Your First Hub Part 3 : Using The HubTool

Once you've picked out the title, URL, category, and tags for your Hub, you will be taken to the HubTool, which is the place where you will edit and assemble your Hub.

The HubTool allows you to add and edit text, video, photos, maps, polls, tables, and all sorts of other features and place them where you see fit on the page.

When creating a Hub (which is what we call a topical article), we recommend the bulk of your writing be broken up into multiple Text Capsules. To make your Hub more engaging, we encourage you to spice up the text with additional relevant capsules, such as Photo Capsules, Poll Capsules, and the like.

Let's take a quick walk through the HubTool features and review how they can help you create the best piece of content for your topic on the Web.

If you click on the title of your Hub, you can edit or change it. Note: you cannot change the URL of your Hub after having created it. For more information, visit our Learning Center guide on the elements of a good title.

Capsules are the building blocks of your Hub. They are specific modules that you select to best present your content. The default starting layout is comprised of: Text, Photo (Image), and Comments (from visitors to your Hub).

You can add multiple capsules of any type (for example, two Text Capsules, a Photo Capsule, a Video Capsule, another Text Capsule). Click on each capsule, add it to the page, and it will appear in the Reorder tab.

You can also add capsules anywhere in your Hub by clicking the blue "Add" button that scrolls with your mouse pointer to the left of your capsules. This feature allows you to easily add capsules anywhere in your Hub.

Amazon, eBay, Comments, and RSS Capsules are not allowed as the first full width capsule of a Hub.

The Reorder tab to the right of your Hub is where you can reorder capsules within your Hub. Simply drag and drop the boxes around and they will be rearranged on your Hub.

If you would like a capsule floated to the right, double click the box. To return the capsule to full width, double click the box again. You can also reorder your capsules using the red arrows at the top of every capsule box, and float them using the right pointing arrow.

Note: Not all capsules can be floated.

The Tags tab (to the right of the Reorder tab) is where you can view, add, and delete tags from your Hub. Click on the tab to see your tags.

We recommend adding about ten (relevant) tags to each Hub.

Note: You can add and delete tags from your Hubs even when you are not in the HubTool.

Click on the Settings tab to configure your ads and photos and see the status of your Hub.

For more information on setting ad levels, visit our FAQ entry.

By clicking on the Summary tab, you can write a Hub summary. The summary text (which may show up as a summary of your Hub in search results and on HubPages) plays an important role in making your Hub more visible and attractive to potential readers.

For additional tips, visit our Learning Center guide with advice on creating strong summaries. Any Hubs that do not have a summary will have an "A" by them on your My Account page. Your summary is not visible on your Hub; it is shown on feeds, listing, carousels, and on search results pages.

Grouping your related Hubs together is a great idea. It is likely that if your readers are interested in one of your Hubs on a specific topic, they may be interested in your other Hubs on that topic.

To group your Hubs, click the Group tab in the box to the right. Click the dropdown box to add a new group or to place your Hub in an existing group. You can also go to My Account > Groups to create and edit your groups. When you continue to publish new Hubs on the same topic, you can go to this tab, and choose that group from the same dropdown.

Using the Groups function places links at the bottom of your Hubs linking to the previous and next Hubs in a particular group. For example, if you are writing a novel, you can group your Hubs together by chapter, so your readers can continue to read the next installment of your masterpiece.

Here's a explanation of each capsule type:

• Text Capsule: It will be easier for you to create an aesthetically pleasing Hub if you break up your text into separate Text Capsules. We also recommend taking advantage of the Capsule Subtitle to better present your information. There is no maximum word count, but keep readability in mind; some very long Hubs may be better if broken into multiple related Hubs.
• Photo Capsule: This is where you can upload pictures. Simply select a photo from your computer or insert an image link (URL), type in descriptions, and determine your desired format (size, as well as border, and optional slideshow settings), and click "Save." HubPages stores your photos in My Account > Photos, so you can reuse your photos in other Hubs without uploading again. If you use photos from online sources, make sure they are public domain and properly attributed.
• Video Capsule: You can easily embed a YouTube or Vimeo video to enhance your visitors' experience (and keep them on your Hub longer). All you need is the URL (Web address) for the video. Insert it in the field and press the "Preview Video" button. Once you can see the video, press "Save" to insert it into your Hub.
• Links Capsule: This works well if you have a list of helpful sites or related links to the topic you're discussing in your Hub. It's not necessary for this capsule to be used in every Hub since you can add links in the Text Capsule, but if you want to generate a laundry list of relevant links, the Links Capsule offers a convenient format. Be sure to give each link a custom description, as many sites' descriptions (as they are imported) are less than perfect.
• Map Capsule: Enter specific locations related to your Hub (by address or keyword), pin a marker, and they will be featured in your map. Multiple locations can be added, directions can be included, and you can determine whether your readers see the default map as a roadmap, satellite image, terrain, or in street view.
• RSS Capsule: If you have a favorite RSS feed, you can enter the feed link in this capsule. Just make sure that the RSS feed displays content that is related to your Hub and is useful to your reader.
• Comments Capsule: This is a capsule that allows readers of your Hubs to leave comments for you. You can update all of your Hubs' Comments settings by visiting My Account > Hubs > Comments. The Comments Capsule has several settings you can customize:
  • Choose whether comments must be approved by you first before they appear live (Default is no).
  • Choose whether you’re emailed every time someone leaves you a comment (Default is yes).
  • Choose whether only signed-in HubPages users can leave you a comment (Default is no).
  • Choose whether newest comments are shown last or first (Default is last).

• Poll Capsule: The Poll Capsule enables you to engage your readers by prompting them to share their opinion with a single click.
• eBay Capsule: You can list items listed on eBay. Use the "eBay Search" function with a few select keywords to bring up the best results. You can also put in a Seller ID if an eBay PowerSeller is regularly listing products which complement your content. To earn money from your eBay Capsules, sign up for the eBay Program.
• Amazon Capsule: Similar to the eBay Capsule you can list items offered by Amazon. In addition to choosing keywords and previewing what items are offered, you can also choose specific products by adding the Amazon URL, ASIN or ISBN. We recommend choosing specific products so they match your content more directly, and adding custom descriptions.
• Code Capsule: If you're demonstrating programming code (e.g., PHP, HTML, Javascript, etc) you can use this capsule to properly (and tidily) present it. It is not for implementing code in your Hub, just for showing the code.
• Table Capsule: You can use this capsule to display information that is best displayed in tabular form, e.g., price lists, charts, menus, etc. While you can enter data directly into the Table Capsule, you can also import CSV files via URL or directly from your computer.
• Quiz Capsule: This takes the fun and interactivity of the Poll Capsule one step further. There are three types of quiz options: The first option is to pose questions that have exactly one correct answer each. The second option is to give different answers with different weights. The third option is to make a quiz with multiple possible results.

Edit your capsules by clicking on the "edit" button at the top of the capsule. You can delete capsules by clicking on the white X in the red circle.

• Preview: This launches the Hub in a lightbox for you to see what it will look like in its published form (this does NOT save the Hub).
• Save Unpublished: Saves your Hub, but does not publish it. You should use this button if you need to spend more time working on your Hub before it’s ready to show to the world.
• Publish: Will save and publish the Hub for the world to see.

When you return to a Hub that you Saved Unpublished, the buttons change a little:

• Preview: Same as above.
• Publish Now: Will publish the Hub for the first time.
• Done Editing: Saves your Hub but does not publish it.

When you edit a previously published Hub the buttons change yet again:

• Preview: Same as above.
• Unpublish Now: Will unpublish the Hub and no one will see it.
• Done Editing: Republishes your Hub and your readers will see the new content.