Have you ever planned to become a hubber for full time?

1. 38

   sonykuddiposted 11 years ago

   As per my expectation most of our hubbers are working part time here. During their spare time they write hubs but have you ever thought to post hubs full time and earn unlimited money ( because of your quality hubs) because here you do not have any boss to give you order.
   I do not have such plan yet but planning to start a web site very soon.

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   1. 94

      Susana Sposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I was a full time hubber for about 6 months. That was pre-panda. I had managed to get my monthly earnings up to $1000 per month, with my best month being $1600. Then Panda hit in Feb 2011 and traffic and earnings tumbled. I ended up doing a lot of freelance work after that. While I've managed to get my account back on track and I earn a reasonable monthly amount now I wouldn't suggest anyone hubs full time as exactly the same can easily happen to you. If your family are relying on your earnings it's very stressful when it all goes tits up!

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   2. 77

      Greekgeekposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Good luck with that. Let us know how you do!
      
      I'm one of many full-time online writers who uses Hubpages as one of my income sources. Based on my current rate of progress here, it would take me about 10 years to build 1900 more hubs to make the amount of money I'm making on other platforms. And I want to make more than that...faster!
      
      For me, crafting successful articles takes time, so my goal for the past two years has been to create 150 new articles (on ANY of the platforms where I write) per year while maintaining/updating my existing online work.
      
      Here's why I don't write on just one platform:
      * Traffic to websites change over time, along with their earning potential. We're at the mercy of our fellow Hubbers and search engines.
      * I've seen many formerly popular websites die and disappear. Geocities, anyone? It was the Facebook of its day.
      * Publishing platforms implement new policies which may ban or drastically reduce the visibility of certain kinds of content.
      * Sometimes they also ban certain types of money-making techniques, such as affiliate links, in order to balance overall quality of content with their writers' need to earn a return from their work.
      * The way people use and access the web keeps changing. Many people are now using mobile apps and bypassing web browsers entirely. I'm keeping my eyes open and getting a toehold in alternatives that will work even if people stop searching the web for all the things they search for now.

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      1. 59

         C_MarieWeberposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         You make some great points here. I too write for many different content contributor sites; they are always changing, and for the most part, not for our benefit. Associated Content was my top dog site before it became Yahoo! Contributor Network. And while I agree with having copy-editors overseeing our content (some things should not be published), it creates a lag in publishing and can be somewhat discouraging when things are rejected. Hubpages is new for me. I am hoping it will be a positive experience, but I will always, always, always, work with different platforms to create content, just in case. Plus, you can create one article for one site, tweak for another, then again for another, and appreciate triple revenue. To be a full-time content writer, that's pretty much what you have to do...unless you are just beyond awesome at knowing what market wants, and can deliver.

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   3. 59

      Louise Latelyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I would love to be a full time writer although at the moment I have another full time day job so I try to organise my hub writing around these hours. Although, It can be a lot of hard work sometimes to try and find time for writing!  But I enjoy it so much that I can't keep away from it.
      
      It's really eye-opening to read the posts in this thread and hear about others peoples' experiences!

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2. 67

   2uesdayposted 11 years ago

   Susana S, I have to admire and respect you for posting your experience and it is a reality check. 
   
   This writer has more knowledge and experience than me, but I want to add this.
   
   People reading this should not underestimate just what it takes to reach the level that this Susana has. To achieve that level requires skill, knowledge and perseverance. Many who published in the past gave up when the situation changed, and who could blame them. This is the internet and things are constantly changing. An article that is written today may not be what is required in the future and that means editing it or removing it.
   
   The standards and skills needed are constantly being pushed up, possibly by the increased numbers of online articles. Google and the changes they make are difficult to predict, which adds to the work required when stats. fall because of their changes.
   
   I think writing part time is the safer option. Also, having your eggs in more than one basket as is frequently said is a good idea. Which means write here and you will learn a lot as well as earning something, but also have other places like your own webpages and blogs.

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   1. 80

      Stina Caxeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with this 100%.  Once upon a time it was my dream to be a full time writer.  Then I realized this was not a realistic goal for me.  My passion for other subjects have led me to pursue different career options, however I plan to use my knowledge of those subjects in my future writing. 
      
      So yes, part time works very well for me, at least at this point in my life!

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   2. 94

      Susana Sposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Admiration not required, but I really appreciate your kind comment 2uesday
      
      As you and others have said working online full time is easy to set up, but unless someone is really willing to put in a lot of effort and learn huge amounts it's unlikely to reap rewards. Someone starting out will probably want to build up to a mix of a few self created websites in different niches, maybe write content for websites such as Hubpages and Squidoo (they're both quite good places to learn the ropes) and add in some freelance work as well. But I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone trying to make their fortune using Hubpages or similar site on its own.

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3. 77

   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   Work full time for erratic earnings and no health insurance.  No, I haven't considered that.

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4. 60

   Mark Ewbieposted 11 years ago

   The possibility of writing online and making enough to stop working is the only thing that keeps me sane.
   
   Maybe I am no longer sane.  Whatever.
   
   I absolutely hate working - the work, the environment, the sheer mundane nature of it - the pointlessness, the nine to five, the feeling of not doing any remotely worthwhile.
   
   If I didn't have my futile dream I would be extremely sad.
   
   At least when I press the publish button on here, or a blog or something, then I can momentarily dream that the day to give work the finger has got slightly nearer.

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   1. 0

      Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      lol

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      1. 60

         Mark Ewbieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Oh I'm serious.  I can't express quite how much the mind-numbing infantile stressful garbage that is work hacks me off.  Actually I can express it, and I need to write more about it just as soon as I get the right keywords.
         
         If I didn't have writing as an outlet and a possibility I would be in a deep depression.  As it is I keep telling myself "one more day, one more page" and hoping that I'll find the magic secret to creating engaging content that people will find and share.
         
         I don't often do the 'honest' thing on here, but I have had a particularly annoying day being asked to do pointless and poorly specified tasks under pressure.  I can feel my life ebbing away.
         
         Work is about earning money to pay bills.  You pay the bills and you need to earn more money.  It is a lifetime prison sentence with very little chance of remission.
         
         Maybe, with odds of a million to one against, writing is that chance of a different life.

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         1. 0

            Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            On one hand I want to encourage you and tell you everything's gonna be ok... on the other hand, Im daily living the life you abhor, and certainly not b/c I want to, but b/c life requires it of me at this time. I wish you well, that's all I got. Dreams are a good, but there's more to life than dreaming. You'll be fine. Hang in there

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         2. 72

            Jenn-Anneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I hear ya Mark!  With so many people looking for work and having recently been unemployed myself I am very grateful for my job. I work for a wonderful employer. BUT it drains the sparkle out of life sometimes. If I could even get to the point of working part time and writing part time I'd be a happy gal.

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         3. 82

            grand old ladyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I think you are very talented, Mark. I've shared your stuff on my FB twice so far.  Maybe you should think along the lines of being a cartoonist, or an editorial cartoonist. Or maybe you can write specialty books, like your Valentine story and the one about the 12 Days of Cristmas. Those are nice gifts to give. I haven't seen anyone do what you do, so you seem to have a niche. Keep the day job, continue the side job, keep a look out for breaks, continue to dream, and who knows, your audience will discover you:)

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   2. 80

      Music-and-Art-45posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am in your boat Mark.  I would love to get paid for exclusive freelance work, and I'm on my way, but not quite there yet.  Giving my 9-5 the finger would be quite satisfying, I must agree.

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   3. 86

      viryaboposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      My thoughts exactly.

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5. 74

   LeanManposted 11 years ago

   I currently earn my full time living working online, i certainly do not rely only on Hubpages!
   
   There are many other options available to you and as some of the previous commenters have said do not put all of your eggs in just the one basket as you can end up with real problems if things change as they so often do online.
   
   I have yet to create that lucky site that lands me $1000's every week or any other easy to use magical formula. I spend about 8 hours on my computer every day (although a small amount of that ends up looking at stats and chatting etc,,) and have to ensure that I am adding or changing content somewhere all of the time.
   
   Its a job!!!!! But it is getting easier as my content is increasing in size, despite the changes thrown at us constantly.

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6. 61

   LisaMarie724posted 11 years ago

   I'm a stay at home mother and I write here and a few other places, plus I run my own beauty blog.  I don't make a ton of money but it's nice to have some extra money to do fun stuff with.  Of course, my goal is to make more.  I also freelance write, and try to find work sending in articles and stories to magazines.  Writing is a full time job, it's not easy but if you take the time to learn and do some research one day you will be able to make it

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7. 84

   FatFreddysCatposted 11 years ago

   Becoming a full time hubber would require me to develop uber-ninja SEO skills that I simply don't have the time (or patience) to learn right now. So I just continue to post geeky stuff and hope some people dig it. If I eventually make some kind of payout from it, that'd be swell too, but I'm in no hurry.

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8. 86

   Marisa Wrightposted 11 years ago

   Setting up a career as a full-time Hubber would be very, very, very unwise.
   
   It is never a good idea to rely completely on a site you don't own.  You don't have enough control, so you're constantly at risk of losing all you've worked for.  To give you some examples:
   
   There used to be a revenue-sharing site called Today.com.   A few years ago, it decided to sell its domain name to the Today program.  Naturally enough, the Today program didn't want any of the content on the site - just the name.  So it closed the site down overnight.
   
   In 2011, HubPages did a massive overhaul of its rules.  Hubbers had a limited time to revise their Hubs to comply with those rules.  Hubbers with large portfolios couldn't keep up with the changes and found their Hubs being unpublished en masse.  Some top Hubbers simply gave up and walked away.
   
   Associated Content became part of Yahoo! - I'm not sure exactly how that affected writers but it was a negative impact.
   
   If you spread your work around multiple sites and something happens to one of them, you still have the others.  That's the best way IMO.

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