What has surprised you the most about your HubPages experience?

1. 71

   NaomiRposted 15 years ago

   For me, there have been several things that have surprised me:
   
   1. I didn't expect HP to be so much work. Honestly, I came in expecting to churn out a few, quick hubs and make some money. But I quickly learned that in order to really work the system, you have to write detailed hubs and then go about getting backlinks for said hubs. It's been challenging, but in a good way, and I've come to enjoy the work. And I have a new respect for those who've put out large numbers of quality hubs and have really learned how to make HP work for them.
   
   2. How international the community is. I love that we have people from all over the globe on HP and that my hubs are getting read by people from all over the world. I always get excited when I see a new variation on google in my traffic sources.
   
   3. How such a big community can seem so small. Despite the volume of people using HP, there's an intimacy to the site, which I really like.

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   1. 0

      cosetteposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      i agree, and will just add my own:
      
      HubPages' diversity and the writing talent of many hubbers. even people who are not professional writers write in a very professional manner and write stunning hubs!
      
      also, the free sharing of information and people welcoming and helping new hubbers.
      
      all in all it is a very pleasant, lively community!

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   2. 96

      Sally's Troveposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I really like what you said.  It sums it up for me.  It's a lot of work to publish a "good" Hub; there are so many gifts to be gleaned from this international community; and well, we are people first, with differences second...there is an intimacy to this site.
      
      Well said, NaomiR.

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   3. 0

      The J Phronesisposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent observations. You couldn't have said it any better

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2. 81

   tim-timposted 15 years ago

   I think the most suprising thing is how they score you. I still cannot figure out how people can get high score with one hub, on the other hand, someone can get a very low score because they have all photo hubs.

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   1. 0

      ryankettposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Because photo hubs are generally rubbish? The answer is simple. Hundreds of people rate down hubs such as 'Sexy Indian Aunties' because this is a writing community.... and quite frankly, if I wanted to see a load of completely unsexy fat Indian ladies.... I would at least want to see completely unsexy naked Indian ladies. I know plenty of sites where I can see those; but those have been developed for that specific purpose.

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      1. 62

         emdiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I agree

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   2. 0

      The J Phronesisposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      The scores are determined based on calculated averages, much like a cumulative grading systemm. If you have one hub that is well written (without grammatical errors, and with backlinks), has relevant  high resolution images and video links, has a great title, and a few other things you will tend to have a higher hubscore than another hubber who has 100 hubs that do not possess these qualities. However, to maintain this hubscore, your next hubs have to possess high quality as well, otherwise it will lowe your "cumulative" hubscore which will be assigned your new hubscore.

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3. 0

   Nelle Hoxieposted 15 years ago

   The amazing traffic potential from google.

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4. 74

   frogdroppingposted 15 years ago

   That people think I'm a man
   
   A great answer Nelle
   
   And re what Ryan added - I came across one hubber yesterday that has several thousnad hubs and an author score of ... 1 Unbelieveable huh?!
   
   And their hubs are written, not photos. Amazing.

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5. 81

   aka-djposted 15 years ago

   How hooked I'd get. Still don't know WHY?

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   1. 68

      Pearldiverposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Perhaps the fire and brimstone of the religious forums?

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      1. 81

         aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         That's it! Coming from the non-believers though.

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         1. 59

            tantrumposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            We are A HELL of a lot !

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            1. 81

               aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this

               Your words, not mine. I never said that.

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               1. 59

                  tantrumposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  'Perhaps the fire and brimstone of the religious forums?'< hell
                  
                  And I was joking before

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                  1. 81

                     aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                     FYI, I don't take everything I read seriously.

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                     1. 59

                        Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                        Well you certainly don't say anything worth taking seriously.
                        
                        Oh - and I forgot to thank you for that condescending garbage you said to me after I quit the religious discussion forum.
                        
                        Very christian of you. Thank you.

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                        1. 81

                           aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                           Hey, WELCOME back.
                           I missed you.
                           Actually, I missed the thought of you NOT coming back.

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                           1. 59

                              Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                              Oh - I only quit the irrational beliefs forum. I will still point out the worthlessness of your hate mongering when you bring it up in the non religious forums.

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                              1. 81

                                 aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                                 That's the SPIRIT.

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   2. 59

      Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      LOLOLOL
      
      That is becaiuse you are not even slightly self aware. Religion will do that to sheeple like yourself.
      
      Although I see your ridiculous beliefs are bleeding over into the non religious forums where I feel quite free to point out how worthless they are.

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6. 65

   emievilposted 15 years ago

   How addicting the forums can be . And that I can actually make real dollars from Google Adsense (no payout yet though).

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7. 61

   Gemsongposted 15 years ago

   I'm shocked how my attitude about writing changed. I came to HP through an employment ad. My first hub was total rubbish. Then I started to explore the site, read other hubs and started to realize this was more than I thought it was.
   
   I've learned so much here and I think I've made some real friends here. And the resources available on the subject of writing and making money has been invaluable.
   
   And the forums are addictive.

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8. 87

   rebekahELLEposted 15 years ago

   most surprising has been the quantity of high quality writing world-wide.
   
   the lack of tolerance and hatred in peoples lives towards others in religion and political forums
   
   the willingness of more experienced hubbers to share info and tips for success 

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9. 59

   Jane@CMposted 15 years ago

   The high and low quality hubs.  I read a hub yesterday that has a very high score & it was crap as far as spelling/grammar goes, but it was interesting!

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10. 69

    torimariposted 15 years ago

    I think I really enjoy the folks in the forums. Though some controversial threads get a little touchy, but people always forgive and are in the end, on good terms.
    
    You primarily can have intelligent discussion without claws always coming out, and if they do, it simmers down and everything is good.
    
    Why does this impress me?
    
    Well, I have a few other forums I go to, of people around my age (early 20's) and it's always a battle if we talk about anything that has a lot of different opinions.
    People hold grudges, and get unforgivingly personal, and the immaturity really shows.
    
    I like how diverse in age, life, and country it is here also.
    
    I can debate and question knowing in the end we realize we all have our opinions and we can agree...or agree to disagree civily.

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11. 60

    archdawposted 15 years ago

    The LOVE!!!

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12. 82

    Listessaposted 15 years ago

    I'm surprised at the high quality answers and topics that are provided by the Hubpage community.  Hubpages remains to be a great source of information and still ranks high in the search engines a few years later because of all the great effort put into writing practical info without the fluff!

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    1. 60

       archdawposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Don't be too surprised as a fairly new member myself I found out that there are so many different point of views and so many diversified people from every walk of life that are able to communicate with you and feel what ever you are going through.  This Hub Page has saved my sanity litteraly.

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13. 0

    Janettaposted 15 years ago

    I never expected to meet the people I have. I've met amazing hubbers who have become friends. It's been a very rewarding experience

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14. 0

    girly_girl09posted 15 years ago

    I have been totally surprised that I am actually making a passive income. I thought I'd give it a go, and I'm so glad I did.

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15. 71

    thranaxposted 15 years ago

    How great the community is.
    
    ~thranax~

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16. 0

    mtsi1098posted 15 years ago

    the diversification of the forum content

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17. 83

    viryaboposted 15 years ago

    What surprised me the most here is finding out that i can do some writing and earn some money, albeit in trickles.
    Secondly, that i have to churn out many many hubs of good quality to make a headway.
    The awesome community at HP being ready to lead you in the right path when you are first new here.

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18. 37

    ChristinSposted 9 years ago

    What surprises me most is that people keep churning up five and six year old irrelevant threads instead of starting new ones.  People aren't reading the pop-up warning and apparently it's too much of a chore to keep threads within a limited time frame for the staff here.  If it's more than a year or two old, why can't HP staff disable the ability to comment? Is it really that hard?

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    1. 68

       Pearldiverposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I've noticed that as well.
       However, patience they say is a virtue... some people are exceptionally slow, some like to take their time to consider finding something to say, others (probably those with retired librarian personalities ) enjoy pottering around in the archives, some nod off to sleep and forget what year it is, at least fifteen people in outer Mongolia use printed off old threads for personal hygiene reasons and enjoy the benefits of the HP forums that way, and quite a few really appreciate recycling...
       What it does provide though, is an interesting  glimpse of how many once active hubbers communicated together onsite, in what were a vibrant and enjoyable set of forum threads! Did I mention that having a good Yak is an important and beneficial aspect of life in many other countries other than Mongolia? Does it really matter how old it is??

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       1. 37

          ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          lol I hear you.  Here is why I think in all seriousness it does matter at least for some threads...Often old threads are dug up that feature information from 5 or 6 years ago that is not relevant to how HP runs today.  This can be confusing to newer members here (and they are the ones often resurrecting these old threads)
          
          I think that the ability to read old threads should remain - they can be interesting, however, I think the ability to comment on threads that are that old should be locked (they are on most active forum sites) and the reason is to keep the content fresh and current.  This in turn would perhaps invite hubbers to strike up new and engaging conversations relevant to HP today. 
          
          Do you see my point?  I've brought it up previously a few times and I know I'm not the only one who shares this view as I've seen others talk about it as well. 
          
          I would also add that "related discussions" are almost always featuring very old content... that doesn't make sense.  Feature the newest relevant threads at least... I know that we discuss the same things around here routinely.  There's no reason for a thread to go on longer than a year or two for comments and no reason to feature outdated content as a "related discussion"... is it really?

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    2. 67

       relacheposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       People are doing it intentionally because admin has never responded to the requests from users to lock outdated threads.
       
       By the way, what surprised me the most was that these guys didn't sell the site for big bucks when they had the chance.  But that just illustrates how admin has never been really playing the content game.  It was just the front face on the software development.

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       1. 37

          ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I've often wondered if it is just a matter of time before this site gets sold - I was actually shocked when they purchased squidoo, so I believe you are right.

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          1. 67

             relacheposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             They won't sell HubPages now because content farms are valueless.  After all, these guys have developing software all this time, not developing content writers. 
             
             Whatever underpins HubPages, they can ditch the money-losing, support-heavy site and just keep developing software and services, which is where the really big bucks have been all along.

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