Great News From Squidoo -- SquidBids!

Squidoo announced today that they have launched a new promotional tool for eBay sellers called SquidBids. eBay sellers can use their eBay userID or eBay Store name to create a profile on their ebay business. It is a cool little tool and something even the big players on eBay should consider for their business.

I would love to see a SquidBid page for GrapevineHill, InflatableMadness, GothamCityOnline among others. Sellers need to reach out and find customers where they hangout and Squidoo gets tons of traffic. Here is an example of a SquidBid page from eBay Seller FreakNoodles.

Seth Godin does a much better job of explaining SquidBids then I would so here is a link to his blog post.

Combining SquidBids with the Red Door Store campaign that some store sellers have started might give eBay sellers some promotional juice.

Brand Yourself!

If I learned anything from my days at Glacier Bay DVD (still the most recognizable brand on eBay), you need to have a lot of eyeballs see what you are offering, before you actually make any money.

The same idea works for exposure to your content or products. The more eyeballs that see your stuff, the more potential you have for making a living at this. That's why I frequently leave comments on blogs and in forums. As a blogger, I appreciate when readers leave comments on my posts and I regularly click back to their site to learn more about them.

I also use one public user ID (rksmythe) on all of my social network accounts for consistency and visibility. I also don't post anonymously on blogs and forums because after awhile people remember your name. Type in rksmythe or Randy Smythe in any search engine and you will see links to my content.

Believe me, if anybody is looking for me they can find me (on second thought, that might not be so good). A brief note of caution; don't use your public id as your private id for online banking and other personal accounts.

My readers come from all over the world but they don't all find me the same way. My Squidoo readers are not the same readers as my blog readers, though if I'm doing my job right there will be a lot of cross-over readership. You need to open up a spot on the web where your readers/customers congregate and then write interesting, fun, insightful content and they will follow you to your other content and products.

Think of every social networking site on the web as a window to your content/products, its simple to create a profile and once you've done that you can move on. Regularly update the sites that bring you visitors. Don't spend a ton of time on sites that don't drive traffic to your content or products.

Where Do You Squidoo?

A great new tool to show everyone where you Squidoo. I thought I would add it here. Special thanks goes out to JasonE for coming up with this great idea. Have Fun!

Using SquidWho to Help You Sell Memorabilia!

I think Memorabilia sellers would get a great benefit from using SquidWho to promote their items for sale. My Jessica Alba lens is getting over 500 unique visitors a week with many clickthru's to the eBay memorabilia I've linked to. Since I don't sell the product nor do I know anyone who does I've just linked to Jessica Alba items by using the eBay module and searching on her name. Imagine the power of really knowing your product and featuring special items on a SquidWho lens.

If you sell sports, celebrity, or other entertainment memorabilia, you might want to check out SquidWho. It might be an excellent tool for promoting your product and best of all its free.

If you don't think you have time or don't want to mess with Squidoo or Squidwho, then I would suggest you work with someone who does. An existing lensmaster can create the content and earn money from the effort as well as the referrals to your product and you get the increased promotion and hopefully sales. eBay and Squidoo -- A match made in ...

SquidWho -- That's You

Seth Godin recently announced it on his blog, so I thought I would do him a solid and also mention it here.

Squidoo just announced a new Internet tool called SquidWho a virtual "Who's Who" on the Internet that doesn't limit who can be included like Wikipedia does. Have you ever wanted to see your name in bits and bytes? Do you want to recognize a special person in your life, maybe a teacher, pastor, friend or family member? Now you can with SquidWho. Here's what Seth had to say:

Are you notable enough? I think so.

It occurs to me that the web is redefining what notable means, and so are we. Famous used to mean Gene Kelly and Mae West, or Sandy Weil and Bill Gates. But with the long tail, notable means: you're the #1 player on your tennis team; you're the top of your marketing department; you're a blogger lots of people read and talk about -- you're the best and most" notable" in your niche, however small. That's the kind of famous that SquidWho is about...

This being the web and not the real world, we decided to take matters into our own hands and launch SquidWho. The people-powered open who's who online. If you think someone is notable enough to warrant a bio, then they are. Your call, not ours, not some invisible editor's.

If you don't like the bio you see on someone, build a better one. It's free. Royalties go to charity. Best one wins. (Here's a good one).

The obvious ones (Bono, Mother Theresa and Jaco) are already taken, but that's okay. Build a better one. Not to mention the room for six billion more.

So, take a moment to check it out. It's fun and stress free but watch out it can be addicting. I've already created several:

• Monty Python - The funniest comedy group of all-time! Don't Argue With Me!
  
• Nolan Ryan - My favorite ballplayer growing up.
  
• Will Smith - My favorite actor, always makes good choices for roles (except Wild, Wild West)
  
• Jessica Alba -Okay, before you start calling me a "dirty old man" this was a test to see how a popular name would do on Squidoo (BTW over 250 unique visitors so far) and I certainly enjoy finding pictures to post.

I know you are all very busy in your everyday life but take a few moments to check it out and create a SquidWho lens about your favorite person or group. Even fictional characters are acceptable.

Okay, one mention about eBay (I've got to stop doing that). If you are a memorabilia seller, why not create SquidWho lens on several of your hottest selling people and drive them to your eBay listings. Check out my lenses to see what I did, each of them links to eBay memorabilia listings as well as Amazon listings.

And The Winner Is .....

This was such a fun contest! All of the entries we received were very good but we can only have one logo, so we had to narrow the field. The judges votes, as well as the community votes, were considered when selecting the finalists. And then the community voted for the winner.

I am pleased to announce that the Winner is Squidee from faerydae

Faerydae will receive $1,000 in Squid Offers and the Presentation Package Set from A Well Dressed Bullet. Congratulations Faerydae!

Oh, in case you were concerned, don't worry about Squid Dude. He will find a place somewhere in our community. Thanks to everyone who participated.

In addition the three finalists have won $500 in Squid Offers as well as the Bullet Pen Set from A Well Dressed Bullet

The Finalists were: (These were great entries as well).

Finalists win $500 in Squid Offers and a Bullet Pen set from A Well Dressed Bullet. Congratulations go to:

Mrs. Communication, tmfvideo and The Illustration Station

Special thanks to everyone who participated and to Kathy of A Well Dressed Bullet for the winning prizes.

eBay Squidoo Logo Contest - Finalists Announced!

I am pleased to announce the 4 finalists for the eBay Squidoo Logo Contest. There were so many great entries we actually had to add one more finalist. Please take some time to vote for your favorite. Please only select on entry! Voting begins today August 16th and ends on Weds August 22nd at Midnight PST.

Lens Of The Week - August 13th

Fabulous MARUCA Designer Handbags: NEW Styles and Fabrics for Fall!

The best kept secret for those in the fashion know is the Maruca line of designer handbags.

Pictured above, Brand New Style: MARUCA Cha Cha in exclusive NEW designer Snaps Olive Fabric available in our online store. Click link to view: MARUCA Cha Cha in Snaps Olive Fabric

See ALL available fabrics for the Maruca Cha Cha handbag: Maruca Cha Cha Handbag Page

Maruca handbags and accessories are known for their lovely jacquard fabrics. Pictures cannot adequately display the beauty of these designs. In the true Jacquard tradition, the designs are woven into the fabric, using multiple colors and textures of threads. The high quality construction and finishing touches, such as the YKK designer zippers, show the care and attention taken with each design. Compliments abound when you wear a Maruca bag!

• Look rich for less: Unique styling and luxury Jacquard fabrics with woven designs, more affordable than most designer bags.
• Great for the woman on the go: Maruca bags are very light, so they pack and travel well.
• Stand out from the crowd: Sure to be noticed and you will get compliments.
• Extremely light weight: If you can't tolerate a lot of weight on your shoulders, these bags are for you!

Designed and Made in the USA!
Ready to buy?

Visit our Online Store

It's Time To Vote!

We were looking for a new eBay Squidoo Community Logo so we started a contest. As of today all of the entries have been received and we have begun the vote. There are 32 entries in all so plenty of options are available. So post your vote today! Just click on the link below to be taken to the voting module on Squidoo. You can vote for as many entries as you like, the top 5 will be presented to the judges and they will select the 3 finalists.

Thanks to everyone who participated.

Click through to see the voting plexo

Get Your Own Store Widget!

Now you can get a store Blidget (Blog Widget) for each of your online stores. No need to wait for eBay to finish the eBay Stores Widget or wait for eCrater or Etsy either. If you have an RSS feed available in your store, you can now share your items with the world. Add the widget to your MySpace page, Facebook Page, Website or Blog. Unfortunately right now you can't add it to your Squidoo lens but I'll see what we can do about that.

See a great example in the post below where I've posted The Freaknoodles, ecrater store widget. I hope you don't mind Colleen. You can get your own Blidget at Widgetbox.com

Winsor Pilates DVDs

eBay Squidoo - Lens of the Week! August 5th, 2007

Welcome to Metro Retro Vintage NY!

Shop till you drop at Metro Retro Vintage NY! And enjoy a variety of vintage jewelry, clothing and fashion accessories. From antique cameos to hippie shoes, vintage perfumes to 50's dresses, Art Deco purses to retro hats, and much, much more!

We've recently changed our name from "Docwoman's Dresser", but still provide the same great service and select vintage items, hand picked especially for you! So don't be a stranger and stop by ... Metro Retro Vintage NY

We Are Having A Contest!

Yep! Beginning today we will be holding a contest to find a replacement logo for the eBay Sellers on Squidoo Community -- out with the old and in with the new.

Say "so long" to the Squid Dude that graces our community header but don't worry about him, I'm sure he will find work elsewhere.

Logo submissions begin today, Aug 2nd and run until midnight Aug. 8th, then "let the voting begin".

Have you ever wanted to design a logo? Are you a graphics guru? Show us what you've got by submitting as many entries as you like. The winner will receive $1,000 in Squid Offers as well as:

"The Presentation Package Pen Set" includes two full size Bullet Pens; one retractable and one non-retractable in a black plastic case which is felt-lined in light grey.


So, show us what you got! Here are the rules and Contest Specifics.

Tag Your It!

Tags are one of the most important tools you as a lensmaster have, to bring more traffic to your lens and for you eBay sellers, more traffic to your lens means more traffic to your products. There are a number of lenses written by Squidoo veterans' to help you become a tagging expert and if you follow their instructions you will see an increase in visits from Squidoo search as well as Google and the other search engines. I've also included links to some other basic Squidoo lenses to help you improve your Squidoo content.

Here are some of the best lenses:

• Squidoo Tagging Tricks: (how to get more visitors and a better search engine ranking using only tags)
• Social Bookmarking Sites
• What I Look For In A Lens! by a Squid Angel
• Basic HTML for Squidoo
• The 8 Free Things Every Site (or Lens!) Should Do
• Do Squidoo: A much requested guide to creating a successful Squidoo lens

I am also here to help so please feel free to contact me and ask me questions or make suggestions.

No More Ratings Swaps!

The Squid blog had a post yesterday, which brought up an issue facing Squidoo. There appears to be a growing problem with exchanging ratings for lenses. This practice is frowned upon because it tends to negate the value of star ratings on Squidoo. If everyone has a 5-Star Rating what is the point of the ratings system?

Squidoo has announced that this practice will no longer be acceptable and in fact may hurt your lens rankings going forward, so please take caution when rating lenses. It is not a problem for you to rate a lens at the request of another lensmaster, but please do not swap a 5 for a 5. Rate the lenson its own merit not because you received a 5. Rate the lens for its value to the community as a whole. I tend not to rate lenses at all until I can rate them with a 5, but it is up to you to develop your own criteria for rating lenses.

So let's stop the swapping of ratings and lensroll's

eBay Squidoo - Lens of the Week! July 30th, 2007

Where you'll find handcrafted jewelry made with love and care!

Welcome to Cactus and Coyote's lens!! I hope you enjoy browsing ~ I offer handcrafted jewelry with a Native American/Southwest theme. I have begun to add more earth-tone jewels and Swarovski Crystals to my creations just recently.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something for every taste...for yourself or for gifts. Each package is wrapped carefully, in gift boxes, and packaged professionally. If you purchase 3 or more items, I'll include a jewelry cleaning cloth at no charge...my gift to you!

Hope you enjoy reading some interesting facts about Native American fetishes. I have many more details linked from my recently updated eBay homepage... www.cactusandcoyote.com It's much more navigation-friendly!!! Come check it out!!

eBay Squidoo Lens of the Day - July 27, 2007

Michael Hero - Heirloom Quality Collectibles 'Crystallized with Swarovski'

Michael Hero designs, formerly a division of Nob Hill Luxury Group, was purchased by a large American jewelry manufacturer in early- to mid-2007, and have since been discontinued. These items, especially those that are new in original gift box with original packaging and inserts, will become more and more difficult to obtain as retailers' and individual sellers' inventories are depleted.

These elegant and delightful frames, vanity trays, trinket boxes and pill boxes were featured in major high-end department stores such as Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and Macy's, and fine jewelry stores such as Bailey, Banks and Biddle and Zales. This unique line of home decor can best be described as "table jewelry," as they are a product of Michael Hero's twenty-five-plus years of jewelry design and manufacturing experience. Each design is inspired by Michael Hero's passion for world travel, architecture and art history, as stated in the Romance Story card, originally provided with each new piece.

eBay Squidoo - Lens of the Day! July 26th, 2007

A Well Dressed Bullet

We offer custom handmade Belt Buckles, Bolo Ties, Bullet Pens, Card Guard Protectors, Clocks, Keepsake Urns, Key Chains, Shotgun Wedding Bar & Party Lights, Zipper Pulls and so much more.

Unique gift ideas for hunters, rifle, handgun and shotgun shooters, police officers, military personnel, conservation officers & those hard to buy for.

We offer several shopping options for you, through our website, our eBay Store or our new Etsy Shop.

We know buying on the internet can be nerve racking sometimes, be confident buying from us, check out our customer comments on our website or eBay feedback.

Squidoo Lens! - House Cleaning Tips!

I've been checking out so many of the lenses being created by the eBay Seller community and I think you are all doing a fantastic job. Here are a few tips on fine tuning your lenses.

• Make sure the lens isn't too long (10 or more modules) or too short ( just 3 modules plus the introduction).
  
  
• Don't show all of your product, the key is to entice them to visit your store or website where they can see everything.
  
  
• Add a Guestbook so visitors can say hi!
  
  
• My preference is for the Guestbook to always be the last module in the lens. If you've added new content or modules, just use the reorder module button to move the guestbook to the end.
  
  
• Always feature your best stuff at the top of the lens. Many visitors scan the page first so you want to catch their eye at the beginning.
  
  
• Sell another eBay Sellers product on your lens. If you have a friend who sells complementary product why not work a deal where they list some of your items and you list some of theirs. That is what makes a community work.
  
  
• Link to your other lenses by lensrolling them, marking them as favorites -- even if they are personal and have nothing to do with your product. I get a lot of links to my Single Dad lens from my eBay related lenses.

Those are just a few suggestions. I hope they help. Please contact me or comment on these posts if you have questions or suggestions.

eBay Squidoo - Lens of the Day! July 25th, 2007

All manner of magical creatures...

Thanks so much for visiting!

Do you love fairies, tales of King Arthur, and all things that whisper of magic and imagination? Glimpse into the world of enchantment through the art of turn of the century and modern artists from around the world! Artists such as Arthur Rackham, Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, John Bauer, Edmund Dulac, Margaret Tarrant, Molly Brett, Florence Anderson, Hilda Miller, Hans Arnold, Elsa Beskow, Mili Weber & more!

Fairies, sprites, pixies, trolls, angels, mermaids, knights, maidens, unicorns, and all manner of magical creatures await you in the castles, forests, oceans, and meadows of these fabulous illustrations!

You'll find enchanting illustations from children's fairy tales that take you back to your childhood. Teddy bears, forest, water & farm creatures and their happy adventures are sure to bring a smile!