Need help improving hub for a niche site

1. 89

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   A few months ago, I've submitted my Blackout hub to the Owlcation niche hub site. It was declined, since they believed it would be better suited for How They Play, since I've got one section on playing board games. I've looked at both niche site's editorial guidelines and are stumped on how to fix it. I also asked my fellow hubber friend, Glenn Stok, for his input on it too. I'm up for any ideas on how to improve it and fix that section for either niche site. I hope to resubmit it next month to the right niche site. I've included the link for any suggestions. https://hubpages.com/education/What-to- … utBrownout

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   1. 84

      k@riposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Kristen.  This header, "Family Time with Family Game Night/Snuggle Time" should probably have a comma after Family and before Game.
      I don't think you need the  paranthesis  and the comma "(like I do),".
      There is redundency in this sentance.  Also and too mean the same thing. " You can also snuggle with them, too."
      I think a comma would work better than a slash here:  "at school/college or work".
      This seems like a run-on sentence to me:  " But now it’s been back for a few years, thanks to the Hub Network, that brought back the classic board games and made it interactive with audience participation."
      Instead of saying "you can do is doing"  you can probably just say Another thing you can do is pray.  "Another thing you can do is doing some praying if you feel like it.
      A comma would work better here than the slash: "Meditate/Pray and Power Nap"
      This "tip" repeats information given in the previous "tip":  "Tip: Make sure you have plenty of spare batteries for your boombox or radio, or even for a spare flashlight." .
      "croquet" is a game with mallots and balls.  I think you  mean crochet.
      "How about scrapbooking or make a collage?"  Scrapbooking or make is not congruent.  Scapbooking or making woud be better, I think.
      "you can choice to get caught up with your chores:  I think you mean choose.
      "leaves/shovel" probably a comma would work better.
      "You can also print out your rough drafts and work on it, too."  Can't print in a power outage.  You should check through this hub and make sure that you specify to do it previous in case, there are things like charging, printing that cannot be done during a power outage.
      "Rest assure them"  I think you just mean to Assure them.  I don't understand the "rest" being there.
      I read once that you should read your work backwards.  Look at each sentence individually to make sure it works.  I now do this to all my hubs. 
      I hope this helps! 

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   2. 85

      Dreamworkerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      This is the second time you've posted about this.  When I clicked on the link, it said the hub does not exist.

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   3. 84

      Venkatachari Mposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I have left my comment on the article itself. Further to it, I may say that I doubt whether brackets are allowed in the Title. You may remove the words Or, a, and the brackets also from the main title of the article and put the slash after Outage.
      In the subtitle, you can insert a hyphen after Family Game in the header before Night/Snuggle Time. You reread the entire article and you may find many such things.

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   4. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Normally, if a Hub isn't suitable for the site you chose, HubPages will simply make the decision and put it on a site where it fits better. In this case, I think they were stumped as to where the Hub would fit, because it covers two different things.  Each niche site has its own editor, so it's also possible that the Owlcation editor simply forgot about DenGarden as a possibility.
      
      I would submit it to DenGarden.  Cut the whole "Lights Out" section (people won't be searching for "what to do during a power outage" if they don't know what a power outage is!) and instead, start with a section on the practical things you need to do if the power goes out (e.g. make sure children or pets are safe, go and check your own fuse box in case it's just your own power that's tripped, unplug electronic devices,).

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2. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 6 years ago

   If you re-angled it slightly as "how to prepare for blackouts" it might work for Dengarden.

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3. 89

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   That's weird. It should exist. I had problems with the previous post.  Let me repost link.

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4. 89

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   https://hubpages.com/education/What-to- … utBrownout

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5. 89

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   Thanks Kari and Psycheskinner for the ideas.  Dreamworker, let me know if this link works.

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6. 89

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   Psycheskinner, I think you meant Owlcation and not Dengarden.

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   1. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      No, she meant Dengarden.  This article could offer helpful information for householders on how to prepare for a brownout or blackout.  Dengarden is for useful Hubs for house AND garden.

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7. 89

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   Hi Marisa. Okay good point. Wrong niche site then. I'll keep it in mind. Venka, duly noted.

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8. 71

   catspyjamasposted 6 years ago

   It seems more fitting for How They Play. The bulk of your article is about how to spend your time, rather than surviving the blackout. If it was put in the wrong niche, you would get people clicking away quickly if they we looking for help in what to do during a blackout. And that would effect your status in search rankings.

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   1. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      HubPages will decide which niche site it goes to, not Kristen.   The system allows you to nominate a site when you submit the Hub, but that's only a suggestion - it's the HubPages editor who decides where it goes.
      
      In this case, I think it was rejected because it's not targeted enough at one site - bits of it could work for How They Play, but then all the "preparing for a blackout" stuff isn't relevant to that site.

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9. 86

   Marisa Wrightposted 6 years ago

   Some general style advice:
   
   Get to the point quickly.   You need to convince your reader in the very first paragraph that you're going to give them what they're looking for.  In this Hub they're looking for information on what to DO in a power cut, but you give them information on what a power cut IS.  That's not what they want.  They won't scroll down, they'll click back to Google and look for another article.
   
   Never talk about "Hubs", unless you're writing an article about HubPages. 90% of HubPages readers are not Hubbers, they've never heard of HubPages and won't know what you mean.
   
   Never use the Heading on a photo capsule.  Use the caption instead.  Having headings on photos and on paragraphs is confusing for the reader.
   
   Make sure you understand the rules about Amazon capsules. That torches capsule will just get snipped, because you don't say why you, personally, recommend those particular torches.  Also you've put it in a section of the Hub which is all about playing games, not in the section about preparing for the power cut, so it's irrelevant.

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