I need some serious feedback on my first hub!!!! Any advice?

1. 61

   Ashley DeVaneyposted 7 years ago

   I have so many mixed feelings about this! I just joined a day ago and already i'm so anxious about it. I see so many amazing people with outstanding hubs and I would love to get the support of those who are more experienced than I am. Any tips or advice would be great. As much as I feel unsure of myself I will keep on going and only hope that in the end it pays off. Thanks hubbers, I look forward to hearing from you.

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   1. 89

      Chatty Chatposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Italics aren't fun to read.  Try to avoid having a giant block of italicized words, and break your giant paragraphs into smaller ones.
      
      Write out your numerals except for dates or recipe instructions.
      
      With parentheses, keep an eye on your punctuation.  If the sentence contains the expression in parentheses, add the punctuation mark after the last parenthesis.  If the expression stands on its own, add the punctuation mark within the parentheses.  Also, check your spacing with parentheses. 
      
      The cat (the one I saw the other day) got hit by a car.
      (The cat died.)

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   2. 95

      lions44posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Very interesting topic. I like hearing about home remedies. But here's what I would change:
      
      1. Get rid of the italics.  You can use it in a limited way, interspersed between topics or quotes, but not in the main body/description of the remedy. 
      
      2. Use another numbered list for the garlic remedy portion.  But start with a small opening paragraph. Whenever you start a new topic, or in your case, part II, introduce the subject again.  You had already done within the large paragraph, so just split that in two.  When writing hubs, smaller paragraphs work better, particularly with self--help and health articles.
      
      3. Add a little background on the origins of ginger and garlic.   We all use them, but knowing exactly what they are will enhance the knowledge of the reader.  Do it in the opening paragraphs.   
      
      4. Add some more photos or graphics. Maybe stats on home remedies?
      
      5. Shorter title?:  "Ear Infections: A Natural Cure." 
      
      Welcome to hub pages and good luck. Health topics are very popular, so please keep writing.  There's also great staff help too. And lots of hubbers who will help.

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   3. 63

      tlcsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Welcome to hubpages. Take your time. Use the tutorials. Also ask questions on the forums if you get stuck. Trudy

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2. 94

   Sue Adamsposted 7 years ago

   Hi Ashley,
   
   Welcome to HubPages. Your hub is well written and could be useful to many people. However, to help it pass QAP, I suggest making the following improvements:
   
   Need some Goals?
   First of all, when you are in editing mode, you can see a Need some Goals? box in the top right corner. Do not ignore that. If you want your hub to succeed, make sure that all the boxes are ticked.
   
   Italics
   Don't use italics unnecessarily, only to emphasize a word or group of words as shown above in " Need Some Goals".
   
   Title
   Don't capitalize every word in the title.  There is no reason why the remedy wouldn't work for adults too. So to attract more views, I would change the title into something that people might Google like:
   "Natural Ear Infection Cure with Ginger and Garlic".
   
   Hub is too short
   What is Otitis Media? Explain. Terms like this can be in italics, leaving the remaining text non-italic.
   Explain why you don't want to use antibiotics (bug resistance / side effects?).
   
   Break up the text
   Shorten the paragraphs, use a separate text capsule for every paragraph with a heading. Make the text more spacious, people don't like reading large blocks of text.
   
   Consistency
   Be consistent. Format the garlic section with instructions (starting at  "1.Get a pot and boil..." like the ginger section.
   
   Authority
   Finally, fill out your profile bio and give yourself some credentials to get more authority as a writer. The bio appears under your picture on every hub. Later, you can also go to your Stats Page / About the Author and create more specific short bios to suit any hubs of your choice.
   
   Wishing you a prosperous Hubbing career.
   
   PS: lions44 and I must have posted simultaneously and doubled up on most issues which reinforces our contributions.

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3. 61

   Ashley DeVaneyposted 7 years ago

   Thank you all so much for the feedback! I really appreciate every bit of advice given to me, it was very helpful. I know i have a lot of editing to do and errors to correct. You guys are awesome! Thanks again..

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4. 60

   naila latifposted 7 years ago

   Hello Ashely, I am also new and my three hubs are featured. All people here are very co-operative and friendly. You will also be soon  a part of this hub family.

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5. 63

   tlcsposted 7 years ago

   Hello Ashley, the main piece of advice i would give you is to be patient, make sure also you follow thectutorials and make sure you use the forums if you get stuck at all. Dont expect miracles and write your hubs with passion not because you want to earn money. Trudy

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