Question about writing guidelines

1. 84

   TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years ago

   I noticed that there is a writer on this site who does NONE of the things we have been told to do:  No photos, videos, polls, ads or even capsules.  He IS an excellent writer, no question, but I am wondering how he can have a 100 rating without doing all of those things?  Any thoughts?

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   1. 59

      The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      How many years has he been here? Perhaps he was already a well-established writer when he signed on, published Hubs using the criteria, and began deleting the old ones after he began writing the Hubs w/o it. Then finally all of the previous ones were deleted.
      By the way, does he use ads - or just write?

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   2. 92

      Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi TT2 - I am curious about the issue also. However, I find I am much better off by just focusing on my own efforts and not worry about what others do, or not do.  Good question, though.

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2. 79

   avorodisaposted 10 years ago

   He knows some SEO secret that nobody else knows))

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3. 92

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   Does he have a lot of quality hubs with some of those attributes? I've noticed that once you've established a good foundation of hubs, you can add a hub here and there that may not meet all of the HP criteria because you've already established yourself with a sufficient body of work to maintain a reputation, as expressed by hubber score. Might this be the case?

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   1. 84

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      This person IS a highly skilled writer with a good reputation, etc., but I thought we had no choice but to add all of that garbage to our hubs.

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      1. 92

         jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Hmmm, I don't think so. I couldn't know for sure though, only based on my observations and experience. I used to hate adding all that stuff to my hubs but when I did, things seemed to get better. I don't add everything to every hub anymore and it seems to be okay, although the hub score may be lower than the rest.
         I think there's an unknown threshold that we pass before it's okay to post a one hundred word poem with no image, no poll, and no video that passes QAP. I often see poems and short articles that make me wonder. But maybe those hubbers have established good reputations, I don't know. Just my guess, TIMETRAVELER2. We don't want to identify the hubber as a newbie or vet but that may have something to do with it, too.

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4. 83

   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   None of the style tips are compulsory.  They give make it s bit easier to pass qap.  But an un-embellished, well written essay or short story can pass too.

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   1. 84

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      psycheskinner   Well, that sure is not the way I understood it, and my lack of understanding has created a huge amount of work for me!

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      1. 83

         psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I have ignored the style tips I don't like and still pass QAP at least 90% of the time.  Length for example.  I doubt I have every had a hub that was 700 words long when I first published it.  I just do not have that sort of attention span.

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      2. 86

         Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Psycheskinner is right.   All the style tips are based on things that should help you get Google traffic and retain readers, so they're worth doing - but they're not compulsory.
         
         Remember also that once a Hub has passed QAP, it never goes through the process again unless you edit it.  This writer's Hubs may have been created long ago, before the style guides existed.

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         1. STAFF

            pauldeedsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Correct.  It's covered in the Need Some Goals? learning center entry, which you can get to from "Need Some Goals?" box in the hubtool if you click the ? icon.   I recommend reading the whole article, but in it we say this:
            
            "It’s important to note that some of the HubPages community’s most wildly successful Hubs are over 3,000 words or under 500 words. Some have only one text capsule and no images; some have over a hundred images. There is no specific consequence or penalty associated with failing to meet these guidelines, and your understanding of your content and audience should supercede them."
            
            and this:
            
            "We believe the best goal is to create content that your visitors enjoy, and watching your metrics is not always the best place to focus your attention. Metrics and graphs are like the dashboard instruments in your car. They’re great at telling you how fast you’re going, but looking out the window will frequently yield much more actionable information."

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            1. 92

               jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks for this, pauldeeds. Never took the time to read all of this. It does confirm how I use the hubtool and style tips, as a guide with goals to strive for. Good to know.

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5. 85

   lovebuglenaposted 10 years ago

   Each hub should have a photo for sure to identify the hub! As for polls, videos, maps, etc... that should only be used if it benefits the hub. Although when we start a new hub the template that loads has all these things in it. But I just clear the template and create my own.

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6. 83

   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   Should is not must.  People can forgo a picture if the picture based listings are not of interest to them.

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7. 85

   Alphadogg16posted 10 years ago

   Good question TIMETRAVELER2, every time I had photos, capsules, etc, the score of the hub jumps up.

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   1. 92

      Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Mine, too, Alpha. When I have gone back to edit old hubs and add images or videos, the hub score jumps up, sometimes by several points. I don't get it. How can a hub score and hubber score be so high without doing all the "we suggest" tips?

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      1. 59

         The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         When you add images/photos/videos you also add more words (captions, etc.). Plus readers are very fond of new photos/videos to look at.

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8. 95

   Sue Adamsposted 10 years ago

   Could you type out one of the  hub titles of this hubber you are speaking of,  so we can have a look?

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9. 59

   Kiss andTalesposted 10 years ago

   "Away You duplicants" has a post of nudity! Mr Tony DeLorger.

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   1. 94

      SmartAndFunposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I do not see nudity in that hub. There is a photo of a unclothed department store mannequin, though. Is that what you mean by nudity?
      
      I think it is very uncool to call authors out on the forums. If you have a complaint, flag the hub and let the mods deal with it as they see fit.

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      1. 92

         Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I agree.

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   2. 92

      Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      A lot of hubs have images of nudity, usually in a well chosen class of dignity, like paintings or sculptures of the Old Masters.

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10. 0

    Beth37posted 10 years ago

    I must say that twice a day.

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11. 59

    Kiss andTalesposted 10 years ago

    Besides the post has been viewable  , the picture speaks for itself. Some one asked me to name the hub ,I did ! just as it is not cool to post indecency in my path, I do not have a problem naming the source of the problem. If you did it ,you did it.

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    1. 83

       psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Yes it does.  It is a store mannequin.  It is no more nude than a park statue or a barbie doll.  Complete non-issue.
       And I dont think anyone asked you to name that hub, not that I can see.

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       1. 59

          Kiss andTalesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Sue Adams asked for the info. Done.

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          1. 94

             SmartAndFunposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             Sue Adams was asking TIMETRAVELER2 for the name of the Hubber who has a score of 100 but doesn't include any of the silly bells and whistles such as polls and maps in his/her hubs. Perhaps TT2 sent Sue a private email, to avoid calling this person out on the forums.
             
             Have a nice day.

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             1. 95

                Sue Adamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                I asked for a hub title , not the hubber's name and no, I didn't receive an email, so still can't check out any of those magic non-decorated hubs.

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                1. 94

                   SmartAndFunposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                   I admit, I am also curious to read one of their articles and see for myself what a great writer they are. However, I admire TT2 for not outing the person, as they would probably find themselves a target of criticism.

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                   1. 92

                      Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                      You are right SmartAndFun. It is not nice to tattle. which does create unfair criticism.

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                      1. 92

                         Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                         On the other hand, it does drive more traffic to a popular poet.

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                         1. 58

                            MelissaBarrettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                            Agreed! I like very very few poets here at HP, but he's one of the ones I do enjoy. Hadn't seen that one, so I'd like to thank the outraged one for pointing it out. I enjoyed it!
                            
                            It had no more nudity than my daughter's Barbie dolls.

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    2. 92

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       He is a well-respected member and a great poet. People really like his work. I can't believe anyone can term a plastic image of the human body as indecent. How do you view Michelangelo's statue of David?

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12. 94

    SmartAndFunposted 10 years ago

    I think the person was asking the OP for the name of the hub or the hubber who does not use any images at all in their hubs. The OP has so far declined to out anyone; he/she just wants to know what the guidelines are here.

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13. 74

    brakel2posted 10 years ago

    Don't we get a higher score from QAP for hubs with pics polls ?  Maybe it doesn't matter. I guess I need to check the guidelines again. Time Traveler, thanks for bringing up issue.

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    1. 86

       Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Possibly, but what does that matter?  You should know by now that score isn't important, unless it's so bad that the Hub gets unFeatured.

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