Topics You Can't Write About on Squidoo

The article sharing site Squidoo will accept a wide variety of articles for the most part.   

You can write about nearly anything as long as you behave as a good citizen, meaning that you shall not spam, and you shall not plagiarize another writer’s work. 

But there are some topics that the Squidoo site just won’t accept.   

If you do submit an article on one of these topics, the article will most likely get unpublished, and repeatedly submitting articles along these lines will get you banned from the site permanently.

Today we’re going to take a look at a sample of Squidoo’s Do Not Write About List, or what they called the SquidDon’ts. 

This list below is meant to give you a few ideas of what to stay away from when writing for the site, and is in no way a comprehensive compilation.

Here we go.

12 Areas to Avoid When Writing an Article for Squidoo

1.  Don’t write pharmaceutical/ drug/diet aid reviews.  Don’t write about diet pills.  Don’t write about fad nutrient drinks or miracle fruits/nuts/berries.  Some examples of topics not allowed would be : Viagra, Hoodia Gordoni, Penis Enlargement, acai berries, PE, snoring, hair loss, augmentations, asthma miracle cures and so on.   

Don’t link to one of these topics through an affiliate program using Squidoo.  Don’t link to e-books on these subjects either. 

2.  Don’t write about MLM programs, get rich quick programs, or projected earnings and such.  Don’t write about network marketing, pay per click projects, or internet traffic exchange sites.  Search engines punish these marketing schemes and the Squidoo website does too.  There are even some affiliate programs that are rather scammy that can run you into trouble on Squidoo. 

3.  Don’t write about websites that offer help with your love life, sex life, dating websites, etc.   Don’t write about revenge websites. 

4.  No gambling articles.  No poker articles or how to win the lottery stories. 

5.  Don’t write about how to copy DVD’s, video games or television programs.  Don’t write about scamming the satellite providers or using illegal sharing sites.  If it’s against DMCA laws, Squidoo is not going to accept your article on the subject. 

You can link to products like Hulu and Amazon, but don't mislead people to think something is free if it's not.

6. Don’t write about work at home scams, companies that offer to consolidate credit card debt, mortgage brokers, currency trading, Forex, Regenesis, or topics of this nature. 

While there is some room to write good articles on avoiding scams in these fields, Squidoo will clamp down hard if you’re offering tips on firms to use or spam baiting readers.

7.  Don't be a hater.  No vile hate articles.  Don’t write ugly.  Yes, you can write a negative product review but if you cross the line by directing hate towards a person or a group, you will be unpublished.  

8. Don’t write about free downloads.  None.  Zero.  They don’t want articles about free ringtone downloads, Mp3 downloads, or movie downloads. 

9.  Squidoo will not accept adult content articles.  No porn, X-rated reading, mature content, no violence.  Reconsider if you’re thinking of adding images of scantily clad models or any type to your article.

10.  Be aware of copyright issues when quoting lyrics, books, movies, poems, etc.  Your article needs to be reviewing the work or adding something substantial to the mix, not simply reprinting prose, in order to pass muster.  Quote correctly, and credit where due.

11.  If you’re submitting an article on coloring pages or displaying computer wallpaper, you must be the person who designed the work you’re showcasing, otherwise you’re probably violating copyright laws.  If it’s your work, make sure you say so.

12.  Do no harm.  Squidoo is not the place to publish information about extreme diets, abortion information, or legal drugs.    

Squidoo is trying to keep their website “family friendly”.

A Final Thought

After years of encouraging writers to submit reviews on every product in the marketplace, Squidoo is now unpublishing writer’s reviews of products that they see as not enriching an individual’s quality of life.  This is a pretty vacuous idea, so I can’t really explain the Squidoo theory behind the rule

Squidoo Headquarters writes that it wants writers to submit reviews of music, literature, movies, and collectibles because they add to our general quality of life.  They in turn state that reviews of shower curtains and tablecloths will be unpublished because evidently these items no longer add to the quality of our human lives.* 

Go figure. 

*This policy Reprinted From "The SquidDon’t Content Policy" by SquidTeam:  No “Mundane product lenses. This includes lenses that solely focus on products that serve little purpose like shower curtains, tablecloths and garbage bags. Squidoo is about reviewing the things that enrich your life like music, books, movies, collectibles, etc”

 

How to Write for Squidoo – How to Prepare an Article for Publishing Online with Squidoo

Over the past few posts, we’ve brainstormed over subjects you can write about on Squidoo.  

Today we’ll get into the actual mechanics of writing an article. 

Are you ready to try to write an article to be published? 

All right!  Let’s learn how to prepare and write a simple article for Squidoo.

Simple Steps in Article Writing

Writing online may seem daunting to you at first, but like all things, there are ways to make the task manageable.  We’re going to begin by working not on the Squidoo website, but by using your computer word processing program.  By writing offline first, you’ll help to lower any stress you feel in association with the online learning curve.

There are several steps you’ll want to take in writing an article.  These are:

• ·       Decide on a subject
• ·       Research your subject
• ·       Write a first draft
• ·       Review, spell-check your work, put it in final draft form
• ·       Take or find photos to accompany your work
• ·       Decide if you’ll feature any products

I’m guessing that by now you can decide on a subject, research what you need to include, and write a first draft on your own without my help.  We’ve been through many ideas for subject matter in earlier posts.  It’s time to pick one idea and move forward.

But you may be wondering just how many words or how long you need to make this article, or “Squidoo lens”.  Let me help.

Note: I’m going to stop here for a moment, and give you a new term.  The term is “lens”.  Articles on Squidoo are called lenses, not articles.  This is one of the ways they differentiate themselves from other sites.   Whenever you see the word “lens” on Squidoo, they’re talking about “articles” and the terms can be interchanged. 

Introduction

Squidoo requires that you write an introduction to your lens, and this section be at least 300 words.  The introduction can include as many paragraphs as you’d like.  After that single stipulation, you’re on your own. 

You’ll want to make your introduction enticing to readers.   Your introduction is what determines whether people landing on your page will continue to read further or click off and move on.  Make your introduction memorable.

The Meat of the Story

Take as much space or as little space as it takes to write your article well.  Write for quality, not quantity.  That said, you want to keep your article as tight as possible.  Here’s what I mean by “tight as possible”.

Say you’ve chosen to write an article about your pets.  Consider this… you may not want to write a single article about all your pets in one article.  Try picking one pet and write an interesting story about just that one.  This gives you the ability to write a second article about the second pet, a third about the third pet, etc. 

Ask yourself, does that make sense?  Sometimes it will and other times it will not.  It will depend upon where you’re going with your article. 

There are some wonderful lengthy articles on Squidoo.  Some discuss art, history and music.  Others give information that can’t be cut short. 

But there are also some great short articles on Squidoo.  I’ve seen some great product review lenses that are short, quality pieces. 

The answer here is to keep the article sharp and to the point.  Write, edit, and end up with what you feel works.

Saving your Story in RTF

Once you’ve got a first draft done, I want you to save your draft in RTF (Rich Text Format) format because this format transfers well to most platforms. 

If you’ve never saved to RTF before, this is how you do it in Microsoft Word: 

• ·       Go to “File”
• ·       Go to “Save As”
• ·       Give Your File a Name as you would with any other Save
• ·       In the box just below File Name is a box called “Save As Type” – Click the drop down arrow box
• ·       Find the Rich Text Format (*.rtf) and click on it
• ·       Click Save

By saving your work in Rich Text Format, most systems will be able to read your work without having to reformat your article.  When you save using the standard Microsoft Word Save, you may run into formatting problems later.

Now we’ll rework your article. 

Modules

There are many ways to format your lens on Squidoo, but the most successful way is to break it into pieces, which you’ll put into sections that Squidoo calls “Modules”. 

Modules will be material you’d normally put under section headings.  If our article was on weather, these sections might be heat, cold, rain, storms, etc.  Each module has its own bold headline.   

Go back through your article and break it into modules.  Give each module a section name in bold type so you can easily determine where you'll break your article into new sections later.

 

Photos

Now is the time to determine how you’ll illustrate your Squidoo lens.  Will you be taking your own photos?  Or using a photo sharing site?  The easiest way by far is to take your own photos.  You own them.  You can get exactly what you want illustrated. 

How many photos will you use?  You’ll need at least one photo for your introduction, but you may want to illustrate each module.  Make sure you do the legwork before you go on to Squidoo.  It will save you a lot of time.

Will You Include any Products?

One of the easiest affiliates to showcase on Squidoo is Amazon.  Have you thought about any products you’d like to include in your story?  You can sort out the specifics when we get to the Squidoo site, but think about what types of products you’d like to include.  Would they be books, music, or products?

Spell Check Your Work

After you’ve written an article that is not a copy of anything else you’ve done or seen, make sure you’ve done the editing and you’ve checked your spelling and grammar.   

Save your work as an RTF file.

Now You’re Ready!

I’ve walked you through the basics of writing an article for Squidoo.   Next week, I’ll take  you through sign-up, picking a name, writing a profile, and finally how to publish your article on Squidoo.

See you next time!

Have You Squidoo'ed?

Hi, I’m Sanne, and I am one of the many people who like to write and participate on the website Squidoo.

What is Squidoo, you ask?

Funny name or not, Squidoo is a real online site.  

Squidoo is comprised of people from all around the world.  

Squidoo is also one of the top 10 websites destinations in the world.   

Squidoo is an active online community of folks who write, research and share information on an enormous range of subjects, some of those subjects quite personal.  

If you haven't yet been visited Squidoo, you'll have to give it a try.

What is a Squidoo Lens?

Squidoo articles are called "lenses", but what they're really simply articles on a range of subjects or blog posts.

Writers are free to link their articles to personal websites or blogs and free to show products related to their article.

Earn a Little Cash

Squidoo offers writers a chance to earn a little money on their articles through advertising dollars and affiliate advertising.  

I'll explain how this works in future blog posts.  

Care to Try it Yourself?

You don't have to be a professional writer to join Squidoo.  Just write what you know about.  Tell us about what makes your pet special, write a tribute to your grandparents, or just what's cool about your hometown.  

Then get in there and read others' work, and you'll be surprised how often they'll return and read yours.  

Click on the link below and start writing - and tell them Sanne sent you!

 

  

You Too Can Write on Squidoo - It's Free to Join! 

Learn Something New

Squidoo offers something for everyone.  You don't have to write to enjoy the Squidoo site.  Jump in there and learn about people, places, activities, projects, cultures, world recipes, how-to-do's, and many other things all at  one website.


Whether you want to read or write, you're sure to spend a wonderful time at Squidoo learning something new.

Enjoy!

Who I Am - My Interests Outside of Squidoo

By profession, I am a Florida cattle rancher and a freelance writer, so you'll see that I write a lot of online articles about Florida.

  

But I'm also an avid wilderness, animal, and plant lover, a serious foodie, and an advocate for healthy living.  

You'll find my name on articles in many of these fields as well.

 

@SanneCollins