I was flagged as overly promotional for explaing a FREE method?!

1. 61

   Smarticusposted 15 years ago

   I am a Power Teacher and train others to use this amazing, and effective teaching approach. I have a website that helps people apply what they learn in the FREE ebooks that can be downloaded from the main site.
   
   I mentor people over the internet FOR FREE!
   
   The only outbound link is to my website so that people can find all the links to the FREE information and FREE videos in one place rather than having to hunt all over the internet for them.
   
   In this hub I explain how to apply a specific technique, though the flag said I had no significant content or information?! The whole hub is informative. It explain briefly what Power Teaching is, explain how to use this one particular technique, and points to my website in the event any teacher wants to learn more about the overall method.
   
   I fail to see how that is overly promotional, particularly since the method, again, is FREE!
   
   I have seen dozens of affiliate hubs pointing to one particular service or produce or webpage. They have been up for weeks. They are promotional and commercial in content.
   
   I would love some direction from someone official on how to proceed. How is this promotional when the examples cited above are blatantly so.

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2. 79

   Uninvited Writerposted 15 years ago

   A hub usually gets flagged as over promotional if it includes more than 2 links to one domain.

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3. 71

   Maddie Ruudposted 15 years ago

   Smarticus:
   
   HubPages does not allow outbound promotional links on hubs that contain content that can be found word for word elsewhere on the web.  For more info, see http://hubpages.com/hub/Overly-Promotional
   
   If you see any hubs that break these rules, please flag them, as they may not have come to my attention yet.

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4. 61

   Smarticusposted 15 years ago

   Maddie,
   
   Thanks for the quick reply, however, I must admit, I remain a more than a little confused. I was removed from active status. I had only one outgoing link to a non-commercial website that contains directly related material. In addition, the hub I wrote is about the same subject but contains rewritten material.
   
   In attempting to "hit" using software to identify duplicate link problems it concluded that the material similarity was not substantial enough to warrant a label of duplicate material. This is a Google based program.
   
   More information would be helpful. With only one link to a non-commercial website that is completely related to the content of the hub, I did not violate the outgoing link rule, and the article was rewritten, with similar, but differing content, yet rather than a warning I was flagged and the hub pulled.
   
   As far as I can tell, according to Hubpages own rules, the only violation is conceivably duplicate content, but even that is dubious.
   
   Please let me know what else needs to be done to republish.

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      Maddie Ruudposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Paul's addressed the duplicate issue above, but I thought I'd respond directly to this issue, in case it's unclear.  Even if you are not directly selling something on the site in question, you do have a vested interest in said site, and you are running AdSense on it.

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5. STAFF

   pauldeedsposted 15 years ago

   While we think it's great that you're giving away free information and mentoring, the hub you are talking about is extremely similar to this page.   Moving some sentences around does not make it original.   The rule here is pretty simple - you can't have outgoing links on content that is not original.  To fix things, you'll either need to write some original content for that hub, or you'll need to remove the link.

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6. 61

   Smarticusposted 15 years ago

   In response to Maddie's last comment:
   
   That is true, however, buy the Hubpages rules my post was not overly promotional. The content was informational, and not solely promotional, the site was directly related to the content, and there was only one link. All within the guidelines.
   
   I have seen several Hubs with ranks in the 90's that are much closer to skirting these guidelines than my Hub on a FREE teaching method.
   
   In the mean time the Hub has been rewritten and resubmitted.
   
   I was hoping the response would be as fast as yesterday's flagging and response. Sigh.

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      SweetiePieposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Hubbers are much more likely to take you a bit more seriously if you write a Hub about a topic that is not as promotional.  Maybe you could write some Hubs about topics such as hobbies, or join the hubmob and write a review about one of your favorite products, that is not your own of course.  I am just speaking from personal experience, but if I see a Hub with a mission statement with a link going to someone's website I do not take it very seriously.  However, maybe you could take the link out and put it in your profile instead.  Just a suggestion.

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      Lissieposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      You've had the response several times in this thread you cannot have any self-serving links in duplicate content: what's hard to understand about that?

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7. 61

   Smarticusposted 15 years ago

   I wanted to thank Maddie and the other moderators for their help reviewing the hub and reinstating it.
   
   I appreciate your comments, however, I repeat that this hub, outside of a modicum of duplicate content initially, did not violate the guidelines of being overly promotional. I fail to see how it is self serving to promote a free method that helps other teachers. Particularly since there are literally hundreds of hubs that review and promote commercial affiliate products. The reviewers have links to squeeze pages, and the sale of these products directly benefits them financially.
   
   Now, understand, I have no problem with this sort of activity, and I think it is a good business for many people. I am only pointing out that I am frankly shocked that my hub on a method that increases student retention and enjoyment, and makes teaching more fun for the teachers was viewed as overly promotional in comparison to affiliate focused hubs. That makes no sense.

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   1. 71

      Maddie Ruudposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Duplicate content with links is, in and of itself, a violation of our rules regarding over promotion.  Check out the link I posted further up the thread for clarification.

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