Make your own discovery Module

Hopefully this is soon to be redundant if Squidoo bring back their own official module. However this is how to produce the "Discovery Module" I have been using for my test. My Video games lenses have gained a box that looks like this:

Other Relevant Lenses:
Console Game Reviews, Suikoden IV, Ico - Ueda's classic game, Dark Cloud, Disgaea - turn-based strategy RPG, Dog's Life - Canine Capers

To create your own the code looks like this:
<p style="clear:both;margin-top:0px;padding-top:0px;padding:10px;background:#eeeeee; border:1px solid #cccccc;"><b style="#333333;font-size:1.2em;">Other Relevant Lenses:</b><br/><a href="/console-game-reviews" style="color:#333333;">Console Game Reviews</a>,<a href="/suikoden-iv" style="color:#333333;">Suikoden IV</a>, <a href="/Ico" style="color:#333333;">Ico - Ueda's classic game</a>, <a href="/DarkCloud" style="color:#333333;">Dark Cloud</a>, <a href="/Disgaea" style="color:#333333;">Disgaea - turn-based strategy RPG</a>, <a href="/dogs_life" style="color:#333333;">Dog's Life - Canine Capers</a></p>

To create the box:
<p style="clear:both;margin-top:0px;padding-top:0px;padding:10px;background:#eeeeee; border:1px solid #cccccc;"> ... </p>

To create the link:
<a href="/DarkCloud" style="color:#333333;">Dark Cloud</a>,
Change the words in Bold to the link for your lens, and the section in Italic to the name you want to show onscreen


This test has run for only three days, but the best places to put it seem to be at the end of the intro and at the top of a module below the Guestbook (if the guestbook is at the end). I have used six links since that rarely goes over two lines, and matches the original module. In practice, with some HTML skills you can add more links, make them open in new windows, or make the module's look match your lens.

I'll keep updating with test results as they come in, but it's getting tempting to add them to a few more!

Discovery module test update & new lens

Discovery Module
I couldn't resist so I added it to a few more lenses, and am waiting to see the results. However it looks like Squidoo might be bringing it back themselves (announced on Squidu today!) which will save a lot of time on trying to code the thing to automatically pull in the right lenses.

New Lens
Garnet Jewllery Making
http://www.squidoo.com/garnet-jewellery-making

Lens number I-really-don't-know-right-now is now live. It covers the basics of setting a garnet in a premade prong setting, as well as sources to get the settings and gems from (and suggestions to make it less expensive if you mess up the first few times). It's been a while since I made any jewellery, but I might fetch out my kit and do a few more like it covering different gemstones and techniques.

New lens: Topaz Jewellery

A new lens done - it's yet another jewellery one because I am not up to writing large pieces of original content at the moment (or I'd probably be doing bukisa articles instead of lenses!)

Zimbio seems to be working at rather well in terms of traffic, so I will have to sit down and write an article about each of my lenses and get them on there. Also, my Redgage traffic has gone up (did I mention Redgage was the only feed that worked in its default setting?).

I have made no changes to the discovery module. Although it's tempting to start tweaking, it won't be a valid test if I keep fiddling with it!

Discovery Modules

The Mossie one was more successful than I thought, and I only rolled it out this morning. As a result, I'm doing a full test of a discovery-style module on the video games lenses.(e.g. Dark Cloud)

Since I haven't changed these lenses for a few months they are all fairly stable in traffic terms. This means that once the modules are in place and the initial boost from the amending has gone, I can compare before and after.

Currently I am trying this by adding a hand coded piece of CSS to each intro module. In a few cases it is elsewhere on the page to see what the effect is and whether I get more cross-lens traffic. All the links are currently to my own lenses, but then I don't have permission to use anyone else's for the test.

If this is a success I will see about creating something, possibly in clearspring, that will emulate the old discovery module properly. Doing it by hand is a real chore - and I'm not looking forward to trying to update links!

More musings about Green links and discovery modules

I am seriously considering turning them off. As I said before, if I want green advert links in my text I could create my own easily enough and not share revenue (Half the affiliates on commission junction offer that option). Looking at the pros and cons:

Leaving them on gives on big advantage - money. Apparently it should almost double what we receive.

However, on the downside, this comes at the cost of losing visitors and therefore potential sales. It places links I can't control in my content, which are rarely relevant. Also the links will remain able to place all three in the intro module, which looks dreadful.

It may even be lowering lensrank. You see, my visitors books are set up so any visitor can post (and fully moderated because of it!) Most of my comments were from non-squidoo members. Since the links came in, that has almost stopped. Since comments count towards lens-ranking, some of my higher rated lenses have dropped quite badly.

Of course, if I did turn them of the option would be following Squidoocool's lead to replace the cash loss. Might try it on a few of mine and see how it works...

Discovery Modules
Squidoo used to have a "discovery module" which displayed related links (three of yours, three of someone else's). These were a great traffic source, but they were turned off on the new templates.

de Havilland Mosquito is the site of a test - whether I turn this into a full module or not will depend on the results.