What do 'experienced Hubbers' want from newcomers?

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   Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years ago

   I often see posts from longtime Hubbers that express frustration with new Hubbers. Aside from reading the FAQs and other learning tools, what would be your ideal new Hubber?  What do you expect from us?  Thanks!

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      rebekahELLEposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You know what. It doesn't matter.
      Everyone was/is new at some point. And we all have to learn. I am constantly amazed at the new talent writing on the site. We can all learn from each other.

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      Dale Hydeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Those long time hubbers need to reflect upon that at one time they also were new hubbers and react accordingly with patience and understanding.
      
      I am not a long time hubber, but I am a long time writer and have been and still am active on many sites.  What I expect from new members wherever I am at is to ask questions..... There is no such thing as a bad question if you need an answer.

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         AEvansposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I concur and I am seasoned. To all who have only been here for a short period of time, welcome to HubPages.

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         Shanna11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I have to agree with that. As a new hubber, I was welcomed very well and felt I was a part of Hubpages almost instantly. It was only later that I noticed that some older users seemed to have forgotten what they were like when they were new. It can be confusing, and there's nothing wrong with that!

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      Randy Godwinposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      An "ideal Hubber"?  This post should have been placed over in the "Oxymoron" thread!
      
      
      
                               Hisssssss!

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      Website Examinerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Deleted
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         Pearldiverposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That's certainly an 'interesting' assessment... especially the bit about getting a kick out of expressing frustration!  A Vision of 'bragging' about stolen hubs keeps flashing before my eyes for some frustrating reason!

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            Website Examinerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

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               Pearldiverposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Good... then I guess that I'll accept your defensive misinterpretation of my sarcastic vision then!

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   tamronposted 12 years ago

   Seasoned hubbers should be happy to help new hubbers. Simply because if new hubbers stay active and put out great hubs it help hubpages as a whole.
   
   When new hubbers put up great hubs and stays active all of hubpages ranks better in search and in good rep with quality writers.  We benefit from helping each other sorry if anyone was rude to you.  That doesn't usually happen most hubbers are very friendly and helpful.

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      Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your concern, tamron - just to clarify, nobody has ever been rude to me on this site. I'm meeting great people here. But I have read frustrated comments from longtime Hubbers in various forum posts or other places. So I was curious as to what longtime members feel newcomers should already know, or how they (we?) should behave.

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         AEvansposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Just be yourself. Ask many questions, write and share your work with others.

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   Lisa HWposted 12 years ago

   There's only one situation in which I at all differentiate "older" Hubbers from "new" Hubbers, and that's when someone has been on here for only a couple of months (or less) and comes on pointing out what the site and/or people on it "ought to do" instead of what is being done.  I do have that element of thinking (and usually being right about) the person's not knowing what he's talking about it because he hasn't been around long enough to have seen how a lot of things have unfolded over, say, the last year.   So, having been someone who took about two years before ever coming to the forums at all (and I don't think new people ought to stay away from the forums for years, by any means), I do think the person who shows up as a new person today needs to be aware that "everyone else" and the site have been up and running on here for much longer (so there's a lot that may not make sense, or look right, to someone brand new but that he'll understand better after he's been on here another couple of months).
   
   That's the only time I'm even aware that I'm "old" and they're "new".  Everyone's here on the same terms as far as I'm concerned.  Having said that, with "alter egos" being what they are, I don't even necessarily believe that some apparently new Hubbers are new at all, but that's not my business either.
   
   (The reverse of the few people who are terse or insulting to new people who ask questions are the newer people who refer, with sarcasm, to older Hubbers who give straight and/or conscientious answers as "some of the 'all knowing' older Hubbers, when all most older Hubbers want to do is be helpful or encouraging to newer ones.)  From what I've seen of some forums on other sites, this one is among the "milder" and friendlier of them (which is why this one's the only one I ever spend any time on.  I think it's a fairly low percentage of posts that are insulting to someone in some way.)
   
   Besides, one thing that can go on is that older Hubbers can see the signs when someone is an alter-ego or else is otherwise not what he wants to convince people he is.  Newer people don't always recognize the signs, so if someone who recognized the signs of a spammer (or someone else "who's up to something") and give a kind of fresh answer, it looks to newer people as it was uncalled for and unprovoked.  So, some of what looks like rude answers has more behind it than meets the eye. 

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   Pearldiverposted 12 years ago

   Welcome to an interesting pond... where I believe 'New' Hubbers should support our continuous efforts to have New Hubbers fully contribute to the Annual Christmas Party! 
   
   This is where new hubbers can be formally initiated and learn the recommended secret handshakes and facial expressions, that should be openly offered to staff members when they serve up their First Forum Ban!

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      Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Dang - you mean I have to wait another 10-1/2 months before I know the drill?  Is there a Cliff's Notes version?

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   leenamarthaposted 12 years ago

   Those long time hubbers need to reflect upon that at one time they also were new hubbers and react accordingly with patience.

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   Mark Ewbieposted 12 years ago

   My ideal new Hubber would seek me out and tell me how brilliant I was. Then they would go on a sharing spree of my pages across the internet.  They would offer me money, gifts or other personal favours in return for me allowing them to read my work.
   
   But to answer more seriously.  Sometimes it's tough breaking into the in-crowd. HubPages is about the friendliest easiest going site / forum that I have ever come across.
   
   I try to remember that I am here to write, and hopefully make some money - and not get too involved in forum games.

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      Pearldiverposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Oh BTW mate... you were checkmated again before!  You really must stop exposing your king piece to passing motorists...

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         Mark Ewbieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Wise words indeed.
         
         If I understood any of them I'm sure I'd benefit.

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   skyfireposted 12 years ago

   Honestly I expect nothing. Internet is growing because people ask questions and how they take things from the answers they get from those who know things i.e. "so-called hubbers". It's just like real life. But in case of the internet, some folks who love to attack newbies hide behind innocence of "we're helping". Once you get hang of any forum, you'll find such users and will laugh your way out. It's this process which you can't skip no matter how many years you spend on the internet.
   
   I find it funny when so-called experienced hubbers attack newbies by posting the links of their threads in other forums or on facebook groups and make fun of newbies as if these so-called hubbers are any different. It's funny when only help you can offer is posts like "read the FAQ/TOS/Learning center". It's all fun, it takes time to understand chaos around here from so-called experienced hubbers.

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   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   There is only one type of new hubber that makes me really annoyed: someone who puts up one hub written in reasonably correct language, immediately posts in broken English asking when he is going to get money from the site, and then a few days later posts whining that his hub has been removed. Inevitably, the hub had been plagiarised from elsewhere!

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      Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      LOL!  Even in the short time I've been here, I've seen that, too. When I have insomnia or when I get up unreasonably early, I like to find the brand-new Hubbers (latest) and read their hubs. My original intent was to meet newcomers & be supportive, which I do. But there's a really high ratio of spammers and abusers in the pre-dawn hours. Broken English, escort services offering sex, promotional hubs, you name it. I flag those & move on, but it's made me aware of the hard work it takes to filter out that type of abuse here.

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   phillippeengelposted 12 years ago

   There is no point in being frustrated with inexperienced Hubbers. Everyone who joins HubPages as a member has one common goal in mind: to publish quality Hubs, to answer questions and to contribute viewpoints in the forums. Except for those fraudulent Hubbers who joined in order to spam, advertise, incite acrimony, and do other unethical things in HubPages, I do not see the problem for people joining the site.
   
   However, there will be a potential problem if the veterans of HubPages become condescending towards new Hubbers. I am afraid there would be lots of criticisms.

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      Website Examinerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Would that include frustration with those who have just joined, have only published one hub, and complain why they haven't had any earnings yet? Or those that post duplicate forum threads on the same topic? Or who post self-promotional links, insisting they are doing it for the common good?
      
      I don't think the issue is all that simple. It takes time for more experienced members to sort such issues out, and sometimes frustration is understandable. There are also new members who become defensive when things are explained to them, and helping such members can be a frustrating experience.

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      1. 82

         Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I agree the abusers are frustrating - they frustrate newer Hubbers, too. Some of us have been around the Internet for a long while in one form or another, and even though we're new here, we can spot the spammers. Even so, we are aware that every site has it's own culture and community. I try to learn the 'unwritten rules' and honor them so I can be a contributor to the community as well as a writer and Hubber.

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            Website Examinerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Good point. Our forum is probably no different from any other "volunteer forum." The real task ought to be left to paid staff, but that is not how it works. I'm sure you'll be an exemplary new member and never even be considered a "newbie" as such. (Nothing wrong with being a newbie, either, of course).

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               Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               LOL! Well, thanks for the extra props and vote of confidence!  I have just figured New is New here. Hadn't thought about it that way. 
               
               I have to say, after hopping some of the pre-dawn new hubs that clearly don't meet site guidelines, I don't know how the paid staff could keep up with it all. You can see new spammers joining and posting every few minutes if you get on the site in the wee hours.  My hat is off to the volunteers who help screen and filter.

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         rmcrayneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         +++

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    kimberlyslyricsposted 12 years ago

    Having actually been here a year longer than my post reads, I too have seen the arrogance towards newcomers.  Have to say I have seen much more of welcomed charm though.  Time served is nothing.  Dead Hubber Talking.  The bad apples rot quick and thankfully the supportive Hubbers stick with wanting to keep this a good sight.  I mention time because it is irrelevant. I just read an incredible hub from someone here 7 weeks and can show you some boring or badly written hubs from someone 3 years :
    
    Hey, whatever qualifies a newbie start a thread just for you to exchange experiences?  Just a thought
    
    keep on hubbing
    
    kimberly

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       Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I like the idea of starting a newbie thread - I think I'll do that! When it's up, please let any newbies you meet know about it. I can attest that it sometimes takes a while to jump into the forums if you're super busy publishing hubs and learning the logistics of a new site.
       
       Thanks for the suggestion!  Hope you lurk & maybe comment!

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