What's the Point of Squidoo?

November, 2007, I got an email from someone about this thing called Squidoo. It didn't make much sense to me. I couldn't see how it would be useful and no body else seemed to know what it was. How could you possibly get traffic to a domain that no one knows about, especially if it is drastically different than what they're used to?

Well, I got another one of those Squidoo invitations a month later and decided to take a look with an open mind. I began to see some potential. You could build a lens to direct traffic to your web site or blog. And you can create lots of backlinks. I also saw that thousands of people were joining every day. It was time to give it a chance.

My first page, called a lens, was done in late December. It took me a bit to figure out how page-building works, made some mistakes, then found mentors. Turns out, hundreds of lensmasters freely give of their time and knowledge to help anybody who asks. My second lens was finished in January. Then I created a group for spiritually-focused lenses. The spiritual community was extremely small on Squidoo back then, but now it’s huge.

The surprise gift in Squidoo isn't anything they advertise. It's the connections. I've made some dear friends on Squidoo, and met some terrific mentors. I even got a job offer, doing something I love, that doesn't take away from my own work. The community is based on mutual support and cooperation. Expert lensmasters freely share tips and advice on everything you need or want to know, not just about Squidoo, but everything. There's a free forum with discussion topics on everything under the sun.

You can join for free, build a page for free, then build as many more pages as you want, for free. Then they pay you. That's right, they pay you for building free pages. You can make even more money from Squidoo by linking with partnering sites like Amazon, eBay, Cafe Press, NetFlix, Orbitz, and a whole bunch more. Got affiliate memberships? You can use them on Squidoo to increase exposure, traffic, and sales.

Now here's the kicker: it's fun! Creating a custom page on anything and everything that interests you is fun! It gets the creative juices flowing and allows us to express ourselves. There is so much more flexibility and creative expression possible with a lens than there is with a blog, especially if you're NOT a skilled webmaster. If you are good with HTML and CSS, you can create amazing pages.

If you want to check it out and see what the possibilities are for you, take a look at what I've built. Then go see what else is there. Here are my lenses and groups. On each page you can find a button near the top right corner that says, "Make Your Own Lens". That's where you sign up.

Conscious Change
Smiles and Smileys
After The Secret
Inner Peace, Real Peace, Now
Feline Furballs
The Intenders of the Highest Good
Modern Mystics
Get Happy! Headquarters
James Twyman, Emissary of Light
Neale Donald Walsch, Messenger of Love
Who is Julia Rogers Hamrick?
Who is Jacqueline Stone?
Who is Abraham-Hicks?
Tai Chi for Health and Peace
Who is Dr. Gay Hendricks?
Who is Gregg Braden?
JS Plexo
Empowerment & Enlightenment Headquarters
Who's Who in Personal and Spiritual Growth?
Healing From Abuse Headquarters
Healing Herbs and Holy Tea
Teleseminars for Personal and Spiritual Growth
Sharon Wilson; Coaching from Spirit