My figures have dropped since I told Matt...

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  1. Kierstin Gunsberg profile image72
    Kierstin Gunsbergposted 5 years ago

    Tess, I think most of us are dealing with significant traffic dips because of Coronavirus. Most of my articles are dropping with the exception of my articles related to grocery delivery. If you don't have any articles that would appeal to troubleshooting the global pandemic then that would be the answer to your traffic drop dilemma.

    1. profile image0
      TessSchlesingerposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      GDPR Deleted

      1. Randy Godwin profile image59
        Randy Godwinposted 5 years agoin reply to this

        My drop in views coincided with the new rule changes. Having been a private Google Adsense and Amazon affiliate before the change, getting accustomed to late reporting on the in-house programs are very frustrating.

        Items I normally sell this time of year seem to be missing from my sales. I don't like getting paid by impressions either. We have no way to see if the items ordered from us are actually being credited to us, or the impressions as well.

        Hopefully after the virus is over things will get back to normal. Can't say that about Matt's recent activity though. yikes

      2. JerryFisher profile image79
        JerryFisherposted 5 years agoin reply to this

        I would have thought that given self isolation all over the place that traffic would have risen with corona, not dropped.
        On one article of mine that used to have 300 daily views consistently for perhaps a couple of years, traffic suddenly began to drop about twelve months ago. This coincided with a drop from the top three to second page on Google.

        I'm wondering if the takeover by Maven had anything to do with it. Maybe Maven gets penalised by Google's algorithm for poor content overall? After all there's a lot of rubbish on this site that still gets posted, likely affecting everyone.

        As a test though, this one article, I really went to work on it with fresh and in my view quality content. I watched the rankings daily and absolutely no change from mid second page in the last three months. I find this really odd. Google used to reward fresh content. And in the last week my daily views have tanked by 50%.

        1. profile image0
          TessSchlesingerposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          GDPR Deleted

          1. JerryFisher profile image79
            JerryFisherposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            If I’m reading that right 36% of the traffic was from the US and a staggering 35% from India.

            1. profile image0
              TessSchlesingerposted 5 years agoin reply to this

              GDPR Deleted

              1. JerryFisher profile image79
                JerryFisherposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                In the early days of affiliate marketing as you might remember Google was still learning and pretty naive. So the net was stuffed with all sorts of dodgy affiliate links. Google’s been aware of that for years now. I wonder if that’s still going on from a foreign country and dragging our content down with it. Bizarrely as you point out though the ranking has gone up.

    2. Dean Traylor profile image85
      Dean Traylorposted 5 years ago

      For me and a lot people, viewings have been significantly down for the last three months. There were few signs that things were getting back to normal, especially, at the beginning of the year. However, it's slipped again and has been hovering between 250  and 300 views per day. Coronavirus may well be a factor. Simply put, many of us may not have the topics that readers are looking for at this moment.

    3. FatFreddysCat profile image59
      FatFreddysCatposted 5 years ago

      Forgive my ignorance but "Matt" who?

      1. Randy Godwin profile image59
        Randy Godwinposted 5 years agoin reply to this

        Matt Wells, the head moderator. I don't believe he has anything to do with our views or earnings......just our heads. yikes

      2. NateB11 profile image87
        NateB11posted 5 years agoin reply to this

        lol Not gonna lie, I was thinking the same thing.

        1. Sue Adams profile image67
          Sue Adamsposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          Click on his name, he is staff.

          1. NateB11 profile image87
            NateB11posted 5 years agoin reply to this

            I'm familiar with Matt but something about the original post, I wasn't sure. But I also take FFC's comment to be tongue in cheek, I thought I'd add to the joke. I also thought there was more than one Matt.

            1. FatFreddysCat profile image59
              FatFreddysCatposted 5 years agoin reply to this

              No tongue, no cheek. I honestly didn't know. The only staffer's name I was familiar with in the forums is Samantha.

              (Sorry, Matt.)

    4. Solaras profile image83
      Solarasposted 5 years ago

      Something I noticed in the new TOS is that we get our cut of the earnings AFTER they pay all of their expenses. I don't know if that was the way it was before the change or not.  I had assumed they used their 40% to pay for their own expenses. I use my 60% to pay for my expenses in creating the content.

      Did anyone download the TOS from 2-3 years ago?  I would be curious if someone had a copy and could check that for me.

      1. Randy Godwin profile image59
        Randy Godwinposted 5 years agoin reply to this

        Good question! I have no clue as to how things work now compared to then. And probably never will....

      2. melbel profile image76
        melbelposted 5 years agoin reply to this

        If that's the case, then f************ck that.

        1. Matt Wells profile imageSTAFF
          Matt Wellsposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          Hi everyone,

          There is a new Forum post covering the COVID-19 situation & HubPages authors.

          Regarding the specific Terms Of Use questions on this forum, there were a few items raised regarding the HubPages-before vs Maven-after Terms Of Use and earnings.

          Big picture, the authoring and earnings program that has long operated on HubPages sites is now coming into operation as part of the broader Maven platform. This means that non-HubPages use cases may be using the same platform and programs. Not every use case will earn the same, which is why it is written how it is now. 

          There is updated language between Terms Of Use documents, but not really a major difference at the top level on the topics you raised about expenses, etc. Some quick searching can help you find third-party archives of pages if doing a more precise comparison of a specific clause is of interest to you.

          All Hubbers can see traffic and earnings reports from immediately before versus after the Terms Of Use change in late January. There are always a variety of factors simultaneously impacting traffic and earnings, but (BYO program impact aside) a major change stemming from the Terms Of Use update was not of them.

          [Note - For those of you in the Amazon Program, we would encourage you to regularly look at the detailed Amazon report as well. As it is a good view into these types of matters as they apply to that program.]

          1. melbel profile image76
            melbelposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            How much do we earn? What is the breakup in earnings for HubPages?

          2. Solaras profile image83
            Solarasposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you for responding. Can you specify which expenses are charged to the HP authors gross earnings to create the net earnings? For Example

            Paypal Fees
            Editors salaries
            Hosting fees
            etc...

            Thank you

      3. paradigmsearch profile image60
        paradigmsearchposted 5 years ago

        My traffic and earnings are so bad, that I am considering shutting down the ads; it certainly won't cost me anything. My motive is one of curiosity as to how Google reacts.

        1. paradigmsearch profile image60
          paradigmsearchposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          Update. If I do try the experiment, it would only run until the end of the month.

      4. Life and Luxury profile image85
        Life and Luxuryposted 5 years ago

        I think this is more of a site that allows for the opinions of Trump supporters as well as his opponents. And that is good with me. I've seen some of my favorite media personalities get completely erased by larger sites. Shutting down speech only makes speech become more extreme the next time.

        With that said, I hope the OP's account gets its traffic back.

      5. bhattuc profile image81
        bhattucposted 5 years ago

        The dip in the traffic is there and if there is a major dip in the traffic for hubpages on a whole then individual articles would also be affected proportionally. Is that the case? I wonder.

      6. PaulGoodman67 profile image68
        PaulGoodman67posted 5 years ago

        Well, it makes a change for someone to accuse the site of being pro-Trump! More usually over the years, I think I've seen the site being accused of being part of some Californian Liberal Techno Elite! Haha!

        Tess, your conspiracy theory, with you at the center, either shows extremely petty behavior by the staff, or a paranoid streak in yourself. I personally suspect the latter.

        Matt's comment in the thread seemed measured and reasonable. Accusations of bullying and abuse are serious, but they appear unsubstantiated and your attitude towards other hubbers seems to undermine your case that you are behaving reasonably and HubPages is not.

        There is a deadly virus sweeping around the world. Entire cities, states, countries are closing down. Everybody's traffic is generally substantially down.

        1. profile image0
          TessSchlesingerposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          GDPR Deleted

          1. theraggededge profile image78
            theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Tess, it was the fact that you even thought that Matt could be the cause of the issue.

            You could have ascertained that it was the third reason very quickly before making what amounted to an accusation.

            Just think before you press Submit. Try to work out how your words will be  read and understood.

            To the others that are jumping on Tess - she does have Aspergers and takes things literally.

            Just all take a step back.

          2. Wesman Todd Shaw profile image78
            Wesman Todd Shawposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            I've literally had the "California liberal elite" thought before. And because I don't have much impulse control when it comes to speaking - I may have been dumb enough to say something like that at one point or another.

            For whatever it is worth, you always strike me as a wise and nice person. Wiser and nicer than me.

            I'm going to go ahead an unfollow this one, and I'm also going to try to not bother Ms. Schlesinger any further.

            Free speech is something I'm extremely worried about. I think it is already being limited WAY too much, especially online. So it's definitely one of my sore spots.

        2. Solaras profile image83
          Solarasposted 5 years ago

          I am glad everyone has made up. Now, back to what I am interested in.  This is from the Maven Terms of Use.  Am I misconstruing the definition of earning here as being after all expenses are paid?

          For your convenience, I have copied the definition of earnings and earned balance below.  I am curious about the definition of "percentage of net revenues after deductions have been taken from gross revenues attributable to your Author Content"

          (c) Earnings

          (i) Earnings and your share of net earnings will be based on a formula selected by Maven, in its sole discretion, which formula Maven may change at any time for your Earnings Account. The formula used may include but is not limited to: (a) sharing with you a specific percentage of net revenues after deductions have been taken from gross revenues attributable to your Author Content, (b) rotating dedicated IDs (i.e. one for you and one for Maven) at a specific rotation percentage for each ID across articles (and its subcomponent pages) showing your Author Content and/or your profile page where your net earnings come solely from the activity attributable to the ID assigned to you, or (c) an alternate mechanism determined by Maven in its sole discretion.

          (iii) The “Earned Balance” is your share of those valid, earned, and collected (by Maven) net revenues - where such net revenue amounts are determined only after deductions are taken off-the-top and subtracted from the gross earnings. These deductions include any and all commissions, fees, bad debts, third-party deductions or fees, payment processing costs, charge-backs, partner share of earnings, amounts deemed fraudulent by either Maven or a third-party provider to the Earnings Program, and any other deductions that Maven deems necessary with respect to the provision of the Earnings Program (such deductions to be determined in Maven’s sole discretion). Your share is the amount of net revenues attributable to: (1) Earnings Page Views on your Author Content; (2) revenue generated through your Earnings Page Views from any Author Referral that has been approved by Maven; and (3) your portion of any net amounts earned by you (if any) in relation to (A) upfront amounts related to your publishing specific pieces of Author Content (as specifically agreed to by you and Maven), and (B) any other program, service or opportunity (such as Maven contests) not covered in this Addendum where Maven offers Authors (and/or other Users as applicable) the ability to earn money.

          1. profile image0
            TessSchlesingerposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            GDPR Deleted

            1. Randy Godwin profile image59
              Randy Godwinposted 5 years agoin reply to this

              This puts a new light on things!  Especially the lack of candor from staff. sad

            2. theraggededge profile image78
              theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

              The staff did inform of us changes to the HP/Maven Terms of Use. They posted it here as a 'sticky'. They emailed us and they referred to it in the newsletter.

              It's not their fault if we couldn't be bothered to read it.

              https://hubpages.com/community/forum/34 … rms-of-use

              1. Randy Godwin profile image59
                Randy Godwinposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                It's not our fault they were afraid to explain the changes either. Especially as they are different from the past changes in revenue.

                1. theraggededge profile image78
                  theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  We're writers. We read and research. We should not require spoon-feeding. It's up to the individual to know who's paying them and how.

                  It's all there. No point complaining that you didn't know.

                  1. Randy Godwin profile image59
                    Randy Godwinposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                    Spoon feeding isn't required, but explanations of different changes to the TOS should be. I assume you believe it's too much to ask of staff?

                    1. Solaras profile image83
                      Solarasposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                      So this is a change from how our earnings were calculated before? I was not sure.  I read the old TOU years ago, but never downloaded them.  It is interesting that is was designed to coincide with an overall change in monetization.

                2. profile image0
                  TessSchlesingerposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  GDPR Deleted

                  1. theraggededge profile image78
                    theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                    Read the link, Tess.

                    1. profile image0
                      TessSchlesingerposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                      GDPR Deleted

                      1. theraggededge profile image78
                        theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                        We've just gone into lockdown here too. Not so severe as SA though. Restrictions on who goes out and where. My 81 yr old mother is 15 miles away sad

                        1. Solaras profile image83
                          Solarasposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                          Does that mean you can drive to see her?  My 91 year old mother is here with me, so we can fight whenever we want to.

                          1. theraggededge profile image78
                            theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                            big_smile

                            Well, I will, but we're not supposed to. I usually see her three times a week, but will reduce it to once every 10 days... or see how it goes. Things are changing so fast.

                            My daughter is also waiting for surgery, so I have to be really careful with her too.

          2. paradigmsearch profile image60
            paradigmsearchposted 5 years ago

            Randy, Adsense tapped me on the shoulder today (in the good way). I'm hoping you finally got to the finish line, or do you have to wait another month?

            1. Randy Godwin profile image59
              Randy Godwinposted 5 years agoin reply to this

              Last time I checked it was still at 95+ dollars, Para.

              1. paradigmsearch profile image60
                paradigmsearchposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                Randy, tryed to anser; hat to stop re vision.

          3. theraggededge profile image78
            theraggededgeposted 5 years ago

            What's a 'use case'? Never heard that term before.

          4. Solaras profile image83
            Solarasposted 5 years ago

            I tried using the Wayback Machine to find the original TOS.  I could not find it.  Maybe someone else here knows of another "Third Party Site" as Matt suggested.

            1. Shesabutterfly profile image68
              Shesabutterflyposted 5 years agoin reply to this

              I do not know of any third party sites, but I saved an old TOS. Not sure if this link will work, but I can post the whole thing if needed. This is from Feb 5th 2017.

              file:///home/chronos/u-4dba684019879afffb4cbe9d2ed3630d7b4951e3/MyFiles/Downloads/HP%20User%20Agreement.mhtml

              1. JerryFisher profile image79
                JerryFisherposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                Maybe this is a question for an entirely new discussion but I'll ask away anyway.
                When I got notification that Hubpages were transferring all links to Amazon to their own site, I was sure that they said, that we will still be receiving 100% commission as we would have from Amazon as we did in the past.

                Just checking on my stats and see that that's not correct at all. Maven/Hubpages are taking 40% of whatever my commission is on a product from Amazon.

                1. DrMark1961 profile image100
                  DrMark1961posted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  No, they did not say that.
                  You used to get 100% of the commissions, 60% of the time. Now you get 60% of the commissions, 100% of the time. If someone made a large Amazon purchase, and it was during HP´s time, you did not get a commission.
                  If someone makes a large purchase now you get 60% of that sale. It may or may not be better for you.

                  1. JerryFisher profile image79
                    JerryFisherposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                    Thanks for the clarification

           
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