Can you write too much original content?

1. 70

   Cordaleposted 13 years ago

   I was looking around at some of the more successful hubbers and noticed how they have on average longer hubs then I do.
   
   Would it be a smart decision to start a hub on a subject and update it regularly even it started going into the 4,000 - 5,000 word limit?

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2. 91

   Rochelle Frankposted 13 years ago

   Yes, I think hubs can be too long, but glancing through several of yours, just to get an idea of length and layout, I'd say most of yours could easily be twice as long.
   
   That's not to say you should pad them with words just for the sake of making them longer.
   If they are long enough to cover the subject and still be interesting (someone said skirts should be that way)-- they are what they are.

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3. 84

   KCC Big Countryposted 13 years ago

   I think online readers generally have a very short attention span.  However, if it's something they are VERY interested in reading they will hang in there longer.  One advantage to losing them before they finish reading it is they MIGHT click on an Adsense ad or click on your Amazon ads. But, you want to be lengthy enough to be relevant and informative.

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      sofiajohnson8posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That's true! More online readers prefer the short and concise message. There will be no time for them to read those long messages because it is time consuming.

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4. 0

   kimberlyslyricsposted 13 years ago

   I certainly made this mistake last year, some were 3000 plus words, and not intentional
   
   the one i just published in 2000 and I think you loose a reader after 1000 words.
   
   We all have so much we like to do, reading this much, regardless of topic is just draining.
   
   Both these hubs warranted the word count and I made it as easy as possible to read
   
   But i would never use 'fill in' words and what I need to do is learn how to edit properly and condense my sentences
   
   

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5. 95

   wildernessposted 13 years ago

   I have to agree with you Kimberly - nearly all my hubs are over 1000 words and some over 2000.  I think that is a mistake and work on cutting the word count without damage to the information I'm trying to introduce. 
   
   Sometimes it just isn't possible, and I can only hope that the reader is interested enough to continue, but it usually is possible to some degree.

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   1. 77

      sofsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I am with you on that Kimberly, anything more than thousand can lose the reader,  even if they are interested, their mind starting moving faster on the net.  A sequel may work out better I guess, information in smaller ( 1000+) capsules work is my gut feel
      I am no expert, but I just checked around with some of my friends.

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6. 62

   Mishaposted 13 years ago

   800-1000 words seems to be an optimal length for me. No fanaticism though, if I have only 600 words to say - I don't say more than 600 words. And if 1000 words is not enough, I can go much higher, like more than 2000 in my keyword research hub - I just could not for a life of me say what I had to say in lesser words. Though if I have just 200 words to say, I do not consider it worth writing a hub.

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   1. 70

      Ipeoneyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Although we can stretch the words by making it more detailed. The last one I thought of 600 words but it wasn't enough so I end up with 900

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   2. 87

      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think this is good advice.  Just write what the subject demands. 
      
      I do think you'll lose a reader's interest if you go beyond 2,000 words - most people will only scroll down so far!  If I write something that long, I can usually find a way to split it into two or three interlinked Hubs, which enables me to organize and present the information more clearly. 
      
      If you look at a 2,000+ article, you'll usually find you can sub-divide it into more specific sections.  For instance, I started writing a Hub about tribal belly dance costuming, and ended up with one Hub on clothes and a separate one on hair and make-up.

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      1. 77

         sofsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Agree with you there!

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7. 63

   Kidgasposted 13 years ago

   If I can't read it in a minute or so, I am moving on to the next item.

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8. 92

   Pcunixposted 13 years ago

   I keep almost everything at 500-1000 words.   Once in a great while I will do something that ties together a lot of other pages and that might hit 4,000 but if it does, it will usually have a lot of white space and caption headings to let skimmers find what they want.

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9. 56

   RakhiChowdharyposted 13 years ago

   Users prefer to read concise, crispy content, they enjoy reading content that offer maximum information in minimum words.
   
   But, there are expert writers who really can write long sticky content. It is not quantity (number of words count) but quality that matters.
   
   Make sticky content with cachy title, introducation should be sticky so that a reader automatically likes to read the content. Till a reader enjoys reading your content is fruitful.

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10. 0

    ralwusposted 13 years ago

    It must be very goo, or just very entertaining for me to read one that is too long, say over 2,000 words. *edit* and I despise long forum threads!

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11. 79

    skyfireposted 13 years ago

    As per jacob nielson's usability study,users avoid big length text pages because they skim pages. Bullet-points,images and modular content of 350 words + is sufficient.

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