Attack of the Blue Arrows!
A Hubber Nightmare
Anyone familiar with Hubpages knows there is a sign we all fear: the dreaded blue arrows! Gasp! Where can we turn? What can we do?
Usually, your day begins like any other day. You are contemplating some new topics you might want to write about on Hubpages. Perhaps you've left a few comments. You've gone Hub Hopping. Finally, you decide to check your account. And then... cue the intense music... the attack of the blue arrows!
Oh, no, it is not just one blue arrow or two, but there is a full outright attack on your hubs. Your poor, innocent hubs are just sitting there. They want to be loved. They've done nothing wrong. Some of your hubs are helpful, some are funny, and some... well... they are hubs only a creator could love. Still, they are your babies and they are covered in blue arrows (or blue triangles, according to Hubpages terminology).
You start to think, "Surely there must be some red arrows. I know someone must love my hubs." But no, this day just got worse. Not only are your hubs covered in blue arrows looking as if your page has a case of blue chicken pox, there are no red arrows! Not a single hub is doing well enough on this day to receive a single red arrow! The horror!
Do you know what is even worse than the dreaded blue arrow? A double blue arrow! Yes, this evil does exist on Hubpages. The double blue arrow telling you that your hub is not just a failure today, it is a double failure ! No! Not my hub! Not my innocent hub! Take me instead!
Books About Hubpages!
The Truth About Blue Arrows and Red Arrows
Of course, anyone seeing these arrows on their page wonders what the arrows are all about. So if you are new to Hubpages, I will explain. The red arrow up means your hubs are pulling in more traffic recently. The blue arrow down means your hub is losing traffic recently. It is a rather simple concept.
I will tell you from personal experience, sometimes it is torture. When I look at my statistics and I see a combination of blue arrows and red arrows, I think nothing of it. When I look at my statistics and it is covered in blue arrows, I do get really bummed out. The best advice I can give to anyone having the same problem is don't panic. It happens to any hubber at times.
I can't pretend to understand why some hubs get so much traffic and some do not. I am not a real expert at this, and quite frankly, I don't always understand human nature. When I see the traffic sources and the keywords that brought people to my pages, sometimes I am seriously confused. I can't believe what some people are searching for on Google. What I can learn from that is how to craft a better hub in the future.
Some of what I do is simply trial and error. To be honest, I still don't know exactly how everything works. A hub can lose readers for many different reasons. You may look at a hub and see barely any traffic one day. You might even have the evil double blue arrow. Then two days later, the traffic picks up and you have a red arrow or even a double red arrow on the exact same hub. Who knows?
What I do know is I love all of my hubs because they are my hubs. I don't care about the blue arrows or a low hub score. I've worked on each one and I am a fan. In the end, that is enough for me.
A Hub Poll
Have you ever experienced the dreaded blue double arrow?
More Hub Stuff
- HubPages FAQ
Find out more about the blue arrows and the red arrows from the people that created them. Well, Hubpages calls them blue triangles and red triangles, but it's the same thing. Enjoy! - A Hub About Hubs
This hub is a hub about hubs. I assure you, this hub is a hubtastic hub on hubs that no hubber should go without reading.
Comments
AUTHORThanks so much!
Love your sense of humor. ;)
- AUTHOR
I have also been known to refresh looking at the triangles, too. I've also obsessed over Google Adsense and Google Analytics, too. I am glad I am doing better with not checking as much though. I am on the road to recovery! Thanks for reading the hub and for the comment.
Another great hub! I've really started to obsess over those triangles lately, whether they are blue or red. I sometimes have to force myself not to keep refreshing the stats page over and over again. After all, it only gets updated once an hour (or so). But what if.. what if that once is right now? Wait, I must go and refresh!
- AUTHOR
Some of my hubs do not have triangles either. I think if a hub is grey it means you clicked on it recently. Unless you mean the grey A. That means it is without the summary. Ah, so many codes, so little time.
My stats are a colourful mixture of red and blue but what is happening to the hubs that have neither triangle.
THE GREYS lol I don't understand HELP most of my hubs are GREY and triangle bereft.
They have the same page views as others that are either red or blue but they are Grey?
What does it all mean ARGHH?
I have asked a question on the forum Jeannie so don't fret.
- AUTHOR
Thanks for reading and for the comment. Yes, there is a red arrow and you will see it one day. The blue arrows always pop up all over the place though. I can never have a day that is all red arrows... there is always a sneaky blue arrow or two even on my best days.
I haven't seen a red arrow yet, but am looking forward to it. Blue is such a depressing color. Great hub.
- AUTHOR
The blue or red arrows still drive me a little nuts. I've found that sometimes I even argue with them by saying things like, "What? Those stats didn't drop! Are you kidding me? Why do you exist blue arrow?" I might need to seek some help.
Thanks for the comment! It is good to know I am not alone in my fight against the blue arrows.
Thanks for the information and the laugh. I would like to say it helped my paranoia, but sadly, it did not. I will still watch the statistics, personal worth dependent on the color of those silly triangles. :-)
- AUTHOR
That is a really good idea. I should write a hub so horrible no one will read it. Then, when one person stumbles upon it, I will get a red arrow. :-)
Thanks for the comment!
If you start off with lots of traffic, then maybe the only way is down? Maybe the best idea is to write a really abyssmal rubbish hub that no one in the world wants to read, and then slowly improve it so that more and more people are attracted to it and the red arrows begin to mount up.
Well, it's just a thought, and probably not a very helpful one.
- AUTHOR
I can't quite figure it all out either. Sometimes people just randomly read more hubs than others. I am really surprised by the hubs that people seem to read the most. I guess you can never predict what will appeal to people. Thanks for the votes and the comment!
Hi Jeannieinabottle, I've never seen a double arrow, but I certainly get paranoid about 'arrows' I just can't make out how any of it works?! some days nobody comes near my hubs and other days they do! great hub pushing your buttons and hopefully you will be seeing red arrows!
- AUTHOR
Yes, there is indeed a double blue. It is no fun at all. I got it once after getting a double red arrow, so I guess whatever goes up must come down... or plummet! My theory is that everyone is one vacation this time of year and they do not have enough time to search online for random stuff. Sigh. Maybe our readers are at the beach! Thanks for the comment.
I have received double red arrow but there's double blue? Oh god I might have to crawl under the covers and never come out when I see that one for the first time. I am all blue today, my hubs have the blue chicken pox :-(. I also don't understand why some hubs get more traffic than others or why sometimes its dead and then all of a sudden it picks up. Weird, but whatever I love to write and I enjoy writing them and will continue to even if they just keep getting blue loveless arrows.
- AUTHOR
Thank you for the comments, seriousnuts and cheerfulnuts. Yes, those blue arrows can be evil. I am hoping to find some red arrows today, but I am putting off looking at my stats. Hehe.
I hate these blue arrows. I try to ignore them every time I get them. At least these little blue arrows had inspired you to write this hub! LOL
I get blue arrows lately.. It's a really sad thing. Now that I've checked again, those blue arrows are there again, but at least one of my hubs has one red arrow. That's a comfort. Haha. Great hub. :)
- AUTHOR
mskills - Trust me, there is no need to cry. I hope you see the double red arrow instead. It is much more of a compliment.
PaulGoodman67 - I am glad someone else sees all the blue arrows for days, too. I thought it was just me. Immediately after posting this, one of my hubs got a red arrow. I think it was just trying to prove a point.
Thanks to both of you for the comments! May you never see a double blue arrow!
Great hub! I am sure this one will get red arrows all the way! I get a whole host of the blues from Thursday to Saturday, then reds on Sunday and Monday. Not seen a double blue yet though.
I like blue. Arrows are cool. The combination is sublime. Now that I've been made aware of the legendary double blue arrow, my life's purpose will not be fulfilled until I've experienced it for myself. I'm going to go cry now.
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