The Power of Pinterest

Squidoo selected my web page Pinterest Tips for Squidoo Lensmasters for Lens of the Day on January 25, 2012. It received over 1000 visits, so obviously Pinterest is hot, hot, hot. Many commented that they loved Pinterest, a few growled about copyright and others asked for an invite.

Now I have the huge task of responding to all those comments. I’m not complaining, as the visits, angel blessings, LIKES, and voting in the polls propelled the lens right up to a rank of 10 on the following day. The sad part is the lens is less than a month old, so it could be ranked number 1 on Squidoo and it still won’t receive tier one payout for January.

Now if the ranking stays between 1 and 2000 for February, then LOTD will pay off around $50. That would be lovely.

Getting all the comments on that special day is a gift. There were questions and suggestions and tips. These will end up in a module soon on the page so they won’t be buried in the guestbook. Lots to do, so I’d better get to work on it.

 

What Happens After Lens-of-the-Day?

On December 7th, Squidoo featured my page What Were You Doing During Great Moments in Recent History as Lens of the Day. It received awesome traffic and comments on that day and some angel blessings. I had hopes that it might stay in tier one for the whole month of December and earn $40 or $50 from the tier payouts.

Alas, it was not to be. Many product lenses zoom to the top during the Christmas shopping frenzy and squeeze other lenses into the lower ranks. Traffic dropped quickly once my lens was no longer featured. It ended up at 31,000 for the month of December which puts it solidly in tier three. Maybe it will earn $5 for December and again in January if it can remain in tier three.

Well, that certainly is an improvement over the $1.86 it earned for the first 14 months of its existence. The chart below shows the date/rank/number of visits.

November 2011	100,621	38
December 2011	31,019	622
January 2012	61,666	50

 

This Time the Lens of the Day Is Mine!

It’s always wonderful to see your friends succeed and getting the honor of Lens of the Day. Even better though is to have your own lens chosen for that. On December 7, 2011 for Pearl Harbor Day, Squidoo showcased my page, What Were You Doing During Great Moments in Recent History?

One of the questions on the page was What Were You Doing When Pearl Harbor Was Attacked? As expected, many people said that was before they were born. My aunt visited the page and did answer the Pearl Harbor question. She was seven years old at the time. The event frightened her and fearing that the “Japs” might come to Kansas, she took her cat and hid under the bed.

The other questions on the page drew out people’s memories of 9/11 and of the day JFK was killed. There are a variety of other momentous occasions, but I did get one complaint that these should not be called “great events” as most of them were horrifying moments or else great disasters. I see the point the reader was making, but probably won’t change the title at this point. Doing so could mess up any backlinks that might be sending traffic to the page.

For those who like statistics, the page had 525 visitors and received 16 angel blessings on the day it was featured. This shows the lensrank before being Lens of the Day (101,292) and visitors (4). As the surge of visits boosted the lensrank and the angel blessings took effect, the lensrank improved to 550. I’d be thrilled if the average lensrank would stay in tier one for the month of December, but I’m doubtful that it will.

6 December 2011	101,292	4
7 December 2011	64,627	525
8 December 2011	1,675	21
9 December 2011	550	6

 

Another Lens of the Day

It’s a huge honor on Squidoo to have your lens (web page) featured as Lens of the Day. This time it wasn’t one of mine getting that honor, but a fellow writer that I enticed over from eHow. I kept telling my writing buddies about how much fun I was having (and how much money I was making) on Squidoo. Dragging their feet, some of them finally gave it a try.

The results have been awesome. These writers already know how to research topics, use keywords and put together a great article. Now with Squidoo’s tools, they’re turning out first-class web pages on all sorts of topics.

The latest Lens of the Day showcasing a former eHow writer’s work is by Wordstock, better known to her eHow pals as Ann Hinds. Here’s the link to the page:

A 10-yr-old Christmas List

For the first time, he has to give us a list of the things he might like for Christmas. This is hard for him and for us. No more trips to see Santa and thos…

 

Topics for Thanksgiving Week

Pilgrim Costume for Thanksgiving

This looks great for a Thanksgiving pageant or a school history program. Wouldn’t it be fun for the children to dress in pilgrim costumes to read poems at t…

Thanksgiving Decor – Table Runners

A Thanksgiving table runner sets the tone for the holiday table decoration. When it’s time for the big turkey feast, you’ll want the table to look extra spe…

Place Card Holders Thanksgiving & Other Holidays

A well-dressed table sets the stage for a festive family gathering for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Valentine’s Day table complete with special place card…

Updated 8 days ago | place card holders › christmas table

Walking Off Thanksgiving Calories

At Thanksgiving, people usually remove all restraints from their eating. Indulging in extra helpings of mashed potatoes, pecan pie and other holiday delights…

Updated 18 days ago | overeating › calorie counter

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving

  The stores stock up on canned cranberry sauce, chilled whipped topping, and other quick fix foods to simplify the Thanksgiving Day preparations. Actually,…

It’s Turkey Day

Americans sometimes refer to the Thanksgiving holiday as “Turkey Day” because of the emphasis on the big turkey dinner. Of course, the holiday is so…

Holiday Writing Triggers for Family Memories

Following the calendar, I’ll give memory prompts to start you writing about long ago holidays. It’s important to write down these memories to save for your…

 

Do Funny Songs Cheer You Up?

I go to this lens now and it always puts a smile on my face. There are some songs suitable for the whole family and further down the page are the ones for grown ups and there are even funny Christmas songs from Australia.

Enjoy…

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Funny Australian Songs

Do you like funny songs? Do you love the Australian accent? I’m sure you said “yes,” so I know you are going to like the funny Australian songs I’ll share with you here.

Australian Jug Band Postcard by stlewis75 View more Banjo Postcards Looking for the Famous Aussie Uninhibited Humor? Keep going to get to SONGS FOR GROWN UPS. Read more at www.squidoo.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1evhx

 

Progress on my 30 Lens Goal about the Civil War

Actually my niche combines researching my Civil War ancestor and learning about the war and life during that era. Here’s my progress so far:

The Civil War and My Great-Great Grandfather
I’m researching the life of my Civil War ancestor, Abraham Bates Tower. At the same time, I needed to learn all the details of a soldier’s life, understand the…

Civil War Newspapers
Newspapers provided vital news to troops about what actually was happening in the Civil War. There were plenty of rumors picked up from other soldiers, but it…

Civil War Journals Online – The North
One of the family treasures is the pocket diary that belonged to my great-great grandfather who survived the Civil War. It’s amazing that something so small…

Civil War Songs
In researching my great-great-grandfather’s regiment (93rd Indiana Infantry, Company G) I saw they had two names on the list not as officers or enlisted men,…

Prisoners’ Memories of Andersonville
Two years ago I visited Andersonville, Georgia. Standing on that ground where thousands died, I looked up at the stockade walls and the guard tower. Trying to…

Civil War Recruitment Posters
Many of the troops serving in the Civil War were volunteers who joined to fight for a cause that was important to them. My great-great grandfather joined the…

Officers of Company G – 93rd Indiana Infantry
My great-great-grandfather joined the 93rd Indiana Infantry, Company G during the Civil War. I was curious about the officers that he served under and applied…

Enlisted Men of Company G – 93rd Indiana Infantry
I’m on a quest to find the men who served in Company G, the 93rd Indiana Infantry during the Civil War. My great-great grandfather volunteered for this comp…

Abraham Tower After the Civil War
I’m researching my great-great grandfather’s life and documenting what I find here. Abraham Bates Tower survived the notorious Civil War prison, Andersonvil…

Civil War Journals Online – Confederate – If you’re a Civil War buff or a student needing primary source material for a paper, you’ll find the links you need here. I’m a librarian and have compiled a…

Abraham Tower – The Indiana Years – I’m researching the details of the life of my great-great-great grandfather born in 1837. Abraham Bates Tower lived until 1930 so his life spanned almost a…

Civil War – The Home Front – The battles and campaigns of the Civil War are quite well documented, but I see little information about the effects of the war on the wife and children lef…

The American Civil War 365 Days- 150 years ago the United States erupted in a civil war. There is much to learn about that time and this is just the book for anyone fascinated by Civil War…

Company G 93rd Indiana Infantry – My great-great grandfather served in the 93rd Indiana Infantry during the Civil War. In researching his life, I needed to learn about what happened to the regiment…

Indiana Deserters – Civil War – As you search your family genealogy, what if you find a Civil War ancestor who’s not a hero, but a deserter? It might be a let-down or a shock, but think it…

Union Uniforms in the Civil War – There are quite a few variations on the uniform for Union soldiers, so I wanted to learn more about it. I’m researching many topics before writing a book about…

Andersonville Time Line – This time line covers the last six months of 1864 for Andersonville. The events listed on the time line are gleaned from diaries kept by prisoners. My reaso…

Interpreting Civil War Diaries – If you’re puzzled by handwriting, obsolete phrases and other issue while reading a Civil War diary, here are some solutions…

 

Researching the Civil War

The Civil War is a huge topic, but I’m focusing on the parts that involved my great-great grandfather.

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The Civil War and My Great-Great Grandfather

I’m big project this year is researching the life of my Civil War ancestor, Abraham Bates Tower. At the same time, I’m having to learn all the details of a soldier’s life, understand the battles and timeline of the war and track down information about the people around him. He was a Yankee, serving in Company G, 93rd Indiana Infantry and spent part of the war in the infamous prison camp, Andersonville.

What Was Life Like for the Soldiers in the Civil War? The result will be 29 or more web pages featured on Squidoo about different aspects of his life. These pages are called lenses on Squidoo, like a snapshot on a topic. This list of those pages is called a lensography. I hope in time that all the snapshots of Abraham Tower’s life will combine into a book that gives the full picture.

Read more at www.squidoo.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1eewf

Preserving The Union Postcard by AlanCrosthwaite

 

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Posted by Virginia Allain on October 11, 2011 in Civil War, Genealogy, Squidoo