OK- Today I decided to try my hand at a 30 minute lens. Frankly I didn’t think it was possible for me, but somehow I managed! I found that I was holding my breath a lot and probably wasted a lot of time looking at the clock as I really wanted to be at exactly 30 minutes. Drum roll please…….http://www.squidoo.com/30minuteslens
I posted at Squid U and said that I learned it is possible, but I feel a lot of content is missing. I posted the question, “What lenses do you feel are absolutely necessary in a 30 minute lens?” So I ask you as well….
Also, I will create a lens link for any other 30 minute lenses! Come on by and say hi!
August 5th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I just can’t create a lens in 30 minutes, not even the song lyrics lenses.
It takes me at least 5 to create the framework for the lens, 5-10 to find the lyrics (many sites - not all with the correct lyrics and some in lower case - I have seen a few lenses where the lyrics were not properly checked).
Then hunting down the CD or Albm cover - another 5 minutes.
The bio for the band/artist - great - I can always head straight to Wikipedia, but then the editing might take 30 minutes.
Time up already…
And I still have to add Amazon links, yet and add You Tube videos, both of which individually could take 30 minutes.
I’m up to well over an hour, and I haven’t finished yet… And I would have had to do a rush job…
August 5th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I agree completely with you. The whole idea started because I keep reading how people create x# of lenses a week and I just couldn’t figure out how.
Perhaps if I had the ground work all laid out and the modules pre chosen along with the titles and general outline?
I do think it was a good lesson for me. I have a habit of sitting on ideas for quite awhile and I know that sometimes creativity is best when you just let the process happen. Would I make another 30 minute lens? Not likely, but I will be interested to see if other people are willing to try and what they learn in the process and as a result what I learn from them.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:53 am
I agree with Poddys: I have done a few lenses in about 30 minutes - but that’s just the bare essentials, and i wouldn’t want to show lenses like that to anybody yet. A lens that really is worth something - instead of just putting up a wikipedia entry and adding some amazon modules - will take more than 30 minutes.
The whole idea of doing it in 30 is just media hype in my opinion. They want to make it look easy. And while it IS easy, it’s still actual work to create something worthwhile.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Thanks Katinka. As a newbie, I was certainly questioning myself and my lack of ability to put together a lens in 30 minutes. It is amazing to put together the information and see it published as I have never quite been able to get a web site up and running even though I have purchased the URLs!
If Squidoo is about content and showing that the content is good, perhaps the newbies should know that a 30 minute lens is not a true representation of the time involved . I must admit that the frustration point was high while I was working on those first two lenses when I was consistently seeing the 30 minute hype. Perhaps more open dialogue for new Squidooers to see would be a good thing.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I know how important content is and I take at least 30 minutes research for the basic text…even my Squidbid lens has a lot of information…
I completed a new lens this afternoon and now I wish I had timed myself! I will have to try to do that next time but I know that it was a couple of hours or more…
Off now to have a look at your 30-minute lens!
Brenda