Advice to a New Comer

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   Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years ago

   I am new to Hub pages. I am a physician by profession but have always had a flair for writing and used to publish a decade or so ago. I had to take a break from writing owing to my commitment to medicine and long hours of studying. Now that I have completed my training on all fronts, I am ready to delve back into the world of writing. From my research, hub pages seemed like a valuable resource and place to start. I am, however, very lost at this point. I would appreciate any advice on how to connect with people and receive feedback on my work. So far, I have published only hub but am not seeing any traffic on my page, hence am uncertain if it is even widely visible to readers. I look forward to connecting with the wonderful community of people on this platform. Any advice would be highly appreciated.

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      Rochelle Frankposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      it takes awhile to get noticed.
      Posting comments and questions, like this, in the forums is one  way to get people interested in your work. Another way is to read some hubs and comment on them. Often, though it is not necessarily expected, people will return the favor, or at least read your profile.
      When you write something new, tweet it or let your Facebook friends know.  You don't want to go overboard on this, but some gentle self- promotion is OK.
      
      Good luck and welcome to HubPages-- I'm sure you have a lot of interesting and useful information to share. Medical topics are always popular, but art and science also have their followers.

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      1. 72

         Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you so much for your prompt and detailed response. I shall definitely follow your recommendations and hope to see some growth in the weeks to come. Once again, I can't thank you enough for your time and guidance through this process.

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   2. 84

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hub Pages is a platform that is different from standard publishing in that a person's success or failure rests on more than his or her ability to write well.  You must write on topics that have not already been heavily saturated but yet are of interest to readers and can stand up to the competition from the millions of articles placed daily on the internet that are on the internet.  Finally, Google must rank your work well, otherwise it will never be seen, no matter how good it is.  This means you must know or learn about SEO techniques, creating good, searchable titles and other items.
      
      It is rare that one article will bring a great number of views when it is the only one.  You need to develop a body of work to gain credibility with Google.  If you are writing in the Medical field, be aware that you have big competitors such as Web MD, Mayo Clinic, the American Cancer Society and others who may have already covered your topics.
      
      It is not easy.  It takes time. You will not earn much money here unless your work is unique and very, very good.
      
      Good luck and welcome to HP.

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      1. 69

         blargablargaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Is there somewhere we can go to read up on SEO?  I don't even know what that means.  I've been registered forever but I also only recently started writing.  So I'm also pretty confused.

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         1. 71

            PinoyMomposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            SEO means Search Engine Optimization
            It's a means of choosing the right words for your topic.  When people searches something on the internet, they will put some words on Google search or bing and when your hub would appear on the search list, you'll earn from unique views for people who will visit your hub.

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               blargablargaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               That makes so much sense!  Thank you!

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Writer Fox has a great and highly detailed article about SEO.  It will require several readings, but is well worth your time.  Check out his profile to find it...I think he shows it on his slider at the top of his profile page.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I took a look at your article and from viewing it can tell that you have not taken the time to look at the information in the Learning Center.  This is more important to do than you can know. 
      
      Also, I would suggest doing some Hub Hopping so that you can get some idea as to how other authors here format their articles.
      
      Your article is beautifully written, but the language level is far beyond what most internet readers can handle.   The photo you used is plain looking and has no accreditation.  You have not used text capsules and the article itself is not what one would call "searchable".
      
      Internet writing is different from regular writing, because you must write something people will want to read.  Most writers would love your piece, but would not search for it, nor would every day readers.
      
      You need to produce work that responds to some need in your reader and that is something they have the ability to understand.  If you do not do this, nobody will ever read your work, and I think that would be a terrible loss because you obviously are extremely talented.

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      1. 0

         RTalloniposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         This is good advice in answer to your question, something that not just any new hubber will get from experienced hubbers.  Other comments also offer you some good input.
         
         Creative pieces like this will not be as popular as some other topics, but that does not mean you should not write them if you want to do so.  Consider your goals, do some reading of others' work here, and use the Learning Center info. Being open to constructive criticism means you will learn and do well if you continue writing at HP.

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      2. 72

         Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you so much for the very useful and informative input. That is definitely the kind of guidance I needed as I am returning to the field of creative writing after a while, and have never really written for the internet. My previous publications have been in print. I shall definitely do some more reading on this site and also delve into the content of the learning center. Once again, I can not thank you enough for your experienced and sincere advice. I am already receiving so much more help and guidance than I had expected in a brief period of time.

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   4. 0

      swilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Welcome to the Hubpages! My advice is write about what know, and try to use your own original pictures. Most important take advantage of the Hub Learning Center. http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/using-hubtool  Write on!

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      1. 72

         Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you so much for your recommendations, they are much appreciated. I shall definitely read more information in the learning center.

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   5. 94

      PegCole17posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Things move slowly in the way of traffic to our hubs until a following is developed and more hubs are created. It may take about six months to get the ball rolling.The advice you've received here is quite good, particularly about reading other hubs and leaving comments. You might also look at the way the text is broken into sections on featured hubs.
      May I suggest that you go into edit mode on your hub and on the right side under "display options"  add a copyright notice by toggling the down arrow?
      Welcome and all the best to you.

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      1. 72

         Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you so much for your valuable advice ! I was not aware of the copyright notice option. I am very grateful for all the help and support I have received on this forum.

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2. 83

   Shades-of-truthposted 9 years ago

   Welcome, Sara! I have arrived recently, as a Squidoo implant, so I shouldn't be the one to give any advice. I will tell you that the people on the forums are extremely helpful, the Learning Center is extremely helpful, and reading the forums is extremely helpful. Now that I gave you all of that "extreme" advice that I said I shouldn't give, I am glad you are here.
   
   Interesting, unique, accurate content that does not sound like a sales pitch, seems to be all that HP really wants.

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   1. 72

      Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you so much for your input. You are definitely right about the people here being extremely helpful as I have already received more feedback on the matter than I had expected. Thank you for taking the time to post here, I look forward to more communications in the future.

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   NateB11posted 9 years ago

   In terms of visitors you will want to learn how to find out what people are searching for on the Net and what is the competition for those subjects. Essentially, you want to write about what people are looking for and you do not want to go up against a lot of competition and competition that is too big and reputable on the Net.
   
   This means you have to study SEO and how to find and formulate titles for your articles that make use of keyword phrases that people type into the search engine; and google the phrases to see who else has articles on the subject and if you have a chance against the competition.
   
   Then you can write an in-depth, easy to read article that gives the searcher what they want; answers a question, etc.
   
   But to start out, think of a search-friendly title for the article. You have to think about what people will actually type into the search engine. People don't type in titles into the search engine, they type in queries.

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      NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, I read your article; very beautifully written. You obviously have a passion for writing, so maybe my advice on keywords is hasty. It might be better that you participate in the Hubpages community; commenting on Hubs, etc. and develop an audience here on the site. There is a community of writers here that appreciate good writing like yours. Also, you might want to start a Facebook page for your writing and see if you can get readers through social media.

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         Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you so much, both for your advice and for commending my article. I had not thought about participating in the Hubpages community, but it sounds like a potential platform as you have mentioned. I shall definitely follow that route, in addition to the rest that you and other considerate readers have advised. Once again, I can not thank you enough for your guidance and input.

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         1. 88

            NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            In terms of keywords, you might want to consider an article by a Hubber named Cardisa; she wrote a Hub about how to get traffic using keywords/keyword phrases and SEO for creative writing and poetry Hubs. I think it's a good resource for those who write well and write pieces that are not run-of-the-mill; but still would like to get traffic from the search engine. The thing is, an article will get better traffic if there are some keywords/keyword phrases in the title; Cardisa's article goes into detail.

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4. 72

   clivewilliamsposted 9 years ago

   1. Publish Quality Hubs
   2. Read Other Hubs and leave meaningful comments
   3. Promote your hubs (Social media, Blog, article directories)
   4. Get Hub of  The Day (ps....i never got it) but i hear it helps.
   5. Write more hubs

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   1. 72

      Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you so much for all the helpful points. If you do not mind my asking, what does hub of the day mean? I apologize for my ignorance but I'm still learning my way through hub pages. Thank you once again for your time and advice.

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         clivewilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Hub of the day is a hub picked by hubpages editors that sits on hubpages front page for one day. You may or may not get more traffic but you will get many other hubbers to recognize your work.

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         1. 72

            Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you ! I definitely feel more educated about hub pages by all the feedback received.

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   jansharesposted 9 years ago

   Love your first hub! You will do fine here. Welcome to HP. My advice: follow the basics, connect the dots, learn formats, know the rules, have fun, participate in community, set goals, ask questions, and stay focused on why you're here. Enjoy!

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   1. 72

      Sara Sarwar Riazposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you so much. Appreciate your valuable advice and feedback.

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