Squidoo a Great Social Networking Tool for Online Sellers!

I normally don't copy and paste posts from my other blogs but since I think Squidoo is a fantastic idea I thought I would break that little rule and post something I wrote for My Blog Utopia. I would live to hear your comments.


I've been playing around with MySpace 2.0. Oh, that's right, it's not called MySpace 2.0 its called Squidoo.com

Sure, right now there are fewer than 100,000 profiles on the site (Squidoo calls their profiles Lens') but they have developed an excellent tool for online content creators and especially online sellers (eBay sellers in particular). MySpace is certainly still much more fun then Squidoo and my guess is the average age of a Squidoo member is much higher than on MySpace but Squidoo is geared to helping content creators make some extra cash. You aren’t going to get rich on the site but if you have a blog, website or eBay store it will provide you with the tools to promote those assets. Imagine what would happen if MySpace added that capability.

Check out my “Lens” for an example of what you can do. Since I don’t currently sell any items I have added links to other stores, websites and my blogs. … compare this to my MySpace Profile Traffic is building at Squidoo.com and of course the site is the brainchild of uber marketer Seth Godin so check it out and develop a taste for Calamari.

What will MySpace 2.0 Look Like?

I originally posted this at My Blog Utopia but felt it deserved some exposure here on The Digital Napkin.

The Internet may be crossing over into Web 3.0 soon but MySpace is still in version 1.0. So, what do you think MySpace 2.0 will look like?

Here's what I think: (Some of this is wishful thinking)

• MySpace 2.0 will no longer be considered the Teen Hang-out exclusively! A growing number of older members will begin to use the platform (this is already happening). This may cause the fickle Teen set to flee to another hot site so MySpace will need to find ways to keep them. My suggestion! Let them make some money. They already refer, suggest and reccomend products, bands, songs, etc for free. Why not let them get paid to do that.
  MySpace will become an ecommerce site allowing trading between members. This system will be facilitated by eBay, Google or a system developed by MySpace. My suggestion is the creation of a separate site called MySpace Shops that links to each sellers profile. If FIM ends up working with eBay the solution would be to add a shopping cart to eBay's Stores platform and port that over to a new site. Shazam! You now have MySpace Shops. This of course would benefit eBay Store Sellers greatly. I don't like the idea of expanding eBay's grip on ecommerce and would much prefer that MySpace develop its own platform to compete but I am realistic. If FIM doesn't want to develop its own system I would hope that Google would get serious about developing its own Stores platform.
  
• PayPal will most likely become the payment method of choice unless Google checkout can add account functionality.
  
• MySpace will start to offer Pro versions of their profiles for members who want to expand their MySpace presence. The pro versions will include multiple pages and allow members to make money through MySpace’s new affiliate, advertising and Shops offerings.

Well, there are a couple of my ideas. What do you think MySpace 2.0 will look like?

A Great Idea for eBay Sellers!

I came across a neat little widget at Cooqy.com that is great for eBay sellers. I've placed it at the bottom of this blog. I'm calling it the Seller Showcase. It's a tool to help promote a sellers product from their blog or MySpace profile. I will be featuring a different seller each month. So if you are an eBay veteran check it out, maybe you will see something new and if you are a Newbie, nows the time to start your eBay experience.