Snipped my Amazon capsule, now I'm broke!

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   NateB11posted 4 years ago

   Not really, because I have a job. But I did have my Amazon capsule snipped from one of my articles on another account from an article which was the only one from which I've ever really made any money from Amazon. If I was super paranoid, I'd think it was intentional that they'd snip the one article that earned me the most from Amazon. But I guess I'll be level headed. El Oh El.
   
   Anyway, not much I can do about it, but I've read this complaint over and over on the forums, about people having Amazon capsules that earned money snipped, thought I'd add my voice to the chorus.

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      Solarasposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Try emailing Robin - earning Amazon should not be snipped. It is proof that it is useful as well as a money maker for both you and HP. I would have bust a gut.

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      samanthacubbisonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Hi there,
      
      I assure you that we do not make snips or allow products to stay based on earnings. There are many factors that go into a snip—but we do sometimes make mistakes.
      
      Please email team@hubpages.com with a link to your article!

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         NateB11posted 4 years agoin reply to this

         I'm not sure it can be fixed, I changed the article with text links to amazon products rather than the capsules. No sales anymore though. I'll send the link nonetheless.

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      OldRosesposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      HubPages has been discouraging the use of Amazon capsules for quite some time.  Amazone products should be linked in the text instead.

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      Kamkar sanjuktaposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I have seen this topic earlier also. If putting the Amazon capsule is being discouraged, then why on Earth the option is there to add it?

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         NateB11posted 4 years agoin reply to this

         Exactly.

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         theraggededgeposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         It's because there are thousands of old hubs that have them. If they discontinue it, it will cause a huge amount of hassle.
         
         But now we know that visitors with ad-blockers can't see them, there's no point in adding them to new articles.

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      NateB11posted 4 years agoin reply to this

      What's pretty sh----y is that I know I would have made payout on that account if they'd left it alone. Kind of insult to injury considering how low earnings have dropped.

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         samanthacubbisonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         We do not discourage adding Amazon products as a whole, but as @theraggededge pointed out, they aren't as effective as in-text links.
         
         Also, remember that you must include your personal experience with every product that you include. If you did this but the product was still snipped, please let us know.

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            Solarasposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Excuse, but you absolutely discourage the use of Amazon ads. I have not been able to add an Amazon capsule/text link to an article in 4 years.
            
            And if that is NOT a company policy, then someone needs to talk to the editors.  It appears that NATEB11 has had this article for years, reviewed by editors for years, earning money monthly, and now it is GONE. Why?

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               samanthacubbisonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

               Because our rules and regulations change over the years. We are doing these Network Site refreshers to implement these changes. Our policy is that if you don't include your personal expertise/experience with a product, you cannot include it. Otherwise, you are free to do as you wish.
               
               References: 
               
               https://hubpages.com/faq/#word-per-product
               
               https://hubpages.com/faq/#Spammy-Elements (see "Products" section)
               
               https://hubpages.com/faq/#unrelated

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               NateB11posted 4 years agoin reply to this

               Amen, thanks, Barbara!
               
               This personal experience thing in articles is absurd at times. I had an editor ask me to make an article more personal to get it on a niche site and I gave it a go and they still wouldn't make it happen. No Amazon ads on this article and the subject matter was literally my main area of expertise. This idea that what you write should be "personal" is kind of arbitrary and unreasonable. If an article is successful, why tamper? It's counterproductive if they are more or less destroying articles for a questionable rule. Even if an article were not based on "personal" experience, the rule flies in the face of a long history of the writing profession; as if writers have never written an article or book that they just simply researched to write.

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                  Solarasposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  Exactly! Personal experience with an item is not a requirement anywhere on the planet that I know of except for here. In some instances, it just sounds silly and unprofessional, like a child's report on "what I did last summer."

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                  Kamkar sanjuktaposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  "The personal experience" criteria is there for a long time. Or at least since I joined. Then why now the capsule of your article has been snitched? The article should not passed the QAP that time also.

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      Marisa Writesposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Try adding it in again as a paragraph with an in-text link.  You can add a photo of the product in a photo capsule. They seem to have it in for the capsules - even if you email them and ask for an exception, another moderator may get snip-happy later.

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2. 88

   NateB11posted 4 years ago

   I'm being asked to change the article arbitrarily but it was doing fine as it was, before it was edited. Not the first time an edit by staff stripped me of earnings. Strangely counterproductive way to edit. But, anyway, no not changing it for an error that wasn't my fault, I'd be better off moving the article where it can earn as it is.

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   eugbugposted 4 years ago

   I usually take the photo of a product from the Amazon link and use it adjacent to any text I've added about the product.

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      NateB11posted 4 years agoin reply to this

      That's interesting, I might try it. Now, do you mean you place the image and place it under the text capsule about the product?

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         eugbugposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, usually underneath. I'm not sure who owns the photos, presumably the manufacturers of the products, but I just credit as "Amazon"

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   SmartAndFunposted 4 years ago

   With some extra time on my hands due to... (you know what), I have been updating some of my ancient hubs. I have been removing Amazon capsules across the board so that there are no products at all in these made-over hubs. However, in a couple of these old hubs I am basically recommending a product, so it would be smart to link to the product.
   
   Has anyone written a hub that explains how to create an in-text link to an Amazon product rather than using a capsule? I don't see any instructions for this in the Learning Center and the search function is useless these days. I am so behind the times I don't know how to do this!
   

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      theraggededgeposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      You don't need a whole hub to explain it
      
      Okay, so let's say I want to link to a book on Amazon. Books are really easy because you can quote from them thusly...
      
      As Jo Bland says, in her book, 'TV Dinners Together', we can all bond over the prepping and eating of blah blah. I think Jo has made a really good point here because blah blah...
      
      So you'd highlight the book title. Click on the chain link icon in the text capsule toolbar. Then click on the Amazon tab. Your book should be at the top of the list. You might have to decide between Kindle or print. Select the correct one and click Save (at the top of the dialogue box). It's done.
      
      Of course if you are linking to other items, you would have to decide how to mention that product in your text.
      
      Go have a practice.

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