#1 - Create Great Content

So you want to be an online writer superstar, adored by legions of faithful readers? Don't laugh--if you have talent and some great things to share, you might very well be the next online phenom.

Here are the things that make a great Hub, to help you organize your creative process:

1. write stuff that people like you want to read
2. add pictures and useful links
3. spell-check your writing
4. make sure your writing is your own
5. include enough information to make it really useful
6. final check: is it better than what's out there?

1. Can you answer yes to "Would you read a Hub about ___________?"

This is an important question to ask yourself before you sit down and begin composing. There's nothing wrong with having specific, niche interests--but make sure you would like to read the same if it were written by someone else.

2. Share your tips and advice.

That said, many people turn to the Internet to find solutions to their problems and answers to their questions. If you can think of a question that lots of people ask, but very few seem to have the answer to, that question can be a springboard for a fantastic Hub.

We've assembled a large list of the questions people are asking online. Check out our Idea Bank to give you some inspiration on topics for new Hubs.

3. Review products that you know well.

Have you tried a product, appliance or service that you'd like other people to know about? Give it an extensive review, compare it to similar products, and include pictures and technical specifications, if you have them available. Use the Amazon and eBay capsules to provide links to relevant products for sale, and earn a commission if visitors follow your links and buy (make sure your affiliate codes are active for both on the My Affiliate Settings tab on your my account page)

4. Share your opinion on a subject.

Are there any hot topics that you feel passionate about, and would like to educate other readers about? If you're the "go-to person" in your circle of friends when it comes to chatting about a certain topic, because you're exceptionally knowledgeable about the subject, you should share your expertise with a larger group of people by creating Hubs on it. Any opinion on any topic that you could address in detail, and possibly open for discussion via Comments with other Authors, would make for a great Hub.

5. Share your artistic expressions.

Are you a poet or a visual artist? Have you written a novel and want to publicize it by sharing a chapter online? Any original work of your own that you have the rights to can be shared in the form of a Hub. Here are some things other Authors have shared in their Hubs:

• photographs
• poetry
• paintings
• personal reflections
• links to videos

We all know "a picture is worth a thousand words", and we all know the power of television and film to communicate. Carefully-chosen, relevant pictures and videos help communicate some messages that words never can, or they can complement text nicely, giving the reader a visual foothold into the topic you're writing about.

Using Photo Capsules, you can upload as many images as you'd like, either from your computer or digital camera, or a Web page. Similarly, you can add YouTube or Google videos using the Video Capsule--all you need to do is insert a link.

Likewise, carefully-chosen, relevant links to other pages on the Web that help complement your Hub, and would be genuinely useful to someone reading your Hub, are a great way to drive up your Hub's usefulness. You can point your readers to other great resources on the Web in case they want to learn more beyond what you've written.

No one expects you to have to win a spelling bee to write a great Hub. But perfect spelling makes sure your Hub is understandable and looks credible. It's easy to do with the spell-checker that we've built into the Text Capsule.

In the Text Capsule gray menu bar, you'll see a blue check-mark with ABC above it (see the diagram below). If you click on that button, your misspelled words will have a red squiggly line underneath them. You can correct the mistakes, run it through a second time, and make sure your Hub looks professional.

We all see and read interesting stuff on the Web, and sometimes our instinct is to reproduce it here by copying and pasting it into a Hub.

Don't do it. There are 3 reasons why not to.

1. The text that you're copying is probably copyrighted and owned by someone else. Copying and pasting copyrighted text that you do not have permission to reprint is illegal.
2. There is relatively little value to you copying what's already available on the Web. People want to read something unique that you've written.
3. The search engines, Google, Yahoo, and others, will know that you've copied the text from elsewhere (they're very clever that way), and they won't send any visitors to your Hub. They'll just send visitors to the original Web page that you copied the text from.

What you can do: Post a link to their content, or copy a short excerpt, and then add your own commentary--your impressions, thoughts, and reactions to what the other person has written.

If you're looking for something on the Web, you want to find the page that will give you the most complete answer to your question. If you have a topic that you know about, take a little extra time to give as much information as possible to your readers.

Here's an example: If you wanted to learn about Trackbacks and Pingbacks, would you like to get your answer from this Hub (#1) or this Hub (#2)? The first provides a lot of information, plus several links to find more information. It even includes a picture to illustrate what trackbacks will look like on screen. The second, on the other hand, barely scratches the surface--it's really not useful at all.

One last check before you publish: Is my new Hub better than what Google and Yahoo think is the best on this topic?

For example: Let's say you want to build the best page on the Web on a certain appliance, the Acme Bread Machine. First, go to Google and Yahoo, type in Acme Bread Machine, and see what pages it shows you. Could you do a better job? Could you either add more useful information, better pictures, clearer explanations, or more in-depth feedback? If there's room for improvement on what Google and Yahoo think are the best, then there's an opportunity for you to create a Hub that's truly a winner.

In short, the idea is to create really great, high-quality Hubs, that other people will want to read. We all have different definitions of what high-quality, interesting, and great are, so just use your best judgment.

We're glad that you're a member of the HubPages community, and thank you for contributing to its success.