Old Hubpages or New Hubpages?

1. 61

   lesterd2009posted 11 years ago

   Hey guys,
   
   I been a member of Hubpages since early 2009 really almost going on 4 years now. In the beginning was very excited since I a lot people were sharing and commenting on the info I was sharing with the Hubpages community.
   
   Anyways I decided to stop by after almost 9 months of not visiting the site, I still like Hubpages though and even after a few years my hubs still get traffic.
   
   Also notices many new changes like a new profile page, hubs need to be approve now before getting published and many changes and new things.
   
   My question is do you like the OLD Hubpages or the NEW hubpages?
   
   Would love to hear from some of the more experienced hubbers and also if any hubbers out there are on facebook would love to connect with you: facebook.com/mrlesterdiaz

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2. 60

   fosgingerposted 11 years ago

   This profile hasn't been on hubpages that long but I have been on hubpages for a while. Personally I hate it. The people are entirely to picky and want to censor everything. People only want to dictate your hubs, "commenting" at least that's what they love doing to mine. Personally it's frustrating. I don't write nearly as much on hubpages as I do on my actual website.

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   1. 87

      WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Just the titles of some of your hubs brought out my inner grammar Nazi.
      
      If you hate it, why are you still here?

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      1. 88

         Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I was curious, does need some work..lol

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3. 88

   Cardisaposted 11 years ago

   I like the new changes. As a former business manager and administrator I have to agree with the changes especially the fact that Hubpages wants to step up their game as a competitive business where there are so many options. Not to mention the many Google requirements in order to stay in the Big Gs' good graces.
   
   Hubpages was not created for writers to do what they will, it was created as a business to earn money. Some of the changes will affect some people as HP is trying to weed out spam and low quality articles. There are glitches but most new things have glitches before they start working to their full potential so give it time and the site will benefit all especially those here to make a buck.

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4. 72

   WriteAngledposted 11 years ago

   I haven't published many hubs due to work commitments and also because I have a bit of a wait-and-see attitude and an ingrained distrust of corporations on the Web and elsewhere. It seems my distrust has not been misplaced.
   
   Over the last months, I filled a notebook with ideas for more than 150 hubs.
   
   Unfortunately, the new regime here has totally killed my motivation to bring these topics to birth.
   
   What is the point of producing a hub, if it is not allowed to enter into search traffic for days? Even if it finally makes it, it is under threat of being censored again as soon as HP decides it is not making them enough money.
   
   The whole business of articles being censored out of the search engines was why I did not start writing on Squidoo but came here instead. Now HP is going down that same miserable road.
   
   Instead of producing new hubs, I have started three new web sites, moved some hubs away to one, and am developing some of my other hub ideas for the other two.
   
   As for my other 100+ ideas, I really don't know. If the situation here continues unchanged, I will have to explore WIzzley or some other places.
   
   I don't write for the mass market. I know that. Decades of being involved in producing information for academic scientists, the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry and national and international regulatory authorities has fixed my writing style into a very academic, non-populist mode. I know that I pay the price for this by not getting many views.
   
   When I first arrived here, I was under the impression I could write in my way and this would be acceptable. Now I am under threat of being actively punished by having my writing removed from public view.
   
   My writing is NOT poor quality. Ever since my school and student days, I have received praise for my writing style. Furthermore, a number of my hubs are the result of many hours of researching the scientific literature and many more hours spent trying to interpret the result into something understandable to the intelligent layman. However, my writing is not populist and I do not cover topics beloved by the gutter press.
   
   I really resent that, under the new HP diktat, quality has nothing to do with content and everything to do with Pinterest pins, Facebook likes and all the rest of that social networking crap.
   
   I still have lots of ideas left over for articles, but do not feel inclined to place them here. I suppose I will have to look at Wizzley instead, or create even more web sites of my own. I am, at least, lucky, in that I am part of a programme that provides me not only with lots of training but with free hosting for an unlimited number of websites. Thus, apart from my monthly sub, which covers a host of other resources, all I need to risk is the price of buying a domain to try out one set of ideas or another.

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   1. 61

      lesterd2009posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Here is my advice: why not place all those articles on your own blog where no one can tell you whats wrong with them. I barely post anymore on my HP page but I continue posting articles not fit for Hubpages on my own blogs.
      
      No longer you can place links to any places outside of Hubpages without being reviewed, but I say having your own blog will be a good idea.

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      1. 60

         fosgingerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I do..lol... On several pages. I don't get paid on hubpages if anyone was wondering I do this to keep busy. I don't like not doing anything. If I'm not writing, I'm doing artwork, if I'm not doing that I'm being a mommy, if I'm not doing that I'm the maid, caregiver for a disabled person and counseling people. I have to stay busy. But yes got my own blog. 5! 

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   2. 88

      Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Oh no,  I guess the changes are affecting people more than I thought. I guess maybe I put myself on auto-drive and just go with the flow.
      
      I do have an issue with the delayed indexing but I also thought it would give substandard hubs a chance to be improved as well. I wish there was another solution to that.

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      1. 72

         WriteAngledposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         The problem. Cardisa, lies with the definition of substandard.
         
         HP apparently views substandard as being synonymous with poor-earning.
         
         History tells us otherwise. Mozart, to name but one example, died in poverty.
         
         Someone else, on another thread, made the point that Shakespeare would find it difficult to survive here, or even with his own site.
         
         No, I am not equating myself to either Mozart or Shakespeare!
         
         However, just pause to think....
         
         If only the top 25% of websites, in terms of views or income, were allowed to continue and all the rest were censored a la Hubpages, how would the web look? Would you be happy with your search results on a variety of topics?

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         1. 88

            Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Are they really trying to get rid of poor earners on the site? I never saw that one coming....sheesh...I thought substandard meant poorly written. Maybe I need to start digging a little bit deeper into these changes.

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            1. 88

               IzzyMposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Hey Cardisa, most of my hubs have been sent to sleep. Since I got slapped they don't get traffic, and that is why they have been idled, not because they are substandard.
               
               I am beginning to think the new Hubpages has taken a step backwards instead of forwards, even though I  initially welcomed this change.
               
               As someone else pointed out, to get traffic here, all you have to write is a short, substandard (in the true sense) article, on a stupid (non-serious but searched-for by 12 year olds) topic, and apply all the SEO you know.
               
               You can't spell? No problem, neither can they.
               
               You might as well think of Google as being an algorithm, that looks for certain pointers in an article, because it sure can't read!
               
               This is no longer a place for serious articles.

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               1. 84

                  Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  ....and remember to edit it every couple of months (changing one sentence will do) to fool the Idle Hubs filter into thinking it's "fresh".

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                  1. 88

                     IzzyMposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     Ah but you wouldn't need to, if the hub was receiving traffic

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            2. 84

               Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               I hadn't thought of that either.  Maybe that is their goal with the Idle Hubs?   
               
               I've been scratching my head over the Idle Hubs feature, because it is NOT targeting sub-standard Hubs.  It is targeting Hubs with low traffic, among other things.
               
               Having low-traffic pages isn't a problem for any site. If it was, how would newspaper sites survive?  They have hundreds and thousands of low-traffic posts - few people visit posts on yesterday's news.  So penalizing people for that makes no sense to me.
               
               However, having lots of low traffic Hubs lowers the average traffic per Hub.  That can't be good news when HubPages is negotiating with advertisers on advertising rates.  They want to be able to demonstrate a high level of traffic per Hub, so advertisers will be willing to pay more.
               
               That would benefit Hubbers, so I guess we shouldn't complain about it, if that's the reason behind it. But it would be nice if they were honest about it, instead of trying to pretend the Idle Hubs feature has anything to do with quality (which it doesn't).

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               1. 88

                  Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Izzy and Marisa  I missed you both!
                  
                  Sorry about your hubs Izzy, apparently we aren't fully understanding this idle hubs business. I do hope you get back your traffic Izzy.
                  
                  Marisa, come to think of it you are right. The hubs that I had that were idle were the ones that I wrote with just HP audiences in mind. My other hubs were fine, so yes, it's low traffic hubs...wow...I am so confused.
                  
                  I spent days rewriting or deleting my HP based hubs thinking they were substandard. Deleted a few which I didn't see necessary to rewrite but I also edited the rest and they went back to getting HP traffic and even some external ones, so I was fooled to believing that they were substandard to begin with.

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                  1. 88

                     IzzyMposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks hun
                     
                     My traffic is about to hit yet another record low
                     
                     The Google 'refresh' hasn't happened yet, so if I have hubs that dragged my whole subdomain down, I am still waiting to hear about it.
                     
                     On your other things, hubs written for HP probably are barely noticed by Google.
                     
                     I have no idea what hubs I have that Google doesn't like, but I would assume that if they send them traffic, they are OK?
                     
                     Going by that theory, they hate my subdomain!
                     
                     Yet, they used to like it. or they liked those hubs. Yet now they hate them?
                     
                     I've edited every single one of my hubs, and got rid of the ones I didn't like, or the ones that HP wouldn't allow ads on.
                     
                     If starting new subdomains is the only way to guarantee Google traffic interest, then this site is doomed.

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   3. 57

      tussinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      WriteAngled, if your stuff is too good for Hubpages, why do you keep it here and then kvetch about how underappreciated it is?  Your compaints and criticisms of the current direction are valid, but Hubpages is not likely to change course.  I moved my non-puff pieces off of this site a long time ago when I realized only the light and fluffy stuff got any views. Not only do they get more views and comments on my own site, I also don't have to share 40% of my ad revenue with anyone.
      
      With your background you could produce a ton of junk science articles and publish them on another PuffPages account.

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5. 61

   Don Simkovichposted 11 years ago

   It seems HP has gone too far in flagging my hubs. I've got hubs that certainly seem to be in compliance and yet get flagged. Also, can we not link to a site that belongs to us?

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6. 72

   WriteAngledposted 11 years ago

   Let me give you a result from one of the areas I cover.
   
   TG4010 is an attenuatated (weakened) virus  that was first developed in the 1970s as a smallpox vaccine.
   
   In the meantime, it has been found to have some effects as an anti-cancer vaccine for a certain type of lung cancer.
   
   So far, results have been modest. It seems to prolong the life of patients with advanced lung cancer by about 6 months. It is thought that it improves the response of lung cancer patients to certain forms of chemotherapy.
   
   So far, that is all.
   
   If I were to write a hub about TG4010, I would report the results as showing slight promise, but as yet not confirmed. I would summarise the results of all the clinical trials conducted on this vaccine so far. I would conclude that nothing as yet has proved this to be a highly effective remedy against lung cancer.
   
   Thus, my hub would draw attention to the treatment, but downplay any claims made for it.
   
   A gutter-press journalist, on the other hand, might well publish an article headlined "Vaccine against lung cancer discovered" and hail it as a cure.
   
   As you can imagine, this article would get far more views than mine, despite the fact that mine would be more faithful to the real facts.
   
   If the gutter press journalist publicised his article on Facebook and adorned it with a "made for Pinterest" image, his article would receive a further leap in views over mine.
   
   Hubpages would love that article,despite it making wild claims, because of its web hits and support from unqualified users of social sites. My hub, trying to show the unvarnished truth on the basis of scientific facts, would die a death and be idled.

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   1. 61

      Hollie Thomasposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Alas Writeangled, searchers are not scholars, they do not seek analysis or education, but conjecture and a quick fix. Just look at some of the threads here on HP, even when presented with data, studies, and yes sometimes even facts, they would much rather scoff and repeat a mantra which has been discredited so many times, than open their minds and actually think. Therein lies the psyche of the Google searcher.

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      1. 88

         IzzyMposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         This is sadly, spot on.
         
         Scholarly articles have no place online, except when being used for research by the occasional genuinely intelligent researcher/writer.
         
         To make money, and to get thousands of hits, you have to leave your own personal standards at the door, and write to the masses, for the masses.
         
         Use a pseudonym, then you won't feel so embarrassed.
         
         I'm off to start a new subdomain right now!

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         1. 61

            Hollie Thomasposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I'm off to start a new subdomain right now!
            
            Like it, Izzy!
            
            It's weird, when I was unemployed and couldn't even get a job in a call centre, I had to, not regress, but think about things I'd been told I was good at before my Probation Service days.
            
            At University I was often told that my essays were well written (lacking in many things but well written, nonetheless) Eureka! I'll become a content writer. Then, as I'd only ever written essays and court reports, I was told my writing style was stuffy and formal!
            
            And now, I'm somewhere between a stuffy and formal author who is desperately trying to find their own style. This is so tough!

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            1. 88

               Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Oh Hollie, I still can't believe people say such things to people. I have been recently told that I am too sensitive and should expect to be criticized as a writer but I believe there is a good way and insulting way to criticize someone.
               
               A year ago when I thought that my Cardisa account was doomed I opened another account here and both have grown so much so go open another subdomain, tow incomes are better than one.

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            2. 88

               IzzyMposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               I'm totally with you there (without the educational training). Writing was always something I could do. Writing for the web is 'different'. It's still writing, but you have to actually use your nouns more than in print writing.
               
               But, success in online writing is so much more than that.
               
               It's answering everything someone might want to know, better than the answers already out there, preferably, if not equal to.  And more than that again, it means having the correct sub-headings directly answering what people are looking for.
               
               A huge tip is to look at the autofill in Google search. Autofill comes up whether we want it to or not. Take a note of those search queries around your hub topic, put them in your hub, preferably as subheadings before your answer.
               
               Most of my sleeping hubs have not used those queries.
               
               They were written around a general topic but with no attempt to answer Google queries.
               
               It's time to look at those closely. (Tomorrow).
               
               Meanwhile, I have a second subdomain that reached 100,000 views in just six months, answering those search queries. so it does work!

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               1. 61

                  Hollie Thomasposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  I'm actually OK with the critisism because in my case it was accurate. It's when I've written for other people I've received the stuffy and formal remarks, too. The thing is, I have a client who likes the stuffy and formal approach, or objective as he calls it, and he pays well. It's just difficult to switch between styles all the time.
                  
                  I bought MS a few weeks ago and I've noticed a difference, my traffic is way up on those hubs. I've also been putting a lot more effort into creating hubs, my new ones are much longer ( one has more than 2000 words) and they're much more detailed. I keep asking myself if I've answered the question, completely. And also how a reader might feel when they've left the page.
                  
                  I'll definitely be trying the autofil, thanks for that suggestion, Izzy.

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7. 0

   Arlene V. Pomaposted 11 years ago

   I guess you can look at the Old HubPages as something that will never come again.  As for liking either the Old or New versions?  What you need to do is adapt to any changes sent your way.   I don't spend as much time here as I used to.  I am down to writing one Hub per week, and that's usually a WTI if the subject interests me.  I surprised myself and switched to my new profile.  I am down to about 101 Hubs (from 230).  The Zzz system, to me, is just a reminder to keep checking in on my Hubs for possible hacking and tweaking.  I have no time to analyze why Google does this and that.  It is a waste of time.  If I get anymore Zzz's, I will either fix, unpublish or delete them.  Depends on my mood.  HubPages is gonna do what it's gonna do.  So, I have decided to make changes as needed.  I have friends here, so I do like to visit.

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8. 66

   relacheposted 11 years ago

   I'm going to presume that none of the people here complaining about the new "idle" feature write at Squidoo, where a feature with a different name works just the same way and has been for the past few years.  I don't find it a problem there (where I have a few hundred lenses) and I don't anticipate the idle filter to be a problem here.  (I had 5 out of 200 Hubs marked idle, spent 2-3 minutes on each one doing a touch of polishing and they all went right back into featured as soon as the filter went live)
   
   As HubPages has made changes over the last few years, I've had very little to update or adapt in my Hubs to remain in compliance with the shifting standards.  I don't know if that means I was smart in how I wrote my Hubs to start with, or if I just got lucky. 
   
   I still think there's a lot of poor content on this site to be dropped.  And I think the changes in the Q&A section introduced thousands of low-value pages at a time when we need less here, not more.
   
   I don't think of HubPages in terms of "old" and "new."  The site is just six years old, that's young, and having been here from the start I've seen changes in the site every single year I've been here.  To me, change is a constant for a web-based business and anyone who thinks that's going to stop might want to consider doing something else because it's just going to keep changing.

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   1. 88

      Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I don't write on Squidoo...created an account but never really used it. But in any case I never really saw a problem with the feature except it takes longer to index my hubs which I am scared that thieves roving the site might steal before they hit the search engines. In general I have to agree with you. I was shocked that some hubbers thought HP might be filtering low income hubs this way.

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9. 88

   IzzyMposted 11 years ago

   I think its worth remembering that the average readers spends about 2 minutes (it might be less time) on any given page, scan reading to find a specific answer.
   
   The more queries you answer, the more visitors as you pull in a range of queries.
   
   Google seems to like the 'completeness' of such an article too, even if short eHow articles are floating to the top of search again.

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      LeanManposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Izzy.. It will be very interesting to see what happens to you account in the next month or two after all of the hubs that google does not send traffic to zzzz away without being indexed.. Will the remaining ones be the quality that google is looking for and will you account recover?

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      1. 88

         IzzyMposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I think this is HP's aim to recover a lot of those accounts that have either dropped suddenly and never recovered, or are dropping slowly and steadily.
         
         From what I can see, new accounts are seeing the Google love that older accounts have lost.
         
         It's just a waiting game I guess.
         
         So far, things are not looking good as my stats have dropped further this past week or two, but Google hasn't recrawled my subdomain yet, and the monthly algo update hasn't happened yet either.
         
         We all have to wait and see really.

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10. 39

    elhosaryposted 11 years ago

    I like the new hubpages layout .it has high ctr with adsense

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