What do you Squidoo?

Squidoo is the world’s most popular site for building free, single pages about your passions.

Highlight books, blogs, vids, online shops, or just spread the word about stuff you love. Bonus: you raise money (for you or charity) at the same time. It’s fast, free, and supereasy.

Squidoo is a network of user created lenses or single pages that highlight one person’s point of view, recommendations, or expertise. Lenses can be about anything, such as ideas, people or places, hobbies and sports, pets or products, philosophy, and politics. Lenses aren’t created to hold content, but rather they are created to recommend and point to content elsewhere on the web.

So, maybe by now you’ve heard of Squidoo and maybe you even have a lens or two. Today I interviewed a man that has over 300 lenses and expects to be earning about $2000 per month in passive revenue by year end.

Joe Dillon, also known as, “Captain Squid” is a Giant Squid on Squidoo. This means he is recognized as one of the best lensmasters around. Joe was on “The Small Business Guru & Gadget Guy” Podcast today, as our guest and expert on Squidoo.

<side note>A Giant Squid, by the way, as the story goes is a lensmaster that has published 100 quality lenses. Geez, these guys must have a lot of time on their hands or there must be a financial strategy to all this lens making.

Today Captain Squid - uh, Joe, gave us the basics on Squidoo. You can download the show here. We had a couple of short conversations prior to the show and let me tell you there is some serious strategy behind every lens this guy builds.

Over at the Captain Squid website there’s a gold mind of information. The basics are free. You can find video tutuorials in the Captain’s Training section.

It’s a facinatingly interactive alternative to Article Marketing - well maybe not an alternative because as Joe pointed out on the call it’s actually works the same as article marketing in creating a viral spread of your links but it’s more because it’s so interactive.

Oh, and there are angel Squids that give blessings - blessings boost lens ranking. Why is that important? The more popular the ranking the better the payout is from the revenue share. Oh, didn’t I tell you? Not only is it free to create a lens, and create as many as your heart desires, but Squid Inc shares the revenue from Google Adsense, Amazon, Ebay and the like.

I must confess, I too have become addicted to Squidoo. I’ve just begun, with 6 lenses now published and two more as WIP (works in progress). I’ve been reading the Captain’s “Lens Publishing Checklist” (you’ll have to subscribe to get your own copy). I’ve got much to learn but you can be sure I’ll be posting again on Squidoo.

Come take a look at my lenses and join as a favorite so you can see what I am up to on Squidoo.

First is my Lens for The Small Business Guru, and then…

• Press Releases on the Internet - about how the Internet has changed Press Release submission; along with how and where to submit.
• (of course) Get More Business Podcast - contains all my show listings
• Referral Marketing Best Practices - many resources on how to build a business by referral
• SmBizGuru Favorite Lenses - I had to have a lens where I saved and shared my favorite lenses that I really liked.
• and just for fun I created a “SquidWho” page for Beth Moore - one of my favorite people. I have YouTube Video’s up on the lens for Beth.
• Next I’ll begin creating a lens for each of my guests that I’ve had or will have on my Get More Business Podcast. This is going to be fun!

I’ve got more ideas than I can type fast enough! Gee I wonder if Squid Inc is still awarding Giant Squid Status?

Many lensmasters use their lenses as a tool for affiliate marketing. Not a bad idea!

Tune in to our next show - date, time and guest will be posted at the TalkShoe page soon. Check it out here.