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The subject matter for the 9/7 Giant Squid Open Mike Monday show was the all pervasive, sometimes elusive, Squid Angel team at Squidoo.
Why would anyone want to be a Squid Angel?
As an Angel, do you feel more angelic?
Do you feel less human and more divine?
When you go to a party, and when asked, "What do you do?' do you say, "I am a Squidoo Angel" instead of a Nurse, Police Officer or Fire Person?
AJ, bonafide Squid Angel Sweetheart, said "No" to this without doubt or hesitation. She joined Squidoo to tell the story of how her child was bullied in school. Because she doesn't want to draw attention to her daughter in a way that would start the bullying up all over again, she remains anonymous on Squidoo.
We may not know AJ's real name nor what she looks like, but we do know her and love her.
Her bullying lens remains her top lens. People write to her from all over the world telling her how much they have been helped by the advice provided in the lens as to how to stop bullying and how to be courageous in the face of it. In order to come out and reveal her true identity on Squidoo, she'd have to give up the lens, or delete it, or sell it. She is not ready to do this.
I suggested that the post-traumatic stress of the experience was greatly alleviated by making this lens.
Come to think of it, is this why lens making is such a healing act for so many of us?
Is Squid Angeling as therapeutic as Squid Lens Making?
AJ said her categories for Angeling are health, business and working at home. She said that she saw another side of Squidoo when she became an angel.
Every morning, she receives a list of 400 to 500 lenses to read. More likely, scan. As an angel, she is in the unique position to spot upcoming lensmasters. She can encourage them to make more lenses, to join the community, to join the forum, to become Giant Squids and to visit other lensmasters to see how they do it.
Then there are those who abuse the Squidoo Terms Of Service by making multiple accounts for the sole purpose of visiting their lenses made by the different name in order to give it a 5 star rating.
One of the many purposes of the Squid Angel is to weed out spam and junk lenses. ThomasC, a Squidoo Angel in the chat room said that spam is a lens filled with affiliate products unrelated to the subject of the lens, if indeed, the lens has a subject at all.
ThomasC said that junk lenses are just poorly put together lenses.
How does AJ keep from feeling overwhelmed? She says it is all about balance. You could easily sacrifice your own success by doing too much on Squidoo. But she learns to say "No" and move on.
Does she ever "ding" a lens? Both AJ and ThomaC denied ever dinging a lens, even if it's a lens on Viagra or any such related topic, with a G Rating. Both AJ and ThomasC have the attitude that there's lots of good stuff on Squidoo, and the Angel Job is to find the best of the best, and eliminate the worst of the worst.
AJ says she refuses to Angel if she's in a bad mood. She doesn't want to ever be unkind to a lensmaster just because a lens pushes one of her buttons, or rubs her the wrong way.
However, Angeling can help a bad mood too, especially when you come across a reason to feel grateful for everything you do have in your life.
Aj encourages aspiring lensmasters to go to the forum to receive answers to their questions. There usually is someone there to help.
Has Squidoo ever taken away an angel's wings? What would you have to do to have this happen? Publish a viagra lens? Ding a lens to get back at someone you don't like?
We have a reputation to uphold here on Squidoo, all across the internet, and of course, in our personal lives. Kindness is the word of the day in all endeavors. We may think we're all alone, tapping away on the computer keys, but by flaming a person, word gets around.
If you feel strongly about something, let it go. Treat others exactly how you want to be treated.
Treat them better than that.
My take on the whole angel thing is that as an Angel, you are in a position to be the best you can be. You are an example that others may want to follow. And at the end of the day, you know you've done work that has raised the vibration of Squidoo, to make it a place that others will be drawn to.
A_Willow got on the line briefly to say hello from Croachia. We had a truly international moment. She said AJ sounded younger than she expected. A_Willow sounded older, as in Old Soul? All in all we had a marvelous time.
That's what GSOM is all about.
It was a great show, and AJ did a super job as usual! Thank you, AJ!
And special thank you to Willow, for calling from Croatia! What a special treat that was!
Looking forward to next Monday and the next and the next....
Posted by: Joan Adams | September 11, 2009 at 06:28 AM