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topics, the article will most likely get unpublished, and repeatedly submitting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”
