What's happening to our Hubpages Community!?!?!
61G*R*O*W*T*H - Were thriving! !!! (did that header get your attention?)
Whoa! Alot of contributions went into this amazing god of hamburgers...
This is in response to a hub I read with a simular title..
Lack of insight can destroy the fabric of a community's growth
I think sometimes people lose sight of just how powerful we as a community are. How small communities differ drastically from larger ones. Sure we had less bickering in the forums at first but we were but a few, now we are many.
Not to mention we're many different cultures in a melting pot. Much like the reason the United States of America is so powerful a nation even though we're not the largest is because of our diversity and freedom of speech.
Hubpages is an authority because of our diversity, our tolerance, our community, our strength and passion in reacting with tact (over all), and amazing format (both community and mechanically like hub tools etc...).
HubPages infrastructure is designed to extract power from individuals and share it with the whole (the hub scores true purpose in part).
Seasoned Hub Page Authors are the "Elders"
What is a seasoned HubPage Author (Generically a "Huber")?
Seasoned ( in my opinion ) is not how many hubs you write or how long you've been a member of hubpages, It's entirely too easy for the first cadets of this site of which I'm sure many are inactive at this point, to just sit there and do nothing to bring value to the site, or for those active to make hundreds of hubs that are of little value to be called seasoned. Seasonings in food are what makes the food stand out, enhances drastically the taste, flavor and the experience of the food and so should the authors called "Seasoned".
The very design of this site requires for its success alot of individual (which translates into synergistic) participation and quality articles, and to make it all work, this being a creative plane of existence for all who participate, we have to have a strong community and a family mentality when dealing with each other. So what makes a seasoned Hub Pages Author (Elite)?
What do you call a seasoned hubers greeting to a new huber?
Resume of a Seasoned Huber
It's:
- How well you've adapted to the infrastructures efficient use.
- How much you truly know about the inner workings of the site and can effectively guide and teach new users, and a willingness to do so for yours and the community as a whole's sake.
- How you display and offer, compassion, forgiveness and love for your fellow authors even when they make mistakes.
- When you can create a valuable and quality hub (not necessarily a money maker/monetized) that helps bring in hits to the site (traffic) and that monetizes traffic in flow, function, format and appeal to raise the sites value.
Can a member of hubpages become seasoned in a few months time? sure its possible but not probable. I'd have to say a good 6 months should go into a Huber's experience before they can reach that status. Mainly because part of the "seasoning" is in their hub's performance, and in the learning experience of hubing for a while. It's not all educational in nature.
I've learned alot myself over the last 3 months, I've studied tirelessly for 18 hours a day, I had no job to go to, I saved enough to take a vacation and dive into this trade full throttle and so I have, but even I with all my acquired skills and comprehension am not seasoned.
But I will be.. sooner or later. It's a nice goal to go for as it offers me the opportunity to learn more detailed about the site, and knowing I will show others the way from what I learn and experience. I love how you can bring someone in and earn from their efforts so your teaching them as well helps them earn you and them money. Brialliant!
I write hubs about what I learn to help other Huber's discover what I've found, and am writing my findings into a book to consolidate the concepts, mechanical and spiritual that I've discovered along the way but this book won't give people the fast track to seasoned pro, experience is a main "seasoning" to the Plaque!
All these things are vital to our survival and simultaneously our growth. Making money is our personal reason for being here including the site proprietors, but your personal contribution is the healthy flow of traffic and value to Google as the go to source of good information that saves its searchers time and effort.
Money is actually the last thing we should worry about (not that we shouldn't worry about money but when the rest click into place the money happens almost naturally with a few monetization tweaks here and there i.e. Adsense, eBay and Amazon, and affiliate links etc..)
The basic infrastructure of this site.
Dangerous Minds Movie clip (About choice!) I love how she said "because I make it a choice to care and hunny the money aint that good"
Another good clip of Dangerous minds.
Coach Carter: Great lesson in Team Work, how we need everyone in the group
Where is the infection happening? Ironically its not the forums.
Understanding how this infrastructure works is vital for our success and some seasoned Huber's who have been here a year or more not knowing the inner workings of the hub score system is part of the problem. If you don't know how something works and you work within it, you are in a constant state of flux, until you eventually learn it.
Watching behaviors of your hubs can lead to insight into the "Hub Score"
Behaviors of the components often teach you the meanings you don't catch right away. Ideally someone writing alot of hubs should know the hub score algorithm pretty well, I learned it in 40 simply by watching the behaviors as I built hubs (the score's change as you do different things and like reading body language you can figure out the score components by paying attention to the behaviors of your hubs, your interactions and traffic).
Knowing how this works is vital to being a team player as its very purpose is to drive traffic to the site, grow the communities bond, and consolidate the value of all the parts synergistically to share this power with the collective.
Building a better hub and being a better more productive hub page author depends on the very components that make up the algorithm which is why its there in the first place. Enlightened Huber's wouldn't write hubs complaining about the sites forum (publicly) or bash a newcomer who rants too much, they would try to help improve the system and grow its members into mature productive members of the community.
Much like how the teachers in the various movies did with those kids who were rambunxious and honory but turned out to have amazing potential she just had to find a way to show them that. Some that come to mind right off the bat are:
- "Dangerous minds" with Michelle Pfeiffer
- "Coach Carter" with Samuel L. Jackson
- "The Freedom Writers" with Hilary Swank
This is how we should approach people. Diplomacy, tact, compassion, and patience above all.
Freedom Writers. this one especially reminds me of Hubpages (the writing part) they wrote their way to freedom from their problems
Heated debate isnt always "fruitless"
Enemy Mine Trailor
Enemy Mine.. scene *powerful*
Debate is the fuel that bonds very different types of behaviors into a compromise
Freedom of Speech Sparks Debates which teach us how to get along... If we pay attention to the information not the "ranting" we perceive in the exchange.
Our Forum's percieved problem (according to some):
We have our bickering and angry people, sure, but it's the freedom of speech that allows us to express ourselves openly and unhindered. We at first meeting and while getting to know one another from all walks of life and even all different countries from around the world, speak with passion in our inherent ways, ways we are used to that many others may not be accustomed to.
In some countries, or rather some parts of some countries, yelling at each other is a way of life but it's not seen as a negative thing, or even a combative thing, it's seen as a passionate way to live and to exchange ideas. In our country for the most part this is considered an attack.
In allowing those people to express themselves (without getting offended) then telling them how we feel (diplomatically) about how they approached us (if we didn't like it or felt uncompfortable) they learn how to deal with us as much as we with them and if diplomacy is utilized there is a mutual compromise that breeds better communication.
(anyone seen the movie "Enemy Mine"? ) (trailor is below to the right I also threw in a clip from the movie), great movie about learning to get long with those who seem unreachable. Those two guys didnt even speak the same language, and werent even the same species and became brothers, so I know a couple writers bickering in a forum can handle this too!
We're capable of compromising to learn others ways and to create a middle ground that appeals to both sides. In a forum we are forced to learn many sides and to generate a manner of expressing ourselves passionately that appeal to larger clusters of diversity.
We cannot call ones way wrong or right, just different. We have to all work together to hammer out the best way. "Hammer" being the operative reality.
Debate is the solution NOT the problem. Knowing the difference is vital to both perceiving people correctly and communicating effectively.
We do this by debate, by contribution to the threads, by expressing how their point of view affects us, but we do it with tact to show them the way, not to punish them with angry reprise. That solves nothing and causes new problems; more impactful anger and we get nowhere.
Action ..............................Reaction
Reaction is just as guilty as action in either light (positive or negative effects)
Some believe its the actions of the forum members that causes the infections we experience, but the problem is not the action, it's the reactions' to it.
Reaction is causing the escalation. Productivity of each member affects the whole
Some should be more productive in their expressions but it's our responsibility to help them not complain about them. Complaining is the easy way out, helping is more difficult because it requires patience and humility, compassion and forgiveness. The rewards, however, of helping a wounded bird in our community who may not even realize the impact of their passion, their words or their actions, is an amazing and uplifting thing.
We should see our community members who act "out of pocket" as we see our children we love and adore, but that are acting up.. React with love not hate
It's much like raising a child. They throw tantrums but do we hate them for their making our lives uncomfortable? For embarrassing us at the market? For taking all of our free time away? No we love them, and when they grow up and mature like the rest of us, we have great conversations at the community dinner table. Hubpages is a family as much as a community.
When you write you're showing others the mirror of your internal structures, concerns and potentially your own fallacies. Your hubs are mirrors of your internal world. Forum posts are as well but the short posts tell little, the long rants tell a lot..
Some of the very things that are not only necessary and normal, are seen by some as the problem but truthfully their just the solution in work clothes. They are some of the things people need to experience and engage in (constructively that is). (Other than the backstabbing, down rating, flagging, and greed although greed motivates us in some ways if it's not overdone).
Don't harass other members in any way, if they dont' put your feedbacks public thats their perogative.. just walk away.
Harrassment kills creativity.. and makes you uncompfortable
Harassment is the worst kind of creativity thief. You cannot feel creative when your being talked to in negative ways, and their visiting all your hubs trying to find one you didnt set to moderate comments before they show up (by default the comments capsule is set NOT to moderate so its easy to forget to set it)
When someone's bothering you and you have to wonder which hub they will attempt to attack next, the site becomes stressful. It's simply uncomfortable and uncommunity like.
I don't mind someone having an opinion even one that insulting, but to I do mind them posting it in a public place on one of my hubs when the only motivation is to inappropriately propigate opinionated rant. This is part of what deteriorates a community bond. Do unto others as you'd have them do onto you and everyone will always be happy. You can state negitive opinions and comments if thats how you feel, its not the context but the way you present it that makes it appropriate or not.
State your opinion but state it professionally as you are a professional, state it with tact as I am a human being with feelings. I refuse to publish comments of a ridiculous or insulting nature (insulting by format not context).
If your passionate about being an ass email it, don't chose to put it on a public page that could discredit the huber.. I don't think you should do anything of the sort at all but if your die hard going to do it privatly please. Your best bet is to defuse the energy by just writing until you run out of things to say in a word document then delete it.. all copies..
Dont read it, just write it then delete it.. it does wonders (if you go back and read it your just reinforcing it, if you delete it your mind has this way of letting it go, dissassociating it from your data base emotionally). If you write it down by hand do the same dont read it just write then burn it in the fireplace.
I believe we are growing and thriving and as long as we continue to try to treat each other with respect and like we want them to treat us then we will continue to grow. If your going to lash out think for a moment how it would feel if that knife stabbed you too.. you may not feel so much like doing it.. because karma always gets you.
I look forward to seeing all your hubs! keep them unique and interresting! I enjoy making hubs unlike anything else out there.. It's alot of fun!
Jerrico
I wanted to show you my favorite poem quoted inspirationally actually, in the movie coach carter.. This clip is a rare find.. Enjoy! After the clip I added the poem that this hub started out as (this is all I was going to write then I decided to put an introduction and here we are a whole other hub later lol)..
Coach carter scene "Our Deepest Fear"
Tupac - Keep your head up
HubTronics 2 - Community Support
The poem I wrote sums it all up nicely into a sort of a rap (I had a beat in my head when I wrote it lol,(the song I used to flow to was tupac's "keep your head up" (it just happened to be on the tv at the time) which is to the right, I added the song/video to help you :) enjoy!
I wanted to release this tonight so I'm not going to lace in a bunch of pictures right now but its a poem so it shouldnt need them anyway as its double spaced etc.. let me know what you think. This came out of my head like this first draft, the only thing I changed was using spell check :)
-Jerrico
To shorten this hub I put the poem in its own hub click the link below to experience it Here: HubTronics Poem 2 Community-Support
Share it! — Rate it: up down [flag this hub]
Comments/Feedbacks Appreciated
I'm sorry this happened to you, Jerrico.
I just wonder whether putting it in a Hub like this, when you are obviously still angry and upset, might be doing the very thing you are concerned about?
I think you have some good points, and the Hub would probably benefit from a serious edit, to make it easier to read, and to take out some of the emotive parts that have a bit of negative energy to them.
Be a shining example of what you want to see in others ...
Jenny
You do not look 33, maybe 20 :)
Great hub - i agree with much of what you said.
Oh My...
When the shoe fits so well, we are compelled to buy it? What and Why - if the fit does not feel right, do we continue to wear it? Hmm?
My good friend... your Hub should be nominated for the first Hub to be included with any work that HP does to bring this place "together".
The principles that you teach here are time proven... not popularity driven.
I am sorry if my being your number one fan on this HUB, hurts you in any - way.
I myself, have learned much from this Hub and have linked to it from other of my Hubs as it is most relevant, unique and original... not to mention very very well done and expressed:-)
It is a 'credit' to the entire HubPages family, IMHO.
You continue to stand amidst the dribble my friend... And hopefully, HubPages desires the same for its future:-)
tDMg
LdsNana-AskMormon
Forgiveness is never about the person your forgiving, its about disassociating the negative feelings they provoked in you once upon a time from you, forgiveness sets YOU free not them, you don’t even need for them to know you forgive them for it to be effective. That’s the power of forgiveness.Thank you again for your comment it was incredibly uplifting! And now thanks to this comment I have a great idea for another hub.. (sheesh now I have 26 in the unpublished Que and 2 coming… lots of fun huh!)
Dog house- Wow that comment really made my day! I appreciate your points, I did write this in an optimistic light I enjoyed your actually seeing then telling me about the points I was actually trying to make, that really meant alot to me, this hub took me 16.5 hours to write and I wrote it non stop.. as for length.. what’s funny is it was another 14 pages but somehow I accidentally cut those out (they rest in the word document still) but I thought about the length at that point and thought I'd leave it where I ended it.. as it works. Inspirepub - Thank you for your comment! very insight ful and made me think! (as usual)
This comment was updated:
LDS Nana- WOW talk about making my day! Thank you for your glowing feedback! I do want to do my part in making this community the best it can be, sometimes I approach things wrong or myself lose my path (like when I used to chat in the forum) in anger, but its all a learning experience after all isn't it?
I’ve learned instead of getting mad at other people who cause havoc or insult me, or judge my entire character on 2 months in a forum, not on my current accomplishments or writing, I try to extract the lesson in how it makes me feel and translate it into a productive hub.
Hub pages is brilliant for helping you deal with and define your feelings, emotions and infective feelings that if you hold them in and feel pain can damage you physically and emotionally. The trick is realizing how to do this effectively, in doing this myself (its not written anywhere to do this so others may not realize how to do this) I am showing by example how to translate these painful transgressions into powerful helpful words of wisdom. It’s all in that poem quoted in that movie clip coach carter just before the poem I wrote)Hub pages writing allows you to translate this pain and energy into hubs that help others who inevitably will suffer similar situations.
In this I feel productive and none of my transgressions are negative, only learning experiences. People will always be around to try to infect you or who will feel anger and take it out on you, its learning to react productively that makes the exchange positive, this is I believe my lesson here, learning tolerance and how to react to people who are less than enlightening in their reactions to me for whatever reason. If I focused on the attack or even the feelings stirred up only I’d learn nothing and only feel bad.
If I focus on how to react to this productively I’ve learned a lot, and don’t feel bad in the end, only grateful for their stimulation and ability to teach me to learn more about myself. Life is constantly challenging us, its why were here, to learn, grow and become more.
My reacting negative to this person only throws more logs in the negative fire.. I’m learning a lot lately in this area.. It’s a great way to vent to write a productive hub, its reacting with love and compassion, not distain and animosity. In fact I’m going to write a hub on this now.
I started off here on hub pages wanting to make money but no longer does this drive me (I've made a whopping 7.42 so far in 3 months and 24,000+- impressions) I know its because my page's tags, keywords and monetization is not up to par but part of it is I want to stay focused on content.
I think subconsciously I’m not tagging right, or monetizing because I’m afraid if I chase the money I will lose sight of writing articles the site members need and can use. But if I write now monetize later then my writing won’t suffer from greed and too much focus on monetization initially.
Things like trying to write the article to sell a book I’m placing on my Amazon revenue capsule, I think would sway how I write. I do want to monetize if for no other reason then to make hubpages.com money but I want to do it this way for now to grow quality and unique useful content, the product of this sites success anyway.
I think they’d rather see 100 quality articles that Google will love for their usefulness than 1000 articles designed to make money but lack that unique and extra value touch Google loves so much (because its users love it too) Google’s stance is if its searchers are happy, their happy.
I thought about this the other day.. If I won the lottery for millions, would I still want to write hubs? Definitely, but if I were chasing the money (primarily) it may be a different story. So I thought I'd write hubs then when I get a good footing (over 100 is my new goal) I'll go back and tweak them for search engines..
For now I just want to write. I've felt like focusing more on the community lately, part of my motivation for writing the book is survival but mostly its not money, money is not the motivation, at this point if I won the lottery I'd make it into a seminar and give it away free.. I don’t want to make money selling a hubpages book so I can buy a Mercedes, I want to make money so I can pay my bills and have more free time to write more hubs, instead of wasting 8 hours a day at a job I hate that demotivates me to write because I come home exhausted.
I’m not trying to get rich I just want to pay my modest bills (what 800 a month or so?) This hub was written because I noticed theirs alot of bickering and debating (of a negative unproductive nature) going on lately and wanted to shed some light on things people may not realize right away,
Experiences good or bad, give me passion to write. I ended up writing 3 hubs on topics people really need to know and understand (2 are still being edited) when I got upset over something, it was a healing therapy of sorts that yeilded some great information to share in a productive way.
So nothing, and I mean nothing is for not, if you just see the silver lining, the message, and why the universe decided to stimulate you.
Sometimes angels come to you in ways that seem un-angelic like but all the same the lessons are the reason, not the actions taken. I learned tolerance and self control, I learned I have myself been allowing others to "push my buttons" and thus learned that their were buttons their to be pushed that I needed to uninstall for want of a better term.
Take nothing for granted.. Their is value in all exchanges good and bad. I love how Denzel Washington’s said to his son in a movie (his movie son)..
The kid said"Daddy is that a bad man or a good man?" Denzel said "Son, theirs no such thing" and that's profound, as no ones good or bad, just transitioning through one or the other based on how others perceive your actions, and your intentions. If we judge we make a temporary situation permanent and if the person is judged as evil, we are part in solidifying his evil nature..
We must make temporary judgments ONLY to assess what we need to do to help that person, using diplomacy and tact we can heal anyone even if they cannot see it themselves. Love conquers all and compassion is the tool love uses to show people the path.
Some people in this site wont forgive me for my actions a while back in the forum and choose to judge me forever and yet I still forgive them and think nothing bad of them, I try to lead by example or I'm no better than their actions. All I can do is write and hope they read it and understand who I really am, and that back then I had a moment of weakness that lasted 2 months but that that wasn’t me truly (the anger and distain I showed)..
Some people make judgments and stick with them ignorantly holding animosities in their hearts.. I wish they didn’t, not for my sake but for their own.
to someone who showed me an important flaw in my attitude lately:
Thank you for showing me my own buttons and my own need to put my anger in check. You know who you are. I know you didnt mean anything bad but you taught me what I needed to know and I've learned from it.
I hope we can make up and be friends again, if its possible.
Jerrico- in regards to your last comment. I think you'd make more money if you wrote about topics other than hubpages... Ya know? It seems most of your hubs are all pertaining to the site. May I ask why.
Whitney- Because right now I'm not worried so much about making money here, I'm more interested in writing.. My current focus right now is in writing a book about hubpages "Definitive Blueprint" which dives both into the function and psychology of the hub page "how to" and the writer so I'm writing alot about hub pages in any angle I can find.
Secondly my focus is to help the authors new and old become better writers, by understanding the psychology behind writing, and the social aspect of the site. My best skill set is psychology and writing so I'm using that to contribute to the site right now.
I'm fascinated by the melting pot of people, ideas, concepts and goings on here. I find hubpages.com a phenomenon in social and monetary networking, rarely do you find a site like this one that blends the many aspects together in such a way that helps the whole. My initial experience with this site was shock and amazement at how socially diverse yet agreeable the people were/are. Now I'm learning by paying attention to the goings on over the past 3 months how that is happening and what people here are doing differently (what’s making it work)
I was once told by an astrologer that based on my chart (and this makes sense based on how my life's successes have always come) that I'm what you call a back seat driver, someone who gains success by helping others and derives my income from networking others to success (like a ceo or advisor or psychologist).
In that light if my goal were to make money here my format needs to be in helping other authors succeed or become more. My gift in life is being able to see others potential, and I convert my experiences with others into useful information others can use.
I write about alot of other topics than hubpages, but lately I'm focusing on the psychology aspect for my book. By writing about these things I gain insight and unlock my deeper information. I'm also learning the site's function and best ways to be successful writing and monetizing on it so that's next. Part of my reason for writing the book are to gather my education in one place so I myself can refer back to it. Writing it is motivation for me to research and learn things in more detail, and that translates into a very helpful guide.
I plan to insert in this book the FAQ everyone is saying is necessary on this site so when questions are asked in the forum for example I go out and find the answers and write about them (since I can't post in there I post to my book instead anyway) I'm not the most knowledgeable in the mechanics of the sites money making segment but I'm figuring this stuff out pretty quick since theirs alot of useful and concise information being written about it, and paying attention to the psychology aspect I find makes someone a better writer in the first place (the very product their trying to make money on is their writing), helps and is a new angle for others to become aware of better (my contribution).
Does this answer your question? I thought I answered all that in the above comment but I hope this takes you closer to understanding my motives. Thank you for your comment!
JerricoJerrico, my friend....
It is a joy, to NOT be motivated by that which easily colors judgement and integrity, which are worth MORE than anything of the monetary and temporal works of this world.
Yes, they have their place -- but properly speaking, should NEVER be what motivates us to do a thing...
FEARLESSNESS - is the consequence for motivation based in TRUTH! And that is 'Power from on High'!
Obviously, YOU have come full circle and have found your power. Good for you!
Publish your passion - as HP has invited all to do!
And continue to do it valiantly.
Very attractive:-)
tDMg
LdsNana-AskMormon
wow thank you for your wonderfully kind words! I wish I had more fans like you! I'm about to release my entrepeneurial history from my first Kidco(mpany) to now.. I thought it might inspire parents to motivate their children like mine did.. just adding the pictures now.. hope you like it..
I learned a lot, thank you for the detail explanation of using hub pages.
Thank you... from another newbie - look forward to reading and learning more!
I read your hub, read the comments, went back and read the hub again to fully understand What I had read the first time. I came up with the same opinion again, not only is a good plan about becoming a good hubber, also you can use it to improve other relationships you already have or will in the future. You need to send it to every member in Congress, they could use it to figure how to get along. I am new at this, and I come away with a lot of good ideas, thanks.
P.S. Keep then coming
working
In The Doghouse says:
5 months ago
Jerrico
Thank you for your Hub. First, let me say that I hope because of it's length it actually gets read. I know that because of it's length, it is one of the best thought out and published Hubs on this subject that I HAVE read. However, I also know that those who could possibly benefit greatly from reading it may be turned off by the length. That said, I think that you have a wonderful vision of the potential for writing that could go on at HUBPAGES. I am personally attracted to the positive nature in which I perceived even the comments that were being given on this site. I will admit there are a few, but mind you only a couple of HUBBERS, that actually come to mind, that could use some instruction on basic manners and how to treat people. But, for the most part I have seen kindness and tolerance shown here. Unfortunately the disrespectful, ranting voices of rude brash unconstructive criticism are usually the loudest to be heard, fooling some with their claim to being "seasoned." Jealousy and maltreatment of fellow HUBBERS are never qualities of a "seasoned" professional. Frankly, in the short time I have been here I have been literally all over the place, reading, and commenting (check my hubtivity if you question that! lol) and find so little consistency in scoring, and promoting of HUBS it is amazing. (I know I am bordering negativism, so I'll watch it, I promise) I still cannot figure out how all this really works, but dispite the challenge to learn, I have attempted to post that which I do know and love. Unlike some others in the community I am not monitarily motivated, don't laugh, but I don't even know how to figure out that aspect of it, frankly I don't care. I am more motivated by being accessible to be read by as many people who could possibly be interested in another point of view or my observations. Working together and in harmony, building upon one another's strengths, and trying to kindly improve our weak areas is the best solution we could have. It is when we get rid of "self" and think about the "good of the whole" that we can all truly feel joy with our writing. Altruistic, yes, but I believe it is possible if the silent majority speak out and keep HUBPAGES friendly and productive. Then again, maybe it is controversy that sparks traffic, and it is just a ploy to get your HUBS read. Thank you for the diligent effort you have given to possitively attack this problem. You have become a "seasoned" respected HUBBER in my book, for what it is worth.
Humbly, a newbie, Doghouse