Welcome to...

You've found SquidWho, our latest experiment on the Squidoo platform. SquidWho isn't even in beta right now... it's in a beta-ish alpha. Or something. Which means we're delighted to have you help us test, on the sly. But please don't get too consternated if you run into bugs... we're working on them. Thanks! And here's a little background to quench your curiosity...

  1. What's SquidWho?

    SquidWho is the first people-built who's who. It's an easy way to find out what's what (and where) about famous (and not so famous) people around the world. If you're a fan of someone, build a page about them. Point to their books, their blog, their wikipedia entry and their videos. Share your opinions but most of all, make it easy for people to discover the really good stuff.

    Unlike traditional Who's Who directories, SquidWho is open. Everyone gets a chance to share her opinion without worrying about what some committee of anonymous people have to say. So, if you like Norah Jones, built a page about her. Hate Mick Jagger? Go for it. It's up to you.

  2. Who should make a SquidWho fanpage?

    People who care. If you care about someone, about their reputation or their impact on the world, dedicate a fanpage to them! Tell everyone about why you're impressed by this person. Make it easy for others to discover what you already discovered. Share links and content and video and stories and meaning.

    SquidWho pages not only send people to the right stuff, they can earn money for you (or even better, your favorite charity). Some people have more than one page... in fact, it's fine with us if you build a hundred of them, as long as they're thoughtful, honest and interesting.

  3. Why do you only show the best SquidWho lens on each person?

    Actually, it's pretty easy to see all the lenses on a person, but to make it faster for people surfing for information, within SquidWho we default to showing people just the highest-rated lens on a person. If you want to be that lens, go ahead and make your ratings go up.

  4. Can I make hundreds of SquidWho lenses?Sure you can. And if you're gonna put some heart into 'em, please go for it! But grabbing without improving isn't going to get you as far as you might like. It might earn you some extra ducats, but the big when is when YOUR lens on Jerry Seinfeld is the single highest ranked one in SquidWho, and therefore shows up to everyone searching on Seinfeld in SquidWho. There might be 99 other Seinfeld lenses, but they'll be relatively invisible compared to yours. So, it's early days... make the best SquidWho pages you can and snag the top spots.

  5. What if there isn't a SquidWho lens on my favorite person?

    You're in luck. Make one! When your person doesn't exist in our system, the SquidWho magicbuilder will set up a starter page on him or her for you. Then you'll see a preview of the page, and get to decide if you want to take it over and make it better, or delete it and let someone snag it later.

  6. Does my SquidWho lens live in Squidoo?

    Exactly! SquidWho is just a new front door for some of the lenses on Squidoo. That means that the underlying data is right inside of the Squidoo database, and all the rules and FAQ of Squidoo apply. By building a SquidWho lens, you're tapping into the tools and power of the mighty Squidoo engine.

  7. A new front door? Huh?

    Yup. By creating what looks like a sister site to Squidoo (but is actually just a new front door and a different lensmaking wizard), we get to stick out a new welcome mat for new visitors. Tell a new story. Get more specific. If Squidoo.com had launched just as "make a people page" we'd have been too narrow. But now, with the incredible traffic and people and support for the main site, we can start to experiment with new channels, new stories, new ways of making lenses... new front doors. Hope you come knocking.

  8. How is SquidWho different from Wikipedia, or IMDB, or About?

    The biggest difference is the most important one: you build it.

    One lensmaster (that's you) one page. You don't have to argue or share or compromise with anyone else. You don't have to trust an invisible editor either. Every single page on Squidoo (and SquidWho) was built by someone like you.

    Other services are terrific. It's all part of the connections we make online. SquidWho gives you a chance to share your voice.

  9. Do all SquidWho pages send their royalties to the Acumen Fund?

    By default, yes, they all do. When you set up a new SquidWho page, it will automatically start sending its royalties to Acumen's amazing organization. We ask you to please keep your payment setting on Acumen, since thousands of people working together in small ways makes an enormous difference. But, if you'd rather swap your SquidWho lens over to cash, we won't stop you. And if you do, please be sure to delete the "This lens supports The Acumen Fund" module at the bottom of your lens.