Why your EDITS have cost me over $100

1. 61

   Organised Kaosposted 8 years ago

   Can you explain why, after I asked you not to edit my hubs you have gone in on many occasions and changed them to the point - I hardly wrote any of it.
   
   I look at my earning from Amazon and when you started your changes I was earning approx $120 from amazon sales  ---- now after your wisdom, you took my boxes out while I have been away studying my law degree, I am now earning $22 a month.
   
   Why did you steal from me? why change my hubs --- they are not yours!  I expect the hubs to be re-instated and you to discuss how you will be fixing up the money you lost me.
   
   So sick of hubpages - haven't written a damn thing in years because you took over.
   
   
   
   PLEASE EXPLAIN how it's OK to make me loose $100 a month.

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   1. STAFF

      Paul Edmondsonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      @Organised Kaos  Since moving several of your articles to Tatring, your total earnings have more than doubled.  I can send you a screenshot if you like.  The few months before Tatring launched you were making roughly a few hundred per month, and now you have been well over 2X that a month.
      
      As a service to you and the reader, we have done this to help improve the quality and the traffic to your articles.  If you are unhappy with the increased performance and benefit to readers, you are free to remove your articles. 
      
      We hope folks realize the overall benefit and look at the entire picture of reader benefit, traffic, earnings and contributions to making the internet a better place and the HubPages Network sustainable.
      
      We appreciate the knowledge people contribute and what it does for the overall community, but it's our duty to look out for the sites as a whole.  By being aggressive with Amazon ads we can risk the sites overall health.  While our rules may seem strict around products, it's not too hard to comply by sharing personal experience with the product and adding value to the article on why it's a good fit. 
      
      I thought it was important to clarify things because of the attention this thread has received.

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      1. 75

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

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2. 87

   Marisa Wrightposted 8 years ago

   I'm sorry to hear about your frustration.  You're not the only one who's experienced this problem (Hi from a fellow Australian by the way).
   
   When a Hub is edited, you should get an email telling you so, and providing a special link so you can look at the edits and undo them if you wish.  If  you didn't get  the emails, check your notification settings and your Spam folder.
   
   If you undo the edits, there's a risk your Hub won't be moved to a niche site. That's your call.  In general, Hubs moved to niche sites do better on advertising revenue.  And in the long run, I predict Hubs on the old main site will steadily decline in views.  So I would think twice before rejecting edits. 
   
   That said, many people have been able to add back one Amazon capsule without any penalty whatsoever.

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   1. 80

      LuisEGonzalezposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      With that said, why a penalty at all?
      The hubs that have been edited have had all Amazon capsules removed. To me it does not make sense and makes me ask why don't just simply remove Amazon from HP altogether?

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      1. 83

         Solarasposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Remove Amazon Capsules??- Shut your mouse!
         
         I have not had any of my capsules removed, that I am aware of.  If there are some gone, they never sold anything, so I don't miss them.  Those hubs that were not purchase oriented, had their capsules removed by me, before the niche site came along, as a courtesy to HP.
         
         Of course I can't comment on all of the editors, and I did get into it with some blockhead over a link. I threw that hub out the window, so neither of us could win.

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      2. 87

         Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Many of us have been able to retain our Amazon capsules, it's a question of understanding and following the rules.
         
         I think HubPages are excessively cautious about Amazon capsules, but it's their site and if I choose to publish here, I have to accept the rules. I'm always astounded that a specialist like you, Luis, hasn't switched to your own site long ago.  You could have an impressive photography website by  now with a huge email list and advertisers queuing up to pay for ads on your site.  And you could have pages of Amazon ads if you wanted to.
         
         Whatever, that's your choice. But you could reinstate your Amazon ads if you wanted to. 
         
         All that's needed is two things.
         
         One,make sure the product is relevant to the TITLE of your Hub. That does mean, of course, that you can't just advertise a camera in a photography Hub - it must be a specific product that's needed for that particular type of photography
         
         Two, say why you recommend the product. To be on the safe side, put that explanation in the Description section of the Hub.  Make the review personal, e.g. I recommend, or this is my favourite, or my choice would be etc. 
         
         The bottom line for you, as it is for me, is that your specialist subject is languishing on a niche site where it doesn't belong.  The worst that will happen, if you reinstate your Amazon capsules, is that your Hubs might get moved back to the main site.  I don't know how your Hubs are faring on the niche site, but if they're not doing any better than they used to, why would you care if they get moved back?

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3. 80

   LuisEGonzalezposted 8 years ago

   All of us that write on HP do so because we love writing, sharing what we know and because we can make some money in one of the best (if not the best) sites. Amazon does make money for some writers as well as for HP. I do not understand why most of the edits focus on removing Amazon capsules as this seems under productive. Surely there must be a better way of handling these edits without removing something that makes money for both the writer and the site.
   
   
   

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   1. 75

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      You have to remember that the decisions the team makes are done so to make sure the site does not get penalized by Google, which is exactly what happened in the past and almost caused HP to go under.
      
      You should also bear in mind that each ad serves as a portal to Amazon.  Once someone enters, anything they buy at that time earns you money.  I just had someone make a $1600 purchase that paid me 8.5% for an item that was not one I advertised.
      
      Spamming the site is a good way to lose it, so I'd rather make a bit less and be able to continue to write and earn.
      
      The team is doing what is best for HP, which is what they should be doing.  Those who don't agree with their rules can always start their own sites and move their articles elsewhere. Paul recently said as much, and I agree with him.

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      1. 87

         Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         TT2, I agree with you that it's HubPages' site and they're entitled to make the rules.  I also agree that it was the over-use of Amazon capsules that cause this problem in the first place.  I also agree that products for Amazon capsules must be chosen with care so they're always directly relevant to the text.
         
         However, I've often heard you quote that "portal to Amazon" idea, and I don't agree with it.
         
         Yes, people may buy other things after they've clicked on your product BUT they won't even click on the product if they don't want to buy it.  They may change their mind AFTER they've arrived on Amazon, but they have to want that particular product first.
         
         So, if you have only ONE Amazon capsule on a Hub, and that particular product doesn't appeal to your reader, you've lost the sale.
         
         Let's say I'm describing a craft project and as I give the instructions, I list the materials needed. Most crafters will already have some of the materials but not others.  If I'm allowed an Amazon capsule for, say, the special paper and the special hole puncher, then I'll make sales to people who have the paper but not the puncher, and I'll make sales to people who have the puncher but not the paper.
         
         However if I'm only allowed one Amazon capsule and I show the puncher, then people who already have that puncher won't click on the capsule.  If they need the special paper, they'll go back to Google and search for it, or go to Amazon themselves.  They won't click on the puncher because they  don't want a puncher.
         
         Another example is a comparison Hub, the kind of thing Will Apse is so good at.   I take four DVD's and I say, "I recommend this one for beginners, this one for elementary students, this one for intermediate students, and this one for advanced students".   If I'm allowed only one Amazon capsule, I'll have to pick one of those products.  Say I pick the beginner's one.  People who are beginners will click on that capsule.  But for the other DVD's, I can only tell them the name of the DVD.  People who want to buy THOSE items won't click on the beginner's product and search on Amazon that way - they'll go back to Google and type in the name of the DVD they want.

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         1. 75

            TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Obviously there is no accounting for the choices people will make.  All I know is that I place very few ads on my sites and get pretty good results with them...some of which have nothing to do with the ad I've placed.
            
            I don't necessarily just stick with one ad.  Sometimes I have as many as three or four.  I also mix them up...some are done as straight up ads while others are inserted as product links.
            
            The point is that we need to keep our articles from looking spammy while at the same time being able to take advantage of ad use.  Again, it's extremely important that we do not over do.  I'd rather lose a few dollars than the entire site!

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4. 69

   Sue Adamsposted 8 years ago

   Amazon capsules are allowed on niche sites but they must be more finely tuned. I have hubs that have been moved to niche sites retaining their amazon capsule but only after an edit made it very clear to the reader that
   
   a) the product advertised relates to the Title of the article
   b) why that particular model is recommended over and above other brands/models
   c) personal experience of the product
   
   An example can be found towards the bottom of this hub:
   <snipped>
   
   PS: To be safe I would stick with one Amazon capsule per article.

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