Why is it we can't link to our own articles on HubPages anymore?

1. 79

   VVanNessposted 6 years ago

   What's the point in keeping us from linking to our own work in our articles? That's how we increase traffic to our articles!

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2. 83

   ReViewMeMediaposted 6 years ago

   You can link to your own articles if your article is not on a niche site, niche sites don't allow links because Google might see it as spam.

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3. 76

   lobobrandonposted 6 years ago

   You can link from your hub to your other hubs when appropriate. But you cannot link from a niche site to any of your hubs on hubpages. They did this because they thought Google considered hubpages as a spammy domain a few years ago.

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      Venkatachari Mposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      What about a hub later transferred to a niche site? Previously linked links get removed automatically?

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         lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         The editors remove any HP related links when moving a hub.

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      bravewarriorposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      To reiterate what lobobrandon said, when I clicked on the link to this thread from my gmail inbox McAfee gave me a "Whoa! are you really sure you want to go there?" message.
      
      Also, when I was writing for paid online content providers, CopyPress included, HP was listed as one of the sites that cannot be used in research.  That's because many of us are not "experts". So, if you want to rank with Google, you don't want to link to an article on HP.

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      1. 84

         bravewarriorposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Crowd Source and Mechanical Turk, which is a Google site (and through which HP writers can act as editors, if accepted) both list HP as a no-no site for research. Other sites are:
         
         answers.yahoo.com
         ask.com
         wikihow.com
         wikipedia.com
         ehow.com
         about.com
         perezhilton.com
         smokinggun.com
         tmz.com
         eonline.com
         gawker.com
         urbandictionary.com
         
         That's because freelance writers are paid to write for these sites. As a once-upon-a-time-ago online freelance writer, I was be paid for any subject as long as it was written well. However, only expert contributors to expert sites are considered as reliable sources in the eyes of Uncle Google.
         
         HP is becoming a viable resource through the niche sites. If your article rests on HP, it's pretty much there for author practice. They don't rank with Google and they don't make you any money. Try to crank up your articles to fit within a niche site and you'll have more success. Linking to your own articles is spammy.
         
         Also, watch what you put into your articles. Your last two "around the world" articles were not only way too long, but much of the verbiage was not yours. I know how you speak/write. There were many issues in the last two articles that told me you were pretty much copying from your research. That's also a HUGE no-no!

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      2. 77

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I have never had that problem.  I have many articles that interlink between my hubs but I do limit the number of links.  You cannot link endlessly AND the links must be related to your topic.  HP being listed as a site people cannot use for research is very strange because we have many writers here who actually ARE experts and professionals or who know a great deal about a particular topic.

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            Jean Bakulaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            I have linked from articles on one niche site to another on a related topic on a different niche site. I did it twice on the last piece I wrote, which was featured three days later and not changed at all.
            
            The new article was long, and I touched upon a subject I had to mention, but didn't have time to discuss more, so linked to it.

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               wildernessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               I have very seldom interlinked articles from different niche sites as they aren't very relevant.  Can't remember any at all, offhand.
               
               But I very often link between articles on the same niche - if I didn't I'd have a few 50,000 word articles rather than many 3,000 word ones.  I don't see it useful to a reader to force them to read, or even page through, extremely long articles to find the information they need.

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      3. 79

         VVanNessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Interesting.

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4. 94

   dredcuanposted 6 years ago

   As long as you're linking related hubs, there won't be a problem with the editors. There are only two instances I can remember that they deleted my links.
   1. When I tried linking hubs from different niche.
   2. When I tried to redirect readers to a hub with the same niche. They simply don't want readers to hop from one hub to another. Therefore, I was required to give all information needed in that single hub.

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5. 92

   Kenna McHughposted 6 years ago

   We can link to our other blogs outside HP realm?

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   1. 88

      theraggededgeposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Not usually, although you can try if you link to a specific page that complements your hub. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

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6. 88

   theraggededgeposted 6 years ago

   Following on from Bravewarrior's comment, I too noticed you (the OP) have lifted text from the BBC Good Food website and other websites, like Spanish Sabores. This is plagiarism and not allowed.
   
   Better clean it up before you get reported for copyright abuse.
   
   I hate plagiarism... it's happened to me too damn often.
   
   Edit: I've looked at quite a few of your hubs, Victoria, and there is a lot of material you have lifted from elsewhere. I'm really disappointed.

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      DrMark1961posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Me too. That might be another answer to her other question, and would account for slow traffic. 100 well written original articles are going to get more traffic than 500 copies.

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         lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Or one original article in some cases. Vanessa, are they extracts that you use from other articles or do you copy sections entirely? That's not how research is done btw, that's plagiarism. I haven't checked out your hubs, just interpreting from what I read here.

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         1. 79

            VVanNessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            I will use a sentence here or there, which I always rephrase, and then I include the link stating where I got the information from, even if it's now in my own words. Linking to other's work provides outside links to reputable sources giving the article some credibility, and it shows where all of my research came from. There is no credibility if readers are simply relying on my expertise on a subject. They need to know that I actually did my research and found information from sites that they deem reliable.
            
            HubPages has never had a problem with my quotes and links, as long as they are to outside reputable sources, and not my own work. I have a Doctorate in Education. I certainly know what plagiarism is, for those throwing the word around loosely.

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               lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               Also a doctorate, but it should be fine as long as you're not copying chunks and you're referencing them.

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               1. 79

                  VVanNessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  I know what I'm doing. HubPages doesn't seem to think I'm quoting enough. They frequently ask me to include more quotes and references in my work. So I'm always going back and doing even more research after they've edited to include more quotes in my work. The two articles specifically mentioned above have both been edited already and moved to niche sites. I'm not worried.
                  
                  What I don't like is that I can't link to some of my own articles, but I think I understand now why we can't link to hubpages.com. I just need to work on getting those onto niche sites as well so it's not an issue.

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                     psycheskinnerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     I also have a PhD, but it's not in writing online content so I am not sure how it is relevant. I can't tell what your actual complaint is, specifically.  Linking to your other hubs is allowed.  Perhaps post the actual message you are getting so we can work out what the issue is.  Sometimes the phrasing of their messages is less than clear.

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                        lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                        I've answered the query and others have too. You are not allowed to link from a niche site to articles on hubpages.com. Period.

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                           psycheskinnerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                           Good to know.

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                        lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                        Exactly, writing online is not the same thing. With algorithms having copied content even if it's a few extracts can mark your content as duplicate and therefore you never rank.

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      VVanNessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Theraggededge: Be careful about throwing that word around. I quote from other sites like I've been taught to do in my education, or I rephrase, but I always post the link showing where I got my information. I never plagiarize, which by definition is claiming that work is your own without including the original author's information.
      
      Hubpages has never had an issue with my work, and has even asked me to go back and include more quotes in my articles after editing them. Your disappointment with me is noted. I'll certainly work harder to live up to your expectations of me in the future.

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7. 79

   VVanNessposted 6 years ago

   I'm so glad that my honest question was met with criticism and judgement. That certainly makes me want to ask more questions in the future.

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   1. 76

      lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      That's how forums usually work. You got your answer though If criticism is going to stop you, the internet is not the place to be. People throw it around left and right and all other directions.

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      Eileen Hughesposted 10 months agoin reply to this

      I am trying to link a genealogy hub to another geanology hub and link icon does not hihhlight

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         theraggededgeposted 10 months agoin reply to this

         Highlight the anchor text (usually the title of the article you want to link to), and click on the chain icon in the text capsule toolbar. Click the little 'enter' button (don't press 'enter' on your keyboard, it won't work). Save the capsule and the anchor text should be red.
         
         Also, only link to articles on the network sites - don't link back to hubpages.com.

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8. 88

   theraggededgeposted 6 years ago

   Okay... for example on your Autumn Recipes article you have a section about Haggis. You do link inline to the BBC recipe, but you have also lifted the text straight off the website without making it clear that it's a quote. It is presented as your writing and anyone reading will assume that it's yours. That's not the way to do it.
   
   Put quotes around the text, credit the original author or organisation, and then add the link with the appropriate anchor text.
   
   You do the same with the other sections. It seems you have used other people's work for the majority of the article.
   
   Edit: Here is the BBC text:
   
   A traditional Scottish dish most people either love or hate, given its unique list of ingredients. Haggis is usually made by combining sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs) with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, soaked in stock and then boiled in the sheep's stomach.
   
   Haggis is traditionally served as part of the Burns supper annually on January 25th, when Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, is celebrated.
   
   https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/haggis
   
   Here is yours, with no credit given:
   
   This is a traditional Scottish dish most people either love or hate, given its unique list of ingredients. Haggis is usually made by combining sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs) with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, soaked in stock and then boiled in the sheep's stomach. Haggis is traditionally served as part of the Burns supper annually on January 25th, when Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, is celebrated.

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      lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Whoops. I don't want to be rude, but I'm sad HP is allowing stuff like this on the niche sites.

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   Eileen Hughesposted 10 months ago

   Sorry the chain link does not light up to let u use it so U can't link snything

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      theraggededgeposted 10 months agoin reply to this

      Are you trying to edit on a phone? Maybe it will work on a computer?

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