Apprenticeship Program - Editor's Choice Hubs and Whats NEXT???

1. 61

   My Cook Bookposted 11 years ago

   Previously there was Apprenticeship Program and that was closed. However, still rewards were being given to Apprenticeship Program people and also (may be) to few more hubbers for every hub they publish (Saw in a forum long back - I am sad - I could not open that program link also).
   
   I thought, soon HP will announce some program that will benefit all the authors.
   
   Now came an announcement from HP ----- Editor's Choice Hubs
   
   >> I just turned this one 'OFF' in my profile.

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2. 61

   My Cook Bookposted 11 years ago

   I really want to know from HP;
   
   Why introducing such programs that benefit only few people?
   
   Why not announcing a program that will benefit every hubber and increase the traffic and revenue of every author over here??
   
   Why not HP concentrate on improvement of overall performance of the site when many authors over here were facing a huge traffic loss day-by-day???

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   1. 89

      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe because they don't have 50,000 mentors to give individual hubbers attention in teaching them how to write what HP considers high quality hubs?
      
      As far as overall improvement, I do believe that is the purpose behind the QAP...

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      1. 70

         galleryofgraceposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         What HP considers high quality or what Google says HP should have?
         But you got your mentor didn't you?

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         1. 89

            wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            What HP considers that Google wants.  Isn't that what counts if income is the desired result (and I assure you it is for HP as well as a great many hubbers).
            
            Yes, I got a mentor.  I also signed up for the program as soon as it became available, although I did not get into the first (or even the second) group.  Of course, all the information from the program is now available in the learning center for anyone wishing to learn it...

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   2. 83

      Robinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Good morning.  Thanks for the questions; they are good ones!  We are working really hard to improve overall site performance.  It has been our number one focus for the last two years.    Our goal is to help authors gain readership and be recognized.  The Apprenticeship Program is still being audited, but we did do a major overhaul on the Learning Center, adding all of the content that was taught in the Apprenticeship Program.  If you go through the LC, you will have all of the tools that our Apprentices have.   We feel like Editor's Choice Hubs are going to be a good thing for the site and community, but of course, we don't have a crystal ball.  Unfortunately, we put a huge amount of resources into spam, and with Editor's Choice Hubs, we can put our resources into our great authors (so much more fun!). The point is we are constantly brainstorming and trying to improve HubPages.  If you have suggestions, please, please leave them in our suggest a feature forum; we welcome them!!  Many of the great things we have done on HubPages have been suggested by Hubbers. 

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   3. 66

      relacheposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Theoretically, this is an incentive, which is supposed to induce motivation in those who wish to reap such a reward.

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3. 81

   WriteAngledposted 11 years ago

   I would be interested to know how the small HP staff thinks it can review all published hubs to make a fair selection of choices. My suspicion is that the review will be limited to apprentices and the most vocal HP supporters on the forums.
   
   Therefore, I am not holding my breath regarding my chances and am directing whatever time I have into my own sites, where hubs I moved away from here are starting to bring a greater return in Adsense clicks and Amazon sales than they ever earned here.
   
   "Kick in the teeth" is the phrase that best fits the implications of this latest announcement for most people here.

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   1. 61

      My Cook Bookposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I feel the same with the latest announcement from HP. Actually i awaited for a good change in the model that benefit all but this new announcement was again for few on the name of "Editor's Choice".
      
      I too have started a new site to publish my articles over there and reduced my HP activity.
      
      However, still i have some hope that Team HP will make changes to benefit all the authors - Lets see.

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      1. 80

         Ella Quirkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I'm pretty disappointed with this new development too - it's bound to make many of us feel out of the loop. *feeling de-motivated*

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            Jenn-Anneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Inclined to agree...

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            1. 75

               Barbara Kayposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               I am afraid I'll feel that way too. With the traffic loss I already feel bad enough.

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4. 61

   My Cook Bookposted 11 years ago

   Hello Robin
   
   LC and the tools of The Apprenticeship Program in there and Learning, etc -- I am not speaking about them. I am talking about the Rewards for every hub that is published and also that some other program still going on which rewards only few authors for publishing the hubs. (That related Program link is also open to only few authors)
   
   Now again Editor's Choice - "Selecting" few hubs and trying to give more traffic to few hubbers' hubs (may be).
   
   Instead of constantly brainstorming and trying to improve HP by making the same good to few hubbers, put the same effort and bring in something that helps all the hubbers.
   
   Suggestions in -- suggest a feature forum??
   
   Many have requested to phase out the RELATED SEARCHES thing from the HP - No Change yet. Now i would like to Suggest as well the same - Remove that.
   
   Reduce the number of Ads on every page. Better move, remove the entire units (incl. Related searches) that are in between main hub and the comments section.
   
   Remove The Apprenticeship Program Rewards Completely (Not Mentoring but the Rewarding) - Make changes to reward every author for a hub that is published (Featured) - set some target for the content for good quality. This will encourage the hubbers to participate and publish quality articles.
   
   Phase out Editor's Choice Hubs. Reward every author for participating - for the hub activity. Encourage the users with rewards for every hub activity they do over here. More activity - more traffic.

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   1. 89

      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I don't like to see so many ads on a page, either, but...what would you expect to be the net effect of reducing the number of ads on income?  Why?
      
      AP rewards distributed to everyone - how would you suggest to pay for it?  It's one thing to give 20 hubbers a couple of bucks for writing a hub, quite another to pay for every hub written.  I might suggest that if that were done the money might come from dinging everyone using either illegal photos or photos without correct attribution.  It's a problem (at least I see it that way) when hubbers consistently steal whatever photo they want or fail to provide attribution as needed. 
      
      Another possibility might be to ding those people that write short hubs.  HP is adamant that longer hubs do better; charge people for writing, for instance, a 300-400 word essay or recipe for taking up space without returning income and pass it along to those that write longer and better hubs.
      
      Editor's choice hubs; everyone will have a chance to be "rewarded" (if it IS a reward and not a loss - we won't know for weeks or months).  I don't quite follow the complaint here, unless you think they should have examined every one of a half million hubs overnight.  Not sure what you are calling hub activity, either - do you mean that we should be paid for posting in a forum?  That would most definitely seem to be counterproductive.

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      1. 61

         My Cook Bookposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Reducing the number of Ads = better revenue, i have read this somewhere and tried the same on one of my sites and it worked. Well, there is another issue RELATED SEARCHES, this one has to be removed.
         
         AP rewards distributed to everyone. Everyone who?? Every AP people only. When the applications accepting was closed for this program long back and HP is not accepting any new applications, what is the need to continue the program and rewards for AP participants in anyway, distributing or whatever.
         
         Charge people for writing, for instance, a 300-400 word essay or recipe . For your information, Recipe hubs with less than 300 words, sometimes do get more traffic than a hub that has 1000+ words. This purely depends on the author.
         
         Editor's choice hubs, CHOICE. Why Choice and choosing few hubs.
         
         Hub activity, it doesn't mean only forum posting. Actually I am referring to hub activity like commenting on the others' hubs, etc. and rewards for the same to encourage the hubbers in here to read others' hubs in order to increase views.

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         1. 89

            wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            The only AP rewards being distributed (that I know of) are for those that have completed the program less than 6 months ago.  As that was promised to each graduate, would you suggest that HP backpedal on their promise and stop it?  Or let it run its course and die a natural death as no more graduates are being produced?
            
            300 word hubs; absolutely some are income winners.  On the average, however, a 300 word hub produces far less income than a longer one.  The difference, on the average, is so striking that I don't believe HP will even accept such a short hub any more.  But if you're not going to reward people financially for writing good hubs this isn't needed anyway and becomes a moot question.  Like enforcing legal pictures instead of the stolen ones so often found on HP is as well.
            
            Why choose only a few hubs to put into the HP domain?  You must have forgotten (or never knew) just how bad Panda hit HP for having too much garbage on the site.  Getting rid of it has improved the site enormously and increased traffic as well.  And that's why "choice" - it is extremely counterproductive to once more fill the site with garbage.
            
            So you would like to pay people to visit others hubs and earn them income.  I daresay Adsense would very quickly cancel the account of HP and everyone writing here were you to attempt such a program.  Outside of the fact that such payment would have to be minute (few hubs will earn even a penny a view so anything over that is a losing proposition) that just might be a very good reason not to do it.

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5. 82

   IzzyMposted 11 years ago

   I agree.
   
   The site now is too divisive.Our hubs are no longer treated equally, and as a result many hubbers must be feeling unwanted or second-class.

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6. 72

   Jenn-Anneposted 11 years ago

   It might be helpful to know more specifically what the criterea are for being selected to receive the "Editor's Choice" designation. What we've been told is so broad it isn't especially helpful. It isn't really surprising to me that many people feel Hubpages is unfairly playing favorites. (And I get that the site belongs to Hubpages and they can play favorites if they want to.) As for whether being selected as an "Editor's Choice" is a good thing or not, it is true that as far as traffic goes, it remains to be seen.  However, I think being able to edit your hub without having to be QAPed every time is a nice reward in and of itself. To be honest, I have been afraid to edit my hubs for fear that they'll be assessed by someone having a bad day and be unfeatured. Perhaps an unreasonable fear, but there it is.

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   1. 89

      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      How is the selection for editor's choice unfair?  It is my understanding that all hubs will be considered, not those from just a few authors.  Whether given the exact criteria or not (and there may not BE any exact criteria) we all seem to have the same chance.
      
      True, HP cannot consider each one of a half million hubs at once, but I don't quite see what else could be done there.

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      1. 42

         Writer Foxposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I just answered your post here:
         http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/115372?page=5

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         1. 89

            wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Point me to a post?  I don't see anything about how the selection process for editor's choice is unfair...

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            1. 42

               Writer Foxposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               What's unfair about it is that it was done without giving authors adequate time to consider the ramifications of changing the URL on their Hubs. It was done with an "Opt Out" option instead of a preliminary "Opt In", the way you normally sign up for an email list or anything else on the Internet. I'm quite sure that most people who have articles on this site don't even know the change has been made for some of their Hubs.

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               1. 89

                  wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  I see.  Unfair to ALL hubbers, then, instead of being unfair in that it selects a few "teachers pets" to reward, as others are claiming.
                  
                  In a way, I can agree with this, but only in a way.  If the test works, I would assume that we will see the "opt out" feature disappear and that changes the unfairness concept a little.  Or so I see it.

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      2. 72

         Jenn-Anneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I didn't say it was unfair - just that I'm not surprised some people see it that way.

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         1. 89

            wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Sorry.  You're certainly right - people have been screaming "unfair" since the first responses to Panda and they began to find their hubs go out of favor.  That's nothing new.  Shoot, I've seen the claim applied to everything under the sun here, from getting hub of the day to winning the yearly contest for popularity.  Guess it's always "unfair" if they aren't the first person to be in every new program.

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            1. 36

               ChristinSposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               I agree wilderness. A lot of people turning on apprentices too and I don't understand that.  It was hard work to get all of the requirements in during that program. All the stuff we learned is also readily available here in the learning center.  I don't get it.  I had several of my non-apprentice hubs chosen for the EC and some of my apprenticeship ones that were not. I don't think it's being doled out unfairly.

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               1. 89

                  wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Yeah, the apprentices have been a ready target for some time.  Doesn't make much sense, especially now as all the information is in the learning center and freely available to anyone that can read, but it's still there.

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7. 69

   brakel2posted 11 years ago

   I know one thing. HP has neither money or staff to do much of anything, unfortunately. Let us hope that traffic and morale improve. If only hub score and hubber score would not go down based on low traffic, that might allow some stability.

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8. 73

   Kathleen Cochranposted 11 years ago

   I've been here for the two years HP has been tweaking their system.  One thought comes to mind:  "The beatings will continue until morale improves."  Was HP really broken and needed fixing?  Or is HP just trying new things to keep moving forward?  That's admirable, but they might need to consult with some experts on how to motivate people and not glean the unintended consequences of doing the opposite.

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