Capstone Hub Program

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   Lady Guinevereposted 15 years ago

   Anyone doing this?  How long does it take to get the contract to view it?

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      darksideposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I am.
      
      You first apply for the Flagship Hub program.
      
      You may have to do a Flagship hub first.
      
      Doing Capstone hub/s is quite a commitment. I will be honest and say that it requires far more effort than the monetary reward, but I've done one set and I'm currently about halfway through my next capstone project.
      
      It takes me months to do, at a leisurely pace. So if you're thinking of doing it purely for the initial $25 reward, think again. But it does allow you to focus and have a clear goal in sight. The way I look at it is I'm doing hubs I should have been doing anyway.
      
      I don't know who else has completed a full Capstone Series, but my first one was the first for a Hubber, and that was last September I think.

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      1. 65

         Lady Guinevereposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you and I am in the process of getting the contract and looking at it.  I already have one in mind that I have just started.  I am not doing it for the money but for the people that will be looking at the hubs involved in this project.  Yes it will take me some time to do it before it is finished.

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   badcompany99posted 15 years ago

   What is it ?

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3. 78

   Uninvited Writerposted 15 years ago

   http://hubpages.com/help/capstone-hubs

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4. 61

   belief713posted 15 years ago

   Has anyone else besides darkside given this a try? (I checked some of darkside's out, but don't see a complete set or series yet with the 16th Capstone Hub.) Just interested in looking at some Hubs to model. I agree with darkside, if you're looking to do it for the monetary ($25/40) reward, it's not worth it in a sense, I don't think. But the long-term end of giving it a shot is. Not sure if I want to actually sign up for the program, but rather just build some Capstone hubs on my own for the fun (and monetary/SEO benefits) of it.
   
   So, if there anyone else who has given this a go, please share. Any suggestions? And I'm really interested in seeing what the 16th Capstone hub looks like! Please share if you have one...

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5. 86

   Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years ago

   Darkside, can we see the Capstone hubs you've published, please? Or rather, can you point us in the right direction? Thanks!

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   1. 69

      Maddie Ruudposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Here ya go: Greek Philosophy

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         belief713posted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Maddie. I found the Greek Philosopher ones but didn't realize that Greek Philosophy was the Capstone.
         
         Are there certain topics HubPages prefers the series be on, or is the sky pretty much the limit for now?

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         1. 69

            Maddie Ruudposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            The topic and hub titles need to be approved beforehand with me.  I approve topics, among other things, on how evergreen the content is.

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            1. 61

               belief713posted 15 years agoin reply to this

               Ok, thanks. Can you start Hubs and then decide you want to use them as a Capstone series and apply, pending approval of course?
               
               I'm also assuming the whole benefit that HubPages is hoping to achieve with the Capstone program is to dominate the search engines for the chosen topic (or 16th, Capstone, Hub). Am I right?

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                  Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  If I understand the capstone's page correctly it says that the topic must be approved first. I believe (based on nothing but assumption) that each individual hub needs to be approved by the staff as well (though I could be wrong about that).
                  
                  I'm sorry, Maddie, if I'm stepping on your toes! I'm just not busy right now and seeing as you're on staff (and I know what it's like to be on site staff) I assume that you *are*.

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                  darksideposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  You need to pitch the idea first, which for me was just saying something like "Hey, I'd like to do a series on Ancient Greek Philosophers, what do you think?" and then they of course say yes or no.
                  
                  If you've already made something in that theme already, it won't count. I had already published a hub on Aristotle which is why I had started researching the subject in the first place. So that couldn't be counted. But it doesn't stop you from linking to it in your Capstone Hub. So that means I had 15 + 1 + 1 (Aristotle) = 17 hubs by the end of it. In fact I have more, because there were a few more Greek Philosophers I added after I had finished the series. I actually have drafts for another 4 (lesser known philosophers) sitting on my hard drive. Later when I've finished doing everything else that currently has top priority, I'll do them justice and add them.
                  
                  The single most important thing you've got to think about is, has your chosen topic got enough material for you to research and write into 15 sub-topics. Me choosing Greek Philosophers made it easy, all I had to do was make a list of 15 philosophers and do a hub on each. My current project is The Roman Empire. So choosing 15 Roman Emperors was easy too.
                  
                  It of course doesn't necessarily have to be the same sort of theme I'm following (historical figures). It will be interesting to see what others have done.
                  
                  I've got a few other tips to share, but I'm saving it for a hub about Capstone Hubs which I'll finish off and publish... well I've got a few more Roman Emperors to deal with first.

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                     belief713posted 15 years agoin reply to this

                     Me too!
                     
                     
                     
                     Just out of curiosity, what made you choose that topic (historical figures - besides the "ease" of composing multiple Hubs)?

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                     1. 58

                        darksideposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                        When I was a kid, I really enjoyed the old sandal and thong movies. Romans and Greeks and all that. I loved the film The 300 Spartans (though watching it now I wonder why, it was terrible). And I was excited when the movie 300 came out.
                        
                        Between that and reading various lenses by someone named GreekGeek (she signed up to HubPages but she's never published anything, I know her from another site) I was getting a real kick about relearning ancient history again. I started reading about Aristotle and wrote a hub and figured, I'd really like to learn more about the other Greek Philosophers. I think it was around about then they announced the Capstone Hub Program and I figured I could kill two birds (or 16 hubs) with one stone.
                        
                        It's a great excuse to do something you love or has piqued your interest.

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                           belief713posted 15 years agoin reply to this

                           Thanks for sharing. I used to be really into and interested in Greek mythology, especially in middle and high school. It's just that history used to bore me. I'm finding it more interesting now as I get older though.

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   Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years ago

   Thank you Maddie!
   
   I'm considering doing one but not sure what subject I would be interested in tackling. I'm prolific and I am *not* leisurely about how I write so I know I *could* do it

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   Christa Dovelposted 15 years ago

   I would love to do some of these.  Currently I am in the research phase of several ideas... Unfortunately, I am slow, and there is not much time for writing.

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   Julie-Ann Amosposted 15 years ago

   I've some in progress but it takes forever to do 16 good hubs!  Sorry!

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   Uninvited Writerposted 15 years ago

   I'm supposed to be working on one, I think I have 5 hubs done. Sorry Maddie...

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10. 86

    Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years ago

    Maddie, do you (the staff) make suggestions for capstone content or is it up to the user to decide on a subject and submit it?

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    Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years ago

    darkside,
    
    I hope that you will take this in the way it is intended, but do the subjects need to be so pedantic? I am fine with researching an article and am considering turning my single hub on North American Pit Vipers into a series that can highlight each of the individual species (I don't think I would have enough material for a capstone though), but I am also interested in subjects that are somewhat more emotionally driven. I write quite a bit on marriage because of how hard I've worked to save my own.
    
    I hope that makes sense and that you aren't offended. I've bookmarked your profile so that I can read your hubs and show them to my husband who I think will probably be an instant darkside fan once he starts using hubpages.

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       darksideposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       No offence taken.
       
       As I said, it doesn't necessarily have to be the same sort of theme I'm following, ie: historical figures.
       
       What Maddie accepts will be at her own discretion (and no doubt the HP guidelines that followed Jason before her).
       
       Finding a subject that allows you to divide it up into 15 portions, with a much larger one to introduce or cover the entire subject is the first hurdle to get over. Starting with a subject that's already tightly focused will make it harder to find enough material, and might already narrow it down too much to find a large enough target audience.
       
       I'm interested in knowing what others are being currently worked on, even if they've only just started or seem to have come to a stop. If anyone wishes to share it with just me, drop me a line, and I can give a few pointers in the right direction. I may (depending on my own knowledge or interest in the subject) donate material for one hub if the person is willing to throw me a backlink to my upcoming hub on Capstones.

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          Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Thank you. Text is such a difficult medium!
          
          I'm very interested in the same, given that I'm considering this. I haven't been here very long and I have some time necessary to establish myself. I'm doing a series of articles right now (on my own, not expecting any bonus from it) and if it works out that's the point at which I am interested in applying for the program.
          
          Thank you so much for being gracious enough to share your information with us!

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          belief713posted 15 years agoin reply to this

          I'll give you a free link, if I can (depending on subject/anchor your looking for)! You deserve it! Just let me know...

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    darksideposted 15 years ago

    I forgot to mention, my next Capstone Project (if deemed appropriate by the Hub Powers That Be) won't involve any historical figures.

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13. 86

    Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years ago

    I will be interested to see what the project is! I'm looking forward to reading your historical hubs. I think you've done a great job with them and I am recently developing more of an interest in history because of the ways in which it applies to anthropology.

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