Timeless Hubs??

1. 73

   lorlie6posted 13 years ago

   Since the only way we can-sort of-judge when a hub was published by the comments left, I would like to suggest a publication date be added to each piece.  Perhaps the reasoning behind this is the hopeful longevity of each article, but at times I would like to know when authors write Hubs-sometimes it really adds to the piece.

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   1. 74

      Diane Insideposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you lorlie, it would also be helpful for the relevance of the time.  I mean if a hub was written about computers, how relevance is it if it was written 2 years ago, since computers chance so rapidly,
      
      Maybe even a last updated date as well. just a thought.

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      1. 73

         lorlie6posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Exactly!  I wonder why the HubPages team decided against this...

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   2. 87

      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I wouldn't object if it was optional.  I certainly would object if it was automatic.
      
      If the date was public and it showed the Hub was originally written two years ago, that doesn't mean it's out of date. Who's to say the Hubber hasn't kept the Hub continually revised and updated?
      
      As Nelle said, some people will discount an old Hub, even if it's on an evergreen topic that doesn't change much over time.

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      1. 72

         relacheposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I'll second this.

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         1. 73

            lorlie6posted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I third it...really-excellent suggestion, Marisa and relache.  And as Ironher said, some do not need dates at all.

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2. 0

   Nelle Hoxieposted 13 years ago

   This has been discussed many times. If you date a hub and it gets to be two years old, there are folks who won't pay it any attention.
   
   If you want your hubs to have dates, then you can add them manually. I prefer mine to be without dates.

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   1. 73

      lorlie6posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Nelle.  I see your point and have manually added dates to some of my work.  But as Diane pointed out, they can be misleading if not dated.

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3. 0

   ralwusposted 13 years ago

   that's why I try to put a date at the end of mine so readers will know either when I wrote it or it was published here.

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4. 89

   Pcunixposted 13 years ago

   At my main site, I date all articles.  I did not originally, but I realized my error and have gone back to add dates - I might have some I have still missed, but as I find them, I add the date.
   
   Yes, that may tell some people the information is outdated, but that is exactly why I do it!
   
   I WANT people to know if they are reading old advice.  If I have updated it, I say that too.
   
   The whole point here is that I care about my readers.  I have about 7,000 posts at that site; I cannot possibly keep up with updating every single thing that might have changed.  Having a date helps readers judge how valuable the advice or knowledge might be.
   
   I might lose a few people because they see an old date.  I am much more concerned with the many others who will be helped by knowing that information.
   
   I have not been doing that here at HP.  I need to go back and fix that.

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   1. 69

      lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Very true. I have been frustrated time and time again when trying to do research for an article and I come across a great read that has no date. Not knowing whether it was written yesterday or ten years ago often means that I use information from other sites instead, and that great article loses a good organic backlink. That said, if I'm out researching and need that date for validity purposes, I'm not mucking about clicking on ads.
      
      I agree with Marisa that it should be optional. Some topics just don't need to be dated, like recipes, biographies, etc.

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5. 58

   Mark Knowlesposted 13 years ago

   Here - I try and write "evergreen" content.
   
   By the time my hamburger recipe is no longer valid - we will be growing meat in vats.
   
   Harder to do with technology - so I periodically update those instead.

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