2007 - The Year of the Squash

I love this lens because its quirkiness is perfectly Squidoo! This lens was made to support lensmaster Barrie’s friend Janet in her quest to open her mind by eating one new vegetable a year…

“When I met my friend Janet she only ate four vegetables: corn, potatoes, carrots and iceberg lettuce. That was in 1986. Determined to widen her horizons, over the years Janet has chosen one vegetable per year that she has vowed to “eat until I like it”. This year I witnessed history as she chose squash to be her vegetable of the year. To commemorate this momentous occasion, and help her in her endeavor, I promised to make her a squash lens.”

The lens covers everything from the history of squash, squash recipes, selecting the right squash, and how to make sure your kids have a soft spot for squash. After seeing this lens, hopefully you too will feel similarly affectionate towards Squash, and join Janet in celebrating “the Year of the Squash”!

http://www.squidoo.com/EatingSquash/

mmmCookies!

I'm starving and this post is about food, food, food!

I've realized one of the best ways to find the right lens is by first finding a group on that topic. Groups mean passion, groups mean resources, groups mean NO noise.

In short, groups mean good lenses.

In my quest for the best cookies on Squidoo, I found Chez*Squid... the "Food Group Headquarters on Squidoo". They feature some of the best food-related lenses on Squidoo that focus on recipes, restaurant reviews, cooking tips, or even lenses about the coolness of squash!

I found Chez*Squid today, and I love it already - I know I can spend hours browsing through its lenses - some quirky, some informative, some a little bit of both! To be honest, what makes Chez*Squid a successful group is that Groupmaster Rachel zealously guards her brand - i.e. Chez*Squid is picky. This means that she takes the time to go through lenses and makes sure only the best are added to the group - to the benefit of both the featured lensmasters and me - the audience. I know I will go back again and again to Chez*Squid, because all of the lenses on it will be worth my time. She's truly made the Chez*Squid group of lenses the "BEST food resources on Squidoo"!

Here is some of her advice for budding Chez Squidders, heck, for any aspiring 'master of the lens'...

We only want food lenses that are truly informative and personal, so that our visitors really know they are getting the best food advice and suggestions. Here are just a few of the reasons why lenses get denied acceptance to Chez*Squid.

The number one reason that lenses don't get accepted to Chez*Squid is that they aren't done being built! Some lensmasters put a little content into a few random modules, and then these are submitted to the group. That's not what we're looking for at Chez*Squid. We want lenses full of delicious recipes, easy-to-understand cooking advice and personal restaurant recommendations.

The second most-frequent reason that a lens gets denied is because it goes off-topic or is off-topic to the group. Focused lenses are the most effective and helpful lenses! Make sure all the content you are creating really relates directly to what you are talking about and also matches your actual lens title.

The third most common reason for a lens rejection is that the lens doesn't offer any written content, or has copied content. We don't want someone's else's reheated leftovers, we want your fresh dish and great taste!

Phew, I couldn't have said it better myself! Now, doesn't Rachel's criteria make you an instant fan of Chez*Squid? It definitely does for me, and it also makes me hungry, so well, see you later!


Note: If you're a lensmaster, make sure you find a home for your lens - join a group! If there isn't one, create one, and start inviting lenses on your topic. One, it increases the chance your lens gets seen by people who're already looking for things like your lens - meaning they're more likely to actually use and appreciate it. Two, you get to see what other people are doing on your topic... Where are the gaps that I can fill? What makes a lens on this topic successful? What's missing in my lens?