Anyone want to plan a 30 in 30 days for July?

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   knowledgesharingposted 9 years ago

   I have been a member of Hubpages for a while but did not understand the true value of it until recently; I began updating old hubs and every one updated so far has ended up featured.  I hope to do the 30 in 30 once I finish updating everything.  I would love to try it in July since June is  vacation month for my family if there are any takers.
   
   Thanks to everyone for all the great advice and Hubs!  Hope to see you July 1st!!

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2. 60

   paradigmsearchposted 9 years ago

   Considering HP's new standards, it is impossible to write one featureable new hub everyday for 30 days straight. Leastwise for me. Particularly so if you want to write the kinds of hubs that might actually get some traffic. Bah. Humbug.
   
   I figure I'll catch some flack for this post. I'm fine with that.

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   knowledgesharingposted 9 years ago

   I'm not certain about all the ins and outs of hubpages just yet, so the comment you posted was helpful.  Even though I got very excited about my rewrites becoming featured after I polished them, I had not consider quality and having featured articles when I posted my 30 in 30 days comment.  Quality could certainly be an issue. Thank you for your comment!

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      paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It's not so much quality, as prettiness.
      
      First, you got to think of a topic that the readers want and that Google won't despise you for writing about.
      
      Second, the keyword thing.
      
      Third, the ethics thing, i.e., having the content fully and completely deliver what the title promised.
      
      In the old days, this would be enough.
      
      Now, though, you have to make it extra pretty as well. So, you will also need to:
      
      Add a bunch of puff text beyond what any reader could possibly want.
      
      Lots and lots of really pretty pictures.
      
      Throw in some polls.
      
      A table showing some stats (the more useless the better).
      
      A couple videos.
      
      A map capsule showing exactly where you live, so the reader can personally relate to you.
      
      Soft music playing in the background while the visitor is reading your hub (I've actually done this one).
      
      .
      
      And that pretty much covers it.

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         DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I do NOT understand what the "thing" is with polls.  I've put in polls in several hubs; most get zero activity, so why bother?

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            paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            A happy mturk is a featured hub.

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               DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               pffft...I have, of well over 200 hubs, only a handful that are not featured, and those are poems...and very few of any of them have any polls...

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                  paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Interestingly, I just realized that one of the ones where I put the soft-playing background music on, is one of the ones that has suffered a gradual crash and burn lately. Think I'll go fix that right now.

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                     DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     ROFL--paradigm, you are funny!

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                        knowledgesharingposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        I agree!

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                  Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Exactly.

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      2. 59

         knowledgesharingposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I just want to say it, and perhaps I shouldn't but I got a kick out of reading your post about what should be on hubs.  Now I feel compelled to read all of your hubs just to hear the background music and take polls!  Thanks for  information.

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            paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Speaking of awesome hubs...
            
            Here's one of yours I should toss into the religion and politics forums. Though, sadly, it would probably be a waste of time. Critical Thinking Strategies

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               knowledgesharingposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               I am humbled by your comment on my hub being awesome.  Thanks so much for the complement.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         It still is.  I ignore the "stellar Hub" suggestions - they are just suggestions after all, and they are not used as criteria in the QAP.  True, all my Hubs have at least one image and most of them have one video - those are things I decided were essential long ago.   But in over 100 Hubs I have only two polls, one table, no quizes and no maps.  They're all Featured.

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            knowledgesharingposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Great information Marisa!  Thanks.

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         PegCole17posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         
         That is so true Paradigm. Don't forget, you need to include a Scratch and Sniff capsule.
         lol

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            snakeslaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            MMmmm fresh baked cinnamon buns...

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   2. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It is hard to write 30 quality Hubs in 30 days - that's why it's called a Challenge!   It can be done, and as you've made the decision well ahead of time, you're perfectly placed to give it a try - because the secret is advance planning.    I did the Challenge 3 times, failed the first two but made it on the third.  Here's how I did it.
      
      First, I chose one broad subject.   That meant my first Hub could be a "Capstone"  Hub.  A Capstone Hub is like an index - it has a brief introduction to the subject, then it lists all your Hubs on that topic, with a link to each and a blurb about each one.  I started my Capstone when I started the Challenge, then added the links as I wrote each Hub.  Seeing that list grow longer helped keep me motivated!   
      
      Next, I took a look around HubPages to see what had already been written about my subject (which was dance).  I found a lot of Hubs, but the quality was variable.  So I collected a list of the best ones.  I was going to write a Hub called "Best of Dance on HubPages", but in the end I split it into three separate "Best of" Hubs (ballet, flamenco and belly dance).  Each of those Hubs was just a list of links to Hubs, each one with a short critique.
      
      So I already had four Hubs planned!   (You do need to include plenty of photos in the Capstone and Best of... Hubs, otherwise they may not pass QAP). 
      
      That meant I still needed 26 Hubs to complete the Challenge.  I sat down and thought up my titles and a rough idea what each Hub would be about.  In the end I didn't stick to the plan exactly, but it helped to have some ideas written down.
      
      If you're very organised, you could even find your photos too - but remember to also keep a record of their attribution information.

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         knowledgesharingposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Marisa,
         Your posting was very helpful.  Thank you and I wish you the best in your writing endeavors.
         Jackie

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   Kathleen Odenthalposted 9 years ago

   Im in! July is a busy month for me but I am always up for a challenge

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   Alex Addamsposted 9 years ago

   I think it's less about quantity and more about quality.

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   WryLiltposted 9 years ago

   I miss the 30 in 30. I did four my first year.
   
   You don't have to sacrifice quality for quantity either. I wrote 8 reasonable quality hubs in one day, so writing one great quality hubs in a day shouldn't be a challenge if you have lots of topics swimming in your head and are a fast typer. The more you write, the quicker you get and the more streamlined your process.
   
   As for polls... I have them on maybe 25% of my hubs. If the hubs get high traffic, they get high votes. I have some hubs with thousands of votes. But they're not essential.

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   newjerusalemposted 9 years ago

   good challenge....best wishes

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   LagunaAlkalineposted 9 years ago

   I'm in for the 30 day challenge!!

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   LisaKeatingposted 9 years ago

   As a classroom teacher, we are constantly working to make learning more engaging, hands-on, visually appealing, and interactive. That's how I see HP articles. Few people want to sit down and read "The Grapes of Wrath" anymore. I'm not condoning it necessarily, but society has become very visual and people have shorter attention spans. (I know I do.) That's why tables, bullet points, short text capsules, images, etc. are so effective. If a person wants in-depth research on a subject, they can find a book. For a quick overview, they'll read an online article.

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