Picture Galleries Versus Articles - The Hubber's Vote
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My sincerest apologies, friends and readers - but I would like to get the views of those of you who read and view both good or bad or indifferent.
There have been numerous discussions regarding the posting of "sexy picture galleries" by Hubpages Users, and I would like to hear from all of you on the matter.
While these picture "hubs" may bring in lots of traffic, it is my belief that the traffic brought in is fairly low quality, having a high bounce rate and low loyalty. From what I have seen of my own hub, the number of repeat visitors is very high, yet the number of clicks is very very low.
Meanwhile, one of my favorite hubs so far, my Navy Boot Camp hub, has a fantastic loyalty record, high clicks, and is easily my top money making hub. Which brings me to the poll:
Please vote, then comment below!
Are Picture Galleries a valuable resource for Hubpages?
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What do you think about this issue?
Thanks Patty, for reading and for voting!
Excellent idea! You know my vote! I'm always looking for something good to read. :)
I like to read articles, but honestly I can't vote against photo hubs. I liked your idea of this hub, not voting, but writing comment to let you know my visit! :)
Thank you Amy! Slide this along so more folks read and give their vote. :D
thanks for the visit, weblog.
Voted! I made some "sexy Portuguese beauties" hubs a while ago but I´m cured now and I have no intention of making more of those even though I still love women :-D
Yay Funride! See? Even photo gallery Hubbers can change and contribute more meaningful hubs to the entire community. :)
funride, that's a great fun comment. :)
Could Hub Pages set up a separate site for sexy photo galleries?
to me photo's help tell the stories...or get the point across..especially for someone like me who is not a good writer...not sex ones tho...I like it the way it is now....G-Ma :o) hugs
That's not what I'm talking about G-Ma, you silly person! I'm talking about the hubbers who don't write anything except a sentence or two, and then use 20 pictures to fill the rest of the space on their hub.
Yes, I just saw one that had no text at all.
Yeah, that's not good - not good content and not good for Hubpages.
I voted for quality content also. I understand what this hub is about also. Photos taken personally are OK as long as they have something written to go along with them.
It seems there are 2 choices (besides just living with it):
1. Move the galleries to a new HP site just for them, or
2. HP gets (more) serious about encouraging written content and discouraging galleries.
I didn't vote. I prefer to read hubs that have info where I could learn something new and be entertained than to go looking at a picture gallery but I have nothing against picture galleries.
You bring up a good point. I mean, if it's just traffic numbers that Hubpages wants, then they could also let adult content back in. Obviously, that's not the case. More and more you see people with actual skill rewarded with top Hubscores, and yet these galleries still get posted.
I voted and I am for quality content!
I am smiling at G-ma's comments who is one of my favorite hubpages person, as I know you are talking about the hubs after hubs of nothing but pictures without any content.
Thank you VioletSun! It's so nice to be understood! lol
It wouldn't be a big problem except for their prominence in searches, and the resulting sex ads that appear on all Hubs.
I feel for Hubbers who would love to share their writings with family, but don't dare. I really identify with the Hubber who complained in the Forum because a freelance client liked his writing, but felt the sex ads reflected poorly on the Hubber's professionalism.
Article writers and picture posters have two completely different audiences and agendas, and they're like oil and water. True, some Hubbers do both. But I believe they, too, would be better served by posting to different venues when appropriate.
(Can I vote more than once?)
Content por favor!
Again Agreed, Marian!
Yay DJ!
While having relevant pictures on hubs make them more interesting,my vote surely and emphatically goes to content.Content is what inspires meaningful interactions and we learn from those interactions.
I agree with SirDent - I enjoy original photography galeries like Rob Jundt's but recycled web pics of celebs are a waste of space.
Good idea, GamerGirl. Although I think that mostly quality seekers will read this hub and vote. nevertheless, I've added my vote, for what it's worth :)
It seems to me, that there are more than enough websites devoted entirely to sexy pictures. Hubpages has been like a sanctuary to me until now, but there appear to be more of these galleries than ever. Ive been thinking about calling it quits here, and seeking other venues. By the way, I voted for content as well.
I would really hate to see you go, rmr! :(
By going you'd only make the balance even worse, rmr, so for quoality's sake stay.
I've been less active lately, for that reason. I've written a few Evilpants stories for fun, but he doesn't make any more money than I do. Although it's not really about money for me, or even traffic. It just seems to cheapen what I originally saw as a professional looking, family oriented website. I'll probably stick around for a while, I'm just not feeling all that inspired lately.
We can't lose Evilpants!
Yes! Great poll and hub, Charlotte. Like rmr, I have been much less active here over the past few months (particularly since the last forum "war" over sexy photo galleries hubs). Content is what drives Google to your pages and has the greatest potential for revenue. So the prevalence of photo galleries on HubPages makes it appear to some that HP needs to re-evaluate priorities (traffic or revenue?)
Oh boy, here we go again!
I put my vote in for quality as well. I can certainly identify with rmr lately. I have also been looking for other sites but just can't make myself leave HP completely. This is not a money making site for me. In fact, I don't even have an asense account nor do I want one. I joined here for the same reason that rmr di. It seemed like a professional, family oriented site. (SEEMED being the operative word). It has begun to take a downhill spiral in the professional and family oriented catagory lately and I no longer refer business associates to my articles here. I will be posting more on ezine and sending them there until (hopefully) things are back to the way it used to be here. I still get lots of outside traffic here and sometimes I worry about their impression when they visit. Great idea for the poll GG!
There are other websites dedicated for sexy picture galleries in the internet. Hubpages are where I expect to see quality content. So voted for quality is king.
Well, I have to say I didn't vote because I don't believe that picture hubs HAVE to be of poor quality. The poll is, to me, kind of a false binary. It is conceivable that good picture posts could be made and just aren't. Even lingerie stuff could be good and deemed appropriate. The problem is that's not what's happening. It's crappy, low quality images slapped up there with the purpose of luring clicks for adsense and no intent to put up "quality" pictoral hubs. So, I'm casting my vote for the third option that you may have overlooked when setting up your poll:
3. Quality images presented with taste, generated for the sake of the hub in which they are now being originally featured.
I realize it's long, but I'm sure you could trim it. LOL. I do like the idea of a poll for this though. Good concept.
Shadesbreath -
This poll is not about hubs which feature a good quality amount of text and pictures relevant to the topic - this poll is about distinguishing between quality content and crap.
From my perspective, the hubs with fewer than 200 or so words that feature eight or nine pages (assessed by use of the page down button) of "sexy [insert ethnicity] [insert occupation]" types are the "picture gallery" hubs I'd love to see hard-core discouraged and/or removed, an act which may help raise the authority of the site as a whole.
hee hee silly me...totally agree gamegirl totally agree..."What was I thinking?" G-Ma :o) hugs
(((GMA!!)))
It's okay, I love ya anyway. :D
Gotta admit, the picture galleries seem to be all over hubpages, so have been taking a stab at doing a hybrid column/picture hub or two or three to see what kind of results I get. When you see these hot galleries all over hub management's Hot lists, regardless of their score ... you gotta believe that the Hubpages'big guys' like having these things around, despite their high quality claims. It's very confusing. Never thought I'd be trying to do even 'hybrid' photo galleries..what's a girl to do?
I voted for quality content, but just for the record I have to add that photo essays--collections of photos that tell a story--can constitute "quality" content. Just think of Look and Life magazines in the past.
I'm glad you put this issue up for a vote, but I, like Shadesbreath, would like to have seen a third option. After all, a picture can be worth a thousand words. Ten pictures, ten thousand words. I don't think I've ever seen a 10,000-word Hub. :)
While I do agree that a collection of photos, a true photo essay, can convey things that are meaningful and valuable, this concept is abused with whole heart by many people on Hubpages. It is unfortunate, and I am optimistic in thinking that the drastic reduction in 'sexy photo galleries' on Hubpages would bring about a change for the better.
Should we make a concerted effort among us to flag the offending Hubs? it takes more than one flag per Hub, I think. ??
I like the articles just as much as the picture galleries and im glad to have contributed to both types of these hubs!!
There is soo much to read read read and learn here at HPs, and its nice to have some kind of eye candy to mix n match!
:)
Patty,
I think so! Starting today I will devote one solid hour of my time to flagging any hub which is more than half full of pictures.
compu-smart,
I'm sorry that you feel Hubpages should be used that way. :(
If you're downloading these photos anyway, how hard would it be to add a bio on these celebs? Maybe a filmography, or some trivia? It must be too much like work, for some of these people.
Another good reason to vote EVILPANTS IN 2008! yAYYYY! :)
You are stirring the pot again, gamergirl<evil grin> and I'm with you all the way.
I vote for content too. Hate the sexy pic galleries that are all t&a and clog up the hot hubs pages--really bad for young children to see too--but the name of the game is money and human nature being what it is...... well-- here's a video that says it all:-)
I think I see a glimmer of hope. If enough people get on this hubmob train, it may push some of these galleries off the hot hubs page. I guess we'll see.
At the moment, I don't see any of the offending hubs on the first hot hubs page. I do see 3 hubmob hubs though!
I can't believe after all the fighting in the forums on this subject, only 47 people have voted! But so far, the numbers speak for themselves!
I did not vote Charlotte, cause it looks pretty much like McCain vs Obama - both coices don't make any sense :D
I don't know, Misha - one option is all for the posting of still more of the photo gallery hubs with little to no text-based content or draw for quality readers, and the other option is (with 85% of the vote) a stalwart claim from the Hubpages community that we want to see high quality content shine - not be affected in the least by those who belong elsewhere (like perhaps Squidoo.)
LOL You know my position on this. I don't publish them, and don't enjoy them, with rare exceptions. However I do believe it is to the benefit of everybody around to allow anybody to post anything they want, as long as it is within TOS.
So, I accept those galleries as a part of my online world, like I accept, say, rain that I can do nothing about.
From that point of view your questions lose any sense to me - I'm neither want to have more of those galleries, nor I am saying HP should consist only of quality content. :)
i voted for content king.
So far we've got 42 people voting for quality content, 8 voting for those cruddy "sexy girl" photo galleries. Grr!
I usually like pictures of the sky, the sea and the wonders of nature. However, as this hub refers to pictures of the "other wonders of nature", I was compelled to vote for content, my friend.
*smiles*
Patty Inglish, MS says:
15 months ago
Great Idaea!
Fun, too.
A Poll is a good way to find out our overall opinions if we can get enough people to vote. :)