Check Your Hubs

1. 95

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   I can't stress enough the importance of checking your hubs weekly for any needed editing. Since the change in ad size, formatting and attractiveness of your hub may have changed. The products advertised seem to change more frequently as well, often having nothing to do with your hub.
   
   Of course, you can always find grammar mistakes, especially misspelled words. I found one in a title this week! Yuck
   
   Anyway, check your hubs. It's easy to think that all is well when traffic is improving. But don't let that make you slack off on opportunities to make improvements that will pay off in the long run. Happy hubbin'

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   1. 39

      ChristinSposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I've definitely noticed the changes in advertising. I'm still going through hubs to make sure they only have one eBay listing and such also because some of those look strange now too depending on the product.

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   2. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for this informative forum post.  ALL should read and follow.

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   3. 85

      ologsinquitoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      janshares, you are absolutely correct about the need to do this, especially with the older hubs.

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   4. 0

      delleaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I agree that spelling and grammar checking is important but it is a pain when the layout and structure changes or when HubPages rules change. Having to go back and edit all my hubs when that happens is a pain. Ihave just under 40 hubs at the moment and about once a month I have to go back and make modifications, its time consuming.

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   5. 89

      Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I don't agree with this.
      
      If you're not here to earn money or gain a huge readership, then minor problems with your Hubs aren't worth obsessing about, so why would you constantly edit?
      
      If you ARE online to earn money from your writing, then constant edits are going to damage your income, for two reasons. 
      
      1.  Time spent editing is time spent NOT writing something new, or learning new skills.  Unless your edits are aimed at improving SEO, your edits are not going to earn you anything to compensate for that.
      
      2.  The whole idea of HubPages (and other rev-sharing sites) is that the income is passive. You get paid nothing when you write the Hub, but over time it has potential to earn far more than if you'd sold it.  However, that equation falls apart if the Hub needs constant updating, because ultimately you've spent hours working and re-working the Hub, which you don't get compensated for.
      
      Sure, editing is a good idea if there's a rule change.  However even then, fixing a dodgy layout is not going to attract more traffic so is it really worth doing for your low-trafficked Hubs?   
      
      As for spelling and grammar mistakes - how come you didn't fix those before you published?  If you were a bit over-enthusiastic in the early days and published stuff without proof-reading, then make yourself a plan to systematically work through your Hubs on a schedule, and fix them all.  Then stop. Otherwise it's too easy to fall into the trap of tittivating your Hubs for no solid reason (except perhaps as an excuse for not tackling something more challenging??).

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      1. 85

         rebekahELLEposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I think this is a bit harsh.  No one is perfect.  We all make spelling and grammar mistakes.  Checking and editing hubs periodically is usually time spent well.

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         1. 89

            Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I'm not being harsh - of course we all make spelling and grammar mistakes, and some of those may slip through before publication. But there is such a thing as a spell checker, and if you know you're not strong on spelling ,you should use one.  And spelling and grammar were only two of the thing Janshares was talking about - my concern is that people could spend fruitless hours constantly "perfecting" their Hubs due to this advice, when in reality the benefits of such a habit are very limited.

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      2. 92

         Millionaire Tipsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         This is helpful Marisa.  When I first read the OP I agreed with it.  But I have over 200 hubs, and thinking about regularly looking them over does seem overwhelming to me, especially as my goal is to write more hubs. 
         
         I think that we do need to look them over when there is a big layout change though, since they could affect the readers, but maybe looking them over only on the hubs that are most likely to be affected makes sense. It's a fine balance.

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         1. 89

            Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, I think it is a balance.  I think the important thing is that the decision to review your Hubs needs to be a conscious one, not just a "I need to keep checking my Hubs" mentality.  That attitude can result in too much repeated, unnecessary checking.
            
            If (say) there's a major layout change which demands a review, download a list of your Hubs from your account page (use the "export csv" link in the left corner).  Then check them off as you review them.  Once the list is done, it's done!.  Set it aside and resist the urge to do any further tweaking unless and until something else changes, or you learn something new that you want to apply to them.

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2. 90

   Kathryn Stratfordposted 10 years ago

   This is a good reminder. Thanks!
   Have a wonderful weekend.
   ~ Kathryn

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3. 84

   Purpose Embracedposted 10 years ago

   Thanks, janshares. i think I'll do some checking of my hubs in the coming weeks.

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4. 95

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   Found glaring typos in one of my first poem hubs yesterday while editing. WOW! Check, check, check your hubs.

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5. 71

   quiterandomposted 10 years ago

   Oddly, my adsense ads appear to have vanished entirely from my hubs. All advertising has vanished from my hubs... This happen to any of you?

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6. 71

   quiterandomposted 10 years ago

   Whoops, my bad, had adblocker  on
   
   Disregard previous post.

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7. 84

   tillsontitanposted 10 years ago

   We should always go back and check over old hubs.  I've found a few where I was able to add information and even pictures to make it a better hub.  Guess we're never perfect
   Thanks for the reminder Jan!

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   1. 91

      Jodahposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the reminder. I'm always reviewing and adding to my hubs, and finding errors in the process. Only problem with adding to old hubs is that people who have already viewed the original may never see what you've newly added. maybe hub pages should notify followers if there have been changes made to a hub.

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      1. 95

         jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         You're welcome, Jodah. I find things all the time, just fixed some hub titles today! I think your followers see your updated hubs everytime you edit, not sure though.

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         1. 89

            Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            No, there is no way to notify your followers of updates.

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8. 91

   Thelma Albertsposted 9 years ago

   Thanks for reminding me janshares. I´ll be doing that tomorrow.

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   1. 95

      jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      You're welcome.

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9. 79

   misslong123posted 9 years ago

   Thank you so much for writing in this forum! I noticed the pictures changed, but have never really paid attention to the ads because I am still learning. You seem very wise and meticulous in the editing of your hubs. I wish I was quite as a perfectionist as you. I hope someday I will be. I hope to soon be able to edit all of my hubs in the way that I want them to be and to follow your suggestions on checking for spelling and grammar errors as they can definitely damage your credibility. Thanks janshares! ~Michele

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   1. 95

      jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Michele, very sweet of you, glad to be of help, but please don't become obsessed like me. I hope you're able to find a happy medium somewhere between perfectionism and diligence. I also still have a lot to learn. You are so right about maintaining our credibility as writers. Good luck on your editing.

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