Well, so long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye...
Sophia - you will be missed around here - it was nice to have constructive discussions with an intelligent person that didn't end up in name calling
I wish you luck with all your online and offline endeavors!Justsilvie. I've been writing and published since 1962 or 1963. Leaving HP is not going to stop me from writing. Google me under Tessa Schlesinger...
I will be following your writing, you have inspired many engaging forums and thoughts and you will be missed
Please don't leave. I enjoy your forums and hubs.
Tough town, the internet...
You crack me up. I am starting to become fond of you.
NOOOOOO, everyone is leaving
I will miss you
Hey Sophia-- at least they bothered to tell you why you were banned
That's more than I've ever gotten.
See you around. I totally get how you feel..
I'll say it again. If you don't want the free $600 a year, I'll take it.
Habee, thank you. People forget quickly. In the meantime, I've got a publisher that has emailed me three times about a book I'm doing and they've been waiting for 18 months and I need to get on with it. I've kept on thinking that I don't want to do it because I'm publicity shy but my sister has been speaking to me so I'm going to go for it. Also, I'm at Wizzley and I won three editor choice awards for my first 15 articles plus am one of 17 writers that got 100% with an award for excellent writing. One gets awards there for merit not for luck or friends, etc. I like the owner. He is really nice. So I'm going to focus there. My blogs are also beginning to pick up I do better when I'm rewarded for excellent work rather than for excellent social skills. I'm task orientated not people orientated. Luck of the draw/genes.
Huffingpost Live has also now approached me twice so, at some point, I'll be on that.
Thank you for your friendship and support. I've much appreciated it. I wish you well. Ah, Tess. I hate to see this happen. I wish you ALL the best, and plan to keep track as best I can through Google+. You have had one helluva year, my friend. I have nothing but high hopes for you in 2013. Please do keep in touch, and know that you will indeed be missed. Some people forget quickly, but you're not really a forgettable person.
Best wishes on this next leg of the journey!"Some people forget quickly, but you're not really a forgettable person."
Thank you Motown. I have a gutfeel it's time for me to move on. I can feel the energy in the air... Sounds stupid, I know, but it really is time to move!
Trying to be philosophical about this.
Sometimes fate has a way of kicking us in the behind. Once we get on the other side of that door, it's ALWAYS better and we wonder why we didn't do it sooner.
I will miss your unique perspective and thoughtful threads.
Sad to see another strong voice silenced.
I would say strong female voice, but that's redundant (and goes without saying).
Wishing you as much fame and fortune as you can reasonably stand.
Best,
MMThank you Mighty Mom. I think the one thing that thousands of voices on G+ taught me is that there is space for honesty, excellence, and integrity. And there are times one closes doors behind one so that another door can be opened. It would also be remiss of me not to acknowledge that those of you who supported me here made me grow and spread my wings, and I am better because of it.
Thank you. I owe you, and I'll always remember you.
I wish you all the best Sophia
we do outgrow the current state for higher planes. Have fun while you're out there and stay in touch.I think that's true and while I've had a gutful of the nastiness and ignorance of some people here, it's also true that I have grown and become the person I am because there are some excellent writers and wonderful, wonderful people here. I truly speak from the heart when I say that I would not be the person I am today if I had not journeyed here first.
Thank you.
fpherj48, I was anticipating it. I knew that I would be banned for saying it. No worries. The bottom line is that with thousands of followers, 5 stars for my books, being asked to write another film script, Huffington Post Live being interested in my talking, becoming a top writer for Wizzley, and more, I had places to go and people to see.
The problem with saying that there are too many people on hp can't write, is that everybody thinks it's someone else - not them. It's also true that, as a past editor for two London publishers, and a publication record that goes back 50 years, I have the credibility to say that someone can't write.
Don't worry about it. There's still a lot to learn here, and there are some wonderful people here. HP has simply made a business decision that quantity makes them more money than quality. That's their perogative and I think they know what's good for their business. They're certainly well ahead of Wizzley which takes a quality over quantity view. For every 10,000 hits I get here, on Wizzley I will get 2500. I just would prefer as I move on to have quality linked to my name. I can't get that here because it is not recognized. There it is.
Thank you for your kind words. They are much appreciated. And remember, this is still a good place. Just time for me to move on...
No. Moving on, but thank you.
Take Care and may you achieve all your personal and writing goals in 2013...
btw.. 'Real People' never forget real people!
All the best... write a storm - a real one!PD - I love that real people line!
I sure intend to! For me, the time has come...
Inside something has changed. I think I finally understand that I cannot be friends with everybody and that my voice is appreciated by some.
Thank you.
Sophia, if I may, have you been successful on HP? Has your presence here helped you in some sort of meaningful way? Have you gotten to know some wonderful writers? If the answer is yes, then why not take your banning as food for thought and stay. Everyone makes mistakes and I'm sure that perhaps staff may have done so in your case. Keep going forward with your other endeavors but continue here as a way of at least getting to know others and offering those than don't know you the honor of your presence. At the very least ,keeping a presence on HP lets your articles gather ranking, more links etc. My two cents worth and I hope you don't take offense to my humble suggestions........
LuisEGonzalez, thank you, but I can't stay. I'm spreading myself too thinly.
As I said, I knew that someone who didn't like me would immediately use it as an opportunity to ban me, and I also knew that the first time I was banned for saying something or doing something would be the last time. So I did know what the consequences would be. I also thought it was about time someone started pointing out just how many people can't write. Academic books are horrific these days because most people who are writing them can't write. That wasn't so 40 years ago. I used to read my school text books for fun because they made great reading. They were well written. If you read Jamie Whyte, a past professor of Cambridge University in England (equivalent to Harvard and Yale here), he wrote a book called Crimes Against Logic where he discussed this.
I'm not sure what you mean by successful. Sure there have been times when I have reached spot number 99, and there have been hubs that have had 80/90,000 hits in a few months, but the most I've ever earned is $180 for the month, and for the most part, I earn between $25 and $30 per month. None of this has ever been acknowledged because HP caters to popularity - not to excellence. That is apparent from the numerous excellent writers here who are not acknowledged and the ones who are acknowledged but cannot write to save their lives but have great capacity to make friends and influence people. Those are the people who have made HP the successful site it is. And make no mistake, HP is successful.
I prefer to associate myself with excellence as this is where my future lies. I will miss you. You've always been good to me.
You can follow me on Wizzley or G+ or one of my blogs, if you like.
Rebecca E. I am removing all my hubs and transferring them. I have spoken to HP about this and they have been incredbily kind in understanding my situation and allowing me to do that. So once I'm gone, I'm gone. However, as I've said, I'm all over the web - easy to find! I hope to see you elsewhere...
Just added you!
Sophia - I've often had cause to admire your writing and your judgement on many issues.
Good luck will follow youThank you Paraglider. Your kind words are both valued and appreciated.
Empress Facility, let me explain that to you.
I suppose I could brown nose with the best of them; I just chose not to.
Why do I persist in saying things that would get me a 'a less than cordial reaction on here sometimes.'
Because the gain, in the longer term, is far greater than the loss. I might lose the battle sometimes, but I always win the war.I just couldn't resist:
No, I'd say it's because you enjoy the attention.It's amazing what you can find on Google images isn't it
Want to have a friendly talk before you go? I am here.
Sorry, but he old saying is that the truth hurts, and I am big enough and strong enough to be able to take negative criticism. I also know the difference between malice and solid input - even if it hurts. I'm a big girl, but then, us, South Africans are.
Sophia,
I live less than 100 miles from you. If you leave HP, I will have to find some other way to stalk you. I just thought I would give you fair warning.
- paradigmsearchThis thread is surreal in the extreme, and is even funnier after a couple of vodkas. "Educated beyond my intelligence" - my arse
gmwilliams, you are a person with class. If you have differences of opinion with the OP, I understand, but this back and forth snarkiness is beneath you, and you know it. If she chooses to leave, let her do so in peace, but don't display the type of attitude that you're condemning. I know you're better than that. Let everyone else know too.
I did. While it may have sounded harsh to some, I don't believe that Tessa intended for it to be an insult so much as an honest criticism. We all tend to be ultra-sensitive about criticism, even when it's geared toward helping us improve something. I do not defend it if was intended to insult anyone, BUT, you and I both know that the best thing to do with an unwarranted insult is to simply ignore it. What others think of us (or our work) is unimportant. It's what we think that matters. In the end, Tessa's chosen to leave, so ultimately, it's not as though it will happen again. She is taking her form of the high road. We should all take ours as well and bury the issue. It will help us restore peace to our community and help us all move forward.
Plus, I have a great deal of respect for each and every person who honestly and in good faith chooses to participate in this community. I hate to see us beating up on each other. There's enough of that happening everywhere else in the world.Nah. It's perfectly reasonable for you - or anyone else - to feel that way when you feel like you've been insulted. I probably would too. In fact, in my time here in the forums, I've taken some things to heart and felt offended. If I stand back for a bit, though, I generally see it as more innocuous that it may have seemed the first time around. It helps to know the personality of the person you're dealing with too. Tessa is very plain spoken. She doesn't generally attempt to soften her language when commenting on things. It may come across that she is abrupt or impolite, but that is not generally, in my experience, what she intends.
It is amusing that academic writing is considered dense and unapproachable in many cases, yet somehow people seem to think this is an unwarranted criticism. I must wonder if those who defend general academic writing have ever read a textbook.
In addition, George Orwell, in his essay Politics and the English Language, singled out a professor as an example of bad writing. I think that larger point about academia, while not focusing on any particular person, is valid. This isn't to say there aren't academics who can write elegant prose; it just means there are certain negative writing tendencies. Being a bad writer also doesn't necessarily mean one has bad ideas; it just means those ideas are much more difficult for the reader to understand.
One of the people I work with in our writing lab is currently editing something for a dentist, who has a Ph.D, and his writing looks like that of a high school freshmen. There is no guarantee that having an advanced education ensures the ability to write. Academic writing, in many cases, seems to believe that the more verbose and pedantic one can be, the better the writing!
For example, what if I described academic writing as sesquipedalian? I think it would be a needless word, because most readers wouldn't even know what it meant. It would only be helpful if it was used at an attention grabber to alert people to their lack of conciseness (does wordiness or lack of conciseness sound better?). Maybe if I were writing for an audience of academics though...
It's this lovely gentleman right here:
http://alastar-packer.hubpages.com/
He's also a pretty stand up guy.
And you're right, even technical writing can be made a bit more interesting if the writer has some sense of style.Alastar, you're such a sweet talker! Thanks for the kind words. I'm pretty sure Tessa's got her mind made up. Makes me sad to see her go, but she's got lots of irons in the fire, and I'm sure she'll be successful.
I'd hug you too, but they don't have the hug smiley available!True, all true. Life and people don't need any embellishing, especially for you. Checked Tessa's site and she's obviously a brilliant lady, be no shame at all in reconsidering but do wish her well if its irrevocable.
Forum post of the day right there.
Sunforged FTW
You have grown on me over time...
Hang in there.
My pulse rate quickens...
- I have to agree with you there. I've not reached that yet, but neither am I far from it.
Well, I see this thread is still moving right along...
Yes, but where is the troll? I'm kind of missing the insipid yet rather nasty little digs and comments.
Can't say I'm happy you're leaving, can't say I'm sad either. But I can say I've enjoyed arguing with you...you are one who kept me on my toes, made me feel young again. (
) Nobody else (besides my ex-husband) has ever been able to ruffle my feathers as you have - my brain needed the workout and for that I thank you. Also, arguing with you helped me heal. Thank you.She probably meant they only made that in the last few days.
Why does it concern you?
Honestly this whole hubs bit can make enemies of friends.
I know from experience that any hub that can garner thousands views within days is worth hanging on to.
Hubbers, you, me, your Auntie Mary if she is a hubber too, are all in this together.
Try not to post disquiet, we are supposed to be as one.
Everyone is allowed a voice, all the same
And reread it again. I like it.
- 55
"Goodbye To Hubpages Forums!" - Is Randy Godwin going to be banned?
http://randygodwin.hubpages.com/hub/Goo … ges-ForumsRandy was outspoken of the 'malicious' practices of HubPages and it's staff. Now, in this hub where he explains what abuse he suffered, a hubber called Drax,...
- 120
Goodbye Simone
I just read the newsletter and learned that Simone will be leaving us soon. It is a shock and I'd love to start begging but I admire the decision and wish her the very best with her own online endeavors.For me Simone...
- 36
hello hubbers, wish me luck
2nd year final exam of my honors course is just starting in 19 December. So won't be in forum for much time for next one month. Please pray for me. Good bye for a while but i will check you people time to time. vote for...
- 101
Farewell to Hubpages
I’ve decided to leave Hubpages for the foreseeable future at least. I’ve already taken down quite a few hubs but I’ll be leaving the remaining 85 on this account unless I find a good reason to move them.Why am I...
- 40
30 hubs in 30 days... Here we go
Figured the classic challenge was a good first personal challenge. Feasible yet difficult for someone with limited free writing time. Ah well I will do my best. Wish me luck. I will begin tomorrow on May 1st. If anyone...
- 59
I have a very bad luck in life... I'm so miserable...
I have a very bad luck in my life.... I do believe in the existence of luck but not in my life ....Unfortunately, I hope I'm the only one because I don't want others to experience the same things that I have been/am...