Not that I am yet expert... I just reached certain benchmarks, and had some occasional emails asking for advice.
Lenses
When I first started I made some lenses with quite a bit of HTML css decoration. It was fun and I was experimenting, but now I lean to the "less is more" camp, just as I did in my website creation. I still find the accents of initials and borders to be useful, but in lesser amounts.
I like medium length lenses, ideally. Some lensmasters promote the idea of short lenses, maybe five to seven modules, but I feel that is too skimpy to do justice to a topic. I tend to make my lenses a little too long and take topic detours. I don't think that is ideal. The best lenses tightly follow the topic and have a nice flow of information. That is what I am now aiming for.
Making Money
Now that I have a solid year of very intense effort under my belt I am seeing income from my lenses. I utilize very little of my efforts for charity, to tell the truth. There are two reasons for that... I have to know about, and believe in the cause before I feel comfortable contributing, and I wanted to have a little income from the work. But I have contributed a little bit of my lenses to the Squidoo charities- the free garden photo lens and another type which I forget.
Here are some tips on making money:
Integrate the Amazon modules, title them uniquely or not at all; don't ever leave them saying just "Amazon". I like the spotlight modules the best.
Go ahead and use the eBay modules even if you are not familiar with eBay. I let eBay pick the items to post.
One of my best earners is a lens I made in response to a quest. I think Squidoo HQ wants you to succeed, and it is worth it to follow their suggestions and participate in their quests.
The earnings on Squidoo accumulate over time as the lens improves, as it ages ( while being consistently updated), and as a niche is being built. I have not yet mastered that last point, since I experiment with numerous topics.
I have seen steady growth, although the overall amount is not enough to qualify as a "wage". It is still more in the hobby sector.
Marketing Squidoo
Blogging can be hard work, but you need to have a blog to help out your Squidoo lenses rise above the web horizon. That is why I started this blog, to promote my lenses. Being a blogger at heart I am writing other kinds of posts here now, but you have to link to your lenses for them to get noticed and start to rank. I am beginning to do intra-Squidoo linking more right now. That is where you link related lenses from each other. Inside the content as well as Squidoo intro module related lenses.
I post to twitter and to Facebook on occasion. I don't like to overdo that sort of promotion, especially twitter which I am now using only occasionally. Twitter is only useful if you are dedicated to carrying on the conversations. I liked that, but had to cut back my time- especially as I gave more time to creating content.
Me, on Twitter
Pinterest has been good to me with giving traffic to my lenses. I am not a power user of Pinterest and I don't have many followers on there, but its popularity has created a nice side effect of interest in my lenses. I think it could be much more utilized than I presently do.
Me, on Pinterest
Some people use other sites such as Hub, etc. I am not familiar with those sites or writing for them.
Success
My greatest success on Squidoo has been my participation in the community, although I have yet to utilize the forum.
I am a Squid Angel now, and I try to bless both the accomplishment and the potential of a lens. Obvious mistakes, of course, will not merit a blessing from me, but when good content and a pleasing look accompanies an honest effort at making a good lens... I bless it. Maybe I'm too liberal, but I remember how those first angel blessing spurred me on at the beginning of my efforts. I want to be that kind of encouragement to others.
I like alot of lenses. But then, there are a lot of lenses to like on Squidoo, I think.
I don't comment as much as I used to, although I do leave comments. Mostly when someone did something really well, or if I am interested in the topic through the presentation of their lens content.
I might occasionally read about complaints or squabbles, but I don't get involved in business that isn't mine. I learned alot about online participation through many years of involvement in forums and in blogging. There are group dynamics in all these types of media. My advice? Keep your nose clean, and take the high road.
That is it. Oh, and just generally be a blessing and an encouragement... other people need that just as much as you do. that is a type of success in itself.
