Ode To Hubbers

While an “average” writer/photographer who joins HubPages.com (HP) cannot be defined with any degree of certainty, there are aspects of writing and publishing photos with the facility which HP provides that define the participants who are most active on HP.

Ernest Hemingway defined the dedicated writers, when he was asked the question “What do writers do?” Hemingway replied simply that “Writers write.”

The typical newcomers to HP have not only had a desire to write and be published, but more often than not they are already writing and have been doing so for many years with or without publishing professionally.

How the newcomer first gets started on HP will depend somewhat on how much they have written before coming to HP. If they have written a lot, they may spend their first weeks on HP simply transcribing some of those writings into their first articles called "Hubs."

If they haven’t written individual articles before, those newcomers will wisely spend a lot of their time learning how to publish their own materials and how to get help settling in for the future.

HP has a training program intended to promote the quality of the materials posted on HP. In the past there has been a waiting period for acceptance into the program, and the training is primarily designed to promote the creation of articles which keep readers spending longer periods viewing the articles, and not coincidentally the outside advertisements from which HP derives its income.

As the newcomers become more familiar with HP their next step is usually to become a “Follower” of other writers whose materials they enjoy, and pray for established writers to begin to follow their own material.

They will write their Profile page, choose a photo or drawing to go with it, and participate actively on an almost daily basis.

At this point they are in danger of becoming addicted to checking their computer regularly for the latest “Notifications” that a new Hub has been posted by a writer (Hubber) they are following, a response to a comment they have made, and best of all a new “Comment” or “Fan Mail” that comes in response to an article they wrote.

They will learn how to use “Hub Statistics” and what to do to protect their copyrights of materials they publish online, as well as how to promote their materials and perhaps earn something in exchange for their efforts.

Initial earnings are typically low. For many Hubbers their earnings continue to be low until and unless they create truly popular materials which receive a wide and regular readership, as well as learning how to benefit from choosing their own ebay and amazon items which readers will be inclined to purchase as displayed together with their articles for added income.

Encouraging others to join HubPages can be an extra benefit, as any newcomer can learn, and doing so also typically adds to the readership likely to enjoy their own published materials.

And what best describes established Hubbers?

Some have been with HP since it first entered the online publishing field. Many are read by several hundred followers, while some have more than 1,000 followers.

Obviously, if any Hubber writes popular articles which are read by a steady percentage of their readers, and the number of their readers steadily increases, they can eventually earn a more healthy level of a steady return for their efforts.

Hubbers who have stayed with HP, can also be writing and publishing on other sites, or may have come from those sites to HP for the well-organized system HP has invested in.

Newcomers or Old Hands, either group can tell you their own reasons for being here. Enjoy their efforts, encourage their growth (for both groups see the value of getting better and better at what for many is thought of as a craft) and expand your own horizons by reading deeply and often.

© 2014 Demas W. Jasper All rights reserved.