The Squidoo Transition Phase - Patience is a Virtue

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   makingamarkposted 9 years ago

   I'm 100% on the side of doing a proper beta test and taking time to make sure every kind of lens transfers with ease - from the small simple ones to the big long complex ones - like mine! I'm less bothered by WHEN my lenses transfer to HubPages than I am about WHETHER they all transfer intact - with nothing missing.
   
   I'm not going to get worked up about the specific date they transfer. If it takes longer to sort out all the problems then so be it. I'm just grateful we've got a site to take them too and that people are trying to do a proper beta test before starting the transfer.
   
   I'm not going to expect that my lenses transfer the same time that others start to transfer. If mine don't transfer on 2nd September I'm not going to get worked up about it. Instead I'm imagining I'm on holiday and away from home for a couple of weeks or more, unable to touch my lenses and when I get back the issues will all be sorted - and all my sites will be living in a new place.
   
   I'm very grateful for the fact that all my lenses are still on view, still getting good traffic and still generating sales I might not be able to update but it's not as if the lenses aren't functioning normally.
   
   So - how about you? What's your attitude to this transition phase? Do you think being patient is the best way to be?

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      Tim Baderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I agree that we have to be patient and I am trying my best.
      
      The trouble for me is that the announcement came at a point where I felt my lenses were just starting to take off for me, in terms of traffic, etc
      - And since then, my traffic has tanked completely.
      
      My top lenses which were receiving a healthy (for me) stream of readers have now dropped to virtually 0 and now that editing has been locked, I can only watch as they begin to drift and drop in lensrank.
      
      So yes, I hope they get it right, rather than just "chuck it in there", but I know I'll have a lot of work to do once they come across and I have no idea whether the the search engines will pick them up where they left off or not...
      
      Here's hoping!

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         NanLTposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Hopefully, since HP has a better reputation with Google right now, they will pick up and surpass where they were before in gathering outside traffic.

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            makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            @TimBader
            
            Tim - you're only experiencing the same thing that anybody would experience with new sites. They take a while to get traction and to get visitors. 
            
            Agreed this transfer is a hiccup but actually it might also help with you with getting more visitors since the traffic to Hubpages is three times that which Squidoo has been getting of late.
            
            So hang on in there - this might very well be a story with a silver lining for you.
            
            Incidentally, many lensmasters will tell you that traffic only really picked up after people passed a certain number of lenses. I'm sure it's the same with HubPages. I know it's been the same with my blog.
            
            So - bottom line - the more you write the more visitors you get. So use this gap usefully and make new hubs!

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               Tim Baderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               @makingamark Thanks for the encouragement.
               I know what you are saying it true, I'm just impatient!
               
               I've got around 50 lenses to come across, although there are a couple that I know I will delete straight away, as they simply won't pass muster over here - a good thing though, in my book.
               
               I'm also taking encouragement from the fact that from 2 hubs that I published in this, my first week, I have already earned 7 cents.
               Not much, I know, but it took me a couple of months on Squidoo before I was earning 1 or 2 cents!

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                  makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  @TimBader
                  
                  No Tim - unlike Squidoo HubPages will not delete them - they will merely be unpublished.
                  
                  The way it works is if they were featured (ie in the top 175,000 - presumably on a specific day) then  they will be featured/published on HubPages even if they don't match up with the criteria for what is allowed on HubPages.
                  
                  We then get four months to knock them into shape and make them compatible with HB parameters for what's OK and not OK
                  
                  The only thing you need to be aware of is that as soon as you begin to edit then you lose the four month allowance for sorting out lenses and you have to get it sorted out in one go or else it will remain unpublished.
                  
                  The big bonus is that, unlike Squidoo, you get very clear indicators of what rules you are infringing so it's easy to see what you need to do
                  
                  Also Hubs do NOT get locked or deleted as Squidoo did.
                  
                  All in all it's a much more civilised and adult way of providing guidance for owners of lens/hubs.
                  
                  I'm liking the HubPages way of doing things!

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                     Greekgeekposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     "four month allowance for sorting out lenses"  -- I think you know this, MaM, but just to be clear: once we edit a single LENS, the 4-month grace period is over for that lens, so we need to finish editing it. No leaving it in a state of half-dress. However, editing a single lens doesn't turn off the 4-month grace period remaining for one's other lenses.
                     
                     
                     ...and I am still finishing saving all my old lenses as web archive complete (and, most especially, taking each quiz on my lenses so I can copy and save the quiz answers and questions as a text document) just to make sure.

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                        makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        That's what I meant - I just forgot to say "for that individual lens/hub"
                        
                        I think the owners recognise there's no way we can do them all at once - this is going to be hours and hours of work over the next four months
                        
                        But thanks for highlighting the fact the change in status as you begin to edit relates to just that one lens/hub.

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                     Tim Baderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks @makingamark, that's useful.
                     
                     One question I have though, for editing Hubs in general:
                     When you click the edit button on an existing Hub, does it automatically "unpublish" it straight away, or does it stay as it is "in live" and then update it when you click the Finish/Publish button again?
                     Or does it go back into Pending (and thus disappear from search, etc) until it passes the QAP again?
                     
                     Sorry, that's 3 questions.

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                        Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        Every edit you make is live immediately.  No, your Hub doesn't go unpublished, but it is sent to QAP again, just to make sure you weren't putting in something fishy.

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                           Tim Baderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                           Thanks @Writer Fox.
                           So if a Hub goes back to QAP, does it also go back to Pending status while that happens, or does it remain "live"? (and presumably get warnings, etc, if QAP deems it necessary)

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                              Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                              No, it doesn't go back to Pending.  What happens is that it will probably get a new Hub Score. If you insert a lot of spam or something, it would get unpublished. Or, if you write about the rabbit vibrator:
                              http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/120366

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                                 Tim Baderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                                 Thanks, that's really helpful.

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                                    Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                                    The rabbit vibrator?

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                     Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     This is not correct.  Your Hubs can get deleted here as well, without warning.

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         MariaMontgomeryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Mine, too, are drifting back down in the rankings. Mine still haven't transferred, but today I tried going to one of them only to get a blank page with the small note "this page is not available". So, where is it?

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      Margaret Schindelposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      What you wrote describes my attitude about this perfectly. Are we all anxious to see how our lenses look after the transfer, assess what and how much we'll need to fix, and start fixing it? Of course! And we're each dealing with the need to wait in our own ways. Like you, I accept that the trade-off for thorough beta testing to minimize the inevitable technical glitches with a transfer as large and complex as this one is the need to wait while the beta testing and troubleshooting are conducted.
      
      In the meantime, I am working writing my first new hub and also using this waiting period as an opportunity to focus my time and energy on other priorities.
      
      Thank you for sharing the attitude you've chosen to have during the transfer period. Waiting can be very frustrating, and your approach to dealing with this hurry-up-and-wait situation is likely to help other incoming Squids.

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      lisavollrathposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm sort of taking the "it'll be here when it gets here" view. I'm in no rush. I'm adding new hubs, and learning how the tools work best to display the type of content I write.

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         makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I really think that's much the best way to go - we'll all got a lot to read and a lot to learn still. Far better to start editing lenses which have transferred into Hubs AFTER we've all got a much better understanding of how HubPages work.
         
         That will also help us make speedier edits as we won't be working it out as go along - which means we then have a much better chance of a Hub staying published after the edits.
         
         For myself I'm also using the OFFICIAL guidance in The HubPages FAQ or the Learning Center rather than anything written in the Discussions Forum. I'd rather read from the original and the best rather than from interpretations of what it all means.

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            Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I think that's just what you should do.
            
            Others will benefit from keeping up with more current information as posted by employees or experienced Hubbers on the forum.

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               makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               By the way - just to clarify - in relation to notions of transferred lenses. For me transfers will only exist and be recognised IF:
               * I can put in the Squidoo original URL and then get the redirect to HubPages
               * AND everything is intact
               If the redirect doesn't exist or if lots of content is missing then it is NOT a transfer - it's a malfunction!
               
               On the question of who to take advice from,
               * Of course it's always worth keeping up with anything that management has to say!
               * I also think there's a lot to be said for those who understand both sides of the equation.
               
               There are a lot of experienced lensmasters who have also been on HubPages for some years and are also well used to HubPages. Those like GreekGeek and others who have transferred content are going to be really helpful and well worth keeping up with.

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                  Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Making money on HP has nothing to do with how income was earned at Squidoo.  Here you are paid by the number of visits and what those visits are worth.
                  
                  You would do well to look at advice from people who have had the most visitors to their content in relation to the number of Hubs published and the number of years publishing here.

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                     lobobrandonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     Ooh! Me Me me!! Writer Fox is right though. Advice from people who were active on Hubpages recently over the past year would be better.

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            lisavollrathposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I even went so far as to delete two of my lowest, unloved lenses, and turn them into hubs. I figured they were so low in Google's rankings that they didn't show up on the first five pages, no matter what terms I typed in, so a redirect wouldn't be as beneficial as learning how my very short recipe lenses might be turned into the long, rich content HubPages wants. Very educational!

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      MelRootsNWritesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Although I am eager to move forward, I am also thankful that they are doing this carefully.  I've been involved in many types of upgrades and conversions over the years.  There is always something that comes up unplanned.  I'd rather they work out the unplanned before they transfer everything.
      
      It's been a good time to create a few Hubs, read the FAQ and Learning Center articles, and to learn to do things.  I am thankful for having the time to do so.

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   PaulOnBooksposted 9 years ago

   I'm pleased that the transition is being done the Hubpages way (at a planned, steady progress, with time to sort expected problems) rather than the Squidoo way  (just before Christmas with a few other changes to lend spice).

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      NanLTposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Unfortunately, the Squidoo way would have been to transfer everybody's stuff while at the same time screwing around with the formatting, then posting a quick and cheerful note about it either on a positively ghastly Facebook page (that only a small minority of Squidoo lensmaters belonged to) or in the HQ blog. Perhaps adding a small quest for monster points along to way for people who go and read it.

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         PaulOnBooksposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Or ghastlily positive   (Yes, that's a word.)

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   NanLTposted 9 years ago

   To be real honest, I have more important things to be concerned about right now in my life than when my pages get transferred from Squidoo to here. Like you, my only concern is that when they do come over, they be relatively intact as the majority of my lenses are loaded with information.
   
   People are still able to visit my lenses, they can still make comments, they can still buy things (because I do have some sales modules even on information lenses), and I will still get paid at some point.
   
   Still, it is kinda funny watching all the sky is falling why haven't my lenses transferred yet! Oh My Gawd! forum posts that are showing up.

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   Richard-Hposted 9 years ago

   As I understand it, articles will arrive in an order related to the clicking of that big green button.
   
   I left that very late, so I'm expecting their ETA later rather than sooner.
   
   I guess those that were among the first 'clickers' will be the ones who will be chomping at the bit the most. Some may have already gnawed off an arm...

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      makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I deliberately was NOT one of the first clickers on the basis that if there are any problems with lenses coming over I'm assuming they will stop the process and resolve the problem first before bringing more lenses over.
      
      I'm a "second adopter" by nature rather than a "beta tester" or "first in the queue"
      
      Let other people stand in line and/or find out what the problems are!

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         Tim Baderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Ha ha, me too, so I second that!

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         GiftsByDianaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         LOL - me too !
         I did not want to be one of the first.

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         NanLTposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I did hit the green button fairly quickly - within the first 24 hours, I think. Definitely within the first 48 hours.
         
         I'll let ya know when I start seeing things show up, and how they're looking.

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            makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            That would be good Nan.
            
            I have this theory that they are going to differentiate along three dimensions
            1) the number of lenses in the account
            2) the type of lenses on the account (e.g. big ones or little ones)
            3) when the green button was pressed (early or late) or whether it was pressed at all
            
            However it's an interesting hypothetical rather than anything which really matters. 
            
            "Second guessing" is an interesting pastime while practising patience!

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   Ann Hindsposted 9 years ago

   The instructions say we will get an email when our lenses are converted to hubs. So why do I log in everyday to see if they are there? The whole transfer thing is making me crazy. If mine do indeed transfer on the 2nd, I will not know. That's my birthday and I am taking the day off from the computer and doing something I want to do outside the house. I may go to the beach or maybe a casino. I know that it will all work out, it's just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

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      makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Ann Paul Edmondson has just posted on this forum at http://hubpages.com/forum/post/2628033
      
      
      
      So stop looking, stop worrying and have a lovely Birthday!  You can take a peek on the 3rd - but don't forget transfers may start on the 2nd but they have also said that they hope to have them all finished by the end of September - so you might not see anything for a bit.
      
      Make sure you go somewhere nice on your birthday!

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         Ann Hindsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Makingamark for the update. I have decided to drop the boy off at school and then my husband and I will go to the casino where we will donate to the Soboba Reservation by leaving a little cash. Besides, they are giving me $15.00 free play.

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   ecogrannyposted 9 years ago

   Very much on the same page as you. I am grateful for all the care that both Squidoo and HubPages have put, and continue to put, into making this transfer work for everyone.

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   Margaret Schindelposted 9 years ago

   That's how I feel as well.

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      makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      ......and we have an update from Corey - from the latest news update over on Squidoo
      
      
      
      NOTE he says that people will be moved in the order of the people who opted in.
      
      Also the news update makes clear that the transfer BEGINS on 2nd September. 
      
      No word yet as to when it completes although I guess they might have a better idea once the lenses are frozen after the 29th and they can count
      * how many accounts pressed the green buttin
      * how many accounts need to be deleted and
      * how many accounts don't have a featured lens and hence will not transfer unless they pressed the green button.

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   robertzimmerman2posted 9 years ago

   I'm directing that energy into writing hubs and reading information here. With only ten lenses there was not much to fret over!

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   AJ2008posted 9 years ago

   I do hope everyone has all their Squidoo pages backed up as .html files.
   
   I did this before I left Squidoo last year and it has ensured that all my content remained intact, complete with images and links, making "repurposing" them on Hubpages and my own sites, so much easier.
   
   I know that those of you who are still Squidoo members will have your lenses transferred for you, but given Squidoo's reputation for almighty eff ups, you may find yourselves grateful for those backups in a few days time.

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    WriterJanisposted 9 years ago

    I was also very late in clicking the button. Just wondering if anyone who has done a manual transfer can post a link so we can see what it looks like.

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    lakeerieartistsposted 9 years ago

    Yes, additionally the transition will not be without errors in the translation from one platform to another.

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    paradigmsearchposted 9 years ago

    No doubt, HP will drop me a note when they get around to mine. What with my awesome account consisting of one featured lens, I am not concerned.
    
    As for others, may The Force be with you. After all, HP's interests coincide with yours.

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    makingamarkposted 9 years ago

    Now remember - patience is the order of the day - on TRANSFER DAY!
    
    Personally speaking I'm going to be panicking over getting seven drawings into frames for an exhibition I've been invited to show with - and properly labelled and strung up  ready for submission day tomorrow.
    
    That's after I've finished the one which should have been done by now - except for the interruption for backing up lenses!

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       GiftsByDianaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Congratulations !

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    lakeerieartistsposted 9 years ago

    I have plenty to do while waiting. But I feel about the same as you do MaM.

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    makingamarkposted 9 years ago

    see the new Official Forum for the Squidoo Transition and the reporting of any bugs or problems
    
    http://hubpages.com/forum/category/7444 [Update: URL has been changed]
    
    I was right - the process is going to be slow and although it starts today it's going to take several days to bring everybody across
    
    The good news is that they if there are major problems with an import they may try and fix the problem and import again

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       Margaret Schindelposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I noticed that the thread is closed to replies. Does anyone know how (or where, if not there) we should we report any bugs or technical issues with the transfer?

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          Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          That's just the explanation of the new Forum category, which is why it doesn't accept replies.
          
          The new category is here:
          http://hubpages.com/forum/category/7444
          
          To post a thread in that category, click on the green button at the top right on that page.

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             Margaret Schindelposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Thanks very much for your quick reply, WriterFox. Much appreciated.

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                Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                You're welcome.  Happy posting and welcome to HubPages!

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    makingamarkposted 9 years ago

    Well I had a lovely day - took my artwork down to the venue for the exhibition and had a great day out in a nice garden in the afternoon - and didn't think about Squidoo once!
    
    I'm interested to hear from those whose lenses have transferred what sort of issues are cropping up - but I'm happy to wait for mine to transfer.

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       Cheryl Rogersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Wondering if anyone else is having he same problem. It's showing I have too many links to my website. I can only find one! Ditto for some other sites like Smashwords. Had to take that out all together, but I don't want to do that with my website!

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          GiftsByDianaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Hi Cheryl.  I've heard from several folks that even when you make the needed changes and save your work..., that the error messages sometimes wont go away until you refresh the page.

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       GiftsByDianaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Mine transferred.  I haven't had too much time to mess with them.  So far, most seem okay and only need some minor tweaks, but I did do a BUNCH of editing before the transfer to try to head off as many problems as possible 
       Don't know when I'll have a chance to get to them as I have a gift shop to run and many doctors visits and tests... going on.

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          Cheryl Rogersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          That was a good idea. I'm trying to do one a day.

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    Arachneaposted 9 years ago

    My only problem so far is that vids didn't transfer over. Knock on wood.

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