Travel hubs with incorrect info

1. 60

   hush4444posted 12 years ago

   Do you think it's possible to write a good-quality travel hub about a place you've never visited?   This morning I read a hub about Hawaii, where I live, that recommends a hotel in Waikiki that doesn't exist, unless it was just built yesterday.  It promoted deep-sea fishing for fish that aren't found in Hawaiian waters, along with activities that also do not exist. People save for years to travel to Hawaii - I would hate for them to come to here with expectations based on this hub that simply can't come true.  It's clear that this person is just gleaning info from disreputable places on the internet, if not just inventing the information all together.  Do you think that you should at least visit a location before writing a hub, or can you do a quality hub if your information is sound?

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      Aficionadaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not sure how to answer the specific question you've asked, but I do think that you should flag that Hub for review.

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         hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I will flag it - it seems to be a pattern with this author.

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      2. 78

         JamaGeneeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, that hub (and any others like it) should definitely be flagged for review! Whenever I write hubs about places I've been, I'm careful to mention when I was there and add links to sites with current information so that it's clear things may have changed in the interim.

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            hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            That's a good idea, JamaGenee, to include links to keep the content fresh.  It shows you really care about your readers.

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   2. 88

      lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I never write about places I didn't visit neither do I write anything I don't already know about. Just as wildy says I never even write reviews about things i don't use because it will spoil the readers life

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         hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That's the key, actually caring about the reader's life!

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      2. 58

         Xenonlitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for saying this. I wrote a slew of neighborhood articles for a renter's magazine earlier this year. The process made me think about the people who would be making housing decisions based on those articles.

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   3. 60

      recommend1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Inaccurate information in hubs is unavoidable.  The way to deal with it is to put the information you feel strongly enough to disagree with in the comments.  I would say you have little or no  right to 'flag' for content.  If we did I would be too busy flagging the ridiculous nonsense written about religion, misleading product hubs, all the medical hubs, most health advice, and certainly more than half of the parenting and family hubs.
      
      90% of hubs are written about subjects that have been researched, almost no hubs are written by actual  'experts'.  The only times you might be accurate and true is when writing about your location, and even then you can make mistakes, errors or bad memory.  I have just written a series of articles (not hubs) about Chinese painting, fan painting, and travel around China among other subjects that I have researched mainly.  Even the travel around China are researched, even though I live here and have been to a huge number of different places all over the country several times I have still written about locations I have not visited.  If I make a mistake, or the tour information is out of date I would expect someone who knows this, and wants to say so,  to leave a comment for a correction not flag my stuff.

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      1. 60

         hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I would never flag a hub if I thought the person made simple errors or the information is out of date.  My memory isn't so great either.  But this hub is just stuffed with keywords and even photos that don't match the information.

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            recommend1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I can understand your point completely, and I am very much against spinning bad information on the internet in general, but. 
            
            Complaining about the bad content is a matter of censorship and can be likened to complaints about a poorly descriptive product hub, of which there are tons on hubpages, all written by 'professional' hub writers and sometimes featuring as 'best' hubs. The writers of these hubs shave clearly never used the product they espouse and there are often dozens of the same hub slightly reworded to fit a different product.
            
            And what about those hubs with misleading medical advice that are actually dangerous,  and keep-fit hubs from people who went to the gym once ?  And most recipes have never seen the writers cooker it would seem from the elementary mistakes in either quantity or method.
            
            I am not arguing against flagging the poor quality place-spinning hubs   just pointing out that  many of the hubs here would qualify for the same treatment - and there is no requirement for accuracy or truth when publishing,  and of course there should be.

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            1. 60

               hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

               You're right, recommend1, once we starting flagging all the incorrect info we'd never know where to stop.  I've wondered the same thing about those misleading product and recipe hubs - do people see something redeeming in them that I just don't see?  Maybe we can just hope for some kind of karma that allows writers with integrity to rise to the top.

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         2. 78

            JamaGeneeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I have NO problem flagging hubs that are blatantly keyword-heavy and obviously only written to generate traffic the author wouldn't get any other way due to lack of imagination and/or poor writing skills. 
            
            But the original question was about travel hubs that contain totally inaccurate information...i.e. hotels that are no longer open, tourist attractions that closed years ago, etc.  Whenever I come across such hubs and know firsthand the information is inaccurate, I'll say so in a comment.  That way both the author and future readers are aware it's inaccurate. Why anyone would plan a trip based on information in a hub without verifying the accuracy of it before leaving home is beyond me.

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   4. 52

      Shinkickerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You should certainly have visited a place if you are going to write a hub about it. It makes a better article anyway as you can imbue it with a personal touch.
      
      Of course sometimes information can go out of date in which case the hubber should appreciate feedback to update the information.

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      1. 60

         hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I agree, Shinkicker, I can't imagine writing about a place I've never visited - I think you would miss the local color.  I know I would appreciate knowing about any info that might need updating.

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2. 94

   wildernessposted 12 years ago

   I won't write a travel hub about somewhere I haven't been any more than I would "review" a product I haven't used.
   
   This kind of thing is what we see when one writes for money rather than to help the visitor.

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      hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree - it's basically just lying, nothing more.

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3. 0

   Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

   Since everyone is an expert on the Internet, the reader has to decide which information is valid.  As far as the writing goes, a skilled travel writer will take the reader there. When I travel, I only write about the places I've been to and take my own photographs.  My legal name is on my Hubs, so I don't play "let's pretend" like the writer you mentioned.  If you have pride in your work, you don't play your readers when it comes to travel writing or any Hub that gives research information.  Since you found fault with this Hub, I hope you flagged the writer.  Us Mainlanders would never know.

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      hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Arlene, that's why your hubs are so great - your writing is genuine and heart-felt.

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4. 87

   brittanytoddposted 12 years ago

   Yeah, you should definitely flag this hub.  They were obviously trying to gain traffic by posting a hub about Hawaiian vacations without knowing anything about our home.  If you explain it to the HP team, I'm sure they would make the writer revise it.
   
   My mother-in-law read some hubs about health (she's a midwife) and said that there were some that said some things that were just untrue.  She wanted to get an account simply to clarify for readers that really needed the correct information.  It's a bummer that in order to make sure the content on your hubs is accurate, we would have to get them approved first by an expert, but it is nice that we have the option to flag and explain why these hubs are not truthful.

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      Suki Cposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree - I have only written about places and topics that I actually know about.  In some matters - especially regarding health  - it could be downright dangerous to offer wrong information.
      
      There are still people out there who look to the internet for advice believing that everything they read there is the truth!

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      hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The health misinformation scares me more than anything, Brittany and Suki.  It's one thing to ruin a vacation, but it's much worse to publish inaccurate, if not dangerous, health advice just to make money.

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      1. 87

         brittanytoddposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That's what I am concerned about.  But how would we moderate this without making it difficult to publish for honest authors?  I think we all need to keep hopping hubs and flagging the ones that we know have misinformation.  I wish I knew moe about health so I could identify those that may be harmful to readers.

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5. 60

   Cassie Smithposted 12 years ago

   Actually hush444, since you have more accurate information, you should mention it in the comment section.  I've changed my hub when someone in the comment section said there was an error and I've changed it after I verified it.  Updated information in the comment section makes a hub more helpful.

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   1. 59

      tirelesstravelerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Great question.  If there is an error you can always preface a comment with," delete this hub after reading".(For editing purpose only).
      Incorrect information such as non existing hotels should be flagged.  When you flag a hub you can go into detail, so the moderators know the problem.

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   2. 60

      hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's what I was thinking, Cassie Smith and tirelesstraveler - I should  put the corrections in the comments and then say "delete after reading".  Then, if the changes aren't made, just flag the hub.

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6. 86

   rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

   I've read hubs where it was clearly evident the writer had never visited the locations.  As you have mentioned, the information was old, outdated or probably taken from a travel guide or article. They're usually nothing but facts and those kind of articles can be read anywhere online.
   
   On the other hand, I've read hubs by one particular hubber about places all over the world, in which he has not traveled, and they are fabulous, well researched, interesting, photo rich hubs.

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   1. 60

      hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's what I was wondering, rebekahELLE, if an author could write a good travel hub about a place he or she hasn't visited.  I suppose if someone really did indepth research from reputable sites and included a lot of good photos, that it would be possible.  I guess it all boils down to the integrity of the author - if they truly care, they will do a good job.

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7. 59

   kayecandlesposted 12 years ago

   what hub was it? I lived in Hawaii for several years on Oahu and miss it greatly.
   The only hotels we stayed at in Waikiki were the Hilton Hawaiian Village 2x's, and the Marriott. Both were great, and I had a catered dinner at the Hale Koa which is really awesome.

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   1. 60

      hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I hate to say the name of the hub since that will generate more traffic.  It's one of those "All-inclusive, low-cost, family friendly, vacations in (fill in the blank) type hubs.  I notice the author has written two more similar hubs, one about resorts in Europe and one about resorts in Mexico, using the same pictures!  Hope you get to visit again soon, kayecandles.

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8. 59

   kayecandlesposted 12 years ago

   wow, that is sad. Because people will read that and not know the author has written those hubs without even visiting. Yea, you should probably flag them. I wonder how accurate the other two hubs are.

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9. 0

   Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

   hush:  Thank you for mentioning the problem you had with this Hubber.  As readers, we are reminded to check our sources when it comes to travel and other information found on the Internet.  As a writer, it makes you think about the writing.  I take it back.  You can, as a writer, skillfully write about a place you've never been to, but you have to have excellent research and resources to back what you write.  Unfortunately, the writer you mentioned was writing fiction!  If you decide to go that route with the writing, at least give your readers the best information possible.  That's why it's always up to the reader to decide if the information holds.  If it's true.  And living in Hawaii, you knew this writer's work (sorry!) didn't hold water.

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      hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Too funny, Arlene!  They certainly didn't hold water, or poi for that matter!

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10. 74

    Richieb799posted 12 years ago

    I made a travel hub before I went to Thailand but when I got back I made a better one which had 3 videos of tourist attractions I saw. I think hubs made from experience are much better!

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    1. 60

       hush4444posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I think so too, Richieb799, especially when you visit a country that's very different from your own.

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