Is Hubpages Dead?

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   Anne Ryefieldposted 3 years ago

   Maybe it's that we authors aren't active on the forums, but it seems like Hubpages isn't thriving behind the scenes these days. Do you think HP is a sinking ship?

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      chef-de-jourposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      No. Metaphorically HP is an enormous bus with a huge diesel engine that from time to time needs tweaking and upgrading. One day it might become all electric. It's full of all kinds of passengers, loses a driver now and again, picks up dubious hikers, needs better doors and windows. The ride is never smooth along the Google Highway. Grab a seat, hang on..... there are no seatbelts.

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         Thelma Albertsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         chef-de-jour This is a good description of HP. You nailed it right. I am hanging on.

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         stuff4kidsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Hey, you should write.

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      Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Nope. Conditions were extremely hard.

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      NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think so. They seem to be very active, for instance, with monetizing. Also, with getting articles on to vertical sites.

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   4. STAFF

      HubPagesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Authors,
      
      We are very much here and alive (: Our team has been VERY busy working on incorporating video onto the platform, launching several new pilot programs, and onboarding new team members! In addition, we are hoping to get a full-time team member back here in the forums to lead on some community-centric activities. If you haven't already, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter (it's great!) and share your/our (HubPages) content on social channels! Aside from getting comments reinstated, we have some big things brewing. We're happy you're here, always!
      
      Best,
      
      Tessa

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         Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Tessa, happy to hear you, and not from the horse mouth.

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         lobobrandonposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Nice, looking forward to those updates.

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         incomeguruposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Hi Tessa,
         For almost three weeks, I wrote several letters to HubPages editors to please correct my name wrongly spelled on Holidappy. The correct spelling is Oyewole. Thank you.
         
         

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         1. STAFF

            HubPagesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Hi Oyewole,
            
            My sincerest apologies. We just corrected it. Thanks for bringing it to our attention and keep up the great writing.
            
            Tessa

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         viryaboposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Tessa. Looking forward to it all.

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         Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         That is great news, Tessa. Thanks for the update.

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         Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Hi Tessa, Thanks for keeping us informed here in the forum. I can see that HubPages/Maven is very much alive. In the 11 years that I’ve been writing here, I have seen tremendous work being done with the platform to provide a successful medium for writers to use.
         
         Of course we’ve all experienced the bumps along the way, but in my opinion the staff has always worked hard to make this the best content platform available. I experiment with writing on other sites, and in comparison I definitely see the professionalism in the way HubPages conducts business.

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         1. STAFF

            HubPagesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks for all the kind words here. Our team certainly works hard and believes in your content!
            
            Tessa

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         stuff4kidsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Ah, well. I miss Simone. She made it all seem worthwhile. She was so smart, and sweet, and funny, and really engaged. But I think since Maven, the whole paradigm of community and engagement is gone down the Swanee river. If you want to make bucks out of writers who scrabble for dimes, you need to give us our community back. S'all. I think it's dead.

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            Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Merry Amanda, right? What makes you that merry?

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      Kenna McHughposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I am thrilled with HP. It's here to stay. If, for some obscure reason, it's gone, no worries. It's been a fun ride.

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      EricFarmer8xposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I recently had my best months every on HubPages. As far as I am concerned I accomplished what I wanted to do. Which is to make a little money and establish a writing portfolio.
      
      I don't see any reasons why HubPages won't continue to be good for these things anytime soon. I suppose I have pretty low goals though. I just want to get paid monthly and that is pretty much it.
      
      I can't say much about the community as I am not very active. But I do read things.

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      Ishika Mehereposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I don't necessarily think so; probably because I am new here. I find this platform really interesting and something that is actually making me invest my time into something productive or at least helping me to enhance my writing skills.

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         Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Mahere, welcome to hubpages. Horn your writing skill on.

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            Ishika Mehereposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            yup, I will try my best.

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               Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

               You're welcome. Good success.

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   bhattucposted 3 years ago

   The online business environment has become too competitive and even the top reputed sites are finding it difficult to survive and that is very evident from the limited earnings of the contributers everywhere. So I would not say that it is a sinking ship but yes, these are hard times.

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3. 68

   PaulGoodman67posted 3 years ago

   After writing on here for more than 10 years, I can honestly say that I'm actually more optimistic than ever about HubPages.
   
   For sure, the forum is less vibrant than it used to be. I think the "community" aspect of HP has shrunk. It's also a far less laissez-faire place than it used to be, you could write anything and it would be published when I first joined here.
   
   But overall, I am happy with the way things are. I think the changes over the years were essential and for me, they have brought more good than bad, certainly as far as views and earnings go. The quality of the writing on here is so much better nowadays, and that matters I believe.

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      viryaboposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      My thoughts too.

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      OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I agree wholeheartedly, Paul.  I've been here 14 years and my traffic and earnings increase every year.  This year will be my best year ever.

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      Projectlazyposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I came in the great Squidoo migration a few years back and something I always missed was the community. There felt like a lot more social activites and badges/trophies that made it a lot of fun even when you weren't earning.
      
      Every time you logged in it felt like something new.

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      beagrieposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Ironically, given I've seen many longtime contributors talking about the forum being dead, I've been here and actively writing for about 4 years and I've used the forums more in the last few months than any other time.

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   EricDockettposted 3 years ago

   From my perspective, it seems to me HubPages is still a place where writers can do very well for themselves if they are willing to put in the effort. While my accounts and the topics I write about have risen and fallen over the years, overall my traffic and earnings are still pretty good. Just like HubPages, you have to be ready and willing to roll with the changes. I am optimistic for the future.
   
   Looking at the the community as a whole, it does seem like HubPages  is a zombie of sorts. There is a lot of nonsense and off-topic discussion in these forums, and HubPages themselves no longer encourages the community like they once did.
   
   I've been here almost ten years myself. When I first started, there was a core group of writers who took HubPages very seriously. There were discussions and debates in the forums about SEO and best practices for online writing. Some writers were almost mythical in their ability to bring in traffic and earn, or at least they seemed so to me at the time.
   
   I don't even think I participated in the forums the first years I was here. I just soaked in everything people were saying and learned.
   
   It wasn't just HubPages. There was Squidoo, InfoBarrel, Zujava, and others I can't remember. Every one of those sites had a strong community of writers who were dead serious about succeeding. Those sites are all gone, and only HP remains. The writers have scattered, and I suspect many don't even write online anymore.
   
   HubPages once had numerous programs to encourage new writers. Stellar Hubs, Hub Nuggets, Hub of the Day, the Apprentice Program. This year, they didn't have the Hubbies. Those things sound silly, but they motivate new writers who aren't sure they belong here.
   
   HubPages staff participated in the forums more. Now, we go days or weeks without staff appearing in the forums.
   
   I miss the days where there were more serious people around and HubPages was more involved with the community. Writing online has become much harder over the years. I understand why people don't put a lot of faith in their chances, I guess. While the community may not be what it once was, I think if anyone really wants to put in the effort and do the work they can still be very successful here.

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      Anne Ryefieldposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I think you're feeling what I've been feeling. Did you ever visit any of the InvisionFree boards when they were all the rage ten-plus years ago? I used to be entrenched in Play-By-Post RPG animal-themed games. They were all InvisionFree forum based. They were amazing. But, a few years ago the ship began to sink and many of the boards died. Then the entire hosting system closed down. I have been looking for a similar experience ever since.
      
      I guess Hubpages seems ghostly to me because the forums aren't as active as they were. I do miss the back and forth that happened a few years ago. I don't have many articles here because I pretend to be a writer instead of actually being one. I often feel so alone when visiting. The community seems so hidden most of the time.

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         Projectlazyposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I never tried that but I remember gaiaonline was like that a decade ago. Such a fun and active place. I think forums are sorta dead now.

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      Sherry Hewinsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I think a lot of people just write articles and never come to the forum at all. This is not really set up to be a social site, although some do use it that way. You can't really judge the success of the site by how active the forum is.

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   FatFreddysCatposted 3 years ago

   People in the forums have been predicting HP's imminent demise since I first joined, ten years ago. Yet it always manages to keep on truckin'. So I don't worry about it.
   
   If and when they ever pull the plug, I would have no complaints, it's been a fun ride.

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      stuff4kidsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      You should change your name to Freewheelin' Franklin.

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   lobobrandonposted 3 years ago

   HP is doing the best it has in many years, the best since I have been here, that's for sure. Of course, there are some niches that have completely tanked, Caloriebee for example.
   
   To further answer your question, I could easily do this as a full-time job and earn enough, but it will be a full-time job and that means a lot of work. I would not recommend this to anyone though since that is akin to putting all your eggs in one basket. In short, no HP is not dead.

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   PaulGoodman67posted 3 years ago

   A couple of weeks back, I was bored and surfing Youtube for Maven/HP stuff, mainly interested in business news and interviews. But I stumbled across some nostalgia. A video of the Hubbie Awards 2011!

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8. 67

   psycheskinnerposted 3 years ago

   I've never been more pessimistic because HubPages is starting to do what a lot of the other content farms did before they shut down.  Like dramatically increasing the intrusiveness of advertising on the pages.  I am not sure Maven is as skilled in its area, or necessarily taking the advice of the previous owner who made HP the last content site standing.

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      Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Penny, first of all, HubPages is not a content farm. They moved away from that structure after the Panda impact in 2012. That move is what kept us alive.
      
      Second of all, Maven is definitely skilled with advertising. I learned about their methods and background when I attended the Maven Coalition Conference in Canada when they purchased HubPages. I mentioned their skills in my article about the Maven Conference. You can find that under my profile.
      
      What I see happening is consistent with other sites on the internet, so I imagine readers are getting used to the influx of ads. It’s not only on the Maven platform. I don’t like it either, but it pays the bills. 
      
      Lastly, HubPages is not the last content site standing. Medium does well too, but with a different income stream.  Medium authors only get paid from subscribers. With HubPages, revenue comes from organic traffic, which is a much larger audience.

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         PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I agree with Glenn. Getting the advertising right is complicated and difficult, one of the toughest thing to get right, but I believe that HP are professional in their approach. You have to maximize income while keeping an eye on what Google does/thinks.
         
         (Google is the search engine site that commonly puts multiple adverts at the top of every search result, often ads for their own services, as well as very interruptive video adverts on YouTube, and then lectures others on over-prominent ads).
         
         The ad situation is a cat and mouse game. Google constantly changes the rules and everyone else dances.
         
         The contemporary situation with ads is nowhere near as bad for users as how it was ten years ago, if my memory serves me right, maybe I should check the Wayback Machine, but I believe I'm correct.
         
         "Content Farm" was always a derogatory term used by detractors, that no company wanted to wear as a badge. Wizzley is still going though the last time I looked. The only writing company with ad-sharing that I miss personally, is Squidoo.

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            Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            You explained all that very well Paul. I especially like your analogy where you said, “Google constantly changes the rules and everyone else dances.”

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         NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Totally agree, Glenn.

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            Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks Nate.

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         OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I have to differ, Glenn.  I write on both HP and Medium.  My audience on Medium is only slightly smaller than my audience on HP, but the payout is much, much higher.  I am making 5 times as much on Medium as I make on HP with fewer readers and fewer articles.

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            eugbugposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Are all your articles indexed by Google? None of mine are, but they're indexed by Bing and Yahoo. Medium support said they'd get them recrawled but Google still haven't picked them up yet after two weeks. One of them was published November last. I read somewhere that not all Medium articles are indexed?

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               NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Maybe you just want the exposure but my understanding is that Google traffic has no real bearing on earnings on Medium. Earnings come from subscribers.

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                  eugbugposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  I was really trying to use one of them (if it ranked high) to pull in viewers. The content was basic and it would act as a teaser to send readers to a more comprehensive HubPages guide. I know "how to" guides don't usually do well on Medium, but I noticed a dummies guide to electricity ranked high in SERPS, so that's why I tried the experiment.

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                     NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                     Okay, I see. That makes sense.

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               OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Two different audiences.  On HP, I depend on Google for traffic.  On Medium, I only get paid if subscribers read my articles.  Traffic from Google doesn't make any money for me because almost all of it is non-subscribers.

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            NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            I didn't know that about Medium although someone else said they earn quite a bit there. I've started writing there and will be interested to see how it pans out.
            
            Edit: What I'm wondering is if you need to interact a lot, comment on other articles, to get traffic to your article for earnings. That would seem somewhat labor-intensive in the end.

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               OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               It is labor intensive, but the best way to build an audience.  The first few months I was on Medium, I set aside a few hours a day to read, highlight, clap and comment on other people's articles.  It worked for me.

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                  NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  Good to know, thanks Caren.

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            Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Everyone has different experiences on Medium, Caren. That all depends on the kind of subjects that you write about.
            
            To explain the difference, Medium is great for topics that people want to follow. So you do well when you build a following and stick to the same topic. But your followers need to be paying subscribers for you to earn from their views. 
            
            On the other hand, HubPages is great for writing about topics that people search for online. I discovered that is a better way to earn from my efforts. The audience from SERPs is much larger than any following you can build. In addition, followers early read all your content. And many followers do so merely in hopes that you follow back, which is useless.
            
            For that reason, writing for organic traffic is much better, in my opinion, and based on my experience with writing on both platforms. I explain all that in more detail in several articles I wrote comparing the two platforms.
            
            One last thing, I find that my articles on HubPages continue to earn revenue years after I publish. My articles on Medium earn well in the first few days or weeks and then die off to practically nothing. I do see that Google traffic continues to grow with those dead articles on Medium, but I earn nothing since they are not subscribers.
            
            The bottom line, Medium is excellent if you can work hard at keeping followers engaged. That means writing continuously and often, which is a very different business than writing for organic traffic on HubPages.

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               PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

               I do wonder how much people actually earn on Medium (as well as how well that revenue system will perform in the long term). I will be honest and say that I'm jaded by past experience, when people would come on here and say that they earned ten times as much on Wizzley etc.
               
               I never found anything that did as well as here (with the possible exception of Squidoo). Bubblews, you could earn a quick ten or twenty bucks without much effort, but it was always going to be a flash in the pan, as their business plan was flawed. HP is a long term commitment, but it pays off over time.
               
               The questions I have to ask about Medium are:
               1. How much are people actually earning? 1, 2, 3, 4 figure sums/month?
               2. Some people are saying they earn off political opinion articles and blog-style articles, which are typically low revenue in the ads-based world. Are Medium supplementing payments in an effort to boost the site, but the business plan relies on them reaching X numbers of subscribers by a certain point, making it potentially unsustainable?

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                  NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  I have strong doubts Medium is in danger of going out of business. They have some very big names writing for them and I would think, therefore, they are not lacking in subscribers or new subscribers. I don't know if the one thing necessarily follows the other, it just seems to me if they have former Presidents and other high-profile names writing for the site it's unlikely to fold.

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                  OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  I think the stats are something like 92% or 93% of Medium writers earn less than $100 per month.  That's the holy grail on Medium to make more than $100.  The biggest writers on Medium earn 6 figures annually.

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                  Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  Paul, The thing about Medium, from my experience, is that we earn better when we have a following of readers that want to keep up on a particular subject. That is very different from writing about anything and getting traffic from SERPs.
                  
                  You can diversify, but then you get readers who might follow you based on one of your subjects, and when they see a different topic, they begin to ignore you. My solution was to create individual publications for niche followers.
                  
                  As far as earnings go, I get paid well for new articles, and then it dwindles down to almost nothing. The solution is to keep writing, and often. That is very different from my experience here on HubPages, where my older articles, even from ten years ago, continue to bring in  revenue.
                  
                  I'm sure political articles can do well on Medium. I would think that's because they attract readers who want to read about politics. That is what I was saying all along–on Medium you need a following to do well. The topic doesn't matter as long as you build a following.
                  
                  Per your last question, Medium is not supplementing payments. All payments come from subscribers, and is based on how long they scroll on your content reading. If they click away quickly, that doesn't count.
                  
                  The most crucial thing is that one needs to keep writing often to keep their followers active. I don't write often enough to make that work as well as things are going for me here on HubPages.

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                     PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks for the info. It's difficult to know what you mean by "paid well", but some of the other info was interesting and useful.
                     
                     I looked up the business side of things and Medium is not profitable. With overheads etc., they probably don't make enough from subscriptions to cover the payments. That's not necessarily bad, of course, most companies rely on borrowed money for years before they make anything, that's part of the gamble of capitalism and how it works. But this was what I was getting at with the "supplement" phrase.
                     
                     Their big alteration to their business model recently could also be interpreted in a variety of ways. I suspect that something wasn't working out. They seem to have gone through a number of different approaches over the years, advertising/not advertising, pro writers/independent writers etc.
                     
                     The practicalities of writing there that you outlined seems to agree with what others have said. It would likely take quite some time to earn much there on a consistent basis, due to building followers etc.

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                        Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                        Yes, they did make significant changes to the platform recently, and I never could get used to it. The prior platform was much easier to maneuver through.
                        
                        I realize "paid well" is up for interpretation, and it's somewhat meaningless because it's based on work ethics. I would say this if I didn't already make it clear that payments dwindle when you stop writing on Medium. I was surprised to earn $5 on the first day with my first article.
                        
                        I thought that would add up to $150 in a month for one article, but it didn't continue. How silly of me to think that. I soon learned that every article gets a good hit in the first 24 to 48 hours; some last longer, and some: much longer. It's all dependent on curation. But the views dry up unless you keep adding new content.
                        
                        As for the business side, They pay out from the subscription payments, so they don't go into debt. I don't think they would have come this far if they weren't careful with that.
                        
                        Medium is a professional company, in my opinion. After all, it was founded by Evan Williams, who previously co-founded Twitter. And before that, he created Blogger, which he later sold to Google in 2003.

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                           PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                           At some point in the future they may have equal or more money coming in than they spend, but that day hasn't arrived yet. Most internet companies live on debt for years. That doesn't make them unprofessional. Unless they're Bubblews! Hehe!
                           
                           My general point was more that I'm more wary of giving a long term commitment, if they are going to keep changing their business model every couple of years. Looking at their history, they seem to be flapping around a little, trying to find something that works. Or at least, that's one interpretation, maybe it's a cunning plan!
                           
                           I gather their original vision was to be Twitter with more text?

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                              Solarasposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                              Their original vision was to be a huge content machine that had the kind of reputation that the New York Times has for information or Amazon has for product reviews.  They wanted to be bigger than Google, so that people would bypass Google and go straight to Maven for their answers.
                              
                              The pitch was, Google and Facebook have too much power; they can destroy you in a day, at a whim. (Think Little Things, a FB site that was destroyed with a FB alog change in a month) Join us and make your own future by being as big or bigger than they are.
                              
                              Hence courting small sites that have huge followings, and adding HP to the mix to fill in the gaps. Eventually they added Sports Illustrated to get the lock on the sports media industry. They have as much content as NYT, but have not developed the reputation for having the answers to everything under the sun.  They could add a media blitz to try to get the reputation, but that would require another fortune.

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               NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Good point. This is the question I've had about Medium - how much work it involves. As you say, you can make money on an article on one of the Hubpages sites that makes money years down the road. I thought maybe that was possible on Medium, through subscribers who possibly discover your article even some time down the road after you've written it - but sounds like that's not the case.

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                  Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  Nate, I do see views occurring down the road on Medium from new people who discovered one thing or another. But that is rare for me because I don't publish often.
                  
                  Whenever I do publish something new, I get a sudden increase on my other articles I wrote in the past. But then that dries up quickly again. I know I would have to keep writing to keep that going.
                  
                  So I hope that helps answer your question. However, what happens with me might not be the same for you. For me, it's crucial to keep doing a lot of work writing new content all the time. Personally, I'd rather do that here so I know I'll be compensated years down the road. For that reason, I have't been focusing on writing much on Medium lately.

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               OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Glenn, it was your articles on Medium that got me writing on Medium.  While I do stick to one niche (politics), the highest earners on Medium write on many different topics.  It is recommended if you want to earn a lot, you should diversify your topics.

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                  NateB11posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  Also good to know, I wondered about that. My plan was to have a range of topics.

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                  Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  I'm glad my articles about Medium inspired you to write there. You're right about the importance of diversifying. I do that here on HubPages, and my articles get moved to many different niche sites for that reason.
                  
                  The way HubPages has created a niche site for each subject has helped a great deal. The only way to do that on Medium is to create niche publications or publish in other publications. I use both strategies. That works and goes along with what you recommend.
                  
                  The only thing that bothers me is seeing all the Google traffic I get to my Medium articles without the ability to get paid for those views.
                  
                  Interestingly, I notice I get paid for zero views once in a while, and I assume that came from readers who subscribed within a few days of reading one of my articles. I'm sure that happens to you too.
                  
                  You probably know that they pay us for views retroactively as long as a reader subscribes within a few days. I don't recall the exact time frame.

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   Anne Ryefieldposted 3 years ago

   I would like to be clear that I don't have a problem with the staff here. I guess I only wish the forums were more active so that it didn't always feel so lonely. Part of the great thing about HP is that we can talk to each other and get input as well as entertainment. It's a different environment than my personal website where I basically talk to myself and hope that people stumble across my ramblings occasionally. I have to make all the decisions there, but here I can get opinions and that's invaluable.

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      eugbugposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Did you ever think of setting up a Facebook group relevant to the content of your website? Then you can talk shop and other things with members all day. I wish I could be less active on Facebook because I squander so much time talking with other people when I could be more productive.

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         PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I've long suspected that the elite of the writers on here are rarely or never seen, as they are too busy writing to get involved with the forums or Facebook!

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            lobobrandonposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Some of them treat it as their job so the social aspect is just a waste of time.

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               PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Typically, most people don't get too involved when things are going well. If people really want more involvement and passion on here, then it usually takes some sort of crash or turmoil.

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                  lobobrandonposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  True, that does bring many onto the forums.

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            OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Define "elite."  My earnings on HP will push me into a higher tax bracket this year but I still hang out in the forums.  I find them to be informative with lots of good info on what's going on with HP and Google updates,  what's going on with online writing, best practices with formatting, and just a lot of stuff that I don't know that I don't know but should know.

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10. 64

    OldRosesposted 3 years ago

    I know about the retroactive payments but don't really keep track too much.  I'm just having too much fun ranting about politics.  It's become a nice income stream for me.

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11. 71

    Kierstin Gunsbergposted 3 years ago

    I love HubPages! I don’t think it’s dead - I actually think the lack of forum posts shows how well HubPages is doing. The writers here are busy writing content. I treat HP as my part time job and it’s been a huge blessing to my family financially.

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12. 68

    PaulGoodman67posted 3 years ago

    I am surprised that 200 writers haven't shown up and complained about that traffic hit we took at the weekend. It confirms for me that quite a few of the veteran writers have drifted away over the past couple of years.
    
    I may try Medium if there's no turn around in the July update which is imminent. I am attached to the "passive income" model though. Right now I'm working my a**e off, but I like the idea of taking some time off when the COVID situation goes away and I can travel again.
    
    People talk about the lack of "community" nowadays. That's not generally a priority for me. But things like the Hubby awards and greater staff input did create a more communal environment, I guess.
    
    My main concern though is that Google hit. I naively thought that the niche setup and reorganization of the site would stop large sitewide hits to traffic.

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       Sherry Hewinsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Google hits also come and go. Yes, we get taken down from time to time, but then we climb back up again.

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       Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

       You're passive income and Google hit addict. Okay good for you to try  Medium an alternate. Believe me you, I'm not following this soon.                                                    I've visit Medium two or three times. I could not register, because my small TECNO phone configuration or factory set up seems to be outdated to present realities. Coming along when my mini laptop motherboard issue is resolved.

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       DrMark1961posted 3 years agoin reply to this

       I only log on here now a few days a week, but I am officially logging a complaint.
       Guess I need to get out there and drift some more!!!!

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          PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

          You are definitely one of the drifters!

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             Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

             Ha ha ha...eh eh eh...

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          Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

          DrMark, welcome to the discussion. Seems you have a little to contribute. How are your dogs behaving? Stay safe! And thanks

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    4. STAFF

       HubPagesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Hello Authors!
       
       We are looking to bring back the Hubbie awards in time for our annual HubPages anniversary! Stay tuned . . .
       
       Best,
       
       Tessa

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          Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks. Tessa, thanks.

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          Misbah786posted 3 years agoin reply to this

          That's an awesome news...
          Thanks, Tessa

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          PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

          I think that would be great fun, Tessa, and maybe bring back a bit of community spirit, which has perhaps waned a little and could do with a boost.

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             Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

             I'm afraid so.

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       4. 84

          Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

          Great to hear the Hubbies are returning. Things seem to be looking up. Thanks Tessa.

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13. 59

    Anne Ryefieldposted 3 years ago

    Well, I'm glad that I'm being proven wrong. One of the few times I don't mind!
    
    I don't have a lot of articles and don't make much money. But I get a few dollars trickling in every month. I know my HubPages life is currently on life support because I stopped writing just about everything two years ago. I'm trying to get back into the groove, so hopefully there will be a new article of mine popping up soon.
    
    I never paid much attention to updates. What can we expect in general for July?

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       eugbugposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Hopefully we're not all doomed. The much anticipated Page Experience update has been rolling out since yesterday.

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       Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Glad you're coming home.                                    Any new article you wrote can impact an individual.

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