Hub moved from niche site to hub pages and it's number two on google.

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   TessSchlesingerposted 3 years ago

   So here's the history
   
   It always did well
   
   You did some snips (whatever that means).
   
   But you changed the photos. I put them back. I also added some writing.
   
   You did a professional edit.
   
   You totally removed all the photos. They were absolutely horrific, and you told me that they didn't fit in some technical place. So I removed the writing I had on them and put them back to the same size.
   
   I never touched the text at all. I left that exactly as it was.
   
   So here's the thing.
   
   Is your staff not trained to use an imaging editor to crop photos? I find that difficult to believe.
   
   Or is the fact that I am personal non gratis affecting the judgement of your staff.
   
   Or is it not possible to inform hubbers that the size of photos affects something or other and give us the correct size? Or you have and I have missed it somewhere?
   
   Or perhaps you can't write to hubbers and say "We need you to change the photos on  your hub"
   
   What is wrong with you?
   
   Are you really so small-minded that you actually cannot tell a professional writer that a particular photo doesn't work? And explain why?
   
   To me, what is happening smacks very much of some very bad decisions at your offices. As it transpired, it wasn't only my figures that were going down, the figures of other people are going down as well, and you have not explained why.
   
   I want to know why.

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      OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Tess, I have had the same thing happen to me.  The problem is that the editors are experts at editing, not horticulture (in my case) and didn't realize that the photos they added to my article were not the plants that I was talking about.  Perhaps the same thing happened to you?  That the editors have no expertise in the topic of your article so their changes were not appropriate? 
      
      What I did, was replace the photos with correct ones and emailed the editors to let them know that I had done this and why.
      
      As for the snips, they always send an email with links so that you can see what was snipped.  Again, if I disagree with their edits, I just revert them and email the editors to let them know why their snip was inappropriate.  In my case, it is usually terminology that is common in the horticultural world but not grammatically correct in the editorial world.
      
      As for photo size, I think that that is all explained in the Learning Center.  I have to admit I haven't visited the Learning Center in a while because it is arranged in a very confusing manner.  I liked the old layout much better.
      
      May I respectfully suggest that instead of ranting in the forums, that you try first to have a conversation with the editors about changes that they have made?  I have found them to be reasonable once they understand their errors.
       
      If you still cannot resolve your disagreements after discussing your issues with their changes, then rant away!

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         TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I've looked at the learning centre. I can see no data about size of photos, and I comply with everything that they say.
         
         Pointless talking to the editors. They don't talk to me.
         
         They just edit away (and while I've seldom objected to what they did in text), it's the photos that get me every single time.
         
         If they would kindly tell me what is wrong with the photos, I can fix them.
         
         Even now, the general "Your piece does not measure up to HP standards,' is to my mind complete bull.
         
         I have seen terrible pieces that no professional magazine would touch on niche sites.
         
         I also realize that the more I speak about this on the forums, the nastier they are going to get.
         
         It's childish.
         
         If they were professional, they would write and explain things to me. They don't.
         
         I've been an editor for two publishing houses in London, and this is not how editors work.

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            OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            My apologies.  The requirements for photo size are in the FAQs, not the Learning Center (https://hubpages.com/faq/#imagerequirements).  They are as follows:
            
            You can upload photos to Your Photos, so you can use them later in an article, a Forum post, or as your HubPages Profile photo.
            
            Only JPG, GIF, and PNG formats are allowed.
            Animated GIFs are allowed in articles and Forums, but they must be no wider than 520 pixels.
            Each image can be no larger than 8 megabytes.
            Adult content is not allowed in photos.
            Pixelated images are not allowed.
            Your images will look the best if you upload original photos in their highest resolution, and that are preferably 1000 pixels wide or wider.
            You can only upload 20 images at a time.
            If you're using a photo from another site, make sure it's properly attributed.

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               TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Thank you.

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      NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I've recently been the victim of  bad editing decisions here, I know what you mean. In my case, I think I'll move my article to another site. Not sure yet. But I'm pretty sure the article was edited into becoming useless so I'd be better off moving it and it might take less work as they're asking me to edit the article further (and unnecessarily). It's pretty absurd.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I am now writing for Medium. I paid the $50 required, and I'm quickly gaining a following. I don't know how it will take off, but I also certainly enjoy reading the articles. They have fantastic writers there.
         
         The founder of Medium does not believe in paying for writing by advertising. So all readers have to pay $5 per month or $50 per year. From that income, according to the number of readers writers get, the money is divided amongst the writers.
         
         Suits me.
         
         Hubpages  might not believe in my writing, but I do.

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            NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            I was thinking of writing for Medium too. I have an online friend that writes on that site and she writes very high quality articles. I've always been more interested in writing on more serious subjects anyway, and I notice on Medium they have that kind of article.

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               TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               The writers are absolutely brilliant, and if you're good enough to get thousands of reads, you are well paid - definitely better than here.
               
               This is really interesting.
               
               https://medium.com/blogging-guide/how-m … cf0c9c7533
               
               And so long as you put up a notice that says that in the interests of transparency, you earn a small commission on affiliate sales, they're cool with that.

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                  NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  Thank you for this information, very valuable to me at the moment. I like the idea that earnings are not dependent on Google, neither in advertising nor in traffic. At least, that's how I understand it.

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                     TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                     Well it's a paid subscription service. So they have money to pay writers. Obviously the more traffic you draw, the more you get paid, and it can be substantial.

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                        NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                        Probably going to give it a go, at least for more serious writing. Maybe I can build a readership.

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                           TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                           SEO works on exactly the same principle as Hubpages, and Medium has a higher ranking.

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                              NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                              Cool! Definitely should check it out. I have a Facebook friend who writes for them, she's  a great writer, she writes on politics. So, it's been appealing to me to write for them for awhile and I like their model.

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                                 TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                 I never realized until I started writing for them just how impossible and tense writing for hubpages had become. There is no joy in writing here anymore. Too many rules that have nothing to do with whether the page will do well or not. It's a pleasure to write again.

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                                    NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                    That's how I feel. I'd like to be able to write what I want the way I want. This is what my friend on Facebook does, I can tell, she's very passionate about what she writes about. Due to the fact that HP is entirely dependent on Google, a person can't actually write their passion. There has to be some other element other than just Google, sounds like Medium has it.

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                                       NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                       Got inspired after commenting here and started an outline of an article for Medium. Going to go back and see if I'd opened an account there, I think I did already, just haven't done anything with it.

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                                          TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                          Yup. I opened one years ago.
                                          
                                          This is a really good guide.
                                          
                                          https://medium.com/free-code-camp/how-t … e58a27c8d8
                                          
                                          What is your url so I can add  you?

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                                       NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                       Tess, here's my Medium profile: https://medium.com/@nathanbernardo
                                       
                                       Haven't used it yet, will soon, hopefully.
                                       
                                       Thanks for that article, looks really good and informative, going to finish reading it when I wake up fully.

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                                          TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                          Added you.
                                          
                                          It's 5 days since I've joined, and I'm already earning. Pennies, but still, I'm earning.

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                              lobobrandonposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                              From what I know about Medium some articles are only accessible if you are a paid member, you have a limit of 5 or so per month. I guess they rank too, just like paid news articles?

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                                 Solarasposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                 Do I smell Bubblews?

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                                    DrMark1961posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                    Surely not! It costs $50 to join the site, then they give you back 25 cents.
                                    Nothing to see here, folks, move along.

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                                       TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                       In my first three days? What did hubpages ever give you in the first three days you joined.
                                       
                                       There are people here who have been writing for 5 years and never earned a penny.
                                       
                                       However, feel free. I'm not asking anyone to join Medium.

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                                 2. 62

                                    TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                    I doubt it. You could google it, of course, and find out for yourself.
                                    
                                    The guy who started Twitter owns it.
                                    
                                    He wanted to get away from the advertising model for writers.
                                    
                                    It has 100 million readers, and while HP ranks 3672 or something on Alexa, Medium ranks 92.
                                    
                                    There are approximately 400,000 writers on it.

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                                       Solarasposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                       Did you pay to join it? If so how much?

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                                          TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                          $50 for the year

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                                       NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                       I've seen some successful writers who write for the site, definitely not a Bubblews site. The other thing is you don't have to pay to write and earn money. You have to pay to read more articles. Doesn't make any sense to make people pay to write on the site, because I'm sure they want content.

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                                          TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                          You don't have to pay to write for the site, no. You have to pay to be a paid writer.
                                          
                                          They don't use advertising to generate income.
                                          
                                          The guy who started Medium (and who owns it) didn't think that advertising revenue paid writers enough, so he pays writers. 
                                          
                                          According to the site, the median (not average) is $100 per month, so in view of the figures I have seen of other people's earnings, many people earn a good wack.
                                          
                                          They are top writers, though.

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                                    lobobrandonposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                    Medium is definitely not bubblews. I do not write there because I know that my audience would not pay to read the topics I currently write about. But there are people on tech topics who are experts in their field that write a lot on medium and there are people who pay to subscribe to medium just like there are a few that pay to subscribe to the NYT or something. It is not a ponzy scheme, it just makes it harder for general niche authors or authors in fields where people can get similar information for free on other websites to make good money if any.

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                                       NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                       Yes, exactly, as far writers for the site go. I was going to point out the same thing. There are political writers that write incredible articles on that site and they are successful getting out to a wide audience.
                                       
                                       This is why earlier I said I'd write serious articles there. Political ones probably. No offense to anyone here, but Hubpages is a site for the average consumer who wants to know how to tie a ponytail or clean their swimming pool. Not going to get in-depth articles on extraordinarily important subjects here; well, those articles won't be successful anyway, because they have no source for traffic or attention.
                                       
                                       Not so, from what I've seen from Medium articles. I know of at least 3 political writers who are very successful on that site.

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                                          TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                          Yes, there are some strong political writers on Medium, but I disagree that those are the only people on medium. Here's a snippet from the site.
                                          
                                          

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                                 TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                                 Not sure what you mean. I have one article that has clearly had quite a lot of readers so it has been curated by the main magazine. But you only get paid for the readers that have paid a fee to read.
                                 
                                 The trick is to get as many of your articles curated - more or less the same as getting articles into niche sites here.

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   bhattucposted 3 years ago

   Very strange but informative. It is good that you have put it back to its status quo. TessSchlesinger, I think such things might happen sometimes as editors would also be preoccupied in their mind to make the article more attractive or less clumsy but sometimes their efforts might not yield the desired results and then they can simply resort back to the original or ask the author to do so. It might not be something intentional but a communication between the editor and author might help to avoid such embarassing situations.

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   EricFarmer8xposted 3 years ago

   I considered Medium as well, but I am worried about publishing in too many places, as I also have my website. I guess it never hurts to consider all the options available.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Well, at this point, I'm screwed on hubpages, so I've nothing to lose and everything to gain.
      
      I'm sorry about that. Despite the bs from the right wing, hubpages had a special place in my heart.
      
      I'm sorry it appears to be going south (I hope I'm wrong).

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   MitaraNposted 3 years ago

   Very interesting, and definitely something to look into, always good to go where you are much more appreciated on the many articles you have to share.

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   MitaraNposted 3 years ago

   I have tried, unfortunately does not support South Africa, they said I would need to await for a notification once they support, that may take a while. Any other options perhaps available until then...

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      TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Yup. It was one of the reasons I flew to London two weeks ago. It was to get a new bank card for my British Bank account, and to ensure that Stripe was still connected to it, plus buy a British sim card.
      
      When I got back here, I spent an hour with my mouth in my gut setting it up, hoping that the fact that my IP address wouldn't upset the apple cart.
      
      However, it worked fine, and I was accepted. They didn't even care that I gave a South African address.
      
      I'm not sure what your situation is, but if you can figure out a way to get a British bank account, then you can add Stripe to that, and it will be okay.

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   TessSchlesingerposted 3 years ago

   Wow. I joined Medium on the 28th March, and on the 31st March, they paid me $0.25. I am impressed. This looks promising.
   
   

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      NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      That looks promising and I could use the money. Going to have to put something together to get the ball rolling over there. I have a few ideas.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Wow. And this morning I looked at one of my pieces and it has 53 claps! This is stunning. I have been there for 6 days in total. I think if one has the savvy to write the kind of articles that garner traffic, one can do very well there, plus, of course, they don't put a thousand rules on you.

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            theraggededgeposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            How does payment work there, Tess? It's okay for the UK, yes?

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               TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Yup.
               
               First you sign up for Stripe.com. Then you connect your Stripe account to your British Bank account. And you need a smart phone number (UK).
               
               Once that is done, you're ready to go.

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                  theraggededgeposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks. Might take a look at Medium later. Don't know if my niche will work on it though.

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   MitaraNposted 3 years ago

   Wow, with just 6 days, that is promising.
   
   No banks remotely close to where medium supports that are close by, and with the lockdown, I can't really get around. They don't support PayPal either, and you have to provide an account to which they are supporting.
   
   They mentioned if I request, I will need to pay $500, or the other option is I wait.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Yup. I know. That's why I flew to London. I screwed me in every possible way in South Africa for more than just a company or two. I was just lucky that I already had a Stripe account plus a British bank account from when I lived in Scotland.
      
      I also needed a British telephone number and I bought a British sim card which is now on my phone (dual sim).
      
      So it was a matter of going there and fixing things up. I had previously tried to access my Stripe account in SA, but just couldn't do it. Not sure why.

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   Solarasposted 3 years ago

   Thanks guys for clarifying! I don't think I have anything special to share over there. I will give it a thought though.

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   CJ Andrewsposted 2 years ago

   I have never had a job that I agreed with everyone.  At HubPages, there have been edits that I don't agree with and I have either accepted it, emailed my explanation of why I changed it back, or found another way to edit the article that I was happy with and met the editor's desire.  At Medium, they put you behind the paywall or in front of it, HubPages at least tries to give you some direction.  Very little has changed here, and most of the changes that do occur are forced changes to follow algorithm changes with ads.  An article on HubPages takes about 8 months to mature, Medium can be faster depending on the topic and following.

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