A great DIY Hub by Gordon Hamilton

Life is full of projects, challenges, and lessons learned...

Why not share your newfound knowledge with the world?

Informal conversations at HubPages Headquarters frequently include the sentence: "You should make a Hub about that!"

Indeed, everyday life is brimming with tasks, discoveries, and epiphanies that would benefit the world at large- if you took the time to share them, of course. If your Hubs focus more on abstract, research-based subjects, that's great, but we encourage you to also make the most of day-to-day activities.

By taking a couple of photos and notes as you learn something new (from, say, buying new furniture as RealHousewife did as part of a home furnishings-themed Weekly Topic Inspiration challenge), you can make life easier for those who come after you, gain more readers, and more thoroughly process your newfound knowledge.

Check out the Pro Tips below for some basic DIY Hub guidelines- and remember, when you learn, try, or do something new, "you should make a Hub about that!"

Happy Hubbing,

Simone Haruko Smith
Head of Outreach

How to Write a Great DIY Hub

The process of creating a great DIY Hub is quite straightforward. In true DIY fashion, here's the step-by-step:

1. Recognize opportunities to create DIY Hubs as you take on new tasks and projects (this is the most important step!).
2. Take notes, photos, and video as you go about your work.
3. Before starting your Hub, do a bit of keyword research, or, at the very least, choose a descriptive title that matches terms people might type into Google Search when looking for a how-to guide to the activity you're covering. Also Google your potential title to assess the competition and determine what you will need to do to differentiate yourself and provide a superior guide.
4. Assemble your Hub, including as many tips and images as you can. If you use others' images, be sure to legally use and properly attribute them.
5. After your Hub is published, consider sharing it with your friends on social media. Though many of the Hubs we write might not interest close friends and family, they are more likely to be interested in a project you, personally, just completed.

For a more thorough discussion of DIY Hub creation, stop by our complete Learning Center guide.

The HubPages Learning Center offers much more than helpful Hub creation tips. Check out the main page to see the full directory of guides.
http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/contents

This Week's HubNuggets

Are you new to HubPages? If so, one of your Hubs may end up in the HubNuggets Program, a friendly round of competition amongst new Hubs written by promising new community members. Each week, a special team of Hubbers selects 18 Hubs from three different Topics which are then reviewed and voted on by the HubPages community. Winners are featured in the HubPages newsletter and awarded with special Accolades.

This week, nominees from the Education and Science, Home, and Health Topics were presented in a back to school Hub by RedElf. As the polls have finally closed, is it my distinct pleasure to present to you our latest winners!

Simone

Do We Have Too Many PhDs?

Getting a PhD means you are attaining the highest degree in academics, and not many people can manage to get this qualification as it requires intellectual skill and dedication. However, there is a surge in the number of PhD graduates in recent decades. The author discusses about the rise of the number of PhDs and the consequence to the PhD careers.

Professional Etiquette for The Certified Nurse's Aide

CNA's are an important part of the healthcare team. Here is some advice on how to be a well-loved and respected aide.

Class is in Session: We Are All Special

In a world where everyone is desperately trying to survive amid the backdrop of an economic crisis, bipartisan angst and global unrest, we must remember that just being the best we can be individually is our best way of being. Being unique is a beautiful thing.

What's That In My BBQ!! - Maybe I should use it more often??!!

Why not have a good chuckle at my expense, through my travails and learning to master the BBQ, with this one very nasty experience.

Easy Steps To Start De-Cluttering Your Home

If you are someone who wants to begin de-cluttering your home but feel completely overwhelmed at the amount of work you think it’ll take, this article will provide some simple first steps you can take toward enjoying the benefits of a life with less “stuff”.

7 Tree landscaping Ideas from the South Coast Botanical Gardens

A visit to the South Coast botanical garden is an economical way to get some landscaping ideas. Experts are available to guide gardeners through a variety of circumstances. Landscaping with trees is challenging; it is hard to gauge how the mature tree will look by the seedling available at the nursery. Additionally, trees grow to different heights in different areas, and even based upon the condition of the soil.

A Bone Marrow Donor's Perspective

Donating Bone Marrow Stem Cells was a rewarding experience. However, not knowing exactly what to expect, or how I would feel made it a little scary. This article shares my perspective as a donor and helps to shed light on the overall experience- in an effort to help ease the anxiety and answer some questions for those who may be potential donors.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Drink Them! The Health Benefits of Drinking Water with Lemon

Lemons are nutrient power houses with all sorts of healing processes. Drinking your water with lemon everyday is an easy way to drastically change your health, your appearance, and your overall well-being. Drink those lemons!

Prevent Pain - How to Stretch Your Lower Back Muscles

Preventing pain may be more about stretching than about pain medication. Millions suffer from back pain and yet little information is shared except individually about how to stretch your back. As a certified personal trainer, the look of pain from the neck and the back is very apparent. Opening up the space between the spinal discs helps most people. Learn some quick ways to stretch daily and avoid that awful back ache.

RealHousewife, From St. Louis, MO, 867 Fans, 106 Hubs, Joined 19 months ago

Simone Smith Interviews RealHousewife

Tips from an expert in recognizing Hubbing opportunities

For a recent home furnishings-centric Weekly topic you documented your process of getting new furniture. Had you planned on buying new furniture?

Yes! My husband said I had to wait for my puppy to get older before I bought new living room furniture. I think he was stringing me along. When you announced the WTI was about furniture, I told my husband that my boss (you know Simone Smith!) said I had to buy new furniture and write about that this week. Thanks!

Had you planned about hubbing about the process before we had chosen the theme?

Not at all. It did not occur to me to turn the idea into Hub material but when I saw the topic, I did realize it would be an excellent opportunity for me to get the new furniture I wanted AND make sure I purchased perfect furniture for my home.

How did you document your furniture selection experience to make it easier to create your helpful Hubs?

I first went in with a little black HubPages book and pen. I told the salesperson I was just browsing. They thought I was a spy from one of the other furniture stores in town! I walked around checking out the prices and making notes about their offers. I got so many strange looks and one person even said, “oh look! Isn’t that cute? She is taking pictures of the furniture she wants!” After about an hour of that (it was so fun, I dragged it out) I went home. Then I called the salesman that I used for my last purchase and told him why I was there and asked if he would help me purchase furniture and also allow me to interview him during the process for an article on HubPages.

As you went through the process I understand you also worked closely with the store managers, how did this help? Would you have spoken with them had you not been Hubbing about this?

I would have discussed my purchase with the salesperson just as much. I like to defer to the experts when making a big ticket purchase so I don’t regret it later. I probably would never have had cause to introduce myself to the store manager if I had not been writing a HubPages article about the process.

Have you created any other Hubs about things you have done or learned as you go about daily life?

If I discover anything that I think is exciting or would benefit another reader I do write about it if I can get enough reliable information. If I do not think my topic will be helpful, I usually just scratch it. For example, I was going to write about “The Dragon” after I bought one but it did not work well for me. I don’t want to say, “no one should buy this it didn’t work for me!” and I won’t say, “you gotta love the Dragon!” because I didn’t but I am not too excited about telling anyone about that purchase.

What can you tell others about recognizing and maximizing Hub opportunities?

Each time I take part in a WTI or answer Questions on the Forum in HubPages it always helps me learn something. I like doing WTI for the simple fact that it is not a topic I chose. I like to challenge myself to try new things. I know those topics are created because they are keyword rich topics. I will always take advantage of those gold nuggets because they pay off for me and for anyone who needs more information that I can research and provide. I always try to defer to an expert in that field or fact check my own research in multiple places because then I know that my information is as correct or helpful as possible.