Home > Q&A > Q: Does the guestbook have to go at the bottom of a lens?

Answered by ajgodinho: The Guestbook module on Squidoo is a very handy and interactive tool that lensmasters can use to engage their readers. As it is evident in today’s world, social networking sites have gained popularity. One reason being, people love to share their opinions about topics that interest them.

The Guestbook module can be used creatively for many purposes and doesn’t necessarily have to be placed at the end or bottom of a Squidoo lens. Either way, it’s a good practice to use the Guestbook, in most cases, so as to provide an avenue for your readers to interact with you.

So before we discuss other ways to use the Guestbook in places other than the bottom of a lens, let’s talk about when it’s appropriate to use the Guestbook at the bottom of the lens. Generally, when the sole purpose of the Guestbook is to solicit feedback on the overall content of the lens, it’s appropriate to place the Guestbook at the bottom of the lens. For example, if I’m writing a lens reviewing Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet and I’m asking readers if the overall review was helpful to them, it would be appropriate to place a Guestbook at the bottom of the lens.

Now taking the same example of the above mentioned Amazon’s Kindle Fire Review lens, let’s explore some ways to use the Guestboook elsewhere on the lens. Let’s say that on this lens I have several topics, one of which discusses the new Amazon Silk Browser. In this section, which is somewhere in the middle of the lens, I have a YouTube video with a synopsis of the Silk browser. In this case, if I was looking to solicit some feedback from readers specifically about the Silk browser, it would be appropriate to place a Guestbook in this section of the lens.

Similarly, if I have another section, on the lens, which compares the key features of Amazon Kindle Fire versus Apple’s iPad. In this case, if I want to solicit feedback on my readers’ choice of the two tablets’ features, I can use a Guestbook in this section to do so. Of course, alternatively in this case, I can use Squidoo’s Duel module if I want to engage readers in a mini debate, but that’s another topic altogether.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. If you’d like to explore many more ways to use Squidoo’s Guestbook module, I would recommend that you read Robin’s lens titled “15 Crazy Uses for the Guestbook Module”.

The Squidoo Guestbook have evolved overtime, for example, initially only Squidoo members could comment, however, now it’s open to non-members as well. You can even disable HTML if you think you will attract spam on your Guestbook. To learn how to effectively set up your Squidoo Guestbook, visit Kimberly’s lens titled: “Guestbooks and You”.

Now tell me, how do you use the Guestbook on your Squidoo lenses?

-AJ, ajgodinho on Squidoo

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