Home > News > People who matter – aka – YOU!

The chaos theory states that a stimulus as tiny as the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world.  At Squidoo, we believe that the same thing is happening with our members.  The small actions each member takes are adding up to some great achievements!  We’re raising money for charity, creating a great place to find information, and having fun doing it.  This is living proof that YOU are important and that you make a difference, and we’re celebrating that with the launch of our new People Who Matter community.

This issue is all about YOU!

1. People Who Matter community
2. How to create an “about me” lens
3. Shameless self-promotion techniques
4. Fun stats of the week
5. Lensmaster Interview

Join us in showing the world one lens at a time that you don’t have to be famous to make a difference.  Read on to find out how!

~Kimberly Dawn Wells, Editor of the SquidU Review

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1. People Who Matter Community
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Wikipedia is a great place to find information on your favorite celebrities, politicians, and other famous people throughout past and current history.  What it doesn’t allow you to do, though, is create your own little biography on the web.  What’s with that?  Do we have to shave our heads to get some publicity around here?

Squidoo to the rescue!  We believe that you don’t have to be a movie star or run for president to matter.  Everyone has something to offer, and that’s why we’ve started the People Who Matter community.  Here you are welcome to create a lens entirely about YOU!  Build a resume, share your hobbies and goals, or add photos of your family.  This is your virtual biography to build as you please, and no one will tell you you’re not important enough to be listed!

Get started by designing your own biography lens at http://www.squidoo.com/people/hq

Not sure what you would put on such a lens?  It can be challenging to write about yourself.  Keep reading for ideas and suggestions for creating a fabulous personal lens.

Hint: If you have an existing lens you wish to add to the community, just keep an eye open for the “add existing lens” link to appear.  Or, practice your lensmastery by creating a brand new lens!

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2. How to create an “about me” lens
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When asked to write about myself I am often stuck.  What should I say?  What do other people want to hear about?  What really matters?  The great thing about creating a personal lens is that you get to decide what to share and what matters. 

What are readers curious about?

• Your career – even if your lens doesn’t focus on your job (ie, resume lens) you can still share a bit about what you do. How did you get into it? What kind of training did you need? What is your schedule like? What’s the most fun, least fun about it?
• Your family – awwww…we want to see all the cute photos of your spouse/partner, kids, dogs, cats, chinchillas, etc.
• Your hobbies – do you race modified stock cars on the weekends? Have a 4000 piece keychain collection? Build wooden trellises in your backyard? Show off your hobbies.
• Your oddities – yup, you’re weird. But that’s ok! Are you double jointed? Do you have an aversion to butterflies? Do you fold your socks? Can you only drink the REALLY fresh milk? (Um, ok, only the last two apply to me…)
• Tell me about your childhood – where did you grow up? What was your house like? What are some of the things you remember?
• Goals and ambitions – what do you want to be when you grow up? Even if you’re grown up, what else do you want to do? (If you’re over 18 and not grown up, high five!)
• Fun photos and games – just like on MySpace, you can share fun images and links to games on your About Me page.
• Your Squidoo lenses – don’t forget those!!

How can you use modules to your advantage?

• Flickr and YouTube – easily add photos and homemade videos from your personal online album.
• RSS – this module makes it easy to add a rolling feed from your blog. Just set your desired number of posts and update intervals. You’re live!
• Quick poll – find out how much people really know about you with a quiz, or let the audience pick whether you should buy the silver car or black one.
• NetFlix – make a little extra cash when people sign up for NetFlix after seeing your favorite movie titles.
• Amazon, CafePress, SuperStore, etc. – these modules, also money makers, can be used to display your favorite movie, music, and book lists, great clothing and gift ideas, and fun things from your Wish List.
• Google Maps – where are you? Or, map some of your favorite places to visit, locations you’ve lived, or future travel destinations.
• Guestbook – this is important – let people give you lots of kudos with a guestbook.

You can also use any of the Plexo lists to show off your personal favorites while letting your visitors rank theirs. 

Creating a personal lens is fun, easy, and FREE.  You can make it as short or as long as you want.  You’ll be famous in no time!

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3. Shameless self-promotion techniques
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The only thing harder than writing about yourself is promoting yourself.  When you’re feeling like a tiny squid in a big ocean, how can you make a splash without making a scene?  Here are some fun and creative ways to promote your personal lens.

1. Send your friends and family a press release

“While she may not have starred in any big films, been arrested lately, or participated in the world record for snow angel making, Sandy is making headlines with her People Who Matter community lens on Squidoo.” 

A fun note is sure to grab the attention of your great-aunt Lucy, plus it gives you an excuse to get in touch with friends you haven’t connected with in a while.  Just make sure you hide that picture from Cozumel – you know the one – before your mother sees!

2. Get linked

Where ever you have contact with other people, promote your lens.  This includes:

·         in your email signature

·         on your business card

·         in the biography paragraph of articles

·         contact links from other sites

·         signature on your forum posts

3. Make your lens viral and sticky

Give your visitors a reason to share your lens and a reason to come back.  Create a fun poll to see how well people know you, or host a look-alike contest.  Use Plexo to your advantage by creating lists that readers can grab and post on their own websites (you’ll benefit from a link back to your lens).  Host a questions and answers session.  Readers will be sure to look for their question on your list.

Promoting yourself doesn’t have to be difficult.  Look for opportunities to interact with others and provide them with the chance to click on your link or leave a message.  Also, don’t forget that your readers love change.  Update your lens often with new photos and your latest projects.

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4. Fun Stats of the Week
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Did you know?

·         one lens is created every minute and a half

·         two Squidoo lenses are viewed every second

Wowzahs!  We’re really on a roll here, and it’s getting better every day.

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5. Lensmaster Profile
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Stay-at-home-dad and SquidU Forum regular ChouDoufu explains where he gets ideas for his diverse and detailed lenses, and what matters in the end.

Get all the details, along with some amazing information about Taiwanese Hot Pot, here:  http://www.squidu.com/Profiles/choudoufu