Squidoo - I LOVE IT

The other day I read a blog entry on Lost Ball in High Weeds about Squidoo.  I had seen Squidoo coming up in my search results from time to time and noticed the strange (Doesn't anything you don't know about seem strange the first time you see it?) "lens" terminology.  So I read the blog entry and looked at the Lost Ball author's lens, read Why Build a Lens and Everyone is an Expert.  And yes, I even read the warning label "Squidoo can be addictive" -- like I need another thing like THAT.

Even with that warning (Or was it because of it?), I logged in and created Random Dog Tips for Random Dogs, my very first lens.  And I love Squidoo and here is why:

1. It's about content.  Yes, some people create pages that are just lists of links OR contain one cut and pasted ad for one product.  But those lenses are just background white noise.  They don't get the attention.  Squidoo rewards good writing.
2. It's so easy to create a lens (page) with very nice mix of content -- a poll question, list of Amazon goodies, 3 or 4 text passages (I think of them as mini-essays or tips), a guestbook, maybe a video.  I have to say, no offense to Typepad, that I like the Squidoo interface better than any blogging or webpage creation software I've found.
3. The ranking appeals to the competitve jerk that lives inside me.  Upon creating a lens, expect to be ranked about a millionth (they haven't hit that number yet, but I'm sure they will).  If you use your common sense and their tips and join a few groups, sign a few other guestbooks, and participate in the community, you'll move up fast.  As I type Random Dog Tips for Random Dogs is number 1654 -- not bad for 2 days into the game.
4. Squidoo is set up to make it easy to donate a portion (or all) of any money earned by your lens, to charity.

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P.S. Squidoo rankings were just updated. Random Dog Tips for Random Dogs moved up to #995, breaking into the top 1000 lenses in just 2 days. Woo hoo. (I know, how obnoxious of me to brag so.)