Unpublishing all of my Hubs

1. 81

   glassvisageposted 10 years ago

   Hello,
   I was wondering if there is a way to unpublish all of my Hubs at once, or deactivating my account. I have been on HubPages for years, but I no longer find it as rewarding or enjoyable as I used to. At the same time, I don't want to close my account because I'm proud of all of the work I've put into my Hubs. Is there a way that I can unpublish my Hubs so that I could choose to publish them again later?
   Thank you!

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   1. 76

      Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You can unpublish them by hitting that button instead of delete. It would be foolish to do that with as many hubs as you have. You can't unpublish all of them at one time though.
      
      You can still earn even if you aren't active here. Plus your hubs will lose their aging and thereby lose their rank at Google.

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      1. 76

         Wesman Todd Shawposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Yep, I sure agree with all the above.  It's a bad idea to unpublish them.  Why not just take a break and come back later?

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   2. 0

      mariexotoniposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I would definitely just leave them up and take a break from HP for as long as you need. Honestly, there were a few months here where I was inactive but was still getting some extra cash every month. Unpublishing them means they can't earn.

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   3. 80

      kenneth averyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      glassvissage,
      What are you doing? Think, girl. This would not be a wise  thing to do. Take some time to think it through. I have had similar thoughts and when I would sort-out the early hubs that I didn't like, I stayed on HP.
      Just think is all I ask for I hate to see a hubber leave.
      I mean it.

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   4. 45

      Ericdierkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Excuse me when I get right to your point. No. HP requires management on a hub by hub basis. It takes a minimum of ten minutes to control each hub to get it taken down from here and put up some place else properly.
      Interesting.

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2. 81

   glassvisageposted 10 years ago

   Thanks everyone. My concerns are that I get a lot of very mean and insensitive comments that really bother me. My content is always getting copied. It's too much work and effort for $1 a day.

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   1. 59

      paradigmsearchposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      As for the Comments, just say to heck with it and globally shut them down.
      
      As for the rest of it, I don't know of any easy solutions either.

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   2. 82

      ezhangposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      As paradigmsearch mentioned, you can always disable comments to your hubs, by adjusting the Global Comment Capsule Settings here: http://hubpages.com/my/hubs/comments
      
      Unfortunately, I regret to say that I cannot offer an easy solution to the content thief issue either. As one of our oldest hubbers, we do look forward to seeing you back in action one day, glassvisage!

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      1. 92

         Rochelle Frankposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I agree-- (but don't say "oldest"-- maybe "more experienced"?)

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   3. 79

      LuisEGonzalezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Stay the course. Be proud of what you have written and let it ride while you take time off. Moving them somewhere else means that they will probably be copied from there too and they will lose ranking.
      
      
                                                                       
      
      

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   4. 80

      kenneth averyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      glassvissage,
      ezhang is right. And others too. Do not let insecure, immature people push you around or dictate what you do in life. I should know. I've been pushed around and dictated-to for most of my life. It really sucks. You may not know what a bad mistake you are making until you do this senseless act. Again. Please do not leave HP.

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   5. 69

      galleryofgraceposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Too much work and effort for a $1 a day.????? 80 % of the writers here don't make a $1 every two weeks. Lucky to make $3 a month. Get serious, keep your hubs up.

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3. 83

   Edward J. Palumboposted 10 years ago

   You've written well and generated a good body of work over time. It would be disappointing to let that disappear. Take a break, and return to writing when you have the renewed energy or inspiration to do so. Whatever your decision, I wish you the best and hope all goes well for you.

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4. 60

   The Examiner-1posted 10 years ago

   I have heard of Hubbers who went on breaks but left their Hubs up on their site. When they returned, they had received comments on their Hubs - and also made income - while they were gone.

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5. 88

   WryLiltposted 10 years ago

   If your hubs have been copied, placing them somewhere else will mean the copies will likely outrank you in Google.
   
   Have you considered rewriting some of your titles to be more SEO friendly and using MFP images to increase your traffic?

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6. 86

   Kathleen Odenthalposted 10 years ago

   mean spirited people will always exist, there is no escaping them. i call them haters and tell myself that they are just jealous of me, whether its true or not, just to take the power out of the comments. but really, the amount of power a comment has is ultimately decided by how we choose to handle the comment. take them in stride, one person's opinion doesn't define you or your ability.

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7. 81

   glassvisageposted 10 years ago

   Thanks everyone I promise I wasn't intending to be fishing for comments but the kind words are very nice to hear!
   One of the main things is maintaining the Hubs - every time I log on, because I have so many Hubs, there are broken links, and if I have copied Hubs, I have to contact the person with DCMA info...
   
   I certainly don't plan on moving my content anywhere else. And I definitely don't plan on deleting it. But it would be great to have all of my content on hold here at HP until I get back in the swing of things. Like how with Facebook, you can deactivate your account and then activate it again later and have everything the way it was when you left.

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   1. 88

      WryLiltposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That would remove them from Google and reset their age

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   2. 84

      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It sounds like you have far too many outgoing links in your Hubs.  Outgoing links to authority sites are good - outgoing links to other sites are not.  Authority sites are established, quality sites that aren't likely to go out of business, so there's little chance of broken links.
      
      
      As others have said, if your Hubs have been copied and you unpublish them, you're allowing the thieves to gain traffic at your expense.  Why let them win?  Take a break, but leave your Hubs published.

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8. 86

   Kathleen Odenthalposted 10 years ago

   Fix the broken links at a pace that is good for you, broken links won't kill you. I didnt think you were fishing for comments, I knew exactly where you were coming from and I was speaking from my heart with my own comment, but I know the intentions of the others are just as genuine. This community alone is worth sticking around, because it is filled with positivity and support. You may as well keep the articles up, racking in at least that one dollar a day, cause hey, a dollar a day adds up!

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   1. 80

      kenneth averyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Kathleen,
      I hope that you were meaning me as a genuine hubber with sincere intentions for I hate for anyone to leave HP. To me, it does get frustrating and I am just speaking honesty, but like you said, it is worth sticking around and at least making money instead of losing it.

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9. 92

   Rochelle Frankposted 10 years ago

   Yes-- disable comments, or require approval.
   You have so much time and effort invested --- let them sit for awhile if you need a break.
   At some point you may want to do some revamping. I will miss your visage.... But I hope you won't burn your bridges.

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10. 64

    Astra Nomikposted 10 years ago

    This is just a weird question.... but Twitter has something called "protected tweets".... and I wonder could or would it be possible to have "protected hubs"? Hubs that are only seen by a certain group of hubbers, and not public?
    
    I understand it might not be as good as being able to share our work with the world, which is awesome. It is just an idea.

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    1. 88

       WryLiltposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       The main point of Hubpages is for the site owners to make money. It's a business. Protected hubs would not make money.
       
       There are free sites like Blogger that you can hide or add passwords to.

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11. 91

    EricDockettposted 10 years ago

    Wow! I'm glad I was sitting down when I looked at your profile, because the idea of deleting a 7-year-old account with over 400 hubs and a million views made my head spin a little. My goodness, you can't delete this!
    
    A dollar a day may not seem like its worth it, but I think you  have the potential there for a whole lot more, and you don't even have to write a new Hub in the foreseeable future.
    
    Here's what I would do if I were you: Starting at the beginning, go back and start revising your Hubs.  Improve the title and summary.  Maybe put a little time into studying keyword research if you think you need it.
    
    Most of your Hubs seem short, so add content and get them at least over 1250 words. Add images and video where appropriate. Try to follow HP's guidelines.   
    
    Break text up into sections and give them subheadings so you have more relevant H2 tags. It makes it easier for the reader to follow your Hub, and easier for search engines to understand what your Hub is about.
    
    Get rid of all those links out to other sites (except where you are citing someone), and start adding textual links to your own Hubs and related "you may also like" options at the end so visitors flow through and stay on your site longer.  You have over 400 Hubs; you can surely link many of them together.
    
    It might sound like a pain, but our Hubs are assets.  You have over 400 assets capable of making you some good money.  Instead of throwing them away, why not shine them up so they start earning for you?
    
    As for the jerky comments, delete them and forget them. Done.
    
    Good luck whatever you decide.  I just hate to see you throw this account away!

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    1. 91

       Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I like you Mr. Docket. I have been feeling the same way. Most of my hubs have been stolen and it's just so frustrating to keep at it. I don't have nearly half the hubs she has but I do feel a little motivated by your post. Thanks

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       1. 91

          EricDockettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks for the kind words, and glad you found some motivation.  I agree it can all be very frustrating, but here's something that occurred to me a while ago:
          
          In the years I've been doing this there have been so many times I've felt like quitting.  People steal your stuff, or search engines change their minds and traffic drops, or nobody is clicking on your Amazon links, or people leave stupid comments that make you feel like a hack, even though you know you aren't.  So many times I wanted to quit, and instead I went back and tried to figure out what I could do to be better at this.  Because the only thing I can really change is how I approach it.  I sure can't change everyone else.
          
          I like to think adversity presents opportunity, and if it wasn't for the adversity brought on by scrapers, fickle search engines, bloggers who think they have the right to reproduce my content under "fair use", fellow Hubbers who rewrite my Hubs and present them as their own and rude readers who leave nasty comments I wouldn't have been so driven to improve.
          
          So now when I get all aggravated I try to recognize that it has the potential to make me better. Nothing wrong with quitting if you really can't stand it anymore and have better things to do, but I'm sure glad I stuck it out.
          
          So don't get frustrated and quit, get fired up and get to work!   :-)

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          1. 91

             Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             Thank you! Everything you have stated is what I have been feeling. I'll just have to find my second or third or even fourth wind here at HP.

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             1. 77

                TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                This is for all who have responded to the original post here, but especially those who are considering giving up:
                
                I think having too many articles does become overwhelming.  Get rid of the low performers and whittle the number of articles to between 100 and 150.  This makes overseeing them much easier.
                
                Stop linking to external sources unless you know for sure they are very good ones.  Interlink to your own articles instead.
                
                Treat your posts as you would treat a garden...constantly prune, eliminate weeds and plant fresh flowers.
                
                Use at least one good MFP photo and one appropriate video and maybe a poll for each article.
                
                Once you have the number of hubs down to a manageable amount, it is much easier to do all of the above.
                
                Then, for each article that is not working, remove it and replace it with a new, better one.
                
                This should help you to have an easier time of it and help to eliminate theft and low level comments.  And for those comments, simply delete them or shut them down.  Problem solved!

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                1. 91

                   Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                   I have always done all that you've mentioned here. The only thing I don't agree with is removing an article because it's a low performer. There are two reasons for this:
                   
                   1. Google loves large sites. The more content you have the better for you, so long as the article gets some amount of views per month.
                   
                   2. Some articles take up to two years before you get any good results. You may be removing a potentially great earner by removing an article too soon.
                   
                   As for the theft, having 150 hubs do not make it easier to manage stolen content. i have 175 published hubs and I tell you, having around 120 of them stolen is the most difficult, frustrating and unnerving thing ever.

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                   1. 77

                      TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                      Cardisa:  When I have a hub that is not getting many views, I do not simply remove it.  I try to figure out why the views are poor.  Often it is because there is too much competition for the topic, or the hub really is not written well.  Only after I correct and the hub still  is not doing well, do I get rid of it.  I save them all and sometimes will rework them and try again...but often the result is still the same.  My goal is to have a portfolio of hubs that ALL do well, and so far, things have been improving.  Money is up, ad money is up, CPMs are up and views are up...so I must be doing something right.

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12. 81

    glassvisageposted 10 years ago

    Thank you ALL for these comments. They have been very informative and educational for me - for instance, I hadn't considered the effect it would have on my Hubs' ranking in search engines.
    
    I really like the idea of trimming down the number of my Hubs. And now I see that external links are not that helpful - most of those were inserted when I created the Hubs 5, 6, 7 years ago, when I thought it was helpful to include them for readers. Over the years I've adjusted and edited my Hubs, and I see that that's something I'm going to have to continue to do.
    
    Thanks again - I knew this was the right place to go for insight on this. Of all of the issues I've experienced, the HubPages community has never been one of them

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    1. 81

       glassvisageposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I feel better already! I just unpublished a third of my Hubs that could not compete on search engines or were not high-quality. I feel much better armed now that I know more about MFP images (I had to look that up!) and links

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       1. 83

          Solarasposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Hi Glassvisage:  You might want to add some Amazon ads to your hubs to get an immediate cash boost. 
          
          For instance your hub on how to draw people:  turn the pencil and drawing book images into Amazon links to those products (use the keywords format and not the ASIN number). You can even include your favorite drawing book, maybe someone buys all 3 products.
          
          Amazon ads double my income each month.

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13. 74

    LeonJaneposted 10 years ago

    I've unpublished a few hubs that were performing badly or are no longer relevant (time orientated). Its a painful process as you have to open one at a time and click the un-publish button. Would be could if you could check a radio button an group un-publish them.

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14. 96

    PegCole17posted 10 years ago

    It's really encouraging to see all these kind responses to your question, Glass. That is a big part of the joy of writing out here - the support of the Hub Pages community.
    
    I'm in awe of your views, your number of hubs and your earnings. Most of us would love to earn that much and hope one day to reach that point. I'm glad to see that you are reconsidering and have taken action on some of these great suggestions that hubbers have provided.
    
    Cheers.

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       kenneth averyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Glass, I join Peg in agreement of her comments about and to you. And by the same token, I am in awe of PegCole and her work and dedication to her craft.
       "I" feel so blessed at being a small part of such a wide, talented community of talented writers.
       Best wishes.

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          PegCole17posted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks, Kenneth. You are so kind and thoughtful. What a nice thing to say.
          

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             kenneth averyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             Peg . . .dear friend, you are most-welcome, and besides, it is the Gospel truth. You are that good.
             I am most-blessed to have you as my friend and follower.
             Keep up the great work.

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15. 91

    Greensleeves Hubsposted 10 years ago

    glassvisage; there's a lot of positive and constructive comments here, which I can only agree with, though I can understand your concerns.
    
    There are frustrations with having a lot of hubs and having to administer them particularly in dealing with negative or rude comments etc, which can be depressing, but you can disable comments or filter them so they may be reviewed before they become visible to the public.
    
    I can certainly understand the point about broken links - we are all encouraged to link references, photos etc, but the trouble with the Internet - unlike references to printed sources of info - is that websites and pages regularly close down and links become broken. It can be a real pain. Depending on the importance of the link, I just remove all completely or make it inactive to get rid of the broken-link messages, or if I have time, I may try to find an alternative, active page or photo of a similar nature that I can link to instead.
    
    glassvisage; I've sadly seen a few very talented writers disappear from HubPages in recent years, and I really don't like to see it happen. A quick glance at your profile shows a lot of topics which I am sure provide valuable information for some sections of the community. Unless a hubber is thinking of publishing elsewhere, I really can't see any advantage in unpublishing their work here, and I hope you will not do that with all your hubs. I haven't followed your hubs before, but will do now, and hope that this and other comments here encourage you to keep most of your hubs open for others to enjoy. Best wishes. Alun.

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    1. 81

       glassvisageposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you all for your comments. I do the same thing where I update broken links with new ones because I really feel they can enhance the Hub.
       
       Admittedly I complain about earnings because I used to make more than $1k each month in my "heyday" before Google Panda... But $30 is better than nothing

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          TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

          1k each month?  WOW....in a million years, Panda or no Panda, I could never make that much!

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             Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             Before Panda, there were several people making over $2k on HubPages.   At the end of 2010, I was forecasting over $1k per month for 2011 easily - and that with less than 150 articles.  It's hard to believe when I think about it now, but that's really what it was like.

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                TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                Marisa:  Just before the latest Panda update my views started increasing...nothing like what you are talking about, of course, but much better than before.  I thought it would only be temporary, and it has dropped off a bit now, but is so much better than before.  I am doing a better job with ads now, and those are where the money has been coming in more, also.  I never came here to earn, but making some money does make me feel like my work is now being recognized as credible, if that makes any sense.  It's too bad Google messed so many people up, that's for sure.

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16. 86

    Kathleen Odenthalposted 10 years ago

    Wow Marisa that is incredible, who knows, maybe one day the change in the search engine algorithmic magic from the gods will turn back in favor of us al on HP and you can start seeing that kind of money again, cause thats impressive, and I hope that a time will come when you, and the community, are rewarded properly for their hardwork here.

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