Comments on: Squidoo: Seth Godin’s Purple Albatross? http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/ Startup and Technology News Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:18:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Google-Knol enters knowlege-sharing scene « Interactions http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-1871970 Google-Knol enters knowlege-sharing scene « Interactions Tue, 25 Dec 2007 05:31:54 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-1871970 [...] Michael Arrington noted in his review of Seth Godin’s Squidoo, writers could build a name for themselves and possibly make more ad revenue by having their own [...] [...] Michael Arrington noted in his review of Seth Godin’s Squidoo, writers could build a name for themselves and possibly make more ad revenue by having their own [...]

]]> By: A Few Thoughts On Google Knol http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-1848849 A Few Thoughts On Google Knol Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:13:43 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-1848849 [...] a product perspective, Knol is not much different than existing products like Squidoo and Hubpages. It’s a new knowledge base for authors. Anyone, eventually, will be able to [...] [...] a product perspective, Knol is not much different than existing products like Squidoo and Hubpages. It’s a new knowledge base for authors. Anyone, eventually, will be able to [...]

]]> By: Google Acting Against Squidoo Due To Spam http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-1492994 Google Acting Against Squidoo Due To Spam Wed, 11 Jul 2007 03:07:45 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-1492994 [...] service, described last year by Michael Arrington as being Godin’s Purple Albatross, has long been a favorite of black-hat SEO’s looking to drive traffic and gain Google juice [...] [...] service, described last year by Michael Arrington as being Godin’s Purple Albatross, has long been a favorite of black-hat SEO’s looking to drive traffic and gain Google juice [...]

]]> By: morgan http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-933101 morgan Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:34:04 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-933101 hi hi

]]> By: greg cryns http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-864885 greg cryns Sun, 04 Feb 2007 00:03:16 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-864885 I like the potential of Squidoo. I started up three weeks ago and I am seeing some nice results in visitor counts. Now I need to learn how to monetize. I like the potential of Squidoo. I started up three weeks ago and I am seeing some nice results in visitor counts. Now I need to learn how to monetize.

]]> By: N376 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-812147 N376 Mon, 29 Jan 2007 03:53:06 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-812147 Whether Squidoo grows fast or grows slow I can't see it shrivelling up and dying. Sure, do your blogs, manufacture Made For Adsense sites, but if you want to have more than one iron in the fire and not have all your eggs in one basket then throw in a few Squidoo lenses. Whether Squidoo grows fast or grows slow I can’t see it shrivelling up and dying.

Sure, do your blogs, manufacture Made For Adsense sites, but if you want to have more than one iron in the fire and not have all your eggs in one basket then throw in a few Squidoo lenses.

]]> By: BizMingle Founder http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-740701 BizMingle Founder Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:52:57 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-740701 I love Squidoo! And from the looks of it, Google does too. Google loves those Squidoo tags, which helps people get noticed. From my experience, Squidoo has helped me make a nice income all from free traffic piggybacking off of it's authority site status. The numbers don't lie. I love Squidoo! And from the looks of it, Google does too. Google loves those Squidoo tags, which helps people get noticed. From my experience, Squidoo has helped me make a nice income all from free traffic piggybacking off of it’s authority site status. The numbers don’t lie.

]]> By: jeffryv http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-688356 jeffryv Wed, 10 Jan 2007 09:23:50 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-688356 Squidoo is still going strong Squidoo is still going strong

]]> By: Lists Web 2.0 Squidoo Style » Webomatica http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-563691 Lists Web 2.0 Squidoo Style » Webomatica Wed, 20 Dec 2006 04:57:24 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-563691 [...] Note: Squidoo confuses me to no end (I’m not alone), with its talk of “lenses” and “Plexo.” I suppose if I spent more time trying to figure out what the heck this marketing speak is referring to, it could be fun, but I don’t have the time or the energy tonight. So either check out the site yourself, or this summary. I just think if I can’t explain a site or figure out what the heck is going on in one minute, it becomes a chore. [...] [...] Note: Squidoo confuses me to no end (I’m not alone), with its talk of “lenses” and “Plexo.” I suppose if I spent more time trying to figure out what the heck this marketing speak is referring to, it could be fun, but I don’t have the time or the energy tonight. So either check out the site yourself, or this summary. I just think if I can’t explain a site or figure out what the heck is going on in one minute, it becomes a chore. [...]

]]> By: Bob The Teacher http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-461733 Bob The Teacher Thu, 30 Nov 2006 05:42:09 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-461733 In case you haven't noticed, Squidoo is an SEO magnet. Although there are too many lenses that have been claimed and abandoned, there are really great people making excellent lenses throughout the site. Squidoo has done amazing things for my business online, and I can't wait to share the strategies to make it an indispensable tool for marketing your expertise, affiliate program, and services. Bob Jenkins <a>SquidooSecrets.com</a> In case you haven’t noticed, Squidoo is an SEO magnet. Although there are too many lenses that have been claimed and abandoned, there are really great people making excellent lenses throughout the site.

Squidoo has done amazing things for my business online, and I can’t wait to share the strategies to make it an indispensable tool for marketing your expertise, affiliate program, and services.

Bob Jenkins
SquidooSecrets.com

]]> By: Squidoo test http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-456376 Squidoo test Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:56:28 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-456376 I'm doing a web experiment to see what Squidoo can achieve, by trying to rank in all the most difficult markets (top competition) Lets see the power of Squidoo, against all powerful corporations, black hatters and scrapers. Wish me luck! I’m doing a web experiment to see what Squidoo can achieve, by trying to rank in all the most difficult markets (top competition)

Lets see the power of Squidoo, against all powerful corporations, black hatters and scrapers.

Wish me luck!

]]> By: Squidoo to Be Renamed Spamdoo http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-293903 Squidoo to Be Renamed Spamdoo Tue, 24 Oct 2006 05:06:05 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-293903 [...] Well, not really - but it might as well be. Squidoo is Seth Godin’s web 2.0 redheaded stepchild. It’s a user-generated experiment gone bad. The basic premise is that anyone can create a “lens” and become a “lensmaster” of a page about anything they want or are passionate about. But lately the only time I hear Squidoo mentioned is when somebody talks about parasite SEO or ways to get easy trusted one-way links. About five months back Techcrunch blasted Squidoo. There are just so many problems with the Squidoo concept once reality sets in. Here’s a few notable ones: [...] [...] Well, not really - but it might as well be. Squidoo is Seth Godin’s web 2.0 redheaded stepchild. It’s a user-generated experiment gone bad. The basic premise is that anyone can create a “lens” and become a “lensmaster” of a page about anything they want or are passionate about. But lately the only time I hear Squidoo mentioned is when somebody talks about parasite SEO or ways to get easy trusted one-way links. About five months back Techcrunch blasted Squidoo. There are just so many problems with the Squidoo concept once reality sets in. Here’s a few notable ones: [...]

]]> By: Balaji’s Blog » links for 2006-05-15 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-252638 Balaji’s Blog » links for 2006-05-15 Mon, 09 Oct 2006 14:20:22 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-252638 [...] TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Squidoo: Seth Godin’s Purple Albatross? Techcrunch takes a look at the business model of Squidoo and wonder’s if it makes sense (tags: web2.0 review) [...] [...] TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Squidoo: Seth Godin’s Purple Albatross? Techcrunch takes a look at the business model of Squidoo and wonder’s if it makes sense (tags: web2.0 review) [...]

]]> By: Marti http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-231076 Marti Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:31:55 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-231076 You boys are so funny sometimes. Never really outgrow the playground, do ya? Does the “average” user of MySpace do it to get rich? Do they make ANY money? They do it ‘cause it’s fun and it’s free and it puts their name on the internet. Most of ‘em don’t know what Web 2.0 is, and Ajax is something your mom makes you scrub the bathtub with. I’m not a techie, (but I am a Trekkie, gawd I wish I coulda gone to that auction). I came here because I have “Squidoo” on a Google alert. I use Squidoo ‘cause it’s fun. It’s easy. It’s free. It gets my name on the internet. I know it isn’t Britannica, or even Wikipedia. I’m not Naked or Edgy. I just like to read entertaining material and write funny stuff. Y’all are a hoot. Bowling for Soup got it right...High School Never Ends. You boys are so funny sometimes. Never really outgrow the playground, do ya?

Does the “average” user of MySpace do it to get rich? Do they make ANY money? They do it ‘cause it’s fun and it’s free and it puts their name on the internet. Most of ‘em don’t know what Web 2.0 is, and Ajax is something your mom makes you scrub the bathtub with. I’m not a techie, (but I am a Trekkie, gawd I wish I coulda gone to that auction). I came here because I have “Squidoo” on a Google alert. I use Squidoo ‘cause it’s fun. It’s easy. It’s free. It gets my name on the internet. I know it isn’t Britannica, or even Wikipedia. I’m not Naked or Edgy. I just like to read entertaining material and write funny stuff. Y’all are a hoot.

Bowling for Soup got it right…High School Never Ends.

]]> By: carsandcheap.info » Latest news http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-221865 carsandcheap.info » Latest news Mon, 25 Sep 2006 23:05:06 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-221865 [...] Squidoo. With the backing of Marketing guru, Seth Godin, it was easily assumed that Squidoo would do pretty well, but unfortunately that hasnt been the case. Squidoo is a concept that had great potential to work 5 years ago, but now there is no reason for anyone to createa page and fill it with links to other places simply to look as though they are an expert in that category. In this user-generated era of content users always expect to get paid (Note: paid doesnt always mean monetarily) and Squidoo offers no real benefits for anyone to invest theirtime in. [...] [...] Squidoo. With the backing of Marketing guru, Seth Godin, it was easily assumed that Squidoo would do pretty well, but unfortunately that hasnt been the case. Squidoo is a concept that had great potential to work 5 years ago, but now there is no reason for anyone to createa page and fill it with links to other places simply to look as though they are an expert in that category. In this user-generated era of content users always expect to get paid (Note: paid doesnt always mean monetarily) and Squidoo offers no real benefits for anyone to invest theirtime in. [...]

]]> By: Top 10 Web 2.0 Losers » Wisdump http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-218800 Top 10 Web 2.0 Losers » Wisdump Sun, 24 Sep 2006 17:28:14 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-218800 [...] Squidoo. With the backing of Marketing guru, Seth Godin, it was easily assumed that Squidoo would do pretty well, but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case. Squidoo is a concept that had great potential to work 5 years ago, but now there is no reason for anyone to create a page and fill it with links to other places simply to look as though they are an expert in that category. In this user-generated era of content users always expect to get paid (Note: “paid” doesn’t always mean monetarily) and Squidoo offers no real benefits for anyone to invest their time in. [...] [...] Squidoo. With the backing of Marketing guru, Seth Godin, it was easily assumed that Squidoo would do pretty well, but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case. Squidoo is a concept that had great potential to work 5 years ago, but now there is no reason for anyone to create a page and fill it with links to other places simply to look as though they are an expert in that category. In this user-generated era of content users always expect to get paid (Note: “paid” doesn’t always mean monetarily) and Squidoo offers no real benefits for anyone to invest their time in. [...]

]]> By: Dead2.0 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-195944 Dead2.0 Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:16:58 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-195944 <strong>Arrington: Win Without Friction, Ego, or Money...</strong> At the (paid-to-attend) “Future of Web Apps Summit” in San Francisco today, Mike Arrington got on the record today, picking some “winners” and “losers” along with a few “good bets”.  The winners, natural... Arrington: Win Without Friction, Ego, or Money…

At the (paid-to-attend) “Future of Web Apps Summit” in San Francisco today, Mike Arrington got on the record today, picking some “winners” and “losers” along with a few “good bets”.  The winners, natural…

]]> By: Traffic sources: Squidoo | DropShipArea.com http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-190583 Traffic sources: Squidoo | DropShipArea.com Wed, 13 Sep 2006 10:42:27 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-190583 [...] There is quite much buzz about Squidoo. Seth Godin has posted a few times on this topic (no surprise – his name is behind this project) and there are discussions in the webmaster forums and popular blogs [...] [...] There is quite much buzz about Squidoo. Seth Godin has posted a few times on this topic (no surprise – his name is behind this project) and there are discussions in the webmaster forums and popular blogs [...]

]]> By: Call Center Expert http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-156490 Call Center Expert Sun, 27 Aug 2006 08:28:11 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-156490 <strong>Dave...</strong> Interesting topic... I'm working in this industry myself and I don't agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future... Dave…

Interesting topic… I’m working in this industry myself and I don’t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future…

]]> By: Ed Watts http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-123761 Ed Watts Sat, 05 Aug 2006 15:33:02 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-123761 Squidoo's not all bad. I like the RSS module. A couple months ago I was only dimly aware of RSS and now I'm getting Amazon sales from Feedburner feeds posted at Squidoo. I'm not happy about the SquidU forum being such a spam-bin (Not you, Jeffry -- I know you're a frequent poster, but you usually have something to say.) I'm thinking more of "tattoo-girl" and "I'm-a-business-expert" to refuse to name two. This would be so easy to fix with robots.txt ... P.S. This is my first post. I hope it's O.K. I didn't see a "preview" or obvious "how-to"... Squidoo’s not all bad. I like the RSS module. A couple months ago I was only dimly aware of RSS and now I’m getting Amazon sales from Feedburner feeds posted at Squidoo.

I’m not happy about the SquidU forum being such a spam-bin (Not you, Jeffry — I know you’re a frequent poster, but you usually have something to say.) I’m thinking more of “tattoo-girl” and “I’m-a-business-expert” to refuse to name two.

This would be so easy to fix with robots.txt …

P.S. This is my first post. I hope it’s O.K. I didn’t see a “preview” or obvious “how-to”…

]]> By: Mark David http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-108877 Mark David Sat, 22 Jul 2006 19:16:20 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-108877 An additional reason Squidoo isn't working: Lackluster customer service. The tech guys are friendly and enthusiastic but the bottom line is that problems persist for weeks and months without resolution. The 'status blog' which was to keep Lensmasters updated on progress wasn't itself updated for three months. Photos won't upload, modules disappear when you publish, the Help section and Search functions (for help topics) are practically useless, and those are just a few problems off the top. My sense is that Seth came up with the idea, poured a lot of time and money into it, hired some folks to run the day-to-day operations. . . but now he's lost interest. The enterprise is clearly understaffed (as they say on their site) and I bet morale is low. I hope Seth will write about what he learned from this project--admit his mistakes and help others to avoid them. Mark An additional reason Squidoo isn’t working: Lackluster customer service. The tech guys are friendly and enthusiastic but the bottom line is that problems persist for weeks and months without resolution.

The ’status blog’ which was to keep Lensmasters updated on progress wasn’t itself updated for three months.

Photos won’t upload, modules disappear when you publish, the Help section and Search functions (for help topics) are practically useless, and those are just a few problems off the top.

My sense is that Seth came up with the idea, poured a lot of time and money into it, hired some folks to run the day-to-day operations. . . but now he’s lost interest. The enterprise is clearly understaffed (as they say on their site) and I bet morale is low.

I hope Seth will write about what he learned from this project–admit his mistakes and help others to avoid them.

Mark

]]> By: Gannon http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-100628 Gannon Sat, 15 Jul 2006 03:54:47 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-100628 It's hard to see the value of some innovations when they are first introduced. This was true even for something as useful as the telephone. People at the time thought it could be a nice novelty but nothing more. Afterall, there was no infrastructure set up, the invention needed improvement and no one knew anyone else that had a phone. Then all that changed. I think the same is true for Squidoo. Unlike the telephone though, which required lines to be run all across the country, Squidoo needs high quality lenses to be developed, which over time, I'm confident will happen. Will people get rich doing squidoo? I don't know. Can Squidoo make a difference in people's lives? I know it has that power if we use it right. Whether it's a Purple Cow or not isn't up to Seth. It's up to us. It’s hard to see the value of some innovations when they are first introduced. This was true even for something as useful as the telephone. People at the time thought it could be a nice novelty but nothing more. Afterall, there was no infrastructure set up, the invention needed improvement and no one knew anyone else that had a phone.

Then all that changed.

I think the same is true for Squidoo. Unlike the telephone though, which required lines to be run all across the country, Squidoo needs high quality lenses to be developed, which over time, I’m confident will happen.

Will people get rich doing squidoo? I don’t know. Can Squidoo make a difference in people’s lives? I know it has that power if we use it right. Whether it’s a Purple Cow or not isn’t up to Seth. It’s up to us.

]]> By: Advocacy Blogs » Blog Archive » Overview of social networking http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-73508 Advocacy Blogs » Blog Archive » Overview of social networking Fri, 16 Jun 2006 05:37:03 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-73508 [...] TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Squidoo: Seth Godin’s Purple Albatross? [...] [...] TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Squidoo: Seth Godin’s Purple Albatross? [...]

]]> By: ProHipHop - Hip Hop Marketing http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-63907 ProHipHop - Hip Hop Marketing Mon, 05 Jun 2006 15:12:03 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-63907 <strong>Brand Destruction Report: Seth Godin...</strong> If you follow famous marketing bloggers like Seth Godin, you may know that he's opposed to comments for reasons that sound rather neurotic and control freakish. More importantly, his reasons seem to conflict with the values he professes as a... Brand Destruction Report: Seth Godin…

If you follow famous marketing bloggers like Seth Godin, you may know that he’s opposed to comments for reasons that sound rather neurotic and control freakish. More importantly, his reasons seem to conflict with the values he professes as a…

]]> By: bloat! » Blog Archive » Et Tu, TechCrunch — Squidoo http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-60727 bloat! » Blog Archive » Et Tu, TechCrunch — Squidoo Fri, 02 Jun 2006 00:15:21 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/squidoo-seth-godins-purple-albatross/#comment-60727 [...] TechCrunch has finally grown a pair and thrown a major web 2.0 property under the bus. In the process he has set up a delicious meta-bash of his own currently foundering project. [...] [...] TechCrunch has finally grown a pair and thrown a major web 2.0 property under the bus. In the process he has set up a delicious meta-bash of his own currently foundering project. [...]

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