The Serendipitous Thread

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   DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years ago

   So, for the New Year, hubby and I got sick!  Pffft!!
   
   Happy Friggin' New Year, my eye!  I feel like second-hand manure, and you know that can't be a good thing!!
   
   It sent hubby to the ER on the 2nd, with choking on gunk every time he tried to lie down and sleep; had no sleep for 3 nites running.  So, when it got to where he was actually struggling to breathe, it was time for the ER visit.
    
   It is going around big time, I guess, (this, or the flu), as the ER was slammed, and we waited 3 HOURS to be seen!!
   Spent about another 5 hours in the cubicle, and the upshot is, it's a virus we've not heard of before, called "RSV," for "Respiratory Syncytial Virus." 
   
   According to a couple of friends who are nurses, this is not something new; it's been around a while--but we'd never heard of it before.  The doctor said you can actually have the virus for years, laying dormant, until one day your immune system weakens for one or a hundred reasons, and 'bingo-bango,' you're down with it!
   
   It's a baddie; main symptoms are sore throat, and coughing your lungs out.  His xray showed a small spot threatening to become pneumonia, into which this virus can easily morph.  I just started with the coughing.  I usually get bronchitis from having an ordinary cold, anyway, so no surprise there.  In my case, the 'sore throat' is secondary, not primary, and is the result of all the coughing.
   
   Most affected are the very young, and the elderly.  We qualify for the latter, unfortunately; middle age is behind us.  And I'm worried about my 80-year-old mother-in-law, who now lives with us. 
   
   I hope all of you steer clear of this; swallow that pride, and wear a mask if you're around anyone hacking and coughing!

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      snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Sounds awful Mz Liz. Sure hope you and Hubby are feeling better soon.

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   FatFreddysCatposted 7 years ago

   Weird but cool... a trailer for the new "Death Wish" remake starring Bruce Willis hit the Internet this week... and my old Hub about the original (and its sequels) starring Charles Bronson somehow randomly got a bump in views, even tho I barely even mentioned the remake in it.
   
   ....so hey, thanks, Bruce.

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   paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

   Well, I just trashed Yahoo mail. Again.
   
   Those ads of theirs slow the account to a crawl to the point that it is useless. I'm finally rid of them and only drop by once in awhile so I can update my ongoing review of them. Makes my day.

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      EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I feel the same way. Yahoo was the first email service I used so I had a lot services tied to my account. But because of the ads and how slow it was I switched over all the accounts I cared about to a gmail. It took a whole day but it was worth it.

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         paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         That was the exact, same predicament with me. And I intend to punish them for it for years to come.
         
         Edit: Or until they stop.

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         DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         On that note, there are some services that cannot be switched over!

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      DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I got out of it several years back for that reason, plus, even more annoying, I found their spam filters to be virtually useless!
      It is very, very rare that any spam gets through on my gmail addys!

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         EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         I also 100% agree. Google just gets some things right. It is why I love to use most of their services.

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   paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

   Happy with HP. Unhappy with my website. So I just now splattered my Yahoo Mail review all over social media. A two-for-one shot. Cheered me right up.

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      snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      LOL

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5. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

   Well, this certainly turned into an interesting day: https://hubpages.com/community/forum/14 … d-by-maven
   
   Uncertainty is now the rule of the land.

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      FatFreddysCatposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      

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         paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         
         
         Meme-of-the-Month Award. I sure hope our new owners have a sense of humor.

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            FatFreddysCatposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Maybe they don't. I post two Simpsons memes, and my traffic takes a sudden and dramatic dump overnight. 
            
            Not that I'm paranoid or anything (cough cough)....

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               paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               I had an earnings dive twice in the recent past and discovered that the ads had  disappeared from half my hubs; some sort of glitch. Not joking around here. Check your top performers and be sure the ads are still displaying. I realize your post was about traffic, but thought I should post this anyway.

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6. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

   This truly is going to be a chaotic year.

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7. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

   From an email:
   
   ----------------------
   
   HOW THE INTERNET STARTED, ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE
   
   Please do not Google or check this with Snopes.  They will lie to you.  Trust me!
   
   In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a healthy young wife by the name of Dorothy.   And Dot Com was a comely woman, large of breast, broad of shoulder and long of leg.  Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.
   
   And she said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?"
   
   And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, "How, dear?"
   
   And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price. The sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."
   
   Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums.  And the drums rang out and were an immediate success.  Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent.
   
   To prevent neighboring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew  It was known as Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures - Hebrew to the People (HTTP).
   
   And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung.  They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS  And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land. Indeed he did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates' drum heads and drumsticks.
   
   And Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others." And Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or eBay as it came to be known.  He said, "We need a name that reflects what we are."
   
   And Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators."  "YAHOO," said Abraham. And because it was Dot's idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.
   
   Abraham's cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot's drums to locate things around the countryside.
   
   It soon became known as God's Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE).
   
   That is how it all began. And that's the truth.
   
   I would not make up this stuff.

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8. 80

   DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years ago

   ROFLMAOPMP!!
   
   Oh, stop!!  It hurts to laugh...
   

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      snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      What she said.

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   AliciaCposted 7 years ago

   This is hilarious and very creative!

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    That Grrlposted 7 years ago

    Lucky she had those big udders. No mention of Abraham's comeliness, assets. Mildly sexist. Kind of offended me. I'll likely regret leaving a comment. On the other hand, it's a good time for women to speak out and people should be aware rather than letting it all go as if it doesn't matter. We've just gotten used to stuff like this about women.
    
    Sorry paradigmsearch. This isn't particularly about this post. I just get tired of reading so much of the same stuff posted. It bothers me that women are still valued for their big udders.

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       AliciaCposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I noticed it too and did find it a bit disturbing. I was happy to see that Dot was the clever one in the story so I forgave the problematic phrase. You've raised a good point about what we should accept, though.

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11. 61

    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Well, I see the buyout news chaos continues. I'm not moving any hubs, but I am industriously continuing work on my website. Caution is the better part of valor and all that.

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       FatFreddysCatposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Yep, last night I started an account with that "WordPress" thingy all the cool kids seem to be so crazy about... just to see if a clueless old coot like me could figure it out...seems simple enough.
       
       I'm not moving anything off of HP (yet) but with that in place, at least I have a spot to archive my nonsense if things start going kablooey up in here.
       
       Any other reaction would seem premature at this early stage.
       
       

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I've burned out on reading the MVEN threads. Whatever will be, will be. The day they announce they are going to mess with our compensation is the day it will really hit the fan.
          
          Meanwhile, ticked off with the HubTool. I updated a hub and 10 minutes later some of the changes disappeared. I was not amused. I just hope it didn't scramble up the hub in other ways that I haven't noticed yet.

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          EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Having a Wordpress blog is a good idea. You get a lot of control when you own the blog and can set it up how you want. You might have to learn some new things but it shouldn't be extremely hard.
          
          I actually have run a website and WordPress blog in the past. But I didn't have a plan. So I used it for nothing and pretty much wasted the money I spent on hosting. It was fun to learn and set things up I guess.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Ya think we got problems? Poor Google:  https://gizmodo.com/report-google-cant- … 1821854324

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       snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Aww, poor google...

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    FatFreddysCatposted 7 years ago

    It just occurred to me that my last several posts in this thread have all been Simpsons meme-related. Believe it or not, this was totally unintentional. There simply is a Simpsons reference suitable for every occasion.

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       paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       This is definitely going to be the year for them.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Hmm. My hub score average is higher than my profile score. That's a first.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Traffic and earnings doing fine and dandy. I hope the HP powers that be didn't undersell. If I had any money, I'd actually consider buying MVEN stock.

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    EricFarmer8xposted 7 years ago

    I am too new to know what earnings are good or not. At least now I reached a point where I am getting a consistent amount each day.
    
    My goal this year is to write a new Hub every week. So far I am on track.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    All hubs updated to 2018. Done with that for at least 6 months. Will I write any new hubs or bring back any of my hubs that I removed? I have no idea. Uncertain times it is.

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    FatFreddysCatposted 7 years ago

    ^^ Nope, all good on the ad front. I guess Google just farted in my general direction overnight. 

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       paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Any particular network site?

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          FatFreddysCatposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Most of my stuff is a pretty even split between ReelRundown and Spinditty.

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             paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Hopefully others will respond as to those 2 sites. Be nice to find out if whether just a random fluctuation or Google has suddenly decided it doesn't like one or both of them. The sooner that is known, the better.

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                EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                I wrote mostly for LevelSkip but I have some things on TurboFuture.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Well, the good news is I have successfully calculated my tax year 2017 writing revenue. Glad I got that done and out of the way.
    
    The bad news is that naturally both PayPal and AdSense have changed all their reporting menus and configurations around. Might be a good idea to start looking into that now as opposed to later.

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    EricFarmer8xposted 7 years ago

    I have been really motivated to write recently. I only planned on doing one Hub a week but I might do two this week.

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21. 61

    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Well, this thread has certainly slowed down. Yours truly had yet another day that was both productive and peaceful. I do believe I have already had 10 such days this year; I've definitely started the year with positive karma. May it continue.
    
    The MVEN firestorm has finally passed.
    
    Am happy with my hub traffic and earnings.
    
    Got the "office" reorganized for the new year. My writing endeavors are moving right along. I've even stayed out of trouble in the forums.

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       EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Glad things are going well. I am still trying to figure out my next "big" Hub. So I am writing on various subjects.
       
       The Hub I have that gets the most views is one I didn't think would be very interesting. Google disagrees apparently.

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Congrats on that! Yeah, Google is a complete mystery. All we can do is just keep tossing stuff out there and seeing what happens.

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    FatFreddysCatposted 7 years ago

    Well, today was a big ole poop sandwich.
    
    Caught a rip-roarin' winter cold from my teenage son and my vehicle has been officially declared un-repairable and pronounced dead.. Fortunately I can work from home tomorrow (yay for remote login) and I have a three-day weekend to figure out my next move.
    
    Therefore the ways and mysteries of HubMavenPages will be the farthest thing from my mind for the next couple of days. End transmission.

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       paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       You definitely did not deserve any of this. I wish you the best and hope you have good news for us when you return.

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          Solarasposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Sorry - Meow

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Well, I just cleaned out probably over a gigabyte's worth of photos from the HP servers. My good deed for the year.

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    snakeslaneposted 7 years ago

    The more pages I unpublish, the higher my profile score. I kid you not. Hub Pages is a tough town. Maybe when I'm down to zero articles my score will go even higher? Algorithms...not impressed.

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       paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Presumably you are unpublishing what are your lowest scoring hubs. Thus your hub score average is going up. Thus your profile score is going up.

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          snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          

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             paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Don't worry. Be happy.

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                snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                Thanks Para, I've been moving stuff to a poetry site. Not for the $ (none that I know of). Picking low, and throwing in a few from the Pile.

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                   paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   Drop me a note as to the poetry site if so inclined. If there is money involved, I've got a Commode Ode I'd like to give them. I'll either be immediately loved or immediately banned; no telling which.

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                      snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      Um, no money as far as I know. Site seems pretty open to creative work. Publishes in any language too, which is good to see. I haven't figured out how to translate yet. I've sent in a query on that.

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                      snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      Apparently I was immediately loved, one of my poems is on the front page and still trending. So exciting. Edit: Cooling down now, dropped a bit. Fun ride...

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                         paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                         I know what you mean by fun ride. I've had three former hubs go viral or semi-viral in the past. It is indeed a blast. Too bad they are so few and far between. None of my present hubs have a chance in that regard, but some of my WWNN pages might have a shot; one just never knows.

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                            snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                            So, 24 hours later and I can't access the poetry site. It is not responding. Not been responding for past 5 or 6 hours. I wonder if I crashed it? Not impressed.

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25. 61

    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    "TSA Officer Finds Cat Packed In Luggage"
    http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/01/12/ … n-luggage/

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       k@riposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       LOL, maybe the cat when in for a nap and the owners did not realize it?

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I hope so.

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             EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             At least things turned out OK for the cat. This sounds like something that would be on a sitcom. I suppose it can happen though.

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26. 63

    EricFarmer8xposted 7 years ago

    I am very close to having 100 views in 24 hours for the first time today. One of my recent Hubs has gained more traffic in one day than any of my other Hubs after being moved to LevelSkip. It is a nice feeling. It seems about one out ten Hubs I write gets any significant amount of Google traffic.
    
    Edit-  Made it. Got to 110 views as now!
    
    I also spent some time learning more about SEO and planning my next Hubs. I probably spend more time learning about SEO than necessary but I find it to be fascinating.

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       Solarasposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Congrats, getting moved to a niche site really helps the traffic. Best wishes going forward.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    A general and universal lament: it sure does take a lot of work just to stay even in life. Don't know how we all do it, but we do.

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       FatFreddysCatposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Glad you are back. Tell me about your dead vehicle, serendipity does exist.

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       snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       So true Para, I feel that too.

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    FatFreddysCatposted 7 years ago

    The vehicle, like Generalissimo Francisco Franco, is still dead.
    
    Currently driving a rental till something more permanent can be arranged.

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       paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Fess up, wrecked? Can help re: next.

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29. 61

    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    I just checked, still here on HP. I have a hub that might help you. Forget the credit part, it's the buying advice part on the chance you do not already know; assuming you are as me.

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       FatFreddysCatposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I'm good, thank you sir. It's a matter of time management more than anything else.

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Freaking life.
          
          

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             EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             I used to have a fancy rat as a pet. It was more fun to play with than I thought it would be.

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                k@riposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                I've had rats as pets before.  They are very affectionate, lol.

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                   DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   I do think they are cute. I imagine the down side is that they probably cannot be potty-trained!

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                      EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      That was the big downside. I got peed and pooped on a few times. I can see why that would turn some people off.

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    EricFarmer8xposted 7 years ago

    I just recently came up with multiple ideas for Hubs. Like some sort of creative overload. So many Hubs to make!

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       paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Alas, I've pretty much run out of ideas, both for here and elsewhere.

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          EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Your Hubs seem to be informative and educational. Maybe think of something to write with that in mind? I liked your Hub on credit unions. I read it the other day.

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             paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Thanks. Unfortunately, it appears Google doesn't want people to know about credit unions.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    For those not paying attention to their emails.
    
    https://vimeo.com/251553147 re: Maven and HubPages

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    And here's a San Francisco WTF news report (not related to merger). Our species really does depress me at times.
    
    "Apple, Google Reroute Employee Buses After Series of Alleged Attacks Near San Francisco"
    https://gizmodo.com/apple-google-rerout … 1822182686

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       snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Good eye Para. That's just nuts. Who's next?

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I see we cross-posted.

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             snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             LoL

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    As we all know: when traffic rises, CPM drops.
    
    So I gave straight AdSense a spin on my two highest traffic days. The results? Totally unimpressed. Switched back to HP Ad Program. Just thought I'd post this so others who were curious don't have to bother.

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       EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I would be more focused on AdSense earnings if I had my own website or if I used YouTube. I also have found the HubPages earning program earns more. Even with little views.

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          If only I could have HP on WWNN.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Wandering around. Anybody here?

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       EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Well you see I'm busy writing my next hub that I know for fact will bring in at least 5 million views. I may have added 5 or 6 extra zeros but it's the thought that counts right?

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Give me a reason for human contact.

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             EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             I don't mind sharing this as I am not ashamed. I have Aspergers. This a high functioning variant of Autism. It is probably hard to notice when I post online because I take my time and type things out. But it is more noticeable when I am talking to people in person. I sometimes say odd things or have a hard time listening to people. I am told I don't make eye contact often which is weird for some people. I love to interrupt people. I also have this odd habit of when I get excited I start to yell. I could write a whole Hub (which I might actually do) on how having autism affected my life.
             
             I had to work on my social skills for a job. It turns out just listening to people and starting small talk worked for me. Being a mega nerd I tend to make friends and talk about video games and technology. I still tend to be somewhat shy but not nearly as much as when I was teenager.

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                paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                pause

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                snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                That is so interesting Eric, Autism affects a lot of people, and probably a lot of people that don't even realize they have it, or are somewhere on the spectrum. Appreciate you sharing that.

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                   paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   Curious.

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                      snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      Hi Para, how's your day going? Biblical rains here, unbelievable...

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                         paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                         Unbelievable. 70 degrees total next week. January. Scary.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Well, sports fans. Have gone from frustration mode to resignation mode regarding this, that, and the other  in life. Am filtering all negative online content; particularly the daily news. As for my personal life, am exiling a bunch of negative items there as well.

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       snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Good plan. Life's too short for bs.

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Speaking of bs, just deleted FB from my profile page and bookmarks. The exiling has begun.

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             snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             So organized! I still haven't changed the clocks back, shame.

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                paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                Removed G+ and Twitter as well. Neither has ever been historically of any use whatsoever when I tried anything proactive with them.

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    jennzieposted 7 years ago

    Hi everyone! I have been on a Hubpages and writing hiatus for a few years or so. I just started to get back on here but I'm having difficulty getting back on the "writing wagon" again. Is anyone else here also struggling with this problem?
    
    Anyway, hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

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       EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I have a feeling after so long I probally will run out things to write about as well. Right now I to think of things I like to do and see if I write a hub that provides useful information about it.

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          jennzieposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Usually I have ideas about what to write- it's getting myself to write that is the problem. Unfortunately I seem to be lacking motivation at the moment...

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             paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Pretty much all endeavors in life are an iterative process. The secret is to just start. The secret to starting is the giving yourself the advance permission to quit at any time. You know you can quit at any time because you know you can go back to it at any time. Sooner or later, you will discover you have a completed article.

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                k@riposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                I think that's a great idea.  I never tried giving myself permission to quit, lol.

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    FatFreddysCatposted 7 years ago

    My vehicle problem has been sorted. The new ride (well, new to me anyway) was picked up this morning. It's a 2013 but it has low miles, the price was right, and the stereo is badass. Added bonus: the sales lady who took care of me was smokin' hot.
    
    Hub-wise, a band was nice enuff to share my Spinditty piece about their upcoming album on their official Facebook today, which gave things a nice unexpected bump after a fairly slack week. Wish that would happen more often!
    
    Thus, for today at least, everything's coming up Milhouse.
    
    Listening to Black Sabbath's "Headless Cross" as I type. Soooo frickin underrated, this album is....

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       EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Glad you figured things out. I am very ignorant when it comes to rock music but I am trying to learn more about bands. I just got cheap electric guitar and I  am (lazily) learning to play it.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Meanwhile, the no doubt infamous #1 hub on Google is still unchanged and still not getting traffic because of Google excerpting and displaying the main content. Pretty sure it's a lost cause, but still not going to delete and transfer until I see what happens from Google and/or HP. I will, however, start the copying/reformatting process to/at its next home, just wont publish it yet.

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       snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I'm sorry you've had such a hassle with your No. One article.

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Actually, some Hubbers came up with some darned good ideas. Just got to let the HP freight train run its course first.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Just fired this off to all my social media accounts:
    
    
    (If anybody does drop by, they will know I am not ignoring them and it isn't personal)
    
    Wasn't kidding when I said FB and the others have been completely useless whenever I've tried anything proactive.
    
    The aforementioned simplification of my life continues.

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       paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Update.
       
       Looks like FB really, really, really is PO'd at me about putting up that sign.
       
       I went to see if anyone had left any comments there, and I got this: "error code 500".
       
       I looked up error code 500:
       
       "500 Internal Server Error. The 500 status code, or Internal Server Error, means that server cannot process the request for an unknown reason. Sometimes this code will appear when more specific 5xx errors are more appropriate."
       
       In other words, FB wouldn't admit it and use the specific PO'd-at-user code; they went for the cover-up, catch-all code.
       
       The internet, what a town.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    https://cdn.someecards.com/someecards/f … nk-mh5.png

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       snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       So true!

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          FB was not amused by my warning post. Tacked "Boost Unavailable" on it. That means an FB employee saw it. Good. Maybe they'll have second thoughts about the newsfeed ban. Yeah, right. Fat chance.

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             snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Get 'em Para!

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             DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Or maybe only a bot saw it...those damned bots are getting too smart!

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                snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                LoL Liz!

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Bot or human, anything detracting from my quality of life is banned.

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    EricFarmer8xposted 7 years ago

    Speaking of Credit Unions. Look up Bank of America. Charging 12$ just to have a checking account.

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       DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       BofA isn't a credit union...they are a greedy, price-gouging regular bank!

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          EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I meant the Hub paradigmsearch wrote about why credit unions are better.

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             DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Oh..my bad!

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Several threads to respond to, particularly one; but just didn't have the heart.
    
    Meanwhile, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. I think my writing days have gone the way of my day trading days and my poker playing days.

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       paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Update.
       
       Why my contemplating giving up writing?
       
       The realization I spend more time fighting obstacles than I do actually writing. What fun is that?

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          EricFarmer8xposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I get you. I tried to be a freelance writer and I got so annoyed at it I pretty much gave up. I still am somewhat trying but for the most part I just write on HubPages. It is so much more enjoyable when I pick all the topics and edit (for the most part) how I want.

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    DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years ago

    I agree, Eric; that's why I no longer write for "On Demand" ... the topics were set in stone, and it was very hard to meet their nit-picky requirements about what you could and could not use as sources...they had a "black list" half a mile long!

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    If only there was something out there where I could make minimum wage. Only one hour a day's worth is all I ask.  Then I could ignore all the earning obstacles relating to writing and just write for the fun of it.

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       snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       https://www.grandparents.com/money-and- … or-seniors
       
       https://www.aarp.org/work/working-after … irees.html
       
       just throwing some ideas at you Para

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks.
          
          There were some items there that gave me a few ideas where I might make some money, yet still be able to maintain my status as a professional slacker.

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             snakeslaneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             That's the spirit

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    It really is too bad about the independent writer and the ever-increasing earnings obstacles. What most have yet to realize is those obstructions are not only going to continue to increase, but are going to start doing so exponentially. In other words, I do believe critical mass has been reached. Companies will continue to prosper, but individual writers will not. Both HubPages and Google already routinely engage in collateral damage practices and have done so for years; this methodology is going to be greatly accelerated by both companies in the coming months, relegating the individual writer to that of a next-to-worthless commodity. Welcome to 2018.

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       DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Yeah--welcome back to the future! 

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Probably my best rant yet.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Three hours gone from my life dealing with article thieves.

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       DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          We all really do spend more time fighting obstacles and sabotage than we get to do any actual article writing.

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    paradigmsearchposted 7 years ago

    Will I get my taxes done today? The drama! The intrigue! The who gives a...
    
    Meanwhile, I am going to try a postage money-saving trick. Got a jacket I need to ship. The buttons are large, solid metal, and extremely heavy. So I cut them off and put them in the pockets. Should save me a fortune.

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       DrMark1961posted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Wow, what a great idea. You must have watched a Youtube video to get a suggestion like that.

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          How did you know!?!

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             DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             ROFL!! 

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       Rochelle Frankposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       You can do that with hubs too. Snip the Amazon capsules, put them at the end and maybe the editors might not see them. :-)

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          paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I'll have to try that. I bet I could sell a dozen of these a day.
          

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             Rochelle Frankposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             They might notice that.... maybe something a little more subtle.

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                paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                How about doomsday clocks?
                
                They just moved the critter forward again. For real, nuclear issues of course. I'll let folks pick their own news sources for this.

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    EricFarmer8xposted 7 years ago

    Today I noticed one my my Hubs as a featured snippet Google. I knew it was mine because there was typo in summary. LOL. I of course immediately fixed it. Still was pretty funny. I was like YES...NOOOOO!

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    Rochelle Frankposted 7 years ago

    That might work-- Does Amazon sell them?

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       paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       From what I've heard, if it exists, and it is something they won't go to jail for, then Amazon sells it.

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          Rochelle Frankposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I guess so. I had a very good Amazon day yesterday.

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             paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Alas, my hub topics (even when I had 90+ of them) never were conducive to initiating Amazon sales. I finally gave up. Some of us have the talent; some of us don't.

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                Rochelle Frankposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                Luck in my case, one out of 100 earns surprisingly well.

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