The Power of Squidoo - Check THIS Traffic

If you Squidoo, you are very familiar with lensrank and people talking about all the traffic to their Squidoo lenses. But, do you really know who the top traffic lensmasters are? Or which lenses actually GET the MOST traffic? Yes, there is the Top 100, but that is really not a list of the top traffic lenses. The Top 100 is a topic for another discussion or two.

Today I want to take a moment to recognize that we have just passed the Thanksgiving holiday and survived Black Friday ... only to be hit with Cyber Monday. I had a fellow lensmaster share with me an article about the myth of Cyber Monday. It is a myth to me because I am not the typical shopper. Yes I shop like crazy online and have been doing so for some ten years. But, I don't save my shopping for Black Friday or Cyber Monday -- I shop every day of the year if I want or need something.

So, thinking of Cyber Monday, I decided to check a particular lens on Squidaholic.com. Wow, I am blown away by the huge traffic that fellow lensmaster flowski is getting for a 7-day period on his lens, Top 10 Best Christmas Gift Ideas 2009. I thought that traffic was pretty huge the other day when it was showing over 92,000 unique visitors for a 7-day period. But, today, it is sporting over 117,800 unique visitors. Now folks, that is traffic!!! Congratulations to Brandon on this wonderful success with the huge traffic. "Brandon "flowski" has been a member since August 18 2006, has rated 2,586 lenses, favorited 443, and has created 120 lenses from scratch."


I have a similar lens Best Christmas Presents for Gifting that was created on November 29, 2007 -- a two year old lens. But, I would wager a guess that my lens has probably NOT had 117,800 unique visitors in its two-year life span!

You know, when you have had a number 1 lens on Squidoo, it is a blessed experience. I've been there just once with Stuffed Cabbage -- this is the ONE lens out of my more than 593 lenses which means the world to me. In it I celebrate my grandmother Julia Nagy and the fond memories of Holidays with Grandma. So, having had a number 1 lens, I get lots and lots of emails which have questions about getting to that number 1 spot. A recent question from a lensmaster asked if 10,000 was a lot of traffic or normal for that number 1 spot. My answer was something like, "well a number 1 lens should surely have that amount of traffic." What about Brandon's lens? Oh, it is ONLY at number 14. Gosh, doesn't quite seem right does it? I would think traffic over 117,800 would guarantee that number 1 lensrank!

Doing my research for this blog post about traffic, I check many lenses in the Top 100. I could find no other lens approaching flowski's high traffic lens. In fact, I found many a lens well under 1,000 in 7-day unique visitors. There was a lens that passed 50,000 in 7-day unique visitors for traffic, yet that lens appeared to get no higher than maybe 40 or so in lensrank! I've seen another lens with over 15,000 traffic in one-day, and that lens was near the bottom of the Top 100. Yet, there are two additional lenses that come to mind with high one-day traffic on topicable topics -- the Presidential Vote Poll and Kevin Skinner -- those lensmasters achieved a Number 1 lensrank for their lenses.

So, how do lenses with high traffic get to the top spot? How do we as regular lensmasters even know when theses lenses have such wonderful successes with the traffic and the Google love? Recently, thefluffanutta got my attention with a Twitter tweet about the top lensmasters list that he provides us through SquidUtils.com. That made me ask, what about a list of the top traffic lenses? Wouldn't that be an interesting list to see? I know I'd love to see it.

Happy Cyber Monday to all my loyal readers, friends, buddies, chums! Have a great day.

About Me: JaguarJulie has been a member since March 21 2006, has rated 6,298 lenses, favorited 488, and has created 593 lenses from scratch.

Travels of The Journal of The Traveling Squid

The Travels of The Journal of The Traveling Squid - New Trip! Thanks to all the wonderful lensmasters who have participated in the goodwill, charity project connecting lensmasters and giant squids worldwide. The Journal of the Traveling Squid. Who could have predicted what a remarkable journey the traveling squid would enjoy. It has been nearly 10 months since the traveling squid kicked off its journey -- starting in the U.K. After 6 months touring there, volume II was kicked off to U.S.A. lensmasters. The U.S.A. edition is currently touring California.

The topic of today's blog post is the "travels" of The Journal of the Traveling Squid. As you might know, the traveling squid is currently in Ireland in the trusty and capable hands of lensmaster Spook aka Kevin Moor. Kevin has shared with me his idea to take the traveling squid on the road with him when he starts his travels in December 2009.

Kevin has planned his travels to include Bangkok, Thailand; Canberra, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; and Blenheim, South Island.

Sign Up: We are looking for lensmasters in these locations who would like to participate in The Journal of the Traveling Squid project. Kevin has been gracious enough to volunteer to meet with lensmasters in these locations. Sign up if your would like to be included by location:

• Bangkok, Thailand
• Canberra, Australia
• Auckland, New Zealand

If you are interested and live in those locations, we will arrange details with you personally. We know that there are some lensmasters located in Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand and think this would be a great chance to meet another lensmaster and participate in the traveling squid project. We hope that you will consider this opportunity -- please let us know that you are interested! Thank you.

About me: JaguarJulie is a Squidoo lensmaster who has been a member since March 21 2006, has rated 6,243 lenses, favorited 496, and has created 586 lenses from scratch. GIANT Squid 100, Squid Angel, Lens of the Day Lenses, Jaguar Julie Lensography, and of course I Love Stuffed Cabbage.

Are you a writer, an expert or an authority?

Protocol and Promotion Personal Commentary

Pardon me as I do a definition search for the word "protocol." Let's see, I'm checking out Merriam-Webster:

a detailed plan of a scientific or medical experiment, treatment, or procedure

Nope, not that definition.

a code prescribing strict adherence to correct etiquette and precedence

OK, I'll go with this one.

I was a Squidoo Squid Angel for the first time, well over a year ago, for a term of six months. Thankfully, I was granted my "wings" so to speak for my second term just recently. It is because I am a Squid Angel that I am talking about my take on "protocol and promotion." This is my take, my personal commentary.

I, along with my fellow angels -- 32 of us! -- are tasked with certain daily responsibilities, which I take seriously and conscientiously. On any given day, I am busy reviewing and visiting hundreds of lenses. As of this writing, I have rated nearly 6,200 lensmasters' lenses. That sounds like a lot; but you know there are some lensmasters with much more than that under their belts! It takes a lot of time and thought to do that many ratings/visits. Oh, I'm not even taking into account those lenses that I've visited that are not ready for ratings -- don't know if I would be up to 9,000 lenses or more, but I suspect so.

Well, the personal commentary part is this. Since I am a Squid Angel, as in my previous term, I find myself less and less wanting to send a Squidcast or post in the forum to encourage visits to my lenses. I don't know why, call me funny [yes I know I need more humor in my lenses]; but I've scaled back on that kind of 'self-promotion.' I've scaled way way back on my twitter tweets too. I've got some new followers and don't want to flood them out.

So, what about YOU? Are you a Squid Angel too and have a take on this? Are you doing the same amount of promotion nowadays as previously? Or, have you too scaled back in certain areas.

Because I am Squid Angeling, much of my extra time [if there was such an animal] is now occupied with those duties and leaving me with not enough time for my blogging. When I'm blogging, I love this form of expression. Note to self, "make more time for blogging."

Did I say angel? What it means to be a Squidoo Squid Angel -- Blessings to you, my dear!

A quiet angel - silence is golden

A quiet angel - silence is golden sometimes. To most Squidoo lensmasters, the mention of the word angel conjures up squid angels. There are many a lens written by squid angels usually, and sometimes about squid angels who have come a calling to a lensmaster's lens and blessed it. But what about ALL those squid angels out there who are not trumpeting their blessings to lensmasters' deserving lenses?

I've held off on this discussion as there have been plenty of SquidU Forum posts about angels dropping by to bless numbers of lenses. And, there have been many a lensmaster asking for angels' blessings. I personally have taken the stand to NOT announce each and every one of my blessings.

Blessings to You My Dear has been my signature blessing from when I first earned my wings -- and I was more inclined in the early days to state that I had blessed a lens. But, in my new capacity, I've become a quiet angel. For the most part, I will definitely leave a comment on a lens along with my rating. But, I am blessing lenses in silence -- not trumpeting in the lensmasters' guestbooks that I have been there.

Oh, did I mention that sometimes I come upon a lens without a guestbook? Oh dear me. Please lensmasters, be sure to include a guestbook on your lenses. ;)

Back when there were only a few squid angels on the job, it seemed more worthy to make mention that a blessing had been left. However, today, on any given day, you can come across lenses with multiple angels blessings being apparent from the guestbook comments and many lensmasters who have been Touched by an Angel -- a plug for a related lens of mine.

Squid Angel -- Blessings to YOU! is my signature Squid Angel lens that talks about what I look for in a blessing-worthy lens ... in case you wanted to know this. ;)

I believe in angels, both earthly and heavenly. I've written a number of angel-themed articles and lenses. I believe that I am guided each day by my guardian angels, my two grandmothers who art in heaven. Not to worry that I've gone off the deep end ... just yet.

The Art of Angels -- celebrates the beauty of art and the beauty of angels in art. The Art of Cupid -- there is beauty in love and in cupid that is quite angelic. CloudWorks Angels -- are one of my favorite line of angels which make great gifts that bring a little heaven in each angel. Christmas Angel Globes -- looking for great Christmas gifts; think angels in snowglobes and waterglobes. William-Adolphe Bouguereau -- Angel Art -- some of the most incredible angel art prints.

P.S. Blessings to YOU, My Dear! See you around.