SquidU Review:The Write Stuff

The latest ‘SquidU Review’ has been released. The featured article is titled “The Write Stuff”. [SquidU Review]

The latest SquidU Review is reprinted here.

SquidU Review: The Write Stuff

Tax-time has passed (whew!) and Spring is finally upon us. A few weeks ago you did some housekeeping on your lenses. Now that they’re all tidied up, it’s time to take a look at your text.

Compelling online writing can be a challenge for even the smartest wordsmiths among us, so this week we have a few tips for writing great copy on your lenses. (And a few secret features you might not know about).

1. Writing lens copy
2. Proofreading your lenses
3. Modules made for words
4. Secret features worth your time
5. Your name here!

Don’t forget to post your lens URLS at the SquidU forum. Lots of fellow lensmasters are ready and willing to give your lens a thorough review and offer suggestions.

Keep on Squidooing!

Kimberly Dawn Wells
Editor of the SquidU Review

1.Writing Lens Copy

Ugh, an intro module. If you’re just not good at writing summaries, even the little things can seem daunting. You want to describe your lens without sounding fake and without taking up the entire page. How can you project your enthusiasm into words while still sounding genuine?

1. Get personal It’s ok to let customers see your softer side. Tell a joke about your family and post your picture. If your customers know there’s a real person behind the words, they will seem more believable.

2. Get silly Part of the Web 2.0 revolution has brought websites out of the sterile businessy age into the personal, fun, it’s-ok-to-say-silly-things age. Case in point – check out the Squidoo Terms of Service. Flickr does it, Moo.com does it, and BzzAgent does it. This doesn’t mean you need to go overboard, just don’t be boring.

3. Use the words you speak In a sales copy class I was forced to use words like “powerful” and “magic.” I don’t usually use these words in my every day language, so when I wrote them my letters seemed forced. However, I do use the word “fabulous” quite often, and have no problem injecting that into every other sentence. When you write like you speak, your message will feel more comfortable. It’s fabulous.

2. Proofreading your Lenses

Typos and errors and grammar, oh my! Not everyone is an expert when it comes to writing, and it’s easy for mistakes to slip through your fingers and get onto your lens. There are some basic things you can do to avoid these awful errors and create lens copy you can be proud of.

1. Spell check Copy your text into Microsoft Word or your other favorite word processor and send it through spell check. Most web copy that contains errors contains blatant ones, ones that even an electronic proofreading system can detect. This is your first line of defense in editing.

2. Read it out loud Read the following to yourself. Then read it out loud one word at a time. Did you catch it?

FOR WHOM THE THE BELL TOLLS

When you read what you’ve written out loud, you engage more of your senses. You’re forced to slow down and read each word individually and recognize when you’ve skipped words, transposed words, or, as in the example above, duplicated words. This will also help you recognize run on sentences and phrases that just don’t sound right.

3. Ask a friend to read it As a writer, I have proven to the universe that it is possible to read your own work 100 times or more and still glaze over the same blatant error. This is why it’s so important to have someone else read it over. Forward it to your coworker, or have your spouse skim through it. An error you’ve missed several times might pop out at someone who is unfamiliar with your content. Find another lensmaster to be your writing buddy, or post your lens URL on the SquidU Forum for some added exposure and critique.

Additionally, DON’T USE ALL CAPS or lots of exclamation points!!!! Besides marking you as an amateur, it comes across as obnoxious and even rude. Don’t do it on your lens, and please don’t do it when you email people.

Even the best editors occasionally let mistakes slip through, but by spell checking, reading aloud, and showing a fresh set of eyes, you will catch 99% of the mistakes in your text and create lens copy that shines.

3.Modules Made for Words

If you’re not a particularly wordy person, you’re in luck! Squidoo modules offer a variety of ways to organize your thoughts without the need to write a lot. Here are some modules to try:

Write/Text Module If you can say it in 2500 characters or less, the Write/Text module will let you do it, and even gives you the option of some basic HTML formatting options.

Link List If you’re using several links to illustrate a point, try the Link List. It gives your readers a clean view of your links with a short description field so they know what to expect. (Also try Links Plexo!)

Make a List For bulletted, numbered, and plain lists, you can’t go wrong with the Make a List Module. Bullet-lists are a classic way to simplify your information and turn your text into eye candy. If you’re not big on sentences and paragraphs, the Make a List module is just what you need.

Amazon What? That’s right – especially awesome for doing reviews, the Amazon and Amazon Plexo modules allow you to 1-5 products for sale with plenty of room to describe and review them. Displaying five favorite books? Create one module for each and tell us what you think.

RSS Feed Don’t forget – if you own a blog, you can add instant updates to your lens using the RSS module. You get to blog, and your lens gets instant updates.

4. Secret Features Worth Your Time

Okay, they’re not so secret, but you might not have heard of them yet! Here are a few neat features on Squidoo that are kind of underpromoted, but totally fabulous in their own right.

Flickr Slideshow The Flickr module now has a slideshow feature. A little moving eye candy on your lens can go a long way for hooking first time visitors!

Shhh…an Orbitz travel module! Got a travel lens? Planning your summer vacation? Reviewing your favorite hot spots? Look in the Module Picker for the Orbitz module, and display airfares, hotels, and cool deals. Yup, it’s a moneymaker.

Grab your own Plexo Do you have a hot Plexo on your lens? A best of list, a top 10 list, something that’s on fire with votes? Grab your own Plexo and stick it on your blog, site, or even another lens. It’s a handy widget that helps you drive traffic to your lens — not to mention more votes!

Delicious–yummm Did you know that del.icio.us is one of Squidoo’s top 20 traffic referrers? That means lots of lenses are getting bookmarked and tagged in del.icio.us, and discovered by others there. Got a lens reviewing the latest GPS gadget? Spring footwear? Wedding planning? Post it to del.icio.us, tag it with your lens tags, and watch new people find you every day.

About Squidoo

Squidoo: SKWID-OO, n. v., adj., addiction. 1) thousands of people creating a handbuilt catalog of the best stuff online 2) a free and fun way to make your own page and get traffic 3) a place to find what you’re looking for, fast.

*IMNewswatch would like to thank Squidoo for granting permission to reprint the latest SquidU Review.