My First 500 Followers, and My First 500,000 Views

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   Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years ago

   On New Year's Day I acquired my 500th follower. In addition to this, I hope to reach another milestone within the next two weeks - the 500,000th visit to my hubs in 4 years. As far as page visits is concerned my goal now is to double this and reach a million views in the next 2 years. But although page views is what may ultimately determine hub success, attention here must be focused on those 500 followers.
   
   Of course some who follow do so just to get a reciprocal follow. That's understandable, particularly in new HubPage members, who wish to build up a recognition in the community. But many others who follow and regularly leave comments have done so entirely sincerely. And that's always been a particular delight for me - to find I've got a new follower, or a new comment on one of my hubs - it is the best indication that someone somewhere has read and enjoyed what I've written.
   
   Over the past few weeks I've started reviewing and fine tuning some older hubs, and whilst doing this, I've also looked back at the comments. It's been a heartwarming experience. Some have shown genuine enjoyment or appreciation for the hub content, and some have shown genuine warmth and consideration for a fellow HubPage member. It does one's self-confidence a huge amount of good to read comments such as those.
   
   Some great hubbers sadly have left Hubpages or are not currently active - I think notably of Derdriu, Suzie HQ and cogerson, who deserve my gratitude. But they have been replaced by others. I don't want to name names just at the moment, because I don't want to leave anyone out by mistake, or give preference to some over others - though a future hub may give thanks to particular hubbers / followers. But I will say this:
   
   Three things above all encourage me to stay on Hubpages:
   1) The design and layout of the site and support of staff when needed.
   2) Increasing traffic (sadly not always the case at the moment!)
   3) The support of fellow HubPage members.
   
   When I first started writing, I lacked confidence, and it was followers and their nice comments which gave me self-confidence to continue. Without them, I would have given up. Thanks to HubPages and above all, thanks to the hubbers who have supported me - I may never meet you, but I regard some of you as friends. Happy New Year, Alun

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      LongTimeMotherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Congratulations, Greensleeves. I hope you successfully meet your new goals.

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         Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you LongTimeMother; it'll be difficult to get to a million page views in the next 2 years, especially as traffic has recently experienced a few slumps, but that's the goal. One New Year's resolution must be to improve marketing of hubs! Alun

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      shihara marcarposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Congratulations! Its my first time here in HubPages and your article is a real inspiration!
                                                                                           ~Shihara

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         Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Shihara; I have just looked at your profile and I see you are only 14, and a new member from Sri Lanka. I thank you for your contribution, and I wish you lots of success here on HubPages. To be successful here does take a lot of effort and dedication, but I hope it will be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for you, and a springboard to a future which includes writing for fun or profit. I will be happy to be your first follower (on the way to your first 500!) My very best wishes, Alun

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      Alternative Primeposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Congrats Alun - Best Wishes For 2015 & Beyond -

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         Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Alternative Prime; Cheers loads for that. My very best wishes, Alun

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      MomsTreasureChestposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Congratulations!  You're an inspiration to fellow hubbers.  Best wishes for the New Year and Good luck in meeting your next goals!

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         Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks very much for that! It's a nice thought, but sometimes I just wish I could inspire myself to get on with some of the hub ideas I've had to put on the back burner for the past several months, simply because I can't figure out the best way to write them

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      growithmeposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Congats and wow you are an inspiration for new hubbers like me ,thank you.. And good to see that you are very interactive here

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         Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         growithme; thank you for your comment and congrats. I appreciate the note about being interactive. I'm not as active on the forums as many hubbers, but I do believe it is right to reply in kind to comments received on forums or hubs. As a new member I hope you have plenty of success here, and at the end of 2015, you look back upon the decision to join HubPages as being one of your best Alun

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      CASE1WORKERposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Well done- have they produced an accolade for 500,000 yet? It is so far to the 1 million point from 100,000

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         Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         CASE1WORKER; Cheers for your comment. I've no idea yet if there's an accolade for 500,000 views. I'm now just coming up to 494,000, and so with current traffic levels I should know in two weeks. I hope so Alun

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      Christy Kirwanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      What a great way to start the New Year! Congrats on 500 followers, 500,000 visits, and everything you have accomplished as a writer here.

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         Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you very much Christy. It was indeed a nice start to the New Year, and the warm response of other hubbers here has made it even better My post on this forum has also introduced me to several new HubPage members with whom I've exchanged 'follows', and that too has been rewarding - to be in on the start of their hub writing careers! Alun

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   Patty Inglish, MSposted 9 years ago

   Congratulations on your 500 followers! -- I was ecstatic at my first and doubly so with my 10th and today it is unbelievable; you can be sure to gain many more. The million-view mark is an admirable goal and I wish you much success in having that quickly.

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      Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Patty; Thanks very much. I am aware that you are perhaps the most experienced hubber of all with over 2000 hubs to your credit, and many 1000s of followers, so I appreciate your comment very much. The pleasure of receiving new followers, comments, accolades etc never wears off, does it?

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         Patty Inglish, MSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         +1  Indeed not!

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   littlethingposted 9 years ago

   Congrats! I can't even dream of having that many views or followers! I hope that you get many more. You really should, your hubs are amazing! Best of luck to you.

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      Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      littlething; thanks for the generous comment Jackie. I have come to appreciate that a combination of active promotion of hubs on social media, participation in the community, and good knowledge of SEO, as well as writing good hubs on the right topics, are all important to achieve varying measures of success on HubPages (traffic, followers, income etc). Some of these things I'm good at, some need a lot more attention!

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   Solarasposted 9 years ago

   These are wonderful milestones you have accomplished - huge congrats.  Perhaps your next goals will be attained faster than you expect.  Best wishes for the new year.

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      Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Solaras; thanks very much for your congrats. Generally the trend has been upwards in terms of traffic (for the first few months I was lucky to break double figures in total for all my hubs per day). Now I get anything between 300 and 900 views per day. Recently there was a slump which I attribute to Google updates, but generally the trend is upwards with each hub I publish. That's why I hope to double my page views over the next couple of years. Cheers, Alun

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   BWD316posted 9 years ago

   Congrats Greensleeves! That's awesome news and a great goal to set! I haven't been too active on Hubpages the last year or so but when I first started writing for Hubpages, the community was one of th best parts. Like you said, knowing someone took the time to not only read but also comment on your article makes a huge difference when writing! God luck on your million view goal!

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      Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Brian. I did notice that I hadn't seen your username around for a while. I hope for good reasons (too busy with other endeavours or writing elsewhere) rather than bad? It does take up a lot of one's time to write regularly on HubPages, and given that income is not good, there have to be other motivations, and chief among these other motivations is to know that someone has benefitted from what you've written. Alun

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   sara0129posted 9 years ago

   Congratulations and best wishes for 2015

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      Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks very much Sara. Appreciated!

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   Writer Foxposted 9 years ago

   I'm proud to say that I'm in your 500 fan club!  Congrats on 1/2 million views.
   
   

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      Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Writer Fox; And I can say that I am proud to have you as a follower, and to follow your hubs! The feeling is mutual as you have a collection of great and very useful hubs which people really should read and benefit from. Thanks for the thumbs up! Alun

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   liamhubpagesposted 9 years ago

   Congrats! I have been a member for a year and and a half and I am just now nearing 100,000 views on my hubs. Care to share what your secret is?

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      Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks very much liamhubpages. I'm not sure though I'm the best person to ask for secrets. I'm sure there are others who have reached these milestones quicker than me, either through more active involvement in the Hubpages community or through better knowledge of what works on social media, and how to use Google to best effect. I'm not sure I had any more than 100,000 views myself after one and a half years. Traffic in the past two years has been considerably greater than in my first two years.
      
      There are a lot of helpful hubs by members of this site who seem to really know about Google and how to maximise their traffic, and of course the Hubpages Learning Centre is a valuable source of information and advice. I am still learning, and intend to market my work more effectively in future, but all I've done in the past is to concentrate on making my hubs the very best I possibly can (a lot of time and effort), whilst advertising them on my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages. In time of course, the more hubs you have should help enhance the number of views you get, and hopefully others will share or recommend your pages, and so growth in views and followers should accelerate. Hope this helps, Alun

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         liamhubpagesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, I am doing that exactly right now, networking a bit, and I hope it helps. All the best in 2015!

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   rebekahELLEposted 9 years ago

   Congrats Greensleeves Hubs!  I thought I was already following you, but now I am officially your 502nd follower.  Your hubs are so well written.  It's obvious that much time and thought go into your hubs.  Best to you!

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      Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      rebekahElle; Thanks very much! I know you've commented on several hubs so that's just as good as an official 'follow' anyway, but cheers for that I appreciate very much what you say. Best wishes, Alun

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    CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years ago

    Congrats Greensleeves.  I'm about to reach 10,000, probably next week.  I hope one day to be as successful as you.

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       Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       CatherineGiordano; My thanks Catherine. The first 10,000 is the hardest And I see you already have a Hub of the Day to your credit, so your standard of writing must be such that much more traffic will come your way in the future. Best wishes, Alun

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    stevemorgan1005posted 9 years ago

    Greensleeves,
    
    Congrats on such a milestone. No matter the platform, 500 followers is an impressive feat. I am new to Hubpages, and I can already tell, I can learn a thing or two from you and your writing. Be on the lookout for my comments as I trudge along your hubs!
    
    Furthermore, good luck on your new goals including your 500,000 view coming soon! I hope you find success in this new year, and I look forward to reading everything you have to offer.
    
    Steve Morgan

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       Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Steve; My thanks. I'm currently just under 493,000 page views so I should definitely get there by the end of the month, but with reasonable traffic of about 500 visits a day, I could get to the half million in a couple of weeks. It'll be a nice landmark to pass!
       
       I see you have indeed just joined - 4 days ago - perhaps part of a New Year's Resolution? Whatever the reason, I hope you have a good experience on HubPages and find that writing here is rewarding, and that the community is helpful. Welcome on board Steve. I'll keep an eye on your progress. Alun

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    Shades-of-truthposted 9 years ago

    Congratulations, Greensleeves! That is quite an accomplishment, and a testament to your perseverance!

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       Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Shades-of-truth; Thanks for that Emily. It does take some perseverence! I have felt a few times in the past like giving up, particularly if there's been a slump in traffic. But from my experience this is the best website of its kind, with the best laid out pages, so until the world recognises my talent (in about a hundred years time ) and I start writing professionally, I'll be staying here! Best wishes, Alun

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          Shades-of-truthposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks, Alun. Evidently, a lot of the world already recognizes it!

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             Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Thanks

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    snakeslaneposted 9 years ago

    Congratulations Alun, you deserve it!

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       Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       snakeslane, Thanks so much for commenting here. But you will I think appreciate that you are also one of those who has regularly commented on my pages, and to whom I owe many thanks. It's always a pleasure to hear from you my friend.

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    aesta1posted 9 years ago

    What an accomplishment! Congratulations. From what I can glean from the comments, you really try to make your hubs the best they can be thus the traffic. This is an inspiration to keep doing so.

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       sallybeaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Very well done, an amazing accomplishment.  May you achieve all the goals you have set for yourself.

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          Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          sallybea; Thanks Sally. Nice to hear from you. I guess the only thing that really disconcerts me is when those Google Updates cause a big dip in traffic - something I think most of us have suffered from. If only there could be a steady increase, I would be content with that. (But it would be great to be able to one day say I've had a million views wouldn't it?)

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             sallybeaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             It certainly would but I definitely see an increase in views though I still have a long way to go before I reach those dizzy heights you talk about.  I  recently hit 100,000 views so you can see there is a long road ahead on which to travel.

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       Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       aesta1; Thanks for that comment. I do in all honesty take a lot of time writing a hub to try to make it the best I can in terms of presentation. But writing doesn't always come naturally to me, and most of my hubs end up being absurdly long, so I only get through between one and four hubs per month!

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    jansharesposted 9 years ago

    Congratulations, Greensleeves Hubs! I love the way you celebrate your big milestone with a positive post. Very nice. I wish you continued success at HP.

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       Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       janshares; Thanks Janis very much. Sometimes on HubPages one has to try to stay positive! I long ago gave up hope of making my fortune here, but it's still a good place to write, to build up a body of work, and to meet fellow writers. Always good to hear from you. Alun

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    Christy Mariaposted 9 years ago

    Thank you for your inspirational hub. I am new and reading your article makes me believe that if I work hard, I will be able to achieve the amount of success you have had on this site. Keep writing!

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       Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Christy; Pleasure to hear from you. I like your post, and thanks for what you say. It does take effort and time, combined with a knowledge of what works and what doesn't work when it comes to attracting traffic. I'm very far from being the best here at understanding how to market my hubs, and for a long time I had very few followers and very little traffic. Don't get disheartened if that happens with you, and don't expect to make huge amounts of money. But with perseverence and a willingness to learn, there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy plenty of success and fun here with well supported hubs. Glad to be your first follower. Best wishes.

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    SANJAY LAKHANPALposted 9 years ago

    Well Done, and all the best.

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       Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Sanjay thanks for that. Appreciated. I looked at some of your profile and some of your pages look to be of interest to me, so I'll pay you a visit sometime

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    lbrummerposted 9 years ago

    Congrats, Greensleeves Hubs.  Loved your political sayings hub.  A great early morning read to start the day laughing.  I can understand why you have so many followers....me included now.

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       Greensleeves Hubsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       lbrummer; Aw thanks for that - appreciate it a lot (and glad that page gave you a laugh!)

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