Six Months with Seth - SusanVillasLewis

Congratulations to fellow Squidoo lensmaster SusanVillasLewis who is one of several talented individuals who have been tapped to spend six months studying with Seth Godin -- as outlined in his Squidoo lens. What a remarkable opportunity! Not your standard MBA, but a new twist on getting experience in the real world.

Susan describes herself as "just a good old Texas gal having some fun online!" Susan has been a Squidoo lensmaster since August 21, 2007 and is a Giant Squid having created 180 lenses. She's also quite an active blogger with Life of Lewister, a personal blog about her life and Squidoo activities. Book Bindings is her blog about books in her life. Baby Quilt Queen is a sweet blog about baby quilt patterns. Sesame Street Birthday is a fun blog with tips for throwing a Sesame Street Birthday Party! Those are just a few of her many blogs!

In Seth's blog post, the best and the brightest, he says, "The ten people I've chosen are just astonishing, each and every one of them." I'm thrilled to hear that Susan Villas Lewis is one of those 10! The six month session begins on January 19, 2009 in New York. You go girl!

What's YOUR Tweet Worth

Twits, Tweets, Twitter, Twittads = What's YOUR Tweet Worth? Are you using your Twitter account efficiently? Twitter is such a cool resource for connecting with others worldwide.

What I particularly love about it is that I've been learning each day to be more succinct in my tweets -- to capture the essence of what I'm trying to say in a nutshell. And, my hubby is thrilled about that as he thinks I have the tendency to go off on tangents and deviate from the original topic.

Today, I was checking out What's Your Tweet Worth -- you plug in your Twitter ID and then you find out how valuable you are on Twitter.

Carry that a bit further to TwittAd that connects advertisers with the users on Twitter to place product advertisements! I've not yet put my Twitter background up for sale, but I am thinking about it?

How about you? Are you listed there yet -- drop me a comment and let me know how it is working for you.

Download copy of Tribes Q&A eBook

As a member of Seth Godin's Triiibes, I am one of over 3,700 members who had the distinct pleasure to interact with triiibesters around the world. One of the most amazingly talented triiibesters I met is Paul Durban. His design for the "Tribes Q&A" eBook is quite amazing. Above is the trailer Paul produced to promote that eBook, based on Seth Godin's best selling book, "Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us."

Would you like to check out that great "Tribes Q&A" ebook? Well, you can find your free copy here: http://tinyurl.com/TribesQA.

In the pink literally : read all about it

Hubby was heading out the door on Saturday October 18th when he shouted back, "Hey, the newspaper's all pink!" Yep, sure enough! And, a mighty nice shade of pink I must admit. That must have been fun for the web press operators early that morning printing the Times-Union.

As a Squidoo Activist, I've created two colorful lenses Cook for the Cure -- Think Pink in Your Kitchen with KitchenAid and KitchenAid Artisan Mixers -- How to Colorize Your Kitchens. Both of these lenses donate their royalties directly to Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation. October is breast cancer awareness month so I'd say these lenses are definitely topical and spot-on.

Searching all of the many Squidoo lenses, would you believe there are some 573 that mention breast cancer while cancer seems more topical with 997 lenses. Shop directly at KitchenAid Online Store: Cook for the Cure!

Tribes Casebook released as companion to Tribes book

Today I downloaded a copy of the official Tribes Casebook that Seth Godin just released. It's a companion piece to his Tribes book which was shipped this week. The Casebook is an interesting read in that it contains case studies by many of the Triiibes members. It's 228 pages long; while the Tribes book is 151 pages. I couldn't help but notice that Ed Welch is quite prolific with many of his case studies being featured. Ed has an interesting blog entitled Tribe Building.

So, what about the collage of Triiibe member photos on the inside of the Tribes book cover? We must have been out of town when Seth blogged about submitting your picture in May 2008 to be included in the collage. Yes, I'm sure of it.

Well, this is the first cover of its kind that I can ever think of that you may want to seriously consider framing it. It'd even make an interesting mouse pad with proceeds benefitting the Acumen Fund!

If you look closely at the middle of the "S" you can find my dear Squidoo colleague and lensmaster ChefKeem! His lenses are some of the MOST amazingly touching and creative that I think I've seen in all of the >740,000 lenses. In addition to his tremendous creativity, he has the kindest soul. It is a pleasure to count him as a friend and colleague.

Learn more about the Tribes book from Seth on Squidoo. Or, better yet, go ahead and buy one for yourself. What are you waiting for?

Hearing more and more about Tribes

On October 7th I received my advance copy of Tribes by Seth Godin. At 151 pages, it is a relatively quick-read -- quick enough that you may want to go back and reread it before you opt to pass the book on to a friend or colleague. By the time you get to page 146, you'll realize that you have not found any checklist follow this type of instructions or the Tribes for Dummies how-to how-tos.

I'm really NOT sure what I expected to find in this little book, but it has got me thinking -- thinking more and more about what it is that matters.

What it is that matters.

You can choose to lead, or not. You can choose to have faith, or not. You can choose to contribute to the tribe, or not.

For me, I had a bit of an epiphany when I reached page 114 -- realizing that in one of my roles, our organization is a bit 'stuck on stupid.' No, my colleagues aren't stupid, don't get me wrong. But our organization works with an industry that is dramatically changing since the advent of digital. Trying to convince a former retiree, now partner, that fax-blasting may be a practice out of the past and not the best form of communication can be challenging indeed.

Tribes, the book has shipped this week from Amazon. As is usual with Seth's new-to-be-released books, the buzz has already generated a huge interest. Searching on Squidoo for 'tribe' produces some 386 lenses. Tribes yields 419 lenses while triiibes yields only 7 lenses for now. If you'd like to hear more about the buzz on Triiibes on Twitter, you can search on #triiibe.

On August 2nd, I joined Tribes, the community. As of this writing is up to 3,650 by-invitation-only members and will soon be open to the public.

Squidoo meets Alltop and becomes Squidoorati

Have you heard of Alltop yet? It's a site founded by one of my favorite marketing guru-types, Guy Kawasaki. I've been a fan of Guy Kawasaki for more than 4 years since I first read The Art of the Start and then attended one of his cool webinars. It was about the same time that I was launching my own business, Jaguar Julie Designs.

Back to Alltop: I've been hearing lots about Alltop from Guy's tweets on Twitter. Today, I read a fellow blogger and lensmaster MiMi aka GrowWear post about Alltop meeting Squidoo. We Are Squidoorati on Alltop. It's a magazine rack meets CraigsList approach to the top Squidoo lenses by various topics or categories.

Well, I headed on over to Squidoorati on Alltop to check it out. You'll find the top 5 lenses listed by Squidoo topic or category. When you click on one of the categories, it will take you to that Top 100 list over at Squidoo. So, I interpret Alltop as ALL-TOP with an RSS-like feed of the top Squidoo lenses. It's rather dynamic in that one moment I saw my top Stuffed Cabbage lens in the top 5 list and a couple of minutes later, my lens had gone to number 6! However, I still was seeing my Jaguar Julie Lensography in the top 5.

I would think that being in the top 5 of a categories would give lensmasters an added benefit of a backlink perhaps? Thanks MiMi for blogging about this and bringing it to the attention of other Squidoo lensmasters. Can't get any more topical than that! Be sure to check out Squidoorati and take a look at the badges to see if one of them interests you! Read more about Alltop.

Squidoo is making it easy for you to donate

How many times have you received an email asking you to take a moment and click on some link so that your vote can be registered for some cause? I personally have received well too many of those type of emails and I've always wondered if my vote mattered. Now, you can see the transparency in how your vote for a favorite charity can add up.

Until October 15, 2008, votes registered for a variety of terrific charitable organizations on Squidoo will earn that charity $2.00! That's pretty remarkable. It's a $80,000 Squidoo Charity Giveaway. Make your vote count as each vote equals a $2.00 donation. Hey, vote now! I've voted for my 'pet' charity First Coast No More Homeless Pets [FCNMHP]. Want to know more about my 'pet charity?' Check out the lens I've written highlighting this fine organization.

Talk about topicability -- that's Squidoo! For nearly 3 years, they've been donating thousands and thousands of dollars to charities on a monthly basis. Now, you can get in on the donating through casting your vote! Hurry up; what are you waiting for?

An avatar to suit your many identities

Ah, the cute 'face your manga' avatars are popping up everywhere! I spotted a fellow Squidoo lensmaster Niiki aka Nicki Ivey as sporting a wintery manga avatar. It rather made me a tad bit homesick for Cleveland, Ohio in the winter -- nah -- I love Florida weather hurricanes, et. al.

Well, would you believe that Niiki has a cool lens on her favorite avatars, The Online Avatar Makers I Love! She's found a number of different sites that can produce different avatars to suit your needs.

I think an interesting idea would be to produce your avatars from all the avatar-producing sites and put that in one lens or blog post! Well, maybe I'll try that when I have some time. You see, I'm trying really hard to make an effort to do a bit more blogging. I'm still busy over at Squidoo and just getting the hang of Triiibes, plus I do have a 'normal' job for our startup company.

P.S. Check out these Squidoo lensmasters who have gotten into the action with 'face your manga' cool avatars:

Have you faced your Manga yet

Have you found that cool site that you can custom build your own avatar from a template of cool facial features and accessories? Thanks to a fellow lensmaster, SusanVillasLewis, who turned me on to this site, Face Your Manga. This site has been around for a while, boasting well over one million avatars currently online. It's language-friendly, showing five different countries' flags although it appears only two languages are available. Not to worry; English is one of them!

Well, I was impressed by Susan's avatar as it bears a striking resemblance to her persona. Susan is an active blogger, having created a number of blogs that she maintains on a regular basis. She's also a member of the Giant Squid 100 Club with over 130 Squidoo lenses. Her lenses are quite topical, especially a recent one on Sarah Palin that was featured as a lens of the day. What's interesting about this lens is that it was created in March 2008 well before Sarah was a glimmer in Barack Obama's eye!

The word has gotten out around Squidoo about the Face Your Manga website and now many other lensmasters are sporting new cute avatars. Upon a quick glance around, I found some that caught my eye:


This looked like too much fun to me, so I decided to build my own.

I opted for a couple of different looks -- one with those Foster Grant sunglasses and one dressed up.


What are you waiting for? Why not create your own custom avatar at Face Your Manga.

I'm hoping to see more of these avatars for fellow Squidoo lensmasters who haven't yet posted their pictures on their lensmaster profiles.

New module for Squidoo lensmasters - Donations

Hey Squidoo lenmasters? Have you checked out the latest module that is available to you for making your lenses more charity-friendly? It's the donations module. You can easily select in the drop-down menu from a host of wonderful charities. If you have a couple of 'pet' charities, add a second or third donations module to your lens(es).

As many of you know, I have been working with First Coast No More Homeless Pets (FCNMHP) for about one-year. I first began working with them to get all the feral cats in our neighborhood spayed and neutered which was quite a job trying to just trap the 16 or so cats. When I took over the management of the feral cat colony, I had no idea what an active role I would be assuming in #1 managing the cats and #2 getting the word out to other lensmasters and Squidoo readers about FCNMHP.

FCNMHP was featured in June 2008 as the Squidoo charity of the month. In July 2008, I was able to raise a lump sum of $500.00 for FCNMHP from a winning lens in the Superhero Project honoring my grandmother Julia Nagy, My Superhero. Along with that amount, I raised other monies through several of my other lenses along with other lensmasters who earmarked their lenses to support FCNMHP.

Now if this is not your 'pet' charity, there are dozens more from which you can select. Do you know that each month, Squidoo donates well over a thousand dollars to charities? Yes, that is really amazing. So, what are you waiting for? Add that donations module to your lens today.

Huh? What's that? You are NOT a Squidoo lensmaster. Well, hey ... join today. Ah, too late!!!!

Update - grassroots effort to rename 'for DUMMIES' books

The word has gotten out on this grassroots effort that the original lens announcing the effort is jumped in the rankings today to be ranked #43 in News, #3217 overall. As of this update, 8 votes have been registered, with 75% of the vote for "Yes, I'd rather not be thought of as a dummy" in support of changing the title.

Suggestions for a new title vary from 'learning the ropes' to 'for freshmen' and of course 'for newbies,' my favorite.

It's interesting to get the input of lensmasters from around the world. Elee in Hong Kong writes,

Sure introducing vista is a more "positive" title but it's boring! "For dummies" on the other hand, is more fun ... There's a reason why they name it that way... controversially titled book sells.

My favorite remark thus far is from TheInfamous7 who writes,

Excellent Lens JagJewlz!! I completely agree! The negativity of the title and premise ensure self doubt from the start!! Kick ass n spread the word!! :-) x

Grassroots effort - rename 'for DUMMIES' books

It's a grassroots effort to bring attention to those 'for DUMMIES' books whose titles convey a sense of negativity, implying that the readers are dummies or unintelligent people in need of help. Surely this controversial title has attracted readers and buyers -- perhaps that was the intention of the publisher and franchise holder of these books. The 'for DUMMIES' books are popular enough in that they have earned their Wikipedia entry.

This grassroots effort began August 8, 2008 initially on Squidoo with a lens entitled Rename 'for DUMMIES' Books. Before being ranked, this lens was at >640,000 and debuted the next day at #602 in News, #44610 overall. To get the word out and raise some support and interest in the grassroots effort, this lens was added to Twitter, Digg, Mixx, and Facebook before the writing of this blog post.

It is back to school and that time of year that more of these books will be sold to students and teachers alike. Don't you think it's time to get involved to take a stand about the negativity of this title? I propose a possible solution with renaming those books to 'for NEWBIES.'

I had avoided buying any of those books until only recently; working in Microsoft Access I wanted to find the answer to how to inter-relate subreports into a report layout. I didn't exactly buy the 'Microsoft Access for DUMMIES' book, but opted for 'the Bible' edition.

Does this title bother you? Do you feel it is acceptable -- that the controversial 'for DUMMIES' helps the sale of these instructional books? Want to express your opinions for or against?

Express your opinions:
Should those books carry a different title / cover? Do you agree or not?

OOOPS! Squidoo's tentacles are in a twist

Yes, that's right! You can't get any more topicable than Squidoo lensmasters suffering withdrawal from those tentacles that are in a twist!

Since mid-day Saturday, July 5th, Squidoo lensmasters LIKE ME have had their tentacles all in a tangle over the Squidoo servers going out for a swim. Seems as though the swim was a bit longer than planned -- they decided to do a little scuba diving and fishing ... to hear tell, the gang might be back today some time. Well, not soon enough for us serious lensmasters who have normal commitments throughout the week and rely on our weekends to tweak lenses and create new ones.

This morning when I tried to access my one of my lenses, I got that cute little message. At least it helps to know that there is a bit of levity amongst all the feverish workings going on by our crack Squidoo tech staff. Personally, I'm pretty partial to Gil for a number of reasons -- but, that's for me and him to know and for you to find out. Maybe.

Spammers and Phishers becoming more creative

A recent spammy email begs to ask, "Are internet spammers and phishers getting more creative in their emails?"

Take this example that was indicating it was from the FBI and that it was Advice -- definitely something I might be interest in reading about ... right? Yep, let me think, when was the last time that the FBI or even the CIA wanted to give me some advice or even want to email me? Perhaps because it is nearing the 4th of July, Independence Day, these spammers are thinking readers will be more inclined to read and respond to these type of spammy emails?

FBI magnetic@mails.ch
Reply-To: monitoringunit@zapak.com
ADVICE FROM THE FBI
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FBI
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION FBI. WASHINGTON DC.

Attention,

We have today through our inteligence monitoring system dictated that you have a transaction with African Bank International worth Two Million Six Hundred Thousand Dollars. This payment from our finding is as a result of Inheritance claim.

Be also informed that we spoke with the Bank and the African Authority to let them know that whatever that will be done to release your funds to you will directly be monitored by the FBI and they accepted as they have no option.

We advice you get back to us confirming the authenticity of this news before we can proceed. As soon as we here from you advicing us to guide you accordingly, we will proceed.

Hoping to hear from you urgently.

Thanks,
Mr Robert Mueller
Fbi Director

Spammy emails -- More than sixty percent of today's email traffic is spam, according to email filtering firm Brightmail. This year alone, five trillion spam messages will clog Internet users in-boxes, costing society an estimated $10-billion in lost productivity, filtering software, and other expenses.

I'm wondering, will internet spammers and phishers ever stop? First it was those usually 2-page letters from Nigeria back in the early 1990s. I worked at an terpene chemistry company that had an international focus, plus we sourced gum arabic out of Africa, so maybe that accounted for these spammers of the time finding that company. But, with the advent of the computer and the internet, these spammers and phishers became more creative. What's particularly interesting is how they've learned to mask their IP addresses. And, how they seem to think that the "normal" reader is going to be greedy enough to want to share in their millions of dollars of inheritance.

Bottomline: Something should be done about these spammers and phishers to put them out of business for good -- put them out of business for good in spamming hard-working individuals! Put them to work doing some good in their community. Why doesn't Bill Gates give them some computer programs to test? Or offer them some honest financial incentives to do some good on the internet? I know Bill Gates certainly has the influence and the money ... and I've heard that he's mellowed some over the years. Hello, Bill ... can you hear me now?

Does the ANONYMITY of the Internet aid and abet rudeness

Remember that TV program, Kids Say the Darndest Things? Well, the more that I use the internet, the more apparent it has become that people in general can and will say the darndest things especially with the anonymity of the internet.

After personally hosting a number of Squidoo Hey Monkeybrain debates and having included guestbooks on many of my lenses, I'm happy to say that people do indeed say the darndest things! And the darndest things that people say can be downright rude and crass!

It was recently that I received an interesting and brief guestbook message ... 2 words ... the first begins with an "F" ends with a "K" and the second word was me, well "You." Get it? Well, it seems that I am not alone as the only Squidoo lensmaster receiving these type of rude, crass guestbook remarks in addition to others.

Take lensmaster Janet21 for example ... she received a different type of 'rude' guestbook remark: $328 --- that's your idea of "making a living". And you're no. 1??? Not a very good adverstisement for Squidoo, I must say." 

Lensmaster kab recently started a SquidU Forum thread: Don't even 14 year olds get tired of leaving rude and pointless comments on lenses and other websites? My lens Did Atlantis Really Exist, just got three comments: 1. f-- atlantis and f-- u if u read this sh-- 2. no atlantis does not exist u damn b-- f-- all of u u could suck my c-- 3. f-- you.

The rude remarks have been also directed at Squidoo from other social-network sites such as StumbleUpon and wis.dm. It seems that one if not more Squidoo lensmasters got a bit carried away with their 'passion' about Squidoo and their lenses and added too many links to their lenses on those two sites. As a consequence, lensmasters such as myself got inadvertantly and rather rudely labeled as social members who didn't care about those social-network sites as much as we do about Squidoo. And, other NOT so nice things were said ... ah -- again the anonymity of the internet. At the moment, I can't speak for Twitter, as I've not gotten firsthand knowledge of similar circumstances.

Bottomline: While the internet may provide a sense of anonymity to forum and guestbook posters who make drive-by rude and crass remarks, IPs are traceable. And, perhaps the bigger picture, I believe in a sense of karma ... what goes around, comes around. --JaguarJulie.

An Amazing Paperback-Sized Wireless Reader

The Amazon Kindle is the most amazing gadget yet and serious must-have of our household!

We've been the first on our street with many of the latest gadgets from the flatscreen TV to the Apple iPod -- we actually have a his and hers iPods! However, all gadget aside, this wireless reading device is the cat's pajamas as far as we're concerned.

The experts are buzzing, as are bestselling authors, about the Kindle Wireless Reading Device from Amazon! Can the Kindle be the future of reading? A compelling argument for this device is it's size and capacity -- Why pack a paperback book when you can pack your Kindle with a capacity to hold over 200 titles? It's lightweight, wireless, and customizable with 6 different font sizes.

Those who work in the Graphic Arts Industry; i.e. the PRINTING Industry have surely taken notice -- much has already been written about how this type of wireless reader will have some impact on the future of printing!

• Easy to read: Revolutionary 6" diagonal E-Ink® electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.


• Display: 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 4-level gray scale.


• Portable Size: 7.5" x 5.3" x 0.7"


• Lightweight and thin: Weighs only 10.3 ounces -- Lighter and thinner than a paperback.


• Capacity: Holds over 200 titles.


• Price: $399.00 with free two-day shipping from Amazon.

P.S. The Topicability Quotient of the Kindle Wireless Reader is rated medium-hot as a recent search of Squidoo lenses on Kindle returned 134 Lenses. One of the popular Kindle lenses is Kindle Wireless Reading Device @ Amazon.

Expanding Your Lens Publishing Power

Hot off the presses of Squidu Review, it's Expanding Your Lens Publishing Power :: A Squidoo How-To From a Mega Giant Squid!

Hello Lensmasters! The question is often asked on the forum, “How long is too long for a lens?” The answer varies, depending on the topic of the lens, the target audience, the types of modules, etc. However, if you are thinking about breaking your lens into smaller parts, or creating new ones to showcase new information, additional lenses can boost your linking power and give you new opportunities to get found online.

This week, Giant Squid Jaguar Julie teaches us how to expand your lens repertoire by creating new lenses from old ones.

***

Making New Lenses Out of Old Lenses

As Squidoo fanatics, many of us have loooooong lenses that we developed on our favorite topics. Is this the best way to go? There’s nothing wrong with a few long lenses, but many smaller lenses to compliment them can be very powerful as well.

When your readers notice that you have several lenses on one topic, they’ll be more interested in seeing what you have to say. “The more you have to say about one topic, the more people will think you know about it.” says Kimberly Dawn Wells. And, not only that, but “more lenses equals more links equals more opportunity to be found.”

You can take what Kimberly says “to the bank” as your Squidoo royalties will increase with more focused lenses too! How does that work? Read on to find out.

***

P.S. Be sure to check out the Squidoo lens inspired by THE article I wrote for SquidU Review, Expanding Your Lens Publishing Power :: A Squidoo How-To From a Mega Giant Squid.

Oh, I didn't become a Mega Giant Squid overnight! It took me two years to arrive at this distinction; however, it really meant about 6-8 months of part-time dedicated work at writing Squidoo lenses. I initially joined on March 21, 2006 after receiving an engraved invitation from BzzAgent. I created about three dozen lenses and then took a 'break' from Squidoo for about 1-1/4 years. Then, in the Summer of 2007, Squidoo challenged me to become a Giant Squid by creating 100 lenses! Despite the fact that the number of lenses needed to become a Giant Squid was scaled back to 50, I exceeded the 100-mark by the deadline; working through a hard drive crash!

So ... what I am saying is that YOU too can become a Giant Squid and maybe even a Mega Giant Squid! How? You simply MUST read my lens, Expanding Your Lens Publishing Power :: A Squidoo How-To From a Mega Giant Squid.

How to Make Money on Squidoo

How to Make Money on Squidoo?  Do tell, do tell ... Tongues have been a-wagging when it was announced that a Squidoo lensmaster had earned $1,000 in a one-month period from just one Squidoo lens!

Megan Casey reported in the Squidoo blog ... "Yes, once you’ve got a suite of worthwhile lenses up, they’ll just keep earning you royalties, little by little, month by month.Yes, working through the dip pays off."

Take it from Megan ...

• No, it didn’t happen overnight.
• No, you can’t get there by shortcutting or cheating or spamming.
• No, piling on the affiliate links willynilly isn’t the solution.

There has been plenty of buzz recently on The Lensmaster Lounge at SquidU.

BTW, this cool graphic is compliments of a fellow Squidoo lensmaster, Janusz Biela who designs cool graphics for use by Squidoo lensmasters for FREE! Soon he'll probably be charging for his services!
P.S. Keep an eye out for future blog posts to give you more info and tips about how you can make money on Squidoo. I'll tell you what has been working for me and give you more insight into the magic behind the income!

Who doesn't love a contest

Who doesn't love a CONTEST? If you know that person, tell me! Yes, I must admit that I am a big sucker for contests! I've certainly entered my share along the way, but probably made about minimum wage when you consider all the time and effort that have gone into entering ALL those contests! Well, now I'm on the other side of that contest ... actually running my own logo designing contest for all Squidoo lensmasters. Not a lensmaster, well hurry up and sign up!

Here's the skivvy ... Jaguar Julie, that's me, is in need of a logo for her company, that's Jaguar Julie Designs. Yep, she designs logos, B-U-T, you know that story about the cobbler's children going without shoes? It's much the same with Jaguar Julie -- she's got designer's BLOCK when it comes to her own logo! See this wild cat collage? This has been Jaguar Julie Designs online presence for some time. But, she's never had her own logo! Now, how can that be?


So, what is the prize that goes to the winner of this design contest? You'll just have to check out the rest of the details to find out! Hurry up, what are YOU waiting for?

Vacation is just around the corner

Vacation is just around the corner :: Stay-put in a Staycation Vacation? The urban dictionary's definition of staycation -- A vacation that is spent at one's home enjoying all that home and one's home environs have to offer.


So, are you already looking forward to the Summer when you will be taking that annual vacation? We all know how the price of gas has taken a big chunk out of our wallets. A staycation might just be what the doctor ordered!

A Squidoo friend of mine, LaraineRose, has written a lovely and topical lens, "Staycation" -- Everyone Should Try One. Everyone should try one! Staycation -- what do I do? Hmmm ... Here is a list assembled by LaraineRose:

• A holiday at home.
• Switch off the phones.
• No going to malls.(You can still shop online!)
• Use up food squirreled away.
• Read the 3 foot stack of magazines I have saved.
• Play cards/watch old movies.
• Read a book.
• Read all the new Squidoo lenses.
• Start no major projects.

Staycation was born at "Corner Gas." P.S. love those pictures? You'll find them on LaraineRose's lens!

BAM! It's the Bamster AND Martha

Wow, or should I say BAM! Talk about Topicability ... it's Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse!

As reported on April 3, 2008, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. has completed the acquisition of Chef Emeril Lagasse's media and merchandising business. Lagasse retains his restaurant and foundation-related assets.

The deal, which was first announced in February 2008, brings together one of the biggest brands in food-related content with MSLO's well-established expertise in the lifestyle arena. The closing of the deal was announced today on the Emmy-winning daily, nationally syndicated television series, The Martha Stewart Show ... 

The purchase price was $50 million, $45 in cash and $5 million in stock, at closing, and could reach up to $70 million if certain performance targets are realized in 2011 and 2012.

In a face-off between Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey, I'll bet that Martha has gained some ground with this recent acquisition. In a September 2007 money face-off poll, it was voted Oprah over Martha 73% to 27% of votes. Is Martha secretly playing catch-up with Oprah?

Who Is Martha Stewart?
Martha Stewart (born as Martha Helen Kostyra on August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, author, editor and homemaking advocate. She is also a former stockbroker and fashion model. Over the last two decades Stewart has held a prominent position in the American publishing industry; as the author of several books, hundreds of articles on the domestic arts, editor of a national homekeeping magazine, host for two popular daytime television programs, and commercial spokeswoman for K-Mart. In 2001 she was named the third most powerful woman in America by Ladies Home Journal.

What is Martha Stewart Doing for TV Show Ideas?
Martha Stewart is Reading MY Lenses ! Have you been watching Martha Stewart's TV Show lately? Well, I have and I've thought for quite some time that she's obviously reading Squidoo lenses for ideas to feature on her TV show! Some of you might say it's just a coincidence, but I don't know about that! Maybe Martha Stewart is just on the same wave length as me? Or, better yet ... she and her staff have recognized the topicability of Squidoo lenses? Hey, Monkeybrain, is topicability a word?

What does Martha LOVE to Bake? C-O-O-K-I-E ?
Though cookies have been around in some form since the 7th century AD (read their long history), they don't last very long on the kitchen counter... or at least the best ones don't. This lens serves up the secrets to creating the disappearing Martha's Cookies.

Why did Martha Break-up with Sherwin Williams?
Martha Stewart and Sherwin Williams parted ways in January of 2007. The Martha Stewart Signature Color collection at Sherwin Williams was without a doubt one of the best color collections ever. An official Martha Stewart Colors "fandeck" was never issued so these sets of
chips are extraordinarily unusual and rare.

What about that NEW Man in Martha's Life? E-M-E-R-I-L ...
Emeril John Lagasse (born October 15 1959) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril as well as catchphrases such as "kick it up a notch" and "BAM!" He is a 1978 graduate of Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts. The "Emeril Empire" of media, products and restaurants generates an estimated USD$150 million annually in revenue.

I love watching this man cook. You can keep the "BAM!"- just give me a plate of that food. He's got a great balance of love and skill in every dish he produces.

It's a Circular Reference : Topicability

It's a Circular Reference : Topicability the Squidoo Lens announcing Topicability the Blog. Ah, the importance of being TOPICAL! I AM inspired by Squidoo -- that's where you can find many a topical lens; that which personifies topicability -- the topical cream that rises to the top.

To know me is to know that I am not only inspired, but also deeply taken with Squidoo. Not only have I personally penned over 325 lenses along with 6 groups on Squidoo, but I've earned the ranks of Giant Squid and Squid Angel. Being a Giant Squid, Squid Angel, and prolific Lensmaster, I have learned first-hand the importance of Topicability particularly in how that translates to lensranking. And, I've also learned that it greatly helps when the powers-that-be at Squidoo award you with the honor of Lens of the Day, LOTD. It means a boost in lensranking!

To further celebrate my infatuation with the goodness of Squidoo, I have launched this here blog, Topicability : The Blog which made its debut on April 8, 2008! In this blog, I'll be featuring Squidoo lenses that I happen upon which are spot-on topical!

Topicability : that which is relevant, of current interest, contemporary, spot-on.

HOW TO ADD YOUR LENS: Oh, want me to check out your Squidoo lenses for topicability to be featured in my Topicability Blog? To submit a lens, please feel free to leave a comment on this topicability blog post!

P.S. I guess you could say that a bit of my inspiration from 'yesterday' is the Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Earnest. Have you seen the movie or read the book yet?

The Launch of Topicability : The Blog

I have been a blogger -- JaguarJulie Ann Brady -- for more than a few years on Google. As a Squidoo lensmaster, I wanted to launch another blog that would concentrate on the relevance of Squidoo Lenses. I came up with a name; i.e. Topicability. I thought it was pretty original, and only found a few examples of that word/name in a Google search.

Topicability : that which is relevant, of current interest, contemporary, spot-on.

Use in print : The publication of two completely independent books to the same problem underlines the worldwide topicability. Knowledge Miner. On the Relation of Data Mining and Knowledge Mining. Comments on "Self-Organising Data Mining" by Prof. J.-A. Mueller and F. Lemke. By Prof. A.G. Ivakhnenko, Corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine, Kiev.

I value "scopability" of association higher then its "topicability". Especially because "topicability" can be easily solved. --Nikita Ogievetsky.

Just a general remark: There is a sister list called "pd-ot" wheresuch things are always welcome regardless of on- or off-topicability. --Frank Barknecht.

Maybe Martha Stewart is just on the same wave length as me? Or, better yet ... she and her staff have recognized the topicability of Squidoo lenses? Hey, Monkeybrain, is topicability a word?