Perspective: 'Comments' & 'Following'

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   Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years ago

   I have avoided these two HP features til now, possibly to my detriment, due to a few concerns about the overall process.  However, I may be way off base!  If so, I would appreciate it if some HP-veterans could set me straight about the matter(s).  My concerns:
   
   1) After reading the tutorials, it seemed to me that hub-commenting was meant as a place to add useful information to an article. (i.e. If you don't have something useful to add, don't comment).  But I have noticed that many hub comments essentially boil down to: "Liked your hub...  Laterz!!" Wouldn't a PM or fan mail be a better place for that kind of discourse, to avoid clutter?  Isn't that what the "Vote Up/Down" and "Interesting, Useful, etc., etc." buttons are for?  Perhaps I have misunderstood the concept.
   
   2) Similarly, after reading the tutorials, it seemed to me that jamming the "Follow" button indiscriminately was a good way to find yourself moderated!  However, I have noticed that some hubbers follow into the thousands.  Have I misunderstood this process, as well? 
   
   I ask these questions in humble ignorance, as I would very much like to contribute as much as I can to the HP community, in a way that is most beneficial to us all.  I may have misunderstood the purpose of these two HP interaction features, and in my earnestness to avoid cluttering up the site, neglected my duties as an HP contributor.

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      Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I have found that the less information you fill your mind with, the less you have to think... 'n stuff.

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         Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I DO think a lot about stuff... What have I been doing with my life??

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      lovebuglenaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If people want a hubber to know they've read a hub of theirs the only way to do that is to leave a comment even if it is very short and people have nothing really meaningful to say. That's why I would think people would leave a comment on a hub. And I think there is nothing wrong with that though of course adding something of value is better. But I see your point as some comment only so they get a comment on one of their hubs in return. And some follow many just so get a follow back and not because they actually want to follow those people.

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         Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you for responding, lovebuglena.  In fact, I just read a post from Matthew Meyer, in response to Beth37's question regarding this issue:  http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/117782
         Apparently, you can send fan mail to someone with this code: http://profilename.hubpages.com/#email (where 'profilename' is replaced with the Hubber's username)

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   3. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      First, why are you here?   If you're here to make money, then networking within the HubPages community is your lowest priority.  It will get you some views and likes (which is comforting in the early days, when you're not getting much paying traffic), but it makes very little contribution to your income.
      
      To make money here, you need thousands of views from outside HubPages, so that's where your focus should be.   That's the best way to keep the site healthy, too, because that's what makes HubPages financially viable.   
      
      The community is a great source of mutual support, but don't imagine you're helping fellow Hubbers earn money by commenting and following - you're just helping them keep motivated.

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         WryLiltposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         +1.
         
         I get 1800-2000 views per day and 98% of them are NOT from Hubpages.
         
         Internal views are short lived, don't click adverts and overall do not bring ongoing or increasing traffic or money.

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            Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            You get 2000 views a day? Kudos! I can only hope to be as successful, someday...

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         Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, I see your point.  Thank you for responding.

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2. 92

   EricDockettposted 10 years ago

   I see it like if you were running your own website or blog.  You'd want to reach out to other bloggers with similar interests whose work you admire, comment on their blogs or sites, connect with them on social media etc.  You wouldn't (if you were smart anyway) just go around commenting on any old site, for any old reason. 
   
   Some people here do that though.  Some think it will help them get more views.  Others just like to make as many friends as possible.  That's cool, I guess, but I just don't have the time and patience to read a bunch of Hubs on topics I'm not interested in. I do read and vote a lot, but I don't always comment unless I'm really moved to do so, and I only follow Hubbers who I believed at the time would write something I'd want to read. 
   
   The bottom line is the traffic you really want comes from outside of HubPages.  Shmoozing with other Hubbers is nice, and some may argue that by having more links around the site you're strengthening your profile, but ultimately you want search traffic.  Even social media traffic from other Hubbers really isn't helpful. 
   
   So, IMO, comment when you want to comment, follow when you want to follow, be social if you feel like it, and always appreciate anyone who takes the time to interact with you.

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      Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That just validated my worthless post. Thanks.

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         EricDockettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Your post was much more to the point than mine.  I really shouldn't have replied, but I didn't know you had already.  Once the Forum Queen answers a question in a post the thread should be closed, even if the answer includes  "  'n stuff."   My apologies, my liege.

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            Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I think Im getting a free t-shirt out of the deal.

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's interesting.  I've never run a blog, though I hope to once I build up a respectable portfolio.  I'm actually quite new to all of this...  I joined HP over a year ago, but have only recently worked up the nerve to "get serious" about my writing.  I am finding that there is a lot of trial and error involved with the whole online thing.  Thanks for your insight,
      
      P.S. I see from your portfolio that you are a fellow axe-man. *universal nod of recognish*

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      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Exactly.

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3. 85

   NateB11posted 10 years ago

   As far as following other Hubbers indiscriminately, I've seen Hubbers do that and watched their Hubber Score drop steadily. Many say the Hubber Score is not that important, however I personally would not want it to drop drastically low. But, also, it just makes logical sense that you should only follow Hubbers whose work you have read first, who you interact with in some way as in through comments on their Hubs. Otherwise, following other Hubbers is a game, like spamming people, just trying to draw attention and get followers. Probably more important to concentrate on content and what drives traffic.

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      My Hubber Score has plummeted into the 70s, despite my best efforts to provide useful and original content.  I've read not to be overly concerned, but it must reflect poorly on me for outsiders who visit the site...  To be honest, it kind of bums me out man!  (Guess I really hurt myself by not hopping into the commenting and following game before now?  Whatevz...)

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4. 68

   Pearldiverposted 10 years ago

   OMG... You mean we have Duties as a HP Contribu-laterz? 
   
   Perhaps your interaction concerns would best be resolved by contributing heavily towards the costs of this years non-virtual Christmas Party... (work on approx $20 per head for Hubbers and $10 per head for staff!) 

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Your check's in the mail.

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         Pearldiverposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I appreciate that.... the last guy took a rain-check and we only had double waters to drink! 

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5. 56

   Dame Scribeposted 10 years ago

   Fan spreeing is usually frowned upon but comment love is appreciated allows some 'viewing' of the author with their 'interactions'

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      mcbelposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      HP is a great place for many kinds of writers. It brings in money through activity, however, and simply being active and making meaningless comments has made HP somewhat of a social networking site for lazy teenagers who wish to make some extra coin. I find excitement in knowing that I can write my thoughts down somewhere, walk away, and then return later to find that someone else thinks the same way, or that they have an interesting and valuable (dis)agreement with my ideas. When I return and find someone has left a lousy, misspelled, and often clearly careless response to what I have to say, I find myself not only put off, but writing needlessly long run on sentences on forum pages.
      With each breakthrough in technology and social media we use our brains less and less.

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         Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         LOL!  It's funny you should mention "run-on sentences."  One of the more difficult adjustments for me has been attempting to truncate my epic, Dickensian compound sentences for writing online!

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   Dame Scribeposted 10 years ago

   Well, if you 'moderate' your comments, there should be no problems with tossing out the useless vs genuine comments interacting through our comments displays our 'person' and 'brand' for the professionals on this site too. I wouldn't knock or be too critical of interacting with followers, fans and/or strangers through our comments section. think of it as part of your duties in PR

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      An interesting counterpoint- thanks Dame Scribe!

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   Millionaire Tipsposted 10 years ago

   I like to comment on almost every hub I read, just to let the Hubber know I was there.  I try to write some meaningful comment, or at least try to use some keywords to help the Hubber along. I think the key is to make sure that you actually read the hub, and that the comment somehow indicates that.  If you just write "great hub", there is no indication that the hub has been read. 
   
   As to following, follow the people whose hubs you want to read.  Try to find people who write on topics you enjoy, and whose quality of work is worth emulating.
   
   I've learned a great deal from reading other hubs, not only because of the topic and information contained, but also because I can look at the layout, style, formatting, balance, etc.

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I hadn't thought of using keywords in a comment in order to help out my fellow Hubbers.  That is an excellent piece of advice!

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8. 95

   LongTimeMotherposted 10 years ago

   I live off the grid, grow organic fruit and vegetables, and aim to create a sustainable lifestyle for my family. Some hubbers share my interests and I tend to see familiar faces in the comments box. I greatly appreciate their feedback and try to repay the compliment, but the vast majority of my views come from google and other search engines around the world. (I'm surprised by the number of different countries sending me traffic from their local google.)
   
   In my experience, my hubber score temporarily drops every time I publish a new hub. I'm currently on 96. That's strangely encouraging for me because it reminds me I've finished and published a couple more hubs recently. 
   
   My comments on anyone's hub are genuine. If I am particularly impressed by a hub or have something to offer, I write a comment. I actively encourage new hubbers from time to time, but I certainly don't feel compelled to write comments on absolutely every hub I read.
   
   As others have mentioned, the money comes from the outside world. It takes a while to put that in perspective.

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I envy your lifestyle.  I have often wondered how I could live "off the grid."  In fact, I recently signed up for a free class on edX about making your own solar panels!  I just wish I had more time for it...

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   CarolynEmerickposted 10 years ago

   I try to have a balance. I won't follow someone if I think they're a bad writer or if they write about things I'm just not interested in. However, if someone is following me, if they are nice and sharing my posts, and if I have moderate interest in their topics, I follow them back.  If I see a person is not following other people, I don't bother following them. I run some very large FB pages with 30k, 20k, 14k, 10k, and then some in fans/followers. So if I see I'm getting attention and shares from a fellow hubber, I try to send them some non-HP traffic by sharing on one of my pages. My hope is that being friendly means others will be friendly in return. Living in a bubble and ignoring other hubbers means they aren't likely to do you any favors like potential share a great hub on other social network forums.

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That is certainly a healthy philosophy!  If only more people in the world shared such generous reciprocal relationships, I think we all might sleep a little better.  Thanks for responding,

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10. 87

    eddiecarraraposted 10 years ago

    Hey Earl, I have to agree with longtimemother and millionaire tips, and try not to worry about your hub score, focus on writing informative articles. Like longtimemother, 99% of my traffic comes from the www, not Hubpages. I do follow other hubbers, and I do comment on hubs, but I don't follow hubbers because I want brownie points, I follow them because I like what they write about or i like their style of writing, not just because they're following me. Some hubbers like to follow everyone just to see how many people will follow them back, not cool! As far as comments go, comment from the heart, comment how you felt about the hub and what you like about it, vote it up or down, etc...Don't over think it. And as far as using keywords in the comment box, It's great to use keywords in the comment box because it does add the keyword once again, and that's good for search engine results.
    If you're looking to boost your traffic, I suggest using keywords properly in your articles (hubs) I looked at your hubs, and it seems like you're writing just for HubPages. If you want to reach the www, you really need to focus on the keywords in your titles and in the article body, I'm not suggesting keyword stuffing, but the only way for people to find you on the www is to use keywords in your hubs that they would use to do a search. No one is searching for "Earls guide to anything", but I'm sure the're a lot of people searching for "Warren Buffett's guide to investing". Just changing the keywords can make a world of difference in your traffic. I recommend using the Google keyword tool or the keyword planner to find traffic getting keywords with low competition, you may strike it rich
    I think you have a great writing style Earl, and I think you can really boost your traffic, hub score, and income, by just doing a little keyword research, find out how people are search for saving pennies, or the first steps to buying stocks, find keywords with over 500 searches a month with low competition. If you can grab a little of the traffic, you may even have a few followers on the www. I hope this helps Earl, I know I'm a little long winded, but ultimately, I know you want more traffic, and this is the first steps to getting it

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