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2012-10-10

The new Topic page

Pages and Programs Get a Makeover

We've updated Topic Pages, HubPages' About Us Page, and the HubNuggets Program

This week we're happy to release several new updates:

  • A new look on Topic Pages: You'll notice a more tangible, magazine-like feel.
  • An updated (and visually engaging) About Us page: Instead of just presenting our (awesome) staff, we now give visitors a better idea of what HubPages is and stands for.
  • A new look, feel, and name for the HubNuggets Program: We've updated the voting interface, moved voting exclusively to Topic Pages, and changed the program's name from the HubNuggets Program (which left many visitors and new Hubbers confused) to the  Rising Star Program.

With all the changes we've been making, we want to be sure we're making HubPages the best possible place for you to discover, create, and connect. Please help us by filling out this one question feedback survey to let us know how we're doing.

For more information on the Topic and About Us design updates, stop by the HubPages Blog. For some tips on helping discover, encourage, and promote new talent on HubPages (through the Rising Star Program and beyond), swing by the Pro Tips below.

Simone Haruko Smith
Community & Marketing Manager

Pro Tips

How to Support Rising Stars on HubPages

When you inspire, support, and promote new talent on HubPages, everyone wins. Talented new Hubbers are encouraged to forge ahead, the community improves (both in terms of Hubs and Hubbers), and you get great insights on what people are doing to make their Hubs even better.

Here's how to spot and help promising new Hubbers:

  • Cast your vote in each week's Rising Star Program. Every week, we'll share links to the Topic Pages on which Rising Stars are featured (via the Forum and our social media channels) so that it's easy to find them and cast your votes.
  • Comment on the Rising Star candidate Hubs. In addition to voting for the best Rising Star candidates each week, we encourage you to have a good look at their Hubs and leave comments on their work. Doing so gives a boost to those new Hubbers and might give you some inspiration for your own Hubs!
  • Send me links to Hubs by new Hubbers that you think would be good candidates for our Hub of the Day Program.
  • Send helpful hints to new Hubbers who have made simple mistakes. If you notice a new Hubber who has made a common, honest mistake (e.g. not properly using or attributing images), send them a message kindly letting them know and include a link to a relevant Learning Center entry (such as our guide to proper image use).

Want to help yourself, too? Make use of our Learning Center!
http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/contents

Rising Stars

This Week's Rising Stars

This past week,  RedElf created  the final HubNuggets round-up Hub, which expounds on the bravery and benefits of striking out on one's own. The authors of this week's nominated Hubs from the Holidays and Celebrations, Personal Finance, and Business and Employment Topics are themselves striking out into the new world of Hubbing- and doing a rather good job at that! The winners are particularly good. Enjoy them below, and be sure to leave a comment on your favorite congratulating the author on his or her achievement!

Starting new ventures isn't always easy- we're all for supporting each other as we try new things. :D

Simone

      Holidays and Celebrations
32% Joe Feyas

Halloween DIY: Turn Your Lawn Into a Graveyard With This Tombstone Project

This Halloween DIY page will show you how to make a tombstone assembly line that will enable you to make multiple spooky tombstones in few short hours. Transform an ordinary lawn into a Haunted Graveyard!

19% NornsMercy

8 Simple Ways to "Halloween" Your House

Esmeralda and Ken exchanging wedding gifts. Ken, a pumpkin. Esmeralda, a dish soap bottle cap. I. LOVE. HALLOWEEN. It's the middle of September, still eighty-something degrees outside, and I'm already getting giddy about pumpkin pie and the smell of...

16% alisharenee

Best Halloween Costumes for Babies

Finding a costume that will help your baby stand out from the crowd doesn't have to be difficult! Here are some tips on finding th perfect Halloween costume for your little one...

      Personal Finance
60% Deron Wagner

The 4 most dangerous emotions for stock traders

One of the commonly overlooked, yet most crucial, elements of the long-term success of a stock market trader or investor is understanding the 4 main emotions that drive every market in the world. Without a basic understanding of these emotions, so that one can be on guard against them, becoming a profitable market speculator is an uphill battle. Learn these 4 emotional pitfalls and be on the lookout.

26% Spence Bailey

Calculating The Value Of Time And Use

Things cost money, and money takes time to gain. It's important to set your own value for each of these things.

9% GoldenThreadPress

DIY: New Uses for Your Pillowcase

Finding better ways to clean has never has gotten easier. This is especially true with this super simple DIY project of utlilizing a pillowcase as a wash bag for 10 hard to clean items.

      Business and Employment
27% nightnight

How You Can Use Social Media To Build Your Business

Ever wondered how to use social media more effectively to build your business? Now you can, discover how to use Facebook and Twitter to build a bigger network of customers, learn from them and be generally awesome at social media.

27% kateshoults

Two New Entry Level Jobs For English Majors

If you aren't careful, you can be discouraged right out of pursuing an English major. But I can assure you, while the career landscape is rapidly changing, there will always be a need for those with a strong command of the English language.

23% hifizah

Goal Setting: Why is It Important to Set Goals?

Everything starts from a dream, so does your success. I believe everyone has something they want to accomplish in their life, either in their career or their personal lives. However, not everyone is able to turn their dream into reality. Some people...

   

 

Hubber to Hubber
victoria lynn

Victoria Lynn, From Arkansas, USA, 1093 Fans, 224 Hubs, Joined 15 months ago

TToombs08 Interviews Victoria Lynn

One Hubber's story of inspiration and the pursuit of a lifelong passion

With all that you have going on in your busy life (being an adjunct instructor, caring for a herd of cats and a dog or two, rediscovering blogging, etc.) how to you still find the time to write? Is there a secret to your self discipline that others can learn from?

First, Terrye, thank you for interviewing me. I am honored! As far as discipline, it's a must-have thing right now if I want to succeed as a writer. Earlier in the year, my plan was to trot off into the exciting and scary world of freelance writing, supplementing my income with teaching a college English class here and there. Well, despite my aspirations, things turned kind of crazy, as FOUR classes were dumped in my lap. I really am grateful that I'm appreciated as a teacher, but my ultimate goal is to eventually devote myself to full-time freelancing. That's why I have to continue to be self-disciplined. I'm not willing to give up the freelance gigs I currently have on the side, even though I've been meeting myself coming and going lately! I work all day, take a break, and work several hours in the evenings. I work at least one day on the weekends, too--like many of us do! What keeps me going is knowing that one day all of this is going to pay off and I will achieve my dream.

At what point in your life did you have that "ah ha!" moment that the light bulb came on and you realized that you loved writing? And what did you do once it clicked?

Oh, Terrye, that was in elementary school! I have a silly book of poems to show for it. I was always writing poetry. I was often the kid who sat in her desk at recess when the weather was bad writing in a tattered notebook while my friends played in the back of the room. I have a "romance novel" in a folder that I wrote when I was about twelve years old! I have a box of writings--poems, essays--that I saved from high school, college, and beyond. I've always enjoyed writing and knew as a kid that it was something I would always do. When I got into traditional 9 to 5 jobs and endured them over the years, thinking "Is this my life?" I realized that making a living as a writer had to be my ultimate goal. Writers have to write.

Some day in the very distant future, when you are standing before the pearly gates, what would you like to most be remembered for?

That I had heart. There are so many things to be remembered for, but if I am remembered for having compassion for people and a passion for what I believe in, then my life will have had value.

So many new writers try their hand at writing for a month or two and then decide it's just too hard or their goals are unobtainable and give up. What personal accomplishment at HubPages has boosted your confidence to keep going and stay focused?

Really, there is no ONE personal accomplishment on HubPages that has boosted my confidence and propelled my desire to succeed. What has spurred me on is the whole HubPages experience- a place where I can write about my interests, the interaction and friendships with other writers, and the feedback I receive. The input from other writers has been key in my believing in myself and my abilities. My writing and networking on HubPages has led me on to other freelancing opportunities, as well. If new writers really want to make it, they can't give up. Making it as a writer is hard work, but I think it's a worthwhile, albeit challenging (and fun!) journey- one I'm still working on!

Some writers can write at the drop of a pen; any where, any time, any place. Others need to have a specific environment in order to be creative with a very disciplined schedule. What works the best for you?

Before I started teaching so much, I would write off and on all day and late into the night. Now, I just write as I have time or am inspired! When I have deadlines, I push through the writing whether I'm inspired or not. If we always waited for inspiration, we wouldn't always meet our obligations. Sometimes it takes pushing through the writer's block to get the writing flowing. One piece of advice--always jot down any ideas you have wherever you are. These will help you through the "dry" times.

A lot of writers find themselves pigeon-holed into certain niches. Would you advise them to attempt to expand their writing styles to see what else they are capable of or stick with what works for them and hope that they don't get burned out or become 'stale?'

I used to wonder about niches, and now I am definitely of the mind that one should branch out. On HubPages, I do focus on my favorite topics: saving money, pets, grammar and writing, teaching, and poetry, but I also write random Hubs. If we write enough, we're going to develop niches in several areas just naturally. I'm blogging about cats but plan to blog eventually about all those other "niches" I mentioned. I love to proofread, too, and am trying to do that on sites like Elance. And I have to have my poetry outlet! I have some other ideas in mind that I'll eventually try, so I'm planning to branch out in even more areas.

I recently took a course on freelancing. My instructor, a 15 year freelancer, says she has never stuck to a niche. She has been creative in many different genres and is successful! That gives me hope and inspiration to write about whatever pulls me. Following my many interests, I feel, will keep writing fresh and exciting, keeping burn-out from creeping in. Trying different things does help us find out what we are capable of as writers.


  HubPages Fun Fact: When frightened, the the giant vinegaroon (Mastigoproctos giganteus) emits an acidic spray! http://aliciac.hubpages.com/hub/Strange-Arachnids-Camel-Spiders-and-Whip-Scorpions
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