Want to do a test drive with Blogging?

So, you aren’t completely sure if you want to fully commit to a blog.  After all, you just read that it takes a lot of time, and you don’t know if you really have enough to say.  I have another option for you.  Beyond being able to set up an account on BloggersBase as I showed you a couple weeks back, you could try Squidoo. 

Squidoo is a free service that allows you to create what they call a “Lens”.  A lense is basically a 1 page blog about a particular subject.  So if you are really into funny shirts, you could start a Lens based on funny shirts.  (That link will take you to the Lens I set up for Ha Ha Shirt Shop, but keep in mind I have not done any work on it, it is just an example.)

With Squidoo, you can create as much content about a particular topic as you want.  They also give you tools to insert relevant product from known brands such as Ebay and Amazon.  If you want to give writing about a specific topic a shot, Squidoo is a great tool to use. 

For those of you who are trying to market your sites or products, you can create a Lens specifically about those products and give yourself some more free marketing.  There are plenty of How-To sites on Squidoo itself, so spend a little time to familiarize yourself with the application.  I found it to be easy to use and navigate, I just haven’t developed my Lens just yet.

As an added bonus, all the advertising on the site is split between you and Squidoo.  They also give you the option of donating your earnings to charity – not $ out of your pocket, but donating via effort.  Their system takes care of all of it, so you don’t have to worry about it.  I think of it as putting up a net with my name on it.  People see the name and think Ha Ha Shirt Shop, but if any money gets caught in the net then the Squidoo guys come around and clean it out and donate it to charity – they even give you the net and a place to put it.

If you want to learn more, just head on over to Squidoo.com, or even listen to ShoeMoney’s podcast on WebmasterRadio.fm from April 2, 2009.  He had Seth Godin on and they talked about Squidoo.  Godin helped create the site.

Hope this helps in your decision to start a blog, let me know if I can help.

Ben – Blogmaster General
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