Better check your categories!

1. 87

   TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years ago

   
   After spending a great deal of time a few days ago correcting my recreational vehicle categories so that they matched up with the main topic, "Auto", I just discovered that I have to do all of this work again because, without indicating anything to me, the team moved Recreational Vehicles to Travel and Places and put it on the third, not the second, tier under travel transportation.
   
   I wondered why my views dropped by 2/3 two days ago, but assumed it was because of Halloween. NOT!
   
   This is bad enough to have to do with 96 hubs, but what about those of you who have hundreds or even thousands of them!
   
   It would have been nice if the team had thought this through completely so that they would realize the consequences for writers.  Nobody looking for Recreational Vehicles is going to find them under ATVs...which is where all of my hubs wound up as the result of this change.
   
   I'm pretty upset right now, believe me, and I hope that none of you wind up with this same problem!

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      Christy Kirwanposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I'm very sorry for the stress this has caused! We've been having some issues with making changes to the Topic Tree (which should be fixed now), and these Hubs should have been moved automatically. I know it's too late to help with your Hubs, but I will take a look today and make sure the other Hubs get moved over. Once again, sorry for this frustrating glitch.

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, Christy.  Obviously I was very upset about having to do this twice, but I also wondered about people who have hundreds of hubs that may have gone through the same situation.  Had I not written  and published a new hub, I would never have found this problem.
         
         Anyhow, it's done.  Views are back in place, and I'm moving on.  My husband was a computer programmer, so I know how complicated doing something like this can be.  However, I hope that the team will seriously consider making a separate category for Recreational Vehicles and a few other topics that do not quite fit into any of the current categories.
         
         But please, if you do...try to do it so that I don't have to fix them all manually again!  I'm an old lady, and this is a lot of work and stress for me !

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            brakel2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

            You are a jewel on earth and have patience. God bless you.

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               TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks.  Nice to hear some kudos once in awhile!

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            agvulpesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Is it me or my 'Aussie' sense of humour?   
            Your husband was a 'computer program' !
            I apologise in advance for finding this 'funny' but I guess it is the 'joys' of posting:)
            and your hard work on the forums is certainly much appreciated by myself and others I'm sure

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               TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

               OOPs!  I agree, this is a pretty funny mistake!  Sorry 'bout that...no, he's not a computer, he's an actual member of the male human race!  Good thing, too, because kissing a computer is mighty "cold" LOL!

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2. 88

   Marisa Wrightposted 8 years ago

   So where did your Hubs end up?  I thought if they moved Recreational Vehicles, then your Hubs would simply move with it, is that what happened?
   
   If so, then they're in exactly the right place so I don't see the problem?  I wouldn't worry about it being on the third tier - readers won't be trying to find sub-categories by navigating through the HubPages structure, and Google will like the fact that it's now in a section that makes logical sense.

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   1. 87

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      No, they did not automatically move, and that is why I am so upset.  I had to move each one manually...again...after having just done this a few days ago.  A ton of work!
      
      I agree they are in a better place, but still not the right one.
      
      If you mix RVs in with other forms of transportation, that ignores the fact that while they are, indeed, vehicles people use for travel, they also are vehicles that people live, cook, eat, entertain and sleep in.
      
      Furthermore, the financials involved in purchasing them can be significantly different, repairs are tricky, deterioration is much worse, etc.
      
      They really should be in a  separate category so that people can easily find the info they need.
      
      If I am looking for ways to resolve plumbing problems, I don't want to have to sort through 50 RV hubs to find it.  If it is listed as a subtopic of Recreational Vehicles, finding it is much easier and will create more views.
      
      I know there are other categories that have this same problem and when the team shortcuts the options, they cheat themselves as well as those who write them.  Very disheartening.

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      1. 91

         Jean Bakulaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I've never been really clear on how to choose categories. When the few that come up when I click "Start a Hub", I usually click one of those. During the last changes, a lot of hubs I wrote by Astrology sign were reassigned to Rich and Famous People, not the reason the hubs were written or what my goal was. Can you change them once the hub is done? I know  "The Team" did it, but I don't know how. I see the main list of categories, but am unsure how to get one of them on my new hubs.

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            brakel2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

            I am with you Jean and TT2. Maybe it will all end up ok, due to breadcrumbs, as Paul told someone, so I hope this is true. I finally understand the total meaning of that word. lol

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               Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               It is worth remembering that, if you follow the breadcrumbs the wrong way, they lead to the lair of a cannibalistic witch.

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                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

                  ...and her name is .... GOOGLE!

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            agvulpesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            @Jean to change it just go to the 'edit' mode of the Hub and right at the top you will see the 'Breadcrumbs' and then 'click to edit' then put them in the correct cat.

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         3. 87

            TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, you can and should change them.  Go into the edit mode, and at the top of it, where it shows the existing category, click "edit".  Then click "start over".  The basic topics will appear.  Choose the one that you feel is appropriate.  Another window will open that will allow you to choose a subtopic for it, and so on.  Keep choosing until you find the right one.
            
            In my case, as of yesterday, I had to choose the main topic "Travel and Places",  then "Travel Transportation" and finally "Recreational Vehicles".  The last one is the one that shows as my topic on the hubs, and when you search the main topics menu you have to go through all three levels to find Recreational Vehicles.
            
            It's awkward but is how they have it set up.  Hope this helps.

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      brakel2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      How can I move a hub from education to neuropsychology which is the third tier, Marisa?

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         brakel2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Never mind, as it just got indexed under HP -education and science-psychology and psychiatry.

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            Jean Bakulaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks for the advice, everyone who answered. I write a lot about Astrology, but many of my hubs don't fit only that category. I have two series that are fictional, and tell a story about "a day in the life of" or "about the life of" a person of a certain zodiac sign. I finally just called them Astrology, because I couldn't find a way to say they are fiction. Some of them are my favorite hubs.

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               brakel2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

               When they get indexed, they may be different, hopefully.

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   jackclee lmposted 8 years ago

   I have problem from the start of choosing the proper category for some of my hubs. It seems there are not enough categories that are specific. Perhaps HubPages should allow for other categories...(user created or Misc.)

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   1. 87

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Many of us feel the same way.  Choosing categories is very difficult in many instances.

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   ARaineyposted 8 years ago

   Good luck with the task you have ahead of you.  Sorry to hear about that.

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