Sending Better Tweets

Twitter is one of the best tools available to lensmasters, not only for promoting their lenses, but for staying connected with Squidoo friends, finding ideas and learning new things. There’s a space for your Twitter page in your Squidoo profile, a Twitter feed module, TwttrStrm, and of course you can Tweet your latest lens update using OpenID.

Many lensmasters use the “Tweet Your Update” button that appears in the workshop after publishing a lens. It’s handy if you want to get your lens out there without logging in to Twitter, but is it the best way?

When you tweet your update, the message that appears in your Twitter profile is generic: “I’ve just updated my Squidoo page…” It tells your followers what you’re doing, but it doesn’t give much incentive to visit your lens.

To really advertise your work, sending a customized Tweet is essential. You can copy your lens URL, or use the Twitter button when viewing your lens, and write a blurb about your updates to invite your friends and followers to see what you’ve added.

“I’ve just updated my lens” can become “I’ve just added a new Design Direction Duel” or “Add your gardening lens to the new plexo!” or perhaps “Don’t miss my Mother’s Day gift ideas!”

Using keywords in your Tweets is a good idea, because it will allow your lens Tweets to show up in searches and Tweetfeeds.

"Red Face, Blue Bird"

Facebook Ideas for Squids

Like many lensmasters, I didn’t create a Facebook account until after joining Squidoo. I had hoped that by posting my creations for all of my ‘friends’ to see, I would get a little extra traffic, maybe some comments or even a little praise.

What I actually got were a lot of requests to join groups, sign petitions, and add apps like “top friends” and poker games. You know the ones. My inbox is full of requests that I just don’t have the heart to ignore, but have no intention of responding to. The only apps I have added are feeds to my Del.icio.us and Digg activities. Facebook is like a second Twitter to me. And with the new Facbook Connect tool on Squidoo, it’s even better.

Recently many of my friends and family members started passing around a chain-letter type message on Facebook called “25 Random Things About Me”. At first, I groaned. Between Squidoo, my own website, and my two blogs, I don’t exactly have time to play Facebook tag for kicks.

But then I had an idea. What if I threw a little HTML into my response, and directed readers to my lenses?

Suddenly, the chain letter didn’t seem like a waste of time. I was able to work 7 or 8 lenses into my 25 responses without feeling like I was taking advantage. Just as I had hoped, my lens stats are showing a few visits from Facebook daily. Not much, but every visit counts.

Some other tips for using Facebook to promote your Squidiness:

1. Turn comments on in your updates, so that friends will see any comments you make on notes, posted items and photos. Whenever you post a link to one of your lenses, comment on it, and more people will be able to see it when they log in.

2. Comment on your own activities and include links to your lenses or blogs where appropriate. For example, if you RSVP to an event, comment on the update and include a link to your lens that’s related to the theme.

3. Do you use videos on your lenses? Whenever you add a new YouTube video to a lens, post the same video to Facebook, and let your friends know that you’ve chosen it for your lens. Post a link!

4. When you add a new Duel or Prediction module to a lens, invite your Facebook friends to join in the discussion. The same goes for TwttrStrm lenses, too.

5. Be nice! Have fun, all that good stuff.

Easy Blogging with Results

Many lens masters swear by blogging - it’s one of the easiest ways to promote your work on Squidoo, and can even help improve your search engine ranks. It can be a little time consuming though, and you don’t always get the readership that you would hope for.

One of the easiest ways to get started with blogging is to use forums and other social sites which offer blog space as part of your membership. You don’t get the benefit of ad space or other sidebar content, but your posts are more likely to be viewed by others, especially if the forum you use has a lot of active members.

MySpace is a good example of one of these mini-blogs, but your posts will only be seen by your MySpace friends - or people who find it in keyword searches if you’re lucky. If you really want to get your thoughts (and lenses) seen, you’ve got to try Ning.

Ning networks are a lens master’s dream. Every administrator runs their forum a bit differently, but some of the cool features include an easy to use blog, a photo gallery, and a main page where you can display links to websites, photo slideshows and post updates about your activities. When you add a blog post, it will usually be displayed on the front page of the network, where members and visitors can see your update. Because you can add tags to your posts and other content, it can easily be found through searches of the forum, too.

I’m a member of several exceptional Ning forums, all with different topics, and a good portion of my lens visits each month come from curious members who view my pages and blog posts. Most, if not all, of the members are fun to interact with, and genuinely want to exchange ideas and insights about the forum topics.

Like any online activity - including Squidoo - you get back what you put into it. If you want people to get to know you, and be interested in what you have to say, then you’ve got to be an active member and pay it forward. There are a lot of easy ways to get involved in a Ning network, such as participating in forum discussions, rating and commenting on members’ photos and blogs, and joining groups that interest you.

You can search for networks from the Ning website - there are thousands to choose from, all on different topics. There’s even a few about Squidoo. The key is to find an active forum that focuses on your specific interests. If many of your lenses are about recycling and green living, you would probably benefit from joining and eco-friendly network and chatting with the members about cool ways to save energy. There’s no limit to the number of networks that you can join, and you use the same login for each one. Once you’ve joined your first network, you never have to upload another avatar again.

If you’ve ever had trouble finding a place to discuss your interests online, chances are there’s a Ning out there that will fit you, and your lenses.