As Squidoo Bans Free Speech, How Should You React?

Recently Squidoo began banning many topics and content demonstrating an effort to censor free speech including commercial free speech. In an effort to reduce spam, Squidoo has adopted draconian policies that resulted in throwing the baby out with the bath water. It's perplexing because one of Squidoo's founders, Seth Godin, is a successful and respected Internet marketer.

Squidoo has locked up thousands of lenses on a variety of seemingly benign topics. Squidoo censors content with a "spam" filter they call the SquidDon't filter.

Squidoo has adopted a heavy handed approach in dictating what can and cannot be written about on their site. It's clearly censorship that marks the end of free speech on Squidoo. It's even more troubling because Squidoo bans topics for its members while allowing these very same topics to be published on Squidoo but only through affiliate programs and agreements set up by Squidoo.

It is important to explore this hypocrisy. Through partnerships with Amazon, eBay and other companies, Squidoo allows any lensmaster to display items and topics that it prohibits members to publish directly. What has happened is Squidoo violates its own ever changing TOS when it suits Squidoo to do so.

For example, Squidoo has the temerity to imply most affiliate programs and other legitimate activities are anathema to them. The truth is Squidoo derives much of its income from affiliate programs.

Squidoo promotes affiliate programs with Amazon.com, eBay and other companies. Through Squidoo, Amazon hawks an almost unlimited number of X-rated books and movies and yes, Squidoo allows diet pills and weight loss paraphernalia, mass murderers' memorabilia along with thousands of other items through eBay.

Through an arrangement with eBay Squidoo allows lensmasters to display and sell "memorabilia" from such stellar characters as Charles Manson, Jeffery Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy. However the censors at Squidoo will not allow its members to directly publish a lens on weight loss or how to play texas holdem poker.

Here are some examples of content Squidoo prevents its members from publishing on a lens: topics including affiliate marketing, weight loss, dieting, health products, card games, cash gifting, credit card debt, mortgages, currency trading, Forex, ringtones, adult lenses, lyrics and many more.

The hypocrisy is that all of these topics and subjects are found and allowed IF offered through one of the affiliate or referral arrangements set up to benefit Squidoo. These include Amazon, eBay, Google Adsense, Cafepress, Kontera and others.

While Squidoo derides you as a spammer, scammer and affiliate marketer, they are publishing and promoting the very same information and products through their own affiliate and referral  programs.

So while many marketers and bloggers will suggest ways to deal with a Squidoo lock, I will give you the best advice on how to react to Squidoo censorship. My advice is to abandon Squidoo forever. You don't need Squidoo. Squidoo needs you.

You should not acquiesce to Squidoo's censorship policy. There is no reason to jump through Squidoo's hoops to comply with their free speech ban. If your lens has been locked by Squidoo, they have found you guilty and now demand you prove your innocence. After dealing with their censorship hurdles, they force YOU to write a letter explaining why your Squidoo lens should be unlocked.

I'm sensitive to those who have relied on Squidoo in their writing and marketing pursuits but I still feel there is no compelling reason to grovel under Squidoo's dislike  for free speech. Why deal with such hypocrisy and grief? There are countless other vehicles where your content will be allowed.

In my opinion Squidoo has made a mistake in judgement by limiting free speech. I predict that Squidoo will eventually recognize their error when they realize writers, bloggers and marketers do not need Squidoo at all. Squidoo needs them. It might be too late though because so many good folks will have moved on to other arenas where free speech is welcomed, respected and available to all.