Topicability

Snapshot of Squidoo Splash Page

2010-07-18T09:49:00.000-04:00

Good Sunday everyone! Today's Topicability blog post was completely spontaneous and unplanned. You see, this morning when I went to access my Squidoo dashboard, I was presented with the Squidoo Splash Page instead. It seems that I was logged out and was needing to log back in to get to my dashboard.

So, I am one who makes the very best of the occasion ... time for a Topicability blog post on the Snapshot of Squidoo Splash Page! And, how appropriate that this being a snapshot, that one of the prominent buzzwords I see in the official Wordle tag cloud ... ah, that would be Photo folks! Well, actually Best and Photo too! Other prominent buzzwords include Things, Ideas, Top, Home, List, Coloring, Make, Death, Quotes, Fun, and World. And, that is a view of the top folks!

What is the Squidoo Splash Page? Why it is a "view of the top," it is a view of the top 5 Squidoo lenses in each of 30 Topics or Categories on Squidoo. Milling around the SquidU Forum, one can hear much often times about the Squidoo Splash Page ... oh, it doesn't change; the same people are dominating or monopolizing the categories; it's not correct; some lenses shouldn't be there; or some lensmasters express pride at having more than one lens on that splash page; oh, lots of things are said!

You know I was one of the several Squidoo lensmasters who has made suggestions to improve the showcase of the splash page LIKE: oh, let's make it a magazine style; let's showcase more lensmasters and lenses to not show favoritism; let's do a slideshow -- oh, we did have something like a slideshow once upon a time. I'm not sure how that slideshow panned out, but for me, I was seeing the same lensmasters over and over again. I'm thinking a cascading slideshow, thumbnails to cycle through more than the top 5 lenses in each topic or category. I'm thinking NOT a static page ... let's showcase as many worthy lenses and lensmasters as we can and not the usual, same players who might be dominating or monopolizing the topics.

Let's make it like GOING to the MOVIES ... Time-out for a commercial to introduce you to some best, top picks in camcorders! I've actually bought the Panasonic for my other half, and the Canon for ME! You might have seen MY first videos ===> these little bandits will surely capture your soul(s) too! My prediction: YOU will be seeing MORE videos of Jacksonville Florida soon. ;)

And, I am for the platform of a turkey in everyone's oven with stuffed cabbage rolls cooking on the stovetop! Oh, did you happen to see my lenses on Stuffed Cabbage and My Platform -- For the People? Yes, I am FOR the people and for non-partisanship and equality. I hate politics, you know? But, I surely DO love Stuffed Cabbage Rolls -- like my grandma Julia Nagy made!

Hello all you regular Squidoo readers! You surely know by now that I've been profiling a view of the top 100 of the various Squidoo Topics. We will return to this series really soon! Here are the previous top 100 Topicability blog posts:

Oh wow! Have you seen Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens ... will there be a NEW lens at the top soon? Were YOU brave enough to actually participate in the Hey Monkeybrain debate of mine about Squidoo Stats -- Public or Private? Well then ... Rock on with your good selves!

Holy Purple Cow Stars Take 2

2010-07-16T15:28:00.000-04:00

Good Day Purple Star Fans and welcome to Holy Purple Cow Stars Take 2. Today is the six-week update on the purple star award tally on Squidoo. Whew, what a lot of work it is nominating, reviewing and rewarding these purple star awards! Yes it is.

Out first and last report on the purple stars awarded to Squidoo lenses was on June 5th which detailed the 1,267 purple stars which had been awarded thus far. Today's reporting of the breakdown on the Squidoo lensmasters with purple stars reveals there have been 1,350 ... that's not quite 100 additional purple stars.

If you recall, our previous leader was Editor Dave with 18 purple stars. We show Editor Dave has gained another purple star to hold on to that purple star lead with 19! Kim Giancaterino holds on, again, to second place with 17 purple stars. We have two Squidoo lensmasters holding on to third place with 15 purple stars; kiwisoutback and Treasures-By-Brenda.

Here is the official purple star award line-up, showing number of purple stars awarded and listing the respective Squidoo lensmasters alphabetically!

19 -- Editor Dave
17 -- KimGiancaterino
15 -- kiwisoutback, Treasures-By-Brenda
14 -- BigGirlBlue, drifter0658, janices7, Sylvestermouse
13 -- Enslavedbyfaeries, kab, OhMe, stargazer00, tandemonimom
11 -- aj2008, Evelyn_Saenz, Greekgeek, Heather426, JaguarJulie, skiesgreen, susannaduffy, WindyWinters
10 -- chefkeem, Comfortdoc, Pastiche, quippingqueen, Ramkitten, Susan52, The_Party_Animal

9 -- 24websurf, bethd821, boshemia, Christene, clouda9, ElizabethJeanAllen, Joan4, Spook, Stazjia
8 -- kimmanleyort, LindaJM, mbgphoto, monarch13, NanLT, naturegirl7, Norma_Budden, paperfacets, pkmcr, Pukeko, sandyspider, ThomasC
7 -- _Joan_, BevsPaper, ChapelHillFiddler, lakeerieartists, lisadh, makingamark, MeltedRachel, Mickie_G, mysticmama, vallain, WhiteOak50
6 - a_willow, AndyPo, Barkely, CDT, ClassyGals, Crystal_Booth, Frankster, hlkljgk, Jimmie, jptanabe, KathyMcGraw, LoKackl, luvmyludwig, MiaBellezza, mukunda22, spirituality, thefluffanutta, theraggededge

5 -- arncyn, badmsm, dc64, EverythingMouse, GrowWear, j_barnhart4, Janet21, Jewelsofawe, JoyfulPamela, Kate-Phizackerley, Ladymermaid, mulberry, Noadi, partybuzz, SemperFidelis, Sojourn, TheGreenerMe, Tipi, tirial, triathlontraining, WhitePineLane
4 -- ArtByLinda, AslanBooks, BarbRad, BFuniv.com, Chadrew, CleanerLife, daria369, gmarlett, Gordon_Hamilton, GroovyFinds, GypsyPirate, HorseAndPony, inkserotica, jkvkdailey, Laniann, LeanneChesser, LizMac60, lou16, mbrownauthor, missbat, Octavias0fferings, Peggy707, poddys, prosperity66, relache, Rob_W, Romaxx, ronpass, seashell2, SoyCandleLover-Maker, Squidster, strayspay, SusanVillasLewis, Victoria_Neely, WebSpinstress, WordCustard
3 -- andreaberrios, bdkz, boutiqueshops, Bradshaw, CherylK, CreativeArtist, dagsmith, daybreak, DMedley, draik, EelKat, Ener-G, flowergardener, Flynn_the_Cat, GonnaFly, GramaBarb, happynutritionist, jbdkz, JohannTheDog, Laddoo, LotusPetalYoga, Mac33, Macs, Marelisa, Margo_Arrowsmith, Michey, MissMerFaery, N376, NAIZA, ottoblotto, poutine, rms, smange, voodoomama, Wysiwigs

2 -- AddaptAbilities, AllThingsMichigan, anthropos, athomemomblog, awelldressedbullet, azpoppy, blondeheroine, Brookelorren, Caseyfern, CCGAL, charlino, Christopher_Scott, crosscreations, CrypticFragments, DessertLover, Dkprincess6, eclecticeducation, ElleDeeEsse, EternalFlame, Euryale, fefe, flighty02, flowski, Freaknoodles, genglo, gkygrl, hmsweaver, Irenemaria, jeffryv, JJNW, johndilbeck, JustBon-Crochet-Designs, Karendelac, katiyana, Kylyssa, LakeMom, LauraSchofield, lisakleinweber, Loyalis, Margaret_Schaut, michaelgibbons, MikeMoore, mosaic, NancyOram, NicoleRoberts, nightcats, nyfamily5, Pantherart, papawu, Photahsiamirabel, Pixelrage, puzzlemaker, Rajays, RichLeigh, rockycha, sandralynnsparks, Shar, SimeyC, squidoohelp, sukkran, The_Homeopath, thesuccess, Tiddledeewinks, TrinaSonnenberg, unique_freak77, vanidiana, vbright105, Webcodes, whitemoss, ZachG

1 -- 4U2C, AdrienneJenkins, aidenw, Aldric_Chang, AlishaV, allthatiscute, alteredkat, amandaquerque, AtHomeSource, babygirlboutique, Barrie, bcarter, bechand, beeobrien, bernadette1, Bob_Druwing, boredofeducation, BrandyT, burgessvillian, Bus_Stop_Toy_Shop, ByRoy, Carmel_Aaron, cary_quirkoutcom, Charlyjl, chloecavanaugh, Clairwil, confetta, CosmeticMom, danthemans, daoine, d-artist, Dawn_Mathisen_aka_Candle_Dawn, ddixonart, Diamond_Wizard, Donnette, ebay-grandma, EbizTaxTips, Eclectic_Muse, Ecolicious, emmalarkins, EuroSquid, flipflopnana, gods_grace_notes, grannysage, grayth, groovyoldlady, guardianstar77, GypsyOwl, hollandnumerics, HotbuttonPress, icjackson, imaginemdd, IntuitiveHealer, JanaMurray, JanTUB, Janusz, jeffwend, JenniferAkers, JenOfChicago, JimH, kajohu, KarateKatGraphics, KathrynDarden, kcbaker1, kellywissink, Kelsey-Budden-16, Kharadriisa, KimberlyDawnWells, KNicholls, Kyecerulian, Lady_Gotrocks, lollyj, Lou1842, lwhitelaw, Magicality, Makita, marsha32, MeganCasey, MobyD, motorpurrr, MrLewisSmile, Mrs_R, MsSnow4a, mynameiskate, nDee, nightbear, Not-Pop, ohcaroline, OneFootPutt, oneskms, only1bub, PatinKC, PeopleLive, PJ_Deneen, pmolinero, pyle_mountain, QueSea, ravedid, Rewards4life, RickBasset, RinchenChodron, rksmythe, rlmodranski, RMJ1940, Roving_Band, Samanthie, Sammie, SandraRose, Sarah, seedplanter, seegreen, SeeMyHealthyHairGrow, SherryHolderHunt, ShirlW, shwetashah, sirkeystone, SquidooKimberly, StaciJansma, steveffeo, Superwife, Tallguy2, TeaLady, Teddi14, The_Health_Lady, TheLeftFitz, thrivingmom, Tiffany, TopMovieSoundtracks, Trekkiemelissa, tssfacts, Twmarsh, ulla_hennig, Vacation-In-My-Head, Vladi, Waxing-Lyrical, weavz, webnh, webseitler, WeddingZazzle, Wednesday_Elf, WendyKrick, WhippetTalk, WhitneyWells, WhitU4ever, Winter52, xtnshun

P.S. By the way, have you seen my purple star awarded, Squidoo lens, Jaguar Julie -- Lensography of a WAHWW? On that lensography, I have a very special Purple Star Award page which details those 11 purple stars that have been awarded on my 645 lenses. And, another VERY special page is the Purple Star Worthy Guide which presents about 25 Squidoo lenses that I feel are worthy of being nominated for a purple star. I'm not nominating my own Squidoo lenses, but I thought it would be kind of fun to let others know just what lenses I consider, of mine, to be purple star award worthy. You know? Have a purple cow fantastic weekend folks!

Time Out for a Smile Ad from Google

2010-07-14T09:51:00.001-04:00

Good day visitors, fans, friends, Earthlings, Martians and enthusiasts! Yes, indeed, it is time for a little "time out for a smile ad from Google!" BTW, if you were to do a Google search on "putting words in my mouth" squidoo, the top three search results would lead you to three of my Squidoo lenses:

If the truth be told, last night I was NOT smiling about the Google text ad that I found at the top of my Squidoo lens on Jayne Mansfield. Thanks to Megan Casey for taking care of it so quickly and efficiently -- I do SO appreciate that. Thankfully, Jayne Mansfield isn't one of my top lenses, so the number of people who may have not been smiling about that, wouldn't have been too many, you know?

Let's take a look at #2 in the Google search results; i.e., Putting Words in My Mouth(s)! Well, aside from those instances where I have literally shuddered at the interpretation of my own words, or those instances where I have had words put into my mouth ... you know, when somebody says "this is what you said" and YOU didn't say that ... or you were "quoted" out of context and meant something else ... or somebody JUST makes things up? You know? Ok, Ok! We came here for some HUMOR this morning; some COMIC RELIEF.

What struck me as very funny this morning, I needed a good laugh, was the pairing of these two Google text ads along with that image of the Zebra's mouth and teeth which are obviously in need of dental attention; you know? Say hello to "emergency dentistry" and a "#1 Dental Plan." Do those ads, paired with the image of the Zebra's mouth, make you smile too?

Oh, you and I both know it is NO laughing matter about how much it costs to go to the dentist. It is indeed ironic, I say, that I just GOT dental insurance coverage and I won't even get the chance to use it! Oh my!

Hello to my regular Squidoo readers! I've been profiling a view of the top ... the top 100 of the various Squidoo Topics. We will return to this series really soon! Thanks for taking time to say hello.

Whew! I've written about the top Squidoo lens each day for over a year in Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens ... will there be a NEW lens at the top soon? Thanks to those who were "brave" enough to actually participate in the Hey Monkeybrain debate of mine about Squidoo Stats -- Public or Private? Appreciate it. Rock on with your good selves!

Top 100 How to Squidoo Tips

2010-07-05T11:16:00.000-04:00

It is the holiday for us in the USA today, July 5th. You know what that means? Undoubtedly, the servers over at Squidoo are literally teaming AND jamming with Squidoo lensmasters authoring top-notch, quality lenses about their passions, interests and expertise. Well, probably along with what they had for July 4th. Perhaps a barbeque or two? Oh, and what about the fireworks? We've been enjoying a private fireworks show from our next door neighbor ... over the past month! I give him 5 stars and a LIKE.

Turning our focus today to the Top 100 Squidoo Topic / Category of Squidoo Tips, we come to a very important fork in the road. On ANY social platform, the MOST important topic should be the Help category. Would YOU not agree that any articles or "lenses" that reside in the Help category have got to be the very best and top-notch "helpful" lenses. We demand real tips which are straightforward, honest and full of integrity! Oh my.

Without further hubbub, here are two Wordle tag clouds which have imaged the various Squidoo lenses which landed in the Top 100 of Squidoo Tips on July 3, 2010. First of all, it is MOST important to point out that the Wordle on the left is untouched, unedited. Squidoo definitely IS the buzzword of choice, followed up by Lens and Lenses. So, to explore the true topics and themes further, we scrubbed OUT those three words of Squidoo, Lens and Lenses to provide a truer view of the lenses.

As you look at the Wordle on the right, you can surely see MANY helpful topics there. I've got to note that this particular Wordle, out of all those I've thus far generated, seems to have the MOST variety of topics. Let's see, Tips jumps out followed up by Photo and Effects ... gee, we've previously actually seen a LOT of Photo and Effects in other Top 100 topics, you know? What else do you see there? Oh, maybe HTML, Free, Promote, Images, Resources and lots other buzzwords.

What about the Squidoo lensmaster with the most Squidoo lenses in the Squidoo Tips Topic? Today’s Squidoo lensmaster in the spotlight is Tim aka thefluffanutta with 19 Squidoo lenses ranking in the Top 100 of the Squidoo Tips Topic / Category.

Over and over again, thefluffanutta has proven himself to be out front on the Squidoo SquidU Forum with helpful advice. You would expect that thefluffanutta would have the most lenses that have helpful tips. Thank you Tim, on behalf of myself and all the many Squidoo lensmasters YOU have helped over the years. It’s been good to have you there by our side.

Up next, is SquidooKimberly with 8 different Squidoo lenses in the Top 100; followed closely by Macs with 7; and both Greekgeek and Tipi each with 6. MeganCasey has secured 5 spots in the Top 100 of the Squidoo Tips Topic / Category. And then there is Sojourn with 3.

Several Squidoo lensmasters have secured 2 spots each in the Top 100 of the Squidoo Tips Topic / Category. Alphabetically, these Squidoo lensmasters include bdkz, flighty02, JaguarJulie, jeffryv, lakeerieartists, Loyalis, N376, RickyRobi, SammySpam, skiesgreen, stargazer00, AND triathlontraining.

Two of my Squidoo Tips lenses are in the Top 100 of the Squidoo Tips Topic / Category. They are two particular Squidoo lenses that I really think deserve to be there, you know? Squid Angel -- Blessings to YOU! and How to Squidoo -- A Step-by-Step Primer. I have devoted a lot of my time on Squidoo to making MORE helpful Squidoo tips lenses which I think are worthy of being in that Top 100. They cover a variety of helpful topics and show creative ways to use certain Squidoo modules or building blocks; like that "my lenses" module that I really like.

So, here is my commercial time-out to share with you these other very helpful Squidoo lenses in the Squidoo Tips Topic Category, by Jaguar Julie. Maybe one day they will see the light of day? ;)

Today's spotlight focus on the very important Squidoo Tips Squidoo Topic is part of a continuing series of spotlight blog posts showcasing the many Squidoo Topics here in the Topicability blog. Have YOU been following along? Have you enjoyed the spotlights? Have YOU been in the spotlight(s)? More important, have YOU taken time to offer up a thought, suggestion or comment or something to tell us and the world that "you were here/there" and that you are trying to make a difference in the scheme of things? You know?

Oh gosh and yes, I've written about the top Squidoo lens each day for over a year in Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens ... Are YOU just a little curious about what's been on top overall? And, have you already participated in THAT weird and slightly crazy Hey Monkeybrain debate of mine about Squidoo Stats -- Public or Private? Ah, see ya around folks! May the force be with YOU and your journey be a pleasurable one and may we hope that YOU are making a difference in the scheme of things. You know?

Well What ABOUT You and About Me?

2010-07-01T12:12:00.000-04:00

Hmmm, is that a rather cryptic title for this Topicability blog post? If you are from the United States, you probably get that; if you are from the United Kingdom, you might be thinking "what are you talking about?" Remember my previous Jaguar Julie Blog On blog post, Who IS Listening I Wonder?

Well, I was wondering this morning "Who IS Listening?" And, more importantly "do they really get IT?" I honestly think that worldwide there is a bit of information and meaning that gets lost in translation. Sometimes you may have a humorous message and you wonder if that "humor" is totally understood?

Well What ABOUT You and About Me?

You probably noticed that I missed the first topic in the line-up, alphabetically speaking. About Me. Well, what about ABOUT ME? Yes, indeed. Today we are exploring the Squidoo Top 100 in the About Me Topic / Category.

Take a look at the Wordle tag cloud for About Me. Isn't it pretty? I think it is particularly COOL people that Lensography is the primary buzzword there. We have thefluffanutta Tim to thank hugely for coining the word Lensography! Thank YOU Tim! You rock and are cool people too.What buzzwords I'm seeing next are Things, Life, List, Love, Bucket, Make, Squidoo and Happy ... oh and a bunch more! Isn't that cool, people? What do you see there? That Wordle summarizes the various topics of those 100 lenses in the About Me category, the cream of the crop.

And, here would be that lens mosaic of the Squidoo lensmasters with the most lenses in the Top 100 of About Me! The one Squidoo lensmaster with the most spots in the Top 100 of the Squidoo About Me Topic / Category is Momtothezoo with 4 lenses. She is followed up by jptanabe with 3 lenses in the Top 100.

Eight different Squidoo lensmasters have 2 lenses each in the Top 100 of the Squidoo About Me Topic / Category. Alphabetically they are: Evelyn_Saenz, JaguarJulie, Kylyssa, LeanneChesser, Ramkitten, Tipi, WebSpinstress, AND WindyWinters.

Seventy-Seven Squidoo lensmasters have a spot in the Top 100 of the Squidoo About Me Topic / Category. Yeah I say! This is the best, so to speak, representation thus far of all the categories or topics that I have taken time to spotlight here on the Topicability blog. You know? Sorry for the editorial comment, but I do really really think that the ABOUT ME topic should showcase ONE lens each that is the showcase lens on each Squidoo lensmaster – I’d like to see ALL Squidoo lensmasters with a showcase About Me lens that would be featured in this topic. P.S. Of course we are ASSUMING that none of these are multiple IDs for prominent or other Squidoo lensmasters, you know?

So, here are those 77 Squidoo lensmasters who have ONE spot in the Top 100 of the Squidoo About Me Topic / Category – shown alphabetically: 24websurf, a_willow, aj2008, AlishaV, ArtByLinda, bdkz, bethd821, Boshena, cdcraftee, Cherrybomb2009, chloecavanaugh, dagsmith, damagedinc, dannystaple, DARdreams, d-artist, dc64, dfishbac, Dkprincess6, EverythingMouse, flowergardener, Flynn_the_Cat, Hillandglen, hlkljgk, Janiece, JDWheeler, jennerator, JenOfChicago, Jewelsofawe, KimGiancaterino, KNicholls, LindaJM, lindarandall, LittleCansofBeans, LoKackl, Lotusland, loveunmeasured, luvmyludwig, madjewel, makingamark, Marti, mbgphoto, MoneyPearl19, NanLT, naturegirl7, neverbobomalem, OhMe, PatrickBernauw, Pmona, poisonousangel, ponchomeg, Pukeko, puzzlemaker, rickybuitrago, RocketMoms_Graduates, Rokusan, RyanAndersonP, ShirlW, sixfiguremonths, spirituality, spunkyduckling, Stazjia, StephenC, Susan52, susannaduffy, Sylvestermouse, thefluffanutta, theraggededge, Timewarp, Tinw, ulla_hennig, unbroken_hope, Vacation-In-My-Head, vallain, watercarfuel, WordCustard, AND x3xsolxdierx3x.

This spotlight on the About Me Squidoo Topic is part of a continuing series of spotlight blog posts showcasing the many Squidoo Topics here in the Topicability blog:

Yes, yes, yes! I've captured that top Squidoo lens each day for over a year in Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens ... Curious about what's been on top overall? Want to participate in THAT crazy Hey Monkeybrain debate of mine about Squidoo Stats -- Public or Private?

What is Cooking in the Food Topic

2010-06-29T14:53:00.000-04:00

So, here we are folks! Do you wonder, "What is Cooking in the Food Topic?" Ah, the Top 100 of the Squidoo Food and Cooking Topic / Category! I don't know how many Squidoo lenses I might have authored which would fall into the food topic, but I can say that those have been some of my favorite. Favorite in the sense that I honor my grandma Julia Nagy for her love and for many of her famously delicious recipes. I've not shared ALL of those recipes yet, but may consider an ebook soon!

Take a look at these two Wordle tag clouds which image those Squidoo lenses occupying the Top 100 of the Squidoo Food and Cooking Topic / Category! The Wordle on the left includes all the mentions of "recipes" and "recipe" in the titles of those 100 Squidoo lenses. Now, simply put, on the right, that Wordle has the scrubbed list of titles for those 100 Squidoo lenses, minus "recipes" and "recipe."

Can you zero in on the Food and Cooking buzzwords in that Wordle? Yep, Best is the top banana! Next up is Cake quickly followed by Cupcakes! Then, more buzzwords are Absolute, Chicken, Best-Ever, Easy, Salad and Decorating among others. Fun, wasn't that?

The one Squidoo lensmaster dominating the Top 100 of the Squidoo Food and Cooking Topic / Category is rms Robin with 13 Squidoo lenses occupying a treasured spot in that Top 100 of the topic. Congratulations rms Robin!

Next up is Squidoo lensmaster Laddoo who has 6 Squidoo lenses occupying a spot in that Top 100 of the topic. Bravo Laddoo!

Holy Moly Batman and Robin, but I finally made the line-up here in Top 100 of the Squidoo Food and Cooking Topic / Category with a "humble" 5 Squidoo lenses occupying a spot. Oh, that’s JaguarJulie folks and also there is Treasures-By-Brenda with 5 Squidoo lenses.

One Squidoo lensmaster, beeobrien has 4, followed by enslavedbyfaeries AND The-Cooking-Mom each with 3.

There are quite a number of Squidoo lensmasters each with 2 Squidoo lenses in that Top 100 of the Food and Cooking Topic / Category. They are: chefkeem, clouda9, Craftyville, danthemans, EbizTaxTips, EverythingMouse, hlkljgk, JonitasKalimpo, AND MiaBellezza.

Some 43 Squidoo lensmasters each have ONE Squidoo lens in that Top 100 of the Food and Cooking Topic / Category. They are: chefkeem, 24websurf, cbs, CherylK, CoffeeBreaker, DessertLover, DMedley, Euryale, flighty02, giddygabby, GonnaFly, GypsyPirate, HorseAndPony, Intuitive, JackieLee, Janet21, Janiece, jeffwend, jkvkdailey, Jodi_k, kab, Kate-Phizackerley, KimberlyDawnWells, kiwisoutback, LakeMom, melody-thacker, msbaby, mulberry, NAIZA, naturegirl7, nDee, Noadi, relache, riff999, Rockett, Sojourn, sonis, splendidbaker, stargazer00, susannaduffy, Sydp, ThomasC, Victoria_Neely, AND Wednesday_Elf.

Gosh, I'll bet YOU didn't know that there were that many TOP chefs at Squidoo, did you? I do happen to see my favorite chef in that list! He knows WHO he is!

Ladies and gentlemen, may I tell you honestly that I put off looking at the Squidoo Food and Cooking Topic / Category because many of my lenses used to rank much better in that food category. But, things change you know? Whilst the traffic, sales, clickouts and other stats MIGHT seem to warrant better positioning for those food lenses, something else seems to keep pushing those lenses down, out of the Top 100. Maybe it is the absence of Squid Angel blessings or something?

Those 5 Squidoo lenses of mine that were lucky enought to hit the Top 100 of the Squidoo Food and Cooking Topic / Category are:

### TIME FOR SOMETHING ELSE ###

This is just one in a series of spotlight blog posts showcasing the many Squidoo Topics in the Topicability blog:

Day in and day out ... I've profiled the top Squidoo lens and boy are my arms getting tired! You know jelly bean? Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens ... Curious about what's been on top overall? Or, maybe you are wanting to participate in THAT crazy Hey Monkeybrain debate of mine about Squidoo Stats -- Public or Private?

What is Topicable in Shopping

2010-06-29T13:34:00.000-04:00

OK, OK already! I surely do hear ya. So you want to go Shopping? Sorry that I have taken a bit of a time to focus on this particular Squidoo Topic of Shopping. To me, Shopping is like my middle name ... but the type of shopping that I do is not the traditional brick and mortar shopping. I am an internet shopper and have been a personal shopper for quite a few people worldwide!

Turning our attention today to the Top 100 of Squidoo lenses ranking in that Shopping Topic / Category, I will HONESTLY tell you that I am a bit surprised that this Wordle resembles yet another Wordle. Can you guess which one; i.e., which OTHER Squidoo Topic / Category has a similar wordle? [Check out the Wordle in this previous blog post.]

What Shopping buzzword jumps out at you? Wedding? Well, that is interesting I think. I'm seeing Ideas, Best, Perfect, Fashion, Twilight, Party, Theme, Bags and perhaps Laptop. Does any other buzzword POP for you? That Wordle tag cloud can sure be interesting when imaging themes and topics, you know?

Here is our lens mosaic of the Squidoo lensmasters and their Squidoo lenses which occupy the most spots in the overall Top 100 in the Squidoo Shopping Topic / Category.

Today’s Squidoo lensmaster in the spotlight with 8 Squidoo lenses in the Top 100 of the Squidoo Shopping Topic / Category is EternalFlame. Congratulations EternalFlame! I don’t believe we have met yet?

Next up is enslavedbyfaeries with 6 followed by mulberry with 5. ClassyGals AND mynameiskate each have 4 Squidoo lenses in that Top 100 of Shopping.

Those Squidoo lensmasters with 3 each are babygirlboutique, GroovyFinds, SusanVillasLewis, AND TheLeftFitz. Nine Squidoo lensmasters each have 2 Squidoo lenses in that Top 100 of the Shopping Topic / Category: Bus_Stop_Toy_Shop, calendarsblog, CosmeticMom, fefe, Jump4Joy, Pixelrage, pyle_mountain, RickBasset, AND The_Party_Animal.

Forty three Squidoo lensmasters have nabbed ONE lens in the Top 100 of Shopping: 88shoppe, arncyn, Bargainista, bdkz, BigGirlBlue, cherrychavez, Christene, Christy_WYO, cjsysreform, dagsmith, daoine, ddixonart, Eddron, EllenC, EuroSquid, flowski, gods_grace_notes, Hope, ikea-furniture-catalogue, JaguarJulie, JasonE, JonathanStone, KokoTravel, LaToya998, leggleston24, Lou1842, missminny, nekoneko, Nibbled, ottoblotto, Papier, PatrioticTees, PoisonPinkLemons, sema, Senora_M, tandemonimom, titanium_knights, TShirtFrank, Victoria_Neely, Wii-For-Kids, wizzyfx, YesStyle, AND ZazzleEnchante.

Yours truly nabbed just one spot in that Top 100 in the Shopping category with Swimdresses -- Find the Perfect Swimdress That Suits YOU.

This is just one in a series of spotlight blog posts showcasing the many Squidoo Topics in the Topicability blog:

The Tops in SEO and Affiliate Marketing

2010-06-29T12:07:00.000-04:00

Thanks to that very special Squidoo lensmaster er Squidoo friend of mine who asked for a run-down on the Top 100 lenses and lensmasters in the Squidoo SEO and Affiliate Marketing Topic / Category! I sure do appreciate you taking time to make a personal request, and secondly, I appreciate the fellowship! Thank YOU.

For those of us who spend a lot of time on the internet, we undoubtedly get to hear lots and lots of information about SEO, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, researching keywords, and of course affiliate marketing. People are always wanting to hear tips on how to be successful with affiliate marketing. It can be a bit of a science, you know.

Well, nothing mysterious about who or what when talking about the Top 100 lenses and lensmasters in the Squidoo SEO and Affiliate Marketing Topic / Category! Here is that Wordle tag cloud which creatively summarizes all those 100 Squidoo lenses in that Top 100:

The buzzwords there include Free, Squidoo, Affiliate, Get, Best, Backlinks, Article, Traffic and URL. And, then a host of other secondary buzzwords. Yep, FREE! I sure do like free; i.e., free information. You CAN find so much on the internet for FREE.

So, what about the Squidoo lensmasters with those lenses in the Top 100 of the Squidoo SEO and Affiliate Marketing Topic / Category? Today's lens mosaic is presented just a little differently than previously. The Squidoo lensmasters with the most lenses in the Top 100 are listed alphabetically and colorized by number. See if you can figure it out.

Looking at all the various Squidoo lensmasters with lenses in the Top 100 of the Squidoo SEO and Affiliate Marketing Topic / Category, the spotlight is on Pixelrage who has 5 Squidoo lenses in the Top 100. Congratulations to Pixelrage!

Two Squidoo lensmasters have snagged 4 spots each in the Top 100. They are MrLewisSmile AND PotPieGirl. Four Squidoo lensmasters have snagged 3 spots each in the Top 100. They are kiwisoutback, LuckySeven, monopoly, AND thefluffanutta. Six Squidoo lensmasters have snagged 2 spots each in the Top 100. They are Brandon_Vogel, draik, glenanail, Greekgeek, lisadh, AND Rajays.

There is a bit of a majority of Squidoo lensmasters; i.e., 63 in total, occupying one spot in the Top 100 of the Squidoo SEO and Affiliate Marketing Topic / Category. You know, this brings up a VERY sensitive topic that often touches the nerves of Squidoo lensmasters worldwide. It is not readily known if any of these are multiple IDs for more prominent Squidoo lensmasters as that information is not public information per se. Some lensmasters have made suggestions on revealing that information and making it public; whilst others have said to keep it private.

These 63 Squidoo lensmasters are: 1SquidAddict, adwords-marketing, aj2008, amandakjones, Amitabh1702, AndrewMinalto, Avitosa, blogmoney, Chadrew, chrgr, Cinetech, creck, diamania, ejob, Elee, Energale, fefe, FreeBeeQueen, Giamatti, GPSglobal, henrymiller, hooman, inkserotica, JaguarJulie, JJC13, kameleon, kenc, Ladymermaid, laptopshopper, LindaJM, longestonline, lyrickat21, mommahawk, mulberry, N376, Neccia, OliviaH, oliviavanlogum, pmolinero, Police, PyrogenicMedia, redflea13, RedMarketeer, RinchenChodron, rleong, RyansCCS, Sadheeskumar, San1, sconsult, seowebdesigntips, ShaneB, sobriety, Steve-SEO-UK, StuartStirling, StyleCampaign, supermom_in_ny, tomj, triathlontraining, Trioman, wahguide, williamjfield, WorkAtHomeTruth, and Zacman555.

Hey Monkeybrain! I did happen to nab ONE spot in the Top 100 of SEO, quite surprisingly! Google vs Yahoo -- Which SIDE Are You On?

So, have YOU been following the spotlight blog posts of the Top 100 in the various Squidoo Topics? Just in case you missed it, here are the rest of the topics that have been profiled on the Topicability blog:

And, yes indeed -- day in and day out ... I've profiled the top Squidoo lens, for more than a year on Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens. Curious about what's been on top overall? Or, maybe you are wanting to participate in my Hey Monkeybrain debate about Squidoo Stats -- Public or Private?

A special thanks to my Topicability readership base! You know, I just presented my Squidoo worldwide readership base over at Jaguar Julie Blog On. Did you catch it? Oh, who is listening I wonder?

What POPS with Pop Culture and Celebs?

2010-06-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

Today in the Topicability blog, we are spotlighting the hugely fun and topicable topic of Pop Culture and Celebs! Ladies and gentlemen, may I say it was like rolling the dice to see if I get snake eyes or perhaps 2 sixes you know?

What I mean by that, I was thinking to myself, I wonder WHO will outweigh the other in the topics that occupy the Top 100 of the Squidoo Pop Culture and Celebs topic / category. Will it be Lady GaGa or will it be Megan Fox? Gosh, and wouldn't that be a great Hey Monkeybrain debate folks? That is, Lady GaGa or Megan Fox -- Who is the Bigger POP Star?

Take a look at the first Wordle tag cloud:

Well, "Actress" was really popping out at me along with "Tattoos" ... so I opted to do a "scrub" of those titles in the Top 100 of the Squidoo Pop Culture and Celebs topic / category to see if we could zoom in on either Lady GaGa or will it be Megan Fox? Take a look at this second Wordle.

Yeah, yeah, I know! Tattoos are popping out at us. Oh gosh, YOU must surely know that I've talked about tattoos if only to do a singular Squidoo lens to debate Twitter vs. Tattoo -- Which is MORE Popular?

So, after the big old Tattoos, I'm seeing Lady next followed closely on her heels by Gaga AND Megan. I honestly can't tell if one lady has the edge over the other one! We can also detect Celebrity, Fashion, Twilight, Newest and Character along with a host of other topicable words/topics! Wow, how cool to see so many topicable hot pop topics! I enjoyed that.

Today’s Squidoo lensmaster in the spotlight is xtnshun! Congratulations to xtnshun for snagging 20 spots in the Top 100 of the Pop Culture and Celebs Topic on Squidoo! That’s quite an accomplishment.

Do you know that xtnshun has profiled many top Pop Culture icons over the years! Here is that Wordle tag cloud of the Squidoo lensmasters dominating the Squidoo Pop Culture and Celebs topic / category. The Wordle shows just those Squidoo lensmasters with Top 100 lenses in that particular topic / category.

The next group of Squidoo lensmasters in the spotlight include wwkeen with 6 lenses; Tipi with 5, lou16 with 4, and both kab and wishfulthinking777 have 3 lenses in the Top 100 of the Pop Culture and Celebs Topic on Squidoo!

Six different Squidoo lensmasters have 2 Squidoo lenses each occupying spots in the Top 100 of the Pop Culture and Celebs Topic on Squidoo! These Squidoo lensmasters are BoomChi, CDT, Haiku, hanjee, JerryK, and SusanVillasLewis.

Forty-seven different Squidoo lensmasters each have ONE Squidoo lens hit the Top 100 of the Pop Culture and Celebs Topic: 80sGirl, arncyn, BecomeGorgeous, BigGirlBlue, bruzzbuzz, charlino, Cherrybomb2009, chrisdavidson83, Christene, CosmeticMom, dagsmith, durrob, enslavedbyfaeries, Flynn_the_Cat, Graple, isabella, j_barnhart4, JaguarJulie, Janet21, jasoncooper1, jingco, J-James25, JustBon-Crochet-Designs, juzd, KathyMcGraw, Kharadriisa, KimGiancaterino, mastermambo, Michelle_L, MikkiGVee, ojosazules, omegle, PotPieGirl, Recession-Proof, relache, rentap, SemperFidelis, shrink, SoyCandleLover-Maker, StephenC, Susan52, Suzie-Shine, teena22, Timewarp, Treasures-By-Brenda, triathlontraining, WindyWinters.

You have probably picked up on the fact that I have been profiling the Top 100 of the various Squidoo Topics. Here are the rest of the topics that have been profiled on the Topicability blog:

I've profiled the top Squidoo lens, for more than a year on a special Squidoo lens, Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens, in case you are curious what's been on top overall. Or, maybe you are wanting to participate in my Hey Monkeybrain debate about Squidoo Stats -- Public or Private?

Hey People! It's About the People Today!

2010-06-27T09:46:00.000-04:00

The Topicability blog has been spotlighting the Top 100 Squidoo lenses and lensmasters and taking a closer look at who, what, when, where, and perhaps why and how. The cornerstone of Topicability after all is "to be topicable :: that which is relevant, of current interest, contemporary, spot-on!"

Today we are turning our attention to the People Topic / Category of Squidoo. We are looking at the various Squidoo lenses which have secured a spot in that Top 100 of the People Topic. As I normally am thinking PEOPLE and different people ... throughout history, in politics, leaders, celebrities, actresses, models, stars, criminals and then some more people, I found it surely interesting to see this was the Wordle tag cloud today for that People Topic / Category of Squidoo.

Looking at this Wordle tag cloud, what really jumps out at me is Wedding! Oh wow. Wedding is dominating that People Topic, isn't it? Then I see Quotes, Speeches, Toasts, Signs, Free, Maid, Sample, Women, Father and Cheating. Isn't that interesting? I don't see too many PEOPLE there which I really think is quite odd indeed. After all, isn't the topic of people pretty straightforward?

The Squidoo lensmaster in the spotlight today in the People Topic is EasyW who has 6 Squidoo lenses in the Top 100 of that category. That's not quite as many lenses dominating a particular topic as we've seen in our previous blog spotlights for some of the other showcased topics. All of these 6 lenses are on Weddings and related stuff.

Oh, and here is that Wordle tag cloud that is automatically imaging the various Squidoo lensmasters who have their lenses in the Top 100 of the People Topic / Category.

Two Squidoo lensmasters have 3 Squidoo lenses each in the Top 100 of the People category. They are hanjee and ThomasC.

Quite a few Squidoo lensmasters have 2 Squidoo lenses each in the Top 100 of the People category and I can say that a couple of them I do recognize! Heck I found my name on that list, quite surpringly! These Squidoo lensmasters with 2 lenses each include audreylai, chrgr, CosmeticMom, ihearthiki, Irenemaria, JaguarJulie, kab, monarch13, photos, Sadheeskumar, spirituality, squiddles.

My two PEOPLE contributions to this topic include Gloria Steinem -- A Feminist Superhero #68 and Blondes Are SEXIER and Have More Fun #76!

A rather sensitive topic of discussion on Squidoo is that of multiple IDs. I am saving my discussion of this sensitive topic for another date. But, what springs to mind, is the fact that multiple IDs can hide the fact that the same lensmaster is in the spotlight, but under a different ID. So, I can’t help but think, when I see a particular “topic” like say “weddings” or stuff related to “weddings” and lenses ranking in the Top 100s, I honestly wonder which of those multiple IDs is the very same lensmaster?

Say! You did know that TOPICABILITY is a portmanteau, right? Think of TOPICABILITY as: Top + ic + ability ... OR ... Topic + ability ... I hope you get that.

The TOPIC of discussion has been the Squidoo topics or categories. We've showcased Parenting and Kids, Local, Computers Gadgets and Tech, and DIY Do It Yourself ... here is a recap for you! I hope you enjoy them as I've provided lots of Wordle tag clouds and lots of image mosaic lists of the top lenses.

And, you surely must know, by now, that I've profiled the top Squidoo lens, for more than a year on a special Squidoo lens, Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens, in case you are curious what's been on top overall. Or, maybe you are wanting to participate in my Hey Monkeybrain debate about Squidoo Stats -- Public or Private?

Spotlight on Parenting and Kids

2010-06-25T09:20:00.000-04:00

Today, the Topicability spotlight is focusing on an important topic, Parenting and Kids. Personally, I can think of NO other topic that should be at the top of our minds. Where do we, as adults, turn for our introduction into life? Our introduction into how to be good people, to treat our neighbor kindly, to be a better person? How do we learn what is right or what is wrong?

Much has been said about the fact that parents should have a license to have children. It is difficult to be a good parent these days. Kids have to deal with so many more issues than when I was a kid. Not only is there peer pressure, but there is bullying in school and bullying on the internet. It is huge how the internet has opened up bullying to not only kids, but also to adults too! Not only are kids being bullied, but adults are being bullied too! Cyber-bullying today takes many shapes and sizes. You think you are safe in your homes, but that is just not the case anymore! I've sure seen plenty of it. OK, enough about that already.

I'm thinking, that the topic of Parenting and Kids on Squidoo should be able to address many of the topics from which parents would benefit. How to be a better parent perhaps? Or, how to raise great kids? Or, how to talk to your kids? Or, kids today need better parents? Or, give that parent a license to have kids? Well, you get where I'm coming from, right?

Here is a Wordle tag cloud which has imaged all the titles of the Top 100 Squidoo lenses in the Parenting and Kids topic / category as of June 24, 2010. Those Top 100 lists are dynamic, and constantly changing, usually. So, this is the edition as of June 24th!

Don't you just love Wordle? I love how you can visualize topics to make an analytical assessment of creative content, or something! What pops out of that Wordle for you? For me? I'd say I am focusing in on Kids, Birthday, Coloring, Party, Pages, Printable, Crafts, and Supplies.

A huge wow and congratulations to our Pastiche aka Lee Hansen who nabbed 17, that’s SEVENTEEN spots in the Top 100 of the Parenting and Kids topic/category. That’s pretty huge folks. Congratulations Lee!

Coming up second in the number of spots is Janet21 who commanded 8 lenses in the Top 100 of the Parenting and Kids topic/category. Congratulations Janet!

Bravo to GonnaFly for securing 4 lenses in the Top 100 of the Parenting and Kids topic/category. Three Squidoo lensmasters have nabbed 3 spots in the Top 100 of the Parenting and Kids topic/category. These include: JJNW, WorldVisionary, and glossym.

We have 5 Squidoo lensmasters who each have 2 spots in the Top 100 of the Parenting and Kids topic/category. These include: aj2008, janices7, MiaBellezza, The_Party_Animal, Lou1842.

Here is that Wordle tag cloud image of all the lensmasters commanding Squidoo lenses in the Top 100 of the Parenting and Kids topic/category. Our kids are the next generation to lead the people. Thanks and a tip of the hat to these lensmasters who are writing quality content and guides to help parents be better parents. Yes, indeed!

Forty-eight Squidoo lenses out of the 100 are attributable to 11 different Squidoo lensmasters. There are 52 different Squidoo lensmasters who each have one Squidoo lens in the Top 100 of the Parenting and Kids topic/category. No, I'm not in the Top 100 there yet. We do NOT readily know which of those 52 different lensmasters are really multiple IDs for other Squidoo lensmasters who might already have other lenses in the Top 100. Multiple IDs are really a major topic for another Topicability blog post folks!

The Topicability Index has been focusing on the other topics or categories of Squidoo. Did you catch those posts? If not, here is a recap for you! I hope you enjoy them as I've provided lots of Wordle tag clouds and lots of image mosaic lists of the top lenses.

By the way, I've profiled the top Squidoo lens, for more than a year on a special Squidoo lens, Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens, in case you are curious what's been on top overall. Or, maybe you are wanting to participate in my Hey Monkeybrain debate about Squidoo Stats -- Public or Private?

It Is All Local Folks Oh My!

2010-06-24T13:06:00.000-04:00

Hello folks. Today's Topicability blog post has hit the Local meter! What's local any way? According to my favorite Wikipedia, "Local usually refers to something nearby, or in the immediate area."

Well we are turning our attention next, quite randomly, to the Local topic/category of Squidoo. And, we are taking a closer look at the Top 100 in the Local topic/category as captured on June 23, 2010.

Yes, it is time for the Wordle tag cloud conceptualization of all those Squidoo lenses that made it into the Top 100 in the Local topic/category. Feast your eyes on this:

What jumps out at us? Well, I think that would be Fargo, Park, Kabetogama, National, Voyageurs, North, Dakota, Squidoo, Best, Local and County for sure. And, then some more stuff! When I think of Local, I think Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Florida, Atlanta, and Georgia. But, I really don't think any of those are in this particular Local Wordle today folks.

Holy moly Batman and Robin! Hold that Local phone for a minute. Check out this mosaic image! Gadzooks, folks. We don't know how she does it, but Tipi aka TipiGal has snagged 28 spots in the Top 100 of that Local topic / category!

Yes, today’s lensmaster that is hitting the spotlight is Tipi aka the TipiGal. It is a WOWEE that Tipi is scoring, laying claim to 28 Squidoo lenses in the Top 100 of the Local topic/category. That is huge domination folks!

Now, on to our next Wordle tag cloud ... Here is an automatically-generated Wordle tag cloud that has imaged all the Squidoo lensmasters who were lucky enough to snag a spot on the Top 100 of the Local topic / category!

Not to be out-done, though, are a handful of other Squidoo lensmasters. The lensmasters making the grade, or scoring multiple placements of Squidoo lenses in the Top 100 of the Local topic/category are: OhMe= 5, louiswery= 4, SemperFidelis= 4, and SusanVillasLewis= 3. And, these Squidoo lensmasters have 2 each: ChrisLloyd, Elsie01, KimGiancaterino, monarch13, pcuser, Ramkitten, and ThomasC.

We do have a number of Squidoo lensmasters who have each scored ONE lens in the Top 100 of the Local category. You do know it has been a TOUGH NUT TO CRACK for months to get a lens in the Local category! And, I know what I am talking about folks. You see, I have quite a few LOCAL topic/category Squidoo lenses, but a spot in the Top 100 of the Local category has eluded me for months too!

I have ONE lens along with my Squidoo peeps: 1SquidAddict, aj2008, ArtByLinda, bobcrain, CDT, Christene, cleansweeping, daybreak, draik, EricOlsen, familymoves, Flynn_the_Cat, genglo, Hillandglen, hlkljgk, inkserotica, JaguarJulie, Janiece, JenOfChicago, Joan4, JonitasKalimpo, jptanabe, jsmyth, Kapalbility, KarenTBTEN, kiwisoutback, lumpy22, MikeTobias, MrLewisSmile, mulberry, naturegirl7, NatureMaven, NorthWestUK, OneFootPutt, Pastiche, PR_am, southshoretees, spirituality, steve866, Teddi14, triathlontraining, and WebSpinstress.

HEY!!! Let’s hear it for ALL those Squidoo lensmasters scoring a spot in the Top 100 of the Local topic/category!

Oh, by the way! The Topicability blog has been concentrating on the TOP news of Squidoo lately. You know, or have noticed, haven't you, that the blog is NAMED Topicability or Topicability, right? You did know that TOPICABILITY is a portmanteau, right? Here's what Wikipedia says about Portmanteau:

A portmanteau [plural: portmanteaus or portmanteaux] is used broadly to mean a blend of two (or more) words or morphemes and their meanings into one new word. In linguistics fields, a portmanteau is defined as a blend of two or more function words.

Think of TOPICABILITY as: Top + ic + ability ... OR ... Topic + ability ... I hope you get that.

In case you missed my most recent Topic + ability blog posts, here is a handy listing to check out:

Celebrating the Return of Traffic Oh My!

2010-06-24T09:58:00.002-04:00

Some of you have been following the Topicability blog for over two years. Today, we want to THANK YOU readers! You know, writing a blog can be a very fulfilling experience. I wanted to have that experience, that fulfilling experience daily ... but something else interfered, well sort of.

You see, I have been engaged full throttle over at Squidoo, along with quite a few other Squidoo lensmasters. It's like a cult or something. It's like a huge social experiment or something. It's like something has gotten a hold of us. Our friends and families are signing up for a visit by the exorcist or something! Yeah yeah yeah.

Well, since Squidoo has become a significant part of so many lensmasters' days, some get their panties in a wad [an attempt at some humor to lighten the tension some are feeling] when the stats don't update .. you know, when the actual, true and accurate traffic stats do not post timely to the dashboards. You can usually find MANY a lensmaster behind those dashboards ... beep beep, be sure to signal you all when stopping and changing lanes. No backseat drivers, please! Oh me oh my, my turn to drive, please!!

SO ... So, many of us will take time to submit bug reports. I love doing those because I was an ISO Internal Auditor in a previous life and I am one with bug reports and documentation ... but I don't want that to ever become like my job, you know?

The lastest on the Topicability Index is the fact that the traffic stats bug has been captured; the autopsy is complete! AND, folks traffic ... a drumroll for the fact that the true and actual traffic has returned to our dashboards. Curious I was ... so I took a peek.

Yes indeed! I can plainly see that traffic has returned to our dashboards ... take a look at the returning traffic to those top eight overall Squidoo lenses. Here is a view of those top eight lensmasters' lenses courtesy of Squidaholic. You can plainly see an uptick in traffic ... to some, it appears it is two times more traffic, or maybe more? The mosaic image on the left showcases lenses #1, 2, 3 and 4 overall on Squidoo. The mosaic image on the right showcases lenses #5, 6, 7 and 8 overall on Squidoo!

Computers, Gadgets and Tech Oh My!

2010-06-24T08:39:00.000-04:00

Good day everyone! On June 23, 2010, we presented the Top 100 in the DIY, Do It Yourself, topic on Squidoo. We hope you enjoyed that visual presentation and maybe got some DIY ideas for the Summer months!

Welcome to the Topicability blog post for today, June 24, 2010. It's Computers, Gadgets and Tech Oh My! We took a moment, first thing this morning, to check out this category.

It was a random pick of the some 32 different topics or categories on Squidoo. You see, we are able to look at the Top 100 in each of those categories ... you know that is some 3,200 spots which are competing against each other for a nod in the Top Tier of 2,000 spots! That means, some 1,200 Squidoo lenses, which can make a Top 100 topic/category placement, just luck out of a Top Tier placement! We're thinking all those spots need to be Top Tier; how about you? Yes, no, or you are thinking about that?

So ... say hello to the wonderful tag cloud generating site, Wordle! I surely do love my Wordle. You know, a short while ago, I submitted a suggestion i.e. Requested Feature on the SquidU Forum for adding tag clouds to that very forum. Oh, we had some interesting retorts, oh my! Well, I'm still digging that idea despite some of my consistent followers who doth protest too much me thinks! Hey, it's a good idea folks!

I was wondering, maybe you were too, what topicable lens might qualify for a spot in the Top 100 of the Computers, Gadgets and Tech topic/category. Of course I had to do another Wordle tag cloud. I do better with analyzing some data when I can see a visualization like this. Heck, a Wordle is perfect for visualization of data!

What is popping out at me in this Wordle visualization tag cloud are: Photo, Best, Deleted, Top, Spy, Recover, Kindle, Editor, Card, Mac and a couple other techie ideas.

Congratulations to dagsmith who has commanded an amazing number of lenses in the Top 100 of the Computers, Gadgets and Tech category with 18 Squidoo lenses ranked in the Top 100 of that one category. Here is a visualization of that for you -- oh, it's not a Wordle though.

Continuing through the Top 100, we have a few more Squidoo lensmasters who managed to nab multiple placements with their Squidoo lenses. These include Pixelrage who has 5; JimH and Spyphone_Guy each have 4; jean99 and pkmcr each have 3.

Last, but not least, each of these Squidoo lensmasters have 2 Squidoo lenses in the Top 100 of the Computers category: Abseaz, Crysis, GiselleSanchez, JamesRyan, KimberlyDawnWells, margin-strategies, MrLewisSmile, mulberry, nukemdomis, str8ballin85, UltraMilk, and webseitler.

Oh ... and the final Wordle of today's Topicability blog post is a tag cloud visualization of all the Squidoo lensmasters with lenses in the Top 100 of the Computers, Gadgets and Tech topic/category as captured bright and early on June 24, 2010.

Do It Yourself this Summer

2010-06-23T17:46:00.000-04:00

We have passed the first day of Summer and are headed into another really long, hot Summer here in the state of Florida. This afternoon, on my way home, I could smell a fire in the air. You could see the smoky haze rising up from the steamy ground. I'm not sure what was burning, or where the fire might be, but I know I'll hear about it on the news tonight.

Turning our attention to some hot news on Squidoo, today I have selected the DIY or Do It Yourself topic/category. Looking at the variety of Squidoo lensmasters there, the very first thing that jumped out at me, was the fact that 3 Squidoo lensmasters DOMINATED that category, hands-down. And, it is quite coincidentally the very same 3 who were recently profiled in another Topicability blog post, The top eight Squidoo earners and those same 3 dominated the top of the earner chart!

The roll call shows dagsmith with 17 lenses in the Top 100 of DIY, followed by pastiche with 11, and craftyville with 9. Here is the line-up of their 37 lenses that occupy the Top 100:

Taking a look at the top 3 lensmasters, along with the other lensmasters who had multiple lenses in the Top 100, we imaged that in this special Wordle tag cloud:

The next set of Squidoo lensmasters with multiple lenses in the top 100 of the DIY category include GonnaFly with 4, EasyW and Hillandglen with 3 each, and then 2 each for these lensmasters: frances, kab, Noadi, and Studentz. Here is the line-up of their 18 lenses:

Rounding out the Top 100, are an additional 45 Squidoo lensmasters! Congratulations to these 45 Squidoo lensmasters who each have one Squidoo lens in the Top 100 of the DIY Do-It-Yourself category on Squidoo for June 23, 2010:

alteredkat, bcarter, bestreviews1, Christene, ClassyGals, Color_Expert, Comfortdoc, craftsbyalice, crosscreations, Cyrano_Smith, DMedley, Edmands, flowergardener, freebieBest, hempnecklace, Jewelry_Girl, jhofman, JJNW, Ladybird, LeslieM, Mickie_G, NaturalMindset, paperfacets, Playstation3-helper, Playstation3-HelpOut, PopTopLady, scrapperkare, securesite, SewingSuccess, sewjr24, shauna7084, smallfry, sonis, SophiesFavors, Sugar, teg, theshrew, TruffulaTuft, valerief, VeeZoo, webseitler, WebSpinstress, WordCustard, WorldVisionary, XboxFixGuide.

Yes, indeed! We have imaged another special Wordle tag cloud to celebrate these 45 special Squidoo lensmasters on achieving a Top 100 topic lenrank! Bravo!

I thought it would be fun to do a tag cloud courtesy of Wordle for all the Squidoo lenses that hit the Top 100 of the DIY category. You know, to conceptualize what type of a topic is worthy of a Top 100 topic placement. Check it out! What jumps out at me, are Photo, Wedding, Origami, ClipArt, Coloring, Graphics, Patterns, and Free! These surely sound like winning topics for lenses, don't you agree?

Well, I surely hope that you have made some cool Summer plans! And, if you are looking for some ideas for DIY projects, Squidoo sure has a lot of ideas! By the way, I've profiled the top Squidoo lens, for more than a year on a special Squidoo lens, Squidoo du Jour -- The Top Lens, in case you are curious what's been on top overall.

Who has got an eye on you

2010-06-22T14:55:00.001-04:00

For those of us who are Squidoo lensmasters, we are naturally very curious about our visitors; about our traffic; and about who has got an eye on you i.e. us and our lenses! For the most part, we lensmasters like to keep an eye on stats and can often be found checking things out via the public stats of squidaholic.com. You know, I did a Squidoo lens in March 2008 which seems quite topicable today, Squidoo Stats :: Public or Private?

Squidaholic.com is precisely where we can check out those mysterious backlinks! You know, where it tells us:

Find out who is linking to your lens. Tip #1: Make sure all your other sites, blogs, MySpace pages and Twitter and Facebook profiles are pointing to your lens. Tip #2: Ask your friends to lensroll and blogroll you. Here are a few webpages that link to this lens, according to Yahoo.

Well, it was another lensmaster who had mentioned something about mysterious backlinks, so I opted to do my own poking around. I started unofficially "studying" the mysterious blocks of backlinks that have been spotted on many lensmasters lenses via Squidaholic.com. It was a very curious, "oh wow!" I started spotting those blocks of backlinks on many "random" lenses. However, what is funny, or WAS funny, was the fact that I did NOT find those mysterious block of backlinks on any of my lenses! Isn't that odd?

It was suggested in the forum not to worry about these backlinks and that said mysterious blocks of backlinks were attributable to lenses being "top lenses" that have appeared on the Squidoo home page or splash page as some call it. HUH? I was wondering ... you see I've had maybe one or two or three lenses that were "top lenses" and would have appeared on that splash page, BUT, my top lenses still did NOT have any mysterious blocks of backlinks.

On May 3, 2010, I commented in the forum:

I have been looking at some pretty interesting "stuff" that I've not exactly figured out, but I would say that something is definitely UP with the traffic being mysteriously DOWN in Squidville ... whilst I do see some UP spikes in traffic with pretty mysterious backlinks ... can't elaborate just yet ya know! I'm thinking HQ can surely get to the bottom of IT though!

On May 4, 2010, I commented again:

Well, may I say I do think backlinks have "some" impact on lensrank in that technically we hope for good backlinks because they provide more exposure for our work i.e. our lenses which hopefully translates into more curious visitors clicking through from those very backlinks to visit our work i.e. our lenses. Yes?

So ... as I was doing some "research" into backlinks, I couldn't help but notice a "block of backlinks" that seem to be mysteriously appearing, so says squidaholic, on quite a few lenses which have appeared in the top ranks of the categories ... so mostly seeing that same "block of backlinks" on the lenses which have experienced the HIGH traffic. Has anyone else noticed that? The "sites" listed in those "block of backlinks" don't sound like run of the mill sites that one would normally expect to see as a backlink ... you know?

On May 5, 2010, I said this:

Hugs ... yes indeed ... you have tuned in to that "block of backlinks" that have me perplexed in Florida today ... It is a hot and sticky day too! What's pretty odd ... I did lots of research to undercover those, but could NOT find them on my lenses ... but on many a top lensmaster with the top traffic or top 100 lenses. That got me to wondering ... how come that block was on so many lenses? The law of averages would dispel such an interesting observation as more than sheer coincidence ... you know?

Hello, it was June 22, 2010, and my traffic was dipping into obscurity, as it has been doing for quite a few other lensmasters. On top of all that, a former TOP traffic lens of mine, which was "targetted" [or whatever else you want to call it] for others to possibly emulate and get some traffic, well that lens started abruptly on its descent into the abyss, and will soon be a R.I.P. lens, oh my! TYVM people of Earth! Thanks for thinking of me in that way. You really rock!

SO IT WAS TIME FOR SOME OFFICIAL BACKLINK RESEARCH!

I spent this morning capturing actual data. What I did? I picked, at random, one guy and one gal. I picked one each of their lenses to analyze for the block of backlinks. Both of these lenses, I am guessing, MUST surely have hit the splash page of Squidoo, although, no offense intended, they are NOT your typical top ranking lenses. I think there was some divine intervention at play. But, regardless of that ... I looked at each and every backlink available to me through squidaholic.com for these two random lenses.

I captured all the pages of backlink data. Using first a Word document, I got the data into two streamlined, separate tables. Next, I transferred the data to Excel into separate worksheets. I stripped and scrubbed to get the data to be apples to apples, rather than apples vs. oranges ... oh, that's a Squidoo lens folks that I did a while back and YOU might enjoy it ... or maybe not. ;)

Then, I started sorting and tabulating to identify alphabetically the backlink websites, along with the frequency of backlinks; i.e., if they were providing more than one backlink for said "top rated" lens. Last but not least, I merged the backlink data into one worksheet and looked to see if the frequency of backlinks agreed between the two random lenses.

FOLKS! I cannot make this stuff up! It seems, this must have been a backlink "test" that was rolled out to specific lensmasters and specific lenses. Not mine -- and I'm not sure if that is good or bad. Maybe you can tell me? What I cannot make up is the FACT that each and every mysterious block of mysterious backlinks JIVED between the two lenses ... i.e., with frequency!!!! I have alphabeticized those blocks of backlinks, and color-coded by frequency; i.e. 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 6/6. Yep, some were providing not only one, but two, three, four and even six each backlinks to those two top rated lenses!

What the heck? So, were you and your lenses included in this block of backlinks test? Have you experienced a massive influx of traffic? Have your clickouts zoomed off the charts? Have your sales spiked upwards? Are you noticing any upticks in Google PRs. What do you make of all this? I wonder if the "test" is still actively going on?

I find it very interesting, to say the least. Happy Tuesday everyone. It's gotten quite hot and sticky here in Florida and we will be having some nasty thunderstorms really soon.

Something is amiss at Maus Haus ... First it's a scream in the night, then a vanishing houseboy. But when his old girlfriend disappears, something has to be done. Qwilleran, Koko, and Yum Yum set out to solve the mystery--and find a murderer! --The Cat Who Saw Red!

The top eight Squidoo earners

2010-06-18T07:26:00.000-04:00

Isn't the internet wonderful? Well, I think the internet is wonderful. Where else can you Google something to find an answer to something that might really interest you? I remember back when I first found Wikipedia. Oh, I absolutely love Wikipedia in what it represents. A free encyclopedia of information ... no more hunting that Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia ... that was the reference books which we owned when I was a young one! I see from the Wikipedia reference that "the last printing of Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia was in 1997!"

I also absolutely love Squidoo! Squidoo has given me the greatest pleasure I have ever known when it comes to the free opportunity to write about my interests, hobbies, passions, and expertise. I've been a member of Squidoo for what seems like an eternity in internet time ... over 4 years. Prior to Squidoo, I maintained the top personal home page on ThirdAge for several years. I created my first web page way way back on the CompuServe OurWorld platform. I've not embraced any other writing site like I have embraced that of Squidoo.

When I received an email invitation from BzzAgent to join Squidoo on March 21, 2006, I really had no idea what was in store for me at Squidoo. Squidoo has come a long way in the past 4+ years; I'm glad I was along for the ride! You know, I wasn't motivated to write because of the opportunity to earn royalties and an income; I wrote because that's what I do ... I write; I express ideas; I like to stimulate conversation and thinking. It is then, I sincerely think, an added blessing, that there have been royalties too! It is like icing on my cake.

Today's Topicability blog post is a follow-up to a previous blog post of June 2, 2010 entitled, "The rock and roll of lensrank." Be sure to check out that post for a data chart of the top 12 Squidoo earners which we spotlighted as captured on May 31st ... namely Dagsmith, Pastiche, craftyville, MiaBellezza, rms, GonnaFly, Mulberry, Jimmie, spirituality, kab, noadi, and kiwisoutback.

On June 17, 2010, I did a bit of research that looked at more than 300 lensmasters to compile information for this article. I looked at the stats which are public information. This list does not include the added royalties from sales each of the lensmasters have made from their lenses. That is information private to Squidoo and each of the lensmasters. Those sales royalties are like gravy on your meatloaf or my award-winning meatloaf!

It was mentioned on the SquidU Forum that three lensmasters earned over $1,000 in the recent monthly payout and that a good number exceeded $500 in monthly royalties. That's fabulous to think you can earn more than a little change for doing something that you absolutely love to do! I'm personally looking for a $5,000 monthly payout. That would make hubby happy, I think!

So ... say hello to the top eight Squidoo earners in the spotlight today ... the top row would be our top earners! Across the top, left to right in descending order of earned royalties: Dagsmith, craftyville, and Pastiche. Second row, left to right in descending order: MiaBellezza, Mulberry, and rms. Last row, left to right in descending order: GonnaFly and spirituality.

Here is some of the captured data that put these lensmasters in the spotlight:

The chart details the number of lenses in the Top 100 overall on Squidoo, along with a breakout of how many lenses each lensmaster has in the top tier and tier #2. The top tier is the cream of the crop of Squidoo; the top 2,000 quality lenses by lensrank. The second tier encompasses lenses with lensranks from 2,001 to 10,000. When you think about the over one million lenses on the Squidoo platform, tiers one and two positioning equates to a "holy purple cow" and a "wow" respectively! Oh yeah!

An interesting stat on the chart is the percentage of the total number of lenses which are in the two top tiers. To have one-half to three-fourths of all the lenses a lensmaster has authored occupying one of those two tiers is pretty amazing! I think it is also interesting to see just how many lenses an author has authored; the more lenses authored = the more lenses in the top tiers! And, it is also interesting to see just how many other people's lenses these lensmasters have rated. It is good to see community spirit and participation too!

Well, thanks for dropping by today. We hope you enjoyed the show! And, I hope I didn't put anyone to sleep. Oh ... by the way ... Here is my Squidoo lensmaster referral if you care to join and see if you can get your lenses into those top two tiers! Tell 'em JaguarJulie sent ya.

Stuck on the toilet oh my

2010-06-17T08:48:00.005-04:00

We have finally come to the end of a series of blog posts ... and for that I am particularly thankful. We've taken a pretty close view of the premium sponsored result ads from Chitika. In a sense, we will now show you that there seems to be perhaps a bit of an improvement.

We had been stuck on the toilet, oh my! What do I mean by that? Well, a couple of days ago, I searched on "toilet seat" within Squidoo. And, it was those two keywords which got stuck for the next couple of days, despite all attempts of protest and clearing the caches, rebooting, and trying other keyword searches! So, that is the title of this blog post today, "Stuck on the toilet oh my!"

From June 15, 2010, here is Exhibit A:

Take a closer look at those results. I'm hoping that they can get to be more right; more precise; more helpful; more spot-on and relevant. How about you? Do you have any feelings about that? Yes, no or maybe?

And, now for a couple of days later, here is Exhibit B:

So, that Exhibit B was taken two days later, on June 17, 2010 and after the cache had been cleared and new keywords had been searched. Funny, I do have a sense of humor about all this, not a wicked sense of humor, but a sense of humor no less! Why is that crazy Chitika ad stuck on the toilet? Oh me, oh my! Well, at least it is getting a little more relevant you know.

You know, I know, because I do talk about A Quiet Toilet by Comfort Seats and take 2, Quiet Elongated Toilet Seats by Comfort Seats. So, I get the subtle humor of it all that the toilet ads keep playing out for me day in and day out.

For me, if I am going to sit on it, give me a quiet, elongated, pale pink toilet seat by Comfort Seats! Ah, what's the etiquette about talking about toilets in public I wonder?

By the way! I want to tell you just how thrilled hubby and I are with our Comfort Seats elongated toilet seats. You see, we have a pale pink one in our guest toilet, I originally wanted HOT PINK to go with the fuchsia-painted walls, but I thought that would be a bit too much. The pale pink looks absolutely marvelous, my dears! And, in our master toilet, we now have the pale yellow. Ah, that color reminds me of the lemon sherbet color that I want to paint the master bedroom. Now, to find time for that!

Have a great day everyone. May your day be a blessed one ... and may you not get stuck on the toilet ... oh my!

Would you prefer a green bean recipe

2010-06-14T12:58:00.000-04:00

So, today we are searching for something different! Keeping in mind those premium search results from Chitika are ready to showcase our search with valuable, premium search results.

For those of my readers following along, we previously were talking about That is just plain wrong I say! In that Topicability blog post, we were discussing how I was searching for Stuffed Cabbage ON Squidoo, not on Google, and how I arrived at the Chitika premium sponsored search results that looked rather wrong. I was searching on Squidoo in the search field to pull up my lens, Stuffed Cabbage of ALL things! That was the day that I was told there were NO search results available on Squidoo for Stuffed Cabbage and would I like to create a lens?

And, here we are at Monday, and the beginning of a new week for us! I thought, I'll try something new! I ventured to that search box on Squidoo and typed in "green bean recipe" and lo and behold, I found several lenses talking about "green bean recipe" that were recently updated, today of all days, June 14, 2010. Well, that was more like it! Actual lenses on "green bean recipes!"

OK ... so I went back to my lenses and refreshed. Oh wow! There in my premium sidebar column, to the right of my lens, I spied the premium sponsored search results of Chitika. Hey, don't take my word for it! Check it out for yourselves!

So, what do you think? Interesting eh? Take a close look at those websites ... not something you would expect to find for being an authority or expert on green bean recipes? Maybe ... maybe not?

Have a great Monday!

That is just plain wrong I say

2010-06-12T12:28:00.000-04:00

What the heck is that I am wondering? You see, I've talked about the sidebar that I love so much. It is some really prime real estate that aligns itself to the right column, i.e. sidebar of our Squidoo lenses. OH, and there is also sidebar on our blogs too you know?

Well, here I was minding my own business today ... and I dropped by another lensmaster's lens. I don't know why I didn't notice THAT earlier, I guess I wasn't looking for it. There in that right sidebar column was this series of 3 Chitika Premium Sponsored Ads er Results. Well I surely beg YOUR pardon, but get it right will you!

This is shameful. We lensmasters pride ourselves on our quality content lenses which occasionally will merit the awarding ... drumroll ... of that purple star. Yes, once in a blue er purple moon it might happen. And, we pride ourselves in getting Google traffic from being placed high in Google's search results. What can TOP that high placement? Why ADS! Sponsored ads ... ads that are paid for i.e. paying for clicks on top traffic topics. Stuffed Cabbage, my friends seems to have arrived in the mainstream ... and this is actually kind of funny! You know?

So, why am I sounding a bit peeved? I'll come back later and share the other blog post about why all those ads for stuffed cabbage as that's just what I am asking once again. Who moved my cheese? Who STOLE my traffic? Why WOULD someone want to steal my traffic for Stuffed Cabbage of ALL things?

This is actually kind of funny ... you know ... and probably you are thinking IT IS FUNNY, well funny until it happens to you and your topics. Ciao!

Holy Purple Cow Stars

2010-06-05T13:26:00.000-04:00

OK ... perhaps I should rephrase the title of "Holy Purple Cow Stars" to actually read something like this:

Holy Cow! Purple Stars!!! And, that's what I'm talking about. I used the cow in reverence to our founder, Seth Godin, and I use purple because, gosh darn it, he's written about purple cows and we have purple stars on the Squidoo platform. Ah, get it?

On January 20, 2010, in an attempt to stimulate thoughtful and constructive conversation on the purple stars and the purple star program, I posted a thread to our SquidU Forum. Here is a paragraph from that thread:

Wow, I'll bet we have well over a thousand purple stars now! Gosh, remember when we were all chattering about the effect of those purple stars? Well, I am very proud of each and every one of you who have been so awarded a purple star or many purple stars! Wow! What a job that must surely be to evaluate all those purple star nominations to determine whether or not a lens is worthy of a purple star.

Say, speaking of that ... we have Bonnie and Robin [only] reviewing the nominations and awarding those purple stars? Right? Gosh, I'm thinking maybe we could have a Purple Star Review Committee to help out -- you know, we have so many groups and group activities and what not that occupy a lensmaster's time.

Well, my conversation, appeared to me, to get a bit testy although it wasn't meant to have people getting defensive, going on the offensive, and taking sides about whether or not they thought the purple star program was working. Suffice to say, though, that my thoughtful discussion did seem to lead to some "improvements" and changes! Yes it did.

Many a lensmaster began to trumpet the swell program with purple star topic lenses! And, even those purple star topic lenses garnered purple stars for said lensmaster(s)! Oh yeah. Then, we celebrated the anniversary of the initiation of purple stars with a day to award purple stars to non-giant lenses. Oh yeah! And, as of today, we have now celebrated a couple more special occasions with actual purple star queens handing out purple stars. Oh yeah! Thanks Susan for the swell job. I tell you WHAT! I sure wouldn't want the responsibility of determining which lensmasters' lenses deserved the purple star.

You see, we can nominate our own lenses for a purple star. However, I've always felt a little weird about nominating myself or my work. So, I do believe the very last lens I did nominate for a purple star was in December 2009 for a lens that was really a project lens. I've surely nominated MANY other lensmasters lenses and am happy to say that I do think all my nominations have garnered purple stars for those lensmasters ... and I do think only one of those lensmasters guessed that it was me who did the nomination. I like to be a bit quiet and humble about those nominations and do get a big smile when they guess it was me.

On the other hand, I do believe out of all my purple stars, I've figured out the ONE lensmaster who has nominated my lenses. And, I still can't believe it's been only one lensmaster to thank for nominating my lenses for a purple star. I surely appreciate my friend and fellow lensmaster, Janet, who has reminded me that we should not draw our worth from purple stars ... you know, purple stars don't define the caliber of our work, but it sure can be nice when everyone else is getting them ... you know ... to actually be included too. ;)

So ... here we are today. I obviously had too much time on my hands this Saturday as I was multitasking ... doing the laundry, editing my lenses, reading my email, chatting on the forum ... that I was curious after our last celebration of purple stars ... to take the time to do a descending order tally to see WHO is getting those purple stars. OH, and what a surprise! Holy Cow! Purple Stars!!! I did NOT expect to find a guy on top.

It is huge to see a friend and fellow lensmaster, EditorDave at the top of the purple stars tally! Huge congratulations to EditorDave for garnering eighteen purple stars. That is truly amazing. EditorDave has got some of the most enthralling lenses. I was just remarking, I think yesterday or the day before, about the komodo dragon pictures. OMG! Now that is one fella I wouldn't want to encounter in a dark alley ... the dragon!!!

So, to all my interested readers and lensmasters, here is that descending order purple star tally, from most to least, and presenting the lensmasters alphabetically by number of purple stars earned thus far.

CONGRATULATIONS everybody!

18 -- EditorDave
17 -- KimGiancaterino
14 – BigGirlBlue, drifter0658 , kiwisoutback
13 – Sylvestermouse, Treasures-By-Brenda
12 -- janices7, kab, tandemonimom
11 -- aj2008, enslavedbyfaeries, Evelyn_Saenz, Greekgeek, Heather426, OhMe, stargazer00
10 – chefkeem, JaguarJulie, Ramkitten, skiesgreen, Susan52, WindyWinters

9 -- boshemia, Christene, clouda9, Comfortdoc, ElizabethJeanAllen, Spook, Stazjia, The_Party_Animal
8 -- 24websurf, bethd821, j_barnhart4, Joan4, kimmanleyort, LindaJM, mbgphoto, NanLT, naturegirl7, Norma_Budden, Pastiche, pkmcr, susannaduffy, ThomasC
7 -- BevsPaper, ChapelHillFiddler, lakeerieartists, makingamark, MeltedRachel, Mickie_G, monarch13, mysticmama, paperfacets, quippingqueen, sandyspider
6 -- _Joan_, CDT, ClassyGals, CoolFoto, Crystal_Booth, Frankster, hlkljgk, Jimmie, jptanabe, KathyMcGraw, lisadh, luvmyludwig, MiaBellezza, mukunda22, Pukeko, spirituality, thefluffanutta, WhiteOak50

5 -- a_willow, AndyPo, arncyn, badmsm, Barkely, EverythingMouse, GrowWear, Janet21, Kate-Phizackerley, Ladymermaid, LoKackl, mulberry, Noadi, SemperFidelis, Sojourn, TheGreenerMe, theraggededge, Tipi, tirial, WhitePineLane
4 -- 0ctavias0fferings, ArtByLinda, AslanBooks, BFuniv.com, CleanerLife, daria369, dc64, gmarlett, Gordon_Hamilton, GroovyFinds, GypsyPirate, HorseAndPony, Jewelsofawe, JoyfulPamela, Laniann, LeanneChesser, LizMac60, lou16, mbrownauthor, missbat, poddys, relache, Rob_W, Romaxx, ronpass, Squidster, strayspay, SusanVillasLewis, triathlontraining, vallain, Victoria_Neely, WebSpinstress, WordCustard
3 -- andreaberrios, BarbRad, bdkz, Bradshaw, Chadrew, CherylK, CreativeArtist, daybreak, DMedley, draik, EelKat, Ener-G, flowergardener, happynutritionist, inkserotica, jkvkdailey, JohannTheDog, Mac33, Macs, Margo_Arrowsmith, Michey, N376, NAIZA, ottoblotto, partybuzz, Peggy707, poutine, rms, seashell2, SoyCandleLover-Maker, voodoomama, Wysiwigs

2 -- AddaptAbilities, AllThingsMichigan, anthropos, awelldressedbullet, azpoppy, boutiqueshops, Brookelorren, Caseyfern, CCGAL, charlino, crosscreations, CrypticFragments, dagsmith, Dkprincess6, eclecticeducation, EternalFlame, Euryale, flighty02, flowski, Flynn_the_Cat, Freaknoodles, genglo, gkygrl, GonnaFly, GramaBarb, hmsweaver, Irenemaria, jbdkz, jeffryv, JJNW, johndilbeck, JustBon-Crochet-Designs, Karendelac, katiyana, Kylyssa, Laddoo, LakeMom, LauraSchofield, lisakleinweber, LotusPetalYoga, Loyalis, Marelisa, Margaret_Schaut, michaelgibbons, MikeMoore, MissMerFaery, mosaic, NancyOram, nyfamily5, Pantherart, papawu, Pixelrage, prosperity66, Rajays, RichLeigh, rockycha, sandralynnsparks, Shar, SimeyC, smange, squidoohelp, steveffeo, sukkran, The_Homeopath, thesuccess, Tiddledeewinks, TrinaSonnenberg, unique_freak77, vanidiana, vbright105, Webcodes, whitemoss, XP

1 -- 4U2C, AdrienneJenkins, aidenw, Aldric_Chang, AlishaV, allthatiscute, alteredkat, amandaquerque, athomemomblog, AtHomeSource, babygirlboutique, Barrie, bcarter, bechand, beeobrien, bernadette1, blondeheroine, Bob_Druwing, boredofeducation, burgessvillian, ByRoy, Carmel_Aaron, cary_quirkoutcom, Charlyjl, chloecavanaugh, Christopher_Scott, Clairwil, confetta, CosmeticMom, daoine, d-artist, Dawn_Mathisen_aka_Candle_Dawn, ddixonart, Diamond_Wizard, Donnette, ebay-grandma, EbizTaxTips, Eclectic_Muse, Ecolicious, ElleDeeEsse, emmalarkins, EuroSquid, fefe, flipflopnana, gods_grace_notes, grannysage, grayth, groovyoldlady, guardianstar77, GypsyOwl, hollandnumerics, HotbuttonPress, icjackson, imaginemdd, IntuitiveHealer, JanaMurray, JanTUB, Janusz, jeffwend, JenniferAkers, JenOfChicago, JimH, kajohu, KarateKatGraphics, KathrynDarden, kcbaker1, kellywissink, Kelsey-Budden-16, Kharadriisa, KimberlyDawnWells, KNicholls, Lady_Gotrocks, lollyj, Lou1842, lwhitelaw, Magicality, marsha32, MeganCasey, MobyD, motorpurrr, MrLewisSmile, Mrs_R, MsSnow4a, mynameiskate, nDee, nightbear, nightcats, Not-Pop, ohcaroline, OneFootPutt, oneskms, only1bub, PatinKC, PeopleLive, Photahsiamirabel, PJ_Deneen, pmolinero, puzzlemaker, pyle_mountain, QueSea, Rewards4life, RickBasset, RinchenChodron, rksmythe, rlmodranski, RMJ1940, Roving_Band, Samanthie, Sammie, SandraRose, Sarah, seedplanter, seegreen, SeeMyHealthyHairGrow, SherryHolderHunt, ShirlW, shwetashah, sirkeystone, SquidooKimberly, StaciJansma, Superwife, Tallguy2, TeaLady, Teddi14, The_Health_Lady, TheLeftFitz, thrivingmom, Tiffany, TopMovieSoundtracks, Trekkiemelissa, tssfacts, Twmarsh, ulla_hennig, Vacation-In-My-Head, Vladi, Waxing-Lyrical, weavz, webnh, webseitler, WeddingZazzle, Wednesday_Elf, WendyKrick, WhippetTalk, WhitneyWells, WhitU4ever, Winter52, xtnshun, ZachG

As of June 5, 2010, the list shows 1,267 purple stars have been awarded in total. The majority of purple stars have been awarded to lensmasters who are giant squids. The purple star is awarded to lenses with quality content. There are only a limited number of purple stars handed out on a weekly basis. Many, many more lenses are deserving of purple stars. To be awarded a purple star, your lens must be nominated!

The top tiers of lens raters

2010-06-04T10:15:00.000-04:00

Are you a lensmaster yet at Squidoo? Just in case YOU have not yet joined Squidoo and begun to experience the power of Squidoo for yourself, hey follow me. Click on my referral link to join Squidoo.

For anyone who is an author, "if you build it they will come." We authors and writers who have composed our masterpieces on the platform of Squidoo HAVE realized just that. We have the ability to express ourselves in our unique, authentic ways and we have the ability to be read and commented upon.

What is an extra plus thus far at Squidoo is that we could also be rated for our writings and creations. In the beginning, there were the stars of Squidoo. The star ratings which ranged from 1 through 5. Then, rather recently, those stars translated over to LIKES or thumbs up in which all 4 and 5 star ratings became a like. The 1, 2, and 3 stars were thrown out.

Now, Squidoo lensmasters can garner a thumbs up like from fellow lensmaster-readers-raters. Today's Topicability blog post is recognizing the top tiers of lens raters over at Squidoo. Here is what I have envisioned as the TOP tier of lens raters!

The legend for this artsy mosaic of the top tier of lens raters, left to right:

Romaxx a member since February 2 2008, has rated 11,304 lenses.
KimGiancaterino a member since October 30 2006, has rated 8,810 lenses.
MeganCasey a member since October 17 2005, has rated 8,660 lenses.
Jewelsofawe a member since August 20 2007, has rated 7,497 lenses.
JaguarJulie a member since March 21 2006, has rated 7,417 lenses.
bdkz a member since February 17 2007, has rated 7,158 lenses.
rms a member since May 8 2007, has rated 7,025 lenses.
OhMe a member since July 18 2008, has rated 6,740 lenses.
EelKat a member since April 18 2007, has rated 6,246 lenses.

The legend for this second artsy mosaic of tier two of lens raters, left to right:

Evelyn_Saenz a member since September 12 2007, has rated 3,940 lenses.
Music-Resource a member since November 4 2007, has rated 3,938 lenses.
GrowWear a member since January 27 2007, has rated 3,894 lenses.
tdove a member since June 29 2007, has rated 3,792 lenses.
Susan52 a member since April 15 2007, has rated 3,707 lenses.
mulberry a member since February 16 2007, has rated 3,367 lenses.
triathlontraining a member since June 27 2007, has rated 3,367 lenses.

No matter how YOU slice or dice this bit of information, you simply cannot take away from the significance of what these lensmasters / lens raters have accomplished! Time spent reading, commenting, and rating lenses takes productive time away from lens authorship. I know that from personal experience. I've tried to balance my membership at Squidoo to give back to my fellow lensmasters. Throughout the course of over 4 years, I have rated over 7,400 lenses and left at least that many comments in guestbooks and duel modules. I have helped many a lensmaster one-on-one in private. It has been a fulfilling period of time for me. I am not sure how much longer there will be a Squidoo, but I know I will be somewhere out there on the internet giving back.

Thank you to my fellow lensmasters, friends, and those lens raters who have helped by contributing so much. Thanks for not passing by, but for taking a moment to comment AND rate. YOU rate! Why, you ARE a form of chicken soup for my soul.

Ah ... let me repeat what I just said ... "Thank you to my fellow lensmasters, friends, and those lens raters who have helped by contributing so much. Thanks for not passing by, but for taking a moment to comment AND rate. YOU rate! Why, you ARE a form of chicken soup for my soul."

And, I thank YOU!

The rock and roll of lensrank

2010-06-02T16:39:00.000-04:00

For most lensmasters on Squidoo, you learn to roll with the punches, ride the waves, and understand that there will always be a bit of rock and roll to lensrank. Sometimes there will be a dip; other times there will be somewhat of a climb. Some lensmasters track lensrank almost daily, whilst others will take a gander at their monthly numbers to get a feel for how well they are doing.

Lensrank can be quite musical and also quite mysterious. It is intentionally kept a mystery as to what specifically comprises the algorithm(s) that drives lensmasters' lensranks. The other day, I blogged about algorithms and long tails on Jaguar Julie Blog On. You know there is quite a bit of an analytical nature to algorithms. I'm pretty sure I will never understand all there is to understand about algorithms. And, last weekend over at Squidoo, there was a lot of mystery attributed to algorithms and whatever else was driving the rock and roll of lensrank. I'm thinking it was the flashback algorithm 2.0 in operation over the weekend.

When everything seemed to settle back to "normal" and lensranks "settled" back to where they might have been before the weekend, I decided to do a little research on Monday, May 31, 2010. I looked at a few hundred different lensmasters, tabulated their top tier lenses, and came up with a pretty impressive list of the Top 12 Squidoo Lensmasters according to top tier placements.

Ladies and gentlemen, that list of 12 include, in descending order: Dagsmith, Pastiche, craftyville, MiaBellezza, rms, GonnaFly, Mulberry, Jimmie, spirituality, kab, noadi, and kiwisoutback.

Here is a bit of that data that determined the list. The chart gives you total lenses in Top 100, Tier 1, and Tier 2 along with the total number of lenses in those two tiers, and the percentage of total lenses that reside in the two top tiers. Dagsmith shows 45 Tier 1 and 29 Tier 2 lenses which equates to 61.2% of all lenses in one of two top tiers. That's pretty good I would say.

These Top 12 lensmasters have 27%, or about 1/4, of the Top 100 lens placements as well. There lenses in aggregate account for 14.2% of the 2,000 Top Tier placements.

Consistency is an important factor in a lensmaster's performance with lensrank to guarantee consistent monthly royalties that you can take to the bank. Checking back to my SquidU Forum posts for four of the Top 12 reveals this consistency with lensrank placements:

"Wow! Congratulations to dagsmith on reaching a "new" milestone! That has got to be a new record ... 39 lenses in the Top Tier! Bravo." --April 27, 2010

"Oh, and yes, congratulations to Lee aka Pastiche on her equally marvelous milestone accomplishments. I see 36 -- that's thirty-six -- lenses in the Top Tier!" --April 27, 2010

"Congratulations to Craftyville! I see that I am a fan of this lensmaster ... and dropped by to visit their lenses today. It is a WOW! 33 lenses in the top tier. 1,024 lenses created -- that is huge." --May 12, 2010

"Congratulations to rms on her milestone accomplishments! You hold the record for the most Top 100 lenses at one time -- was it 7? [Update: I think it was 9.] And, bravo ... 26 lenses in Top Tier is an awesome feat too." --April 27, 2010

P.S. I'll tell you it sure was a mystery last weekend over at the Squidoo lensrank dashboards! I had to blink a couple of times, because it was a flashback of sorts for me, a deja vu of the past. For two days, I too was experiencing the thrill of the climb. My lenses were ranking like they did say maybe two years ago. I had 2 lenses in the Top 100, 25 lenses ranking in Tier 1, and 111 lenses ranking in Tier 2. I'm telling you, that was the flashback algorithm 2.0 in operation over the weekend. I hope you enjoyed it and it gave you a bit of a thrill for the moment. Thanks everyone who made that thrill possible! Ah, the power of Squidoo.

Making a good lens that gets high traffic

2010-06-01T13:32:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Topicability blog. Today's blog post features one of my recent emails received from Squidoo. Here is a snippet of the email asking for tips:

I am new to Squidoo and I've noticed that your lenses are very popular and well-liked by others! I think you did a great job in making such fantastic lenses! Do you have any tips for me in making a good lens that gets high traffic? Is it possible to share some of your secrets? ... Here are my lenses ... Please do take a look if you're able to.

Today's question is two-fold, "how do I make a good lens?" and "how do I get high traffic?" Ah, now is that not a question that all of us lensmasters have gotten more than a couple of times? There is no quick route to the top and if there were, would it be legal? Or, more importantly, would I want to be following those tips? I think not. And, I don't.

What is really great about Squidoo is that there are SO many free resources available to those lensmasters who want to work at being successful. There is so much to discover about Squidoo, at Squidoo, that it can be quite daunting. Each person has their own learning curve and really should take it at their own pace.

First of all, you need to become acquainted with "the place" I say ... and a lot of lensmasters would say that too! I wrote an instructional Squidoo lens, How to Squidoo -- A Step-by-Step Primer which is a good starting point. First of all, you need to sign up to be a Squidoo lensmaster if you haven't already done so! Hey, follow me.

Looking around Squidoo, you will find such helpful resources as:

Making a good lens ... what the heck IS a "good" lens? What defines a "good" lens? Is it a lens that has great content? Is it a lens that shows you how-to do something? Is it a lens that "meets your needs" at the moment? Is it a lens that gets a lot of traffic? Is it a lens that gets a high lensrank? Is it a lens that is on the first page of Google searches? Is it a lens with a high Google PR? Is it a lens that sells a lot of stuff?

What the heck is a "good" lens? Well, it's kind of like great sex ... how would YOU define great sex? Do you know it when you see, hear, touch, feel it? Pardon me for getting a bit tongue-in-cheek. You see, I've had great sex and I believe I've created many a lens that I would even call "great" but sometimes the objective factors that come into play don't necessarily translate that goodness on paper to appear to be a "good" or "great" lens.

My answer is perhaps a bit conceptual. See that picture with the cat lady? If you begin by writing about that which you know the most, that would be a good start. "Be the best that YOU can be! Be authentic original and unique." Be YOU. Explore yourself and your interests. What can you share of yourself with others? Tell it in your own words.

I think too often some of us might get sidetracked in that we want to shoot to the top without learning the ropes. Call me old-fashioned if you will. I am a bit of an old-timer from the old school. What's great is that all you have to do is take that first step ... look around ... help is all around you ... you have millions of lenses to browse. I've authored over 600 lenses; browse JaguarJulie lenses and other lensmasters' lenses to get a feel for a variety of topics. You have an Answer Deck of free resources. You have a forum of helpful and friendly lensmasters.

Can you write effectively for an online experience? Perhaps you need a guide book?

Honest Conversation About Squidoo

2010-05-25T11:12:00.000-04:00

Today I would like to share something very real. Some of my personal "honest conversation about Squidoo." This really happened, it is original and authentic. It's not terribly unique as you may have heard it before, but it surely warrants repeating, I think. It is my take, my uniqueness.

Have we NOT heard volumes about people making thousands and thousands of dollars with Squidoo? Well, I do believe in cumulative we might be able to say that so-and-so has made "some" thousands of dollars as you know there are a number of us lensmasters who have been Squidooing for over 4 years.

Gosh, there are several lensmasters that I personally know of who've been there longer than me. I started on March 21, 2006. Can you believe, some lensmasters started in the 4th quarter of 2005??? Oh my, now that is impressive. And, even more impressive is the fact that THEY are still talking about Squidoo.

So, today a fellow lensmaster contacted me with a question.

Hello Julie, I was wondering if you sometimes give help to Squidooers. I do not make much money with my lenses, sometimes I feel like giving up. Warmly, --Your fellow Squidoo lensmaster.

Curious about my reply? Well, let me tell you that my reply was sent within 15 minutes of receiving that email. It was the serendipity of the time of day I suspect which warranted such a quick and honest reply. Here is THAT "honest conversation about Squidoo" by me:

First of all, good to hear from you. It seems like such a long time since we first met? Yes?

Secondly ... you have touched on a chord that resonates with many a lensmaster. My take on it is that Squidoo is a wonderful platform for composing and writing about your passions, interests, expertise ... it is wonderful how you can self-publish your knowledge, get indexed, get visitors, and sometimes make a little royalty.

Because some people have promoted Squidoo as a money-making site, it has given some people the wrong motivations ... I really think that Squidoo itself has a lot of say over WHO or WHAT will be money-making. I really think the "money-making" should not be the primary motivation, but if you build it, if you do what you love and it shows, then there will be some rewards ... some will be financial ... some will be in the friendships you can forge which will last past Squidoo.

Squidoo is just part of the puzzle ... I like to put it into perspective ... what was I doing before Squidoo? What will I be doing AFTER Squidoo? What has Squidoo taught me.

ALL that is priceless my dear.

HUGS!!

Life is Pick One T-Shirt by jaguarjulie
See more Life is good T-Shirts

A SquidCast about the Sidebar

2010-04-11T09:14:00.001-04:00

Ah, today's post is "A SquidCast about the Sidebar" ... a SquidCast about the sidebar widget employed recently on my Stuffed Cabbage lens in particular.

Are you SquidCasting? Yes, no, maybe? Are you SquidCasting more or less than previously? I've not done any serious analysis on the frequency of my SquidCasts, but I have noticed that some lensmasters have obviously picked up the frequency on their SquidCasting.

With a little investigation by looking at the source code of my Stuffed Cabbage lens, I figured out the "link" for a particular Sidebar Widget that I wanted to spotlight in my last SquidCast.

It's imperative that you start your SquidCast home page for your Squidoo lenses. Here is the SquidCast home page for my Stuffed Cabbage lens. Once you've done your first SquidCast, you will find that home page populated with your SquidCast and subsequent SquidCasts.

Going to my Stuffed Cabbage SquidCast home page, I can click on the titles of each SquidCast to get that specific SquidCast dedicated page. The SquidCast I created on April 9, 2010 The Very Best Stuffed Cabbage Rolls should be ... IS "A Squidcast about the Sidebar."

An interesting observation about SquidCasts. Some lensmasters have been talking much about creating good SquidCasts. That's not the subject of this blog post.

What I have noticed, as I scroll my favorites tab on my dashboard with the SquidCasts queueing up sequentially, is that "people" are either ignoring SquidCasts, or, for the most part, if they visit a SquidCast, they are NOT commenting on them! Why is that?

Go to your favorites tab, select to view 25 SquidCasts. Now scroll down the list and see how many comments you can count. Are you seeing a bunch of zeroes next to the comments? I know I see interesting SquidCasts out of the 25 listed; why do those NOT have any comments? I've recently done my part to add a "1" to those comments. Did I visit one of YOUR SquidCasts?

OK ... this one is pretty interesting, with a touch of humor. You need to follow through to "GET IT." You see, afterall, it is a "SquidCast about the Sidebar."

#1 Visit the SquidCast that I created on April 9, 2010 The Very Best Stuffed Cabbage Rolls should be ... IS "A Squidcast about the Sidebar." That will set you up to as an introduction to the Sidebar Widget.

I am channeling a message that I received telepathically or should I say, spiritually, from my grandma Julia Nagy ... She is rolling over in her grave.

#2 Find the Sidebar Widget on my Stuffed Cabbage lens that has the rest of the "story."

A Dutch Oven for YOUR Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

P.S. If you are planning on making Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, you need a good Dutch Oven. Why not try the Lodge Logic Dutch Oven with Loop Handles! I know my grandma Julia Nagy made great Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in her Dutch Oven. And, Hey Monkebrain! What are you waiting for? Go comment on sombebody's SquidCast already. Happy Sunday!!!

A Milestone on Squidoo

2010-03-21T10:27:00.000-04:00

Over the past several years, we, as Squidoo lensmasters, have read and heard about many a milestone as experienced by fellow lensmasters. Milestones come in many shapes and sizes for us writers. On the platform of Squidoo, a milestone can mean an overall top lens, a lens in the Top 100, a lens of the day, creating 50 quality lenses to become a Giant Squid or creating 100 quality lenses to become a Giant Squid 100 Club status, a purple star for a quality lens, and it can even mean celebrating a memorable anniversary!

A milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at intervals of one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. --Thank you Wikipedia!

Within the framework of project management, a milestone is the end of a stage that marks the completion of a work package or phase, typically marked by a high level event such as completion, endorsement or signing of a deliverable, document or a high level review meeting. --Thanks again Wikipedia

Today is March 21, 2006 and it means that I, JaguarJulie, am celebrating my own personal milestone on Squidoo. Today marks my 4th anniversary as a Squidoo lensmaster. Bright and early, my first task that I wanted to accomplish was to share my special day on the SquidU Forum. Thank you Squidoo for my 4-year anniversary milestone today!

I started writing my post just before 9am and published it at 9:35am. That is of significance as there is a fellow lensmaster Rick Phillips who is also celebrating his 4-year anniversary today. And, remarkably, unplanned, he was posting on the SquidU Forum at the same time, publishing at 9:37am his post, Joined Squidoo 4 Years Ago Today - The Results.

If you want to know a bit more about what this 4-year anniversary milestone means to me, catch my SquidU Forum post. I've shared my personal mantra that has been my driver for more than a decade online, "Be the best that YOU can be! Be authentic, original and unique." And along those lines, "Reach for the stars! Sparkle and shine." You know it is important to be authentic and yourself! "Don't be a CopyCat." Ah, yes! "Be the best that YOU can be!"

Do you want to know what my favorite gadgets are? Here are a few that I own and love! Yep, they are a little older like me! While I would love to have the latest and greatest, sometimes you need to celebrate what you have and make the most of it. For me, I am making the most of it with my Amazon Kindle, Apple iPod nano, and FujiFilm FinePix V10!

And, I am still making the best and most of it over on Squidoo as JaguarJulie, a lensmaster "since March 21 2006, who has rated 7,147 lenses, favorited 537, and has created 637 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is Stuffed Cabbage. 1,775 people are fans." Thank you Squidoo hugely for the 4-year anniversary milestone today! You rock seriously.

A Moment For a Little Reflection on Meaning

2010-01-11T14:00:00.004-05:00

"The purpose of life is not to win. The purpose of life is to grow and to share. When you come to look back on all that you have done in life, you will get more satisfaction from the pleasure you have brought to other people's lives than you will from the times that you outdid and defeated them." --Rabbi Harold Kushner

For me it is meaningful that I know I have done the very best that I can do each and every day. I do not hold myself up to be competitive with others. Too often, I see people losing sight of themselves in all the so-called "back-stabbing" competition to get ahead ... to grab that so-called prize that they think the other person has. In the arena of competition for a spot on some sort of leaderboard, people can and do become unfriendly, unkind and sometimes back-stabbing. What for I ask? Do you think that being on the top of that list is going to make you HAPPIER? Or, do you think it is going to make you rich?

Who was it that said, "For someone to win; someone has to lose." ???

What is it that you are really seeking? Are you seeking some type of meaning or recognition? It may sound trite and cliche to say this, but we need to look inside ourselves for meaning. Take a moment to reflect ... heck, it is the new year and a time for reflection after all.

Speaking from experience, I can say that I might have hit the upper ranks of some leaderboards in the past, but what has it accomplished? Trust me, there has been plenty of heartbreak with those leaderboards ... losing friends [who probably weren't friends to begin with], being misquoted, having words put in my mouth, having words taken out of context, having people copy ideas to set forth as their own, and so on. It is no picnic! I personally come down on the side to get rid of those leaderboards! Spotlight multiple people so as not to single out someone who can in a high school mentality [or even junior high sometimes] become a target for negativity!

So, why not take a moment from all that hubbub that you've put yourself into and take time for a little reflection on meaning. Hey, let's add some meaning to our lives before it is too late. Oh, and I've found a couple of books that I might recommend to you. Peace!

Bravo David Taylor with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

2009-12-05T09:25:00.005-05:00

The other day I shared a story of how people driving in Ohio weather handle a rough slippery road. It was a pretty funny story, especially if you are from Ohio and like our family and friends -- you would get it. It was because of that very story, when I shared with my cousin Cindy Taylor that I had blogged about her, one thing led to another ... and to this blog post today!

Thinking back to family reunions, Holidays with Grandma, it usually meant seeing all our cousins! We had the cousins Nagy and the brilliant, musically-not-challenged cousins Taylor! Wow, that Taylor family. No sibling rivalry there, but just a huge case of AH and AWESOME. You've kind of already heard of one of the cousins, Cindy. Oh, she was quite remarkable on that piano -- I'll have to ask her if she is still performing as I don't know this bit of information and it is a shame. It is a shame that you can move to another part of the country and lose valuable contact with your cousins.

So, here I am today telling you about a Bravo moment with my cousin David Taylor! Oh, how I so remember the holidays when we would all get together. We liked going to visit the Taylors because David would play his violin for us. Wow! I am smiling now with the moment of nostalgia. Fast forward to yesterday. I opted to do a SquidWho lens on Who is David Taylor! Yeah. I don't think as of this writing that he or Cindy have reviewed it, but I am hoping to spice and spruce the lens up with some valuable insight and cool content as only Cindy and David can share after all those years of playing that violin -- probably a Stradivarius or two too!

This is my moment of pause and consternation for David! You must, simply must, visit Who is David Taylor and check out the YouTube video of him in performance as the violin soloist with Ho Chung Yeh, Conductor of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra at the International String Music Festival. The performance is of the Beethoven Violin Concerto.

Please set aside not quite ten minutes to enjoy David's performance. And, please pay close attention to ALL the action in the first three minutes and twenty seconds. This is my question! Have you seen similar performances of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with a violin solo? Is this NORMAL? That the violin soloist would -- have to do what David does? Stand in front of that orchestra awaiting his moment? Why is there not a chair in which he can sit comfortably until it is his time to play? I don't know, it didn't quite seem right to me. Please tell me what YOU think! And, thank you for dropping in to check out David Taylor -- he is brilliant and I do hope if you are in the Chicago, Illinois area that you do get a chance to see him perform.

David Taylor not only plays the violin quite brilliantly, but he is also the Assistant Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The Power of Squidoo -- Check THIS Traffic

2009-11-30T08:55:00.012-05:00

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.

The Travels of The Journal of The Traveling Squid -- New Trip

2009-11-24T09:24:00.003-05:00

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:

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? Join JaguarJulie on Squidoo and write about your passions, hobbies, and interests.

Protocol and Promotion, a Personal Commentary

2009-11-18T14:19:00.005-05:00

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 sometimes.

2009-11-02T07:40:00.006-05:00

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.

An integral element to every lens should be the guestbook!

2009-10-21T09:54:00.005-04:00

When selecting the building blocks or modules that I like to have for my Squidoo lenses, there are a number of modules that are signature to the lenses I create. The guestbook is perhaps one of the most integral elements to every lens. That is my opinion that I know I share with many lensmasters. I have many a time contacted a lensmaster to suggest that they might want to consider adding that guestbook.

I used to think that there was nothing lonelier than an empty guestbook with no reader comments. You know, after over 3.5 years authoring lenses, I have stumbled upon some of my lenses whose guestbooks stand empty! Gosh, that is so unfortunate that not one visitor took time to say hello. So, what is lonelier than an empty guestbook? Why, it would be a lens with NO guestbook included. I can't tell you how important that guestbook is to invite in your reader to share their thoughts.

Think about this: when was the last time you attended say a wedding? Remember that guestbook that the bride and groom had to capture the memories of their blessed day?

That's a picture of a lonely guestbook, but it is from a new lens and has yet to experience its first visitor -- hopefully the reader likes to leave comments in guestbooks. New lenses awaiting guestbook comments: Bodum Glassware -- Award-Winning Design and Luigi Bormioli Glassware -- Designed in Italy.

One of the rock stars of Squidoo -- a tribute by another lensmaster!

2009-10-20T13:38:00.005-04:00

I am surely not the first to blog about the Topicability of Squid Angels at Squidoo. But I do want to mention something you probably already know, a new group of Squid Angels were given their wings recently. Many a new lensmaster got outfitted for those feathery wings. It was a good thing to see so many of the male persuasion joining us of the female persuasion. I'm someone who likes a little balance to my daily life, and I will turn to a man to get his take. Oh oh, don't throw tomatoes anyone! It's just a matter of Yin and Yang or a bit of "He Said, She Said" to even it all out. Men sometimes can sum up the situation in an objective manner for us women.

Oh my -- I must apologize for going off on that tangent. It happens, tangents, when you don't blog every day, but some young hound dog has gotten me thinking. There is value in blogging daily. Think of it as mental therapy -- a chance to get a load off your er chest and perhaps connect with a new reader. Or, delight your existing readers.

So, where was I? Oh, yeah! One of the rock stars of Squidoo -- a tribute by another lensmaster! I was just getting into my second official day of Squid Angel duties -- to visit new lenses -- when I spotted this lens by Heather426, Holley RocketMom. It was time to stop and do a blog post!

Holley Adams is a Georgia peach and a rock star on Squidoo. I've blogged about Holley previously, Friends, Buddies, Chums and Then Someone Quite Special and am including that blog link as you can't get enough goodness in one blog post. Holley aka 24websurf joined Squidoo on July 18, 2008. That's a bit over a year. I'm not sure when I first met Holley, but it is thanks to Squidoo. Holley is a Giant Squid and a Squid Angel.

So, are you already a lensmaster at Squidoo? If yes, be sure to take a moment to check out Holley and the beautiful tribute lens by Heather. What's that? You are NOT a Squidoo lensmaster yet? Well, what are you waiting for -- hey, come and join me on Squidoo and start writing about your passions and interests. Need some help? I've mentored and helped many a lensmaster and Giant Squid at Squidoo. Check out my profile for a list of my interests. I'm JaguarJulie in case you didn't know.

Hey, we can use more rock stars ya know!

The Blessings Art Print
Andrews
16 in. x 20 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Twitter Twitter Everywhere -- Don't you just love Twitter?

2009-10-12T10:24:00.006-04:00

Twitter Twitter Twitter! Twitter Twitter Everywhere! Don't you just love Twitter? Wow, what did we do before this social media phenomenal platform became available to us? Coincidentally and topicably, I was just getting ready to pen a short positive blog post this morning for Topicability and what do I hear? I hear Hoda and Kathie Lee chatting in my ear about Twitter and what if you Twitter something you don't want to Twitter?

Oh, yes! I've seen Twitter members think they are sending a DM and then announce something that shouldn't have been sent to the general public, to their followers! Oh dear what to do about that? Once you've sent a public tweet and you really shouldn't have tweeted a private personal message? Gosh, you sure could lose a couple of followers that way -- it could be viewed as a 'betrayal of trust' after all -- a simple mistake and it mushrooms.

So, looking at what I receive from Twitter when I earn a new follower [oh brave soul thy are!] I have chosen the name of newloyalfollower as an anonymous name to protect the innocent -- at this time, there is NO twitter user by this name.

newloyalfollower (newloyalfollower) is now following your tweets on Twitter.

A little information about newloyalfollower:
1234 followers
654 tweets
following 1678 people

You may follow newloyalfollower as well by clicking on the "follow" button on their profile. You may also block newloyalfollower if you don't want them to follow you.

newloyalfollower may not appear in your follower list. newloyalfollower may have decided to stop following you, or the account may have been suspended for a Terms of Service violation.

I think it is great that Twitter sends me email notifications of my followers. What's funny though is that I have had several spam and porn followers that I see following me from time to time, but I don't get emailed notifications about them -- they just seem to pop up in my followers list -- Why is that? Perhaps if these type of twitter users would focus on the positive, they would be more successful online?

What seems like it might stand some improvement is the wording, "You may also block newloyalfollower if you don't want them to follow you. newloyalfollower may not appear in your follower list. newloyalfollower may have decided to stop following you, or the account may have been suspended for a Terms of Service violation." I can block my newloyalfollower; my newloyalfollower though might have decided to stop following me already! Or, my newloyalfollower might already be suspended.

I don't know, my head is full of my day job at the moment and I'm taking a break to pen this thought. That wording in that email sounds wrong to me -- it sounds like a Twitter Etiquette treatment is needed. Do you agree? Maybe you don't!

I write a lot about Twitter, both here on the Topicability Blog and also on Squidoo. How Often Should You Send a Twitter Update debates the frequency of your twitter updates. Twitter vs. Tattoo -- Which is MORE Popular? further debates the popularity of these two topics as traffic-getting lenses on Squidoo.

Exploring the best of tweets on Twitter, I have a number of TwitterList lenses:

Bringing it full circle, alas on those days that Twitter Twitter Twitter Everywhere is NOT everywhere -- Life Interrupted -- Yours, Mine and Ours! It's a day without Twitter you all.

P.S. Got some time on your hands and feel the need to write and express yourself? Hey, join me on Squidoo! Get busy and express yourself.

Hey, let your hair down once in a while!

2009-10-07T18:01:00.004-04:00

Sometimes it is good to let your hair down once in a while -- that is an expression meant that sometimes you should express yourself in the vernacular to let your fellow writers, friends, buddies, chums and pals know a little more about you in an appropriate setting. What the heck am I talking about?

Ah, it would be a new forum thread that was recently opened up called Squids Gone Wild on the SquidU Forum. Normally, I am quite a serious lensmaster -- at least that's what my hubby is always saying. He is always encouraging me to laugh more! Yes indeed, I kid you not. Growing up and attending Catholic school put the fear of God and the nuns into me way back in my formative years. You know you had to be careful or the nun would bring you up to the front of the class to whack your knuckles with a ruler. The really 'bad' ones got the paddle in the back room. Oh, and sometimes you got to stay after class and help dear sister clean the blackboards!

Whew, thanks for stimulating that moment of deja vu and nostalgia. So, nothing terribly profound today -- no new etiquette post -- I'll leave that to the experts as I think I've scared away my readers with my take on etiquette. ;)

Let's think of something fun today. So, when was the last time you let your hair down? Care to tell me about it? Something topicable -- Trick or Treat? Hey, Halloween is around the corner -- what say you? What is your stance on Trick or Treat?

A book report on the topic of lensrank

2009-09-23T09:07:00.004-04:00

Lensrank has long been a topic that has hit the Topicability Index. Much has been discussed on the SquidU Forum with regards to lensrank:

how to get a lens into the top tier
how to keep it there
squid angels' blessings and lensrank
purple stars effect on lensrank
falling lensrank
bottom-feeders of lensrank -- those lenses that seem to fall even out of the last tier which has a 85,000 lensrank cut-off currently

Well, today a lens came into the Topicability radar in that the lens is another lensmaster's take on an existing lens that I happened to author. They are both SquidLit book review lenses! How appropriate for us to discuss this book report on the topic of lensrank don't you think? It also compares something old vs. something new. And, might also show the impact of Squid Angel blessings too!

First of all, back in January 2009, I purchased Julie & Julia at our local Borders store. Hubby and I were in the store looking for some other books, but when I spotted the cover and title of Julie and Julia, I was hooked. You see I am Julie and my grandmother is Julia! Get it? I always wanted to cook just like my grandma Julia Nagy. So, it was my hook!

Lens #1 -- Julie and Julia -- The Book by lensmaster JaguarJulie.
Created: January 2, 2009
Ranked: #277 in Books
Lensrank: #27,800 overall
Lens Rating: by 26 people
Favorites: 9
Total Traffic: 15 visits this week
Angels Blessings:
Guestbook: 9 comments
Poll #1: 18 votes
Poll #2: 9 votes
Duel: 8
Plexo #1: 34 votes

Lens #2 -- A Julie And Julia Book Review by Treasures-By-Brenda.
Created: September 20, 2009
Ranked: #826 in Arts
Lensrank: #15,791 overall
Lens Rating: by 9 people
Favorites: 3
Total Traffic: 8 visits this week
Angels Blessings: 5 visits by Squid Angels
Guestbook: 8 comments
Poll #1: 7 votes
Poll #2: 0 votes
Duel: 0

A Twitter Etiquette Interview with Squidoo Lensmaster GypsyOwl

2009-09-19T11:08:00.009-04:00

Topicability readers, today we continue on our discussions about Twitter and Twitter Etiquette with a very special interview with GypsyOwl aka Deborah Bryan. Topicability is providing this interview today to help those of us who might need a little help with our Twitter updates -- how to not flood Twitter; how to send meaningful Twitter updates; bottom line: what are some of the do's and don'ts of Twitter Etiquette?

GypsyOwl was selected after a rather extensive analysis of the Twitter Score for a number of Squidoo lensmasters using Twitter. According to the Twitter Score Report, GypsyOwl ranks at a 7.8 out of 10. Of all Squidoo lensmasters analyzed, GypsyOwl had the highest Twitter score! JaguarJulie ranked at a 7.3 out of 10. Quite a few though could be found with a Twitter score of under 3.0!

Deborah, thank you for taking time today to agree to this interview for Topicability. So, let's begin, shall we?

Q. How do you use Twitter in your daily life?

A. Twitter has several applications in my daily life.
It is a great way to stay connected with family, friends, and associates.
I use it to touch base with Team members during project development & deployment,
My clients use it to alert me to emails (since I use an email management strategy) so I will retrieve timely updates at un-scheduled times.

Q. How do you promote your Squidoo lenses through Twitter?

A. I have a variety of processes in place to promote my Squidoo lenses through Twitter. A couple of these include:
Posterous account - Auto Tweets to my SquidGypsyOwl Twitter profile. My Posterous account showcases many lensmaster's lenses. I submit a lens sighting (by email) to the account and have an auto post installed so it will post to my SquidGypsyOwl Twitter profile.
Direct Tweets - Through my GypsyOwl Twitter profile. Direct tweets are about 'sections' of a lens (the updated portion or the most popular section). For this I will create a tweet or click on the "twitter" icon near the section I want to promote on the lens and then revise the tweet.

Q. Do you promote your Squidoo referral link through Twitter?

A. Yes. When I have a promotion which requires registration on Squidoo to participate, I will incorporate the Squidoo Referral Link into the tweet. This is a convenience measure so people will not have to search around to find access to leave comments on the Squidoo site.

Q. Do you have some thoughts on best practices of Twitter?

A. Personally, I believe Twitter use can be best compared to a dinner party at a highly honored and respected friend’s house. You will want to engage, roam around the room, meet people, help people when you can, introduce people to each other, and build relationships. You will always be thinking about your friend and the general rules of conduct she embraces.

Q. What does Twitter Etiquette mean to you?

A. Twitter Etiquette is defined in many ways and interpreted in over 82 thousand different ways. Each user of the service has an opinion and realistically it would be impossible to align with all of these perspectives. Embracing the diversity is the most important aspect of the Twitterverse, which in essence is the reason Twitter, has become a central portal for International communications.

Q. Do you recommend using automated tweets?

A. Automated tweeting services can provide a variety of benefits and they can also be the failing force for users who do not moderate the usage. The following are my personal do’s and don’ts for automated tweets.

Do:
Set up an automated welcome message (DM). Ask your new follower to send you an @ message. Personally check each new follower (to limit spammers and “follow me - I’ll follow you” scams) and select to follow each one after you have reviewed their profile.
Send announcements (not about your blog, Squidoo, etc) that will be of interest to your followers. Use this to send 2-3 tweets during different times of a day (one day – two at the most) to ensure your announcement has been seen by a great deal of your followers.
Set up your #followfriday stream (if you participate) which will introduce your followers to a few people you recommend and include “why” you recommend them. Spread these out, hourly for example, over the day (Friday only).
Set up Tips about your niche and spread them out (once a day or twice a day).

Don’t
Self promote or include any links in the automated welcome message. Do not auto follow new followers (see “Do” section).
Automate self promotional messages, repetitive “read my stuff,” or what could be called “re-tweeting yourself.”
No need to include a links in your Tips, because if your followers want to find your website or blog they simply click on your Twitter name and find the link on your Twitter profile.

Q. What about what they say -- you are what you Tweet?

A. The most important thing to remember about Twitter is everyone is listening. It is easy to believe at times that there are only a handful of people seeing your tweets. But, the truth is they are being seen over and over again through various applications around the world. Each message finds its way into a time capsule which can be opened at any time by anyone anywhere in the world.

Q. Can you sum up how you think of Twitter?

A. Bottom line, it is really about building relationships. Are the majority of your followers developing respect for you and trust in your recommendations? Are you beginning to remember the names of the people behind the avatar? When you meet new people on Twitter and start to get to know them, do you think of someone else who would be a great recommendation for them?

Thank you GypsyOwl aka Deborah Bryan for your insight on Twitter Etiquette.
GypsyOwl on Twitter | SquidGypsyOwl on Twitter | GypsyOwl on Posterous | GypsyOwl is a Squidoo Lensmaster and Giant Squid 100 Club member. Deborah Bryan has been a member since February 19, 2007, has rated 767 lenses, favorited 792, and has created 163 lenses from scratch. Deborah Bryan donates their royalties to Covenant House.

More about the Author of Topicability, JaguarJulie:
JaguarJulie on Twitter | JaguarJulie Blog On and On | JaguarJulie on Posterous | JaguarJulie is a Squidoo Lensmaster and Giant Squid 100 Club member. JaguarJulie has been a member since March 21, 2006, has rated 5,305 lenses, favorited 510, and has created 489 lenses from scratch.

Thou shalt not flame, harass, denigrate, spam, or malign -- Forum Etiquette

2009-09-10T13:34:00.004-04:00

Have you been following along with the latest Topicability blog posts -- and then being sure to read ALL the comments. When I was tackling the broad and worthy subject of Twitter Etiquette, I eluded to the fact that I would soon be tackling Forum Etiquette. Well, here I am sitting here working on this blog post a bit early. Why? Well, it is thanks to a fellow lensmaster Deb aka flowergardener. We got to know each other quite a while ago, but as life is -- we each have been very busy with the daily stresses and many sequence of events which take us away from the daily civility of conversations. But, that is not meant to indicate that we do NOT care what the other individual might be up to -- or what challenges they face -- we know that we all have to come to grip with life!

So, what was I saying about etiquette? Oh, I wanted to next talk about the rules of forum etiquette. At the moment, I will contain this etiquette lesson strictly to the Squidoo, Squidu Forum, as I am not yet active, on a daily basis, in other forums like maybe that Zazzle Forum. But, I'm sure I will be making my way there soon. So, as etiquette goes, forum etiquette should be universal in concept.

Today's topic gets a kick-start from flowergardener Deb in that she took time away from her busy morning to post quite a meaningful post in the Squidu Forum.

"I just looked up the stuff that was in our TOS: flame, harass, denigrate, spam, and malign. Here they are, pulled from google definition searches."

flame:
An Internet user typically generates a flame response to other posts or users posting on a site, and such a response is usually not constructive, does not clarify a discussion, and does not persuade others. Sometimes, flamers attempt to assert their authority, or establish a position of superiority over other users. Other times, a flamer is simply an individual who believes he or she carries the only valid opinion. This leads him or her to personally attack those who disagree. In some cases, flamers wish to upset and offend other members of the forum, in which case they can be called "trolls". Most often however, flamers are angry or insulting messages transmitted by people who have strong feelings about a subject.

harass:
To irritate or torment persistently. To wear out; exhaust. To impede and exhaust (an enemy) by repeated attacks or raids.

denigrate:
To speak damagingly of; criticize in a derogatory manner; sully; defame.
To denigrate someone's character.
To treat or represent as lacking in value or importance; belittle; disparage: to denigrate someone's contributions to a project.
To make black; blacken: rain clouds denigrating the sky.

spam:
we all should know what this is

malign:
To say unpleasant things about (someone or something), especially without reason.
To speak unfavorably about, traduce; drag through the mud.

Thank you flowergardener for taking time to look all these up. Yes, forum posters! Do you understand that thou shalt not flame, harass, denigrate, spam, or malign other forum posters? Heck, this is something that is a principle of social interactions. It applies elsewhere online AND in life.

So, let's think about this for a moment shall we? In our recent dealings online, can you say that you have observed these "not to do" principles? Can YOU?

You Will Obey T-Shirt by jaguarjulie
Design custom t shirts on zazzle.com

Another Day of Business as Usual in the Twitter Flooding

2009-09-08T18:30:00.003-04:00

Gosh, I would hate to go so far as to say clueless, but it surely seems some people are clueless with their incessant drowning of Twitter with the same tweets over and over and over again!

I am hoping to get past this topic and on to the positive examples of excellent Twitter users -- there are some fine examples amongst Squidoo lensmasters. Not to worry, we will be coming out of the darkness soon to showcase the shining examples.

But to return to that multiple twitter user/Squidoo lensmaster who also does multiple, duplicate posting on the forums. Do you know WHAT it 'sounds' like or 'looks' like with those machine guy, rapid fire tweets on the same links?

Here is session #1 converted into what they are saying:

Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Check out my store, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Follow me on Squidoo, Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Check out my store, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens!

And, here is their second session, through their second Twitter ID, for the same links, converted into what they are saying:

Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Follow me on Squidoo, Follow me on Squidoo, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens, Read my Squidoo lens

Do you get that? Does converting the repetitive tweets not zero in on the craziness of all that promotion? I don't know about you, but I might need to schedule me a lobotomy!

Scheduled For a Lobotomy T-shirt by jaguarjulie
Design custom t-shirts at zazzle

A Case Study -- The Flooding of Twitter

2009-09-05T10:57:00.004-04:00

Today I am following up my previous Topicability blog post, A Lensmaster, Giant Squid and Twitter Etiquette, with a bit of a case study on using Twitter to make meaningful and engaging Twitter updates or tweets. For this case study, I have selected two Twitter users who will remain anonymous to protect their identities! It is an intentional coincidence that I have selected two Twitter IDs which happen to be multiple IDs for the same user.

The objective of any case study should be to show how to do something right; however, you sometimes have to point out the wrongs to make a point on how to do something right. Or, to show what not to do.

I've used an Excel spreadsheet to perform my Twitter tweet density analyses. I have used a "session" to analyze -- a session meaning a consecutive series of tweets at one sitting.

In the single session use of the one Twitter user, there were some 43 tweets. These tweets comprised 79.1% promoting Squidoo lenses, 16.3% with a Squidoo referral link, and the remainder for an online store. In the single session of the other Twitter user, there were some 35 tweets. These tweets comprised 82.9% promoting Squidoo lenses, 17.1% with a Squidoo referral link, and I don't believe any for an online store. The averages for these two users' sessions are 80.8% promoting Squidoo lenses, 16.7% with a Squidoo referral link, and 2.6% for an online store. The margin of error is probably less than 2%.

Do you remember what I blogged about yesterday; i.e. Chris Brogan's Twitter Etiquette? Let me repeat two of those points here:

Promoting others and talking with others is a great way to show your participation to the community.

Only blurting out your information and links doesn’t usually come off as friendly or community-minded.

Go ahead and revisit those numbers I've included: The averages for these two users' sessions are 80.8% promoting Squidoo lenses, 16.7% with a Squidoo referral link, and 2.6% for an online store. The margin of error is probably less than 2%. Ladies and gentlemen, neither Twitter user engaged any other member in these quick succession of tweets! Not only does this do a disservice to the Twitter followers following these two Twitter users, but it seriously floods Twitter with what is blatant self-promotion. And, it's virtually all Squidoo related! What in the world is this saying to other Twitter users when they see all this Squidoo Squidoo Squidoo stuff tweet after tweet after tweet.

Well, further analyses on the actual combination tweets showed some slight variation on some of the tweets -- nothing terribly major -- but some attempt was made to disquise the duplicate content. However, analyzing the tweets showed 16.7% for the same referral link. The density numbers for the other tweets were 3-4 minimum and higher. What that density number means is that the same lens is being promoted more than once in a single session -- and piggybacking off the second user for multiple tweets of a minimum 3-4 times. Some links exceeded the 3-4 times tweeted when combining the two sessions.

Has any of this analyses made sense? Do you get the point that I am making today? Twitter asks you "what are you doing" which is meant to encourage you to share and interact with your followers. I really don't think Twitter was intended to be a flooding marketing machine with machine gun, rapid fire tweets that clog people's in boxes. I seriously can't imagine any Twitter Power how-to book telling you to configure several dozen automatic tweets to promote the same content over and over again with multiple IDs. Do I dare say that this is not SPAM?

Hey -- get a book and figure out how to do it right the first time!

A Lensmaster, Giant Squid and Twitter Etiquette

2009-09-04T10:58:00.007-04:00

This morning finds me reading a number of helpful blogs on proper Twitter Etiquette. It was a fellow, respected lensmaster and giant squid who suggested to me the other day that I write a lens:

... on how to spread out Tweets, use Tweeting services to spread them out, and write effective Tweets to get attention, rather than clog inboxes for only a few minutes once a day!

So, I happened upon A Brief and Informal Twitter Etiquette Guide by Chris Brogan. I have extracted a few of the tips that Chris offers us that I think are so worthy of pointing out today:

Promoting others and talking with others is a great way to show your participation to the community.
Only blurting out your information and links doesn’t usually come off as friendly or community-minded.
However, the more you can respond, the more people tend to stay with you and build relationships.
People might unfollow you if you tweet excessively.
It’s not polite to direct message people you don’t know well with your automated quiz results or similar.

Perhaps you have read my Squidoo lens, How Often Should You Send a Twitter Update? "Do you do one a day, one an hour, or one every few minutes? What is the acceptable number of updates -- is there such a thing?" What kind of twitter updates do you send? As a lensmaster, and more importantly, a Giant Squid, it is imperative that we observe a certain protocol with Twitter Etiquette.

Personally, I employ a balance to my Twitter updates. If I opt to update my 484 Squidoo lenses, it is in extreme moderation that I simply click the Twitter button that tells everyone that I updated my Squidoo lens. I've seen Twitter users who have sent only those tweets. Twitter isn't about Squidoo promotion you know -- moderation is key! Now that we have the special, interactive module pages for our reader content on lenses, it is a cool feature that you can send a Twitter update on that content. Again, in moderation!

If you are tweeting, "I just updated by Squidoo lens" over and over and over again, what is that going to say about Squidoo? If you noticed a Twitter "user" who doesn't engage their followers or friends through Twitter, but only opts to send Squidoo lenses over and over again, this blatant self-promotion will surely cast a unkind light on that lensmaster -- hopefully this lensmaster is not a Giant Squid!

Do you realize that there was a Google slap for spam a couple of years ago? Do you realize that Squidoo is filtering through lenses that are spammy to lock those? Do you realize that certain topics are now considered taboo on the Squidoo platform? For some lensmasters, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what is junk to one lensmaster may be considered a beautiful thing to another lensmaster. We are dealing with cultures worldwide, with different perceptions on what is right and wrong. I don't know that there has been an ISO Standard written on spam and junk -- sometimes there appears to be gray areas of interpretation.

Are you tweeting Squidoo, Squidoo, Squidoo over and over and over again? Like perhaps you are all excited about the opportunity to write about your passions and interests and make some royalties for your work, so you are shouting about that on Twitter -- over and over and over again? I've noticed lately, some Twitter users who are Squidoo lensmasters tweeting their Squidoo referral link a number of times. Sending your Squidoo referral link over and over again is really not a good thing. All good things are done in moderation.

Giant Squids have higher standards than lensmasters who are striving to achieve that honor. Sure, you've heard that you can create 50 QUALITY lenses and then apply to become a Giant Squid. However, there are certain responsibilities that come with that title of Giant Squid. Giant Squids are respectful not only of their fellow lensmasters, Squid Angels, Giant Squids, and Squidoo HQ, but they conduct themselves in a manner that would make others proud to know them. Giant Squids are a beacon of light for what is good at Squidoo. A beacon of light for what is good at Squidoo.

You may want to follow @chrisbrogan on Twitter because he offers sage advice for proper Twitter Etiquette as well as other valuable social media tips.

Everything is coming up just Tickety Boo!

2009-09-03T08:43:00.007-04:00

Ah yes, to us Squidoo lensmasters we probably FIRST got to know the expression about the Squidoo servers running tickety boo. But, for the majority of us lensmasters, do you really KNOW about that expression? It has been quite a while ago that I researched tickety boo through a Google search and to my delight, discovered The Old Wizard Tickety Boo, a book by Scott Morton. I was so enthralled by this magical book, that I blogged about it in JaguarJulie Blog On in March 2009. Then, after my blog post, I 'met' the author online and was delighted to see that he joined me on Squidoo on March 22, 2009.

The internet can be a magical place, bringing people together worldwide. Scott opted to join The Journal of the Traveling Squid, the goodwill project connecting lensmasters and giant squids worldwide. On August 26, 2009, Scott and the Wizard Tickety Boo made their appearance in the traveling squid. Have you seen the photo journey of the traveling squid? It is pretty amazing to see where the traveling squid has been; to see all the wonderful lensmasters who have participated; to read their awesome journal entries. You will find the Wizard Tickety Boo not only in the journal, but also on the Giant Squid t-shirt. Thanks Scott, for sharing the wizard with us!

You can find Wizard and Author Scott Morton on Facebook, Zazzle, and on Squidoo as a lensmaster with some very cool lenses! Want that book? Get The Old Wizard Tickety Boo from Scott!

Tickety Boo and Friends by wizardmorton
Design custom t-shirts at zazzle.co.uk

With All the Changes In Our Daily Life, Oh If We Could Just OPT OUT!

2009-08-07T13:15:00.003-04:00

Hello my fellow lensmasters, friends, family, and countrymen. I've been rather lax, I know, on being topicable and frequent with my Topicability blog posts. You see, there has been SO much going on, that it has been a challenge to pick just one topic to write about. I don't want you to think that there has been nothing important for me to write about -- I've been seeing plenty of my friends and comrades doing a remarkable job of manning and womaning their blogs, so I was taking a back seat and waiting for my turn.

Well, today I would like to share something a little different. This is a true communication recently received. The names have been kept anonymous to protect those who want to opt out. Yes, I am big enough to admit that I too have wanted to opt out of some of those things that aren't much fun or that seem to put a drain on your energy and creativity. But that this would be that easy, eh? So, as you read this heartfelt plea, let me know if it touches a chord or if you echo much of the same sentiment.

I'd love to get your comments -- show this blog a little love. It surely could use YOUR love today! Peace!!!

Dear Friend,

Hoping you are well amidst all these unbelievable happenings in our beautiful country. However, due to my now sharing my email address, I am requesting all my relatives and friends to no longer forward any political messages ... I will only be accepting normal and funny and good stuff that doesn't reflect any political party ... one way or another. As a matter of fact, none in our huge family, want to discuss politics any longer, because of too much division ... and as a family we want to remain united and not have disagreements over matters that look like we won't have any say.

So, I hope you understand because I know you are a true patriot and an active person in your party, but we have decided not to email our political preferences, even tho I know you and I are on the same track. Also, life is just too short to spend getting upset as I find myself doing lately. Every time I turn on the news, my blood pressure goes up and at our age, we can't let anything happen because we are being told our health doesn't matter if we are not a contributing young member of society. So let us just live love and laugh and hope miracles will soon happen.

Love you dear beautiful people ... did I tell you you look fabulous dahling?

Happy One Year Anniversary to Triiibes!

2009-07-29T09:43:00.004-04:00

A tribe, is a social group of humans connected by a shared system of values and organized for mutual care, defense, and survival beyond that which could be attained by a lone individual or family. -- Wikipedia

July 29, 2008 -- just one year ago today that something incredible was set into motion. Something of a first in that Seth Godin would be launching his next book, Tribes. Before that book would go live, a limited number of us were offered the opportunity to reserve a copy of that book and to then register for an additional opportunity to get in the Triiibes a community on Ning. Looking back on this experience, I am honored to have been a part of it all. There are some of the most remarkable people with whom I got to interact and help to do something I normally wouldn't do in my daily life.

I got the opportunity to think outside the box -- I have been changed -- I am not the same. And it is a good thing. Thank you all my co-Triiibes friends. Thank you Seth Godin.

Tribes, Godin says, can be within or outside a corporation, and almost everyone can be a leader; most are kept from realizing their potential by fear of criticism and fear of being wrong. Change isn't made by asking permission, Godin says. Change is made by asking forgiveness, later.

Google Trends would suggest a seasonality for Stuffed Cabbage!

2009-07-27T11:17:00.004-04:00

Have you checked out Google Trends to learn more about the topics about which you write? For me, one of my favorite topics is food and cooking. I think it is because of my Hungarian and Eastern European heritage that I love to cook with old world inspired recipes and to experiment with my own. You can always find me tweaking this or that recipe and coming up with my own secret ingredients to make that recipe special. Well, one of my all time favorite comfort foods, Stuffed Cabbage, is one of the foods that I write about lots! As they say, "you are what you eat," and I surely must be stuffed cabbage or a stuffed cabbage patch kid at heart. And, I do have a pretty good sense of humor.

Google Trends is a public web facility of Google Inc., about Google Search, that shows how often a particular search-term is entered relative to the total search-volume across various regions of the world, and in various languages. --According to Wikipedia.

Google offers some pretty amazing tools for us to help us in understanding the popularity of our topics -- you see Google is so much more than just a search engine. But, you probably already knew that if you are into that which is topicable or on the topicability index. So, stuffed cabbage is the topic for me and anytime I can find more scientific data to demonstrate the popularity of this comfort food, I am on it. I've been studying the Google Trends for the past several years, and what I find particularly interesting, is how the charted data is seemingly 'identical' for the years of 2006, 2007, and 2008. It would suggest a seasonality and consistency in the searching trends and popularity for stuffed cabbage.

Well, I decided to conduct some of my own scientific research through the employment of a reader poll, is stuffed cabbage a seasonal comfort food? Do you eat it during specific seasons of the year -- or do you eat it year around? Help support this scientific research and take some time to answer that poll. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, or year around -- when do you eat stuffed cabbage?

Oh, and why not check out Google Trends for your topic of interest? You might learn something new -- and if you do, please take a moment to tell me about it!

Traffic is Both Down and Up ?

2009-06-25T11:57:00.005-04:00

The topicability index for today has stopped on traffic. Many lensmasters have spotted an anomaly with the traffic to their lenses reportedly not registering correctly. I've noticed that as well ... enough to stop and do this blog post.

It's not just one or two lenses that are off, but quite a few which raises a bit of a red flag. While it is difficult to analyze each and every lens when you have over 445 lenses; I have looked at some of my more popular lenses which have always gotten good traffic. It's odd to see so many different types of lenses being 'off' ... can this be attributed to the time of the year? For the most part, school is out for the Summer. Are less people on their computers? Are people going to other sites?

Many are saying that their lenses aren't getting the traffic to which they've grown accustomed.

On the other hand, I've noticed other traffic that is way up! For example, my inbox is flooded these days with the good [thank you my friends], the bad [bummer!], and the ugly -- those spammy emails! Traffic might be reporting as down to lenses, but traffic is up with the number of emails.

Looking through some of my stats, it was quite interesting to see that 96% of my visitors are new and unique! That's up considerably from the 77% or so of previous months. It's great to see that new readers are discovering the benefits of Squidoo. Now, we just need to sort out what's happening with those numbers!

P.S. I'd like to see some seasonality studies -- I'll report back when I find some. Meanwhile, I'm off to find the traffic. May the force be with you! And, if you haven't yet discovered the benefits of Squidoo, why not join me as a lensmaster and we can discover that traffic together!

Should I or shouldn't I be a Squidoo lensmaster?

2009-06-08T15:41:00.016-04:00

Today in his blog post, Seth Godin asks the question, "Why am I here?" Indeed! I'm not waxing philosophical when I say that I've recently been asking myself that question a lot! It's been a time of examining how my time is spent; whether it is making sense that I participate in some form or fashion online at certain social media sites. After all, a person can spread themselves a little thin by trying to keep active everywhere -- unless you are a Wonder Woman or a Superman or perhaps Guy Kawasaki who is one amazing guy -- especially on Twitter!

Just as Seth's blog post was quite topicable for me today, so was the blog post from the SAMBA blog. The latest post asked another resonating topicable question of What do you hear? That topicable question was also picked up on by ChefKeem when he asked, "Do You Know Who Is Talking About You On The Web?" The SAMBA blog suggested that we check out Social Mention which is an aggregator that collects information from a number of different social media sites.

In addition to listening to what people are saying about your brand, also listen what they are saying about your competition. It is not sneaky, but smart!

So what does that have to do with whether I should or shouldn't be a Squidoo lensmaster? Here, hear! When I was taking a hard look at my presence online, I was evaluating my presence at a number of social media sites. I took a particularly close look at two different activities: blogging and Squidooing. I've been blogging since December 2004 and on Squidoo since March 2006. There is a ratio of 2 to 1 when you compare the number of lenses I have authored to the number of blog posts I have penned. Squidoo has had me in its hold for over 3 years.

It is interesting to compare worldwide readership of blogs to Squidoo lenses. Here is a snapshot of readership -- the worldwide visitors -- from my Jaguar Julie :: Blog On and On ... blog:

For comparison purposes, here is a snapshot of the worldwide readership -- the worldwide visitors -- to my >445 Squidoo lenses:

It's pretty obvious from the second snapshot that there is more cultural diversity in the readership for Squidoo lenses. The worldwide reach of Squidoo is quite phenomenal! When you author a quality Squidoo lens that has been optimized with rich, meaningful content and relevant keywords, your lens has an excellent opportunity of being indexed by a variety of search engines so that you can have a strong worldwide readership base. The icing on the cake is when you additionally promote your lens judiciously to social media platforms.

Let's take a closer look at the top twenty countries for the worldwide readership comparing Squidoo lenses vs. a Google blog. Looking at the snapshot above, and comparing the list on the left with the list on the right, you see many of the same countries. In this example, the top three countries for both are the same -- the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom! Together, for lenses they account for 77% of the readership base; for the blog, 72%. For the most part, this would be what I expected to see without looking at the tangible evidence.

You know it would be interesting to have a snapshot of the membership base of Squidoo lensmasters to see how their percentages stack up against the readership base. Much has been said that more Squidoo lensmasters are of the female persuasion; many of which are work-at-home moms. I'm thinking that the greatest percentage of Squidoo lensmasters DO come from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom!

OK, so back to the question, "Should I or shouldn't I be a Squidoo lensmaster?" If you are interested in having a worldwide reach that is quite phenomenal, I would say that the answer is a compelling YES! Do you have something that you are passionate about? Why not create a phenomenal lens to shout out to the world? Why not join me! I've invested many an hour writing about a number of things that I find interesting; looking to engage my readers -- my worldwide readership base.

And, now I'm looking to judiciously monitor my time by asking, "Why am I here?" and What do you hear? Can you hear me now?

The Topicability of the Top 100

2009-05-15T10:01:00.005-04:00

It is the middle of May and the halfway of the month for determining average lensrank for May 2009. That helps to determine if lensmasters will have lenses in the top tier that might pay $10-$12 for that coveted spot. The second tier pays much less at $1.30. The third tier earns about what a simple click might earn $0.08. One year ago, there were not nearly as many Giant Squids as there are today clammering for a top spot. Also, one year ago, to be a Giant Squid 100 Club member, well you could probably count those members.

Today, there are so many Giant Squids that occasionally when I am making visits to lenses I encounter a Giant Squid that I have met for the first time! I find that so interesting as I thought I knew all the Giant Squids. For me, it is a little tougher to guess who exactly might be a Giant Squid 100 member -- but I'm thinking WE Giant Squid 100 Club members might be earning our own badge to sport on our profiles.

I'd vote for an orange badge as the giant badge is purple to match the purple star. Giant Squids earn a yellow star for their lenses once they achieve that distinction because of 50+ quality content lenses -- you can see that yellow star on the profile. The purple star is for a special lens that was 'judged' to be a Giant Squids' stellar lens. I've only got one of those so far for my Stuffed Cabbage lens.

FYI, yesterday was a payday for Squidoo lensmasters. Some lensmasters have shared with other lensmasters how much they have earned in royalties for the month of March. I haven't shared my stats online but have kept them private. I've run a debate about how much of our stats should be public. It is my opinion that some things should be private. If I publicize that I have made $2,000 in one month on my The Journal of the Traveling Squid lens, I'm afraid that might encourage more journals to be traveling around the world ... or maybe not. ;) Or, it might encourage other lensmaster in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S.A. to jump on board the project! Yeah!!!

So, what about that topicability of the Top 100? Well, I am super thankful that I have ONE of those lenses in the Top 100 -- Yep, only one. But it is my most important lens because it celebrates my grandmother Julia Nagy, my Hungarian heritage, and pretty importantly what grandma taught me to make -- Stuffed Cabbage -- thank you grandma!

This morning, I took a look at the Top 100 and am thrilled to report that some of our fine lensmasters who are also GSOs, Giant Squids, Giant Squid 100 Club members, and Squid Angels have MORE than one lens in that coveted Top 100 spot! Wow -- isn't that amazing? I've added the number after the dear lensmasters' names to indicate how many Top 100 lenses they have today -- the middle of May. I'm not sure if any of these are a second ID for a Giant Squid which would skew the numbers for those with more than one lens in the Top 100.

a_willow
airabongco
aj2008 - 2
awelldressedbullet
bdkz - 3
boredofeducation
bruceeisner
Chadrew
chefkeem
Christene
Cinetech - 2
ClassyGals
Color_Expert
Comfortdoc
CoolFoto
Crystal_Booth
dagsmith
debnet
ekurit
Ener-G
enslavedbyfaeries - 2
Evelyn_Saenz
EverythingMouse
flowski
Frankster
Greekgeek - 4
GypsyPirate - 2
hmsweaver
JaguarJulie
Janet21
Janiece
Janusz
JimH
Jimmie
JJNW
Joan4
kab
KathrynDarden
katiyana
KimberlyDawnWells - 2
KimGiancaterino
KinHK
kiwisoutback
Kylyssa
LindaJM
luckycharms
Mac33
Marc_Sandford
MiaBellezza
MobyD
MrLewisSmile
mynameiskate
N376
Noadi - 2
OhMe
Pastiche - 2
Pixelrage
relache
rmoore
rms - 4
SemperFidelis
sewjr24
spirituality
Squidster - 2
Susan52
susannaduffy
SusanVillasLewis
tandemonimom
tdove
The_Health_Lady
thefluffanutta - 3
TheGreenerMe - 2
ThomasC - 2
Tipi
Treasures-By-Brenda
Victoria_Neely
x3xsolxdierx3x
xrayspecs
zuzanna

P.S. So, what are YOU waiting for? Are you a Squidoo member yet? Join me on Squidoo and start having as much FUN as I am having! Who knows, if you keep at it, you might just become a Giant Squid or a Giant Squid 100 Club members or even someday a Squid Angel. At the moment, I am a Squid Angel OTL -- out to lunch or retired, but hoping to earn those wings back so that I can bless lenses.

In closing, Blessings to YOU! That has been my tagline when I was a working Squid Angel. ;) Peace you all.

The Topicability of the Purple Star

2009-05-13T11:19:00.007-04:00

. . . in the titles of lenses. Well it was just another Wednesday morning for me until I ventured into the SquidU Forum to find that yikes, my Stuffed Cabbage lens was a hot topic of discussion in that a star symbol had been inserted into the title of the lens after the title of "Stuffed Cabbage."

To help you determine how you would like to weigh in on the debate about showing special characters in lens titles, I have included a snapshot of the Stuffed Cabbage lens with the open shadowed star design that I currently employ on my twitter profile. Thus far, I have heard no comments one way or the other on the appearance of the stars on my twitter profile. So, I can't weigh in with the scientific evidence about that.

However, a few lensmasters have mentioned that browsers other than FireFox do not recognize this special shadowed open star! Hmmm -- must fix that!

OK -- so this snapshot above of my Stuffed Cabbage lens uses a special character star that I believe should image correctly in browsers other than FireFox. It doesn't quite have the impact of the other star and it is definitely not purple -- haven't figured that one out.

Well, the purple stars are being handed out now at a rate of 21 per week -- we will be close to one hundred lenses I think by the end of this week. I've got ONLY one purple star while there are lensmasters with 2 purple stars and quite possibly some of these lensmasters may earn a third purple star in the near future. I'm holding my breathe for a second one although I did NOT nominate any of my lenses this week.

So, what do you think? Like any of these stars in the titles? Actually, thinking about it ... I know I did happen to see a registration mark or a copyright mark on a lens title for a trademarked product. I think those special characters should be allowed to be used!

Rewarding Content -- The Unveiling of the Purple Star

2009-04-17T11:39:00.006-04:00

The PURPLE ONE has made its appearance at Squidoo! By 'purple one,' I am referring to the purple star that is now being rewarded to Giant Squids for their quality content lenses. These purple stars made their debut on April 16, 2009 -- oh, they had been around for quite some time, but officially just hit a handful of Giant Squid 100 Club lenses.

Above is a screenshot of what that beautiful purple star looks like on a lens -- you can find the purple star next to the gold star under the lensmaster photo in the upper-right hand corner of the page. I love that my Stuffed Cabbage lens was tapped for my first purple star !

For those Giant Squid 100 Club members who have just earned their first purple star you can also see a purple star on their lensmaster profile. Check out mine!

The purple star program has now kicked into high gear! To find out more about what it takes to earn a purple star, be sure to visit this official Purple Star Program Lens lens which explains the program. At the moment it is only available to Giant Squids! So, I'd say that is an incentive to qualify as a Giant Squid!

Update: After my Stuffed Cabbage lens earned the purple star on April 16, 2009, it made it to the #1 spot overall on Squidoo on April 19th. As of May 18, 2009, it spent 24 days in the #1 spot; 6 days in the #2 spot. As of May 18th, it was one of 3 different lenses, each recently earning purple stars, to make it to the #1 spot. The Stuffed Cabbage lens had been experiencing excellent traffic for about 1-1/2 years, before it earned the purple star. It is open to debate whether any lens now occupying the #1 spot could achieve that lensrank without the benefit of the purple star !

Say, you're not yet on Squidoo? Hey, what are you waiting for -- here is your invitation!

New Look to Squidoo Home Page -- Like Alltop!

2009-04-15T17:06:00.003-04:00

I simply must go on vacation more often -- why you ask? Well, lots of things happen when I go away! It's rather like Murphy's Law.

The first thing worth mentioning is that a whole new group of Squid Angels were chosen -- I missed out on the call as I had no internet access in Southern Spain; dog-gone it! The 'new' Squid Angels were chosen by invitation from Kimberly. I've asked that she put me on her list for the next go-around! Now, we have many returning Squid Angels doing second and third tours of duty; I'm thinking there are probably some doing a fourth tour of duty -- those lucky guys and gals!

The next really big thing that I noticed that was new was the super cool view of the Squidoo welcome page -- the home page. It gives an overall look at all the topics or categories within Squidoo by spotlighting the Top 5. I love this! Especially if I can make it into the Top 5 in any of the topics -- not an easy feat to do. Luckily, I seem to have hit on two of my lenses being spotlighted: Stuffed Cabbage and Meniscus Tear -- Not just a jock's injury! I think some lensmasters have several of their lenses showcased on this welcome page -- a hearty congrats to them!

P.S. Here is another view of Top Lenses from Squidoo -- it's Squidoorati @ Alltop.

Any Squidoo Lensmasters Living in the U.K.?

2009-03-22T09:31:00.006-04:00

The Journal of the Traveling Squid is a goodwill project of sisterhood and brotherhood, connecting Squidoo lensmasters worldwide. Through this project, we are looking to connect lensmasters worldwide. It is our mission that The Journal of the Traveling Squid will travel far and wide; that it will cover all continents. And, in our effort to pay it forward, it is our goal to raise money for charity at each step of the journey.

The Journal of the Traveling Squid departed from Jacksonville, FL on March 19, 2009 jetting to the U.K. JaguarJulie posted the package to Squidoo lensmaster and Giant Squid, Gordon Hamilton in the U.K.

Are you a Squidoo lensmaster living the U.K who would like to participate in this project?
Do you live outside the U.K and want to participate?

Learn much more about this project in the lens, The Journal of the Traveling Squid.

Celebrating 3 Years on a Social Platform -- Not a Flash in the Pan!

2009-03-21T10:56:00.006-04:00

March 21, 2009 marks my third anniversary as a lensmaster on Squidoo. That is a pretty long time to be able to stay active on one social platform and not be a flash in the pan! Squidoo has been a remarkable place to BE -- I absolutely LOVE Squidoo. I originally came to Squidoo from a personal BzzAgent invitation. At BzzAgent, we learned to be word-of-mouth evangelists [not religious fanatics]; and we learned to spread the word or buzz about worthy topics.

During the past 3 years, I've authored over 404 lenses along with 6 groups. I became a Giant Squid and achieved the honors of Giant Squid 100 Club, rather a daunting achievement at the time as I experienced a crushing hard drive crash in the midst of qualification. HQ blessed me with the wonderful experience of being a Squid Angel -- putting me more in touch with my spiritual side. ;) Hard work and luck gave me 3 different lenses of the day or LOTD! Each of these LOTDs were very special lenses to me: To Catch a Thief in under 40 Days!, Jaguar Julie Lensography, and Julia Nagy -- My Grandmother, Namesake and Superhero.

So, are you celebrating a special anniversary on Squidoo, or have one coming up? I'd love to hear from you! Please take a moment to visit my signature lens, Jaguar Julie Lensography, and be sure to sign my guestbook to let me know you dropped by! Thank you and may the force be with you.

P.S. Want to join me on this wonderful platform? Hey, what are YOU waiting for! Get started now. Do you have a favorite food like stuffed cabbage or maybe basa? Have something to debate; e.g., blondes are sexier and have more fun? Experienced a sports injury like a meniscus tear and want to write about your personal experiences? Or, maybe you just want to remember your mom! Get started now.

Do You Live in California -- It Can Be Quite Taxing!

2009-03-20T08:27:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I received an email from Commission Junction with a very topical subject!

As you may already know, there are proposed California bills that could require the collection of sales tax for online purchases similar to bills proposed in other states and that could resemble the law that recently passed in New York State. At this time, a hearing date for AB 178 has been set for April 13, 2009. As with all laws, if passed, these laws may or may not apply to you and your business.

Commission Junction is headquartered in California and impacted by the current California budget crisis. Nevertheless, we are opposed to the recently proposed legislation and are working with a lobbyist and other groups in hopes that we can influence the rejection of the bills' passage. Rest assured, we recognize that our industry and many of our clients may be impacted by these bills.

The application of the bills is dependent on particular business and factual circumstances, and Commission Junction is not in a position to provide legal and tax advice regarding the bills. However, we encourage you to perform the appropriate due diligence as it relates to your business. You may be contacted by advertisers in the Commission Junction network as they perform their due diligence.

Additionally, following are two sources of information on the proposed California bills that you may find helpful:

http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a14/News_Room/Press/
20090202AD14PR01.aspx

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html

If you feel that you need more counsel on the bills, we recommend you seek independent tax and legal advice.

Sincerely,
Commission Junction

Search for Seth Godin and Squidoo on Searchme

2009-03-19T09:32:00.005-04:00

This morning I got sidetracked a bit when I started checking out the Searchme.com search site. It's looking pretty cool -- I searched on Seth Godin and then Squidoo. The cascading stacks, like an open book pages, of results were very topical and spot-on for Seth Godin.

The Squidoo search results were a little more well, eclectic -- and could seemingly use some type of organization. That's the cool part -- that you can control what search results, or mini stacks, you want to be in your saved search results.

Check out Searchme.com and do your own search. Check out Jaguar Julie's Blog for a bit more information on Searchme.com.

Getting With the Green -- Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T17:26:00.004-04:00

Friendster Layouts | Friendster Comments at TotallyPimpedOut.net

Are you Irish or feeling a little Irish today and feel like getting with the green -- have some green beer, green eggs, or corned beef and cabbage? Me? Well, "I'm Irish! I only look sweet and innocent!" Well, anyways just for today!

Another St. Patrick's Day has come and will soon be history -- at least in about another 6 hours Eastern Standard Time. Today, MobyD's cool lens, Celtic Music: Lenses was the Lens of the Day. For all previous LOTDs, be sure to check out the Lens of the Day Blog. The Today Show has been featuring Celtic music the past couple of days with Meredith and Al in Ireland. We've been a fan of this type of music and were recently able to see Riverdance locally.

Checking the topicability index for "green" today on Squidoo produced some 969 lenses! Wow, that's quite a few. A search on St. Patrick's Day produced some 313 lenses. A search for Blarney Stone produced only 8 lenses. And, I only found one lens specifically about the Blarney Stone!

Hey, What is YOUR * Star * Sign ?

2009-03-16T11:53:00.002-04:00

Wow, wouldn't it be cool to have some statistics on people who Squidoo and Twitter as to their star signs? A cool lensmaster, aj2008, has this even cooler TwitterStorm, What's your star sign? I'm scratching my head, "Now, why didn't I think of this?" I absolutely LOVE this TwitterStorm and can't wait to see all you lensmasters and twitterers weighing in to let us know, What's your star sign?

Me? Well, my star sign is Cancer. Interestingly enough, my birthday is just one day away from Seth Godin, the Squidoo King [this is my lens honoring Seth Godin]. I am so thankful each day to both Megan Casey and Seth Godin for having created such a wonderful platform of Squidoo!

P.S. On March 21, 2009 I will be celebrating three years as a Squidoo lensmaster. So, are YOU on Squidoo yet? Hey, why not join me on Squidoo?

Ahem, What is your lowest ranking lens?

2009-03-14T11:14:00.003-04:00

So, what is your lowest ranking lens today? Has it been your lowest ranking lens for a while or is it a different lens? Is it a lens that you feel shouldn't be a lowest ranking lens? Did you notice that usually video showcase lenses seem to be the lowest ranking lenses? Check that dashboard of yours and weigh-in on the topical twitterstorm, What is your lowest ranking lens? run by inkserotica.

What happens to be my lowest ranking lens today? Well, it surprises me to say it is NOT a video showcase, but is actually a travel-related lens of some mysterious place that I would love to visit: Carpathian Mountains -- Border Miles! This lens is actually part of a series of somewhat obscure places that I have on my travel agenda: Ural Mountains -- Border Miles, Carpatho-Ukraine -- Who, What and Where, and Ruthenia! Actually, they are all related in the sense that we are talking about Eastern Europe. I've done a lot of writing about Eastern Europe because of my family genealogy.

High Five to My Bottom Five:

A Module Can be a Work of Art -- Flickr Proves It!

2009-03-13T11:47:00.006-04:00

This morning I had a very nice comment on my Hey Monkeybrain debate, STARBUCKS vs. Dunkin' Donuts -- Coffee Wars! by fellow lensmaster buddy Treasures-By-Brenda. Brenda became immediately topical, hitting the topicability index, with her very green, eco-friendly comment.

The major problem with all of these coffee shops, whether it is Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Tim Horton's or any other one, is those pesky paper cups. Twenty-two percent of the litter picked up in Nova Scotia is...you got it...Tim Horton's coffee cups. I hope you will visit my lens about Banning Paper Coffee Cups and tell me whether you think paper cups should be banned or not!

Well, I didn't visit that paper cup lens immediately, but happened upon another of hers, Baby Carrots ~~ When Is A Carrot Not A Carrot? Reading Brenda's baby carrots lens, I was taken aback by the absolute beauty in her module entitled, Carrots Sure Are a Beautiful Thing. OMG, to say baby carrots can be beautiful and a work of art is saying a mouthful. Take a look at the picture I've included above! This is a carrots mosaic on Flickr by M Kasahara. Check out more of her beautiful mosaics. She used a couple of cool programs to generate her mosaics, FD's FlickrToys and Fireshot, a Firefox extension for screenshots.

Amazon is a Cool Platform -- And Makes for Some Cool Modules

2009-03-11T12:59:00.004-04:00

One of the coolest Squidoo modules for generating a little sale or two; i.e., royalties, is the Amazon module. A module is a building block that you add to your lens when you create it. I've loved the Amazon module when there was ONLY one of these. As of the writing of this blog, there are now 6 different Amazon modules to select from.

Amazon -- In this standard module, you can only feature up to 5 products per Amazon module. If you want to feature more products, you will need to add more of these modules.
Amazon Recommendations -- You can select a category and enter the link or Amazon ASIN and feature up to 5 products in this plexo style module.
Amazon Spotlight -- Perhaps my favorite Amazon module in which you select one item to promote that makes sense for your lens!
Amazon MP3 -- I like this module because your visitor can listen to music selections during their visit to your lens and debut music prior to purchasing -- how cool.
Amazon Search -- I love this Amazon module and will include it to allow my visitors the ability to search Amazon for the products related to my lens topic. You can present search results as 3, 6, or 9 results. Your reader can also use their own search terms to find items on Amazon.
Amazon Voting (Plexo) -- Feature items from Amazon that your readers can vote up, or vote down if allowed, to show popularity of products. You may want to monitor the links that your readers add to this module!

I'm still studying the effectiveness of these various Amazon modules to identify the better performing module of those offered. Some of the interesting Amazon sales resulting from the use of these modules include the following:

P.S. I was writing this blog post JUST as the payout of royalties on Squidoo was occurring for the month of January 2009. Now that is topical indeed!

The Topicability Drink -- Starbucks Coffee vs. Dunkin Donuts vs. Coffee Shops

2009-03-07T12:40:00.005-05:00

To know that coffee is topical, look no further than today's SquidU Review email from Kimberly -- Coffee Shops: We want YOU!

What do you think about when you think “coffee shop?” Do you think brick walls covered in abstract art, with the hiss of the espresso machine interrupting delightful chatter? Do you think serene walls in teal and cream, with enormous ceramic cappuccino mugs and oversized chairs that wrap you into their folds while you read? Or do you think of your own local coffee shop, with the chalkboard menu you’ve memorized, coveted internet connection, and regulars that appear like clockwork? -- Kimberly

My Sample Coffee Shop is the lens Squidoo HQ has designed to show you how to start creating your coffee lens for highlighting your very own "java central."

P.S. While you are thinking about it and what you think about Starbucks coffee, why not weigh in on the Hey Monkeybrain debate that I've been hosting at Squidoo. It's STARBUCKS vs. Dunkin' Donuts -- Coffee Wars! This debate has been waging for well over a year. It was the FIRST of its kind; now there are a number of similar debates on coffee. To know that coffee is hitting the topicability index, searching Squidoo produces 986 lenses at the minimum. A "Starbucks" search yields 286 lenses; "Starbucks coffee" returned 157 lenses. I predict that number will rise very soon!

Yahoo Overtakes Google as a Traffic Generator!

2009-03-05T16:52:00.006-05:00

There has been an interesting SHIFT in the traffic generators for pulling in readers to Squidoo lenses. Not so long ago, you would expect to see the majority of lens traffic attributable to Google searches. Now, you can clearly see that Yahoo is making up the majority of lens traffic. In this particular pie chart analyzing the make-up of 30 day lens traffic, Yahoo is 47%, Google is 19%, and Referral is 13%.

However, taking a look at the pie chart for the same lens for the previous 7 day traffic, you see that Yahoo is gaining on Google! Yahoo generates a majority of 52% of the traffic while Google has dropped by 2% to 17%! Interestingly, Referral traffic has held steady at the 13%!

In a previous Topicability blog post -- The Topicability of Traffic -- It's Just NOT Enough! -- I presented another pie chart which showed that Google was holding a commanding majority of lens traffic easily exceeding 55%! That doesn't appear to be the case any more!

P.S. Have you participated in the very topical Hey Monkeybrain debate, GOOGLE vs. YAHOO -- Which side are you on? Now is the time to be heard!

The People Who Make My Day!

2009-03-05T13:05:00.004-05:00

I've been online for more than 12 years, first with free websites and later with several of my own websites. I've sold online through eBay, eCrater, iOffer, and Overstock; now I only have an eCrater store. Next, I tackled blogging in 2004 and still manage to do a bit of blogging although not always daily. On March 21, 2006, I joined Squidoo and began my quest toward the Giant Squid 100 Club.

Today, I have authored over 400 lenses and spend many an hour weekly administering to my lenses, groups, and comments -- while also taking time to visit other lensmasters' lenses to offer my advice, encouragement, or to just plain make a thoughtful comment.

Well, I've had my share of some pretty remarkable comments through the past 3 years. Today, I was particularly touched by the comment I received on my Stuffed Cabbage lens. My reader Erin Baxter wrote:

I remember quite clearly the smell of stuffed cabbage floating through the house when I was a child. My family called it Sodoma (I'm not sure of the spelling) and it was my Great Grandma Fox's recipe. She was of Croatian and Slovenian descent. I never liked it but my mother still loves it although she is disabled now and can no longer make it. I am the one preparing it for her now. I put all of the ingredients together in a crock pot but instead of cooking it at my house, I take it to hers and my father and her not only get to enjoy the taste, but they get the aroma as well. Here's my family's secret ingredient - when everything is in the pot and ready to cook, you pour a pan of bacon grease ( what is left in the pan after cooking a lb of bacon) over the top. How unhealthy is that?! But my family swears by it's deliciousness!!! This recipe and other recipes of old world food MUST be passed down from generation to generation! Food is the international language of love! God bless

Join me on Squidoo! Create a lens or two, participate in the community and meet some great people like I have!

The Topicability of Numerology -- Square Root Day or NOT!

2009-03-04T15:49:00.005-05:00

Yesterday bore a significance in that it was a memorable day for its numerology. March 3, 2009 = 3/03/09 OR referred to as Square Root Day. I recall seeing a couple of lenses promoting that day; now those would have been an appropriate Lens of the Day [LOTD]! Too bad no one asked me about my opinion for a good LOTD!

Well, today may not be a Square Root Day for me, but I did just notice the MOST curious coincidence when I posted about my dead battery on Twitter. You see, immediately following my Twitter Update, @SquidRich Actually, it's a 1999 yellow roadster as seen here -- "I keep it garaged" dead battery and all > http://best.roadsters.ever.com/, I noticed that it was my 1999 update! I actually think that I was hearing the Twilight Zone movie music playing.

Isn't it interesting to note the topicability of numerology on the internet? Just yesterday, @Scobleizer was talking about how cool 66,066 would be for number of followers --> The next person who follows me will be 66066 -- that is a cool number!

P.S. It was because of my car having it's second dead battery that I am sitting here doing this topical blog post!

P.P.S. And, I am now reflecting on a related topic, Chirp, Chirp, Chirp -- How Often Should You Send a Twitter Update?

Blog, Blog, Blog and You Reach a Milestone!

2009-02-24T14:01:00.008-05:00

It is amazing to note the number of search results from doing a Google web search for "blog." What is equally amazing is to note that Seth Godin is the #4 blog listed after 2 Google sites and Wikipedia. That is pretty darn good remarkable -- especially considering that searching on "blog" yields some 2,890,000,000 results! That's nearly 3 billion. Wow.

Blogger: Create your free blog
Blogger is a free blog publishing tool from Google for easily sharing your thoughts with the world.
Blog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A blog (a contraction of the term weblog) is a website, usually maintained by an individual ...
Official Google Blog
Official weblog, with news of new products, events and glimpses of life inside Google.
Seth's Blog
Seth Godin's riffs on marketing, respect, and the ways ideas spread.

Today is a noteworthy day in that Seth Godin achieved his 3,000 consecutive blog post. It's further noteworthy in that to be able to have 3,000 relevant, topical posts is a remarkable accomplishment.

In the Summer of 2000, I was introduced to Seth Godin's writings when I received a copy of his Permission Marketing from a fellow webmaster. After that, one by one, I would receive more of Seth Godin's books through my work with BzzAgent.

My very first blog post was over four years ago on December 22, 2004. Looking back to that blog post, what resonates with me today is this:

... it is important to have relevant and current content. Market or promote your blog by trading links ... use a lot of outbound links.

It makes just as much sense today that blog posts should be topical, relevant, and spot-on to be worthy of readers. Additionally, a blog achieves more credibility when other bloggers are backlinking to the blog.

May I recommend that you read Seth's blog post for today AND that you also take some time to read the Wikipedia entry for a blog. I've been a fan of Wikipedia for eons; there is really no other place comparable on the internet where a reader can find such a conglomeration of information that rivals the old hard-copy enclycopedias. Reading about the history and evolution of the blog reveals some amazing facts about bloggers.

A blog can be mightier than the sword! A blog can lead to 'other things.' Take Julie Powell for example. She wrote a blog about her experiences mastering the cooking of Julia Child. That blog led to a book, which led to a movie! That's pretty cool I think. Learn more about this by checking out lenses on Julie Powell; Julie and Julia, the Book; and Julie and Julia, the Movie.