Consider softer message when Hub URL is not published.

1. 71

   Judy Filareckiposted 9 years ago

   I just finished editing a Hub and signed out. Then I called up the Hub only to get this terrible message that puts a very bad light on Hubbers as possible violators of "The Code."
   
   What a poor image this gives the public. Being new to HB, my reaction is one of a public person who knows nothing about why pages are unpublished. I feel like a criminal as a Hubber. Don't you think someone should take a look at this and come up with something less degrading.
   
   "The author may have chosen to unpublish it, or it may have been unpublished by a moderator because of a violation of HubPages rules."

   replyreport
   1. 71

      Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I guess  I'm the only one who is distressed by this

      replyreport
   2. 85

      Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I think people are confused because it sounds like you're saying you edited your Hub, signed out and it was suddenly unpublished.  I think what you're saying is that it was already unpublished, and it's the message that you think is inappropriate? 
      
      I agree, I'd never thought about it before but that second phrase doesn't seem necessary and puts a nasty slant on things.

      replyreport
      1. 71

         Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         That is exactly right. It has nothing to do with whether I'm published or not. It has to do with the wording of the notice. I'm not sure who wrote it but it is really poor public relations. It is like hanging your dirty out for the world see even though 90% of the laundry is really clean.
         
         It should say: " Sorry this Hub is unpublished right now,  but please check back at a later time." or something like that.
         You want to encourage people to return to HP, not scare them away.
         
         Anyway, I just wanted people to be aware of what the public is seeing and maybe someone up there will realize that it should be changed.
         Judy

         replyreport
         1. 73

            brakel2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I know staff has some problems with some of the lenses from Squidoo, as other people have mentioned it. They are trying to work them out, and yours may be one of them. Whatever it is, you need to figure out what is wrong, Maybe someone will look into it Monday when staff returns. I know it is a shock to see such a message and wonder what the problem could be. Can you tell us the theme of the article, or do you want to wait until Monday? I guess you just think it is poor wording in a message. It must be difficult to come from another site, so best of luck to you.

            replyreport
            1. 71

               Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               I'm not worried about the unpublished Hubs. I'm sure that will be straightened out as I edit them.
               
               It is the wording. It turns people away from coming back to HP nd it give a very poor image for the Hubber and the article.
               
               What is wrong with just saying.
               "This Hub is not published right now. Please check back at a later time."

               replyreport
               1. 91

                  Millionaire Tipsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  To be fair, it does say that the author could have chosen to unpublish it.  But I can definitely see it from your point of view and the additional wording really does not add anything.  The Hubber already knows why it is not published.  I agree that this change would make it much friendlier, and would let people know they can try again later.  Suggested hubs is also a good idea to give them someplace to go instead of away.

                  replyreport
         2. 83

            bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I have never seen that warning before, but I can understand your feelings. It sounds like an insinuation of wrongdoing.

            replyreport
            1. 71

               Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               I'm new here,but I'm trying to figure how to let the administration know. I'm sure that this is just something that has slipped by because everyone is so busy.

               replyreport
               1. 91

                  Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  You need a staff-monitored forum. I think this would be the right one: http://hubpages.com/forum/category/3001 - or you can write to the team at team@hubpages.com.

                  replyreport
                  1. 71

                     Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks, I'll look into that if none of them show up on Monday.

                     replyreport
                     1. 91

                        Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        It looks as though the thread has now been moved to the right forum. Hopefully you'll receive a staff response fairly soon.

                        replyreport
                        1. 71

                           Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                           Thank Jayne, I've been so busy editing Hubs that I didn't notice.

                           replyreport
                           1. 71

                              Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                              I'm still waiting for the Hub that started this all to be published. I submitted it 2 days ago and there is no response. The Hub is
                              
                              http://judyfilarecki.hubpages.com/hub/g … e-in-a-cup
                              
                              I have a second once also from 9/5 and another from 9/6. I thought they said it was 3-4 hour up to 24. Of course it is the weekend so maybe that is why. Hope it comes through soon.

                              replyreport
                              1. 91

                                 Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                                 That is a long time. I guess the sudden influx of content is causing delays.

                                 replyreport
                                 1. 73

                                    brakel2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                                    It is taking a much longer time due to so many hubs.

                                    replyreport
                                    1. 91

                                       Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                                       Don't you think that's what I meant???

                                       report
2. 95

   melbelposted 9 years ago

   I understand your frustration, but there are several reasons why HubPages staff may choose to have a hub unpublished (or even HubPages bots.)
   
   I understand that it may feel hurtful, but don't let it get to you. Take a look at the hub and figure out why it was unpublished and fix the issue and give it another shot. It's happened to a lot of us, but there really are a lot of good reasons it may have happened (and sometimes it's an accident.)
   
   I hope you keep hubbing.

   replyreport
   1. 73

      brakel2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry message is to the poster  -Hi - It could be a mistake or you may have violated a rule. or maybe something very simple. It may sound degrading, but it is the same message we all get when something goes wrong with a hub. Please do not feel degraded, especially when you don't know what happened. Certain topics are taboo but are sometimes reconsidered. You probably need to go to the learning center or FAQ to try to figure out a possible reason. If you were editing it, It must have been published. Go to your statistics page and see how it is listed. You can send an email to the team if you do not find out what happened. Good luck and never give up.

      replyreport
   2. 71

      Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It isn't the fact that I have a Hub unpublished. I've only been on HP for 2 days, and this is one of the transfers from Squidoo that they delayed on featuring, and I haven't had a chance to edit that one.. That's not the problem.
      
      My distress is the  wording. It make it sound like the hubber is a major "violator of rules" and I, as a visitor, would hesitate to go back and check to see if this HUB has been published again, because it might have all sorts of horrible things on it.
      
      The wording for the uninformed outsider makes it really sound degrading and threatening. This Hubber must not be a good person.

      replyreport
3. 91

   Jayne Lancerposted 9 years ago

   Yes, I think you're right. A specific message like 'This hub is no longer published' would be sufficient. Off the top of my head, I can't imagine how the whys and wherefores of a hub being unpublished should concern the general public. It could surely only interest the author and HubPages staff. Apart from that, the phrase 'The author may have chosen to unpublish it, or it may have been unpublished by a moderator because of a violation of HubPages rules' is so vague, it doesn't really tell anybody anything specific--except that the hub is unpublished, as would 'This hub is no longer published'. As you say, it can only cast a shadow of doubt on the author, which in most cases isn't deserved.

   replyreport
   1. 71

      Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It just create a really poor image for the public to see. They have no idea what possible violation could cause it to be unpublished.

      replyreport
      1. 91

         Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         As a HubPages outsider, I'd probably be thinking in terms of adult content or plagiarism.

         replyreport
         1. 71

            Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            You are right. Why would I, as a visitor, even consider coming back to HP to check about the article if I think there is something on it like your suggested.

            replyreport
            1. 91

               Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               They do a similar thing when a user is banned--they put a notice on the hubber's profile saying "Sorry, this user has been banned from HubPages". I don't know why they find it necessary. "This user no longer exists on HubPages" would surely be sufficient. Perhaps it's some kind of punishment by public humiliation.
               
               Anyway, I think your wording for unpublished hubs is far more pertinent than the present wording.

               replyreport
4. 91

   jansharesposted 9 years ago

   Judy, that's a very good point you make about public relations and dirty laundry, most of which is clean. The statement really isn't necessary. I like your idea of, "this hub is currently unpublished, check back later." Maybe the other statement can just go to the hubber's email as a notice, like with other issues.

   replyreport
5. 94

   Sue Adamsposted 9 years ago

   I agree that the wording is inappropriate for the outside public but  the notice also needs to give authors a hint of why a hub is unpublished. So there should perhaps be 2 notices:
   1. a simple notice as mentioned in previous reply for signed out readers and
   2. a more specific notice like the current one directed at signed in authors.
   Failing the latter, authors would be asking:" Why has my hub been unpublished?"

   replyreport
   1. 91

      Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Not really.
      
      If your hub is not yet published or has been unpublished, you as the author will only see that notice if you are signed out. Anything you need to know about the hub appears on the header of the hub when you are signed in. "This Hub is not published, only you can see it" is what I see on the header of one of my not yet published hubs. But when I'm signed out and enter the URL of that hub in my address bar, I see the possible violation message everybody else sees.

      replyreport
      1. 71

         Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I agree with Jayne.
         
         This whole issue came up because I have links in several of my featured lenses to one of the lenses that is unpublished at the moment. I purposely logged out and tested the link so I would see what my visitors to that link would see. That is when I got this terrible message.
         
         I think that the majority of hubbers are totally unaware that their readers are seeing this message, or if they have seen it, are just accepting as the way things are. It is a very poorly written message for a site that is made up 100% by writers.
         
         I just hope that Paul or Marina or Mathew take a look at this discussion on Monday and realize how poorly this statement looks to our readers. and writers.

         replyreport
      2. 83

         aerospacefanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Interesting - I did not know that only the publisher saw that notice. Thanks for sharing that item of information.

         replyreport
         1. 71

            Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            NO, the whole world of your readers sees that notice I just showed. That is why I'm concerned about it.

            replyreport
            1. 83

               aerospacefanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Oh wow!

               replyreport
6. 0

   calculus-geometryposted 9 years ago

   I agree with Judy.  Instead of this
   
   
   
   HP should simply omit the message altogether and replace it with a list of suggested hubs, like this
   

   replyreport
   1. 71

      Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It doesn't come up as a 401. This is what it looks like. Sorry I can't get it any bigger for ease of reading. Here's what it says.
      
      "The author may have chosen to unpublish it, or it may have been unpublished by a moderator because of a violation of HubPages rules."
      
      

      replyreport
      1. 0

         calculus-geometryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, there are a couple different 'not here' messages.  I think they should all be replaced with a nice list of suggestions.  People are more likely to click on a pretty image than use the search bar.

         replyreport
         1. 71

            Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            The colored pictured links do look much more inviting then the present message.

            replyreport
7. 86

   DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years ago

   I agree with the OP.  That is terrible wording.
   
   I'm sure someone may come across something like that on one or two of my own hubs, which I have deliberately un-published while I decide whether they are worth tweaking or not.
   
   I've been here 4 years, now, so it has nothing to do with longevity on the site; it's the same message any outsider or not-signed-in Hubber will see, in those circumstances, and I agree it feels degrading.
   
   It's simply unnecessary to say all of that. A simple, "Sorry, this Hub is not available for viewing right now.  Here are some other suggestions..." would be a much better approach.
   
   (Perhaps the hub may not be published, because, if you are editing, and forget to click 'done editing,' and then leave the site, it will stay in unpublished mode, even if it was previously published.)

   replyreport
8. 82

   RachaelOhalloranposted 9 years ago

   Matthew Meyer?
   The OP says the wording is: "The author may have chosen to unpublish it, or it may have been unpublished by a moderator because of a violation of HubPages rules."
   
   Can the wording be changed to just say "This hub is no longer published." Or "This hub is unavailable for viewing."  Something to that effect?
   
   Is there really a valid reason to include the other language for the public to see when they click on a dead link? It really doesn't put the hubber in a favorable light.
   Thank you for anything you can do.

   replyreport
9. STAFF

   Paul Edmondsonposted 9 years ago

   Thanks for bringing it up.  We need to look at the scenarios and the reasoning behind the message, but I see your point.  Give us till the end of the week to get back with an update - Likely from Matt.

   replyreport
   1. 82

      RachaelOhalloranposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Paul

      replyreport
   2. 71

      Judy Filareckiposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Paul,
      I'm sorry for stirring up a hornet's nest, but this sends such a bad image out to the public. Onr person suggested says "It is no longer published but that is very nondescript and turns the reader away from coming back to check.
      
      Just a very simple " This hub is not available for viewing right now. Please come back and check at a later time." is more than adequate. You might even add "Sorry for the inconvenience" to that statement.
      Judy

      replyreport