HubPages Ad Program
Cheers Sunforged, congrats on the first crawl
The most backlinks that I have created for any one single Hubpage is five, hardly black hat hey?
Most of us agree with IzzyM and her statement, from 9 minutes ago:
"Spun, translated, plagiarised, duplicated and just plain badly written, useless content is what the majority of site users here are publishing, along with short spammy articles written only for backlinks to other sites, whose links will always remain nofollow because their authors can't raise their scores above 75."
I would suggest that the worst 'hubbers' are those who publish 1 or 2 articles and are never seen again, normally for a quick backlink
Perhaps it was the "somewhat random" phrase that caught my eye.
Add "I think" to it and it's very reassuring and precise.
I waited for the cabbage truck to stop before I got off.
- ryankettposted 13 years ago
0As a side note, as per Barry's request, if anybody not in the scheme wants to claim their $0.0001 share in my first day Hubpages Ad program earnings they will need to wait for 100 days (until their share is worth $0.01) and then send a stamped address envelope to the contact details associated with the domain name given in my Hubpages profile. I will then send them a cheque
Oh, sorry, make that 1000 days
Unfortunately, we are already "that place" Ryan. HP staff knew this already, and if not, they are paid too much for their handling of the site. I'm planning to sell my hubs if I can find a buyer willing to purchase content which is still making decent money.
Anyone know the best way to estimate the worth of such an article? Past earnings, page views, ranking, etc?Not sure tbh, but you would need to sell your entire account, do you use your real name? Because I'm not sure that I would want to sell my real name to somebody who may abuse it!
Ultimately, I don't know anybody that would buy a Hubpages account now, particularly as we still have Europe to lose
I have no problem selling my entire account, but I don't see why I should have to. I have been approached about selling a considerable number of my hubs by an interested buyer with a site using similar articles. I can simply delete the rest and use them elsewhere or not, depending on the future of these type sites.
Thanks for your input!Oh I see, removing them and selling them? Well, if somebody likes them enough to offer to buy them then name your price my friend
Let them run for one calender month after the algo change (24th March). Multiply your earnings for the month for each article by 12, a years expected earnings, and tell him that you want that much. So, if your article earnt you $5 in that month then ask $60 for it. If you article earnt $1 then ask $12 for it, if it earnt $50 then ask $600 for it, or replace which whatever multiplier you see fit.Thanks much, Ryan! Some of these have earned over $100 per month counting Adsense and Amazon sales and that's just my share. I suspect HP's share is more than that. Thanks again for helping me out!
InfoBarrel do that too, you have to have submissions accepted by an editor. Editors can be freelance and homebased, even paid per article that they review (like a ChaCha guide is paid per question). I think that it could be done
I would also suggest wearing high top boots while doing so!
Same for me, Bendo! I am thoroughly disgusted with writing sites at this point.
huh?
my goodness, what would instigate such a statement? it has already been said by HP staff that the first 500 were selected randomly from active hubbers. There is no list, some people simply shared they were among the invites. I've read some pretty bizarre comments in some of these threads today..LOL, just tried after a can of cider, still managed it..... just
It was handled badly. Or else it was intended to make folks angry. I cannot imagine HP staff being so naive as to not realize how this might be construed as an insult to loyal members. Because if that is indeed the case, it doesn't bode well for the future of having a peaceful and happy community.
And in any case, you are apparently unaware of how many sites pit the members against each other to gain support for their plans. Not saying HP is doing this, but those of us who have published elsewhere have witnessed this taking place. I promise you, you don't want this type of community here, if it can indeed be stopped at this point.
Just take a look around the forums at those reveling in their "somewhat random" fortune while other more worthy and longtime members are looking on. It does bring into question whether class was a required criteria included in the "somewhat random" algorithm.
I sincerely hope I am wrong, but when someone thinks giving volunteers the title of Elite and thinks it will help retain harmony among it's members, it makes me wonder about the mindset of HP! Now you guys can "gimme an H..."Your logic is a little flawed, seeing as there were numerous 'elite' members left out of the first 500 invites. I have also seen invitees "flaunting" first day earnings of $1 and $0.76, nobody is getting rich and if they were it is not at anybody elses expense. I have no idea why I was invited, maybe it was because I went into the Hubpages office, or maybe I fluked it with my open letter in support of Hubpages, maybe it is because I get a lot of traffic, or maybe it really was just a random selection
It is true that I am rather delighted to be in the program, but I for one have never attempted to "flaunt" membership, particularly as most of those bemoaning the lack of an invite will probably be "in" within a few weeks anyway.And your thoughts on if HP considered the effect it might have on it's members? So far, I haven't been provided with a list of those "thought to be somewhat randomly selected" so I have no idea how many "Elite" were admitted.
Why didn't HP merely state they were going to do this with anonymous writers and leave it at that? I would have had no problem at all with that, even if they used none of the loyal members.
What does "somewhat randomly" mean to you? And have you ever been banned, Ryan?I have been banned at least 10 times, I am probably right up there with Mark Knowles and some of Hubpages biggest ever fruitcakes on that list, my last ban was about a week ago
I can see why some are frustrated, yes. But I also think that some have got the wrong end of the stick, expect another 500 or so in very shortly, not many prominent hubbers will have to wait until June. Of course, I can't guarentee that and I am merely speculating, but Jason and Simeone have pretty much said that themselves - the next "wave" will come very soon.
Maybe they could have said that they were "extending BETA testing to 500 members to compare stats with the prilimanery results", but ultimately I do firmly believe that they just want to see 500 tax forms at a time There really aren't many administrative types in that office, they have Simone and Maddie and a couple of moderators, the rest are programmers or engineers, so I guess that they are restricted by that.
I doubt that Hubpages intended to create a divide or make anybody frustratedIf you are correct in your last sentence this dismays me even more, Ryan. Because this would indicate a lack of understanding by those in charge of making important decisions or maintaining good morale in a time of already frightening changes.
I do not wish to believe they merely overlooked the potential problems this might cause. But sadly, you may be entirely correct.
No one wants to give their impression of the term "somewhat random" when asked. This, in itself, is an answer of sorts. IMHO!
And if you think this is about money, you are incorrect. I have no problem not activating the program for 3 months after I am "somewhat randomly" selected, if it ever happens. This is about trust and loyalty, nothing else from my point of view.
Good to hear you've been banned, Ryan! You are the first formerly banned member I've seen invited to participate in the program. Not saying there aren't any, though!I suspect that seeing 30%, 40% maybe even 50% of their traffic wiped out overnight about a week before the launch dictated that they wouldn't have had too much time to think about the finer details. Would people be as vocal with their dissaproval if they were still earning well with AdSense and Amazon? Because, initially, this was intended to compliment those other revenue streams rather than as a means of replacing them
Please include me on your invites.
Not at all, Len. I have absolutely no problem with the new program and think it is a great idea. But I am dismayed at the apparent lack of foresight and understanding in the way this was handled by HP.
I think they sent invite based on traffic/hubscore (?) or maybe it's completely random. Who knows ? I don't think it's in anyway insult to me. My traffic is steady on informative hubs whereas product hubs are getting 0 views last 2-3 days. I moved some of my hubs to other sites during Halloween (more will follow soon) and with current set of hubs i doubt if this ad-program will convert on this account. Take your time Staff
I'm glad to hear that most people are understanding of our decision to limit the first expansion of the HubPages Ad Program to a limited group of about 500 people. For those who don't, I'll explain why:
The HubPages Ad Program is the biggest, most complex launch we have ever undertaken on HubPages since HubPages itself was launched in 2006. The program worked quite well with staff and a small number of private beta testers (9 Hubbers), but as we expand beyond that, here are some possibilities that we could confront:
- The program doesn't work well for a certain segment of Hubber. In that case, we would have to investigate why and see if we can't change it for them to make it work for them.
- There might be hiccups in the reporting, tax information interface, etc.
- There might be a small segment of users who engage in fraud, which we would have to police and explain to our ad partners.
- There might be PayPal integration issues, in which case we would have to troubleshoot the problem, explain and rectify payment problems for those affected, etc..
None, except the reporting issue (no reporting over the weekend, which caused a flurry of posts in the Forums) have occurred yet - knock on wood - but you can understand that dealing with any of these with 500 users would be considerably easier than with over 200,000 users. Dealing with even a minor glitch with 200,000 complaining users could bring down our tiny company.
We have the extra complication of dealing with the Google algorithm update and improvements to site quality, which is also extremely important but was unplanned.
All that said, we are hoping that everything should work smoothly -- the engineering team really has created an incredibly robust, capable system -- and that we can invite more people to participate in the Program soon.
Again, thank you for your patience and understanding.Thanks for the response, Jason. And as stated, I appreciate the effort you and others have made to help the situation as best you can at this tough time for many writing sites across the web. Perhaps this is why there was a complete lack of forethought given to the feelings of "some" loyal members during this new program.
I realize my posts may appear to be merely "sour grapes" to many, especially those "somewhat randomly chosen" and who couldn't wait to crow and boast to those who were. As far as the money is concerned, you can keep my 60% share of the ad revenue for three months after I am permitted to start participating in the program if I am still here or are ever allowed to try it.
Because I have witnessed how this type of favoritism-intended or not-has destroyed other writing communities, I have spoken out against the way this was handled. I like this site and many of the members who write here and hate to see it go the way of others I have been a part of.
There are many other Hubbers who felt insulted who will not speak out in such cases. So I am not merely speaking for myself in this matter, despite the intimation of others on these threads.
If nothing else, perhaps you guys will consider there are actual human beings with real feelings writing here.(not referring to me, of course)
So perhaps we all gained a little insight here. I know I certainly did.
If you are referring to me in your"crying babies get feed" remark that is your right. But you are perhaps unaware of what I have been through dealing with unscrupulous staff members on similar sites.
I sacrificed over 100 articles on Helium to expose blatant lies made by the highest members of staff, including the president of the site, Mark Ranalli. I knew I would get banned for doing so and do not regret my actions. They eventually admitted I was right about the lies before booting me from the site.
This is about principles and honesty, not money or sour grapes. But think what you will, I know the truth and reasons behind my protest.Having lots of friends has always been easy for me because they know I will tell them the truth. Also being self employed my entire life and dealing with businesses which will rip you off in a heartbeat has made my BS tolerance extremely low.
Perhaps you may understand why it sets off warning sirens when the spokesman of a business uses words like "I think it was a somewhat random selection process." This type statement would not be acceptable to me in a real life scenario and the company surely wouldn't get my business or contract my goods.
A bad choice of words, or an intentionally ambiguous response to avoid full disclosure? I prefer to believe the former in this case, but the statement caused more questions than it answered.
Thanks for understanding, Sid!Thanks for responding, TL! Like you, I had to learn everything about the computer from scratch and if not for my son (an IT for the State) I would be completely lost. I still have very much to learn, so I understand your point of view.
I also had to learn that some content writing sites and other online businesses have a different view of the truth than most of us. HP is the best site I have found with some of the best writers on the internet. They will be glad to help you with your questions too, another great facet of this site.
I do not want HP to fall into the same trap as other content sites have done. Division or favoritism in the community is always the beginning of the end on a writing site.
Perhaps I did overreact and I'm sorry if others do not understand what I've been through dealing with those previous content cretins. I am happy to apologize to those who do not understand my intention in this matter.
A half page back I was all set to let Randy Godwin have it, after you made your point and then kept hammering at it again and again and again. I've been preparing a major rant of my own.
And then you, Randy, had to come along and sound almost reasonable with this last paragraph - there go my plans. I'll try to be reasonable too.
Sure, it might have been possible for HP to try to swear the first 500 to total secrecy - but is that actually practical? I think some would have talked, no matter what. There may be some real blabbermouths in the group. I do know some names - about 50 - since I began keeping a list of those who mentioned being invited (or not). They seem to me to be a good cross-section of Hubbers, mostly established Hubbers (rather than newer ones). Of course, it's only 10% of the total, ones who participate in forums - (hm; that's how I got their names).
But as for HP's "intentions" in not demanding secrecy from 500 people... we could just as logically say that their "intention" was to allow a sense of excitement and enthusiasm to build within the community when a small-ish group tried out the program and succeeded at it. Isn't that usually a very reasonable business/marketing strategy? And honestly, that has been my response. I'm not in the first group either; sure, I would have loved to be in -- Yes, I was disappointed not to be -- and I'm really excitedly looking forward to whichever wave I'll be in, even if it's the zeta group. But in the meantime, in hearing about the immediate earnings here, I have become much more excited about the program - not less, and certainly not irritated at what seems to me to be a reasonable procedure.
More to consider: (First) even if the Ad program had been rolled out to all 220,000 Hubbers at the same time, and had been pretty successful for most, there would still be some grumbling about it - that's just human nature; and (Second) if all came in at the same time, even a tiny glitch would have been multiplied by 220,000. Isn't the grumbling bad enough as it is? And what if they actually had rolled it out to everyone and then the Big Panda had hit without warning? Can you imagine the chaos? (220,000 = a small city)
I understand that your intense reaction is a result of the "once bit, twice shy" variety (I can't believe I'm saying that to a snake).
You say there are many Hubbers who haven't spoken up about being insulted at the way the Ad program was introduced. But you do know it works the other way too, don't you? There are plenty of us (not in yet) who are excited and happy about the program who have not yet spoken up in support of the way it is being rolled out in waves. I would like to join my voice with the ones in that group, the ones who understand and are content with the way the program was launched.
PS - If my name is somehow selected before Randy's or Sid's or any other disgruntled eligible Hubber's that I know of, I want to yield my place to them, if I'm allowed to do so. Squeaky wheels and all that, you know.
Hahaha
Then, "No-you're-welcome, to you, RG."
It's not a problem to me that we disagree, and I'm sure it's not a problem to you either. So on that note we can agree. Wow!
As I mentioned briefly, I understand that a lot of your reaction is a result of experiences you have had elsewhere. You are doing what you think it right to protect the community feeling here - as am I. We just have different approaches. You are bringing up what you see as legitimate grievances about the PR, and I am trying to bring up what I see as an understanding perspective about the process.
Your approach has the potential of sounding bitter, sour-grape-y, and petty and of overlooking the genuinely good aspects of the way things are being done. My approach has the potential of sounding smarmy, Pollyanna-ish, and fawning and of overlooking the genuinely hazardous aspects of the procedure. In all, I believe that both approaches are (or can be) relevant, valid, and important. I just felt the need to balance out yours which seemed to be hitting awfully hard. (Maybe you were feeling the need to balance out the others who preceded your posts?)
As much as it may grate to have to (have to?) hear about others who are a part of something great when we are not (yet), we also hear or read in the forums about others who earn more, who have more followers, who have written more, who have more accolades or more up-ratings, who have better knowledge of SEO and so forth. All of those things could create division within the community, but they don't have to. They can also be learning experiences or models for inspiration and encouragement and hope.
We could be here arguing that it wasn't fair that the first HubCamp was offered to only the people who lived close to San Francisco; the location automatically made it difficult or impossible for most of us to participate. We had to wait. That was an advantage offered to some, and that advantage would make it possible for them to be better earners and more successful Hubbers. But, instead of arguing about the location, most of us understood that the first HC had to take place somewhere, and the rest of us would have opportunities in the future. (And it looks like HubAds will likely get to all of us before HubCamp does. Yay, I hope.)
There are many, many things we could argue about, if we chose to. As it is, I think it's great here that we can agree or disagree - even extremely vigorously - and then decide how to interact after the disagreement. That's actually quite cool, I think.
At least we are not having to argue about which of us got picked to go first on the planes and boats leaving Egypt or Libya.
Well said Lisa, to me you have summed it perfectly.
Thanks for your response, Lisa. I hope you never have to experience what I went through because of "intentional" slights to members on other sites. I realized there were going to be posts such as yours countering mine before I decided to critique the method of introduction.
Sometimes it more difficult to do what one thinks is right than simply keep quiet when possibly harmful results may occur. I am not accusing HP staff of intentionally slighting anyone.
Wow Sen. Kennedy, I didn't know you were still alive! Welcome to HubPages!
Not so sure which kingdom he ended up in, Jon!
Good to see you!
Google Ads are placed on your Hubs by Google, not you. You cannot place particular ads yourself. Do you have your Google affiliate code pasted in the proper place?
- RenePogelposted 13 years ago0
Thanks j4fun, but I am in no way comparing the volunteers here on HP with those on the previously mentioned dismal content site. The volunteers here are very helpful and there is rarely a time I have ever witnessed them act in a manner suggesting superiority over the common members.
And I would like it to remain this way if at all possible. Again, thanks for actually understanding my poor attempt at keeping things this way.Sorry you have been accused of anything untrue, FD! I think some were confused when I compared how great you guys are, with many of the volunteers on another content site. I certainly did not intend this to happen, nor involve anyone else in my own complaint.
I hope all of the volunteers will ask for a change in the title given to them. I know y'all didn't ask for it and it really gives some of us the creeps. (like my avatar does to some here)
Again, sorry if I caused you guys any strife as it wasn't my intention to do so!
Randy--Hey Randy I wasn't getting offended so much as trying to undo some of the myths. I'm good, I just wish the title didn't cause the upset.
Maybe it's time to change it, it does cause suspicion and aggro that's for sure.
I think the intention was to highlight the fact that some hubbers put in extra time for the good of the site, or at least that's the way I perceived it.
Maybe we should just be known as Bubbers (buddys +hubbers)
Truly I don't think for one minute you or anyone else meant anything accusatory. My daughter is a senior student, she's got the badge saying so and she's felt the suspicion from her peers, like she's suddenly joined a secret club.
Was the same for me when I got promoted at work. Suddenly I'd become 'them'. That's lifeSo glad you understand, FD! Nothing to do with you guys and the good things y'all do for the site.
This title will always cause problems for HP, but let's see how long it takes them to realize it.
For What it is Worth Randy... You totally have my respect
You Echo the concerns of all the real people here mate!
Kudos to you!The feeling of respect is mutual, PD! Thanks mate!
- Nelle Hoxieposted 13 years ago0
Thanks Nellie for your thoughts. I'm not miffed about not being chosen. Merely trying to prevent future misunderstandings. Apparently my communication skills are lacking in this respect. Not good news for my attempts at writing informative articles!
- Nelle Hoxieposted 13 years ago0
Not accusing HP of favoritism and I assume the Elite invited were in the first tests.
Randy only 9 hubbers were invited in the first test and Len cannon was one of those beta testers and so was Simey C and they don't have the elite hubbers tag. I think they were just chosen as they write on diverse topics and may be cater to different traffic. Anyways these are all guesses.
Also, I don't think I am qualified enough to comment whether HP could have handled this situation better as I have almost zero experience with other content writing site.
Anyways, I hope you will continue to love and support Hubpages. And on a side note Randy, I also want to accuse Hubpages of favoritism as you and habee always have a 100 author score and me never got more than 92 (Just kidding)Thanks for your input, enlightenedsoul!
I would like everyone here to be able to state both their likes and dislikes without fear of being leaped upon by other members.
Yes, there will always be disagreements, but we are human beings (not sure about a few here) and writers in the bargain. And writers are known to be a little eccentric they tell me!
Those 100's are a mystery to me too! I think those 100's are given to somewhat random hubbers.......naw just kidding!
Don't criticize the big guys for making suspect decisions Empress, or you'll end up like me!
I don't know what they were thinking when they chose the title. Perhaps HubGods might have been a bit over the top!
I suspect the title itself prevents many from applying for the position. It would for me, not that there's any chance I would be admitted anyway.
"HubGods"? LOL. Or let's get really silly... how about SuperHubbers? Or HubMasters? (and HubMistresses, although that does have a kind of personal ads/bondage dungeon feel to it
).
I think there were a few people who were offered the Elite "badge" but chose not to take it.
Anyone else? I'm tired of this thread, so let's get it over with!
I'll do better than that, I'll do it for free! I've lots of experience making boobs feel small!
Trust you to save the 'breast' till last
I don't think you can write 'definitely'. I'd like to sing its praises. In fact I will - you do get more money from the HP ad program in relation, which is a positive for sure.
However, I suspect that some hubbers are finding what I am (so far) which is that the drop in adsense is made up by the HP ad program - it is not increasing my earnings.
Of course it's still early days, so I'm prepared to wait and see.
@ Randy - no harm, no foul. I'm cool. You're almost. Snakes are nearly cool
Snakes are cold blooded, ya know! That makes us double cool! LOL! Thanks FD!
Oh yeahhhhhh so he is. Again. Look at me, elite all to hell and back and trailing in his dust
Now that makes me feel good, My Goddess! (that better?)
Thanks for noticing, PDH! I can get close but can never get to the elusive 101! Not giving up though!
ArrogantAspI don't know PDH, haven't published much lately but have a few ready except for photos I need to take. Many links to my hubs disappeared in the Google update.
I had thousands on some and I don't backlink, so I assumed others made the links because they were pleased with the articles. I suppose it didn't matter to Google though--thurrrp....gone with the wind!
I don't see much difference when having 100 except the newbies follow me more. You'll get there again!
Randy-Thanks PDH! Yes, some are creeping back up and I hope they do so before my peak earnings season gets here. But gee what some low click earnings. Instead of getting a buck or more they are now worth very little, even if you get a bunch of them. Oh well, root hog or die pore!
All we can do is our best!
Not yet, but I did see some of the ads on one of my hubs during HP's timeshare! I didn't know they were running them until we were invited. So perhaps they are getting close.
I'm still over here pouting...uninvited.
Keeping my fingers crossed for next time and feeling left out. (sniffle sniffle) This guilt trip works so much better in person! - SockPuppetposted 13 years ago0
- donkeymailerposted 13 years ago0
I just filled mine out today. Thanks for the invite and I am looking forward to more money.
- RenePogelposted 13 years ago0
