Hub too cluttered?

1. 68

   ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years ago

   Hi.  If anyone has a moment, I could use a little constructive criticism on my latest hub.  Its the first technology oriented hub I've written, and also the first time I've used YouTube videos as supporting material.  I'd love some feedback on any of it, but the overall layout in particular.  I'm worried I may have tried to jam too much into one hub.  (Either too much info, or too many videos.)
   
   Thanks in advance!

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2. 0

   cosetteposted 14 years ago

   hello. the only thing i would do, if it were me, would be to take away one or two of the videos that are stacked up on each other, only because it's a lot to watch and seems to distract me from the Amazon ads. maybe that is just me though. it's a very interesting hub!

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3. 73

   myownworldposted 14 years ago

   I agree. It's got a lot of useful information, but too many videos. You could replace them with some relevant pictures instead. Otherwise, everything is nicely done...

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   1. 61

      Disturbiaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I don't have the patience to watch the videos so I never do and just scroll past them.  I find too many pics annoying also.  I don't need to see all that.  I read the hubs and disregard anything else which is a distraction. But that's just me and I'm often really out of the loop when it comes to what is popular.

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      1. 68

         ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you.  I'm usually the same, but I feel like I needed to support the new technology with some examples in this one.  One of those situations where a technical discussion of the developments is great, but it helps to put it in a practical context. 
         
         I do plan on cutting it down a bit though, just haven't had time.  Too much going on the next few weeks... luckily this is a hub that shouldn't get dated too quickly, so I have some time to learn and improve.

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4. 68

   ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years ago

   Thanks guys.  That's what I was actually thinking.  Like I said, its the first time I've used Youtube, and I think I got a little carried away.  But, then I wasn't sure because I do like the visual demonstration of the new technology... 
   
   Ok, guess I have some editing to do.

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5. 87

   Marisa Wrightposted 14 years ago

   I'm not sure I agree with everyone else. 
   
   I think you just need to do some reorganizing. 
   
   First, cut the last bit off your first paragraph so it's just long enough to trigger the top right-hand ad (which is the optimum place for Adsense). 
   
   Then add a new text capsule to paste in the rest of para 1, with the video floated to the right of it.
   
   Now, look at rearranging your subsequent videos so that when you advertise a "toy" on Amazon, you have a video of that product right next to it. You can do that by leaving the Amazon capsules full width and the videos floated right.  The video will sell the product for you if it's right next to it, but you'll lose the effect if they're separated.

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   1. 68

      ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks so much for addressing the formatting so specifically.  I'm trying to learn, but I don't have much time, so its slow going.  I've looked at your hubs before, along with several others to try to get a better handle on layout. I appreciate your taking the time to check out my hub.
      
      Just a few hubs in, I changed my basic layout and stopped doing the upper right hand photo to allow for the ad space, but I wasn't aware that there was an optimum length for that first paragraph.
      
      How long does the first text capsule have to be to provide enough room for the top right-hand ad?
      
      Thanks!

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      1. 87

         Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I have to confess I just play around with it, and check the Preview screen until it pops up!
         
         If the videos aren't relevant to the products, then maybe I agree with the others that you should cut some of them out. 
         
         Instead, add some descriptions to your Amazon products - apparently things sell better if people feel you're personally recommending them.

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         1. 68

            ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            That's interesting.  I have a hub that is almost all descriptions.  It was something I was playing around with.  I did a fashion hub with trends described in the article, followed by a "look for less" where I picked several items from Amazon and, in their description, explained how they matched the Runway trends.  Didn't get any sales off of that either.  I may just not be generating the volume I need yet to really see any sales. 
            
            Geez - I think I just confused my own 2 threads.  I have another post right now about tips to "convert clicks to sales."  Sorry.

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            1. 87

               Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               How old is the Hub?  You've only been here 5 months - I found it took several months for any of my Hubs to start showing real income, so it may be that it's just too soon.

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               1. 68

                  ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  That Hub is from February.  Unfortunately, its dated.  Its specific to 2010 trends, so with Fashion week being over for Spring, I'm already "old news."  If I'm going to do any more trend articles, I'm going to have to get the hang of keywords and tagging and hit it while its hot.
                  
                  But, that is sort of what I meant by "just not generating the volume yet."  I realize I don't dedicate the time to this that others do, I'm only 5 months in, AND, I only have 20 hubs.  (And, the first few were just me getting my writing feet wet again after a very long hiatus.)  Its a hobby for me, not a career, and I know that will make a huge difference.  I had just hoped to see 1 or 2 sales from a hub that was so Amazon driven.  But, I've a TON to learn.... that's why I'm here asking questions, reading and trying to pay attention.

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6. 68

   ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years ago

   Marisa - Also, I would love to have a "toy" related to each video.  That was my plan.  Unfortunately, I discovered that the technology is so new that not a lot is being offered commercially yet, and even less on Amazon.  So, that might have to be a later development as the product listings catch up to the technology.  On the upside, I'm hoping that this hub will be one that lasts me awhile so I should have time to make these changes down the road.

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7. 90

   Urbane Chaosposted 14 years ago

   Ya know, I just had a thought..
   
   I agree with others, the videos all lined up are a bit much.  I think there's a way around that though.  On the right side, where you have your videos, create a table of contents that links to your videos on the page.  Place your videos -full size - under the comments section, with a link to return to the top where the videos were.  I don't know if that makes sense or not.  I've seen something similar done before and it looked real sharp.
   
   I think that it would be more important for your selling items (adsense, amazon) to be more visible than the videos, but the videos are an important part of the hub as well..
   
   Still, very well written hub.. I wish you the best with it!

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   1. 68

      ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Urbane - That's a great suggestion.  I've not used a lot of features that HP has to offer.  I think this hub might just be a great opportunity for me to play around with a good number of them.
      
      Thanks for the compliment too... glad you enjoyed it.

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      1. 90

         Urbane Chaosposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         It took me awhile to find it, but here's a hub explaining exactly what I meant.  Darkside wrote it, and it's just a beautiful idea.. Many thanks to this chap. 
         
         The title of it is simply "Table of Contents" by Darkside - in case if the link gets snipped.
         
         Here's the link to his hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/tableofcontents

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         1. 68

            ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            I'll check it out, thanks. Darkside's hubs have been a lifesaver for a newbie like me.  He's one of the hubbers that has just been immensely helpful.

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         2. 68

            ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Finally got a chance to look at this, and WOW! what a great tutorial.  I don't know if I'll use it for this hub or not, but I love the idea.
            
            And, of course, this hub led me to other Darkside hubs, and now I can't stop bookmarking....
            
            
            Someone HELP ME!
            
            

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