Always Juggling

Recycling Old Content into Wizzley Pages

2012-01-28T13:18:00.000Z

Like many people when we first start online, I have been publishing pages on Squidoo and then moved on to include Blogging in my publishing portfolio. I have started several blogs but, again, like many people have either lost interest of felt pressured to keep them updated and fresh, while not receiving any real benefit.

The problem is though, that you don't have the heart to just delete the blogs. Not when you have spent time researching the keywords and creating unique content. But recently I came up with an idea and that was to recycle the content into new pages on Wizzley, so that my past efforts would not have been wasted. I also stand a chance of making more income on Wizzley than I have so far on the blogs.

The first blog I looked at was one I set up to help the parents of children who are being bullied. I redid my keyword research and took the posts and converted them into Wizzley pages as follows:

Bullying Help
Bullying Signs
Bully Diary
Bully, Bullied, Bystander
Bullying of Gays

The other Blog I started to pull apart was one about Going Green Ideas and so far have published:

Home Made Skincare
Home Made Foot Soak
Natural Cleaning Recipes

It is hard to say goodbye to those blogs, but I am being realistic as I try to make more money in less time spent online in 2012.

Trying to move on and also clear out the clutter

2012-01-27T13:05:00.002Z

When I last posted I was trying to come to terms with the loss of my Dad. It is still not easy but I am now trying to focus on my goals for 2012.

I have kept things simple and so far just set myself the task to increase my pages on Wizzley to 50 by the end of March and to either make, delete or give away the Squidoo lenses that I have that are unpublished. I have also given away 12 published lenses that I have lost interest in and were getting no traffic.

My very topical Squidoo page Year of the Dragon has broken all viewing records for me. Thanks to that page I broke the 60,000 visits in a week barrier.

My Squidoo lens total is now 196, but my focus is currently on Wizzley. I am very impressed with the way the owners work very hard at maintaining the quality of the site and I think this is going to reap the benefits as we watch the effects of Panda Updates on other sites.

On Wizzley I am trying to focus on topics and products in which I have a real and genuine interest, so various niches are being developed, including building up my recipe pages

Easy Beef Stroganoff
Recipe for Mushroom Sauce
Roasted Chicken Recipes: Spanish Chicken
Chicken Leftover Recipes
Wheat Free Recipes
Pork Chops Recipe
Recipe for Spanish Omelette

A Tribute to my Dad

2011-11-23T13:30:00.001Z

A couple of years ago I published a page on Squidoo I Love You Dad and in it I included some very personal stories about my Dad and what he means to me. Now the page is providing some focus for me as I and my family mourn and try to come to terms with his very sudden passing on November 11.

Nothing can ever prepare you for a loss as huge as this. My Dad was my hero for many reasons and although I know it will get easier, my every waking moment is now underpinned by such huge sadness that I sometimes wonder if I will ever have the heart or the motivation to continue with writing online full time, as I have been these past three years.

I know that will change and I will want to write again but at the moment, it just is not important.

200 Pages on Squidoo - a milestone

2011-11-17T13:25:00.001Z

I finally made my 200th page on Squidoo and a few more besides! Continuing on the dragon theme I have made more pages that to link to The Year of the Dragon:

Dragon Pictures

Dragon Calendar

Dragon Puzzles

I also made a page to prove that it IS possible to produce a "legal" page about coloring pages and resources of trademarked and copyright images:Disney Colouring Pages

Then to celebrate making my 200th page on Squidoo, I made this page for my husband:Why I Love You and finally with Christmas so close:

Radio Flyer

Radio Flyer First Scooter

Radio Flyer Wagons

That takes me to 203 pages on Squidoo.

Kindle and Dragons

2011-10-10T17:18:00.002+01:00

Working flat out to get to 200 Squidoo Lenses, my topics over the last week have focussed on the new Kindles and Dragons.

Amazon recently announced the new Kindle Touch and the Kindle Color, both of which are available to pre-order now, ready for delivery next month. Figures leaked out of Amazon show that pre-orders of the Kindle Color have gone well past the 250,000 mark and it is on target to outsell the Apple iPad on Day 1.

Some more keyword research about dragon products has enabled me to expand on my Dragon Niche in readiness for the upcoming Chinese Year of the Dragon. As a result I have published:

Dragon Jewellry

Swarovski Dragons

That takes my page total on Squidoo to 195. Only five more to go!

Writing Online

2011-10-07T13:54:00.000+01:00

The new Writing Online website is set up. We have agreed a writing schedule and we are lining up Guest Authors. So now it is time to look at the next stage of the SEO.

The site name and the categories cam about as a result of keyword research, so that side of things is well taken care of. So now is the time to look at backlinks and a DoFollow backlink from a site wityh a Page Rank of 7 is very valuable indeed. hence my new Squidoo lens: Writing Online.

Vampire Outfits

2011-10-06T13:51:00.000+01:00

It is getting rather close to Halloween to be publishing new pages and expect them to "age" sufficiently to get much traffic. However, thanks to some keyword research I came up with a Halloween Keyword that I hope will do well next year, even if it does not do much this year: Vampire Outfits.

The trick with any "holiday" theme is to publish the content at least three months in advance, which I clearly have not doen here, so I wont be too disheartened if the page does not get much traffic for Halloween this year, but at least I will be ready for next year :)

Kindle Touch & Kindle Keyboard

2011-10-05T13:47:00.000+01:00

Amazon have been working hard to keep up with touch screen products and finally they will be releasing the Kindle Touch on November 21, 2011. It is available to pre-order from Amazon now.

Demand is expected to be very high, so I would not be surprised to see stocks running out shortly after the launch date.

However, Amazon also recognises that some people will still prefer a Keyboard, so the Kindle 3 is being re-marketed as The Kindle Keyboard.

September was my most prolific publishing month ever

2011-10-04T13:44:00.000+01:00

Looking back at the spreadsheet I use to keep a record of my lensmaking and SEO activities, I have just realised I published ten new pages on Squidoo in September - this is the most I think I have ever published in one month, since I joined the site in 2008!

Earlier in the Summer, I set myself the target to get to 200 lenses by the end of the year. Then I revised that goal to get 200 lenses as soon as possible. Once I have done that my new target is 50 pages on Wizzley - I have yet to set a timescale for that...

Planning ahead has been a big weakness for me - I have tended to live too much in "the now" online and it is something I have been determined to address. Too many pages published at the last minute, instead of ahead of time. However, I am proud to say that I have managed to really get ahead of myself as far as pages related to Chinese New Year is concerned and I have now published a number of related pages.

In January The Year of the Rabbit will give way to The Year of the Dragon - the fourth sign in the Chinese Zodiac. Past experience has shown me that the Chinese Horoscope animals generate a lot of traffic for the animal whose year it is, so I did some keyword research and came up with a series of topics related to Dragons.

So far I have published:

The Year of the Dragon
Clipart Dragons
Dragon Bedroom
Dragon Bathroom - yes, my research showed that quite a lot of people would like a Dragon Bathroom!

Including the pages I have published so far in October, I now have 192 pages on Squidoo - only 8 more to go to reach my target for this year!!

Bullying Help

2011-09-26T18:42:00.000+01:00

I began writing online because I wanted to pass on help and tips to parents of children who are being bullied. My family suffered first hand when my daughter was bullied at school and I wanted to help others who may be suffering what we suffered.

I never thought that many people would actually read what I had to say, but I figured that if just one family was helped then it would be worth it.

The response I received to my page Bullying at Primary School has given me the confidence to start my own webiste: Bullying Help.

Writing Online

2011-09-25T18:30:00.000+01:00

Over the past few months I have been working in collaboartion with two of my online friends to set up a new website. It has been a long time in the planning as we are all heavily involved in various online endeavors, including publishing on platforms like Squidoo, Wizzley and Hubpages.

Hiowever following a very busy Summer (we all have families to make things magically happen for), we have finalised the layout of the site and are now ready to launch the site: Writing Online.

Writing Online aims to help people and give them the cionfidence to set up their own micro-niche blogs, so that they become less reliant on earning on sites owned by other people. We will do this through a series of articles about various topics, including how to set up Wordpress Blogs and SEO Tutorials.

Year of the Dragon

2011-09-24T18:25:00.000+01:00

OK, so The Year of the Dragon is four months away, but publishing now will give the page time to "age" and gain authority (hopefully) in Google's eyes.

The Year of the Dragon will take over from The Year of the Rabbit on January 23, 2012 and end on February 09, 2013, when it gives way to The Year of the Horse.

The Dragon is the fourth sign of the Chinese Zodiac and is said to signify luck.

Astrology Calendar

2011-09-23T18:21:00.001+01:00

Continuing with my determination to plan ahead better I have published another page about Calendars. This time, in line with my interest in Astrology, I did some more keyword research and came up with Astrology Calendar.

I am actually surprised that the range of Zodiac Calendars available at this time of year is not huge, but I will keep checking back with my main suppliers to make sure I pick up the new releases as soon as they are published.

Cliff Richard Calendar

2011-09-16T14:30:00.000+01:00

I was amazed to discover that the 2011 Cliff Richard Calendar was the best selling male celebrity calendar on Amazon UK. The evergreen Sir Cliff Richard (71 next month) had beaten the much younger competition (in the form of Justin Bieber and others) hands down.

And now the 2012 Cliff Richard Calendar is available.

Wii Draw Games

2011-09-15T14:26:00.001+01:00

Some new keyword research threw up a keyword that I should have checked out long before this! So, this last few days I got cracking with another page in my series about Gaming and published Wii Draw Games.

When I thought about it I was not surprised that this is a well searched phrase - after all my most successful page for sales last Christmas was Wii Draw!

THis year in a ddition to the Wii Draw favorites like Pictionary and Dood's Big Adventure, there's some new games being released on November 15, ready for the onset of Christmas shopping. All the new games are already availble for Pre-Order on Amazon and they include uDraw Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat

UDraw

2011-09-08T17:36:00.000+01:00

If you like to play on the Nintendo Wii as a family then the UDraw will increase your options for family fun. Not only can you use it to play drawing games like Pictionery, but it can also be used as an art tablet to produce Digital Drawings. These can then be downloaded to your PC and printed off.

I can think of lots of great ideas for card design for the Grand Parents!

Halloween Lenses on Squidoo

2011-09-07T17:32:00.000+01:00

Following the lull in my Squidoo lensmaking due to the six week break my girls get off school in the Summer (exhausting!), my publishing rate is on the increase again. With Halloween fast approaching, I decided that this year I would try to nail some niches in that wide ranging topic.

I did my usual keyword research and came up with some ideas. It does seem to me that Halloween Fancy Dress Costumes are huge sellers but I was surprised that the competition in some areas was not be as bad as I first thought.

As a result I have published:

PlusSize Halloween Costumes

and

Halloween Couple Outfits

My Newest Squidoo Lenses

2011-08-27T18:49:00.001+01:00

My Squidoo Lensmaking has slowed down somewhat due to various reasons. My girls have been on their Summer Vacation from School since the middle of July and so I have been "Mum's Taxi" as I try to continue my online work and ferry them around all over the place.

But there's also been the impact of various changes on Squidoo, which has required some massive updating of my best lenses. I say my best lenses because I have had to prioritise my time and that is best spent on any lenses that rank below 85,000 and in particular those ranking in the top two tiers.

However, I have managed to publish a couple of new pages on Squidoo this month:

Zazzle Reviews - all about how I use Zazzle, not only to sell my family's art work but also how I use other pictures from Zazzle to illustrate a lot of my online content. Free to use, providing you either have a Zazzle Store or you are a Zazzle Associate AND you may just make some sales as a result too.

Chocolate and Cream Recipe - a quick and easy recipe for Chocolate Swirl.

How to use Hashtags on Twitter

2011-08-22T20:29:00.000+01:00

I love Twitter and if I am honest I think I prefer it to Facebook. But there's a few tips and tricks to using Twitter that some people find hard to grasp. One of them is Hashtags.

I love Hashtags, because they are the means by which you can find other people with similar interests to you on Twitter and more importantly, how they can find you!

I explain it all in How To Use Hashtags on Twitter

About AJ

2011-08-21T20:25:00.000+01:00

Sometimes, when we join a new site, the first thing we do is introduce ourselves by making an "About Me" page. And this is the first page I made on Wizzley: About AJ

And pages like this serve as a reminder that what we write about ourselves six months ago, or longer often needs updating as our lives change too. And isn't that a good thing. If we did not need to update our About Me pages then life may have been rather boring :)

Best Chicken Wing Recipe

2011-08-20T16:00:00.000+01:00

Best Chicken Wings Recipe is the only Squidoo lens I have ever paid money for. Normally I am quite happy to make my own lenses, but when I saw that this Squidoo page was for sale, I checked out the keywords, saw it had potential and so I bought it.

But not before I had also checked out that the content was not plagiarized and that all pictures on the lens were properly credited and free to use. I certainly did not want to find myself committing Copyright Infringements.

I then set about making the lens more in my own style and then promptly neglected it. So now, I am spending some time bookmarking and backlinking, to see if those keywords will work well and get more traffic.

Zazzle Reviews

2011-08-20T02:00:00.000+01:00

I love Zazzle but have been neglecting my Zazzle store recently due to spending time on other projects. However, with the drawing in of the Summer nights, although Christmas seems a long way a way, it is time to rejuvenate my store and Zazzle Reviews is part of my backlinking strategy.

In Zazzle Reviews, I not only feature some of my best selling images, I also explain how anyone can set up as a Zazzle Associate - you don't have to have a Zazzle Store.

Becoming a Zazzle Associate is another way that you can find images to use on your online content and providing you use the links given to you by ZAzzle, it is perfectly legal. AND you may just make some extra income from sales too!

Advanced Keyword Research - Market Samurai

2011-08-19T20:16:00.000+01:00

It is not often I will advocate spending money on SEO techniques or services that you can usually find for free, but I make an exception for Market Samurai.

Much of the time I use the free Google Keyword Research Tool, particularly for my pages on Squidoo and Wizzley. But for blogs I use a different tool: Market Samurai. And in the final part of my series on Wizzley about Keyword Research, Keyword Research 4: Market Samurai, taking keyword research to the next level, I explain how you can try Market Samurai for free.

You really cannot lose because even if you do not want to pay for the full version, you will still be left with an awesome keyword research tool. You really, really cannot lose!

Using Images on Squidoo

2011-08-19T19:36:00.001+01:00

Using Images on Squidoo is a collection of resources that will help you find images for your content, not just on Squidoo but other webpages as well.

One of the biggest problems when writing online is finding free to use images. Most images are copyright and you need to avoid Copyright Infringements. Often there's conditions attached to those images where the owner gives permission for them to be used.

On Squidoo, we are encouraged to use visuals to break up text and make a page less boring but sometimes it is extremely hard to find the images we need - this is when other Squidoo Members' experience can help and many have shared that experience on their own pages.

The best pages are spotlighted in Using Images.

Where to use Keywords

2011-06-10T15:18:00.000+01:00

The third in aseries about Keyword Research, this page about Where to Use Keywords, shows how to make the best use of the keywords you have researched and selected for use.

If anyone tells you that having your keyword in the URL of a page you are publishing on sites like Wizzley, Squidoo or Hubpages, then I could not disagree more. It DOES matter!

How to do Keyword Research

2011-06-09T15:13:00.001+01:00

The second in a series of articles How to do Keyword Research is a step by step guide on how to use the free Google Keyword Research Tool.

Using screenshots, I show how I researched keywords for one of my top ranking pages on Google. I also show how I sort the keywords and decide which ones I should use. An Excel spreadsheet comes in handy for this but you can make do with a pen, paper and a calculator :)

Keyword Research 1: Introduction to Researching Keywords

2011-06-08T15:07:00.000+01:00

When I joined Wizzley (a new revenue share website) I was asked to write some articles about Keyword Research, so I made a series, starting with Keyword Research 1: Introduction to Researching Keywords.

In this article I introduce readers to the reasons why keyword research is so important.

The biggest mistake anyone can make is to put a whole ehap of time and effort into creating a page that no one will find. Keyword Research is crucial to ensuring that you publish content using the exact same phrases that searches are using to find the information they are looking for.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

2011-06-07T14:58:00.003+01:00

Easy Beef Stroganoff is a quick easy dinner recipe that is suitable for family dining or something more formal when friends visit. What I like about this recipe is that if a vegetarian needs feeding then this recipe can be easily adapted so that you dont have to make something completely different.

The whole meal takes very little time to prepare and cook - an important factor for busy Mums and Dads who are often having to provide a meal for the family at the end of a long and tiring day working.

How to Write for Profit

2011-06-06T14:40:00.003+01:00

How to Write for Profit is a summary of the sites and affiliates I use to make money online. These sites include Squidoo and Wizzley, which is a new site that is building fast.

I also share which affiliate sites I use as well as a couple of sites where you can get free to use images and sales revenue too.

There's also links to more of my articles that will help you with SEO and keyword research. There's even a link to a page that will tell you how you can make a Firefox Toolbar, to organise your bookmarks.

Buy Trampoline

2011-06-05T14:36:00.000+01:00

Buy a Trampoline Mum - please! Trampolines are really popular among a big age range of kids these days and I am being constantly pestered by mine to get one. So while I "think about it" I did some research about what you need to consider when buying a trampoline.

Obviously safety is a huge factor, in addition to having a garden big enough to accommodate a trampoline. But you can check out what I discovered at Buy a Trampoline.

Best Rated Laptops

2011-06-04T14:28:00.001+01:00

One of my aims with my online writing is to be able to buy a Laptop so I can sit in my garden and work during the warm weather. But there's so many on the market, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which one to buy.

However, I now know that providing you are clear from the outset as to exactly what tasks the laptop will be used for then you can make sure you get one suited to your needs.

For instance, my laptop wont be used for gaming but I will need one that can "multi task" like I do. I do a lot of research for my writing and I often have a lot of browser tabs open at once. Sometimes i will also need to use Word and Excel at the same time, so I need a laptop that can cope with that.

Then the final stage is to find a laptop that is not only suitable for your purpose but one that is reliable and value for money.

So I headed over to Amazon, check out the buyer reviews and the ratings. I came up with 5 laptops that are the Best Rated Laptops.

Star Signs Compatibility

2011-06-03T14:21:00.000+01:00

A great way to organise all your pages on Squidoo is to pull together the links into one page - called a "lensography". So recently I did just that with my pages about Love Horoscopes.

Visitors will now be able to easily find each of the pages I have made about love and how it relates to each of the Zodiac Signs.

You can find out more at Star Signs Compatibility.

Quick Easy Recipes for Dinner

2011-06-02T14:17:00.003+01:00

I love to cook but as the multi-tasking work at home Mum of four, with two kids still at home, finding quick, easy recipes for dinner is important to me. But so is serving fresh, nutritious food.

I was checking through some of my published recipe pages and realised that they all fit in to a micro-niche. So I have pulled them all together in an index of Quick Easy Recipes for Dinner.

Libra in Love

2011-06-01T14:14:00.001+01:00

Continuing my series of Love Horoscopes, Libra in Love will tell you what you need to know to wow the Libra in your life. We look at the romantic Libran personality and give you tips about where to take them on that all important first date.

So do you have what it takes to keep one of the most romantic star signs happy?

Wizzley - a new Revenue Share Site

2011-05-31T14:14:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago I was invited to become part of the first group of Beta Testers for Wizzley - a new community for writers that offers revenue share and allows you to make affiliate sales too.

The fact that the invitation came from 3 people who I have known online for some time now and who I completely trust meant that I did not have to think twice about joining!

Wizzley is like other similar sites, in that shares adsense and affiliate revenue. I would say it has taken all the best bits from Squidoo and Hubpages to offer a very simple publishing platform that is already developing a great community spirit.

And joining a site like this makes perfect sense, even if you are enjoying publishing on other sites because it is a big mistake to keep most of your content in one place. It makes you vulnerable to rule changes or even if *gasp* the site went down for any length of time or even closed.

I really do recommend that you try Wizzley - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain :)

How not to Infringe Copyright

2011-05-18T11:59:00.001+01:00

Even the most ethical publishers of online content can make mistakes sometimes and copyright infringement can be one of them. Either researched content is not sufficiently rewritten, credits are forgotten and images which you thought were OK to use, come with Terms and Conditions you may not have noticed.

All of this can combine to create a minefield when it comes to Copyright. Basically unless you can find something that says you CAN use something, then it is bets to assume you CANNOT!

I recently did a programme on Giant Squid Open Mike (on Blog Talk Radio) about Copyright and I made so many notes before we went on air, that I realised I had enough material to make a page: Copyright Infringements.

Sponge Bob Game

2011-05-11T09:00:00.000+01:00

Recently I discovered that someone had bought a new Sponge Bob Game through my Amazon affiliate account and it got me doing some keyword research. Spongebob Squarepants is not only a very popular cartoon character, but he is also responsible for a huge range of merchandise.

Narrowing the niche for that merchandise is hard but it seems that a huge number of searches are being conducted to find a Sponge Bob Game so I have published a new page that I hope will provide the searchers the info they are looking for.

Was it right to kill Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-08T12:19:00.000+01:00

Following on from the publication of a brief Biography about the life and death of Osama Bin Laden, it has become apparent that not only do people want to know more about this enigmatic leader of Al-Qaeda, but they also want to debate and voice their opinions about many aspects relating to the news of the last week.

Now it has been officially confirmed that Bin Laden was unarmed when he died, some sections of the Global Community are asking if it was right to kill Bin Laden.

Therefore I have published another page with opinion polls and a duel module that asks Was It Right To Kill Osama Bin Laden?

Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-03T16:07:00.000+01:00

Finally, after a manhunt that lasted nearly 10 years, American Special Forces found Osama Bin Laden and within hours he was dead and buried at sea.

Much has been made about the deference to Muslim burial rites, but one can't help wondering at the convenience of burying a man, who will lauded as a martyr to his cause, in a place that cannot become a shrine.

I am not commenting on whether I agree with this or not, because I do like to base any views I may have on facts and I think that it is unlikely we will ever be told exactly what happened.

Do I think that the world will be a safer place, now that Bin Laden is dead? Only time will tell.

Virgo in Love

2011-04-30T18:15:00.001+01:00

A Virgo in Love may appear to be cold and uncaring because they do tend to hide their feelings. But underneath that cool, calm exterior is someone more than capable of giving and receiving love!

Do you have what it takes to get under that shield? Will you make a compatible partner for a Virgo?

Leo in Love

2011-04-29T18:11:00.001+01:00

Leo in Love is usually very happy to be in love! It is what they were made for. Leos are the "beautiful people" of the Zodiac, who are natural born leaders. But this can also make them determined and stubborn.

Do you have what it takes to keep a Leo happy? Leo in Love will keep you on the right track, providing of course that your own star sign is compatible ;)

Cancer in Love

2011-04-27T18:11:00.000+01:00

Cancer in Love continues my interest in Astrology and is one of a series of Squidoo lenses that I am currently working on.

However, given that I have two daughters born under the sign of Cancer, I can confirm that it is probably the most emotional sign of the Zodiac. With one daughter now divorced, I am going to point her in the direction of Cancer in Love, to make sure she has better luck next time around!

Gemini

2011-04-19T19:07:00.000+01:00

Gemini is the latest page I have published in my Western Astrology series. Thanks to their insatiable curiosity and quest for knowledge, Gemini is definitely the "Pandora" of the Zodiac.

The dual personality of the Twins, makes them interesting personalities, if rather annoying to some! Gemini is the third sign of the Zodiac and its symbol (also known as a Glyph) represents the Two Pillars of Wisdom.

Tunnel Carpal Syndrome

2011-04-18T19:03:00.001+01:00

Tunnel Carpal Syndrome is actually a popular search on Google for a condition correctly known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Recently I was diagnosed with this painful wrist condition, which also makes your fingers numb and can affect your grip - now I know why I keep dropping things! However, I am alleviating the symptoms by wearing wrist splints at night while I sleep and you can find on my page: Tunnel Carpal Syndrome

Best Keyword Research Tool: Market Samurai

2011-04-17T18:59:00.000+01:00

In my view the best keyword research tool is Market Samurai. Not only will all the great features help you to get to the first page of Google for your keywords, you will also get enough information to make sure that you can compete with the other high ranking sites.

Market Samurai is available as a free trial and even if you decide not to pay for the full version, you will still be able to keep the Keyword Research tool - you really have nothing to lose by trying it out!

Pirates of the Caribbean Games

2011-04-17T18:54:00.000+01:00

Due to be released at the same time as the new Pirates of the Caribbean film: On Stanger Tides, the new LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Games is set to become very, very popular. And for the first time the game will not only be available on all the most poular gamning platforms, exactly the same game will be available in 3D.

The game will feature storylines from all four Pirates of the Caribbean films and over 70 characters will be featured through 20 gaming levels.

Learn Squidoo - Squidoo Step by Step

2011-04-16T18:49:00.001+01:00

Learn Squidoo through the free Squidoo Step by Step Guidebook. Authored through the collaboration of 10 Squidoo memebers the Squidoo Step by Step Guidebook will take you through the process of publishing Squidoo pages and getting traffic.

All revenue is set to donate to Charity and so far good causes have benefitted from $70.60.

Rabbit Clipart

2011-04-15T18:43:00.000+01:00

Clipart is very popular in the US for homeschooling projects and a lot more. I have discovered that I get quite a bit of traffic to all of my pages on Squidoo that are about animals from people looking for resources for free clipart.

I also noticed traffic coming into my astrology lenses from people looking for related clipart. As a result when I py lens about the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, I published a page about Rabbit Clipart as well.

Nintendo 3 DS

2011-04-14T18:41:00.000+01:00

Available in Black and Aqua the new Nintendo 3 DS offers a 3D gaming experince without the need to use 3D Glasses, making it a truly portable 3D Gaming experience!

I am currently being very quiet about this new release because once my kids find out about it, I know I am going to be pestered!

Signs of Bullying

2011-03-21T18:37:00.000Z

Bullying Help is a new website that has been set up to help victims of bullying and the parents of children who are being bullied at school.

Sometimes it is very difficult to tell whether a child is being bullied and parents need to look out for the Signs of Bullying. These can include the child not wanting to go to school, when they used to enjoy it; constantly saying they are feeling ill in the mornings, when they are not normally sickly; beginning to underperform in their school work and get poor grades when they used to get good ones and becoming quiet and withdrawn, when they are normally lively and outgoing.

Check out more Signs of Bullying and How to Complain to the School if your Child is Being Bullied.

Home Security Tips to Burglar Proof your Home

2011-03-10T11:38:00.001Z

How do you Burglar Proof your home? How do you ensure that you are not one of the US Citizens who is burgled every 15 seconds?

There's nothing worse that finding a stranger has been into your home and taken your possessions - it leaves you feeling vulnerable and violated.

However, there's some easy steps you can take, to make your home more secure:

fit a burglar alarm

fit yale and mortise locks to external doors

fit anti lifting devices to patio doors

clear overgrown bushes and hedges from your front garden, so your house can be seen from the road.

You can find more detailed information at Home Security Tips to Burglar Proof your Home.

Buying Used Kindle

2011-03-08T11:27:00.001Z

The constant introduction of new versions of the Amazon Kindle means that if you are considering buying used Kindle, you will find a good deal on Amazon.

However, if you are worried about getting poor value for money or a Kindle that does not work properly, my buying used Kindle buying guide will tell you what you need to be careful of and what to look for ti make sure you get the best used Kindle for your needs.

Dr Bronner: organic soap and eco friendly cleaning

2011-03-07T11:22:00.001Z

Dr Bronner first became known for his "all in one" approach to the environment in the 60s and 70s. He started making organic soap and eco friendly cleaning products, using organic ingredients.

Today organic and fairtrade olive oil is used extensively in the family recipes that Dr Bronner still uses.

Articles about Dr Bronner's philosphy and products have appeared in magazines and newspapers as diverse as Natural Health, Outdoor Gear, Vogue, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, Parenting and New Age.

Pro Articles - new free article directory

2011-03-05T10:59:00.001Z

Pro Articles is a new, free Article Directory that has strict terms and conditions to alleviate the possibility of Spam submissions.

Open to anyone over 18, all applications to join Pro Articles are manually approved and all members have to be registered with Gravatar as a condition of membership.

Outgoing links are limited to two per article and a comprehensive range of banned topics, together with a minumum word count of 200, should also help ensure the quality of the content.

Medge Kindle Covers

2011-03-03T10:53:00.001Z

Medge Kindle Covers are made by M-Edge Accessories, who were founded in 2006. Not only do they provide a range of Medge Kindle Covers and Jackets, but other Kindle and ereader accessories including the e-illuminatir Kindle Cover Light.

Made from hard wearing microfiber, that has the feel of real suede, Medge Kindle Covers come in a range of colors and designs to suit all life styles and protect your Amazon Kindle, no matter whether you are travelling, camping or staying at home.

Nintendo 3 DS

2011-02-28T11:47:00.000Z

The Nintendo 3 DS is released on March 27, 2011 and is available to pre-order on Amazon now!

With a great range of 3d games to suit all ages, and without the need to buy special 3D glasses, the 3d Nintendo is bound to be a best seller. Amazon is expecting such HUGE demand that it has placed a limit of one Nintendo 3 DS per household - however, you can get around this limit by buying their special bundles that inclused TWO 3D gamimng consoles.

Learn Squidoo

2011-02-28T10:53:00.000Z

When I first had to Learn Squidoo, I had a huge learning curve and some of the best help I received was through Squidoo lenses that had been written to share what other lensmasters had learned.

Getting help from other more experienced lensmasters is still a great way to find out how to make money on Squidoo and now a group of well known lensmasters have got together to provide free help and tips to help others Learn Squidoo on Squidlog, a free membership site, which also hosts a free blogging platform.

Inspirational Life Quotes

2010-12-16T22:00:00.002Z

Inspirational Life Quotes - all about how I keep my favorite quotes and sayings in a very special book that was a gift from a very special friend. This page was published to mark my reaching 150 published pages on Squidoo.

Chinese Astrological Signs

2010-12-16T10:00:00.002Z

Chinese Astrological Signs is a page that shows all the Chinese Horsocope Animals for every year from 1900 to 2019. I have made it as a link from my other Chinese Astrology lenses, so people can find out their Chinese Horoscopes.

There's also stories about how the Chinese Horoscopes Animals were chosen.

Chinese Horoscope Animals

2010-12-15T20:00:00.002Z

Chinese New Year approaches and as the Year of the Tiger gives way to the Year of the Rabbit, I have published a page about the qualities and characteristsics of the Chinese Horoscope Animals.

Best Laptop 2011

2010-12-15T15:56:00.002Z

Best Laptop 2011 is a collection of all the information I have found out as I research the best laptop. One of my goals for 2011 is to get a laptop to enable me to work in my garden in the summer.

I was amazed at all the things you have to consider but at least I feel more confident now about not making an expensive mistake.

As I have researched I have published a Squidoo lens about what I have found out. These pages have been brought together to make a Laptop buying guide, which I have called Best Laptop 2011.

Year of the Rabbit

2010-12-06T17:44:00.001Z

Following on from the success of my Year of the Tiger lens, I have just published The Year of the Rabbit.The Year of the Rabbit starts opn February 03, 2011 and ends on January 22, 2012.

The fourth sign in the Chinese Horoscope, the Rabbit represents calm, diplomacy, sensitivity and consideration for others.

Fairtrade Christmas Gifts

2010-12-05T17:50:00.000Z

Fair Trade Christmas Gifts is a Squidoo holiday shopping lens that focusses on helping families in developing countries by buying their products.

The Fairtrade Foundation helps these families by ensuring they are paid a fair wage for their work. Not only does it help the workers feed and educate their children, they also reinvest some of the money to help improve their local communities.

A new Squidoo Niche

2010-12-04T17:31:00.000Z

Recent keyword research threw up an idea for a new niche and as result I have published these new lenses on Squidoo:

Best Gamer Laptop

Best Laptop Processor

Best Lightweight Laptop

Best Laptop Brand

Best Lap Top Bags

Best Buy Notebook

It is also part of some genuine research as I have decided that one of my aims for 2011 is to be able to earn enough from writing to be able to afford a laptop. This will enable me to work in my garden in the Summer - a very cheery thought on a very cold English day!

Prince William's Wedding

2010-11-18T15:50:00.000Z

Sometimes you can have your Squidoo day all planned out and then a news item catches your eye. You realise something is happening in one of your niches and you need to move very fast. Tuesday was one of those days!

The engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton was announced just before lunchtime, so I set about doing some fast keyword research and grabbed the URL I wanted on Squidoo. Then I put the lens together and had it published by the next morning.

These days it is not often I allow myself to be distracted to make lenses "on a whim". Most of them are carefully planned, but this is one galactic event that, having had a few successful "royal" lenses, I was not going to ignore this little piece of UK history.

I will continue to watch out for news about the actual wedding plus all the related minutae and will add it to Prince Williams Wedding.

Download Audacity

2010-11-16T17:09:00.000Z

http://www.squidoo.com/best-computer-micsI am learning how to make podcasts, which is one of the reasons why I was looking at the Best Computer Mics recently. But not only do you need a good PC mic, you also need some sound recording and editing software.

I found just what I needed. You can download Audacity for free and it is very easy to use. If you have problems then there's some easy to follow tutorials on the website.

Best Computer Mics

2010-11-14T17:04:00.002Z

Recently I was looking at the Best Computer Mics, as my old one needs replacing. I found a lot of useful information about what you need to consider when choosing a PC Mic and a great selection on Amazon.

I put all the information on my page: Best Computer Mics.

Wii Singing Games

2010-11-13T17:14:00.001Z

Looking ahead to Christmas, I have been checking out the newest Wii Games and found some great Wii Singing Games.

The We Sing for Wii games are unique in that they allow up to FOUR players to sing together using FOUR separate mics. The games also feature the original singing stars and videos, plus a range of modes you can use for a big variety of singing games.

The first game to be released was Wii Sing, which was followed by We Sing Encore. This month see the re;lease of the third game: We Sing Robbie Williams, which is the ultimate Robbie Williams Karaoke.

Treatment for SAD Disorder

2010-11-11T17:03:00.001Z

I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a form of depression that can be treated with anti-depressants. However, instead of resorting to drugs, I use various self help measures to help me, including a SAD Lightbox.

My SAD light has the same effect on me as strong natural sunlight and helps to keep the winter blues at bay.

Recently I made a Squidoo lens about the Treatment for SAD Disorder, which outlines various things you can do and there's links to a range of SAD Lightboxes that may help you.

Wii Draw

2010-10-29T14:35:00.000+01:00

The Wii Draw is set to become as popular for all round family fun as the Wii Balance Board. This latest addon for the Nintendo Wii is a graphics tablet that allows you not only to draw but also play games and control characters with the use of a stylus.

Although being released in time for Christmas in the US, this UK family is disappointed that it is going to have to wait until next year.

Getting organised: How to make a Firefox Toolbar

2010-10-22T14:07:00.000+01:00

As part of trying to get more organised I recently learned how to make a Firefox Toolbar. Now whenever I publish any new content, whether it be a blog, article or Squidoo lens, I have a process that ensures I can find the sites I need with just two mouse clicks.

My new Firefox Toolbar has links to over 70 websites that I use on a regular basis, organised in a small group of folders.

It's definitely saving me a lot of time and my PC Screen looks a lot tidier too!

Affordable web hosting and design

2010-10-18T17:23:00.000+01:00

SEO Praxis offers affordable web hosting, design and one to one support that is provided by the owner Anne Corcini. I have known Anne online for the past two years and can recommend her to you as someone who knows what she is doing and who is very accessible.

Constructed on the Wordpress platform, the sites are easy to set up and maintain.

My own websites, currently being constructed, will be hosted by SEO Praxis and you can find more information on my newest Squidoo lens.

Treatment for SAD Disorder

2010-10-12T15:58:00.003+01:00

Treatment for SAD Disorder is all about how I help relieve the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder by using a light box in my home office.

Daylight is simulated by my SAD light box which helps me overcome the feelings of depression that I can xperience during the darker winter days when when there's no sun. Clinical Studies of SAD light boxes have proved that they reduce the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder and my SAD Light works for me.

TCRTG2P5N6RN

Looking ahead to Christmas Lenses on Squidoo

2010-09-30T06:18:00.002+01:00

Each year on Squidoo I am getting more organised ahead of time and this year one of my goals was to publish more Christmas lenses. Ideally I should have done this sooner, but some personal issues have created havoc with my Squidoo scheduling. And of course the one good thing about an Annual Holiday like Christmas, is that even if you don't establish a good flow of traffic the first year you publish, the lenses should have established themselves by the time Christmas comes around the following year.

As with any new lens, I always do some thorough keyword research to find some long tail keywords that I can use to attract the attention of the Search Engines. These need to have high search volume and low competition.

There's also another good reason to research keywords and that is because I never fail to find some phrases that give me ideas for new lenses, often on related topics. I can honestly say that I never run out of ideas for lenses - just the time to make them.

My keyword research for Christmas topics, led me to publish: Top Christmas Presents for Men. The Keyword Research for this lens resulted in Top Ten Toys, which in turn led me to Harry Potter Legos.

Yes, I know it is "LEGO" (in the singular) but when I researched the keywords for Top Ten Toys, I found that the phrase Harry Potter Legos (in the plural), had high search volume and low competition. So I put aside the fact that I am normally a "stickler" for good grammar and grabbed the URL ;)

Soapnuts and Ecosoap - correcting bad URL choice on Squidoo

2010-09-28T06:18:00.000+01:00

I made a big mistake in July 2008, just after I joined Squidoo, – the first of many - and it was all to do with ignorance about Keyword Research. Actually, I must admit that I did not even know what Keyword Research was in those days!

I had a niche topic, but the Squidoo Lens URL was already taken. So I came up with another phrase that I thought would be OK and published anyway.

The topic? Soap Nuts - the only soap that grows on trees. An eco friendly cleaner that fitted so well in one of the niches I wanted to develop: Going Green Ideas.

Given the information I now publish about How to Do Keyword Research, that lens has been rather an embarrassment to me. So for a long time it has been in the back of my mind to see what I could do about improving the performance of the lens with better SEO and a couple of weeks ago I did exactly that.

As a result I have a brand new lens: Soap Nuts, which now has a URL which is so relevant to the content, plus Eco soap which is no longer about Soap Nuts and is about exactly what it says in the URL!

If you would like more detailed info about what I did, then you can read about it at Ask AJ: Keywords - correcting a mistake I made with my third Squidoo Lens.

Proud to be a member of Professional Squids

2010-09-16T09:30:00.002+01:00

Professional Squids is a free membership site dedicated to helping all Squidoo Lensmasters write quality content on their Squidoo lenses. It is run by a group of well known Squidoo lensmasters, including me ;) and is full of helpful articles written by lensmasters who share what they have learned on Squidoo at what works for them.

This week we were absolutely thrilled that Seth Godin granted us a very rare interview, where not only did he give us a fabulous and interesting insight to what he thinks about Squidoo, he was also very complimentary about Professional Squids too.

You can read what Seth Godin has to say in...Interview with Seth Godin. So pay us a visit and sign up for your FRRE Professional Squids membership.

Developing a Squidoo Niche: Tattoos

2010-09-13T17:21:00.000+01:00

My Blog Year of the Tiger Tattoos has been enjoying a very good amount of traffic - approaching 21,000 visits since February 2010 and my Squidoo lenses that match the topics have been getting reasonable traffic too. I am also starting to make sales of specific carefully targetted products.

So recentlly I have been taking on board the good advice dispensed by my Squidoo friend Lakeerieartists, Paula Atwell, who says that in order to establish credibility in a niche, you should publish at least 10 lenses on a topic.

As a result I have published a new Squidoo lemns: The Worst Tattoo Mistakes , bringing the number of tattoo lenses I have published on Squidoo to 10.

Chinese Tattoo Translation

2010-09-07T09:00:00.003+01:00

For the first time I have converted a fairly successful Blog Niche into a Squidoo lens: Chinese Tattoo Translation. My Blog: Year of the Tiger Tattoos has been getting some great traffic AND making some salesfor a specific product so I thought I would experiment and see if I can repeat the same success with a Squidoo lens.

How to make Green Cupcakes

2010-09-03T09:00:00.000+01:00

How to make Green Cupcakes is not just a recipe. It's also about eco friendly baking using environmentally friendly catering equipment.

In addition to giving the recipe for Green Cupcakes, I found some great baking equipment made from sustainable or recycled materials that is easily available from Amazon.

Recycled plastic is one way to reduce the amount of waste plastic that is generated each year - a whopping 100 million tonnes.

Using Bamboo is another environmentally friendly material to use for kitchen equipment as it is a sustainable crop, which regenerates after harvesting.

Bamboo culitivation is also good for the environment as Bamboo absorbs more CO2 than an equivalent stand of trees.

Mrs Meyers Products: a new Green Cleaning Squidoo Lens

2010-09-01T09:00:00.001+01:00

Recently I was given a lens published by another lensmaster: Mrs Meyers Clean Day Products - you will have to check out the lens to find out why! Mrs Meyers products are not only eco-friendly cleaning products, they have aromatherapy mixed in too.

The lens fits in very nicely with my Going Green Ideas niche!

New Squidoo lenses: How to...

2010-08-27T19:00:00.000+01:00

My newest Squidoo lenses include a step by step guide on How to make a Screenshot and Firefox Slow?

How to Make a Screenshot was made as a result of a question asked on my Blog: Ask AJ and the Firefox lens was made as a result of my checking out how to speed up Firefox and how to make Firefox load faster as Firefox was being slow on my PC.

Robbie Williams wedding gives me my best few days for Squidoo traffic ever!

2010-08-09T12:57:00.000+01:00

Robbie Williams Wedding at the weekend has resulted in a stratospheric rise in my traffic, which has blown me away! Talk about having the right lens at the right time!!

Normally my total Squidoo traffic averages around the 3,000 mark. There's spikes when a topical lens does well but I have seen nothing like the traffic I have been getting since rumours resurfaced last Friday that Robbie Williams was getting married!

For those of you who do not know Robbie Williams, he is a former member of Take That, who has had a very successful solo career since he split with them. I made the lens last November, when the first rumours started but then the wedding never took place. I just amended the lens slightly with a link to Robbie's blog where he said it was a joke and then left it alone.

It's not often that I watch my Squidoo traffic stats so closely, but as of a few minutes ago, visits to Robbie Williams Wedding stood at 5,784, from just 9 on 05 August!

My total traffic now stands at 10,185. My Squidoo "records" are tumbling fast and now I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get my first ever Top 10 lens!

2010-07-23T12:00:00.001+01:00

Following on from making enough Squidoo lenses to qualify for the Giant Squid 100 Club, I was also very much involved in setting up the new Professional Squids website, which we moved from Ning, as well as revising the free Squidoo Step by Step Guidebook.

Although my lensmaking activity ground to a halt, I was thrilled to receive two Squidoo Sunshine Awards. The first was for Free Tony the Tiger, which benefits Big Cat Rescue and the other was for Mimi's Birthday, which will contribute to the fundraising for Friends of the Park.

So much happening in my part of Squidoo!

2010-07-21T17:44:00.000+01:00

Since my last post I have met up with fellow Squidoo Lensmaster NanLT at the Squidoo London Meetup and it was lovely! The trouble was I so busy that it took me a good couple of weeks to post the photos onto the lens.

Then it was time to totally focus on making the final lenses so I could qualify to apply for the Squidoo Giant Squid 100 Club at the end of June. I had four to make to get to 100 lenses, but needed to do a couple more than that to give myself a safety margin but I ended up doing far more than that.

First priority was to make a tribute lens in honour of Mimi's Birthday and then I put into an action an idea I'd had for quite some time. I decided to reorganised the Squidoo Answer Deck.

This resulted in 14 new lenses, including a main lensography: The Squidoo Answer Deck organised by topic.

It was quite a task and I explained how I did it in a post on the new Professional Squids website: How I organised the Squidoo Answer Deck.

That took me to 111 lenses and I am proud to announce that I was accepted into the Giant Squid 100 Club at the beginning of July.

Heading towards the Squidoo Giant Squid 100 Club

2010-06-08T14:44:00.001+01:00

It's been an incredibly busy couple of weeks in AJ's part of Squidoo land! I am plodding away at lens production and am now at #96. 11 lenses since the beginning of May, which makes this my most prolific lens production period since I can remember. In fact probably ever!!

Samsung 3D TV
Three lions
AJ's Blogs (a Blogography)
Free Tony the Tiger (nominated for a Squidoo Sunshine award to benefit Big Cat Rescue)
My 10 newest lenses (which is being constantly updated LOL)
Gemini in Love
The London Squidoo Meetup
Starsigns (a lensography of my astrology lenses)
Squidoo Induction (which is my 11th Purple Star lens)
Philips Satinelle Epilator (which I bought last week and it is brilliant)
Easy Fish Pie

I am also looking forward to meeting what I hope is three fellow lensmasters at the London Squidoo meetup on Thursday.

And while all this has been going on, we launched a new Article Directory: Shout Out Loud on Crabbys Beach!

A new Purple Star for Squidoo Induction

2010-06-02T12:00:00.001+01:00

OMGG (that's Oh My Golly Gosh) - a new Purple Star for Squidoo Induction! There I was chatting away on Giant Squid Open Mike on Blog Talk Radio when someone pointed out that there was a shiny Purple Star on my two day old Squidoo lens: Squidoo Induction!

It does not happen very often but I was speechless!

This is my 11th Squidoo Purple Star and every time I have received this honour it has given me one of those lovely, warm, fuzzy feelings!

My 10 Newest Squidoo Lenses

2010-06-01T09:00:00.001+01:00

Always late to the party I finally followed a group of Lensmasters who have made a lens about their 10 Newest lenses! The original idea came from Squidoo Lensmaster LindaJM.

The thinking behind it is that once you get past a certain number of lenses, it is difficult for people who are familiar with your work to see exactly which are your newest lenses. A lensography of your 10 newest lenses certainly solves that problem, but remember to put a prominent link in your Bio!

Looking forward to the London Squidoo Meetup, 10 June 2010

2010-05-28T09:00:00.002+01:00

Squidoo is organising a Worldwide Squidoo Meetup Day on 10 June 2010 and I have volunteered to organise the London event!

All the details can be found at Squidoo Meetup London and I am really excited at the prospect of meeting some fellow Squidoo lensmasters face to face!

Gemini in love can be fickle and restless!

2010-05-27T15:12:00.002+01:00

Gemini is Fun by TLArnold3
View other Zodiac Bags

Continuing on my love astrology theme and considering the sun is now in Gemini, I finally made the Squidoo lens Gemini in love. One thing is clear about Geminis and their relationships and that is they can get bored very easily, so whoever falls in love with a Gemini may need a lot of energy and patience!

Fortunately my husband DOES have a lot of energy and patience with his Gemini wife and I think it is just as well that I am on the cusp with Taurus, which does tend to steady me down - well some of the time!

Free Tony the Tiger and other new lenses

2010-05-19T16:36:00.000+01:00

Free Tony the Tiger is my newest Squidoo lens and is all about the campaign to have a tiger that is kept in a small enclosure at a Truckstop, rehomed with Big Cat Rescue. The story is heartbreaking and I found out about Tony the Tiger when I was looking for some Tiger Tattoo pictures to feature on my blog Year of the Tiger Tattoos.

The rate of my Squidoo lensmaking has increased recently as I undergo a big push to make 100 lenses before the next Giant Squid 100 Club deadline on 30 June. I need to get cracking because with the 2010 World Cup approaching, which also coincides with Wimbledon fortnight, when I will be watching TV a lot more than I normally do and won't be spending as much time online.

Talking of the 2010 World Cup a couple of days ago I published a lens about my fav football song Three Lions, which has just been re-released with Robbie Williams and Russell Brand joining the original line-up.

As an avid Blogger I have also published what I call a "Blogography": AJ's Blogs.

That makes a total of 89 Squidoo lenses, which leaves 11 lenses to make in 6 weeks. The target still looks "doable"!

Some background about my new lens about a Samsung 3D TV

2010-05-10T16:32:00.000+01:00

My newest page best buy Samsung 55 3D LED TV is another experimental lens to test out whether a combination of thorough keyword research plus an "up market" product, will result not only in traffic but also a few conversions to sales.

I grabbed the URL at the end of January 2010, when it became obvious that following on from the success of HDTVs, the next big thing in the TV market will be 3D.

However, I did not get around to actually making the lens, until my son reminded me that the World Cup is approaching and that some countries (USA being one) will be able to view some of the soccer matches in 3D.

Over the last couple of days I have done my Keyword Research and came up with some good phrases that get good search volume but not so many pages on Google.

Then I made some clickable images that link to Amazon through my Associate ID. Now it is a question of establishing some back links, including making a Link Wheel.

One of the sites I have been using a lot more of lately is Tumblr, so I am off there now, to leave a brief note about my newest lens about an Eco Friendly TV.

Queen Elizabeth and a hung parliament

2010-05-07T17:03:00.000+01:00

The result of the British General election, or should I say the non-result, means that the UK now has a "hung Parliament" and our Queen Elizabeth II, will have various roles to play over the next few days.

A friend for whom English is not their first language emailed me asking if Gordon Brown was in trouble. So I tried to explain what is happening in simple terms:

Cameron (Conservatives) won more seats but does not have a majority - if all the other parties voted against him in Parliament nothing would get done. It is a "hung Parliament".

Brown (Labour) needs Clegg's party (Liberal Democrats) to side with him to be able to continue in Government but Clegg is currently negotiating with Cameron to either do a deal or even have a coalition.

All Brown can do is wait to see if Clegg will give enough to Cameron so he can form the Government. If negotiations between Cameron and Clegg break down then Clegg will talk to Brown.

BUT, it may need Brown to resign leadership of the Labour Party and someone else to take over, because Clegg has said he could not work with Brown.

So, yes, I think whatever happens Brown is finished as Prime Minister. But in British politics, you never know what may happen....

Getting organised plus new Squidoo Lenses about Canvas Bags and Beef Stroganoff

2010-04-28T17:12:00.000+01:00

Over the last week or so I have been making good use of Excel to (finally) get myself organised. With five blogs plus 85 Squidoo lenses, it's about time that I stopped procrastinating and followed my own Time Management tips!

But here I am, already a day late with what is intended to be a "Squidoo Lens feature" post every Wednesday - ah well!

During all the excitement of getting Squidoo lens of the Day for Squid Etiquette, I have forgotten to blog about two of my newest lenses.

Why Buy a Canvas Bag is my latest green lens - it contains some awful facts and statistics about why using plastic bags is so bad for the environment and it is linked to original reusable canvas bags in my family's Zazzle store.

Easy Beef Stroganoff Recipe is exactly what it says in the title! It is a recipe that I have been using for so long that I could not tell you where I got it from!

So that's 85 lenses published - only 15 more to do before the end of June so I can apply for the Giant Squid 100 club!

Happy Day on Squidoo - I got Lens of the Day!

2010-04-24T15:09:00.000+01:00

There I was thinking that my Squidoo Lens about the Do's and Dont's on Squidoo: Squid Etiquette could do with a boost and I ought to start promoting it more, when I received a message in the Guestbook congratulating me on getting Lens of the Day!

Whaaaatttttt?

I dashed over to the lens and there, sure enough was a brand new shiny Lens of the Day badge. Oh, what a warm, fuzzy feeling!

Squid Etiquette was probably the first lens I made where I allowed my sense of humour to show through. I had been learning a lot about Squidoo and had been surprised at some of what I had seen. I also put my foot in it a couple of times, and made some mistakes, but found that the Squidoo Community can be very forgiving and I lived to tell the tale!

However, it did make me think how perhaps new Lensmasters in particular may benefit from a bit of help about how to behave on Squidoo and not lose friends before they have made them. So I put a lot of what I had learned in the lens.

The lens hurtled into the Top 100 but then gradually slid towards the bottom of the rankings. I am thinking of asking Kimberly if she will convert it to an Answer Deck lens as the feedback I have received on the lens is proof of the number of people it has helped.

So today I am a happy bunny. Hop, skip, jump......off to Tumblr to share the news in a post: Squid Etiquette - Lens of the Day

Keyword Research on Giant Squid Open Mike

2010-04-06T23:04:00.001+01:00

Tonight (well it was night in the UK but afternoon in USA) Alex Crabtree and I discussed keyword research for lenses and blogs on Giant Squid Open Mike. If you want to catch up on the recording then there's two lenses that will help you follow what we discussed. First of all a step by step guide to

Keyword Research

plus the lens I made as the result of the research that helped me narrow the niche

Baked Chicken Recipe

The Keyword Research lens has screenshots of the searches I did plus a spreadsheet that I used to analyse my findings and decide which keywords I wanted for my lens URL.

Making a Link Wheel for a Baked Chicken Recipe Lens

2010-04-02T14:27:00.001+01:00

My newest lens is a Baked Chicken Recipe called Roasted Chicken Breasts with Ratatouille. I give step by step instructions on how to cook this easy, quick recipe, which is one of my favourite One Pot Recipes and there's also colour photos that I took as I made the dish last weekend.

So I am now busy establishing a Link Wheel to help with the SEO. I have various sites I use to write articles about my lenses and blogs, which includes 3StepAds. Not only does it appear to be a good site on which to establish backlinks, but I have been getting traffic from there as well.

Greenpeace and Going Green Ideas

2010-03-19T15:06:00.003Z

Today I have been doing some research for a hubpages "hub" about my Blog Going Green Ideas and have had an interesting time reminding myself of the origins of Greenpeace.

Whenever we talk about "Going Green", sometimes we fail to remember that there can be a difference between that and being "sustainable". For example: Solar panels are environmentally friendly because they harness a renewable source (the sun) to make energy, rather than relying on an unrenewable source that depends on fossil fuels. However, the manufacture of solar panels can be polluting and have an impact on the environment so that process is not regarded as sustainable.

A process is sustainable, if it has a minumum impact on the environment. Buying organic food is not necessarily sustainable, because of the damage done to the environment through transportation. Growing organic food yourself IS sustainable.

One organisation that does believe in "going green" AND sustainability is Greenpeace, as you can see from the organisation's core objectives:

Greenpeace is a global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace by:

Catalysing an energy revolution to address the number one threat facing our planet: climate change.

Defending our oceans by challenging wasteful and destructive fishing, and creating a global network of marine reserves.

Protecting the world’s remaining ancient forests and the animal, plants and people that depend on them.

Working for disarmament and peace by reducing dependence on finite resources and calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Creating a toxic free future with safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals in today's products and manufacturing.

Supporting sustainable agriculture by encouraging socially and ecologically responsible farming practices.

Going Green Ideas will give you plenty of going green tips, but is not going to debate whether or not Climate Change is being brought about by Global Warming. Whatever your beliefs, surely it has to be good to try to reduce our carbon footprint, live a life that is less dependent on harmful chemicals and additives and create a better and more healthy environment in which to raise our children?

And whether you believe that either "going green" or working towards "sustainability" is the answer to improving our environment does not matter, as long as you do something!

Related links: Green Ideas

Year of the Tiger Tattoos and Link Wheels

2010-03-10T17:11:00.001Z

Currently I am in the process of building Link Wheels around my Blogs and Squidoo Lenses. However, I am also trying to establish clusters around the "rim" of the Link Wheels. The whole process is being publicly documented at my blog on Crabbys Beach.

I don't mind admitting that the whole process of establishing a flow of one way links around the rim of the Link Wheels and the Clusters does get my head in a spin (ha ha - pun intended), but I think I am making headway.

Today I have been establishing a cluster around a Squidoo lens Year of the Tiger Tattoos that is in the rim of a Link Wheel that points to my site on Crabbys Beach: Year of the Tiger Tattoos.

The links are all here, but I have had to make some of them "no follow", so I dont spoil the Link Wheel!

This Blog Post also forms part of the "rim", so not only do I need to link to the Lens at the center of the Cluster, I also need to point to another site in the rim.

I have established the links in the rim of the Cluster as follows:

Hubpage which points to a lens called Emii's Tattoos

Emmii's Tattoos points to this Blog Post

This Blog points to a post on Tumblr: Emii has a tiger tattoo

The post on Tumblr points to the Hubpage - thus closing the rim of the Cluster.

You can follow the whole process, complete with diagrams at Blogging for Profit on Crabbys Beach

Someone wants to buy my Year of the Tiger Squidoo lens

2010-03-03T11:55:00.002Z

Year of the Tiger by AJandfamily

My Squidoo lens: Year of the Tiger is currently my best performing lens if you just consider Lensrank to be the priority. Traffic peaked around 14 February 2010, which was not only Valentine's Day but also the start of the Chinese New Year and it has been gradually dropping off.

However, yesterday I received an email asking me if I would like to sell the lens. I was flattered but also puzzled. I suspect that the would be purchasor is not an experienced Lensmaster because not only did he not sign the email with his Lensmaster name, I don't think he realises that often lenses are published not only to highlight a specific topic, but they may also be part of a wider strategy.

Year of the Tiger is not just a lens about the current Chinese astrological year. It is a crucial part of a Link Wheel and therefore is not just of monetary value to me as a Squidoo Top Tier lens.

The hub of my Link Wheel is my blog Year of the Tiger Tattoos and the Year of the Tiger lens is a crucial backlink to that blog, as well as being linked to by an article on Hubpages. The lens also showcases two digital art pictures that I created especially for the lens and which are available on Zazzle.

Apart from trying to fix any links that would be broken in the Link Wheel by removing the lens from it, it would be very difficult to put a monetary value on it. And besides, because of the personal and emotional investment I put into the lens, how could I possibly bear to part with it?