My Squidoo Experience: A Bad Case of The Bends
By Jojay, 9th Sep 2012 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutReviewsWeb Sites
If you're thinking about writing for Squidoo, you might want to read this first.
I had stayed down too long in those Squid-infested waters
Surfing the web for (yet) another site to post some original content, I came across Squidoo.
Squidoo believes in that …”original, handcrafted, written-and-loved-and-tended-by-you content is not only the most enjoyable to write, but also the most useful for readers to discover, and the most likely to get shared with other people.” (Taken from Squidoo “Meet the Team” page.)
They claim that their mission is to run an open, “free platform” where people can organize their interest online.
Squidoo makes it simple, they say, for writers …”of all stripes to create portfolios of beautiful WebPages” each one about a single thing or story or opinion that the writers know and love; They call these stories, opinions, things─lenses.
Sounds good, I thought. I’ll give it a try. I signed up and within minutes was writing my first lens. I rewrote an article on the Soft Coated Irish Wheaten, complete with an adorable photo.
The article was posted, congratulated on, and I was given a couple of ‘Squidoo trophies’---which was a picture of a little squid.
The following day, I got an e-mail that said my lens was locked. Unpublished, due to “high quantities of content that exactly match content and writing posted elsewhere on the web.”
Whoops! My story must have been too close to the story on the wheaten that I wrote for Winkinut and Bukisa.
I immediately deleted the content; a redundant gesture since it was ‘locked’ and not going anywhere soon, and set about writing my second lens.
This time I'd make certain that there would not be one paragraph that could be traced to another site.
My new lens was about jewelry. I wrote about the advantage of buying jewelry made out of drusy quartz. Even though there was an article about the drusy quartz on another site, my drusy article was an orginal one: all brand-spankin’ new.
I posted it---again got another little squid trophy and some ‘points for posting a new lens.'
Cut to: a couple of days later, another e-mail arrives saying that I published a new lens which is great! (The exact wording of the first letter) but we see that it contains a high degree of duplicate content.
What? Their logo squid must not see very well because there was no duplicate content other than another article on the web about drusy quartz.
I was frustrated. In the e-mail there was a bit about ─if you’re positive your lens was locked in error─Here are the steps you can follow; It might take as long as a month to respond, and it was only in rare cases that they’d ‘unlock’ a lens.
I send an e-mail saying that the content was original, although the photo had been used on another content site; would that make a difference?
Maybe they’d respond quicker than a month; I'd write another article while I was waiting.
My third article was a personal experience article about our marriage. This time around, the picture for the illustration had not been published anywhere.
I finished the article, posted it, and immediately got another baby squidoo trophy and more points for publishing a lens.
Two days later another email: “Dear Squidoo Lens master, “you published a new lens yesterday (which is great!) but we see that it contains a high degree of….blah, blah, blah.”
I saw red. I mean literally. Unlike the squid that lives in the ocean who is capable of withstanding immense pressure, I was about to get a bad case of the bends! Not from surfacing too fast, but from staying down in those squid invested waters to begin with!
I deleted my Squidoo account, accompanied by what I could swear was the Halleljah Chorus coming from my computer.
Post Script: Incidentally, I finally received a reply from my e-mail question regarding duplicate content.
It was to Dear Squidoo Lensmaster, and was just a link to page where you could go if “you’re positive your lens was locked in error.” (Italics mine)
Perhaps there's someone out there out who has had a positive experience with Squidoo, if that’s the case, I’m glad for you. But for the others who might be considering joining Squidoo, I want to give an account of some of the things that (might) be in store for you.
Comments
9th Sep 2012 (#)
And that why I stopped writing for them as well, lets hope people take note of this jojay
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9th Sep 2012 (#)
Seems like a software bug to me wherein the programmer didnot test run the software before going live.
This means that the content is published and when the software completes the formality it also generates the email that you receive. Its the problem in the IF THEN ELSE command and this should have been caught, but it wasn't, the result is that the site is unreliable and will die an early death.
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9th Sep 2012 (#)
It was some eight years back I have joined this site but there was nothing great in the site for me so I lost the interest and never have gone back to it dear Jojay! Thanks for sharing your experience!
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9th Sep 2012 (#)
Once I contributed and then felt it not that user friendly! Something complex in calculating points and rewards. So, I quit now.
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9th Sep 2012 (#)
Thanks for the share, Jojay. I am with Yahoo! Voices but they don't pay non-US residents; so not active now, just respond to comments that I still receive. Then Bukisa, with payments uncertain. Just curious to know, anyone got paid by Bukisa? siva
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10th Sep 2012 (#)
I wrote a very similar article to this on another site. It is a waste of time effort, electricity to even log on to Squidoo. If they don't bounce your article instantly, as they did in my case, (still waiting for a 'greenlight) then as poor Joyja you will write three or more. Getting paid is not going to happen.
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