Hoping to bring back some helpful tips, I attended as many Hubber-relevant panels as possible. Now I can share with you the top insights these panels provided!

HubPages at SXSW

Highlights from South by South West Interactive

Thanks to your support, I had the privilege of speaking at SXSW Interactive this year (more on that in the Pro Tips section of the newsletter below). Aside from speaking and introducing attendees to HubPages, I attended as many panels as possible that I thought would be of interest to the community.

Here are some insights from the best of the best:

• From DIY IP: Protect Yo Self, Don't Wreck Yo Self: When in doubt, don't try to use copyrighted material (e.g. photos in your Hubs) using the Fair Use argument. You're just asking for trouble.
• From Why Trust is the New Social Glue: To make your online personality more easy for people to trust, have a consistent personality across platforms, use a photo of yourself as an avatar, and be genuine and transparent about your qualifications. Also, speak/write naturally.
• From Creating Films for Computers: Do well with nothing, do better with little, and do it now. You can create amazing work with very few resources. Just be creative and be passionate!
• From Eat Blog Publish an Internet to Paper Hit: You'll be surprised by how much can result from writing about something about which you are genuinely passionate if (1) nobody else is currently covering the subject, (2) you are willing to put in a lot of time, and (3) you are very actively engaged with your audience on multiple platforms.
• From Self-Publishing in the Age of E: You can ABSOLUTELY successfully self-publish a book without a formal publishing contract; it might actually be better for you financially. That said, you have to have very, very good work (that is edited) and an active, large following. That requires a lot of work, time, and audience engagement and outreach. Once you have become successful independently, editors and publishers will reach out to you.
• From What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Bitter: If your audience doesn't 'get' or respond to something; if it does not seem to work- re-write it! Mediocrity won't do; don't pretend something is good or funny if your audience doesn't seem to think it is.

I hope these might help you sharpen your online game. :)

Happy Hubbing,

Simone Haruko Smith
Director of Marketing

Blogging is Dead: Long Live the Individual

At SXSW Interactive, I spoke about how blogging is dead as a means of gaining and building traction in our modern age. Instead of sticking to one platform and format, we must construct and cultivate integrated, multi-platform online individualities.

To do so successfully, one must:

• Establish a clear, cohesive message (or better yet, a legacy you would like to leave behind)
• Learn as much as possible about one's target audience (what they like, what they care about, where they like to hang out online, etc.), and engage in active dialogue with them through the channels of their choice*
• Do what it takes to reach as many people within your target audience as possible (this typically involves putting together a strategic portfolio of publishing platforms and social media sites on which you will be active)

If I were to have you walk away with one insight from my argument, it would be to see yourself as a person and not a platform. Platforms come and go; your message is what really matters and makes an impact. Don't dampen your message (or make yourself obsolete) by firmly sticking to just one platform or format.

*We have GREAT guides to effectively engaging with your audiences on Facebook,  Google+,  Pinterest, and  Twitter in the HubPages Learning Center.

For more on the talk, stop by the HubPages Blog, which offers a more detailed outline of the talk.

Want to actually *hear* HubPages staff speak? Check out our online writing insider podcast archive!
http://blog.hubpages.com/category/podcasts/online-writing-insider/

This Week's Rising Stars

We reward promising new Hubbers by giving them the chance to win Rising Star Accolades and be featured in our weekly newsletter, which goes out to the most active Hubbers within our community. Each week, eighteen Hubs from three different Topics are nominated and voted on through carousels on their respective Topic Pages. After five days of voting, our polls close and the winners are announced.

This week's winners hail from the Pets and Animals, Politics and Social Issues, and Gender and Relationships Topics. Stop by your favorites to congratulate their authors through the comments!

Simone

Guinea Pig Illnesses: Prevention, Treatment, Hospice

Whether you already have a guinea pig or not, it’s important to realize that the happiness they bring can be easily tainted by sickness and even death. It is therefore important to know

Bullet's Story: Adopting and rehabilitating a rescue dog

This is the true story of our dog Bullet and the trials, tribulations, heartaches, joys, and rewards of adopting and rehabilitating a rescue.

Wet or Dry Food: What Kind of Cat Food Is Best For My Cat?

Take some time to think about the kind of food you will feed your cat. Making careful choices can help your cat to lead a longer and healthier life.

The Age of Majority in America

This overview of the legal parameters of adulthood addresses topics including parental authority, civic rights, consumer privileges, and the age of consent.

A Day at the Office: Preparing for War

This is descriptive. Let the reader feel and think with the character. Master descriptive writing, and you will find your style. Great descriptive writing leads to future clarity and a smooth style.

What the Military Doesn't Tell You About Deployment

There are a great many things that the military tries to arrange for the family of a deploying solider but, at the same time, there are many things that the military does not tell you about a deployment. In this article, a couple helpful tips are given to handle just about any situation a deployment will throw your way.

How To Start A Good Marriage?

Today family is changing - unfortunately, not for the better. That reality leads many to question if marriage is still a good option for their lives. Know how YOU can start a happy marriage.

Meaningful Anniversary Gift Idea

Create a compilation of your greatest memories together. Once you have the "thoughtful component" of your anniversary gift out of the way, you will be able to shop without the paralyzing pressure.

Why I'm Happy to Perform a Gay Wedding

A wedding officiant shares thoughts on marriage equality.

Bob Zermop, From California, USA, 70 Fans, 28 Hubs, Joined 11 months ago

An Interview with Bob Zermop

Getting to know a Hubber with a passion for politics, food, travel, and tangents!

You say in your bio that food, politics, and travel are your life. Do those things have any relation in your mind?

No question about it – they at least intertwine with each other through me! No, I do think that I see them as related. While I think food and travel are fairly obvious, what I mean by politics has always been beyond political posturing or day-to-day elections and more in the realm of political theory or political science. That, I think, is far more interesting, and it’s a big factor in topics that might seem as disparate as art, philosophy, history, or the development of sciences.

Political theory/science certainly connects to food and travel – they all grow from and show the growth of the distinct variety of the world, as well as the humans that create it. This is all fascinating and absorbing for me, and if I’m lucky, delicious as well. Oh, I can also talk for hours on any combination of the three, taking myself into random tangents. Many of my articles show some clear examples!

When you became vegan, what was the hardest shift to make? I see you have already written some Hubs on eating out at restaurants with the dietary restriction- are there any other vegan tips you plan on sharing on HubPages in the near future that you might have picked up during your dietary conversion?

The hardest shift to make probably involves figuring out where to get my iron and B-12. It took a few weeks of adjustment before I figured out what worked for me. That, or figuring out how to explain “vegan” to a waiter without blowing up either his head or mine. For other tips, I’d like to share some things I wished I’d known about vegan nutrition and cooking – what to use as substitutes, where to get vitamins, that kind of thing. Maybe I could also add some of my experimental vegan recipes.

What first sparked your interest in politics?

Philosophy. I think I got to political theory through those ridiculous questions of morality and human nature rather than through any political speeches or campaigns. It seems to me that today many think both are abstruse and intangible wastes of time. I actually think both are quite real and can yield answers if we prod them enough.

You have an excellent writing style- where and how did you hone it?

Ha, thank you. I think it was through spoken words in discussions and explanations. I’ve never seriously written anything (outside of formal education) before trying out HubPages. Besides that, it would be due to reading the works of people who can really write. Like many others I’ve met on HubPages, I’ve always loved books and reading- long before I considered writing.

Why did you decide to start publishing your work online?

To be honest? To try and make some money, no long-held dreams of publishing from me! It wasn’t till I actually started that I realized HubPages is a great place to get feedback on both one's writing and the ideas it contains.

Is there a particular message you wish to send to readers through your work?

I think that my body of work isn’t nearly large enough to send any coherent messages! If there’s anything that will come through overall, it’ll just be of me, and of how many eccentricities I consist of.

You have been on HubPages for close to a year now- what has changed most about your writing over this time?

I use a lot more of spacing and go off on far fewer tangents. Besides that, though, I think the changes in my Hubs have had more to do with pictures and my cracks at SEO than what could be called my writing style. My writing is definitely still in the process of developing. Only 28 articles as it stands today – plenty of space to grow!