There is always an ongoing question as to the importance of quality vs. quantity and this discussion is ongoing on Squidoo. The discussion, I am sure, is one that the powers that be at Squidoo are having on a consistent basis, because there is an argument for quality and for quantity.
What do I mean by this?
Think about it like this:
The most effective commercials on TV, are the ones that both catch your attention AND repeat themselves incessantly until you are sick of them. WHY? Because now you will remember them. It takes about 20 times of seeing or hearing the same information before people will act on it. There are plenty of statistics backing this up. So, that means that there is an argument for quantity.
What are the benefits of having more lenses? And why does it take 50 to become a Giant Squid? Well, for the average person, it most likely takes about 50 lenses to become truly proficient in creating consistent quality lenses. Now, that is not true for every single person. There are some that can do it within a few lenses. There is always a learning curve on any new site to learn the TOS and what works on that particular site.
The other reason is, of course, that by creating 50 lenses, you now have a body of work by which other lensmasters or just readers can learn who you are, and what you write about. This will keep them coming back to you, and to Squidoo. Think about it! Think of how you get excited when a lensmaster you admire creates a new lens. You already know that it will be a good lens before you get there.
The benefit for Squidoo is that the more quality lenses we create, the more we learn about how to promote them, the more income and marketing we give the Squidoo site which is how we pay Squidoo back for letting us create webpages for free using their technology and system.
Is the system perfect? Not a chance. It is run by humans, and used by humans. Vastly imperfect humans who have good days and bad days, and are suffused with human nature. Human nature being what it is, I am amazed continually at the excellent and profitable lenses that I see on a daily basis, and how the Squidoo staff works hard to keep everything working for us. The fact that a vocal group of lensmasters, and staff continually strive to improve the system is equally awe inspiring, and shows that the site is full of passionate, caring people.
It doesn't mean that we will all agree on how to do things or even what goal to achieve, but it certainly keeps life interesting.
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