Is this allowed?

1. 79

   Bard of Elyposted 12 years ago

   I have been approached by someone who says he will pay me to publish under my name hubs he has written. Is this allowed here?

   replyreport
   1. 87

      lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Why in the world would he pay you to publish under his name? I guess he's asking for backlinks then. It could harm your account if you link to bad sites so I wouldn't do that.

      replyreport
   2. 67

      Pearldiverposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hit Him with a Stick mate!
      
      And then you will keep your dog free of Fleas!

      replyreport
      1. 67

         Pearldiverposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Sorry that you don't seem to appreciate the above advice Bard.
         
         It is solid advice if you Value the purity of your primary writing account! I worded my comment specifically so that I don't get SPAMMED by the many out there that read OUR THREADS on HP... and use our threads as a place to trawl looking for those who Don't Understand the Net as much as they Do!  I hoped that with a little thought my meaning would make sense to you!
         
         These guys are as good as Mass Spammers.. and they are targeting anyone who has PR3 - PR9 sites, for the express purpose of SELLING Backlinks to their clients! END OF STORY.  SEs Frown badly on these style of operations and ANYONE who SELLS artificial site links.  It doesn't matter if you are writing content for those parties... you are scrutinized the same. 
         
         If you wish to destroy All your efforts for a few bucks... go for your life, ignore this and those posts of others who have referred to this and watch how fast the search engines DUMP Your authority and presence!
         
         That's what I meant by Fleas on your Dog! ... enjoy them or get rid of them.. but for everyone's sake... please.. Don't Share Them!

         replyreport
   3. 90

      ThePracticalMommyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Another hubber I know was offered the same thing, but several other hubbers and I advised him against it. YOU are responsible for what is posted under your name, and should any of it be against any rules, you will be moderated or banned, not this mystery person.
      
      Be careful!!

      replyreport
   4. 61

      Dave Mathewsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hub Pages Legal Dept. would answer this one best.

      replyreport
2. 92

   Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years ago

   Not sure of the legalities, Bard, but it sounds a bit suspicious to me. Maybe I'm just the suspicious type but I am immediately wondering why he is not publishing under his own name. Has he had his Google account revoked? Is he banned from HP? For what it's worth, even if you get a positive response from HP, I would tread very carefully there, unless you know the man and his motives very well. All sorts of complex copyright issues and monetary disputes could conceivably arise in the long term. Good luck with your decision and the outcome!

   replyreport
3. 93

   habeeposted 12 years ago

   What does he want in return?

   replyreport
4. 79

   Bard of Elyposted 12 years ago

   He wants to take advantage of how well known my hub is and the traffic it has had! He has his own hub but has a much lower hubscore and presumably far less traffic as he doesn't have many hubs.

   replyreport
   1. 87

      lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      What's he going to get by giving you the hub to publish under your name? How's he going to benefit from it?

      replyreport
      1. 79

         Bard of Elyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Well I assume he is paid by clients for getting articles about their products and services on the Internet.

         replyreport
         1. 87

            lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I highly doubt it. I'm sure there's some other motive behind it especially if he's paying a reasonable amount. Because, clients usually use article directories and guest blogging and stuff (they don't pay for it).

            replyreport
            1. 79

               Bard of Elyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               His actual words were:  "I will need a link back to my client's site, I am interested in sending you 10 articles per month as I got many clients interested in advertising on your website. I can offer you $10 per article and this will be an ongoing project."

               replyreport
               1. 87

                  lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Oh I guess that should be fine as long as you go through them and make sure that they are of high quality etc. Also, it would be up to you to add pics etc to make them look appealing because you wouldn't want your hard earned status to go down the drain.

                  replyreport
               2. 92

                  Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Sounds even more suspicious. I may be wrong but I also think linking to the same site from an excessive number of Hubs is against TOS, as well as linking to the same domain more than twice from a single Hub.
                  
                  I have a maxim that I follow in life: "If it sounds too good to be true, it definitely is! "

                  replyreport
                  1. 86

                     IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     I think they relaxed that rule recently, about linking to the same domain across all hubs.
                     
                     Apart from that, with the huge volume of hubs Bard already has, a bunch of hubs linking to the same domain would be well-watered down overall.

                     replyreport
                  2. 79

                     Bard of Elyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     If that is right then we need a figure for how many an "excessive number" is and I have not seen anything about this. I have seen no more than twice to the same domain per hub though.

                     replyreport
                     1. 87

                        lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                        All I know about is that you aren't allowed to link to the same domain more than twice from a single hub (unless its a HP domain). So, I guess you shouldn't have a problem regarding that. It would be interesting to see if any others have info regarding this

                        replyreport
               3. 86

                  IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  I think that is a fantastic offer, and would bit someone's hand off to be made it, just so long as I have editorial rights, which of course you will have, it being your account.

                  replyreport
               4. 90

                  ThePracticalMommyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  That is the exact wording from the email received by the other hubber I mentioned, Bard...

                  replyreport
                  1. 79

                     Bard of Elyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     That doesn't inspire much confidence in this if he is mailing others with this!

                     replyreport
               5. 88

                  Jason Marovichposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Bard, check out Odesk, if you haven't.
                  
                  With your portfolio here as reference, it shouldn't be difficult for you to land all the $10 assignments you can handle.  And you wouldn't have to use your own account here to do it.
                  
                  It could be a harmless request.  I'd be hesitant to mess around with a good thing, especially if it's a good thing you've got going with your HP account.

                  replyreport
            2. 93

               habeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               That's not always true.
               
               Let me run this scenario by you guys: Let's say you have a bunch of hubs about ferrets, and they're well written and have good traffic. A ferret food supplier contacts you and asks what type of ferret food you use. You answer that you use Red Hat ferret food and that you think it's the best. The person responds with something like, "That's great to hear! I sell Red Hat ferret food on my website and will pay you to write a review with a link back to my site." You check out the site, and it's legit. Is there anything wrong with writing a review hub that includes a link?

               replyreport
               1. 87

                  lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  No that's a review written by yourself - I wouldn't mind writing a review that way as long as I know it's not going to harm me in any way.

                  replyreport
                  1. 93

                     habeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     Yes, I know - I was asking a sincere question for feedback from other hubbers.

                     replyreport
                     1. 87

                        lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                        
                        As long as you really know about what your writing and promoting its fine. Because I never give away info especially reviews on products I personally don't know about - It need not be used by you and you could always get feedback from friends and write hubs about them

                        replyreport
               2. 94

                  SmartAndFunposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  IMHO, this sounds like a win-win situation. You dash out an honest, positive review of a product that you already know about and love, and the seller of that product gets a link to his/her site from your honest positive review.
                  
                  I'm not all that well-versed with the rules and the ins and outs of writing here, so maybe it's not a good idea for some reason, but my first impression is that it sounds great. I would love it if someone made an offer like that to me.

                  replyreport
         2. 86

            IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Ah, that makes sense. I'd want the right to edit in case they are too spammy looking.

            replyreport
   2. 86

      IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Your profile is PR3. He'd probably be better off paying you to to give him a backlink from it. That will promote his hub on his own account and increase his readership.
      
      But if indeed you published his hubs under your name, how is going to collect his share of the earnings when you won't know which ones earned under HPads, if you run them?
      
      Or does he just want his stuff read regardless of monetary return?

      replyreport
   3. 87

      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      @ Bard of Ely. Why doesn't he open another account and start over with fresh content? I don't think it's a good idea Bard.

      replyreport
5. 86

   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   I knew there was some change to the rule about promoting the same link across several hubs - http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/91597#post1955501

   replyreport
   1. 92

      Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ah, I missed that one, Izzy - thanks. Doesn't really make any difference to me personally but still good to know, as well as the thinking behind it.
      
      I've had another thought about this issue, however (despite now running the risk of being incredibly late for an appointment at my bank! )
      
      What the third (fourth?) party here is essentially doing is engaging in one of the most basic forms of Black Hat SEO. If (when) Google catch up with him, what are the chances of them digging really deep and examining the incoming links? What if those tiny bots see all these Web tendrils attached to and representing bardofely@hubpages? Might they scurry along these wispy paths and take a look in greater detail?
      
      Bard, what you may be inadvertently doing in the long term is putting your whole subdomain at risk for short term gain, however appealing I agree it may be. I am now 100% convinced, I'm afraid, that I wouldn't go for this offer. Tough one, I know, but I hope you think long and hard.
      
      Good luck - now it's definitely bank time for me!

      replyreport
6. 82

   CMHypnoposted 12 years ago

   One thing to consider is that you have built up a big follower base and huge traffic because of your writing. If readers come onto your account expecting  to read a Bard hub and go away disappointed they might not come back.  It might not even be because it is a poor hub, it is just not a Bard of Ely hub - a bit like buying a Stephen King book only to find that you were reading Jilly Cooper?

   replyreport
   1. 79

      Bard of Elyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, that is another worry!

      replyreport
7. 79

   Bard of Elyposted 12 years ago

   Pearldiver, I admit I didn't really understand what you had posted! Thanks for the advice! I will take it!
   Jason, I have wasted a lot of time on oDesk and recently updated a hub of mine about the place to say I am not using it any more. It is an insult to writers on there with crazy jobs that pay $1 an hour or less! Over a year ago I was told my profile there was one of the best on the site but I still couldn't get any decent jobs there!

   replyreport
   1. 84

      Cameron Corniukposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hi, Bard. I know exactly what you mean. I started out there and made okay money. Then, it got too many offers and people accepting offers for a dollar an article or 5 articles an hour with only $2 paid per hour. Ridiculous! One of the things I started doing was taking interviews and keeping track. I'd understand when someone wanted a native English speaker, but wanted them at $2 an hour or less, so they would end up hiring someone from India or Kuwait. Within a few weeks or months, they would come back to me, wanting me to do the work at my prior rate. "Sure. I'll do the work, but the price just doubled. I now have to work hard to go back an undo the damage you did by hiring someone besides me." You'd be surprised how often this actually worked. I also made a number of contacts through there that have enabled me to work completely oDesk free for the most part for the better part of more than a year.
      
      Now, back to the original question. I *might* post a blog on my own name, if I agree with the product, and I've got such a menagerie anyhow and my PR isn't that high...I'm pretty sure it isn't, although I haven't checked. I also write hubs for other hubbers to publish under their own, who do better than I, because they put more work into it, and I don't see anything wrong with this. It's ghost writing, pure and simple. What I have been considering is starting a new account to handle the sorts of requests you are seeing. One purely for paid-for-articles. I'd have to be choosy about my clients. They might provide me material, but I'd end up writing or re-writing everything anyhow. I'm actually interested to hear what others thing about it. But, if it isn't a bad idea, perhaps someone like you, who has done the legwork and learned the techniques, you'd have a second hub account that would be starting at zero, but would you be able to duplicate your success? Would you be willing to? It's just a thought.

      replyreport
8. 79

   Bard of Elyposted 12 years ago

   Thanks for sharing your experiences, Cameron! I have sent the guy who sent me the offer an email saying I am not accepting it. As for oDesk it will have to improve a lot there to get me back!

   replyreport
9. 84

   Cameron Corniukposted 12 years ago

   Oh, I'm not advocating for oDesk by any means. For some people it works, but there are certainly better options out there. It's really gone downhill over the years, so please don't misconstrue my thoughts on the matter. I'm with you. I go back there every once and awhile to check it out, and there's nothing I'd like better than to bill the crew there for wasting my time.
   
   I think you made the right choice anyhow, but that and $6 might get you a cup of coffee these days.

   replyreport
   1. 79

      Bard of Elyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      oDesk I was advised was a good place to make money and I am sure it once was but it certainly isn't now!

      replyreport
10. 83

    psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

    If you are paid for a review, or compensated for it in any way (e.g. free product), under US law (FTC) you *must* disclose this.

    replyreport
11. 79

    Bard of Elyposted 12 years ago

    OK, every one, I am out of this  as of now seeing as I have decided not to go ahead and have said so. For anyone who is interested in this the hubber's name is labnol!

    replyreport
12. 80

    Wesman Todd Shawposted 12 years ago

    @Bard - you're stuff's too good to be mixed with someone else's content.
    
    So ....I'd definitely tell whoever "no thank you" regardless.

    replyreport
13. 79

    Bard of Elyposted 12 years ago

    Thank you, Wesman and Cardisa! It is all over because I have said no thanks!

    replyreport