The Helpful Health Hubs contest: Official Thread

1. 60

   Jason Menayanposted 15 years ago

   We just passed day 5 of the contest with 48 entries on Homeopathy and Naturopathy! A terrific range of informative Hubs were published on both topics.
   
   I'm happy to announce the winner of the daily drawing:
   phoxphire!
   
   Check out phoxphire's Hub here:
   Journey Into Naturopathic Medicine
   
   Congratulations on the $50 prize!
   
   Today's topics, which began about a half-hour ago, are Aromatherapy and Color Therapy (you can choose either). You'll have more than 23 hours (remember, before tomorrow at 11:59 am Pacific!) to complete up to 3 eligible Hubs on this topic.
   
   Health-Hubbing onward!

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2. 86

   rebekahELLEposted 15 years ago

   Jason, is there any way to delete a hub and re publish it if we accidentally published it early thinking it was today's topic already??

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   1. 60

      Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      RebekahELLE: You'll have to delete the Hub entirely and start from scratch (maybe you can copy-and-paste what you've written). My report pulls in those Hubs published for the first time during the contest period only; it ignores all Hubs published for the first time at other times.

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      1. 86

         rebekahELLEposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         thanks Jason, not sure I want to go through all of that, considering pics, amazon, etc. I'll just write more throughout the month. I love the topic! thanks for replying.   over here on the east coast, we're well into saturday by 3 p.m., and I simply forgot we were still writing on friday's topic. I published it at 2:35 ish...

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         1. 62

            prettydarkhorseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Ms Rebekaelle, I read your hub and it is nice one, easy reading and sweet smelling, hehe

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            1. 86

               rebekahELLEposted 15 years agoin reply to this

               maita, thanks, I just left a comment for you.  you've got to be one of the sweetest hubbers!   thank you.

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3. 69

   fortunerepposted 15 years ago

   I just recently started this hubmob, been away for a while and i am doing hubs on each topic daily, is this going to eliminate me from the contests, or do i need to jump to todays topic?

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   1. 86

      rebekahELLEposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      if you want to be entered into the contest, you have to publish on today's topic which now is aromatherapy. but you can still start from hubmob link if you place it in the correct category for that specific day!

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4. 69

   fortunerepposted 15 years ago

   hello, need a little help please

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   1. 60

      Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I think RebekahELLE's response right above answers your question.
      
      You can also look at Princessa's post here:
      http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/37236#post847097

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5. 78

   N. Ramiusposted 15 years ago

   I wish I had more time. I keep missing these, only done 2 hubs all week. So frustrating. Anyway...
   
   is anyone learning a lot from all this in doing their hubs?

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   1. 60

      Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      You can participate as much as you'd like. We have the complete calendar for the month on the contest page, so, for instance, if you'd like to start working on a Vitamins & Supplements Hub now, you can...but don't publish until Monday the 22nd after noon Pacific!

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      1. 78

         N. Ramiusposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I'm aware but thanks for the info.

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6. 86

   rebekahELLEposted 15 years ago

   Jason and other contest writers, it looks like google is giving us some google love with quick indexing on these health related hubs. nice to see!

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   1. 69

      Beth100posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Sweet!

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   2. 60

      Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Terrific! Then it's proceeding as planned.
      
      So, we just finished the 6th day of the contest, and there were 56 entries on the topics of Color Therapy and Aromatherapy!
      
      I'm pleased to announce the winner of the daily drawing:
      elayne001!
      
      Check out her great Hub here:
      The Essential Oil Travel Kit
      
      Congratulations on the $50 prize!
      
      Today's topics, which began about a half-hour ago, are Acupuncture & Acupressure (one category but each Hub can be on either topic). You'll have more than 23 hours (remember, before tomorrow at 11:59 am Pacific!) to complete up to 3 eligible Hubs on this topic.
      
      Hub-hub-hooray!

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      1. 0

         shazwellynposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Im glad.. I really like Elayne!  Well done! x

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   3. 0

      wordscribe41posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I've been noticing the same thing.  BAM!  It's indexed.  Interesting, huh?
      
      Congrats Elayne!

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7. 69

   Beth100posted 15 years ago

   Thanks Jason!
   
   Congratulations Elayne!

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8. 67

   soni2006posted 15 years ago

   Congrats Elayne! Excellent hub.

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9. 60

   Jason Menayanposted 15 years ago

   The 7th day and first week of the contest is complete, with 34 entries on the topics of Acupuncture and Acupressure!
   
   I'm pleased to announce the winner of the daily drawing:
   teeka1234!
   
   Check out her great Hub here:
   Does Acupuncture help with Addictions?
   
   Congratulations on the $50 prize!
   
   This week we begin with another category umbrella: Diets & Weight Loss.
   
   Today's topics, which began about a half-hour ago, is Weight Loss. You'll have more than 23 hours (remember, before tomorrow at 11:59 am Pacific!) to complete up to 3 eligible Hubs on this topic.
   
   VOTING FOR THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE BEGINS NOW!
   There are 10 hopefuls that you can choose from on the contest page. Please pick your favorite and vote before Wednesday, noon Pacific! The winner will enjoy a $100 prize. Spread the word!
   
   Keep up the awesome Hubbing!

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   1. 0

      wordscribe41posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      How many can you vote for?  Just one?

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      1. 60

         Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, I'm afraid so.

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         1. 0

            wordscribe41posted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks, Jason.

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10. 68

    Bunduposted 15 years ago

    You know I thought there would be a lot more entries into the competition?  I fully expected the numbers to be in the thousands? I am actually kind of glad I decided to take part now as the numbers are so low I have a lot less competition!

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    1. 78

       N. Ramiusposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Shh. Don't jinx it.

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11. 77

    rmcrayneposted 15 years ago

    There seems to be a problem with the voting on the contest page.  I've had several friends vote, but now friends are contacting me saying they can't vote.  I went to the link and it says 83 people have voted, but the 10 hubs with vote options are not showing now.

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    1. 60

       Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Hi Rose Mary: After you've voted, you will not see anything except a Thank You and the number of people who have voted. If you log out, for example, you should see the full 10 options available for voting.

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       1. 77

          rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks Jason.  That makes sense for me, but my brother and sister, same house, different computers, saw the same thing I did.

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             rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             
             
             I voted, but wanted to go back and look at the top ten, and can't.  My brother and sister get the same screen- status of # of votes, but they have not, and cannot vote.

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             1. 86

                Lily Roseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                Rosemary - I just logged out to see if I had the same problem and I, too, only get the thanks for voting message.  The only thing I can think of is to clear your cookies and see if it helps.  I'm not too tech savvy so I could be completely wrong, but it wouldn't hurt...
                
                stinks that your sibs can't vote!

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             2. 60

                Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                Rose Mary, please email me. Send as much details as you can, and I'll pass it on to Fawntia.

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                1. 77

                   rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                   I emailed sunforged.  Even though we really are 3 different people with different computers, different email accts etc, we have the same internet provider account.   At least my brother was able to vote from his phone.

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       2. 77

          rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          I logged out and shut down my computer.  Came back a couple hours later and navigated to the site and page without signing in, and could not review the 10 finalists.  I still just get the '124 people have voted so far'.

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          1. 60

             Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             Did you vote ever on that computer? Maybe the IP address is logged, or you've been cookied as a voter. If you've never voted on that computer, please let me know via email and Fawntia can see what's going on.

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12. 60

    Jason Menayanposted 15 years ago

    8th day of the contest down, with 89 entries on the topics of Weight Loss! (Not surprised...it seems everyone has something to share on this very popular topic!)
    
    I'm pleased to announce the winner of the daily drawing:
    anglnwu!
    
    Check out her awesome Hub here:
    Are You Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Plans?
    
    Congratulations on the $50 prize!
    
    Today's topics, which began about a half-hour ago, is Healthy Diets. You'll have more than 23 hours (remember, before tomorrow at 11:59 am Pacific!) to complete up to 3 eligible Hubs on this topic.
    
    LESS THAN 24 HOURS FOR VOTING FOR THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD!
    There are 10 hopefuls that you can choose from on the contest page. Please pick your favorite and vote before Wednesday, noon Pacific! The winner will enjoy a $100 prize. Spread the word!
    
    Happy Hubbing!

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13. 86

    Lily Roseposted 15 years ago

    Congrats anglnwu!

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14. 0

    shazwellynposted 15 years ago

    well done angin!  Good work! x
    
    Spread the looooove!

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15. 86

    Marisa Wrightposted 15 years ago

    Maybe I missed it - but how did you narrow down the 10 Hubs for the People's Choice Award?

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    1. 60

       Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       That's my job. Throughout the week, I identify ones that will be finalists...a tough job, because there are many, many more great Hubs than you see in the top 10 list.

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       1. 86

          Lily Roseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Does the judges' weekly best hub decision come from your top 10 pick or from all of the submissions?

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             Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             From the top 10 picks, which is a subset of all the submissions.

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                Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                So what you're saying is, if we don't make it into the top 10 picks in the People's Choice Awards, we've got no chance at the bigger prizes either?
                
                Disappointed if so, but at least it means we don't get our hopes up.

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             2. 86

                Lily Roseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                That doesn't seem quite fair.  I can understand you having to narrow it down for the people's choice selection, but for the best of the week as voted by the judges, they should be able to select their own choices from all of the submissions.
                
                Not that I think I would have a winning hub (of course I hope!), but when I saw mine was not included in your people's choice 10 I thought, oh, well, I still have a chance for selection by the judges!  I'm disappointed. 
                
                Am I the only one that feels that it's unfair??

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                1. 60

                   Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                   Part of getting the judges to agree to participate is to not overwhelm them with choices. Giving them 503 choices (that's how many were submitted in the first week) would certainly qualify as overwhelming. I'm sorry you see that as unfair.

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                   1. 86

                      Lily Roseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                      Thanks for the response, Jason - I guess asking the judges, or anyone, to read 503 hubs is a lot.  I'm assuming you read all 503, so I guess we'll just have to trust your instinct.  I'll keep writing...
                      
                      Like Marisa said, at least now I know not to get my hopes up!

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                      1. 60

                         Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                         No, I don't read all 503. I weed out those that have duplicate content, those clearly off-topic, and those with fewer than 300 words. This is a minority of all those published, so yes, I have a lot of reading to do.
                         
                         I tend to favor those with more information, along with those with a plethora of links, relevant pictures, charts, etc. Shorter Hubs have generally not made the cut, since there is clearly plenty one can write about these topics.
                         
                         So, yes, if you want to be in contention for one of the weekly prizes for $100 (judges' pick and people's choice) then you must be selected as one of the top 10 for that week.
                         
                         Every week we start anew, and don't forget about the daily drawing, which is a truly randomized pick of the submitted entries of the day.
                         
                         And...the real prize should be the increased traffic and revenue to both authors and us, in good time.

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                         1. 86

                            Lily Roseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                            I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, Jason, but just to be clear - what you're saying is that you will only pick long hubs with lots of links (why?), pictures and charts to make it into the top 10?
                            
                            At least now I have a better understanding of what you are looking for.  Thank you.

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                            1. 60

                               Jason Menayanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                               No, I didn't say that. I said I tend to favor those with more information, with links (to cite claims and to point the reader for additional sources of information), and other forms of content. There is no formula.
                               
                               I'm sure if you have a look at the top 10, you'll see all meet the criteria I've outlined.

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                         2. 77

                            rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                            
                            
                            You must read a whole lot faster than I do. 

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                   2. 78

                      N. Ramiusposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                      So all we need to do is bribe one person instead of 4? That's sort of easier isn't it.

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                2. 86

                   Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                   Lily, I thought the same, and it's only natural we both feel disappointed when we realise we'd gotten our hopes up for nothing. Once the smarting has eased, I'm sure you'll feel better about it.
                   
                   I can understand someone has to make a shortlist as it's a bit much to ask guest judges to plough through hundreds of Hubs.   I don't know why that didn't occur to me before. 
                   
                   Jason, I'm with rmcrayne - now we know we have only one target(you!) instead of a panel of judges, I'd love to see the list of 10 winning Hubs again, so I can try to work out what might catch your eye!

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16. 78

    N. Ramiusposted 15 years ago

    What type of topics fall under healthy diets? For some reason I'm having a hard time figuring out what to write about and what would go here as opposed to one of the other sub topics.

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17. 60

    Jason Menayanposted 15 years ago

    Sure, here are the candidates:
    
    Use of Herbal Therapy in Chinese Medicine
    
    Herbal Alternatives - Sleep Aids
    
    Essential Oils For Aromatherapy
    
    Chinese Medicine, Chinese Style
    
    My Experience with Natural Home Remedies for Acid Reflux
    
    Homeopathy First-Aid Remedies
    
    Take Control of Your Complexion: Topical Herbal Remedies for Acne
    
    Pet Acupuncture: Stick.... Stay!
    
    Simple Home Remedies Made with 4 Common Home Ingredients
    
    Hands on Healing: Reiki Under Scientific Scrutiny

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18. 62

    prettydarkhorseposted 15 years ago

    rm I dont know If I entered the contest page or HUBMOB, oh my, anyway I hit the published button now, Thanks RM<

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    1. 77

       rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Maita, just click on the RSS for HubMob and look at the feed.  If you are in HubMob, and categorized correctly for the contest, and met time frame for the contest, you are in the contest too.

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       1. 62

          prettydarkhorseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          I forgot about that hmmm, thank you RM

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19. 82

    Whitney05posted 15 years ago

    Hmm... So, without adding links we're not going to be considered for your 10? I don't like adding links because that's more for people to click other than Adsense and products.
    
    Oh well... Guess I'll just keep writing and finding topics that target a select niche with fewer numbers in searches so that my one page isn't competing with millions, just a few hundred thousands.
    
    It'll be long-term winnings versus just this once. Still going to tr to make info-packed hubs. I won't be adding links though, especially to wikipedia sources, like many of the links from the hubs you picked. Wikipedia isn't the most accurate source of info, and isn't the best source to cite.
    
    There were tons of great hubs written for the contest; in a way it makes since to give the judges fewer to choose from, but I'd suggest giving more than just the 10 that follow your qualifications. There may be something they like better that you didn't list. It just narrows down people's enthusiasm to try if they have to do something that they don't like (add unnecessary filler).

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    1. 74

       SweetiePieposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       If they are picking hubs that link to Wikipedia, then they are not reading as carefully as they should.  I am not trying to critique, but I have to agree a well written hub without links is much more desirable than linking to wiki.

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    2. 86

       Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Whitney, I think you've had the same reaction I have, but you're managing to shake it off, unlike me!
       
       Looking at the shortlisted Hubs, I feel like I've spent my whole HubPages history doing the wrong thing.  I've always seen Hubs as magazine-style articles - good information but presented in a lighter format, laced with personal opinion and experience.  Many of the short-listed Hubs are much heavier on facts and figures, worthy of a reference book or encyclopedia.  And as those Hubs have been chosen by a HubPages founder, it says something about what HP really wants on the site.
       
       I guess I'm getting an inkling of how the creative writers felt when the 100 Hub Challenge was on.  And like them, I have to remember that HubPages is a broad church and I'm entitled to go on doing my own thing.

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       1. 82

          Whitney05posted 15 years agoin reply to this

          I am quite irritated at the ideal that is being set for the choices, but there's nothing that I can do about it to change what is wanted for the contest. Personally, it has driven down my drive to want to participate. I didn't even care to try for the "Choosing a Diet" topic. If I felt like I had more of a chance to be chosen for one of the top 10 slots, then I may have tried harder to come up with something interesting.
          
          I do understand that having outbound links is good for SEO, but I'd rather my article be good enough for searches to find as is. Then when the searcher finds it, they don't have anything but potential earnings for them to click on. I have added links and news capsules to the bottom, under the comments section to a few of my hubs, but to me that looks silly bc you shouldn't try to hide something that you put on a page just to have it there.
          
          I do agree that the magazine-type article is what I like, as well. It provides the information without a decoder. I'm not a professor or a scholar; I am an average working, college student. I like sites that I find online to be simple, in layman's terms, and aesthetically pleasing (IE no junk, filler, ads flying across the screen, music, or ugly bold backgrounds.)

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          1. 86

             Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             I do hide capsules at the end, but I know what you mean.  The bottom line is, artistic integrity and SEO are not a comfortable mix!
             
             
             That's my philosophy too.  If I did include facts, figures, charts and tables on my Hubs, I'd only be copying them off other websites, and there doesn't seem much point in that.  When writing Hubs, I don't see myself in competition with academic or strictly factual sites on the subject.
             
             It seems we both have a similar approach to what a Hub is, and having calmed down, I think it's a legitimate model.  It may not suit this particular contest, but it works for us.

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             1. 82

                Whitney05posted 15 years agoin reply to this

                I have a few News or RSS feed capsules at the very bottom, but I feel weird because something shouldn't be on a page if it's going to be hidden.
                
                
                
                I agree. I'm just going to pick topics I find interesting now, whereas before I was trying to do 3 or at least 2 hubs a topic. I'm not worried about trying overly hard to make something I like, that isn't within their requirements, and I'm not going to write an encyclopedia article. People don't want to search and read that. They want something they can understand.
                
                Plus, I have a lot going on in my life right now. I wish that I could continue doing 2 or 3 a day.
                
                Marisa just focus on the long-term rewards you'll get. That's what I'll do when I find a good topic on the list.

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20. 86

    rebekahELLEposted 15 years ago

    I think for the topics we're writing on, it's important to cite references as we are not authorities on the topics. (some may be, but the majority aren't) I can see why they want hubs with links.

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       PrettyPantherposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       I agree with this in general, but especially on the subject of natural remedies, a link to a source on the internet isn't necessarily better than advising people to seek medical advice before starting any treatment, natural or otherwise.  In this case, the link requirement seems very arbitrary.

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       1. 86

          rebekahELLEposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          I think both are important on this topic. generally if you look at most articles online about health care, dispensing information about treatment, references are always cited. I don't think I've read any articles without links or references. I would question any article without references given in the text or at the end of the article. not so much a question about links themselves, but where did the author get the information?

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21. 60

    Jason Menayanposted 15 years ago

    If you're worried about links competing with ads, then you can always put your Link Capsule at the very bottom of the page, even below the comments, if you like. And you shouldn't feel limited to Wikipedia. There are lots of reputable health sites (like mayoclinic.com or webmd.com) that provide useful information.
    
    I think they add to the informational value of a Hub.
    
    RebekahELLE's point about providing corroboration of any medical claims is a good idea. Giving any sort of medical advice without citations for credible sources is wading into tricky waters...

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    1. 82

       Whitney05posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       The question is not using wikipedia as the only source online, but that most of the hubs you chose link to wikipedia, which means more than likely they used that as a source. Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information.
       
       I add a disclaimer to all medical hubs that actually give treatment options, sending questions about diagnosis, treatment, dosages, and detailed answers to professional doctors, practitioners, veterinarians, etc.
       
       Edit: I just clicked a random hub of the top 10, and 6 of the 7 links directed to wikipedia. 
       
       I may opt for the news capsule instead of links, well below the comments. That is actually beneficial to add for more info.

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    2. 86

       Lily Roseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Is stating something like "According to the ABC study..." not enough of a reference as to where the source of information came from?  What if the information came from literature NOT on the web??
       
       Definitely discouraged.

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       1. 86

          Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Lily Rose, Hubs are not academic reference works, so there's no requirement to cite anything.  I rarely do - like Whitney, I don't want to give me readers any more exits from my Hub than necessary.  Darkside takes the same view - he puts his links right at the bottom of the Hub, after the comments, and they're often not citations but sites for further reading.
          
          Apparently having several outbound links does help your ranking in Google searches. I went back and added outbound links to several of my older Hubs after I discovered that, but hadn't done the same on my contest Hubs - big mistake obviously.

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          1. 86

             Lily Roseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             I didn't know that having outbound links helps your Google ranking.  I know backlinking does, but didn't know this.  Does links to other hubs count as outbound links?
             
             I agree with you in not wanting readers to go elsewhere.  I usually alsway have a links capsule at the end of my hub, but I only put links to some of MY other hubs - does that count as outbound links?
             
             Thanks Marisa!

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             1. 86

                Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                No, links to your own Hubs don't count.  I have to thank Ghost32 for explaining it to me - he had loads of text links in his Hubs and I suggested it was a bad idea.  We had a forum thread about it, and Darkside popped in and explained (as usual!), and suggested the links capsule at the bottom of the Hub, under the Comments capsule - where Google will see it but readers may not!  Ten links to different outside sites related to your topics is the suggestion.
                
                Sorry, I seem to have hijacked the thread...

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                1. 86

                   Lily Roseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                   Not really hijacked - Jason did bring up links in hubs!
                   
                   Thanks for the clarification, Marisa.  I don't know that I have the patience to go in and do that to my existing hubs, but I'll try on new ones and see what happens!

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22. 60

    Jason Menayanposted 15 years ago

    BIG DAY: Three awards today!
    
    9th day of the contest down, with 57 entries on the topics of Healthy Diets. So, let's start with the first award of the day: the Daily Drawing. The winner is: Internetwriter62! If you haven't read it already, you can read her Hub here:
    The Benefits of Food Combining and How it Helps Us Achieve a Better Digestion
    
    Congratulations on the $50 prize!
    
    Second, the Best Hub award, determined by our panel of 4 judges. The winner of this award is: wordscribe41! Her winning Hub is Take Control of Your Complexion: Topical Herbal Remedies for Acne
    
    Congratulations on the $100 prize, and the eligibility for the month's $1,000 grand prize!
    
    Finally, we have the People's Choice award, determined by...you! The winner of this award is: stephhicks68!. Her winning Hub, with 35 votes, is: Pet Acupuncture: Stick.... Stay!
    
    Congratulations on the $100 prize!
    
    Today's topics, which began about a half-hour ago, is Choosing a Diet. You'll have more than 23 hours (remember, before tomorrow at 11:59 am Pacific!) to complete up to 3 eligible Hubs on this topic.
    
    Onward, Hubbers!

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    1. 0

       wordscribe41posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Oh my goodness,  I've never won anything in my life but a beach towel!!!  I've been avoiding coming on here all day because I didn't want to get discouraged.  I'm so pleased!!!!!  Thanks so much, Jason, judges and everyone who read my hub.

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          sunforgedposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Congratulations! I think you did a very thorough and engaging hub - well deserved!

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       2. 86

          Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          You deserved it, it's a terrific Hub with an original slant on the topic.

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          darksideposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          I've come a looking to take a look at the hub selected weekly winners. Congratulations! Great hub too by the way, as if you didn't already know!
          
          Has the winner from the second week been announced yet?

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             wordscribe41posted 15 years agoin reply to this

             Thanks, Darkside.  The winner from week 2 is announced tomorrow, Wednesday.

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23. 60

    Jason Menayanposted 15 years ago

    An amusing reminder of why images, links, videos, polls, charts and other capsule elements enhance the readability of Hubs from the Onion: Nation Shudders At Large Block Of Uninterrupted Text

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24. 60

    Jason Menayanposted 15 years ago

    Marisa: There are several shortlisted Hubs from this past week that share personal experiences along with lots of information. Anglnwu's and Rmcrayne's Hubs are just two that come to mind.

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25. 81

    sunforgedposted 15 years ago

    I saw this in the posted contest info from the beginning:
    
    
    
    Ive pretty much always taken Hubpages suggestions for capsule use and content in the flagship program to be a mirror of what they feel will be the best performers
    
    So I wasnt surprised when Jason reiterated this criteria within the thread. I was surprised and slightly disappointed to learn that the contests winners were all going to be picked via one persons batch, particularly with the phrasing "peoples choice"..I imagined something more ..I guess, democratic, but I never considered the logistics of reviewing so many hubs.
    
    maybe next time you could incorporate the functionality of your new "hop" with the peoples choice option? ...seems like a perfect marriage to me

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       Lily Roseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Great idea, Sunforged - I just finished checking out the new hop and I like it.  I can see how it would be useful for the next contest.

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       Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Sunforged, that's probably what got me, too.  I think your idea is an excellent one, I hope it'll be logistically possible for a future contest.

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    wordscribe41posted 15 years ago

    Thanks, Sunforged and Marisa.  I appreciate your kind comments.    Congrats to all the winners today.  I think stephhicks is an Oregonian, too!

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       Green Lotusposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Congratulations Wordscribe! Your Reiki Hub was brilliantly put together and it was an intelligent, well cited read. You deserve the big win! On to the bigger one!

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    darksideposted 15 years ago

    I see that each of the topics is a link that goes to the hub creation page and has the topic already filled in. Do we have to create a hub that way or can we do it via the Start A New Hub button and make sure that the hub is properly categorised?
    
    Apologies if this has already been asked, I didn't want to wade through 15 pages of the thread.

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       rebekahELLEposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       you can start it with start a new hub button making sure it's placed in the daily sub category.
       
       if you want it to be included in the hub mob which follows the weekly topic, you can start it with the hub mob link and make sure you place it in the correct daily category and it will also be included in the contest.
       
       congrats to all the winners.

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          darksideposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Excellent. I'm only aiming to do a few in the last week but grabbed the URLs now. Otherwise I would have had time to delete them and wait for the URLs to free up again.

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             rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             Yep.  You can start hubs without using the contest link, including working well in advance of the day's topic, just publish on the correct topic day.

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                darksideposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                Thank you for the further clarification.
                
                To be sure I had them in the right categories I clicked through on the other links to check exactly where which category it was in. Two of mine were right and the other I had to change.

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                   rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                   
                   
                   Good to know.  I was curious, but lazy.

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    alexandriaruthkposted 15 years ago

    CONGRATS to all the WINNERS!

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    Jason Menayanposted 15 years ago

    Hey everyone,
    
    Since I'm headed out for a much-needed vacation soon, HubPages designer and, um, baboon (orangutan?) Jacob Harris (elbalazo) will be running the contest for the rest of the month. It might take him a bit more time to announce the day's and week's winner as he gets up to speed, but I'm sure you'll enjoy his sense of humor and he's excited to read the Hubs you'll be publishing.
    
    Happy Hubbing everyone!
    
    Jason

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    wordscribe41posted 15 years ago

    Have a great vacation, Jason.  You definitely deserve it! 

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    elbalazoposted 15 years ago

    Hi all!
    
    I'm very excited to work with everyone on the contest as I normally sit in a corner at HubPages Central, and I am not allowed to talk to anybody.
    
    Like Jason said, I'll be a little slower in getting results out in the beginning because I am clearly a baboon...as indicated by my profile pic; so thanks in advance for your patience. In return, I'll be sure to act really offended when you ask me any questions. Kidding.
    
    Ask me anything. Really.
    
    So today I would like to announce that wordscribe41 is our daily winner!
    
    Check out her epically informative Hub Choosing a Diet with Science as Your Guide
    
    In other news, the new topics are up for tomorrow, March 12th. They are Low-Fat Diets and Low-Carb Diets.
    As usual, the entries have to be in before 11:59am PST...or else.
    
    So there you have it. I'll holler at you guys tomorrow.
    Cheers,
    Jacob

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       rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Welcome Jacob. 
       
       Where is your green HubPages "H"?  It would help you stand out in the thread. 
       
       What was the final hub count for the day? 
       
       Rose Mary

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          elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          It's there.
          The final count was 38 hubs.

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             rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             38 hubs for day 3?  And how many for day 4?

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                Money Glitchposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                I'm with you Rose Mary, what happened to the hub counts? It's nice to know how many hubs are being produced each day!  I was kind of using this as a guideline to make decisions on which categories I would perhaps produces more hubs for at a later date.   
                
                HP staff could we please get hub count when the winner is announced?

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                   Whitney05posted 15 years agoin reply to this

                   I'd also be interested in a daily count for each topic. Not necessarily to see which topics to later write on, but for curiosity. I believe that certain days have fewer hubs written, and those would be the best days to write 3 instead of 1.
                   
                   In general, health topics are good to write about. You just have to be careful with general topics, especially weight loss because the competition is very great. Be very specific on your choices, as general weight loss plans are very common, and some of the plans are very commonly searched and very commonly written about. It's a pain to think you have a good topic to search a keyword to find 5 million other people wrote about it using the same base keyword or phrase.  (Just a tip for all)

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                      Money Glitchposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                      Thanks so much for the tips Whitney! I really appreciate it. It's always good to hear from Hubbers that have more experience in such areas. I'm slowly catching to some of the tricks of the trade, however, I feel like I still have a long way to go when it comes to the world of SEO and the likes..

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       wordscribe41posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       That's it, Lady Luck is on my side.  I'm heading to Vegas! 
       
       Thanks so much.

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    prettydarkhorseposted 15 years ago

    Congratulations again wordscribe!

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       wordscribe41posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Prettydarkhorse, thank you so much! 

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    prettydarkhorseposted 15 years ago

    If you submit a hub on a topic and it is late like say one hour late, will it still qualify for the week? Thank you,

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       elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       HI prettydarkhorse,
       Unfortunately, the hub has to be on-time for it's topic category, and preferably as early as possible in order to be eligible for all sections of the contest.
       This is because we compile the topics daily and cannot go back once it is done. Sorry.

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    elbalazoposted 15 years ago

    Hi All,
    Today's Daily Winner is drbj! Congratulations man!
    
    Check out drbj's hub Obesity is Widespread.
    It's both scarier than a zombie movie, and also sticks to the topic with a comparison of popular low-fat/low-carb diets.
    
    Congrats again!
    
    Today's topics are Vegetarianism and Veganism, so get writing!

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    apricotposted 15 years ago

    I wonder if anyone could advise me - I got mixed up on the submission days and posted my hub on Vegetarianism and Veganism too early...is there any way I can still enter it?

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       Whitney05posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Write another hub on the topic.
       
       
       Side note for those on the HP team in charge of the contest... Why are there two days for weight loss?
       
       Monday, March 8: Weight Loss
       Sunday, March 14: Weight Loss Tips & Advice

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          elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Good question. I'll have to ping Jason, as he chose the topics.

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          elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          So the difference between the two is that March 8th were more general articles on Weight Loss, whereas March 14th will be specific weight loss plans.
          Does that help?

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       elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       apricot,
       
       We'll look into it and get back to you.

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       elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       apricot,
       Hubs have to be submitted after 11:59 am PST in order to be eligible. The best thing I can advise you to do is to create another hub on the topic.
       
       My bigger concern is your location. You live in Italy if I'm not mistaken and the
       contest is only open only to residents of the United States ( + DC), Canada (except Quebec), the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

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    wordscribe41posted 15 years ago

    Congrats drbj!!!

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    Lily Roseposted 15 years ago

    Get lost, Mr. JON!

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    wordscribe41posted 15 years ago

    Elbalazo:  Question about the topic "Children's Diets"... Diet can of course mean healthy eating.  It can also mean eating for weight loss.  Since the category is "Diets and Weight Loss" are we to assume our hubs should be addressing the latter here (weight loss for children)?  I've struggled with this question all week, maybe it's just me...

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       rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       If you go to Topics-->---> Children's Diets, the hubs are not all about wt loss.  The hub I have planned is not about weight loss. 
       
       My Healthy Diets hub on the BED, is less about wt loss and more about health impact, wt loss just being one of them.

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       elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       wordscribe41: The hub can be about either healthy eating habits or weight-loss.
       Cheers.

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    wordscribe41posted 15 years ago

    Thanks, Rosemary and elbalazo.  That helps tremendously.  Cheers back!

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    elbalazoposted 15 years ago

    Hey folks,
    Today's contest winner is Whitney05! Check out her hub Raise Healthy Children on a Vegetarian Diet.
    Today's topic is Children's Diets.
    Now go and get 'er done!
    Talk to you tomorrow.

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    Money Glitchposted 15 years ago

    Congrats Whitney, on your win! 

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    Lily Roseposted 15 years ago

    Congratulations, Whitney!!!!
    
    
    @ HP Staff -> I'm with Rosemary & Money Glitch - give us a hub count, please?!

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       elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Hub count was 23.

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          Money Glitchposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks so much elbalazo, have a great weekend!

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    prettydarkhorseposted 15 years ago

    Congratulations Whitney!

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    elbalazoposted 15 years ago

    Happy Sunday everyone!
    Today's winner is alexandriaruthk! Check out her hub Tips From A Mother of Seven : How to Feed Your Children Healthy Foods, a wealth of great tips for making the rugrats eat for once!
    
    Today's topic is Diet Tips and Advice. Get to it!
    Talk to you tomorrow,
    Jacob

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       rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       What was the hub count?

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          elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Hub count was 24 hubs.

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       alexandriaruthkposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you Mr Jacob! I am so glad I won, YEHEY!

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    Lily Roseposted 15 years ago

    Are people losing interest in the contest?

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       elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       I haven't had a chance to look at the metrics yet, however my inclination is to think that the people that are more hardcore/high-credibility writers are the ones who tend to stay on these kinds of events for the long-haul, while others fall off.
       Any thoughts on your end?

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       rebekahELLEposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       possibly because of the weekend, people had other commitments, wanted to spend time with friends, family.

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    wordscribe41posted 15 years ago

    I agree with Rebekah and elbalazo.  Plus, I think it mirrors the behavior we see with the HubChallenges.  People are all geared up initially, invest a lot of work then get somewhat burned out.  Plus, there's a bit of overlap in terms of content for the various weeks.  So, perhaps it's been a challenge coming up with fresh material towards the end of any week.

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    thisisoliposted 15 years ago

    Erm, I know some of america has changed for daylights savings, but has all of America changed?
    
    Over here in the UK our clocks do not go forward until the 28th, which means that we are an hour closer than normal I think!

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       rebekahELLEposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       yes, all of US has changed, except Hawaii and parts of Arizona, I believe.
       yes, that should make you an hour closer to our time until your time changes. it is 12:21 p.m. Pacific time.

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    elbalazoposted 15 years ago

    It's Monday, March 15th, and our winner for March 14th is Debby Bruck. Her hub is entitled Homeopathy and Weight-Loss.
    Check it out.
    Since it's a new week, we are switching up categories. This week's new category is "Exercise and Fitness" and the topic for today is "Choosing a Workout".
    Now get those pencils sharpened for some hubbing (actually, don't sharpen the pencils. I know this is all done online...you'll just hurt yourself or your computer if you take my advice).
    Cheers,
    Jacob

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    Om Paramapoonyaposted 15 years ago

    Hey! Thanks for the peeps' choice award nomination.

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       elbalazoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       No problem! You earned it.

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    wordscribe41posted 15 years ago

    Yes, thanks, Jacob.  I appreciate the nom, too.  I realize you have a lot of work on your hands, so thank you. 

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