Bookmarks being phased out

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   Jason Menayanposted 12 years ago

   I just posted a new blog post announcing the first stage in discontinuing bookmarks on HubPages:
   http://blog.hubpages.com/2012/03/bookma … hased-out/
   
   Some important points:
   - The only change so far is the removal of the "Bookmark this Hub" link on Hubs.
   - We will eventually phase out the bookmark feature entirely
   - Before we retire the feature, we will allow any Hubber with stored bookmarks to download a file of them that they can import into their browser
   
   We don't have timing on the second two steps yet, but rest assured that we will give you ample warning.
   
   Thank you!

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      FloraBreenRobisonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the warning. I have loved these bookmarks as I rarely have time to read things all at once. When you do provide information on how to download the file, please make every step very easy to follow as I am not sure I will know how to do this. Perhaps having a way to download them into a CD-Rom will be helpful too in case our computer crashes sometime in the future. When my windows program started eating itself on my computer, I had to start over from scratch by removing the program completely. I couldn't just add the program again. So it was like I had brought a brand new computer with nothing on it.

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      AEvansposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for letting us save our bookmarks by downloading.

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         Hawkesdreamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I can't even find my bookmarks, let alone download them to my browser. Where are they???

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            Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            They're under:
            
            My Account > Activity > Bookmarks

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               Hawkesdreamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks

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   Victoria Lynnposted 12 years ago

   I already have tried to bookmark a hub and there was no bookmark button. Can you tell us the rationale for getting rid of this feature?

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      HubTubposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Bummer!  I was just getting into bookmarking an entire assortment of hubs!

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      TamCorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'd like to know, too.  I use this pretty often, thinking it was a convenient place to "store" hubs that I want to go back to...
      
      I wish you would reconsider this decision.
      
      Edit:  Taking away the "forum" button above is another thing I didn't like--having to keep going to a drop-down menu is aggravating!

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      Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      All answered in the blog post.

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         Victoria Lynnposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The rationale for removing the bookmarks isn't clearly addressed in the blog. It would be nice to know why the feature is being removed or if that decision could be reconsidered.Thanks.

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            Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            * It wasn't popularly used.
            * Like all features, it has required maintenance work, and we made a determination that ongoing maintenance wasn't worth it based on its relatively limited use.
            * We want to simplify the feature set to not overwhelm site visitors and Hubbers.
            * We want our limited engineering resources to focus on features that readers and Hubbers will find useful.

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3. 75

   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   What exactly is the point of removing this feature???
   
   If I wish to read a hub but do not have time when I find it, how exactly do I return to it later?
   
   If I find a hub with information that will be relevant on many future occasions, how to I find a means to return to it in future?
   
   What are your motives? Are you unhappy that perhaps bookmarked hubs do not belong to your pets and thus deprive them of views of their recipe hubs?

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      IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yet strangely, recipe hubs are the type I am more likely to bookmark!
      
      I actually won't miss the feature. I have long since found my own way of 'bookmarking' hubs of choice

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   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   How interesting that after posting a critical post here my hubber score has decreased despite the fact that my hub views simultaneously reached an all-time high.

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      IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe that is what happened to my score! But I don't care. No views, no high numbers, noting to miss
      
      I just like writing...

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         LucidDreamsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         You're so positive............love it!

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5. 89

   Victoria Lynnposted 12 years ago

   Hawkesdream, you can find them in your account under activity. It will show your bookmarks.

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      Hawkesdreamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the info Victoria Lynn, much appreciated

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   Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years ago

   I will miss the bookmarks, too - it's been a great way to refer back to something we enjoyed or something with useful information. I do understand, though, that things are happening quickly on the site, and that considerable thought is given to every change you make. I imagine there might be issues related to server and processing space and power where bookmarks are concerned. Also, some hubs could have been unpublished at some point. 
   
   Anyway, thank you for the heads-up on this!  It pays to read announcements in the forum!

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7. 89

   Victoria Lynnposted 12 years ago

   Marcy, you're so sweet. So diplomatic.  There may be a good reason to get rid of the bookmarks, as you say. I do wish someone would explain it to us, though. It was a handy feature.

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   Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

   I have been bookmarking articles like crazy because I am always out and about.  Can't read them as soon as I spot them.  Like, for a year I've been doing this?  I have bookmarked so many of these interesting articles that they are one big blob of bookmarks for me.  Some are organized into the files provided, and some are not.  Many of these articles have saved me $$$$ on buying magazines.  This new decision will force me to read, sort and file them away because a lot of them are recipes.  I am already disappointed because I found an article to bookmark today, but couldn't do it.  I will miss that bookmarking feature.  Boo!

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   Rosemay50posted 12 years ago

   I will miss the 'Bookmark' feature. I use it quite often for hubs that I would like to revisit. Informational hubs, recipes and other great reads.
   But if it has to be ... it has to be. Thank you for still allowing us access to those we have and giving us plenty of warning to bookmark or download them elsewhere.
   It would have been devastating just to lose the whole lot without warning.

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    Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

    Just spotted another recipe, and it looks like a keeper!  I guess it's time to fire up the printer???

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       Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       You can also bookmark it in your browser, or use a bookmarking site like Delicious.

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    lobobrandonposted 12 years ago

    All broswsers have bookmarking capabilities and actually I never saw the need to use the bookmarking feature. I always used my browser to do so. It's easy and you'll get used to it if you haven't done it before.

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       WriteAngledposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       A tad patronising of you, nay?
       
       My browser bookmarks are used to bookmark sites that are essential for my real work. I have no desire to clag them up with social networking links like Hubpages.

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          lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          You know you can create a separate folder and name it hubpages? All your HP bookmarks can go there

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       Healthy Pursuitsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I agree, lobobrandon. I'll miss the bookmark feature, but I use and categorize all other bookmarks through my browser anyway. I'll just add a directory for that, and change my method a little.
       
       It's really duplication of a feature that's already available on any browser. And, if you really think about it, if a company has a lot of computer maintenance, which HP would, why have people working on a duplicate feature?
       
       But it's change, and like most humans, I'm not crazy about making change.
       
       All logic aside, I really did like the bookmarking feature in HP. (one single tear trickled down her somewhat wrinkled cheek.)

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          lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Yes, when there are simple ways available why waste resources and time improving a feature that's improved with the newer versions of our browsers!

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    Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

    I am tempted to start testing all of these recipes that I have collected so far.  (Wink, wink).  They grow on you.  And so do the other articles.  I'll find a folder somehow--somewhere.  Thanks for the suggestions.  If I put them with the rest of the information on my browser, the poor thing will explode.  Bam!

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    Rochelle Frankposted 12 years ago

    Thank you for letting us know.
    I do use bookmark, but I can see that this could us a huge amount of space on the HP site, if hundreds of users do it. Bookmarking in the browser would be fine.
    I also  PRINT OUT articles that I want to reference in the future-- especially those about HP tips, so this could be an alternative to people who like to save things for reference.

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    SandyMcCollumposted 12 years ago

    Now, why would they go and fix something that's not broken? And something so useful? Geez....

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    melbelposted 12 years ago

    Personally, I rarely used this feature, so I don't mind seeing it go.
    
    Those sad to see the feature go can continue bookmarking via their browser bookmark button, if they want. It's handy, but I often hit that bookmark button and revisit since my bookmarks menu is a tangled mess.
    
    I'm guessing that HubPages will set up the download in such a way that hubbers can import their favorite hub links to their browser's bookmarks. It might take some fiddling around with.
    
    To the hubber who wanted a CD rom, I don't know how HubPages would do this. Mail a cd-rom? What you could do, though, is save the file and just burn it to a cd. Any file type can be burned to a CD, it just wouldn't automatically open up with a HubPages designed interface or anything.
    
    If you're concerned about losing the bookmarks, you could also email the file to yourself or use Dropbox which has been incredibly helpful for me, in other ways, as a writer here on HubPages.

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    The Writers Dogposted 12 years ago

    "Now, why would they go and fix something that's not broken? And something so useful? Geez...."
    
    Because it is easier for admin than fixing all the things that are wrong around here

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    rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

    I will miss it. It was a nice feature.

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    Greekgeekposted 12 years ago

    Ironically, I just got here from a thread on the Squidoo forums explaining to disappointed newbies clamoring for a bookmarks feature that Squidoo once HAD favorites (bookmarks), but removed them a year ago to the frustration of many members. Not a month goes by that we don't get newbies suggesting and begging for that feature.
    
    The reasoning was the same: not that many people used it. But I have a feeling that active and engaged members of the community used it, considering the large number of forum members talking about missing the feature.
    
    I didn't think those bookmarks mattered that much, but I had a startlingly disruptive traffic and revenue drop on Squidoo when they were phased out that took me some months to overcome.
    
    A pity. It was one of the ways Hubpages was better than Squidoo.

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    Rosie2010posted 12 years ago

    I've never used HP bookmarking tool.. I always use my browser to bookmark.  But thanks for letting us know.

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    jponiatoposted 12 years ago

    I'm one of those that never used the feature, so won't miss it.  I have a suggestion, which I know isn't as convenient, but could replace the feature for people willing to invest in setting it up and might help drive some traffic.
    
    If you haven't already done so, sign up for a Google Plus account.  HubPage articles have the little "g+" button, you can click on any article you want to re-visit.  Later, on your Google Plus profile, you can see all the sites you've "g+"d.  It serves the same purpose as bookmarking, but should also help drive some traffic to those articles you found interesting enough to bookmark in the first place.
    
    Again, not quite as simple as bookmarking within HP, and it does require creating a profile on Google, so this suggestion won't sit well with everyone, but it could work well for some.  I use this technique myself.

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       melbelposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Don't + your own hubs. It can get you penalized by Google.

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          jponiatoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          I suspected as much.  I use it to capture *other* people's pages, both to facilitate later retrieval and as a means to recommend them.  No real need to bookmark our own hubs anyway I guess.

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             melbelposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             It's not a good idea to + anyone else's hubs either. It can lead problems for the hubber whose hub you +'d.
             
             Very seldom, if ever, plus a user's hub.
             
             http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/81071

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                lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                Oh didn't know that.. Thanks melbel!
                Luckily I never Plus'd any hubs

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                   Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                   That's an over reaction.
                   
                   You shouldn't be *indiscriminately* plussing.  In other words, don't do the kind of social media backscratching and butt kissing that has ruined any value it once had.
                   
                   If you see something that truly does wow you, plus it, no matter where you find it.  If it isn't stellar, don't plus it - again, no matter where you find it.
                   
                   The point of indiscriminate plussing is that Google knows who you are and will discount the value of your recommendations if it sees you recommending stuff wildly.

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                      lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                      Getting a plus 1 from me is very hard

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                         Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                         Agreed - and it should be.
                         
                         I don't know if I actually ever have ever plussed something here.  The last thing I plussed was http://htwins.net/scale2/scale2.swf?bordercolor=white  - which was today, and I cannot remember when I plussed anything prior.
                         
                         I have a total of 63 +1's here at hubpages (Webmaster Tools shows you that) and 590 at my main site.   While I'm sure those are paltry numbers, when I hover over the buttons, I've only seen one person who I have any sort of connection with, so I guess those +'s are honest..   so 590 honest recommendations might be far more valuable that 5,000 sycophant plusses from people who plus everything by everyone they know in hopes of reciprocation.
                         
                         At least I hope so

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                            lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                            If it doesn't make a difference today it will tomorrow - so I'm sure that makes a huge diff. Btw I've shared that a few months ago on FB

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       Peggy Wposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       That sounds like a dual purpose plan!  It will help other hubbers plus give us a place to return to if we wish to read the hubs again or reference them.  Thanks for the idea.

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          lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Wow, this is a good idea and it would also help the writers who wrote the hubs you found useful! Amazing idea and I guess everyone has a Google acccount (adsense at least) so they can use the same for a Google+ acc

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    Glenn Stokposted 12 years ago

    If you had been saving bookmarks using HP's bookmark feature, I'll explain an easy way to copy and save them before the feature is removed.
    
    Jason said HP will provide a tool to save your bookmarks before they remove them. But if you don't want to wait, follow these steps...
    
    1. Go to your bookmarks by clicking Activity --> Bookmarks
    
    2. Highlight all your bookmarks
    
    3. Right-click and select "copy"
    
    4. Open MS Word to a new doc and paste to it.
    
    5. Save the file.
    
    You will have all your bookmarks in a Word Doc with hyper-links that you can click on.
    
    I did this on Windows, but the method is somewhat similar on a Mac.

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       lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Just an addition
       For people who save them on Word use Ctrl+click when you click on the hyperlinks as that will open them in your browser window.

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          FaithDreamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Great idea!  I've bookmarked many for reference as well as for inspiration. I hate to lose them. This is a great idea then I can still go back to them. Thanks!

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       Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Simple and clever way to copy over your bookmarks - thanks for sharing this, Glenn.

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          Jean Bakulaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks for ideas on how to save bookmarks. I rarely did it, but I wanted to. I have so much I want to read, but you can't read and write at the same time. Making a folder seems easy enough. There have been so many changes, I couldn't even find my comments from others for a week. No email to my home address, and there were about 20 I never realized I had. It seems like all is backlogged? And my score has never been so low. Unsure if I should write here at all anymore, even though I cut down.

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