Have At It - Review My Unfeatured Hub

1. 90

   Ilonagardenposted 8 years ago

   One of my recently unfeatured (for quality) hubs is this one which perhaps someone can rate with improvement suggestions.
   
   I followed advice to give more input with the amazon capsules, added more information on history and accessory choices.
   
   Please review me:
   
   http://hubpages.com/entertainment/irish … nstruments
   
   I changed the focus to the Bodhran (which I own), the general title came from the Squidoo original that was outside my personal scope.

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   1. 92

      Jodahposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I actually found it quite and interesting and easy to read hub and wasn't turned off at all by you saying that you were not skilled at playing the bodhran.
      You do have five Amazon ad capsules however, and HP are much stricter now than ever. I don't know how many words your hub has but you need 300 for every ad capsule or the chances are the hub won't be featured. Even then they don't seem to like you to have more than two or three maximum. I rarely have more than one ad capsule anymore, it just isn't worth the hassle. Good luck.

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2. 73

   relacheposted 8 years ago

   I got a few paragraphs in, to the part where you admit you own this musical instrument but can barely play it and never play it with anyone else or in public, and I was deterred from reading further.
   
   I have read plenty of Hubs from people learning what they are writing about, but your phrasing of your experience made me feel like this isn't something you really like doing, or that you are going to share good experiences or info that will be useful or helpful to me in your Hub.

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   1. 90

      Ilonagardenposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I do think what a reader expects matters. If they are looking for expertise in playing the drum, they will go away; if they are looking for someone like them, a person who loves Celtic culture and wants to try out the Bodhran, they will stick with the article.
      
      Interesting that you got the idea that I didn't like it.

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      1. 73

         relacheposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I never said I didn't think you liked it. I said you gave me the impression that you weren't very good at it.

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         1. 90

            Ilonagardenposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            sorry- that was how I interpreted "made me feel like this isn't something you really like doing"

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         2. 96

            Glenn Stokposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            That's funny Ilona. As I mentioned in my prior post, I inferred both from the way you explained it in your hub.

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3. 78

   DeborahDianposted 8 years ago

   I have gone through the same thing you have.  After hours of work, I was able to get most of my articles re-featured.  However, some of them seem more awkward than they were before I "fixed" them.  For example, how can you have an article about a product ... such as children's books ... and only be able to have one or two Amazon capsules for that product?  Even when I have written as many as 1200 words on a topic, they have allowed me only two or three Amazon modules ... regardless of what their rules say.  Some articles, for whatever reason, they have not allowed any ads at all.  Some have only been allowed one.  It seems inconsistent.  Read on, however, to see how I have solved my problem and feel as if I made everyone happy ... including both Hubpages and me.
   
   What frustrated me about the problem was that these were all Squidoo articles that had dozens of products when Hubpages BOUGHT my articles and moved them here.  Only after buying them did they decide they didn't like them.  My old Squidoo articles dropped from earning $90 to $150 a month down to less than $10 a month. 
   
   It seemed to me that Hubpages had shot themselves in the foot by requiring all these changes to the articles, because they are losing potential income from those high earning articles, too.  I don't understand the logic in their decision, but I feel I have to go along. 
   
   Here's how I solved the problem:
   
   Instead of fighting them here, I just started writing competing articles with lots of ads on other writing sites ... like Trendzic or HonestReviewz ... which allow you to use blocks of 4 or 8 ads, using the Amazon Native ad blocks.   Now, I have the opportunity to make money off my old Squidoo/Hubs on this site, as well as off the new articles on the other sites.  NOTE:  I do NOT copy and paste my old articles onto a new site.  In addition, I DO NOT write duplicate content.  Instead, I write an entirely new article on the old topic, but with plenty of ads ...  sometimes up to 16 products.
   
   As far as I'm concerned, it's a Win-Win situtation.  Hubpages is happy with the articles here, I'm happy to leave those articles here and I'm also happy with my articles on other sites.  I earn something from all the sites from my product articles.  Everyone is happy!

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4. 0

   calculus-geometryposted 8 years ago

   A hub without a clear focus and a title that reflects that focus has a harder time passing QAP.  You should narrow the scope to some aspect of the instrument rather than try to write a general and shallow overview.  For example, How to Play the Bodhran or Top 5 Irish Folk Songs Played with the Bodhran.  The former is out because you say you don't really play it, and the latter is probably a poor choice from an SEO perspective, but if you have a keen interest in the instrument I'm sure you will come up with something better.  Best of luck with it.

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   1. 90

      Ilonagardenposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      thank you- you addressed a definite weak spot of mine.

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5. 96

   Glenn Stokposted 8 years ago

   You included some interesting info hidden in your hub, but I think anyone seeing the title in the SERPs with the question "Played The Bodhran Lately?"  will simply answer the question in their head and not have any reason to go to the hub to read it.  The title is not telling the reader what they may get from it.
   
   In addition, many people who do start reading will drop out early because in the begining you talk about your lack of skill and your limited interest in the Bodhrans that you have. That's not providing information that anyone would be searching for online.
   
   One of the problems with writing for online readers is that many people searching for information are always in a rush. There's a lot of competition and you need to give instant gratification.
   
   So, having said all that, my suggestion is to simply reverse the order of your article. Place the section about history at the top. And rename the title to something like "History of the Bodhran Handheld Drum"
   
   That will not only attract readers actually searching for that, but it will get them hooked quickly at the beginning. That may keep them reading further. Once Google notices that the view duration is longer, then your hub will increase in rank over time.

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   1. 90

      Ilonagardenposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I will see if I can use this great advice- Thank You!

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6. 90

   Ilonagardenposted 8 years ago

   Well, it went to unfeatured for quality and I have too much else to work on in this site, so I am deleting this hub. I have been deleting all the stubborn empty circle hubs recently, which takes me down to a much lower number of published articles on Hubpages.
   
   Thanks so much to the helpful advice you have given me- it will serve to improve my thinking and writing for a much longer time than the brief span of this particular hub.
   
   I especially benefit from those last two comments which gave me some needed insight into focus and headlines. I also really appreciate the perspectives of how I relay my views in writing, sometimes not at all how I see myself! It makes me appreciate the idea of writers critiquing each other.
   
   Thanks for looking at my hub, taking (precious) time to comment and lend your help.

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