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From the SquidU Interview Archives, an interview with Keries…
Glen: How did you discover Squidoo?
Keries: By accident I guess as it’s hard to remember exactly but I was quite new in IM at the time and willing to try anything – most of which was way out of my league but Squidoo was just so easy to use and with improvements even easier today.
Glen: What is the process you choose to decide on a keyphrase(s) for a lens?
Keries: Most of my lens are on projects I have been working on at the time so I just used same keyphrases as I had for my projects. My lens on Mastering Internet Basics is based on my current project which is currently being beta tested for launch shortly. Mastering Internet Basics has been quite a large membership site project in which my partners and I have tried to include everything one will need to be successful in IM – not an easy task but it has come together nicely and everyone who has seen it has been impressed.
Glen: Is there an ideal number of modules you like to include and why?
Keries: Personally I like to have an introduction in which I inculde something that I think the reader can identify with. 3 or 4 articles of relevant content which a humorous slant as Squidoo should be fun to read. A poll for reader interaction. A funny video or 2. A couple of blog feeds for new content. An Amazon module for a bit of extra income. Readers Comments because I just love to hear what others have to say.
Glen: What success secret can you divulge?
Keries: I had a lot of success with a couple of traffic exchanges but unfortunately traffic exchanges have banned squidoo lens now because of issues with their frames. Basically I just love trying lots of ideas and unfortunately one sometimes ventures where others think one shouldn’t.
Glen: What are you doing to generate traffic to your lenses?
Keries: I promote my lens on blogs, traffic exchanges, emails, social sites etc
Glen: How often are you updating your lenses?
Keries: Not as much as I would like to but whenever I get some content I think is relevant to my lens. I use feeds for some fo my relevant blogs and social site entries.
Glen: Do you have a favorite html trick?
Keries: I’m still learning html so I stick to the basic stuff at present.
Glen: Do you have any tricks for encouraging your lenses viewers participation through any of the interaction modules?
Keries: Polls and videos are good. I’m currently experimenting with interacting my lens with social sites.
Glen: Do you start with an idea and then figure out how to monetize it, or start with a product and then figure out how to promote it?”
Keries: I mainly use lens to support my other projects but I have started to use lens to test out ideas and to see what the response is like. http://www.squidoo.com/babyboomersretirewell is a lens I create from an idea.
Glen: Do you focus on a specific, narrowly-defined keyword or phrase, or do you get traffic from a variety of different phrases and keywords?”
Keries: I just use same keywords as I do for my projects except for the example above where what I’m trying to do is find a narrow niche within the baby boomer niche itself. It’s a work in progress to see what I can discover I guess.
Glen: What’s your favorite white-hat SEO trick?”
Keries: I haven’t used any white-hat tricks SEO in Squidoo but you just gave me an idea.
Glen: What non-Squidoo book or other resource have you found that helps you with your lenses?
Keries: It’s hard to say as I have a play with lots of ideas some work and don’t. I’m not one to categorise resources I just get an idea and if I think it will work try it etc.
Glen: What common mistake do you see even experienced lensmasters make?
Keries: Try to copy other people’s ideas. Okay I’ve heard that one should copy successful people but in IM things move so fast that their ideas are now yesterday’s news.
Glen: What mistakes have you corrected as you’ve built up your Squidoo expertise?
Keries: Heaps – remember I was a complete newbie when I first discovered Squidoo. So I just had a go and everyone in SquidU was so just so helpful that I had a half decent lens in no time.
Glen: What are your three favorite things about Squidoo?
Keries: It’s just so easy – you don’t have to know any complicated html. It’s a friendly place. I don’t have to worry about hosting, domain name registration, ftp, cpanel, databases etc as it’s all taken care of for you in Squidoo.
Glen: Do you have a schedule or management tip for managing multiple lenses?
Keries: No but I’m getting quite a few lenses now so a schedule is a good idea.
Glen: How do you choose when to make several lenses on different angles of the same topic, or when to just make one very long lens?
Keries: Never thought of making several lenses on different angles but you’ve given me an idea – would sure help increase the backlinks if done right.
Glen: At what point did you realize how much you loved Squidoo?
Keries: When I found my lens at the top of several of my keyword searches whereas my web sites weren’t ranking at all.
Glen: What is it about Squidoo – be it a person, feature, reason – that has caused you to stick around?
Keries: It’s just so easy and it gets results.
Glen: What is your own favorite lens and why?
Keries: Don’t really have a favourite because I see them all as pieces of art – all work in progress which I work on depending on my mood and time constraints.
Glen: Where do you write the content for your lenses?
Keries: Everywhere I guess – I might find a nice graphic, idea etc and file them away for future reference.
Glen: You wake up in the middle of the night if a fantastic lens idea,do you: a) hope you remember it in the morning, b) get up and fire up the computer, c) grab the pda or notepad and pen thats ready and waiting next to the bed for times like these, d) rouse your partner from their blissful slumber and put the responsibility on him/her to remember your grand idea.
Keries: I’m a notebook and pencil person but sometimes my notes are a bit hard to work out because I couldn’t find my glasses in the middle of the night!
Glen: What’s your favorite module and why?
Keries: I like text module as I can add a nice graphic, write lots of great content and even add at link or 2 so that I might get a sign up to my list or even sell a product! I love videos too but get distracted for hours on You Tube and don’t get my lens done.
Glen: If you could spend the day with a fellow lensmaster, who would it be and why?
Keries: Gee there are so many interesting people in Squidoo and SquidU that it’s difficult to pick just one. Not too sure anyone would want to spend the day with me though as I’d want them to tell me their secrets!
Glen: What’s the topic of the next lens you’re working on?
Keries: Not too sure but my guess is that it will probably be something to do with my passion for helping others achieve their ideal life.
Glen: What three words best describes your fondness for Squidoo?
Keries: Easy. Friendly. Fun
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2 Comments
Hi Glen
Wow that brought back some fond memories. I’d forgotten all about the interview. I’ve been busy doing other things so had a break from Squidoo for awhile. Someone asked me about Squidoo a few weeks ago so I created a couple of simple lenses as demos for them. It’s definately a lot easier that creating normal websites.
Keries
Hi Keries
I’m not sure if this was published at SquidU or not. I know a lot of them weren’t. Though if it had, they’re not there anymore anyways.
But there’s a lot that Squidnewbies can learn from the old timers