This is the Emergency Room

1. 86

   Marisa Wrightposted 9 years ago

   I'm seeing a lot of panic about lost traffic and statements that the whole of HubPages is at risk. 
   
   Let's keep this in proportion, folks.  Just think about it for a minute.
   
   If you judged the health of a city by visiting the ER, you'd decide that nearly everyone in the city was sick.  But that would be silly, because you know that only sick people, and the staff and volunteers treating them, are in the ER.   
   
   The same goes for forums.  People whose traffic is healthy are not here - it's only the people whose traffic is "sick", and the staff and volunteers who like to be helpful.  Don't believe me?  Count how many Hubbers are posting about a drop in traffic, then compare that to the total number of Hubbers. 
   
   Yes it is awful for those who are suffering, and they deserve sympathy and help, but let's not decide we've all got Ebola just yet.

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      Rochelle Frankposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I agree.  Sometimes I see a post about how bad traffic is and want to say, " Mine is OK..." or even, "mine is doing pretty well" but I don't, because it doesn't seem right to make things seem worse for them.
      After being here for a few years, I know how it feels to experience the ups and downs. I'm glad I stuck with it.

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      1. 93

         Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Same here. My traffic had a couple of little dips these past few weeks, nothing to worry about and now it has doubled from a month ago. But I didn't want to make people feel bad, so didn't post it on all the other forum threads. Marisa's city analogy is quite correct.
         
         I still would dearly love to know the exact reason why the Google update is causing hassles for some though, as it would help everyone know what to do and what to avoid.

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         SmartAndFunposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I agree. My traffic is slightly up, but I have not been wanting to jump in and mention it because it seemed like such a jerky thing to do.

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      paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I would imagine that next week will tell the tale...

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      1. 85

         ologsinquitoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Paradigmsearch, I think you're entirely correct.

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      2. 90

         NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         +1

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   3. 80

      LuisEGonzalezposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Mine is about the same as it is every Friday, maybe a little lower than usual but I have seen ups and downs before...Don't worry....be happy.

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   4. 90

      NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      This is not addressed to anyone specifically, just to the thread in general.
      
      Everyone might want to visit Quancast.
      
      I think Panda hits everyone eventually. So if your traffic is up, wait a bit. Over the past couple of years, you can see writers saying they were hit. And others saying they weren't, then eventually they were hit.
      
      Some are trying to figure out what's wrong, and how others can avoid it, and I don't think that's the thing to do at all. The fact is, it will happen and likely happen to you. If it hasn't yet, it's just not time yet. Cruise old threads, you'll see what I mean. Others, who are hip to it, have gotten on the current threads to say that they've been hit before and have seen ups and downs and know that that's a thing to get used to.
      
      My point is, don't think you've done something right because you weren't hit and that others are doing something wrong. Well, you can think that, but you'd be wrong.

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      1. 36

         Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Panda is a site quality algorithm and hits the entire website.  This has been true since it was first rolled out in February, 2011: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot. … ality.html

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         1. 86

            Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            We've had this debate before.   You are right, Panda hits the whole site - but the question is whether the sub-domains are treated as separate sites or part of the whole.
            
            I know you argue they are not separate, but my experience, and the experience of many others since 2011, do not support that view. When sub-domains were introduced, my traffic soared while IzzyM's, for example, dropped to nothing.  At every Panda update since, individual sub-domains have reacted very differently from each other - you only have to look at the forums of the time to see it, with some Hubbers reporting traffic improvements and others losses.  We are seeing the same thing again now.

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            1. 36

               Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Marisa, for pity's sake, you posted an article from 2011 on Mashable, no less.
               
               This is what Google's Matt Cutts says:  "Subdomains are now treated just like folders (subdirectories)."
               
               And he emphasizes this again in this video:
               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MswMYk05tk
               
               A new subdomain on HP is no more significant than a new folder on any other website, and this has been true at least since late 2012.
               
               You, of course, can believe whatever and whomever you want to believe.

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               1. 86

                  Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  I know about Matt Cutts' video, which was made way back in 2012.   I'm just saying that in spite of what he says, in practice we were still seeing sub-domains being treated differently in 2013 and 2014.
                  
                  Case Study:
                  http://www.bloggingflail.com/subdomains … rectories/
                  
                  Interesting discussion:
                  http://moz.com/community/q/moz-s-offici … d-updating
                  
                  This is another interesting article, which supports the idea of sub-directories and sub-domains being basically the same:
                  
                  http://www.seo-theory.com/2013/07/10/wh … s-for-seo/
                  
                  However it cites this important caveat:
                  "Google has said that it will be more likely to treat subdomains as if they are subdirectories of their parent domains unless the subdomains demonstrate they are offering sufficient unique value independently of the root domains to earn the distinction of being listed as separate and distinct. "   
                  I haven't been able to find the origin of that quote yet but will keep looking.
                  
                  Here's a couple more interesting discussions on a webmaster forum, where some members report that their main site and sub-domains are still reacting as separate:
                  http://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4663754.htm
                  
                  http://inbound.org/question/view/it-s-2 … irectories
                  
                  http://www.flyingcorkmedia.com/blog/seo … rectories/

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            NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I think I'm going to go with the observable facts that I and others have already pointed out.

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      2. 93

         Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I agree that everyone gets impacted in different ways and no one is immune at all times.
         
         What we do know is that the quest of Google is to provide the most useful content to readers possible. That quest is not going to change, whereas trends like Facebook likes, Amazon bashing and other things will change over time in affecting rankings.
         
         Quality content is not going anywhere for years to come. My theory is to not water down quality content but to nominate types of hub styles to fit in with trends that you might then have to update if the trend becomes unpopular with Google (eg., I am changing my review and list hubs to Amazon hubs and keeping my craft hubs as purely informational ones for example).
         
         Ultimately, I feel I've had a less rockier ride than most by writing long and informational style hubs - they don't have to be boring or even geared for keywords! But by injecting some visual eye candy and a social aspect into them, they go as far as they can go with the current trends (ie Pinterest etc).
         
         Just my 2c

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         1. 86

            Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            We also know that while that may be Google's goal, they aren't always good at achieving it - and when they change their algorithm, it often has the opposite effect to their intentions!   We can only hope that they get it right one day...

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            1. 93

               Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Well there won't be people at Google in 20 years - so you'd think the machines would be able to get it right based on market signals and tracking!
               
               Totally agree with your advice on not all eggs in one basket. Adsense is only one revenue stream, I've been busy reading about all the others (eg selling information products etc). Looks like I'll get into that as well at some point, though nothing can replace the satisfaction of producing a well made hub that is open to the world as a freebie product that people can enjoy!

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               1. 86

                  Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  If the machines ever rely entirely on market signals and tracking, then we might as well all give up and go home.
                  
                  A new web page can't get traffic until someone finds it.  The only way to do that is either social sites or search engines.   Social sites are useful but the visitor numbers are usually in the hundreds rather than the tens of thousands - not enough for a search engine to make a judgment on.
                  
                  So, if Google ignored new pages until it got enough visitors to rival existing sites, new pages would never get ranked.
                  
                  Therefore, Google must try to judge quality - and how can a machine ever do that?   It can look for signals like (lack of) keyword stuffing, grammar, spelling, variety of media, length, whether the content is original, but at the end of the day, only a human being can really judge quality and accuracy of what's written. 
                  
                  That's why, IMO, the algorithm will always be imperfect unless they develop some kind of AI.

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                  1. 93

                     Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     I AM talking about AI, which will actually become more intelligent than human beings somewhere around 2045. Many companies are already using AI in marketing campaigns right now.
                     
                     The language interpretations Google knows are still far from perfect. It doesn't know ALL the synonyms etc yet or how to link topics well based on search questions, if the keywords are a bit left field or convoluted or combinational...
                     
                     By 2045, I expect Google will update its own algorithms by itself and be much more accurate. Still, we'll all be holidaying in our caravans then, so it's only fun thoughts at present.

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                     1. 81

                        Mark Ewbieposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        AI can and probably is already writing some of the online content.  Believe there is an automatic Wiki page creator which scrapes the net and puts the facts into new Wiki pages.
                        
                        What Google does not need AI for is dealing with internet spam that consists of dozens of adverts and links.
                        
                        That is why Squidoo, Helium, Associated Content - and all those others - closed down.
                        
                        Why anyone thinks HubPages can somehow be different beggars belief - even if they do promote themselves endlessly as some sort of SEO expert.
                        
                        Quantcast and common sense are all you need.

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               2. 61

                  paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Loved that.

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         2. 90

            NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Do you really think that people hit by the algorithm are not writing long, informative articles? You are comparing, which is a mistake. You are saying you are doing something different and better than those decimated by Panda. You will have to get past the good feeling of doing "better" than others and look at what is actually happening. Facts tell a different story.

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            1. 93

               Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Maybe I am wrong or right or god knows. Apologies if I am being rude in any way or offending anyone, that was not the intention. I may sound like a pseudo gloating expert, but really I'm just going off my own experience, which is only one person's experience.
               
               We all have to make decisions on what to do next or whether to do anything. In such circumstances, I welcome other people's voices for information and advice and just throwing ideas out there...anyone who has 2c to contribute to the fund is welcome!

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2. 89

   lisavollrathposted 9 years ago

   I've only been here for six weeks. I don't even know what normal traffic is yet!

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   1. 81

      Wednesday-Elfposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I agree.  As a 'newbie', I don't know what an HP normal is yet and I'm actually seeing better traffic than I did on Squidoo. Happy to be here.

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   2. 91

      Rochelle Frankposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Lisa, those of us who have been here for years don't know what "normal " is , either. It's kind of like life...

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      1. 87

         DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Years and years ago, a friend and I decided that the definition of what constitutes 'normal' is entirely subjective.
         
         I have no idea..my traffic and earnings are approximately 'normal' for me, which is to say, sucky, but oh, well.  That's the way it goes.  No point creating drama about it; that does nothing to change anything, and just pisses off others.

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3. 78

   Silva Hayesposted 9 years ago

   I've been here 4 years.  At the beginning, my monthly income was about $2.  It slowly crept up until it reached over $50 every month; I was happy to finally receive a monthly payout.  Suddenly it nosedived to half that about 3 months ago.

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4. 0

   blbairdposted 9 years ago

   I am new here and not from Squidoo. I did watch the ups and downs of Helium and Yahoo. I figure I just have to give it time and adjust where I can.

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5. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 9 years ago

   Along with everything else, we now have the major server crashes. I've no idea if it is an HP issue, or is being caused by the apparent spam-bot invasion. I think HP has finally worn me out.

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      Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Quantcast is stuck, too.  That's enough to push you over the edge, PS.

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         paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         It sure has been an adventuresome week. And next week will probably be even more so.

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      lisavollrathposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Are they crashes, or are they changing servers? The down times were short and sort of erratic in terms of which pages would load, and there are so many broken images. It feels like what happens when my hosting company moves my site to new servers.

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      1. 61

         paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I couldn't access any of my hubs as a visitor for an hour straight from 2:15 to 3:15; I checked once every 5 minutes or so. Come to think of it, I'm going to go see what Analytics has to say about that time frame.

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         1. 61

            paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Just an update, if anyone is interested. GA says my average session duration from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, HP time, was 00:00:00. I have no idea if that applies to all of us or just some of us.

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            1. 86

               Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               They did say they were updating their servers and this looks like a typical result of that.

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               1. 61

                  paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  I totally missed that announcement. This calls for a Twinkie.

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6. 78

   Silva Hayesposted 9 years ago

   On a whim, I just Googled a phrase from one of my hubs, and surrounded it with quotes, and got 15 hits from copied content.  Here's the phrase.  "I use a hand-held carborundum stone" -- I know what to do; I've done it before, filed a DMC complaint, but I just don't have the energy to file 15 complaints, and this is just one hub out of 52.  Sigh.  This, combined with the recent drastic drop in income, has really got me down.

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7. 81

   Venkatachari Mposted 9 years ago

   I am still a newcomer. But, I feel that Google search engines are machines and they do not know what quality is. They simply get driven by the herd. Driven and driven it lands at a certain point and declares it as a good one. For quality check, some great exercise with quality parameters is needed and everything gets changed each and every moment. How can a machine decide what is good or bad when it has static standard measurements created at a particular time and in a particular environment.
   
   Nobody should get worried with google's analytics, but the problem is income. Income is based on google statistics. That is the most hurdle for income earners based on google wave and analytics.

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