Let’s talk about Squidaholic today. Hmm? Where to begin…well how about getting it start from the Squidaholic’s mouth

Squidaholic is a spunky little sister site for Squidoo’s smartest lensmasters. (Say that 3 times fast). It’s a tool for those of us who are curious to see how our lenses stack up online, who want an easier way to track conversations about our topics of interest, and especially for those of us who wished for a way to find new places and people that might want to hear what our lenses have to say. Side note: Use Squidaholic for good, not evil.

There are several cool features to use on Squidaholic, here is the run down…
- Get an up to the minute look at lensrank and traffic
- Direct links to Technorati, Delicious, StumbleUpon and Digg
- Discover relevant tags on Wordtraker
- See a chart with Google Trends, plus get the top ten random Google searches for the day
- Read the 5 most recent news items and blog posts for the lens keyword
- Pit your keyword against another in a Google battle
- Type in another lens address to chart competing traffic

If this sounds like something that would help you out, remind you to get the word out about your lenses then head on over to Squidaholic to take a look around. See you tomorrow with another tip.

Addicted to Squidoo by Albomfamily on Zazzle

If you would like to spice up your Squidoo page try adding a background…it is really easy to do with the HTML code that I have below. Just make sure not to go overboard, backgrounds and colored text can be very distracting if they are splashed all over the page.

Backgrounds can be found online and you can also purchase them – I love DigiScrapeKits. Once you have found the background that is going to work perfect for your new lens, upload and or save it to an online venue such as Photobucket, Flickr, etc.  Now grab the URL and paste it into the HTML code. Tweak your text colors so they compliment the background – make it easy on the eyes. If you used a background from an online source make sure to credit that source – place it at the bottom of your lens in a text module or Blackbox…that is the right thing to do!

The HTML Code & Tips
<p style=”background: url(link for background, between parenthesis); font-size: medium; color: #FFE9AF; padding: 15px;”>Add your text here</p>

- You can change font size to px…ie 14px or x-small, small, large
- Color is for the text, change it so it is easy to read in your background
- Padding adjusts the border – lower moves the text closer to the edges, higher moves the text closer to the middle

Adding Pictures
Floats to the Left: <p style=”background: url(link for background, between parenthesis); font-size: medium; color: #FFE9AF; padding: 15px;”><img style=”float:left; margin-right: 30px;” src=”Picture URL, between quote marks“>Add your text here</p>

Floats to the Right: <p style=”background: url(link for background, between parenthesis); font-size: medium; color: #FFE9AF; padding: 15px;”><img style=”float:right; margin-leftt: 30px;” src=”Picture URL, between quote marks“>Add your text here</p>

See backgrounds in action on a few of my lenses…
♥ Fluffernutter Sandwich – For The Kid In You <—I designed the backgrounds in MS Publisher
♥ In Love With My Guy <—Used background I purchased from DigiScrapKits
♥ Herb Garden in a Basket or Cup <—This is one of my faves – it’s purple!

Now that you have had time to review this information about creating a background on your Squidoo page, please leave your feedback and any questions you have about this process.

See ya tomorrow with another cool tip!

Tuesday July 06, 2010 saw AJ and Alex performing their usual double act on Giant Squid Open Mike, hosted by Joan and Kate. The show was all about Professional Squids and the unique set up that has been designed for the site.

Following the introduction of a fee paying structure on Ning, the decision was made to move Professional Squids to its own website and our tame WordPress Multi User (WPMU) expert, Alex, worked out how to do something that has never been done before – nest the Professional Squids site within the new site being put together for 10-Finity.

We also chatted about how Professional Squids Community Manager Paula Atwell has brought a great blend or enthusiasm and organisation to the site and how hard she has worked with 10-Finity to get the site up and running in record time. Following on from that, Paula herself guested on GSOM on July 13, 2010 and gave her own very personal take on what she is trying to achieve on Professional Squids.

We are not quite sure what the topic will be for the next “first Tuesday” – of course Alex and I spend ages planning the shows, listing the important points we need to make and then going through them carefully before the show……not!!

It’s more like flying by the seat of our pants and praying that Kate does not come up with an in depth awkward question that we don’t know the answer to.

But boy do we enjoy those “first Tuesdays” and if there’s anything you would like us to discuss then please do be sure to let us know.

Read a post the other day on Barb’s blog What Does Squidoo Have to Do with Real Life? that inspired me to put together a few questions and send them off to Barb. Getting to know Squidoo folks interview style gives us a glimpse into their life both online and off. Here is our interview, make sure to drop Barb a note in the comments…she would love to hear from you!

What do you like and dislike about Templeton?

• I like Templeton’s slow pace of life and small town atmosphere. I like meeting people I know when I shop or go to the post office.
• I love Farmers Market on Saturdays only ten minutes from home, and I like the view from my property and all the trees that frame the sunsets..
• I like the easily accessible walks where I don’t meet many cars. I like seeing the wildlife — on other people’s land or the distant parts of mine — away from my garden areas.
• It’s hard to think of things I dislike, but if I have to, it’s probably those few really hot days we have in summer that hit the triple digits. Heat wilts me.
• The only other disadvantage is the gopher and raccoon problem in my part of Templeton. They are always outwitting me and causing me to work harder for less in the garden.

Tell us about the one book home schoolers “must-have” on their shelf?

Just one? So much depends upon the age of the children. The clear winners at our house were The Fields of Home (and the books in the series before and after it by Ralph Moody, beginning with Little Britches) and The Chronicles of Narniaby C.S. Lewis.

What is the best piece of fiction that you ever read?

That is an almost impossible question, since I would depend upon the mood I’m in . I would be torn between Miss Bishop and The Lieutenant’s Lady — both by Bess Streeter Aldrich for first place for literary fiction. For pure pleasure, I’d choose At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon and the entire rest of the series. I love the characters, the town, and laughing as I read.

What is a lesson that you keep learning over and over?

Not to hang on to my first impressions of the people I meet, but to keep an open heart and mind toward people with whom it would first appear I have little in common and allow myself to get to know them.

Connect with Barb

- The best books for children and education

- Lensmaster Profile

- Garden Thoughts

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Image Credit: Book Tree Poster by timfoleyillo on Zazzle

My Virtual Bouquet of Flowers for Joan and Kate!

Thank you Joan and Kate for a wonderful experience – this Squid Reporter went live on Giant Squid Open Mike to talk about The Blog Interview Game and FoodLoversWeb.com. These two gals are the hostesses with the mostest!

Prior to the show I’d worked myself into a dither, after the show I celebrated! My initial anxieties flew out the window ’round about five minutes or so into the show…easy to do with these gals at the helm. Not only did we get my ideas talked about, we also had some easy going chit chat about life and stuff. Towards the end of the show I had the nicest surprise of my day…my partner from Another Effin Blog, Heather joined us on the line! Thank you Heather…it was wonderful hearing your voice, getting the chance to chat for a bit!

This radio program isn’t just about Squidoo, it’s about connecting, sharing and getting to know each other beyond our lenses and online persona’s. And it’s not just for Giants on Squidoo – it’s for each and everyone of us that Squidoo, plus those of you out there wanting to find out more about the social network with a conscious!

—>Visit Giant Squid Open Mike today! Make sure to sign up for a free account on Blog Talk Radio and mark Giant Squid Open Mike as a fave in your profile. The show airs every Tuesday 2PM PST! Looking forward to seeing you there!

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More Info about Spotted Squid by lensmaster quesea

Back to the roots of this blog – no more procrastination, no more blaming that the dog ate my notes And what a better person to start off with than Ms. Charlino. The doll lover, artist and all around good old gal!

Don’t have the date that Tonie and I met on Squidoo, just know it happened and we’ve been in and out of each other’s online lives ever since. In a big way I’ve always loved that eye avatar – I think you can tell a lot from a persons eyes. Anyway, read a little bit behind that on her lensography today – those eyes are from a doll she rescued and has since sold to a private collector. The reason behind using the eyes is explained too…you gotta read her lensography (link above) to get that scoop

No huge fancy write up, I just wanted you all to know I was thinking about her today, have you stop in to share how you know charlino. When she discovers this post – she has fairy powers ya know – I’m sure it’ll have her thinkin wow, how did this…shit happen? Tee hee!

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Photo Credit: Flowers and Eggs by charlino on Zazzle

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