How Do You Create Ideas for New Hubs?

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   EricFarmer8xposted 5 years ago

   I want to write a lot of hubs (compared to what I wrote last year) this year. But the main hurdle is that I feel like I ran out of ideas or cannot create good ideas for new hubs.
   
   I come with some ideas, but they end up being too general or not good for online search. I try to think of more specific things, and I draw a blank.
   
   I am curious about what other people do when they are in the same situation.
   
   One thing I am considering is writing hubs outside of the technology and video game niches. This would be hard, but it could be interesting.

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      gerimcclymposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Look at the questions your readers ask you in your Comments or Q & A sections of your current articles. Those questions could lead to new articles. Sometimes even comments readers make can give you ideas for new articles!

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         EricFarmer8xposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for the advice. This is something I thought about doing in the past.

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         viryaboposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         +1

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      chef-de-jourposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      When I first started on HP I wrote articles on all kinds of subjects, from travel to sport to recipes but after a few months of trial and error focused on my love of poetry and so started a series of analyses. Luckily for me they 'caught on' and these articles now account for 98% (?) of my output. So the poem becomes the idea and I know I'll probably never run out. I still write occasional travel articles which again become the idea.

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         EricFarmer8xposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         I guess my main subject would computer software if anything. I love to work with computers and I have a lot to say about it.
         
         I looked at your profile. I see you enjoy going into detail about poems. Very interesting.

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            chef-de-jourposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Eric, I looked at your article on File Compression and found it to be very useful. For me, as a techno ignoramus - I am, yes - I would have loved a bit more on the section How to Compress a File on Windows....plus if I were you I'd just micro edit it for the odd missing letter here and there? I'm no expert on these matters at all but if you love tech and have some insights and already have a stock of decent articles then I would exploit the niche and dig deep!! Good luck with your work and writing.

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               EricFarmer8xposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               I know I have some small errors here and there. I try to catch them but I miss some. Thanks for the reminder though I will double check the hub.
               
               One of the things I enjoy in life is helping people learn about technology. I have more hubs planned here.

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      Wesman Todd Shawposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I just look at what has been most successful, and then I think about what else I can do which is related to that.
      
      You want to become recognized as an authority in a niche, and that's how you do it, by branching outwards from what has already shown you the most success.

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      Rocket-Scienceposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I keep making the same mistake - I'll get a great idea then of course forget to write it down.
      
      I usually get these ideas when I am actually searching for something and realize the search results are not even close to what I am looking for. I feel like I use common enough search terms that any other person looking for that info would be typing in similar queries. If I can find the gap, and put some work into really digging up the answer, I feel like maybe there is a chance I can fill the void and be the high ranking result.
      
      I can't speak too much, as my total traffic is pretty low. My most successful article (using successful loosely) is about Marine Corps Dress Swords. Several years ago I was doing some searching, and found tons of sales sites but very little information sites. Wikipedia had the history covered, but not the regulations for carrying the sword, which is when I decided to "fill the gap" and got on the front page of several search results that bring me light but steady traffic.

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   Natalie Frankposted 5 years ago

   Sometimes I get ideas from popular questions on Quora or posts on Reddit or similar sites.

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      EricFarmer8xposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I have thought of writing hubs from things I have seen on Reddit as well. Thanks for the advice.

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   CMHypnoposted 5 years ago

   What are you interested in?  Maybe with the general topics you have written about, you could hone in and write a more detailed hub about certain aspects of that topic.
   
   I haven't written for ages, but I still have a spreadsheet where I record ideas as they come to me.  Now just have to write them!
   
   Maybe don't worry about traffic so much as enjoying the subject you are writing about and the process

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      EricFarmer8xposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I love to write about technology. This is what I write about the most on HubPages. I have some video game related hubs as well.
      
      I enjoy writing hubs. I just want to at least somewhat consider topics that might get more views.

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         CMHypnoposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Enjoying writing versus getting views/making money is the perennial issue to balance.  In an ideal world we would all make lots of money writing about things that excite us.  It also depends on whether you hub to produce necessary income or if it is a hobby where making a bit of money is nice but not imperative

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   lobobrandonposted 5 years ago

   If you wanted to learn something new, begin learning and document it through a series of hubs that will help people who want to learn the same thing in the future.

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      EricFarmer8xposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      That is a good idea.

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   Erudite Scholarposted 5 years ago

   Hi Eric, In order to avoid writers block you need to focus on what you love. If something pops into your mind write it down immediately. You can also ask some questions and try to find out people's problems. You can write an article that shows how to solve those problems.

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   eugbugposted 5 years ago

   If I think there's a need for a guide on something that isn't covered comprehensively elsewhere and I know a lot about, I'll try to write that guide. I try to write about technical issues that are evergreen and are relevant to everyone at some stage or other. It can be disillusioning at times when you put a lot of effort into an article and cover a topic extensively and comprehensively and know you've done a good job, but the article doesn't rank.

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   Solarasposted 5 years ago

   If you have a topic that is too general, put it into the google search bar, and see what longtail keyword searches Google suggests.  Sometimes you can narrow down the topic to a specific question being asked, but not well answered by the SERPs that returned to that query.

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   Coffeequeeenposted 5 years ago

   Yes, write about whatever you are interested in.  Computer software sounds a good subject to write about.  I like to write about films I've watched and books I've read.  Sometimes I'll write about something that I've experienced in my life health wise.  It's all about what you are most comfortable writing about and what you enjoy.

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   EricFarmer8xposted 5 years ago

   Thanks for the advice. Plus thanks for everybody that responded as well.

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    Glimmer Twin Fanposted 5 years ago

    This is a bit old-fashioned, but I keep a notebook with me and any time I think of something that I might be remotely interested in writing about, I write it down.  If I don't have my notebook, I send myself a quick email.  Easy to do, and I have a notebook full of ideas, many that I doubt I'll ever pursue, but you never know.

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