Two days ago, we were invited reading a post by Squidoo HQ re a lens makeover following the new guidelines. This lens is supposed to be the perfect product recommendation.
Actually the post was made by a lensmaster I knew long ago and respected. However, the way the blog post was turned kept me off visiting the new version of that lens and the comments I make about this are only inspired by the comments on this post.
Well first when someone tells me "look at my page, it's darned good", I don't look. I dislike self-satisfaction, I'm not a self-licking lillipop and consider I can't judge my own work: I know that I love my work, of course, it's mine! But the only way I see if my work is valuable - "darned good"- or not is when people read it and buy from my pages. They are the only people allowed to judge my work.
To someone posting their personal opinion about the content on this new version of that lens, the community organizer replied "... why wouldn't you want to read about X's personal story ? I think that the internet is changing...
Well I could reply : are we allowed to like what we want to like or are we obliged to clap our hands to anything you come up with even if it doesn't make sense or isn't related to reality? I'm not sure that someone looking for a teapot is interested in the lensmaster's great uncle or aunt or wants to know that their ancestors were part of the Mayflower crew.
Personally when looking for a product to buy, I definitely don't mind knowing that you got married three times, that you got your very first coffee pot at 18, that you went to prom wearing lingerie only or that you're getting divorced for the third time in 15 days.
When I look for something to buy I just want to hear about the product. Now if you add a recipe of your own that this superb blender allowed you to make, yes, I take. If you can teach me how to ride a cycle without wheels, I take.
But don't provide me information on that last trip where you found the teapot you've always dreamed of : I don't mind. I want to know if I can find it the store next door or if it's available online, let me know which site I must pay a visit to.
If the product that your lens features is available in different colors, models, types or themes, I want to see all of them : this way I can choose between those displayed on the page.
If I don't find all of this on a lens or Webpage, then I can go to Pinterest where the collection of products is huge, where I can find almost all models, types, themes of almost everything that's in the world and the owner of the Pinterest account I'll buy from will get the commission. It's as easy as that. Squidoo doesn't seem to realize that sites like Pinterest are their competitors and that buyers that don't find what they're looking for on Squidoo are going to find it on Pinterest. With less content of course but they eventually can pay the manufacturer a visit before hitting that "buy me, buy me" button.
By disagreeing with HQ, all we want is them to listen to us: we want to protect our assets... and when we protect our assets, we protect theirs at the same time.
Google didn't say that curated shopping cart lenses were now a no-no. They said that as long as you add value to your page, it's ok. You don't have to go emotional, personal, amazing, or whatever. They just want to get rid of junk - though they'd rather review their algorithm so that I could find what I actually search (and am not obliged to search on Bing or other competitor to get the right anwser).
Posted by Squidoo Angel Prosperity66
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