A Reality Check About HubPages
Two Years and Eight Months at HP
Two years and eight month at HubPages! That and four bucks will get you a good mocha from your favorite barista.
Seriously!
When I was thinking about writing this article (I refuse to call them Hubs), I was going to write it for the newbies who seem to be greatly confused about this site. The more I thought about it, though, I realized there are a great many writers here at HP who are veterans and are also confused. So this is for anyone who feels like reading it.
Before I continue, let me state without reservation that I love HubPages, and the reason for that love is the community of writers. I doubt I would be writing today if it were not for the wonderful writers who embraced me early and gave me support and encouragement. I certainly would not be here today because of the HP staff. I’m sure they are all nice people, but I find them lacking a bit in the encouragement department.
So let’s begin. I’m going to give you some thoughts on random subjects, and hopefully some of it will be helpful to you.
Understanding the Site Called Hubpages
HubPages is an online community of writers run by online marketing experts. I doubt, seriously, that the staff knows any more about writing than the average writer on HP, but they do know how to market their site. They do know how to turn a profit through that marketing, and they do know how the internet, and in particular Google, works.
HP makes its money from advertising. The more views your articles gather, the more money HP makes. Quality writing does not really enter into this discussion, folks. HP is concerned only with whether your article is written in such a way that it will do well on the search engines. Do not confuse good writing with good search engine results. They are not always the same. You could write a short story that rivals in every way the best writing of Steinbeck or Hemingway, and there is a very real possibility that it would bomb on HubPages. That’s just the reality of the system. Live with it or move to another site. Your choice.
Hub Scores and Hubber Scores
As my dad used to say, what a bunch of malarkey!
I’m sure there are some, out there, who understand this ridiculous scoring system. I’m also sure there are those who grasp the significance of it all. I do not.
I admit to being slightly amused by those who take this so seriously. Let me be as clear as possible on this point: your Hub scores and your Hubber scores have absolutely nothing to do with your abilities as a writer. Writers like e.e. cummings would probably have a negative Hubber score on HP. Shakespeare might score in the 70s. Harper Lee? No chance…give that woman a 50 and send her on her way.
Quit taking your scores so seriously, folks. They mean nothing. I can picture the HP staff sitting in their offices throwing darts at a dart board for each HP writer. Whatever number they hit with the dart is that writer’s Hubber score.
Concentrate on being a better writer. At least then you will have some control over the outcome.
FEATURED HUBS
I have no idea. Plain and simple truth. A featured Hub meets some criteria, and those criteria make the Hub gods and the Google gods happy. Beyond that I see no importance in them at all.
HUB OF THE DAY
Again, I have no idea. I have seen some HOTDs that had grammar errors throughout, and appeared to be written by a fifth grader on crack, and yet they won the award. Your guess is as good as mine.
Making Money on Hp
Good luck!
No, seriously, it is possible. The more views, the more money made, and the more ads on your Hubs that are clicked, the more money made. It is possible to make hundreds each month. It is also possible to write for a year and never see a payout.
It is also possible to have a thing called Panda stroll through the building and wipe away all of your hard work. In the past two months I have seen my earnings drop by 64%. I have changed nothing in the way I write, and happily I can report I don’t care too much about HP earnings, but still, it makes you wonder.
Good luck!
Now that HP has taken over Squidoo, I’m sure we’ll see our incomes increase dramatically.
Good luck!
Favorite Hp Topics
If you are serious about making money on HP, then play their game. Write “how to” articles. Write recipes. Write travel articles and DIY articles and make sure you toss in a craft article or fifty. HP and the Google gods love those types of articles. The reading online public loves those articles. We live in an age where education is scoffed at because everything you could ever want to know about life can be found online in articles, so write those articles and you, too, can become the Golden Boy, or Girl, of HP.
How to Get Followers and Comments?
This is a no-brainer. If you want other writers to follow you and comment, then you need to do the same. Period!
I am amused, almost daily, by some new writer who follows me. I go to their profile page and it reads something like this:
Started: four days ago
Hubs written: 1
Followers: 2
Following: 2.030.
If you are new to HubPages, stop doing this. It is a complete waste of time. Following hundreds of Hubbers, when you first start out, simply labels you as insincere and a dufus. You gain no brownie points by doing so. You do not become teacher’s pet by doing so. You simply look foolish.
FORUMS
If you like controversy, and you don’t get enough rudeness in real life, then hang out in the forums for an afternoon.
Just a little humor. There are some great topics in the forums, and there are some serious-minded people with wonderful viewpoints there.
There are also some rude people there, people who have nothing better to do than practice name-calling. They are the schoolyard bullies who grew up. They are small in number but they are strong in mouth. If you enjoy that kind of banter then, by all means, rush to the forums.
THE BEST PART OF HUBPAGES?
This one is easy, and if you haven’t discovered it yet, then get with it.
The best part of HubPages is the community of writers. They are exceptional. There are some quality writers here, writers who take their craft seriously and who want to improve. There are writers who will support you and give you daily encouragement, and there are writers who will become valued friends. HP is a goldmine in this department. If you are not taking advantage of this free online love then you are really missing out.
There’s More but I Don’t Feel like Continuing
Much to the chagrin of the HP staff, I plan on staying here at HubPages. I love my online friends, and I know they feel the same about me.
When I first started out as a freelance writer, HP was part of my platform. It was a stepping stone to bigger things. Now, though, it is an important part of my life, and I can’t imagine leaving. I sense I’ll have to cut back on my participation soon because novel-writing is calling me, but I’ll be here as long as HP survives the online battle. I hope that is a very long time.
Oh, before I go, I want to answer a question someone asked me. "What is my biggest disappointment on HubPages?
The answer is a simple one. HubPages could be so much more than they are. I hope they come to realize that at some point.
2014 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
