I have been doing some research on writing sites. I have yet to find a site which has more to offer than hubpages. Writers from across the globe write on hubpages, but equally important is the fact that there are also readers worldwide who choose to read articles written on hubpages. In fact, when hubbers write, they get traffic, because their hubs are widely read thanks to our large, active community.   In fact, if no one else reads the hubs, we can be sure that other hubbers will.  Hubbers love to write, but they also love to read.

Hubpages is a website that offers writers who join the opportunity to create web pages which are known as hubs. Hubpages came into existence three years ago, but according to the hubpages' blog dated September 2009, over 500.000 hubs have been published so far, and over 750,000 hubbers were registered at that time. The July 2009 blog announced that there were over 13.3 million visitors to hubpages from across the globe. A variety of writers including professionals and amateurs contribute to the rich variety of hubs published daily.

Contrary to popular belief, the articles written on hubpages are not blogs. Blogs are short articles. They may be even as short as one paragraph. Blogs merely reflect what is on the writer's mind at that moment. Blogs do not necessarily require research, although professional bloggers may be forced to research regularly to keep ahead of the competition.

Hubs, however, are articles, or essays, which reflect more than a passing thought. They are more intensive and in depth so they may require research. Hubs generally have a word count starting at 250 and can even be in the thousands. Of course, it may be appropriate to write a book if the words extend beyond a certain limit. Hubs attract advertisements from Google. The hubber (writer) can also insert other advertisements from Amazon, eBay or Kontera if accounts with the relevant companies have been approved. Photographs, videos and advertisements make hubs more appealing.  The above features indicate some of the reasons many visitors are attracted to hubpages.

I have discovered other writing sites which have similar features as hubpages, but they lack certain qualities that hubpages can easily boast. Most of the sites researched set certain limitations that are not found here.

Writers are invited to 'join' hubpages. However, some other sites ask that you 'apply' to write on their site. The major difference is that an applicant may not be accepted. Nothing can crush a writer's spirit more than to have their writing rejected, or to be told that their writing skills are not acceptable. Hubpages encourages writers. There are tools available to help each writer improve. There is also a fan base which each hubber can have to cheer them on and give helpful hints. There are also the hubpages blog, forum and regular e mail which help to keep hubbers motivated and to guide them in the right direction.

There are certain criteria associated with other sites. Writers are required to write a certain amount of articles within a particular time frame. In addition, the topics chosen for the articles must fit one of the groups provided by the company.

I am so pleased to announce that hubbers can choose any topic they desire, and there is no time frame to publish the hub. In fact quite a few hubbers have not published any hubs for weeks even months. A hubber need not be an experienced writer. Anyone can begin writing once they join. There is no pressure to start writing by a certain date, or to complete any particular number of articles within a certain time frame. Incidentally, I have not heard of anyone being denied access to join hubpages. However, I am sure a hubber can lose his or her privileges if the guidelines for hubbing are abused.

Hubpages offers scores which basically helps hubbers to keep track of their progress. Every hubber has the responsibility to write hubs which have excellent content, good grammar and accurate spelling. Each of those qualities when combined with relevant photographs and videos can attract traffic to the hubs.

In addition, as mentioned before advertisements provide a means for hubbers to earn money. A hubber can write with the intention of earning extra income or a substantial income.

Perhaps most important of all, is the fact that hubpages is recognized globally. People from all over the world who have access to the internet can actually read the hubs written by hubbers on hubpages. They are all free to leave a comment even if they have not joined.

The headquarters for hubpages is in California, USA, but yet there are writers from the continents of Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, Europe and of course North America who contribute to the wealth of knowledge available at hubpages. There are even writers from the islands of the Philippines, the West Indies and many, many others. This melting pot of people from various countries, culture, religious beliefs, languages and opinions all help to make hubpages what it is.

This community encourages freedom of speech and religious affiliation. Yes, it is true that the writers do not always agree with each other. This is a natural occurrence, because it is impossible that everyone will agree on everything. However, this is one of the things I like best about hubpages.

I love geography. I love history. I love people. I love languages. i love countries and the varieties of culture. This wide range of writers bring to hubpages a rich mixture of culture and creativity which makes hubpages unique.

However, it does not stop there. In essence, every hubber on hubpages has the opportunity to influence people all over the world. A hubber never really knows who has read his or her hub unless that individual leaves a comment. Many readers do not leave comments. Therefore, a president, a king, a queen, a prime minister, an ambassador or some other great leader with tremendous influence may have read or will read a hub written.

The thoughts of hubbers which are transferred by the words on the hubs are of significant importance. They may have a positive influence, or a negative influence on readers all over the world.  I have heard of people who were on the verge of committing suicide change their minds instantly because of a song they heard at that moment.  Writers can stop acts of violence too, by spreading words of peace, hope, joy and love.  Depressed individuals can have their spirits lifted by reading articles which motivate them to think positively.  Hubpages is an ideal place to do so.

My goal is to help everyone who reads my hubs become the people they were created to be. I hope that each reader will be inclined to become better individuals. If not, my writing would be in vain.

I watched a video on facebook that a friend of mine had posted. It had some clips of Will Smith and some quotations that he made on various interviews. Some of the comments he made caused me to stop to consider the depths of his words. I would like to highlight a few of his sayings. Like Will Smith, i believe I can create what I want to create. I have the power to do so.

In addition, he said:

Do what you can, the best you can...I want the world to be a better place because I was here..If you are not making someone else's life better, then you are wasting your time...Your life will become better by making other lives better.

In essence, he has summarized part of the reason I write here. I want to have a global influence through hubpages. I have the potential to bring about change in individuals, by influencing the way they think through my writing. My prayer is God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change...courage to change the things I can...and wisdom to know the difference.

I hope that I am passing on important information and bringing positive change to individuals internationally through my hubs. I think the words of this prayer (The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi) below best describes the influence I hope to have through my writing:

Lord make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred let me sow love.

Where there is injury pardon.

Where there is doubt faith.

Where there is despair hope.

Where there is darkness light.

And where there is sadness joy.

O divine master grant that I may

not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love

For it is in giving that we receive-

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Words have a permanent effect. What has been said can never be returned. They are released in the air to accomplish either good or evil. Words that have been written also have the same power, especially when they are published on the internet. They become permanent. Even if they are revised later, they have already been released in the air. The saying sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never harm me, is far from true. The damage that words can cause may be worse than any physical weapon.

If you are a hubber, I would encourage you to choose your words wisely. They may make or break the spirit of the reader. They have far reaching effects which can affect them more than we will know or even understand.

However, if you are a reader who has not yet joined hubpages, you may do so now. You have the power to influence people all over the world. You can show readers how to make some thing. You may even tell them about the part of the world you have lived before, or where you are living now. You may have knowledge of a particular topic which may be helpful to readers. Perhaps you had an experience you think is worth sharing with the world. This is your opportunity to write and help make the world a better place.

Whatever you have to offer the world, hubpages is the ideal place to reveal it. If you have not done so as yet, why not join now by clicking on the link below:

There are many people who have made an impact on the world in one way or another. They were not afraid, or ashamed, to express their views. Michael Jackson is one such individual. He was able to reach the world through music and dance. He had a message for the world. It was a message of love. Some people might not agree with, or even understand many things he did. However, one thing for sure is that he had a major impact on the world. Even though he is not physically with us anymore, his message still lives on.

Writers can do the same. William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers that ever lived. His plays are still very popular and his books remain on the lists of literature textbooks used in schools across the world. I even remember, and I can still recite verbatim, a soliloquy I memorized from Macbeth while I was in high school. Romeo and juliet remains one of the greatest plays ever written.

The Bible has been published even before Shakespeare's time. More Bibles have been published more than any other book. It will always be a best seller. It has been translated into every language on the face of the globe. Several men have tried to destroy it and they try to undermine it, but the message will never die. The words in the Bible will live forever.

What about you? Do you have a message to pass on? You may not be as popular as William Shakespeare, Robert Louis Stevenson and all the other classical writers, but you can write about whatever is on your heart. There may be someone, somewhere, waiting to read your message. Would you like to make an impact on the world? You can, through hubpages.