Original, well-formatted Hubs are good for you as an online writer. They are also good for the entire site, making it a better place to both write and read online :D

HubPages Introduces Some New Rules

To make sure that great Hubbers and their Hubs get the attention they deserve!

Because search algorithms and online content contstantly evolve, it is important that we evolve along with them, taking steps along the way to make sure that HubPages offers some of the web's best writing and resources.  

One recent change we have implemented has to do with formatting - it is now a requirement on HubPages to have at least 50 words for each eBay or Amazon product you feature in a Hub, and it is no longer permissable to place RSS, Link, News, Amazon, or eBay capsules as the first full-width capsule in a Hub.  

We have also changed our policy regarding duplicated content.  While we used to allow Hubbers to have some duplicated content (e.g. to publish their off-site writing and blog posts to HubPages as well) so long as they did not link back to the original source, we have now simplified the rules so that no duplicated content is allowed on HubPages, period.

If this change means you'll need to go back and edit some of your already published Hubs, not to worry!  All you'll need to do is visit your account and check for any warnings.  We will give you plenty of time to update these Hubs and shall send out an email with another warning to give you more time to make changes before we unpublish them.  If you are concerned about publishing any new Hubs that go against site policy, don't be - it will now be impossible to publish a Hub that has any of those problems.  

Why the changes?  First, we want to make sure that Hubs rank well in search engine results, so that your amazing writing gets the readership it deserves.  More importantly though, we want everyone to know HubPages as a great place to both write and read, and taking steps to encourage original, well-formatted Hubs helps to reinforce that reputation.

Happy Hubbing!

Simone Smith
Community & Marketing Manager

How To Draw A Still Life

by waynet published 4 days ago

How to draw a still life drawing instruction from choosing an arrangement of items to draw through to completing a finished drawing of a visual subject.

How to Use Vegetable Oil in Diesel Cars to Save Money as Gas Prices Skyrocket!

by Brie Hoffman published 4 days ago

As the price of gasoline rises more and more people will begin to search for ways to get around the expense. One way is to use vegetable oil as fuel. In order to use vegetable oil for fuel one must have a...

What do I put in a writer's notebook?

by shellyakins published 7 days ago

As a writer, do you ever have brilliant thoughts and then can’t remember them later?  A writer’s notebook is a place to keep ideas that jump into your head.  I started a writer's notebook when I was in...

Interesting Jobs I Worked in The US Federal Court

by Treasuresofheaven published 2 days ago

Lengthy Court Career For thirteen years, I worked at the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. I held four different positions: Records Clerk, Intake Clerk, Generalist, and Magistrate...

Ordinary Ancient Egyptian Lives – The Workman’s Village at Deir el-Medina

by CMHypno published 5 days ago

Deir el-Medina is where the workmen lived who cut the tombs of the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. So what was life like in the ancient Egyptian village?

Historically Educational Disney Films

by smackins1974 published 4 days ago

Did you know that amongst all the animated films that were produced by Walt Disney during his career and by his family's continued work in his name since his death there are several films based on characters...

How to Be a Role Model for Your Child

by shogan published 6 days ago

Many people believe that to be a good parent, one must always be truthful, kind, and generous. This simply isn't human. No one is always right in every action; no one can reach a standard that ethereal. ...

L'Tanya Griffin, Black Fashion and Costume Designer

by Tess45 published 4 days ago

L'Tanya Griffin is pictured in the center. To her right is jazz singer, Herb Jeffries. Minh-Ha Pham, of the blog "Of Another Fashion" is compiling images and stories of the fashions of women of color...

Acorn Squash Recipes

by lilibees published 3 days ago

One of my most favorite squash vegetables is the acorn squash. Beautifully shaped, with a dark green outer shell and in the middle a sweet orange-yellow meaty fruit, as its name suggests this squash resembles...

How to create a successful World of Warcraft guild

by jlastevens published 2 days ago

Many people have played World of Warcraft and are avid gamers. How many of you have created a successful guild? There are many kind of World of Warcraft guilds that are out there, you just have to figure out...

Gossip or Conversation? Walking the Fine Line Between the Two

by Motown2Chitown published 4 days ago

I had one of those moments today when a life lesson that I’ve encountered again and again without actually “catching on” finally made its way into the deepest part of my soul.  I recognized the truth...

Sleep Health

by Chatkath published 5 days ago

Sleep used to be thought of as a simple passive state, however it is now known that sleep is a dynamic process, and our brains are quite active during sleep. Studies have repeatedly shown that quality sleep is...

Natural Easter Egg Dyes: How to Make Natural Dyes

by leahlefler published 22 hours ago

Create Easter eggs with an organic, homemade appeal with simple, natural dye recipes. Natural dyes can be made from many sources, including vegetables, spices, native plants, berries, and plant roots or tree...

The Advantages of Growing Vegetables in Planters Instead of Containers

by mistyhorizon2003 published 2 days ago

As many of my regular readers will know, I am a keen vegetable grower, both on allotments and in outdoor containers. Growing any kind of vegetable in containers is well worthwhile. The results are healthy,...

Of Blogs and Hubs and the Differences between the Two

by Marye Audet published 2 days ago

Can you make money writing on hubpages? Sure, as long as you remember that it isn't a blog.

Butterflies - Winged Wonders - A Gift of Nature

by toknowinfo published 6 days ago

I have entomophobia. It is caused by bugs. But don’t worry. It is nothing serious. Entomophobia is the fear of bugs. Yet, I am not afraid of butterflies, ladybugs, grasshoppers and praying mantis And on...

Modern Patriotism in the U.S.A.

by M. T. Dremer published 6 days ago

You don't have to be a flag waving zombie to be a patriot.

The Golden Rule Explored

by Slarty O'Brian published 2 days ago

The Golden Rule. In this one phrase we are supposed to get the basis for our moral treatment of each other. In fact, it is a basis for human rights. It’s a powerful message. But most Christians believe...

How to help your kids meet their favorite baseball players

by 4yearstrong published 3 days ago

Get Baseball Autographs How to get baseball autographs It happened to all of us once. We were seven years old, laying down on the lawn with the other neighborhood boys, big binders open,...

Cell Phone Etiquette 101

by Jeannieinabottle published 3 days ago

The time has now come to discuss some cell phone etiquette. I am not sure why, but cell phones make some people forget they have manners. In the past five years, cell phones have seriously increased in...

Best Ways of Transportation for Backpackers in Australia

by TimMEy published 4 days ago

Australia is the 6th biggest country in the world, more than 70% of the land is desert and life focuses on the coasts that surround it. There are several ways to travel around this amazing continent....

You can now follow comment threads on Hubs!

Following Comments

Have you ever run across a Hub that has comments that are just as interesting as the content itself?  Such Hubs are great fun for those who have written them, however it can be cumbersome for readers to keep checking back to see if anyone has added to the interesting dialogue.

Now, you have the option to follow comments on someone else's Hub and recieve email notifications each time someone new contributes to the discussion.

Next time you come across a Hub with some excellent dialogue taking place in the comments section, simply check the Follow this Hub's comments button before posting your comment.  From that point on, you'll be in the loop, whether you check back at the Hub or not!  

If you want to stop getting comments, simply opt out of the notifications through a helpful link in the emails you get.  

We hope you enjoy the new feature.  Major props to Ari Lamstein for creating it - if you want to thank him yourself, visit his profile - you'll encounter some awesome classical guitar Hubs along the way!

For more helpful guides and tips, visit the HubPages Learning Center
http://learningcenter.hubpages.com/

Marina Lazarevic, From San Francisco, CA, 13 Fans, 1 Hubs, Joined 6 months ago

HubPages Interviews Marina Lazarevic

HubPages' Media Sales and Operations Manager Dishes About Yieldbuild, the HubPages Ad Program, and Super Smash Bros.

Some weeks back, HubPages got an additional champion in its corner - Marina Lazarevic.  Though previously focusing exclusively on YieldBuild projects, Marina is now busy HubPages endeavors as well.  We've taken some time to chat with Marina about her background, YieldBuild, and the HubPages Ad Program.  We're very happy to have her help!

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview, Marina! To start, could you briefly tell us about yourself?

Sure! I joined the team in July 2010 as an account manager for YieldBuild. Prior to that, I got my undergraduate degree in International Relations at the University of Southern California, never really intending to go into policy but was (and still am) very interested in the subject matter. Before USC and college life, I lived with my family in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago. And before THAT, I was a chubby immigrant baby moving with my family from Serbia to Chicago. Currently, I'm living in an apartment in San Francisco, really close to work, and I'm absolutely loving it!

For those Hubbers who are not so familiar with YieldBuild, could you also explain what YieldBuild is?

It is both a premium ad network and an ad optimization service. It is designed to help publishers (people who run websites) do two things:

(1) Get access to several premium ad sources in one, simplified manner, through one, easy-to-use source and,

(2) Maximize advertising revenue. YieldBuild's proprietary technology decides which ad (across all available sources) will get to serve in a given ad spot based on which ad provider is willing to pay the most to serve in that spot.

On top of providing access to high-quality ad sources, YieldBuild offers publishers the option to "link" their AdSense account. That is, have YB optimize and allocate their AdSense ads as well. The product is designed primary to simplify what is otherwise a cumbersome process for many publishers: deciding which ad to place where so that the most money can be made.

How to HubPages and YieldBuild fit together?

One of YieldBuild's most active publishers is HubPages. YieldBuild delivers all of HubPages' remnant advertisements (whatever is not directly sold or through AdSense). In addition to HubPages, YieldBuild plays the same role for hundreds of other publishers, big and small.

You recently went from working exclusively on YieldBuild things to working on HubPages projects as well - could you tell us a bit about what you're working on for HubPages?

I do all kinds of advertising and media related operations for HubPages. I'm working on the redesign of the advertising section, inside sales & sales strategy, managing our ad server, finding and testing different affiliate relationships, and I'm also part of the support team for HPads! A lot of the work you're doing for HubPages ties in with the HubPages Ad Program, to which Hubbers are just starting to get invites.

How is the HubPages Ad Program different from the other affiliate programs available on HubPages?

Well, I would say there are 2 main differences to expect:

1. It is a supplementary revenue source to the existing affiliate programs available  

2. The program gives Hubbers access to premium ad partners that otherwise are restricted to only large publishers.

As a Hubber, you're started out with a great Hub on the best and worst characters in Super Smash Bros. fro Wii - what inspired the Hub?

Clearly my odd obsession for the game. I really like fighting games but many of the trendy ones are either too gruesome or too serious and stressful. I don't think video games are something I should ever have to stress about. SSB is just a cult classic: you have Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, and all of these other great characters from childhood games battling in the same arena. What could be more exciting than that??

Playing Super Smash Bros. aside, what do you enjoy doing in your off time? Do you have any fun hobbies or interests?

I don't do anything crazy like cave dive in my spare time. When not working, I enjoy taking it easy with friends. I like to cook and try new restaurants with my boyfriend. We explore San Fran and have fun. In high school and college I was competitive on the debate team, and from time to time I'll spend a weekend judging debates at a California tournament. My family lives on the east coast now so I visit them when I can. I also have a bizarre interest in bad horror films. The weirder and more nonsensical the plot, the better. That's not to say I also don't like good movies, but I mean, who doesn't like good movies?

What do you plan to Hub about in the future?

Food, travel, fashion, tech, and maybe I'll venture into some new topics! My second Hub is about the best places to get lunch in Berkeley, a lot of which are local eateries that I've found many people in the Bay Area don't know about. I guess my next one will be about underrated horror films :)

Let's close with a fun, silly question: if you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I think the power to control time and space would be pretty satisfying. It would take the "snooze" button to a whole new level. Traveling into the past and future would become weekend activities. I think I could get used to it...

This Week's HubNuggets

This week, RedElf and the HubNuggets team brushed harnessed their psychic powers in pursuit this week's 18 nominees from the Pets and Animals, Arts and Design, and Technology categories.

Thanks to your careful deliberation and voting, the winners have been chosen!  Have a look at them below - you just might find your future in... Artistic Pet Technology!

Simone

Carving Native Wooden Masks

. LEARNING FIRST NATIONS CARVING and FIRST AID I arrived early to night school class, there at the front of the room stood a tall man with blood running down his arm, his bloody knife on the...

Learning to Draw -- You Can, Too!

  I thought I couldn't draw -- and I lived over 40 years thinking I couldn't! I thought drawing was the particular magic-skill of artists, and when I went into studying science, I thought that was the...

Encouraging a Creative Art Environment for Your Kids

We all know how important play time is. We also know there is structured play time (classes, sports etc) and there is unstructured play time, where kids go off on there own. The same can be down with art. You...

Dogs and Children: How to Make Sure Your Kids and Dog Get Along

Most people are familiar with situations where someone had to find another home (or a shelter) for a dog that did not get along with a new baby or a child. The dog was too “hyper” and jumped up on a little...

RAVEN-First Nations Trickster or Demon?

Since Raven is such a key figure in West Coast First Nations Mythology there are many carving of Raven on totem poles, masks, plaques, and other First Nations Works of art. In many B.C. First Nations culture...

The gratitude of the stray.

Okay, first I better declare my bias. That's him, right there, those photos below . That's The Toof and he's a born-again ginger tom and a real smart cookie. So smart that when he was a starving, worm and flea...

How to use the NOTES application on Facebook - a step by step pictorial guide

Facebook is the social networking giant so many of us use every day. Its created a stir no one denies anymore. It's changed the way online company's do business and communicate. It's also changed how the...

GO GREEN! Print Everything as PDF Files Using Free Software

Save money and help the environment going paperless. It is very simple and all you need is a free software to start printing to PDF. Take a look at this article and learn how to start saving money today.

The Winds of November...

In November of 1975, an event occurred, the cause of which remains a mystery to this day. It is probably one of the biggest mysteries in maritime history. Though the largest inland-sailing vessel of her day,...