Have you been on HubPages for a while?

Perhaps it's time for a bit of self optimization.

While reviewing some Learning Center entries to brush up on my Hubbing Skills (a practice I recommend to everyone), I came across a very helpful guide to augmenting your success on HubPages via self optimization.

Self optimization involves going through your already-published Hubs, analyzing their performance, and moving forward in a way that maximizes your online content's strengths and minimizes its weaknesses.

This is an exercise I would recommend to any Hubber who has been with us for over six months (younger Hubs may not yield as consistent of results, but it doesn't hurt to engage in this activity as a new Hubber, either).

For a short guide to self optimization, stop by the Pro Tips below.

Happy Hubbing,

Simone Haruko Smith
Director of Marketing

How to Analyze and Optimize

To engage in some self optimization, all you have to do is:

1. Identify successful Hubs by visiting My Account >  Statistics and sorting your results so that Hubs with the most traffic in the last 30 days float to the top (Hubs with over 100 views are the most important Hubs to analyze)
2. Look for common characteristics across your most successful Hubs (e.g. under-served keywords, specific formats, lots of images, particular use of videos, a different Hub-making process...)
3. Look for common characteristics of your least successful Hubs (e.g. too specific or too broad, media poor, not very thorough, etc.)
4. Make a plan for creating Hubs that incorporate common characteristics of your most successful work and minimize characteristics of your least successful work.
5. In addition to creating new, optimized Hubs, consider updating existing Hubs to incorporate aspects of your most successful Hubs

For more detailed instructions on reviewing your Hubs' performance and determining new strategies for success, stop by the original Learning Center guide:  How to Augment Success with Self Optimization.

There are more great guides where that came from! Stop by the Learning Center today.
http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/contents

This Week's Rising Stars

Every week we highlight a new set of promising new Hubbers in our Rising Star Program, in which the community votes for nominated Hubs authored by new community members.

This week's nominees hail from the Business and Employment, Health, and Education and Science Topics. Some of the interesting subjects these Hubs addressed include finding a spiritual path within the workplace, making decisions about spinal treatments, and the philosophy behind Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and while each nominee is noteworthy, only nine finalists can be featured in the newsletter and awarded with Rising Star Accolades.

Now that the community has finished submitting their votes, I can happily present you with the best of the best!

Simone

How To Be a Court Reporter

Considering court reporting school? There are things you should consider, such as start up costs as a new reporter, before you begin your journey.

How to Build a Successful Cleaning Company

Ever thought about working for yourself, being your own boss and picking your own work? No directors or managers to tolerate, sounds nice doesn't it. Find out how close it is to reality for you, as we cover setting up your cleaning business from the initial building blocks to the very end of your first year!

The Spiritual Path of the Workplace

In this hub the author discusses the universal lessons in life that you can learn at work, whether you're entry-level or high executive, no matter what field you're in or what job you have.

Living as a teenager and adult with Asperger's Syndrome and autism. Plus step by step guide to help you cope.

This article identifies what I believe helped me to cope with Asperger's Syndrome during my teenage years and into adulthood. Included is a guide to helping yourself, or someone else, learn to cope. And perhaps help those of you that are nuero-normal to understand. Through God, family, music, animals, and friends, I made it, so can you!

Disaster Recovery Planning 101

Tomorrow you will wake up and start a new day. It will be another normal day, but what happens when disaster strikes. A little thought can help you in big moments.

What Not to Say to Someone With Clinical OCD

I've suffered from severe clinical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder for my entire life and I was diagnosed at the age of three. Over that time, I've tried a lot of things to manage my OCD: therapy, medication, exercise, prayer, vitamins and diet...

Astronauts Wanted: the Future of Manned Space Flight

With the retirement of NASA's space shuttle over a year ago, what is next for American manned space flight? What about other nations, and private companies? There are a lot of plans for future manned exploration of space. Read on to find out.

How to Become an Army Combat Medic

Learn everything there is to know about joining the Army as a Combat Medic. This guide takes you from the day you start thinking about becoming a medic to the day you graduate as an official Army Medic.

Gift Ideas: Hurricane Survival Kit

Dealing with natural disasters are no fun. But giving and receiving gifts is. Here is a list of gifts (or purchases) that will help you through the worst whether it be an earthquake, zombie apocalypse, twister or hurricane. It is best to be prepared.

Pamela99, From Jacksonville, FL, 1542 Fans, 405 Hubs, Joined 3 years ago

Bdegiulio Interviews Pamela99

A Peek Into the Life and Mind of a Prolific, Talented Hubber

Pam, you have been on HubPages for over three years now. How did you find out about HubPages? What made you interested in writing here?

My son was writing on Squidoo and I started writing there first. I decided to try some other sites and I felt more at home on HubPages than any other site. I liked the general layout of the page and the ability to add videos and pictures. There was no program to greet new people then, but it still seemed that I met people fairly quickly. I liked reading the Hubs of others, which certainly helps you make friends and get new fans also.

What are some interesting facts about Pam Oglesby that are not in your Profile that you would like to share with readers?

I was the oldest with a sister and brother. I started babysitting when I was young and went to work at a department store at age 16. We didn’t have much money when I was growing up and college was not an option, so I did the next stupid thing – ran away and got married at 18 years of age, shortly after graduation. I had my first of three sons at 19. I ended up with three boys and a marriage that went downhill over the years, as my husband became an alcoholic and violent. I went to nursing school to get away and support my children, which I ultimately did. I remarried 16 years ago to a wonderful man and now have a wonderful grown step-daughter.

You mention genealogy as being an area of interest of yours. What inspired this and have you discovered anything interesting about your family tree?

I have always liked history. All of my grandparents were the youngest in their families so my parents did not even know their grandparents. I was always curious about their origins as my parents knew little about the history of their families, especially my mother. I have tracked some lines back to the 1300s. I have 6 passengers that came from England on the Mayflower and one that was a Knight for King Arthur. I learned that one had to go to court for serving alcohol on Sunday and was ordered to stay away from another man’s wife, so it isn’t all positive. I want to leave this legacy for my children.

You have a number of wonderful travel Hubs. Are there any places that you have yet to visit that are on your list? What is it about traveling that you enjoy the most?

I love scenery and history. I want to see more of Canada. I have seen most of the U.S. I would love to go to several European countries, particularly England, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden for further genealogy research.

Pam, you shared with readers your story of living with Lupus. I must say that I greatly admire your strenght and determination. Is there any advice you can give to anyone who thinks they may have Lupus? Any tips for those already diagnosed on how to best live with Lupus?

I believe attitude and keeping your stress level low play a big impact on your health and I have noticed this particularly with lupus. A good rheumatologist is a must. One of the best things about lupus is the new and only medication, Benestyl that actually treats the disease. Up until now only symptoms were treated. Eat healthy, exercise and get enough rest to help with the symptoms.

Pam, you have over 100 Hubs on Health, clearly an area of great interest to you. You are a nurse and a caregiver at heart. What was it that inspired you to go into the medical and health care industry?

I had always wanted to be a nurse. As I already mentioned, I needed to find a way to support my children. I became an RN with an associate degree, then went back and got my bachelor’s degree a little more slowly. I am very interested in new discoveries and find the human genome project fascinating. We are going to see many amazing discoveries over the next several years and I love to keep people informed.

As a grandparent myself I know all too well the joys of grandparenthood. What is it about being a greandparent that is so special to you?

I was very involved with helping my middle son raise his two children when they were young and he was a single father. I adore my three grandchildren and am close to each of them. My granddaughter, who is now in college, just left my house with her boyfriend a few minutes ago. Each of my grandchildren has a bright future as they are all getting their educations, and they are all responsible young adults now.

Pam, you have over 70 Hubs on food and cooking, wow. Where did you learn all of these wonderful recipes? Are any of these old handed down family recipes that might have an interesting story behind them?

Of course, I have been cooking since I was a teen and some recipes are that old. My husband is quite fond of coconut and the Coconut Custard recipe has been in the family a long time and is very good. The Easy Cheese Cake recipe is more like a cheese pie and our neighbour from Australia when I was a child gave us that recipe, and we love it.

You’ve been writing here on HubPages for over three years now. How do you stay motivated to continue writing? Any tips for those who may be struggling with motivation issues?

I read the newspaper every day, National Geographic, numerous books and genealogy magazines. I can almost always think of a topic and quite often it might be based on something I have read. I also keep up with the latest medical advances, and then I can use my nursing knowledge to write an informative article in layman’s language.

With over 400 Hubs and 1500 folowers what is left to accomplish here on HubPages? What does the future hold for Pam Oglesby here on HubPages?

That is a great question. I spend some time doing freelance writing for another site as it pays well. I am also writing a fiction book. As for HubPages, I have an emotional attachment to the wonderful people that I have met, and I will continue to write, but I don’t write quite as often as I once did due to the time element. I have written 30 articles in 30 days and even 60 in 60 days. I do not desire to write that often again. I have also won contests and my time on HubPages is very special to me.