My Squid Life

The first part of my week continued to focus solely on working my way through a list of potential Hub and Lens topics. I had a couple of days that required my attention elsewhere and now I’m wanting two days off for clearing my head and deciding my direction for the next month.  I’m on target thus far this year. I’ve created more hubs in the past 25 days than I did all year last year and kept up my pace with Squidoo.

My new lenses this week include one on Seashell Pictures. I have my own little collection, gathered a lifetime ago, but it still provides so many nice memories. Maybe I’ll get them out and try to create some nice photos myself.  Another lens was on Net10 Phones. I’ve had some success with prepaid cellular which is good, not just because of the extra money, but because I had to work at convincing the two companies I’m affiliated with to let me sell their plans/phones. So, the sales are very sweet. The market is very, very competitive. I acutally wanted to do it because I think prepaid is now a much better option than it used to be.

I also did quick lenses on Kids Clock Radios, Kids Waterproof Watches, and another on internet connected TV .

Now, I’m ready for the two day breather!

I’ve continued my march toward bringing my Hubpages more closely in line with my Squidoo efforts. I think I reported at the end of the year that I’ve had almost no luck making money on Hubpages while my Squidoo “success” has gradually become very encouraging.  In an effort to earn more, I made the important decision to activate Kontera on my hubs. I think it works like Infolinks does on Squidoo. I am also just now applying for becoming an e-Bay affiliate. I like the thought of earning something for driving traffic and not just sales!

I know, I know. It’s amazing I make anything at all based on how little I’ve made use of the tools given to me!

Anyway, I’ve plowed through another 6 or 7 Hubs since my last post and a few Squidoo lenses as well. My focus has been commercial on both sites for now.  My supporting, but much less commercial writing, is elsewhere, pointing back to these pages.  As the weather and my mobility improves, other writing will occur. On Squidoo I created a lens about  portable printers for laptops.  The options are somewhat limited but they get the job done. Some are really much smaller than others, but sometimes the larger ones have better quality output. One thing people often forget to consider is rugged design. If it will be toted around, especially in your car, you need to know it can survive.

Another Lens was about wireless photo frames. It’s amazing how these digital photo frames have evolved. With the wireless connection you can now share photos instantaneously. Grandma doesn’t need to know a thing about electronics, you can send the pictures to her frame, and wham, there they are when she turns it on. Some of these things are really internet players. They display pictures but also give you access to RSS feeds, podcasts, Web TV, internet radio, and the like. Just being a picture viewer is so yesterday. LOL!

The other lens I put together was really a buying guide for finding the best alarm clock.  Many people use their cell phone as an alarm clock these days, but many people have needs that don’t make this desirable. There are alarm clocks that are perfect for those with vision problems or someone with hearing loss or deafness. Others are better for heavy sleepers that can sleep through loud alarms, some can help kids learn to tell time, and still others are perfect for those who are better off with voice control. Anyway, this lens guides you through the options.

I’ve committed myself to being more productive from a writing standpoint this year. So about two weeks into the year, I’m doing well.  I produced 15 new Hubs, a handful of Qondio and Bukisa articles, and I think 5 new Squidoo lenses.  I have a couple of days coming up with outside obligations but plan to come back ready to dive back in.  My mobility is still limited and the weather really stinks so I may as well make use of the time!

I won’t bother listing all of my new creations but probably the most interesting commercial hub that I did was on Internet Radio Players. They give you access to so much more content, and much of that is free.  In addition, you get much better audio than say your typical clock radio. With these players you don’t have to stay tethered to enjoy that eclectic experience.

Meanwhile…on Squidoo I’m still polishing off my list of commercial lenses I dreamed up before the holiday, but couldn’t get to at the time.  MP3 Clock Radios have gained some popularity providing more listening options, and in some cases, a great docking/charging station for your MP3 players. Some even allow you to talk on your iPhone remotely while it’s docked. Remote controls and video players can round out the experience. Pretty nice.  Of course, for those who are on a tighter budget there are still basic clock radio alarm clocks to be had, without all the bells and whistles.

My lesson of the week however, is to start keeping a log of all the new lenses and hubs I create, so that I can go back and do more promotion for them after-the-fact. At this point, I simply don’t remember them over time!!

Well, I struggled trying to decide what I wanted my goals for the year to include.  I didn’t meet my volume goal on Squidoo this year which doesn’t feel good but I met my income goal so it softens the impact of that. I feel like I have a general handle on how I need to proceed, it won’t necessarily be fun. I have to accept that right now volume is my biggest problem. I’m making money on most sites that I work through, but I’ve just not been as prolific as I need to be, plus I fail to do all the cross promotion I need to do.  Maybe what I need in the new year is more time.

So, to be realistic and to keep things simple, I’m only setting some volume goals this year.  I’m going to commit to having a minimum of 150 Hubs by the end of the year, 355 Squidoo lenses, 245 Qondio articles, and 115 Bukisa articles. I’ll be blogging and joining new sites I’m sure, but I will be focusing on what already works so that’s where my goals lie. Actually, I’m not sure Hubpages is really working for me but I think I’ve found a new direction that makes sense. I read a hub today that confirmed some of the things I had been thinking so I’m shifting gears, at least for the time being.

I actually had a good day writing wise.  I wrote two Bukisa articles, one on Qondio, and put together two new Hubs. The hubs were commercial pages, one on Tile Trivets and the other on Outdoor Cat Houses. They are both an extension of some lenses I did.  I’ve also added a couple of Squidoo lenses of course over the weekend. I created one on outdoor cat shelter. It covers affordable housing for feral cats that can prevent frosbite and hypothermia as well as more expensive cedar homes for pets.   You’ll find some great ideas for making your own. Then the final one was another commercial lens, this one on heavy duty electric staplers.