Share and Share a Like: Feedback Welcome

1. 88

   Simone Smithposted 12 years ago

   Howdy Pardners!
   The contest is alive and kickin' and if you'd like to kick it, feel free to do so here!
   
   If you want more official-sounding info, and if you want contest-related updates, check out this thread instead: http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/78448

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      AEvansposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Can we use the share and share alike tag? Or is there an actual contest tag? I apologize just needing clarity. Thanks

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      1. 88

         Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The tag is literally "contest"
         We would have made it Share and Share A Like, but a bunch of Hubbers have gotten confused around tags in past contests, so we want to make it as simple as possible
         I'm so glad you're joining in on this one!!

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         1. 71

            AEvansposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I am glad I am doing this one too! Last question are we to create our own tag that says contest as I see some hubbers are using the share and share alike tag on there hubs, or where do I go to find the contest tag on HP? I can't remember where they are located.   Sorry so many questions but I would just like to make certain that my hub is properly identified.

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               Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Oh, sorry for not seeing this earlier, AEvans!  You can see entries thus far here: http://hubpages.com/reports/sharealike

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2. 72

   livewithrichardposted 12 years ago

   The way the tag structure is here on HP the generic tag "contest" is just going to group a lot of unrelated hubs together which is bad SEO.  At least, "Share and Share a Like" tag would be consistent but even then a bunch of unrelated hubs will still be grouped together. 
   
   This is BAD SEO practice and the only thing I can see from this "contest" is an attempt to pull in our Facebook friends.  If you genuinely want to HELP HUBBERS then come up with a contest that has a related theme because writing about ANYTHING and GROUPING them all together is PART of the PROBLEM that got us hit hard in the PANDA.

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   1. 88

      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ouch. That's a lot of all caps. 
      Because of the way we've configured tag pages (post-panda) on our site, livewithrichard, I don't think this is going to be an issue.  We want to make it as easy to participate in this contest as possible, so that's our primary goal.

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      1. 72

         livewithrichardposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         
         Okay, I've checked the way tags are configured (post-panda) and it's even worse than just having the generic "contest" tag because now there are a bunch of "related tags" and its grouping hubs that were published 2 years ago.
         
         Grouping together unrelated topics will weaken a hubs chance of gaining authority on Google. But gaining individual authority for a hub is not the point of this contest, is it?
         
         Lets be real here... the point of this contest is to tap into our social networks which will help build some authority for this site. I'm all for that so why such a deceptive means of attaining that goal? 
         
         Why not just say: Hey fellow hubbers we are doing everything we can to rebuild this sites authority on the internet and once again attain a top 50 ranking. To do this we need your help, we need your social connections and an easy way for this to happen is for us to hold a contest and you share it with your social networks.  Send your social contacts to our Facebook fan page and have them vote on your contest hubs. This will be a WIN WIN for all of us here at Hubpages and a real opportunity for our writing community to once again thrive as a rising star of user-generated content sites.
         
         See, it's not so hard to be sincere. That said, I still think there needs to be a related theme for this and any future contests otherwise it's just a popularity contest, who can send the most Facebook or Twitter friends over to vote.

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         1. 88

            JillKostowposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            If after the contest is over, as well as past contests, you can edit your hubs and remove the contest tags.  This would allow only the current contest entries to be grouped together and it would not affect anything else long-term.  Maybe that is just a simple solution, what's your opinion?

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            1. 72

               livewithrichardposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Jill, I have no problem with holding contests and I have no problem in sharing them with our social networks. I do have a problem with disingenuous reasons for holding said contest.  Simone can claim my reasoning is flawed all she wants but then why send our Facebook friends to their Facebook fan page to vote?  Why not send them to the "Official Contest Page" to vote?  Motive is clear.
               
               Yes, you can edit your hub whenever you want and there will be no long term damage IF you do remove the "contest" tag. I think that should be one of the RULES, Remove the "contest" tag at the end of the contest.
               
               My fear is that many will not remove the tag and we will have a bunch of unrelated topics pointing at each other which is one of the reasons we were considered a content farm in the first place. We are supposed to be going forward as a site and not making the same mistakes over and over.

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               1. 88

                  Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Well, livewithrichard, you definitely win the Passionate Hubber award! 
                  I appreciate the concern, but the tags you add to Hubs at this point really don't have that much of an SEO effect anymore. They're really just helpful for internal stuff- like contests.  You see, after Panda, we noindexed all of our tag pages. 
                  
                  Deleting the contest tag after the contest is fine if anyone wants to do it, but I honestly don't see it making any sort of difference. 
                  
                  As for being sincere.... I don't really see where we haven't been utterly upfront.  But perhaps my pleasantly vacant head cannot comprehend such matters. 
                  
                  Though to be totally honest, we're not just out to get people to promote HubPages blindly on social media sites... we're actually against overpromotion of any sort.  The main purpose of this contest is to learn how to write more social media-friendly articles and to become more comfortable working across multiple platforms as an online writer.
                  
                  What else... gosh... so much to read! As for why we're not directing people to our site for voting- we used to have contest pages on Topic pages, and those just became a total mess that screwed up the topic pages and looked awful.  The voting we've arranged for this contest is far more fun!
                  
                  I think that's everything ^_^;;

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3. 71

   sunforgedposted 12 years ago

   thats a whole lot of hypocrisy - you guys gave former 60 day challenge members a long chain of crap for using the tags structure to interlink and show support - and now you come along and use a generic tag such as this one?
   
   
   I wont harp on the seo aspect as it is pretty minimal - but by your own admission "Because of the way we've configured tag pages (post-panda) on our site, "
   
   So why pray tell - were you all so annoying with the pointless tag witch hunt ... things that make me go hmm
   
   btw - my suggestion would have been a better attempt at promoting "shares" http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/75451?p … ost1634908
   
   

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   1. 88

      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank goodness the special ring of Hell reserved for hypocrites was one of my favorites from Dante's inferno.  I'll have a blast!
      
      Re: 60DC - we only moderate unrelated or misleading tags.  If we do not understand what an obscure internal tag is referring to, we may moderate it.  This is one of the reasons we chose "contest" as a tag instead of "SASAL" - this way, it is much less likely to be seen as trouble by a someday new moderator who is feeling a bit rushed.
      
      And that's a nice suggestion! We've been working on updating our Accolades in that manner, and have something similar to that in the works.

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4. 93

   Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years ago

   I may be wrong but I don't believe I have ever begun an Internet post in my life before with a request that it be deleted!
   
   I am in no doubt that all who have posted to this thread do have the interest of all Hubbers at heart and feel very strongly about the comments they have made. The rights or wrongs of each post are not for me to judge.
   
   What I am extremely concerned about is the appropriate nature of the posts and whether they should have been made on Hub Pages' latest flagship attempt to help all Hubbers and the site in general.
   
   What certain individuals may say about me in response to this post is wholly irrelevant (I'm a big boy now! ) but I think consideration should be given to Hub Pages staff, your fellow Hubbers and the wider Internet community at large by airing your dirty laundry and grievances (justified or otherwise) in a more appropriate location and at a more appropriate time.
   
   I hope that I speak for the majority of Hubbers in formally requesting that certain posts in this thread be moved to a more appropriate location and addressed at a more appropriate time... (It's OK - just delete mine! )

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      livewithrichardposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry Gordon but NO you don't speak for the majority of Hubbers you speak only for yourself.  I'm not speaking for the majority either but I find this thread the MOST appropriate place to address my concern ON THIS CONTEST TOPIC. 
      
      I'm not trying to be mean and I have no 'dirty laundry' to air.  There are many of us that are concerned with the direction HP is going and the steps they have taken to get where we are. Some of those steps were to disallow tags unrelated to the content of the hub.  The generic term "contest" is unlike other community wide terms such as 'hubmob' 'hubnugget' '30 day challenge' etc.  Just take a look at the pages that show up when you click on the 'contest' tag.   Sunforged summed it up "thats a whole lot of hypocrisy."
      
      @AEvans the tag is: 'contest' anything else is not in the official rules and could be flagged for unrelated tagging. You don't have to find anything you just add 'contest' to the tags when you create your hub.

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         Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, Richard. To show there are no hard feelings, however, I know a guy up the pub who does a great deal on CAPS LOCK faults and can maybe help you out...

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   2. 88

      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Gordon Hamilton, I'm a fan.
      
      I'm un-stickying this thread to make a new official contest thread since this one's gone a bit negative nancy, and I am more of the chipper type. 
      
      livewithrichard - I'm leaving this thread open so feel free to keep on keepin' on

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      1. 72

         livewithrichardposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you Simone, your condescension, as always, is much appreciated and typical of the kindness and respect we come to expect from certain members of the Hubpages Staff.
         
         
         
         That probably would have been some good information to share when it happened. You should probably let someone know too that the so called learning center needs updating as well since this is what it says about Tags:
         
         "Tags help search engines understand what your article is about, and helps HubPages cluster similar articles together for visitors who are browsing."
         
         Clearly, as you stated, that is not the case. tags are for "internal stuff- like contests."
         
         
         
         When and where is this learning going to take place? Are we going to learn what to do versus what not to do in order to make our articles more social media friendly? Or do we just assume that our Facebook friends will know what to look for?
         
         I'm sorry that this thread went 'negative Nancy' but that's what happens when genuine concerns are met with condescension and jokes. 
         
         But as you suggested, I'll keep on keepin' on so that those that do follow me can actually learn something.

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5. 71

   sunforgedposted 12 years ago

   lol, I would like to flag this thread for deceptively titled then.
   
   It seems Feedback wasnt so welcome

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   1. 88

      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      But it is!  I just want the official contest thread to not veer off topic.

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6. 71

   sunforgedposted 12 years ago

   ok

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7. 69

   ianleverette47posted 12 years ago

   Hey Guys,
   
   I have no idea what's going on with Finances or HubPages problem as I am fairly new, but I do know that Hubpages is not playing fair ball with the 200,000 + hubbers. As yet, I have heard nothing back in the last 24 hours and have emailed them again. I just want my Contest Entry posted. There were two (2) postings put up. Everyone saw the 1st one but only a handful saw the 2nd one with the dates and times you were allowed to publish. Are we supposed to hunt these posting down? Well -- no one could find the 2nd posting and as a result, July entries were posted in July --some on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
   I waited until after the week-end and posted mine on the 4th, around 12:00pm. However, if I would have been able to find the 2nd official posting (as most could not), I would have seen that Noon meant 3:00pm Eastern (Noon -Pacific time). Who the hell posts anything on Pacific time? The whole world knows that Eastern time is the official time in the U.S. and Canada. Pacific time is Bull Crap!
   I don't expect to win but I worked long hours on my contest entry like many did. I checked it over three or four times for grammar, tags (Contest), right down to the Original Photo.
   I expect you to be fair and as I mentioned in other forums, the folks that did post on the 4th with the correct tags should be given credit for their Contest Entry.
   As a Canadian citizen, we play pretty fair on this side of the border with at least a response to questions.
   Look -- I don't care about your finances. Everything in the U.S is going down these days because of all the stupid debt accumulated over Wars and dumb Fireworks displays all over the place which nobody can afford --- but, you just keep spending.
   Sorry -- got off the topic there.
   I just want all 200,000 hubbers to get an apology for this contest mess and to be able to read those Hubs that so many worked on for hours. Apparently, I was 3 hours early --GIVE ME A BREAK!
   
   Some comments to me:
   
   IzzyM: 968 Followers
   
   "You know, Ian, you have had your rant and you may well be right!
   
   But your ranting made me go look at your hubs.
   I read If a Dog Could Talk and loved it, especially as it contains my favorite dog video of the moment.
   
   But hey folks...read this... http://hubpages.com/hub/Arizona-To-Hell
   
   This is fantastic!! This guy should be in print!
   
   yeah, yeah no comment from me, I am rubbish at commenting. Just rated up, y'know, usual stuff".
   
   Giselle Maine: 154 Followers
   
   "it's certainly strange that we have all had such a hard time finding it. And Ian, I completely agree with you, you make a good point, I wish they would allow what you are proposing (from a fairness point of view, I mean - it doesn't affect me either way 'cos I haven't entered yet)".
   
   Don't go replying back to me with any snide remarks. I told them I would raise a stink and Facebook is a good place to start.
   
   I will be in charge of the next Contest. The time of posting will be 2:17am ASIAN time. The TOPICS will be "Canadian Hockey" or "Knitting Mittens". Good Luck Hubbers and God bless America.
   
   If I get banned, it's not my fault. Are you with me Gang?
   I only wish to hear back from all those that tried but could not seek out that deeply hidden 2nd Contest posting.
   Anybody else does not count!!

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   1. 88

      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      O_O

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      1. 66

         Michael Willisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Hello Simone.
         You mentioned in an earlier post in this thread that tags are now noindexed after Panda.
         
            ...the tags you add to Hubs at this point really don't have that much of an SEO effect anymore. They're really just helpful for internal stuff- like contests.  You see, after Panda, we noindexed all of our tag pages. 
         
         I would like to know what this really means to our tags on hubs and IF now our tags are irrelevant to help with getting our hubs attention on the web? This is how I am reading this.
         
         Is this correct or could you clarify this for me, please? If this is what I am reading, then I am not surprised by traffic loss.

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            Michael Willisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            BUMP...hoping for an answer/clarification.

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            1. 72

               livewithrichardposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Michael, it appears that tags are only relevant to internal searches.  There is a noindex,follow attribute attached to the Tag page that is created. 
               
               This is good because the Tag page creates duplicate content onsite. The noindex of this makes the duplicate content invisible to Google.
               
               For those that used tags as keywords, then the tags are only good for internal use and will not be picked up in the SERP's as they once were.  They are now irrelevant to Google and other SEO.

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                  Michael Willisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Thank you for the response livewithrichard. I thought since I asked nicely without attacking anyone I would have gotten a response from a Staff member.
                  Oh well...I am so much closer to a major decision on HP.

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                  1. 72

                     livewithrichardposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     You know how it is Michael, certain staff members are too busy teaching contestants on how to write more social media-friendly articles and to become more comfortable working across multiple platforms as an online writer.
                     
                     Don't make any rash decisions just yet.  There are still some of us that really want our friends to succeed as online content writers.

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                     1. 66

                        Michael Willisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                        Thanks for the support. I have been thinking about this for a while, altho' not 100 % set on any decision just yet.
                        I added scrapbook to my browser. If I can figure it out (lol) I am saving all my work, just in case.
                        I have wondered why even my best hubs had a sudden drop in traffic a while after Panda. They stayed where they were for  some time, but then all of a sudden dropped. Guess I know why now.
                        It feels like we are being worked more against than being helped. I am not a fan of "facebook" or being a social networking guru. I just want my writing to be read and not be in a popularity contest for viewership on a site.
                        If I have to start over in a new avenue...then I will do that.

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                           celebritieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                           Michael I love your hubs you are a very talented writer and your graphics art, posters, and home-made videos are amazing. I really think you should get more exposure for what you do.
                           
                           I have heard writers are self-publishing fiction and non-fiction e-book articles and short stories on Amazon Kindle. You should try it, I know you can make lots of money with your skills.

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   2. 88

      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ok, system reboot: successful!
      
      ianleverette47, thank you for the feedback.  We have always gone by Pacific Time with our contests because our office is based in SF and it is difficult to judge and announce winners when working with different time zones. 
      
      I am, however, intrigued by your proposition to open and close entry windows  at "2:17am ASIAN time" for I always have a pleasant time in Asia, unless, of course, it is March in Beijing.  Don't ask. 
      
      But seriously- I'm sorry to hear that there was a snafu with submitting your first entry on the 4th. I tried to be really careful about how I announced the contest's opening, and I tried to dissuade folks from entering on the first day anyway, since it is usually impacted and since folks do mix up time zones, but I know things slip by.
      
      There's nothing I can do about that first entry now, but do feel free to submit additional entries this month!  Because the contest is now in full throttle, there will not be more crazy submission-timing issues until the closing date, and for that, here is a Pacific Time clock: http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Pacific/d/-8

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8. 69

   ianleverette47posted 12 years ago

   That is Extremely RUDE (mocking) and lacking an Apology to everyone who submitted their JULY contest HUBS.
   
   You guys posted not one but TWO (2) Contest Postings --no one saw the 2nd one. Admit your mistake and do the fair thing --- At least permit the entries on the 4th with the correct tags.

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   1. 88

      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Could you expand on the contest posting?  I am not exactly clear on what you're referring to about the two contest postings.  If we made a mistake I do really want to correct it.
      
      And sorry if I came across as mocking.  You know that scene from Juno when Juno says some girl is giving her the stink eye, and her friend responds that that's just the girl's face?  That's how it is with me.  I'm just stuck that way.

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      MelissaBarrettposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Simone Smith said "But seriously- I'm sorry to hear that there was a snafu with submitting your first entry on the 4th."
      
      Sounds like an apology to me.  What do you want her to do, wax your car?
      
      HubPages is holding a contest and giving away their money, yet all some people can do is complain about it.  I swear, some of you people could argue about a glass of water.
      
      If you don't like the contest, don't enter it.

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         Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         It *would* be fun to wax a car, actually.  I've always wanted to reenact that Karate Kid scene.

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9. 69

   ianleverette47posted 12 years ago

   Listen Lady,
   
   I didn't ask for your snide remarks --- keep them to yourself!!
   
   If you were up on things, you would have known that there were two (2) contest postings and the 2nd one contained the correct times to post -- very few saw the 2nd posting. Why don't you go into your forum postings this morning and read how many people were confused. Here is the thread - -http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/78396  and there were more as well.
   
   Simone -- apology accepted. It's hard to judge someone over Facebook. I lived in S.F. back in 1968 for 6 months and loved it -Berkeley - Great holiday break after University.
   
   A lot of us worked a long time on this contest thing and to be turned away because of 3 hours?
   
   And for the Lady with the snide remarks - You can clean my car! I'll be taking Simone out on a date, thank you very much.
   Keep your remarks to yourself Fat ass.

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      MelissaBarrettposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      My snide remarks will be where ever my "fat ass" chooses to put them.   My entitlement issues, however, were put on the back burner years ago

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10. 70

    celebritieposted 12 years ago

    Uhh Ohh, bring out the water hose! The crowd is getting out of control, LOL
    
    
    

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    1. 88

       Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Haaaaah few! Thanks, celebrite

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       1. 61

          SunSevenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Ring Ring! Anyone else awake to address other forum concerns?
          
          God! You're AWESOME Simone,

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11. 68

    BethanRoseposted 12 years ago

    Yay, I posted my submission to the contest :-) I love HubPages contests!

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