Politics and Social Issues Template
The Key to Creating a Successful Politics and Social Issues Hub
Many Hubbers are frustrated to find that their Hubs on politics and social issues do not get much traffic over time. To ensure that your Hub sees long-term success, make sure that:
- It has a search-friendly title (Not sure where to start? Swing by our guide to creating a competitive, search-friendly title!)
- It is on an evergreen subject (something that is going to be just as relevant in five years as it will be tomorrow)
- It provides concrete facts and refers to trustworthy, reliable sources
- It adds value and context to written content with related, engaging images and media (relevant news clips or commentary in Video Capsules, images you've created yourself or found via resources like Wikimedia Commons or Flickr's Creative Commons that are legally used and properly attributed)
Alluring Images Are Key
Even if you are writing about an obscure political theory or social issue, it is still important that you include engaging and interesting images.
We recommend opening with a high quality image that draws readers in, as first images are often presented as thumbnails next to links to Hubs on site listings and in social media feeds.
Not sure what sorts of images to include? Consider...
- Images of graphs or charts illustrating your research
- Images of important thought leaders related to the Hub's subject
- Images of the types of people or places affected by issues or policies discussed in your Hub
Ask for Your Readers' Opinions!
What do you think about issue X?
Gain Intel From Your Readers
We recommend including Poll Capsules early on in Hubs, as they can enable readers to quickly engage with your work, however the Poll Capsule can do much more than keep visitors on you page longer.
With Hubs on Politics and Social Issues, we encourage you to use the Poll Capsule to gauge your readers' opinions on the subjects you're addressing. You may very well find some inspiration for future Hubs!
Consider Adding Some Infographics
Stick to the Facts
Pretty much anyone can share his or her opinion on a political or social issue whereas only a select few online content creators have the acumen and ability to share objective facts, hence those who make an effort to do the latter have a fantastic strategic advantage.
To provide a truly valuable resource, we strongly recommend that you:
- Do your research
- Refer to trusted resources
- Cover both sides of an argument
- Utilize concrete facts, figures, and statistics
Summarize Major Facts and Stats in Bulleted Lists
- Surprising Stat
- Fascinating Fact
- Cool quote
Use Table Capsules to Summarize Information
Major Schools of Thought
| Associated With
| Political Science
|
|---|---|---|
Liberalism
| Anarchism
| Socialism - Central Ownership
|
Conservatism
| Environmentalism
| Socialism - Moral Critique of Captialism
|
You can summarize things like different opinions, changes in stats over time, and the opinions of major stakeholders.
Utilize Images to Supplement Your Arguments
Mind the Comments
Comments on Hubs within the Politics and Social Issues Topic can sometimes get very heated. Actively monitor them to make sure things don't get crazy. Also be sure to establish a clear policy with comment moderation and stick to it.
If you find that comments are getting a bit too heated for your taste (something that happens when you cover particularly controversial subjects), consider changing the settings of your Comments Capsule so that only signed in Hubbers (with clearly-attached identities) can leave comments. If things get really, really heated, consider approving comments before they appear so you can weed out the duds!
