We Offer Tools for Making Rich, Multimedia Hubs

Why not make the most of them?

Have you been using the same general layout and capsules over and over? Even the best Hubbers can fall into a rut with their Hubs. While you may have found a good rhythm that works for you, you could be missing out on some splendidly useful HubTool features.

We encourage you to make the most of all the capsules we have to offer. While you might not always have a reason to use the Code Capsule, you might be surprised by how many uses there are for the Table Capsule. Check out the Pro Tips section of this newsletter for some practical applications of our more versatile capsules that can make your Hubs more useful and engaging than ever.

Also, keep in mind that, in addition to converting your Hubs into more vibrant multimedia resources, using a wide variety of capsules can also increase your chances of winning prizes in our contests, such as this month's Know It All Contest. The useful and creative use of several types of capsules is definitely something we look for in entries.

Happy Hubbing,

Simone Haruko Smith
Community & Marketing Manager

CClitgirl, interviewed below, uses Quiz Capsules to help readers remember her grammar lessons!

Creative Uses for Popular Capsules

Want to spice up your Hubs? Try using different capsules! Here are some creative applications for some of our more versatile capsules:

• Text Capsule: Bulleted summaries floated to the right, "Fun Facts" blurbs floated to the right, "About the Author" sections floated to the right, or relevant quotes floated to the right.
• Photo Capsule: Step-by-step demonstrations played out in a Photo Capsule in thumbnail format, illustrations you doodled, helpful graphs and diagrams, re-enactments demonstrated by your friends and family, or pretty, abstract images that you have on hand from past vacations.
• Video Capsule: Relevant news clips, supplementary histories, useful how-tos and demonstrations, or examples of an issue or activity discussed in the Hub (note: floating videos to the right and keeping them interspersed throughout a Hub instead of grouped at the bottom improves reader experience).
• Poll Capsule: Polls gauging reader opinion on the Hub's subject, encouraging readers to vote for their favorite point or fact, asking readers which sort of experiences they have had (e.g. Have you shot a turkey out of a rocket before?), or asking readers about themselves (e.g. Which type of shopper are you? Thrifty/Recreational/Stressed/Rushed/Disorganized)
• Amazon & eBay Capsules: Capsules featuring products used by people described in a Hub, products you used to complete a task you're describing, or products featuring supplementary information on your Hub's subject.
• Table Capsule: Summaries of relevant statistics, time tables, summarized comparisons of events, people, places, or products, or overviews of names or types (such as different whale species).
• Quiz Capsule: Quizzes evaluating readers' personalities, testing their expertise, helping readers review what they learned from your Hub, or helping visitors decide which choice to make (e.g. what kind of pet to get or whether they should buy a Mac or PC).
• Map Capsule: Maps showing a bird's eye view of a place discussed in your Hub, tracking the progress of a series of events described, or giving an example of the terrain of an area you are discussing (e.g. the terrain in certain agricultural zones, the sort of land in which certain animals live, etc.).
• Comments Capsule: Comments Capsules with headers asking for specific stories, feedback, tips, examples, or opinions.

For additional tips on using these capsules- as well as other features on HubPages- visit our Learning Center
http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/contents

This Week's HubNuggets

Every week on HubPages, 18 great Hubs written by new Hubbers are nominated in the HubNuggets competition. After voted on by the community, the top nine are awarded with special HubNugget Accolades and featured in the weekly newsletter.

This week, Enelle Lamb rounded up nominees from the Fashion and Beauty, Pets and Animals, and Personal Finance Topics in a Hub laced with a mysterious series of blue papers. The mystery remains unsolved, but the votes are in, and the winning Hubs can be enjoyed below!

Simone

Homemade Deodorant-Antiperspirant: Basic, Easy Recipe

Follow this basic, easy recipe to make your own healthy, inexpensive deodorant-antiperspirant using ingredients you already have at home.

Should I Get A Tattoo?

I love body art - love love love. I have 13 piercings and 2 tattoos and I bet I'll have added to that number before too long. Best of all, I have no regrets. That was actually the first thing my mother said when I came home freshly inked at 18 -...

How to clean your face with natural ingredients

There is no problem that our bodies have that can't be fixed by nature's goods. This extensive list of treatments and cures definitely covers skin care, and it's all very simple too, just like nature itself. Don’t we eat healthy food to keep our...

Stalked! How to Survive the Constant Demands of a Fat Cat.

Read how one fat cat terrorizes a family with her constant demands for food, and how they are working on re-establishing a healthy weight and lifestyle for her. Good tips on cat health and obesity issues.

The Best Way to Stop a Dog from Jumping on You and Your Guests!

In this article we discuss why dogs jump and the principles of behavior modification as it relates to jumping. To stop jumping we need to extinguish the behavior and teach an alternative behavior. This article gives simple, practical and professional advice for jumping behavior in dogs.

Rescue Animals Bring Joy

Rescue animals bring me a great deal of joy and I wanted to share that with you.

Make Some Extra Money by Self-Publishing Erotic and Romance Literature

A beginners guide to self-publishing ebooks that will sell.

Growing up with Hippie Parents in California

Growing up, I thought my life was normal. Now that I am grown, and living in suburbia, I see that my childhood lifestyle was very very different-- I loved it. I had a great childhood and know that growing up wild helped form the person I am today.

How To Borrow Money With No Interest Without Using Credit Cards

How to effectively borrow money at no interest without using credit card balance transfers. This technique uses an options trading strategy.

cclitgirl, From Asheville, NC, 356 Fans, 79 Hubs, Joined 3 months ago

Shanna11 Interviews CClitgirl

Learn more about this playful and inquisitive Hubber's writing and background

Hi Cyndi! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. You write on a large area of subjects- could you tell us about yourself and what you like to write about the most?

When I first joined HubPages, I thought I'd write about some of the things that I had gotten really interested in, in the last few years: living frugally and simply, being green, and natural remedies. I began researching more with my Hubs and I'm having so much fun with it and learning more than I ever imagined. But, I also noticed myself gravitating towards helping people with grammar. I teach Spanish and whether they are adults and children, I always get questions about the English language. I thought, well, if I get all these questions, I bet there are a lot more people out there who want to know, too. So, I've been inspired to write about subjects of grammar - it's been a fun challenge coming up with zany characters for my grammar series. So the six main interests in my life: Spanish, language, culture, living frugally, being green and natural remedies are what I tend to write about.

You teach Spanish and you're into language and culture- have you ever lived in or been to any interesting places?

Let's see...I've been to quite a few places around the world: Europe, The Philippines, Costa Rica and Mexico to name a few. Each time, I learn more about myself and my own culture when I look through the lenses of another. I love learning about the customs and ideologies of other cultures and their answers as to how to dress, eat, act, talk, and so much more. It's truly fascinating to me.

How did you find HubPages and what made you join and want to stay?

I came across HubPages because I was wanting to make a little extra money as a teacher. I was already getting up early in the mornings to write on other things: blogs, a memoir (that isn't published), and a children's story I'm working on. I figured HubPages would be an extension of that. What I found was an incredible community, with wonderful people who also love to write and interact. It's been such a wonderful experience and the HubPages staff and community make me want to do this ALL the time. What can I say? I'm addicted.

Do you have any major goals when it comes to your writing?

I do have a number of goals with my writing. As with many people on HubPages, I would like to write full-time someday. In the meantime, I make a point of having fun with it. I aim to explore and push myself. Eventually, I see myself publishing my memoir and some children's books. In each Hub I write, I try to integrate all of my "loves" at once: art, culture, writing - the whole bit. Really, I just try to have fun and secretly pretend I'm a writer/editor/artistic director of a magazine and when I wave my magic wand, I can really put some pizzazz into my work.

What is one thing you really want to do that you have not had a chance to do?

I have this hankering to go to northern Spain and walk the entire length of the Camino de Santiago. It's 786 km long and would take about 6 weeks. It's been a dream of mine since I was 18 (I'm in my 30s now) and was taking a Spanish class in college and my professor was telling me about it. One day - hopefully sooner rather than later - I want to do it. Then, I'll write about it! I know I'll have some fun adventures - even inadvertent ones. I mean, given my accident-proneness, is it any wonder I ended up in the back of a police car in Madrid, Spain? My companion had a guitar and before it was all over with, he was singing along with the police officers and we were having them drop us off at various museums - I wasn't in trouble at all!

If you had the whole world watching you for five minutes, is there anything special that you would say or do?

I would remind the world that there is a saying: "Dance Like No One Is Watching." If you try it, you'll smile. Smiles are contagious. So, I might dance a little like Elaine Bennis from Seinfeld, but I believe in taking a challenge and turning it into triumph. So what if I can't do it? So what if someone is critical? It's about the process for me, and life is too short to concentrate on the negative. Sure, we all have things that get us down. But, if we don't dust ourselves off and continue to dance, we might miss the song of a lifetime.

Thank you so much Cyndi! Is there anything else you’d like to say?

I would just like to take a moment to express my gratitude to HubPages staff and community. Four months ago, I took a chance. I had no idea what adventure I would be going on when I clicked "sign up." But I can tell you, it's got me dreaming, writing, and exploring the world in a whole different way and I feel like I've gained a virtual family. I know the staff works so hard to make HubPages what it is and I'm thankful. The community at HubPages has afforded me the opportunity to make friends around the world and I'm thrilled. I hope to meet so many of my new friends in person sometime...and then I'll write about it!