HubPages Announces Contest, Helps Educate Community on Online Writing Skills

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif (March 31, 2011) -- HubPages believes that while publishing has moved from an offline to an online model, many writers still struggle to understand how to be the most effective online author. To provide its 200,000 writers with the education and guidance necessary to learn all the ways that writing can be successful in a world of online publishing, HubPages is announcing its “So You Think You Can Write Online” contest where writers are encouraged to submit articles on any topic, and be judged and rewarded on online writing skills.

“The traditional model of publishing, where readers subscribed to newspapers or magazines, or bought books from a brick and mortar store, is quickly disappearing. Today, more and more readers find their knowledge online, often through search or social media recommendations. In this era of online reading, writers have to educate themselves to write for an online universe,” says Paul Edmondson, CEO of HubPages. “This is what HubPages is best equipped to do - teach and guide our community of writers to understand the world of the Internet, and help them become excellent online writers. This contest is designed to educate, inform and reward our writers for skills related to online writing.”

Starting this April, HubPages’ So You Think You Can Write Online contest will reward writers for effective writing for the Internet. The criteria of the contest include: excellent writing skills; interesting, niche topics; original content; searchable titles; an Internet-friendly tone; and a tasteful use of HubPages capsules.

“In one of the hardest times in publishing, many writers are struggling to make the transition from writing for traditional readers to writing for online readers. The new paradigms are a struggle for many,” says Simone Smith, Community Manager and contest organizer. “Through this contest, HubPages seeks to inform, educate, and reward writers who most effectively employ the new ways of writing online by creating original, well-written and useful articles that have the ability to be found via search, forwarded via social media, and take on a viral life of their own.”

Writers can first start submitting entries for the contest on March 31st at 12:00pm (PT) and can continue submitting entries until 12:00pm on April 28th. There is a limit of five entries per day, but each entry will have a chance to win $50 in a random Daily Drawing, $50 for being the Staff Pick of the day, $100 for being a People’s Choice of the week (based on popular vote), $100 for winning the Best Hub prize for a week (based on contest judge ranking), and $250 for being a Grand Prize winner.

HubPages (www.HubPages.com) is a social content community where everyday experts communicate their knowledge to information seekers through online articles while earning an income. For users, HubPages is the most rewarding place to contribute knowledge while interacting with a like-minded community, making money, and retaining the ownership of their content. HubPages provides users with turn-key technology, a Google-enabled platform and an easy way to be recognized for their expertise and knowledge.

Publication of HubPages articles doubled in 2010, growing from 600,000 in early January, to 1,100,000 at the end of December. The number of published writers increased 64 percent to 205,000, as did their engagement within the site, with 86 percent more forum posts by users and many more questions and answers posted within HubPages' community pages.

Started in 2006, the company has raised $8 million in funding in two rounds from Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and Storm Ventures.

Contact:
HubPages
Pia Chatterjee, PR Manager
415-684-5979
pia.chatterjee@hubpages.com