Dazed? Yes. Confused? Yes. Hubbing it? Yes! A day or two ago, the word hub went along with cap . . . . as in hubcap. I frankly had never heard of a hub. I knew a little (very little!) about blogging and, in fact, just created a blog site called www.whyitmatters.org. In it I write about social issues -- things that matter.

It was relatively simple to set up (sure!) and I bungled my way through it, even getting the blog to post to my domain. However, my one and only friend (obviously!) who visited it could not get the following button to work so she could be a follower. I am hoping that it will miraculously fix itself and I won't have to worry about it.

The problem is that no matter how simple these techies try to make this stuff, they can't help using technical jargon that is beyond me. When I see the word html, I want to buy some vowels. Hot meal? Okay . . . . fine.

Trying to educate myself on how to attract readers, I ran across hubs on a search engine. Because I've always wanted to be a writer -- and many people have told me I need to be a writer (because I am good at it) -- I am at the point where I will try anything. I want to write, but I also want someone to actually read the stuff. Otherwise, what's the point?

Sure, I want to make money. Who doesn't? A real writer, though, writes for himself and hopes to make money. That is me, and that is why I know I am a real writer -- one who, unfortunately, occasionally digresses. Also, though a few people have started making big money writing blogs, it is not the norm.

I clicked through and read a few posts by other people. Grant had 14 hubs and 100 followers (I can't remember the exact details, but you get my drift). He also had some good information for getting your hub on the front page of a search engine. I decided I would get back to Grant after I figured it all out. At that point, more dazed and confused than ever, I was thinking that a hub was a group of articles on a given topic. I thought Grant was a busy, busy man.

I still wasn't sure what a hub was and there was no real good definition or explanation. I had questions for which there were no answers in the help section. Can I still keep my own blog? Can I transfer my blog to this hub? What about my own domain name? Since I am a determined writer, I decided to just forget about my own blog for now and move forward anyway.

Signing up was easy enough. I entered a user name and password. That was all there was to it. I didn't have to enter my name, address, credit card, social security number, birth place and name of my favorite dog -- just a user name and password.

On the next page, you have an option to enter your normal email address and password. This is so they can look at your email contacts in the address book and match it to other hubbers. You can skip this, so I did.

I clicked on "create a hub." I got really scared when the page popped up and asked me for a title for my hub. Below that was a box asking for my url title. I just wasn't sure what I had to put in there. The word "url" can be pretty frightening to a literate but illiterate computer user like me. There were boxes to the right explaining each step, but I was still dazed and confused. I searched help again (please don't think I am a total idiot!).

At this point, I was thinking that maybe a "hub" is like an airline hub, a place where I parked my blog. The individual posts got routed out to wherever they needed to go, with someone besides me having to be the air traffic controller or the dreaded settings controller.

After the light bulb came on, I realized that the hub is a post, also known as an article. It is nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes I have to wonder . . . . why didn't they just say that in the first place? I was ever so grateful as I entered the title to my first hub called "Dazed and Confused and Hubbing it." That is because as I entered the title to my post aka my hub, the url below was being automatically filled in! What a relief that was.

As Grant, or maybe Amy or Bob, said, to get your hub up there on a search engine, a "how-to" article is a great thing. That is because a lot of people want to know how to do something. I wanted to know how to get started, so I decided to write a how-to article on how to create a hub. I am writing this article for me so I know how to do it. I don't mind sharing it with you, though.

As you may have realized by now, this is my first hub. Since most people who write a how-to article are supposed to be somewhat proficient in the subject at least, I give you evidence of my proficiency: this hub.

I then had to come up with a topic. Fortunately, there is a drop down menu with all the available topics. After you decide the topic, it gives you an option to choose a sub-topic. There is also a drop down menu for the sub-topic. See? It is all quite simple. Even a computer illiterate can do it, as you will know when you read this..

Under create tags, I got a bit worried again. According to the instructions in the box, located on the right, these tags are what helps the search engines find you. Unfortunately, there are no drop down menus. However, just put a few descriptive words in. Fortunately, after you write your hub (on a later page) you can click on a tag helper that will give you some suggestions so that you can add more.

There are only two boxes, but after you enter the first tag, another box pops up, leaving you with two more. After you enter the second tag, another empty box pops up. You are on your own in discovering what the tag limit is.

After clicking "continue," you go to a scary page asking if you want to continue. Sure you do! Click it! Then, after entering some words in box that show up on the next page (security feature) you go to the "Assemble Your Capsules" page.

Although it sounds scary, "capsules are nothing more than the components of your post. Your title and category (topic) are already automatically entered. Google Adsense (the money-making ads that are included on your article or hub page when it is published) is already included. You have the option from a menu board in the top right hand corner to add a couple of more. I added Amazon to mine. Hey, let's see if I can make a few bucks here. You check buttons if you want to add pictures, etc., so it is all relatively simple and not as complicated as it sounds. I was impressed with how easy it was.

After you figure all that out, click on "text" and start writing. After you are done, simply hit "save" at the top of the text box. After that, your guess is as good as mine, though I am hoping it will then show me my brand new hub in the form of a finished product.

It did. It also gave me a chance to go back and edit, which was nice because I got to add this paragraph. Luckily for me, I also got a chance to change some punctuation, a few run on sentences and other things. I don't know why, but it is easier for me to see the mistakes in the preview window than in the compose window.

A handy step-by-step numbered instruction guide is included below because I read somewhere in one of the other hubs that it is helpful for some reason, but can't remember why. I may not be confused any longer, but I am still dazed. Unfortunately, that is getting to be a permanent state of mind. Happy hubbing!

1. Create a user name and password (Hint: the user name can be just your first name)
2. After you hit the "next" button, it will ask you for your email account and password. You can skip this step if you don't want to give it. It will check to see if any of your contacts in the address book of your email are hubbers. Either do it or click on "skip."
3. Click on "create a hub." That brings you -- obviously -- to the Create a hub page.
4. Choose a title. You are on your own here, make one up already.
5. Fortunately, your url has just been entered automatically.
6. Next, by a pull down menu, you pick a topic for your page.
7. Enter a sub-topic if you want. It gives a drop down menu for this also.
8. Add tags. This is the hard part, as this helps the search engine find you.
9. Click "continue."
10. A scary warning page appears. Ignore that and click "continue."
11. A box comes up and you type in the words to continue on to the next page.
12. Assemble your "capsules." That is to arrange your page and add the items from the menu that you want included in your page.
13. Write your hub and save. It's that easy.