My Favorite Hubbers on HubPages
63
HubPages is a pretty awesome writing community and there are many very talented writers and hubbers.
Who are the best hubbers within HubPages?
Are they the hubbers with the highest hub score? Or perhaps the hubbers with the most number of views? Or are they those hubbers that have earned the most from Google AdSense or other affiliate links?
I am sure a good case can be made for each of those metrics, but my favorite HubPages writers are the ones that entertain me and inform me.
|
A Chestful of Awards 20x30 poster
Price: $15.40
|
Birds of a Feather
I like to think of myself as a liberal, and I take pride in being open-minded.
When I develop an interest in a topic, I carefully analyze its pros and cons so that I can make effective decisions based on all the available information. I try to stay objective, and keep away emotions that may cloud the issue.
However, recently, I came face to face with this illusion of mine:
It seems that I only like hubbers that wear the same feathers as I do!. Here is my usual hubber fan selection process:
- Take note of hubber who has made an interesting post in a hub or in the Forums.
- Go to promising hubber profile. Read profile. If profile description fails fan test , then spit on profile picture, and make a quick exit, else ...
- Go to hubber's hubs. Skim through hub titles and pick a controversial one; usually pertaining to religion or politics. If hub fails fan test, then spit a few times on profile picture, grunt a few times in frustration because of all the wasted reading time, and make a quick exit, else ...
- Leave a comment on the hub and wait for an answer from the hubber.
- If response fails fan test, then thank lucky stars for the close escape, and make a quick exit, else ...
- Join hubber's fan club and leave some fan mail.
|
Bird Boy
Price: $30.00
|
Fan Test
What is this fan test? I suppose it is an unconscious judgement call that I make at multiple points to see if the target hubber is enough like me.
Indeed, it is natural for us to want to flock together with birds that are like us.
Why?
Well, we have more common ground and more to talk about; we agree on many more things and can poke fun at people who do not share those same beliefs; and we do not have to walk on egg-shells for fear of saying something that may spark an argument.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to flock with birds of our own type; but for some reason, I had not seen it as being somewhat inconsistent to my perceived open-mindedness.
Team of Rivals
When President Obama took office, we started hearing a lot about the "Team of Rivals" concept.
Team of Rivals is a book written by Doris Kearns Goodwin about Lincoln's presidency. According to Goodwin, Lincoln's wartime Cabinet included many of the people who had been running against him, and this political decision, led to many subsequent successes.
The general premise here is that much can be learned from the people who disagree with you most.
Based on this premise, should we throw our previous bird-strategy to the four winds and instead construct our favorite hubber list by mostly adding people who think differently than we do?
|
Barack Obama, 16x20 Lithograph Sheppard Fairey
Price: $12.00
|
|
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Price: $12.28
List Price: $21.00 |
Rival Hubbers as Favorites?
On the surface, this sounds like a fairly appealing idea. In a single stroke I get to learn more from the ideological rivals around me, as well as restore some of my claim to open-mindedness. Seems like a win-win situation to me.
However, actual practice can be far different from abstract consideration.
Recently, quite by accident, I had discovered that one of my favorite hubbers was actually a rival in disguise. I was visiting a newly published hub, and found it to be fairly entertaining.
However, as I read through the comments I came across one that was homo-phobic, racist, and altogether offensive to me. But what disappointed me most was that my favorite hubber responded favorably to the dickish comment, and even went on to say that he/she agreed with most of the points stated.
I was frustrated, angered, and upset by this. Most of all, I was upset that I had wasted all of my time reading such a hubber's hubs and even leaving well thought-out comments. In anger and disgust, I posted one last comment and crossed the hubber out of my prestigious favorite hubbers list.
It was not until many days later that I had an epiphany that my last comment was rather shallow, and did not truly address the relevant issues raised in the hub. I still found the racist and homo-phobic comments to be offensive, but I have also learned much from this whole incident.
It made me recognize the limits of my open-mindedness, it made me consider what it would be like to surround myself with a team of rivals, and it challenged me to think more deeply and more carefully about the issues addressed in that last hub, especially because I did not agree with the writer's opinion.
My Favorite Hubbers
Does this mean that I will now travel forward and only add rivals to my favorite hubbers list?
I think not.
If I did so, I will probably get so frustrated, angry, and depressed that I will not want to visit HubPages again. Rivals may teach us more, but rivals will also cause greater discord and greater stress. Unless one is greatly skilled in the art of communication and inner peace, it will be difficult to steer through the sea of discord, to get at the learning or knowledge behind it.
I am not a strong enough swimmer to conquer such dangerous waters, so for now, I will stay high and dry, and stick to the birds I know and love. But I have learnt many lessons, and occasionally, I plan to visit my friendly rivals and be open to learning more.
Which are your favorite hubbers?
See results without voting
ShibaShake Blog
- Your Wedding
Your wedding is a very special and wondrous event that you will likely only experience once in your life. Therefore, it is only right that you make it everything that you always imagined it to be. If... - 3 weeks ago
- The Women of HubPages
One of the first things you will notice on HubPages land is that there are many talented and wonderful women authors. We will start our journey with them … The Hub Sisterhood is a collection... - 5 weeks ago
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Good hub. I like it. It is difficult to like a hubber, through a few posts and a hub or two, but not care for some of their views. I enjoyed your steps to becoming a fan and the spitting on profiles who do not pass liberal test. :) funny, and I do the same...just minus the spitting. Well, sometimes :)lol
Hi - Great HUB, as usual!
It made me think and that's why I like reading HUB Pages as much as I like writing in it - - - My bottom line is laughter - there isn't enough in the world and if a HUB makes me laugh then I'm happy - the person could be left or right - doesn't matter if its humorous -
Hey Shiba - Hope I wasn't on your spit list ;)
Great hub!
[mejane] Glad you liked it :)
[Janetta] lol - but the spitting part is the best part. I do have to wipe my screen more often, but nothing beats a good spit :)
[rchicaferro] Ah, I love humor too. It does much to make friends out of enemies. But then, there are also many types of humor, so perhaps we are back where we began. That would be a very interesting hub to write about - the many uses of humor ...
[frogdropping] It's dangerous to spit on frogs, they may decide to spit back! Give Kevin a doggie biscuit from me, or a cow, whichever he prefers :)
Always good to read other points of view. You don't learn much by just reading your own point of view again and again in other words.
Shiba - dog biscuits are beneath him (he's not just a name snob, the eejit) and he prefers waffles to cows.
And nope, I never spit back ;)
shibashake we're all going to be treading on eggshells here...in case you decide to spit on us! :P Kidding!
You raise very valid points. Most of us like to stay in our comfort zone, among people who think and behave like us. But often we could be sinking into a rut and we need to be shaken up by someone with a refreshingly (or maybe not) different viewpoint. There's something to learn from everyone.
[tksensei] Very true. But sometimes it also feels good to get some validation :)
[frogdropping] lol - I just had some waffles this morning. I am starting to fall for Kevin. Does he like dogs? and I don't mean as an aperitif.
Funny I come reading this after posting on one of the threads in the Forums about fanning.
Anyway, you raised some valid points and your system of fanning is very interesting in the sense that I haven't thought of fanning like that or given it that much introspection. I usually find myself fanning hubbers whose writing I like - regardless of whether I agree with what they have to say or not. It's how they say it. :D
lol FP - I spit on all cats as a general rule :)
"There's something to learn from everyone."
Very true. I think though, that some people are easier to learn from than others :)
Hi Cris, Yeah it is a highly complex process. I developed it after many months of experimentation. The spitting part was especially difficult to get right. Aim and force must be carefully balanced to get the best results :)
"... regardless of whether I agree with what they have to say or not. It's how they say it"
That is a very good point. The how is often more important than the what. Sometimes, the what is important though. I think that something like bigotry, no matter how you spin it, is never right.
And I agree. But the thing is, it's nice too to have an open mind and see how the other half lives. Fanning does not require believing or agreeing all the time. The comment box is there if you want to have your say on the issue that your fave hubber discussed :D
I think we are in general agreement. There is not enough rivalry here! :)
I think the murky areas lie at the edges. For example - Should I join a person who is a good writer, but whose prejudices are somewhat offensive to me? By doing so, am I also showing support for those prejudices? I can certainly debate with them, but I do not think it is right to tell them that they are wrong at every turn.
In the physical world, people tend to move and live with other people that share similar views, political affiliations, and socio-economic status. Will something similar happen more generally in online communities as well?
I am not sure. Still thinking about it.
Shiba - Kevin's a member of the Canine Defence League. Though as I mentioned, he wont do doggy stuff. He doesn't even bury his treasure for crying out loud ...
So fanning on HP could be a way of keeping tabs on the people whose writing style you like but whose ideas are rather opposite to yours. I mean how can you see what "ails" the world you move in if you tend to always go with the pack who shares your visions - it's like turning a blind eye. Besides, you might actually "convert" the person across the street to see it your way. It's worth the try, is it not?
LOL there's no rivalry - just a healthy discussion is all. And btw, you might want to approve the fan mail I posted :D
I love learning something new...or a different twist on somethig old. Lately, I've started to skip the controversial stuff because a few hubbers are so rude. I read a few of them but don't comment. This is a good hub....Thanks!
I have to admit I almost expected to find a list here. Quite pleased to see it wasn't. Very well thought out. Very good hub.
[frogdropping] LOL - I'll bury his treasure for him ;) Just tell him to bring over the good stuff - diamonds, rubies - none of that fake stuff, ya hear?!
I'm shallow; my favorite hubbers are the ones who's hubs I'd like to eat for breakfast. You know, the ones with yummy words, the ones that paint pretty pictures in my head, the ones that make me giggle, and sometimes the ones that make me think. Case in point.
why isn't there lissie in the list ,she is a great hubber..
Cris,
"how can you see what "ails" the world you move in if you tend to always go with the pack who shares your visions"
In theory, I most definitely agree with you. In practice though, it is a tough thing to do. For example, even with my news sources, I tend to go with the more liberal reporting, and have a very difficult time watching Fox. I have tried - but was not able to stay longer than 1 minute :D
"Besides, you might actually "convert" the person across the street to see it your way. It's worth the try, is it not?"
This is another very interesting question. I used to think so, and I still try to do that in certain areas, mostly in the dog training arena. However, I steer clear of areas like religion and politics.
Again, this is not a clear cut case because many people do not appreciate the "conversion" process :) I am not saying it is not possible, just that it takes quite a lot of skill in communication and being Zen. The Dalai Lama, for example, I think is great at both. I really admire someone like him, but I am far below his skill level.
"LOL there's no rivalry - just a healthy discussion is all. And btw, you might want to approve the fan mail I posted :D"
Yikes sorry about that. Sometimes I miss that. And yeah - I definitely am enjoying this healthy discussion :) One of the reasons why HubPages is so addictive.
Shiba - that's the problem. It's all real. *shakes head*
Stupid Dragon
[Tom] yeah I know what you mean. Its like what Kenny Rogers says, "You gotta know when to hold em', know when to fold em', know when to walk away, know when to run" :)
[The Real Truth] Thanks! I am terrible at making lists. Always leave out people I should put in, and put in people I should leave out. I leave list-making to the pros :)
[Randy Behavior] lol - I'm right with you there. That would be a really fun hub to write - pairing hubs with different types of food :) Some makes you laugh like Skittles, maybe, others give you comfort like ice-cream and chocolate, and some give you indigestion :)
[Paul2cool] Yes Lissie is a great hubber :)
frogdropping - LOL, I'm speechless. Time to go drink some high-quality vodka :D Then - you will see true Dragon kung-fu!
I have different fav hubbers for various reasons and different styles, enjoyed reading that.
Interesting...hmmm....
Which is your photo the chest full of medals or the bird boy?
I was checking to see whose name was on the list also. Not that kind of hub, I guess. Great placement of ads where the content is located.
Very very good. How many times a day do you end up spitting?
[BadCo] I am pretty sure I saw in a movie that pirates only mix well with other pirates. And even then, it is each pirate for himself - especially pirate captains ;)
[Raven King] lol - I definitely don't have very many medals, so I think I must be closer to bird boy. Although, when it comes to flying creatures, I like dragons best :)
[Linda] Sorry to disappoint. Glad that you liked the ads; did you click on a few? ;)
[RGraf] LOL. Number of spit is probably correlated to Number of views, AdSense earnings and availability of tasty liquids :)
At first I fanned those with like minds because I agree their thoughts. But after a couple of weeks I decided this was not good enough. Since then, I have sought out a wide range of hubbers with all kinds of ideas and from diverse backgrounds. Eloquence goes a long way when it come time to press the button and other factors have left me ambivalent.
Rivals in the News
- Lentz, Mishawaka top rival Penn in HS wrestlingWNDU 16 South Bend1 second ago
State runner-up Christian Lentz scored an early pin over Devon Reagan to give Mishawaka an 18-9 lead and the Cavemen went on to defeat rival Penn 36-21 in high school wrestling Thursday night.
- Hockey: Mavs will face rival Mankato minus BlaisOmaha World-Herald1 second ago
The University of Nebraska at Omaha will seek to end the first half of its hockey schedule on a positive note this weekend with a home-and-home series against nonconference rival Minnesota State-Mankato.
- Rival faction to move motion against Makkal Sakti chiefThe Star1 second ago
PETALING JAYA: A rival faction has decided to proceed with its Central Committee (CC) meeting tomorrow to move a motion of no confidence against Makkal Sakti president R. S. Thanenthiran.
mejane says:
8 months ago
Very thought provoking. Good read. Thank you.