Seedplanter’s Porch

We value our family and friends, right? They’ve tolerated our rants and ravings, our quirks and squabbles, our phases and foibles, and yet…they love us anyway.

But watch their eyes glaze over when you try to explain that you’ve earned Giant Squid status.
Or, that you’re working hard to create good lenses that will qualify you to swim with the Giants. Oh boy. Did you notice the sigh? Those pursed lips? Furrowed brows?

Squidoo is a Web community that isn’t easily understood by outsiders. If we told them we create websites, their reaction would be like, Oh, really? Wow. I didn’t know you were so techy-oriented. Good for you! Let’s go to coffee. I’d like to hear all about it.

Squidooers don’t get off that easy, though. We cough and sputter and try to put into words what it is we do, and why the idea of becoming a Giant Squid appeals to us.

My new lens, Hey, Ma! I’m a Giant Squid! is a look at our relationship with this creative corner of the Web we call Squidoo, and why we stammer and sputter when someone asks what in the heck we do there.

New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!

Have you joined Tagfoot yet? Why not?

*Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Squidoo should come with a disclaimer: Enter at your own risk. We cannot be held responsible for absentmindedness, hyperactivity, insomnia, or repetitive-module stress injury.

Let’s face it. Life changes drastically when you discover Squidoo. Things happen…things that can only be blamed on Squidoo. And that’s the topic of Blame it on Squidoo, my latest lens, which was hatched late Friday night as the result of a conversation I had with a friend today.

We were discussing age, and how we notice little brain shifts. Shifts that affect our concentration and our creativity. We laughed about the little things like forgetfulness and shuddered at the more serious brain fogs that shall go unmentioned in this blog. :::ahem:::

If you’re a crazy-creative lensmaster who has trouble remembering where Squidoo began and where your life left off, this lens is worth a visit. Call it therapy if you like. Even if you’re not (a crazy-creative lensmaster…stay with me here), you can visit it anyway and shake your head in pity. Especially if you’re young, like the person who answered my “Where Were You in 1987?” TwitterStorm with the reply that in 1987, she was “probably still kicking boys in the shin.”

Happy weekend, everyone!

New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!

Have you joined Tagfoot yet? Why not?

What a fast-track week this has been so far! While I was looking the other way, wonderful things were about to take place.

First, on Monday I received a note from a friend that my blog–this Seedplanter’s Blog–was included on PotPieGirl’s Top 100 Squidoo Blogs List. I’ve been busy paddling as fast as I can (ever seen a duck’s feet just under the surface of the water?), so I didn’t realize such a list existed. What a nice treat on a foggy Monday morning!

Later that day, I received an email from a visitor to my lens, A Quilt Story: Voices from the Great Depression. It was a blessing to hear from someone who understood how I felt about that special quilt project, which connected me with the grandmother I’d never known. She’d had a similar experience.

On Tuesday afternoon I put my computer to sleep, thinking that the new Giant Squid announcements would be sent out today (Wednesday). I’d worked on lenses for several hours and decided to call it a day. But something drew me back–one of the symptoms of Squidoo addiction–and there at the top of my lens sat a familiar-looking purple badge. I made it! If I’d been outside when I learned the news, my neighbors would have carted me off to the funny farm.

Squidoo has captured my imagination and flipped my creative switch. It’s so much more than I expected when I first checked it out. It’s like discovering buried treasure. I am thoroughly hooked, and can hardly remember the days before I created lenses.

New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!

Have you joined Tagfoot yet? Why not?

*Image by Arthaey via Flickr

Remember how it felt the first time you realized that someone had linked to you? Linking to a lens or website is a nice compliment. It makes people feel like their work is worthy of notice. That’s exactly why I’ve created Fan the Flame, as a lens where people can sing the praises of their favorite lensmasters, lenses, and Squidoo groups.

Information overload is a reality, and who has time, anyway, to see it all? I love reading recommendations from people I have come to know and trust. It saves me time and it also puts me in touch with some of our seasoned lensmasters whose lenses are jaw-droppers. It’s also a thrill to discover new talent whose lenses are presented in a refreshing format.

Please take a moment to visit Fan the Flame: Help Spread the Squidoo Fire!  It’s about ideas, and how a simple spark ignites a lens. I cover the backstory behind a few of my lenses–how the idea sparked in the first place. I’ve also included the following Plexos, and hope you’ll add your own favorites to the mix.  Together, we can help fan the flame and give hard-working lensmasters fresh exposure.

• Fan Your Own Fire! (Share the personal lens that you’re most proud of.)
• Fan a Favorite Lensography!
• Fan Your Favorite Squidoo Group!

Happy New Year, everyone!

New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!

Have you joined Tagfoot yet? Why not?

So you think Twitter is frivolous, eh? Used only by people with too much time on their hands? Think again.

Some of the most successful authors, business people, and Squidoo lensmasters use Twitter on a regular basis. Some of us are more Twitter-struck than others, and check in several times daily. (You know who you are.) Twitter is one of the most ingenious networking tools around. Better than IM, in my opinion.

Bonnie aka bkdz has created a Squidoo lens for Twitter-lovers and Twitter skeptics. Check it out.

Betcha can’t resist the pull…

.

How often do you Twitter?
( surveys)