An Interview with Ardie
Tips From an Inquisitive, Humorous, and Welcoming Hubber
In addition to being a
HubGreeter (part of a team of Elite Hubbers who welcome new members on the site),
Ardie is a witty, inquisitive, and fabulous writer. Having been on the site for three years, she has really honed her online writing skills and can share a healthy dose of perspective with the new Hubbers she greets. You, too, can glean some of Ardie's great Hubbing advice in the interview below. Enjoy!
You have been on HubPages for three years, making you quite an established Hubber! Has your style or have your goals changed significantly over your time on the site?
Wow, established! That makes me feel all regal and stuff. Yes I’d say my writing style over the years has definitely changed. When I first started at HubPages I was conflicted over writing to earn money and writing for my own gratification. Now I’ve learned I can actually do both if I really work at it! I was also way too concerned before with what others thought about my writing. I had a stiff, stuffy tone that was rather drab. Today I try to write as if I am talking to a close friend minus the swear words. My goals have also changed. I remember my first profile on HubPages stated my sole goal as reaching a Hub-author score of 100. That was the only goal I set and I did not achieve it. Within a short amount of time I lost steam and even stopped writing due to my lack of goals. Now that I have returned I have set short-term and long-term goals to keep myself motivated.
You share in your bio that you love to research and learn new things- what drives your inquisitive nature?
My inquisitive nature can often be a curse and I really hope it’s driven by something other than nosiness! Sometimes I feel like a pesky two year old who’s constantly asking ‘why, why, why?’ I believe everything and everyone has a purpose. Instead of assuming what that purpose is I try to gather as many facts as possible to come to an educated conclusion. I also have a few pesky two year olds of my own who constantly ask questions (okay, they aren’t 2 anymore but they still ask). I hate telling my children I don’t know something so instead I say “I’m not sure – let’s Google it!” I often wonder if my own inquisitive nature has rubbed off on them or if they have rubbed off on me?
One of your recent (and very entertaining and informative) Hubs shares your experience as a security officer. It's a great example of a Hub that builds on personal experiences but in a way that really interests readers and offers useful information. What would you say is the best way to turn personal stories into Hubs that are reader and search-engine friendly?
I love sharing my personal experiences because I think I’m immensely entertaining. No, I’m only joking. I just love to tell stories and my own stories are the ones I know and explain best. I focus mainly on making my Hubs reader-friendly by using simple terms and by injecting humor. Later I go back and tweak the information to make the Hub search-engine friendly. I try to add terms I feel readers might type into a search bar. For instance, when I do my own research I often start with phrases such as ‘how to’, ‘when to’ or ‘what is’. I try to include those phrases in the title and in the text throughout the Hub. I also try to write on topics that are considered evergreen, meaning they won’t go out of style in the near future.
Are there any other Hubs in which you have leveraged your personal expertise to share some entertaining stories and useful information?
I’m not sure if this is considered expertise since I’m still learning, but I really enjoy writing about my children and the goofy things they do or say. I think I have a decent sense of humor so while the antics my kids pull might horrify most parents, they just make me laugh. My approach has resulted in Hubs such as
Embarrassing Moments with Your Child and How to Deal with Them.
What inspired you to become a Greeter?
When I learned about the Greeter program I wanted to join immediately. I will admit I had two sources of inspiration – one selfish and the other not. My most pressing source of inspiration was to provide support and encouragement to new writers who might not otherwise receive either. I like to think that if I can help just one person I will have returned all the support and help I received when I first started at HubPages. I suppose I want to pay it forward. My selfish reason for wanting to join the Greeter program was to find new and interesting writers – and boy have I! I’m amazed at the number of talented writers I’ve met being a Greeter.
As a Greeter, you see a lot of Hubbers who are just starting out. What would you say are the most common mistakes they make?
The most common mistake I see is the misunderstanding of what exactly constitutes duplicate content. A lot of new Hubbers think they can publish the same article at several freelance writing sites because the article is their own. However, that’s not the case. Even if the article is that writer’s own content it cannot be published anywhere else if it is to remain on HubPages.
What one piece of advice would you say is the most valuable to new Hubbers?
DO NOT GIVE UP! Too many writers expect instant results and that just isn’t going to happen. There isn’t a secret formula to page views and you most likely will not earn money overnight. Earning at HubPages takes time and effort. I think too many people expect too much too soon and they get disappointed and give up early in the process.
Do you have any HubPages-related goals for 2012? What sorts of Hubs do you plan on publishing next?
I think it’s important to always have goals and a little friendly competition. My short-term goals include reaching 200,000 page views, increasing the amount of Hubs I currently have to 150, and revising and editing older Hubs to keep them current. My long-term goals include staying active in the Greeter program, meeting as many new Hub authors as possible while maintaining friendships with all the experienced Hubbers I know, and publishing a book of short stories and poems for my daughters. As for the friendly competition, I just joined the 30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge with two hub-buddies,
Poshcoffeeco and
Haunty. They see it as a friendly mutual support system – I see it as a competition. Sorry guys!
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