On Squidoo, we have lensmaster thank-yous and lensmaster shout-outs. We have designers giving you their work and time -- very much equals love, don't you think? We have mentors, greeters, and organizers. We have benevolent and beautiful angels, too, and SquidAid Responders, and let's don't forget the philanthropic Squidoo as a whole! What a group we are! After checking out all of these lenses, you will definitely be feeling the love! While you're at it, give Be Positive: Like Joan Adams a visit, and read the very special messages from her husband and children -- the type of messages that any woman would love to receive on Valentine's Day or any other day. Love to you, fellow Squid!

The featured links here are but a few of the many avenues of giving and loving to be found at Squidoo. So go, explore -- even make a tribute, charity, or thank-you lens of our own!

Lincoln

MattTaylor gives you a crash course on The Legend of Abraham Lincoln. See if you learn something new from this fairly new lensmaster.

A Cat Lady A Day

Lensmaster SusanFaye offers up a new cat-lady painting every day at her lens, 365 Cat Ladies (with the occasional cat "lad" thrown in). SusanFaye's artwork is colorful, lighthearted and fun. Check it out.

Spiritual Cards

Spirituality has assembled a varied collection of Spiritual Cards. Beautiful to look at, they inspire things like inner peace, wisdom, self-love...

Not A Silly Question

After reading this lens from Lensmaster julcal, I am so thankful that my migraines are not like the migraines she describes. Thankful? Yes, so thankful. There are folks out there who suffer way more than I do. Do you have "regular" migraines? ...or ...Could You Have Alice In Wonderland Syndrome? ...The promise of a cure-all product (Alfa PXP) seems over-hyped to this non-medical mind, but if I suffered from AIWS, I would surely be ready to consider just about anything. Julcal makes her case for Alfa PXP on this lens.

Lensmaster Ramkitten Interview

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What makes you passionate about Squidoo.com?


Ramkitten: Squidoo makes lens-making so easy, with all the various modules to choose from and opportunites to learn from other lensmasters. So you can share your knowledge and ideas without having to create webpages from scratch. It's also a wonderfully supportive community of talented go-getters.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: Is Squidoo perfect already or what could make it better?


Ramkitten: Just about anything can be improved upon in some manner, but after only five weeks as a Squidooer with just twelve published lenses to date, I've been too busy learning to do much constructive critiquing about Squidoo. I'll have to get back to you later on this particular question. For now, though, so far so good!


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What inspires you to make a new lens?


Ramkitten: Literally anything can inspire a new lens--reading a great book, a new idea popping into my head, a new question I just have to learn more about then share what I've learned, a new experience or reminiscing about a past one. Just living inspires new lenses!


Squidoo Lens Reviews: How many lenses do you have?


Ramkitten: As of 1/19/09, I've published 12 lenses but have a list of more than 50 other ideas. And I add to that list nearly every day.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What is your most popular lens?


Ramkitten: It varies from day to day, but more often than not it's been either Becoming a Search and Rescue Volunteer or Hiking My Way to a Novel. Both are based on or entirely revolve around personal experience.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What one sentence or one word describes your success?


Ramkitten: Enjoying what I do is success in my book.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: What should a newbie do first?


Ramkitten: Read! Read the Squidoo FAQ, read Squidoo how-tos, and, above all else, read other lenses. Lots of them and by a variety of lensmakers. Also, visit the forums at the Lensmaster Lounge, introduce yourself and ask questions as you create your lenses.


Squidoo Lens Reviews: Which of your lenses do you want to make sure the whole world knows about?


Ramkitten: This is a toughie, because I'm fond of them all. Well, in addition to my two most popular lenses as far as traffic and rankings are concerned, I do have a special affinity for A Man Called Screamer a true story about a fascinating young man I met on the Appalachian Trail. It's more text-intensive than many lenses I've seen, but I'm happy with how it turned out and really appreciate the comments other lensmasters have left for me, because they really took the time to read it. And I've recently created my first, more commercial lens, Backcountry Water Purification," highlighting products more so than in my other lenses. We'll see how it goes.


Deb aka Ramkitten

Mary Jo Copeland – Superhero!

Mary Jo Copeland - Superhero! This lens is from Lensmaster triathlontraining; let him inspire you with this tribute to a very deserving person.

The Howling Squid Review

Lakeerieartists is, undeniably, a Squidmaster. She wants to help you be your best as well, so she's written the lens, The Howling Squid Review, as a sort of introduction to her new blog of the same name. She promises to teach you how to "howl your way to the bank with Squidoo." Visit the lens; learn more about her promise to teach you some great stuff; become a follower of the blog so you don't miss anything.

Valentine Party Games

It's a little over a week before Valentine's Day. You may be thinking that it would be fun to have a Valentine's Day party. Lensmaster Janices7 will get you even more in the mood with her list of party games — some for kids; some for adults. Visit Valentine Party Games, and get some ideas for making the holiday a fun time for all.

Trumpeter Swan

Like men who buy their newborn sons footballs, this grandmother bought chapter books for her grandson — way before he could use them. Now, he's eight, and we are currently enjoying a set of books that I had, of course, bought prematurely. Right now, we are almost finished with Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White, and he adores it! Next, in E.B. White's little three-book collection that has waited so patiently for him to get started on, is The Trumpet of the Swan. I'm ultra excited to be reading it next — because of ElizabethJeanAllen's lens, Trumpeter Swan. This lens is full of information that my grandson will find interesting. There are photographs and lots of little tidbits for him to devour, and he'll even get to watch artist/painter, Rebecca Latham, create a painting of two trumpet swans (On Golden Pond - Trumpeter Swans). Very excited about introducing this lens to him! Once he reads it, he just may want to leave a comment for its author...

Awareness: Teen Dating Violence

From her lens, National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week, Lensmaster XP writes, "February 2-6, 2009 is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week." This lens is an important resource for learning more about this issue. It includes a call to Facebook members to join Jennifer Ann's group -- a group "devoted to keeping her memory alive through good works and by fighting teen dating violence."