Re. Squidoo forums. If you are not insanely positive on there they don’t like it. I wonder if anyone is allowed to mention the traffic drops there yet?

I never did much on Squidoo – too much happy-clappy for me. And opaque earnings process.

I’m still learning..

Mark

here is the url – http://www.squidoo.com/why-squidoo-isnt-ranking-in-google-anymore-my-theory

Some of the things you’ve written, like google penguin hasn’t affected squidoo, I raised an eyebrow at, but because you have been at this online stuff much longer than me, I want your opinion. I know that I probably don’t know what I’m talking about, and therefore want to hear other people’s opinion!

Thanks in advance – projectresolute

Squidoo…what an interesting experimental lab for Seth Godin’s theories. I wonder if he’s happy with what came out of the test tube?

Yeah, I suspect the filters. One thing that I suppose it could be (triggered by your mention of Hubpages), is the linking out stuff. I always did that very freely, and the linking restrictions are on of the things that kept me off Hubpages (I remember ranting about it in some frustration and holding Squidoo up – a long time ago – as a site that didn’t restrict you in that way, which was why I kept coming back. I don’t want to suddenly run into a random and arbitrary rule when in the flow of writing!).

…I feel like having a campaign of terror in which I rampage through all my old haunts and … I’m not sure. Banning everyone in site, or something. I’ll have to think about that one. I can’t post a Dramatic Flounce on the Squidoo forums, because I have been banned for a year as well (nearly).

Oh Zazzle. I forgot about that site, almost. I still make a couple of sales a month, and it’s nice and steady (as it has always been), but obviously the referrals have dropped. It was just so much effort. I was terribly OCD about putting ALL THE PICTURES on ALL THE THINGS.

Oh yes, the other reason I avoid internet stuff. it’s 4am again. I ACTUALLY HAVE A REAL JOB NOW THIS IS BAD.

I totally agree with the points you make. At the end of the day what goes on and one forever attracting an audience is great content for a niche audience – and lots of it!

I’ve never been able to see the point of competing in areas of high volume searches and high volume websites. Ditto, you have to add a lot more than a review to a lens to make it attract traffic and be sustainable in the longer term. My best lenses are all ones I made several years ago – and they have done consistently well for years on topics I know about.

I’m also not fan of the short lenses – and why should I be when I have so much evidence long ones work better?

I very definitely agree with your endorsement of Seth’s original premise “everybody’s an expert – about something”. At some point, when I’m no longer writing ‘big on content’ books for major publishers entirely generated by writing a ‘big on content’ blog with long expert blog posts (which is my news for the last year), I’ll get round to setting up my own websites for my content – but right now they’re pootling along at Squidoo and doing as well if not better than they did prior to The Great Hiatus.

I just wish Squidoo HQ would see the sense in licensing the template for use independently of Squidoo for those who’d rather like to set up our own sites. I still like the modular approach with navigational URLs and the one page style – but I want to put it on my own website with my own branding and styling. In the meantime I continue to investigate Weebly…..

Here’s hoping I find rather more evidence of life in GG land over the next year – I have looked periodically but obviously didn’t find your new hideaway spots.

I still have to decide what to do with a lot of my “now deleted because I left Squidoo content” and have been considering putting the more content rich ones on Hubpages. I only have a few hubs but they do get some traffic.

However, I decided to take a break from all things online during April and the break has extended into May.

I wish you all the best Ellen and every success on your online Odyssey

I turned 7 too (back in February), I also lost about 60% of my income. I also did those lenslet (although I am a wise owl and did them on toys so I can move them off to my niche website). All my lenslet are somewhere in a pit no where to be found, but I had to keep giant (I have been busy and don’t have time to go through an account lock).

I do think Hubpage is currently doing rather well, my measly 3 hubs are pulling nice traffic compare to Squidoo. And I am not sure lenslets is helping at all (my best performing lenses traffic and sale-wise are the long ones with lots of content).

Good luck with your niche account and it’s nice to read your blog once again