How is HubPages doing?

1. 74

   Hauntyposted 11 years ago

   I've been away from HP for a while and I missed hubbing. I'm thinking of coming back as I'm starting to realize more and more that the inclination to write is part of who I am on a deeper level than I ever thought.
   
   But when I come back, I can't help but notice a lot of changes. Apparently, Hubs now require approval before going live and you need to be more picky about your topics as well. How strict are these rules? Will a 500-word atricle with just a few pics (and probably a video) look low-quality these days?
   
   Also, how is the site doing traffic-wise? Earnings have been going ok for me lately, but I'm worried when I realize that some very important staff members have left the site. I'm thinking of Simone and Jason specifically. Is this a sign that HP is going out of business?
   
   Indeed, I'm very saddened that Simone left HubPages. She was a vitalizing force in the absence of which I just can't see how things are going to be.

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      MelissaBarrettposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Jason had an absolutely beautiful little girl and is very much enjoying being a daddy and Simone left to start her own business.

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      1. 74

         Hauntyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Congratulations to both Jason and Simone!

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   2. 77

      Barbara Kayposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      If you cover your subject well, have good grammar and punctuation, display things well, a 500 word article should pass.
      
      Hubpages is now saying that longer articles do better on Google though.

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   3. 76

      davidlivermoreposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Their stat tracker is basically broken all the time, so it's hard to see how well you are doing unless you use one of the Google tools available.
      
      Otherwise, it's going ok!

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   4. 68

      To Start Againposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Haunty, my love, so good to see you!
      I have a few shorter ones that are getting good traffic and featured with no problems but I still try to keep them all over the '700' word suggestion. The changes haven't affected me too much...
      
      And again- I'm glad to see you! It's nice to see a familiar face around here again lol ~Janetta

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      1. 74

         Hauntyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         YEEE, Janetta! Seeing an old friend after a long time is the best feeling ever! I wasn't sure if I would really stick around HP, because I missed that little something that would make me want to do it. It's people like you. But now I can rest assured, if you are still here, this is theplacetobe.
         
         Just for the record, you didn't have to sign this for me to remember who you are.

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            To Start Againposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            lol I wasn't sure if you would remember or not
            
            Honestly, it has been a little weird not seeing a lot of the old familiar faces around but I am enjoying it, still. It sure is nice to see a friend though

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   nicompposted 11 years ago

   My traffic has plummeted in the last few days. It's 50% of what it was last week.

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3. 78

   susi10posted 11 years ago

   Hi Haunty!
   Nice to see you back! I made hub about all the messages the HubPages Community left to Simone and what business she started. I am not trying to promote it or anything, I just thought you would like to see the kind of send off the community gave to her. There is also a forum thread about it, called '101 Reasons Why We Will Miss Simone' started by Marcy Goodflesich.
   
   HubPages are getting stricter about what hubs get featured or not but as Barbara Kay said, a 500 word article should pass with photos and a poll or two. Traffic wise, many Hubbers say that their traffic has gone down a lot lately, and so has their earnings. A lot of this is caused by Google Panda and Google Penguin.

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   1. 74

      Hauntyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for letting me know this, Susi! Yes, I'm very interested in this Hub, because Simone meant a lot to me when I was part of this site and that's why I'm in shock - really - that she is not here. But, if anyone, she is the kind of person that is perfectly cut out for starting her own business, and in that she made a very good move.
      
      As for traffic drops in the past weeks or so, I'm not concerned about that. It's the summer.

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      1. 78

         susi10posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for reading, Haunty! Yes, you are right, Simone meant a lot to HubPages and now she is gone Well, the good thing is that whilst she may not be part of the HubPages staff any more, she will still be a Hubber here on HubPages. I am sure she will be very busy with her business, Gigaverse but now and again I am sure she will drop in to say hello.

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         paradigmsearchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         HP outsources some of their work. From what I've read here and at Gigaverse, Gigaverse will be doing some things that HP might find useful. We just might be seeing Simone again sooner than we think.

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   Jennifer Sucheyposted 11 years ago

   Yeah, my stats stayed the same all day yesterday, but magically today they've gone up about 50 views, many of which were actually from yesterday and the day before but nener showed up in my stats until today.

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   1. 78

      susi10posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I believe the stats counter was broken for a few hours. It happens a lot lately.

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5. 68

   Tenerife Islanderposted 11 years ago

   I find that HP is still the best place for me to make money from my writings so naturally it has my support!

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6. 54

   wrenfrost56posted 11 years ago

   Hey it's good to have you back
   
   There is more emphasis on quality now which is of course a good thing and there are new layouts too. However there has been some advertising changes which may affect your earnings.
   
   I don't spend as much time here as I used to and I am still grappling with everything asand when I pop back. My traffic is still pretty good and hasn't been too badly affected, however my earnings have noticeably dropped, I guess time will tell if things pick up again in the future.
   
   I will also miss those that have left, staff and hubbers.

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   1. 74

      Hauntyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am happy to see, Wren. Very very much so!

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