An Interview with Global-Chica
One of HubPages' most well-traveled new Hubbers reveals the secrets behind her successful HubPages debut
How did you find HubPages? Why did you decide to join?
Back in 2010, I took an educational leave of absence and moved to Portugal to pursue a Graduate degree. Before the big move, my boyfriend and I went on a very adventurous trip through Southeast Asia, India, Australia and New Zealand. It was an unforgettable experience and we have an amazing collection of pictures. After settling in Portugal, we didn’t stop traveling but explored beautiful Portugal, nearby Spain and even went to Paris for a couple of days. With all these great travel experiences and amazing photos, I wanted to share them with others. Thankfully I found HubPages which is a great venue for that and has a very inspiring and encouraging community. Since joining HubPages, I have been inspired to expand my writing beyond my travels to other topics I'm passionate about.
Your username suggests you have quite the international flare- where are you now and what are you doing?
At the moment I am actually in Luanda, Angola! It’s the most expensive city in the world and is known as “the Paris of Africa”. I’d say, above all, it’s a very unusual place and right now is a very exciting time to be here. I actually
just wrote a Hub about my first impressions of it.
My boyfriend works for a large multinational firm that sends him on assignments all around the world. Lucky for me, since I’m working on my Master’s thesis now, I’m not tied to any particular location so I joined him here in Luanda.
You've written some really fun travel Hubs- do you only write about places you've been, or do you also publish research on yet-to-be-visited locations in Hub form?
I only write about places I’ve been to. I find that writing about each place I’ve visited is a great way to reflect back on my experiences and to share my photos. I try to write each travel piece in such a way that I hope would help people who are planning to travel there. I always carry a journal with me and jot down interesting facts and things I want to remember from my journeys.
Do you follow any particular process when writing a Hub?
I do have a bit of a process going when writing a Hub. To start off, I have a spreadsheet I keep updating with topics I want to write about. And I seem to find inspiration for topics all around me! I always have at least one article in the making and each day I dedicate 1-2 hours to HubPages by writing content, doing research to ensure that my info is accurate and uploading pictures. I recently began using Google’s Keyword tool to generate traffic to my Hubs and I’m learning SEO to improve already published Hubs.
You've been publishing fantastic Hubs from the get-go. What do you think has given you an edge?
Aww, thank you! If I have any edge, I’d say it’s because I write about topics I’m passionate about and know.
As a relatively new Hubber, what advice would you share with other Hubbers who have recently joined the site?
My advice to new Hubbers is to learn the ins and out of HubPages via the HubPages Learning Center, write about topics you love, actively participate in the HubPages community and if you like a challenge, try the “30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge”.
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