The top tiers of lens raters

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:

1. Romaxx a member since February 2 2008, has rated 11,304 lenses.
2. KimGiancaterino a member since October 30 2006, has rated 8,810 lenses.
3. MeganCasey a member since October 17 2005, has rated 8,660 lenses.
4. Jewelsofawe a member since August 20 2007, has rated 7,497 lenses.
5. JaguarJulie a member since March 21 2006, has rated 7,417 lenses.
6. bdkz a member since February 17 2007, has rated 7,158 lenses.
7. rms a member since May 8 2007, has rated 7,025 lenses.
8. OhMe a member since July 18 2008, has rated 6,740 lenses.
9. 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:

1. Evelyn_Saenz a member since September 12 2007, has rated 3,940 lenses.
2. Music-Resource a member since November 4 2007, has rated 3,938 lenses.
3. GrowWear a member since January 27 2007, has rated 3,894 lenses.
4. tdove a member since June 29 2007, has rated 3,792 lenses.
5. Susan52 a member since April 15 2007, has rated 3,707 lenses.
6. mulberry a member since February 16 2007, has rated 3,367 lenses.
7. 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!

UPDATE: JaguarJulie has been transported via a time machine from Squidoo to HubPages. Oh, and that lasted for about a minute. LOL

The rock and roll of lensrank

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.

Honest Conversation About Squidoo

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!!

P.S. Thinking back on the entirety of my Squidoo experience I DID make thousands of dollars when you include all the payouts over all the years spent there plus include the peripheral sales and royalties. Probably made about $50,000.00 all included. Maybe a little more.

Thou shalt not flame - Forum Etiquette

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

Another Day of Business as Usual in the Twitter Flooding

Another Day of Business as Usual in the Twitter Flooding! 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!

A Lensmaster, Giant Squid and Twitter Etiquette

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.

Celebrating 3 Years on a Social Platform

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

Hey What is Your Star Sign

Wow, wouldn't it be cool to have some statistics on people who Squidoo and Twitter as to their star signs? A Squidoo lensmaster, aj2008, has this cool 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?

Finished my first year at Squidoo

Hi, nice to meet you - I've finished my first year at Squidoo. Well, hello there -- it sure is nice to meet you! I'm a Squidoo lensmaster -- you can call me Janice Doe as I represent many a top-notch lensmaster who has finished their first full year at Squidoo. Many of us took on the challenge of becoming a Giant Squid and actually were fortunate enough to get accepted into the honorable Giant Squid 100 Club! What's that you might ask -- well check out Jaguar Julie's Giant Squid lens for a bit more information.

Attaining the coveted honor of Giant Squid means quite a few perks -- to demonstrate that in tangible data is to look at the following monthly royalties chart for the first full year of a lensmaster. Royalties earned cumulatively for the first 10 months of the year when compared to earnings for the last 2 months alone equalled 80% of that total. In other words, in 2 months alone, those total royalties exceeded the previous 10 months by 20%! How come? Well, a lot of hard work #1 is the primary reason! No spamming or spammy lenses went into this lensmaster's work! Also, since this lensmaster qualified for the Giant Squid 100 Club, that meant their portfolio included upwards of 150 lenses!

Are you on Squidoo yet?

Well, why not join me there and start writing about your passions and hobbies.

Share a recipe or two; talk about a family vacation; show that you are an expert on a certain topic; or tackle a genealogical research topic!

In hindsight, man what a ride it was! I figure I maybe made a bit over $50,000 throughout the course of the run. Try to make that in today's market legitimately. Good luck.

Lensmaster Newbie - Squidoo earnings

Hello, I'm a Lensmaster Newbie - What about my earnings? So you've found your way to Squidoo -- [that's my lensography to give you an idea of what I've written] and you've started by building your first lens! Yippee -- this is very exciting stuff. You've probably written a remarkable lens on a fabulous recipe that has been handed down through your family -- you've included terrific instructions and great pictures.

 Oh, and to get your lens noticed, you've introduced yourself on the Squidu Forum and then asked for a critique in the correct thread. You have built it and now "they" are coming! Ah, your next step was to announce this terrific lens to the world, in a non-spammy way, via the available social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and maybe Tagfoot.

Oh, did you forget to include some Amazon spotlight modules that complement your lens so that you might sell something directly from your lens? That's one of my favorite selling modules -- and then there are others like eBay, etsy, and Cafepress.


This is a chart of monthly royalties paid to a Squidoo Newbie -- in the first year. The first month showing a whopping monthly royalty of $0.96 was for 18 lenses! The next month, 4 received $0.78; followed by 22 earning $5.41; and the fourth month earning a royalty of $10.33 for 40 lenses. The best monthly royalty for the first year of this newbie was $28.48 for approximately 40 lenses.

Why this blog post? There are a LOT of reasons -- but basically getting down to some honest no-nonsense business. If you are thinking you are going to earn thousands and thousands of dollars right out of the shoot on Squidoo, that is an unrealistic goal, at best. But, if you want to make a contribution to a great community and be allowed the opportunity to create a great lens using some terrific building block modules, then you have come to the right place! If you are of the thinking that you have something important to share and can have your writings published, then you will love it here! That was my motivation when I started -- I wrote about my passions and then branched out. In 2006 I had a few dozen lenses; today I have over 400!

Are you on Squidoo yet? Well, why not join me there and start writing about your passions and hobbies; share a recipe or two; talk about a family vacation; show that you are an expert on a certain topic; or tackle a genealogical research topic!

OK, I survived Squidoo and did quite well there, amassing probably over $50,000 during the course of that ride.

Evelyn Wood returns tonight

Evelyn Wood returns tonight to continue what she started in mid January! If you read my blog post the other day, there was much discussion about an Evelyn Wood type speed reader from New Jersey--according to the mapped IP location--we have the street and city--who is rating lenses quickly -- not because they can, but because they want to leave one stars. They believe the one stars will lower the ratings of the lenses, although that is really not the case. If they wanted to show they DIDN'T like the lens, they would leave ZERO or NO stars. By speed rating, they are actually pushing my overall ratings as a lensmaster higher with this one star show of support.

Here are their logged visits for tonight -- pretty quick business. Pretty unhappy person this speed rater!

9th February 2009 07:24:19 PM

9th February 2009 07:24:25 PM

9th February 2009 07:24:49 PM

9th February 2009 07:25:07 PM

9th February 2009 07:25:58 PM

9th February 2009 07:26:11 PM

9th February 2009 07:26:15 PM

9th February 2009 07:26:31 PM

9th February 2009 07:26:35 PM

9th February 2009 07:26:44 PM

9th February 2009 07:26:48 PM

9th February 2009 07:26:56 PM

9th February 2009 07:27:02 PM

9th February 2009 07:28:20 PM

9th February 2009 07:28:27 PM

9th February 2009 07:28:41 PM

9th February 2009 07:28:43 PM

9th February 2009 07:28:50 PM

9th February 2009 07:29:05 PM

9th February 2009 07:29:09 PM

9th February 2009 07:29:11 PM

9th February 2009 07:29:32 PM

9th February 2009 07:32:40 PM

9th February 2009 07:32:41 PM

9th February 2009 07:33:00 PM

There have been other 'strange' activities happening with regards to lenses and other lensmasters -- whether or not they are all related remains to be seen. But, obviously this particular "lensmaster" who is on a speed-rating mission is not a happy camper.

UPDATE: Evelyn Wood was actually a guy from Brick, New Jersey who also was living in Fernandina Beach, Florida. He had at least 9 multiple IDs on Squidoo and was busy using them to one star Squidoo lenses. We knew who he was and so did Squidoo.

UPDATE TAKE TWO: Evelyn Wood banned from HubPages! Yeah, man! Karma will surely get YOU in the end.

Evelyn Wood is reading and rating Squidoo lenses

So, Evelyn Wood is reading and rating Squidoo lenses? Well, who the heck is Evelyn Wood anyway? Evelyn Wood was a teacher known as "the Pioneer of Speed Reading." She taught herself to read very quickly by watching fast readers.

Her method is to read every word by using a finger or pointer, such as a pen to move under each line of text at a steady pace.

Her system is based on the idea that every person reads a word at the same rate, but a poor reader re-reads words. The pacing hand prevents re-reading, the brain does not need to interpret a jumble of words, with a resulting increase in comprehension, speed, and enjoyment.

Evelyn Wood passed away in 1995 in Tucson, Arizona. But, an Evelyn Wood speed reader is alive and living in New Jersey; quickly reading and rating lenses! Yes, there have been repeated sightings of this lensmaster who persists through sleet and snow to quickly visit and rate lenses every spare chance they get! The problem with this method of speed reading and rating is that little time, if any, is spent on a lens before a rating is left. That means that this lensmaster does not determine that the lens is quality or not before leaving the one star rating. This method of evaluation contradicts the intent of the 5 stars rating system currently in place.

There has been much discussion previously that Martha Stewart is reading Squidoo lenses for show ideas. She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and graduated from Nutley High School in Nutley, New Jersey. She sold her colonial-style farmhouse estate, Turkey Hill Farm, in Westport, Connecticut for $6.7 million -- 26% below the asking price. She owns a number of other properties including a 153-acre Katonah, New York estate. While Martha Stewart may be reading Squidoo lenses, it has been proven that she is NOT the Evelyn Wood speed reader.

If you search the Squidu Forum, you will find many, many threads on "how many lenses have your rated" and "how do you rate lenses with stars." There are those lensmasters who can quickly ascertain the star quality of a lens and rate it; then there are those lensmasters who take their time on a lens before evaluating with their star rating. Some lensmasters vehemently believe that you must use all the stars to evaluate a lens. Others will say that they will not leave a star if they cannot find it in their heart to leave 5 stars.

And, then there is the Evelyn Wood speed reader and rater from New Jersey!

UPDATE: Evelyn Wood was actually a guy from Brick, New Jersey who also was living in Fernandina Beach, Florida. He had at least 9 multiple IDs on Squidoo and was busy using them to one star Squidoo lenses. We knew who he was and so did Squidoo.

UPDATE TAKE TWO: Well, it seems we all moved on from Squidoo to HubPages. You know what? I recently found that our Evelyn Wood attained a new distinction of being BANNED from HubPages. How about that?

Six Months with Seth - SusanVillasLewis

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

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

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

Tribes Casebook released as companion to Tribes book

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

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

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

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

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

An avatar to suit your many identities

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

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

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

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

Have you faced your Manga yet

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

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

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


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

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


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

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

It's a Circular Reference : Topicability

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

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

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

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

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

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