Changes to the Hints at the top right in Write/Edit Mode

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   CatherineGiordanoposted 5 years ago

   I just happened to glance up when writing a hew hub and I saw that the Hints that used to be at the top right when in Write/Edit mode were gone. It used to have boxes that would be checked for word count, pictures, etc. All that is there now is a recommendation for 750 to 1250 words.
   
   I think the recommended word count used to be a minimum of 1200 word with about 2500 optimal. Has that changed? I hope not because I tend to write articles that need in depth analysis and therefore a lot of words (2500-3000).
   
   Also does HP no longer care how many pictures are included? Do they no longer care about adding other features like tables, etc.?
   
   I don't know when this change was made, but I seem to have missed any notification.

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   1. 92

      Christy Kirwanposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      You can read the announcement for the HubTool change here.
      
      We found that new authors were adding lots of unnecessary types of capsules that didn't make sense in order to meet the previous goals. We love well-organized pages with appropriate visuals (original whenever possible) but we don't want authors putting different capsules in an article just to achieve a variety. Some articles are great with text and a single photo while others require more. We want authors to add the elements that are most appropriate as needed.

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      1. 76

         CatherineGiordanoposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         I clicked the link you provided. It did not address word count. Does HP now favor shorter articles?
         
         If so, I will have to pick different topics or break my topics up into two or three hubs (if possible)..

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         1. 92

            Christy Kirwanposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            As far as I know we have always recommended around 800 words as a minimum. Articles that are 1,500 to 3,000 words tend to keep readers on the page longer, but we caution against adding "fluff" in order to reach those higher word counts. Some articles can fully answer the query of the title in only 800 words while other subjects more easily lend themselves to in-depth analysis (in which case we recommend shooting for the higher word counts). Articles under 700 words are more likely to have a hard time passing the QAP.

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            1. 76

               CatherineGiordanoposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               Thank you for clearing this up. I have 1 or 2 topics right now that I have not done because they will probably come in at less than 1000 words.
               
               Also, I never add fluff to reach a word count. I have the opposite problem. Usually I find my self cutting material just to keep it under 3,000 words.

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               1. 92

                  Christy Kirwanposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  Sounds like you are already doing great and should keep doing what you're doing.

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2. 91

   Kenna McHughposted 5 years ago

   I noticed that too a while back.  I believe HP still has a note at the top right that encourages minimum 700 words.

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3. 91

   Kenna McHughposted 5 years ago

   Thank you for the question Catherine, and thank you for the link, Christy. This is most helpful.

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4. 91

   Kenna McHughposted 5 years ago

   Christy,  I totally agree. Thanks for the clarification!

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