Site update - new features

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   Jason Menayanposted 13 years ago

   Hey all -
   
   HubPages just rolled out a new build with a few new features we'd like to draw your attention to:
   
   Revamped Topic Pages - Take a look at the Health page. This includes a topic-specific feed, and it shows you some important stats about the topical community (how many people follow the topic, how many Hubs published, etc.) We will be adding features to these pages as times goes on to enhance the community "feel" to them.
   
   Learning Center - The Learning Center replaces the Guide and will be wellspring of advice and instructions for both newbies and veterans. Please contact us if you'd like to guest-author a post: we're looking for useful tips & tricks that help Hubbers get the most out of their HubPages experience.
   
   HubPages Elite - Some Hubbers will have an "e" insignia to the lower-left of their profile picture, and a HubPages Elite title under their name. The Elite are a dedicated group of folks who have been working, often behind the scenes, on special programs that enhance people's experience on the site. You can learn more on the HubPages Elite page.
   
   Minor forum change - In order to minimize confusion, if you are in chronological mode, hitting Reply will automatically quote the post you're replying to (this change does away with the Quote button).
   
   We hope the changes are to your liking! If you notice any bugs, please let us know here.

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      sarovaiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thank u for making changes. Change is not changeable. Hubpages team shows the continuous progress. Congrats.

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      cosetteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      i am just wondering about the term "elite". surely everyone knows what that word implies. the word itself means "a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status".
      
      hmm.
      
      so "certain people" get a little "e" by their name, which makes it seem as if they are better somehow that their peers.
      
      that is what we hubbers are, right - peers?
      
      a lot of people here refer to themselves as writers because they write hubs.
      
      i myself am a writer by profession, and have been for 10 years. but i don't go around lording it over people.
      
      i don't know, i just think the word "elite" is going to go to some peoples' heads. why not just have a gold star where the "e" is? no one is better than anyone else in my book.

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         Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         This doesn't bode well for harmony here at HP.  Other writing sites use this "system" and it always seems to enable "some" to be arrogant and condescending.  Oh well, I'm certainly glad I can always remove my junk if things keep moving in this direction.
         
         But I will give it a chance, perhaps human nature is not present on HP.

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            cosetteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            you think?
            
            it already is, in pockets, new titles notwithstanding. this will just amplify it, it seems to me.

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         darksideposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Do you find the 'e' a little extreme?
         
         Perhaps think of it standing for Encourager.
         
         If I had a gold star I'd be walking around with a bit of a head wobble. Pointing out to everyone "LOOK AT MY GOLD STAR! YES, I AM BETTER THAN YOU!"
         
         A gold star would inflate my already swollen ego. Gold stars just do it for me.
         
         So I vote for a change to a Gold Star system.
         
         On a more serious note, I also vote to bring back the quote button.

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            cosetteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            oOo. you're right.
            
            that gold star could get a little Star-bellied Sneetchy. i hadn't thought of that. thanks!

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   Crazdwriterposted 13 years ago

   Very nice Jason...will definitely enjoy checking out the new stuff you guys added. Already noticed the reply quote button thing. and so far not bad.

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   Cagsilposted 13 years ago

   Thank you Jason.

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   lakeerieartistsposted 13 years ago

   Sound like some good additions to the site. 

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   AEvansposted 13 years ago

   More wonderful features thank you!

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   Sage Williamsposted 13 years ago

   Will definitely check it out.  Thanks so much for the update.
   
   Sage

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   wrenfrost56posted 13 years ago

   Thank-you, I hope you know you are spoiling us with all these new features.

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   girly_girl09posted 13 years ago

   Loving the new features that I've explored, thus far...thanks!

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   prettydarkhorseposted 13 years ago

   Thank you for the information and for continuously improving this site!

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    K Partinposted 13 years ago

    Thanks Jason, looks good..appreciate everyone's effort to keep HP fresh!

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    RedElfposted 13 years ago

    Hey thanks for the update, Jason!

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    Money Glitchposted 13 years ago

    Thanks for the 411, Jason! I've just checked out the "health" topic; looks really cool and love the stats!   Definitely looking forward to checking out the Learning center and the other changes..

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    livewithrichardposted 13 years ago

    The learning center is a pretty good addition and something that is well needed on this site.  Good job HP.

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    G Miahposted 13 years ago

    Fantastic!!
    
    Things just keep getting better! But who will be receiving the big 'e' next to their name? I can think of some!

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    relacheposted 13 years ago

    I absolutely HATE using a threaded view, and now you're telling me that no matter what I'm going to be quoting entire posts as a default? 
    
    So now, I'm going to be forced to switch over to a threaded view every single time I want to reply just so I don't quote someone?
    
    This is the worst forum decision I've ever experienced.  This sucks so completely it's not even funny.

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       WriteAngledposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I've discovered on chronological view that if you hit "reply" the whole previous message gets cited. However, if you scroll further down and hit "post a reply" nothing is cited.

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       Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Hit the Post a Reply button at the bottom of the page, and nothing will be quoted.

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          Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          IDK Jason, this is definitely not what I was asking for... So far it made my life on forums more complicated - cause I am the person who normally quotes just a portion of the post... It was much easier before...
          
          And I am not really sure it solves the problem of threaded responses being out of place in a chronological view...

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             Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             You can still do that, it just takes a little copy-and-paste (as I've done here).
             
             It wasn't meant to do that...or do you mean in the threaded view?

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                Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                That's what I meant - it was easier before for people who used quote button properly, and now you made it way more difficult.
                
                However, I went and checked one of the old threads that was completely unreadable in chrono view, and now it has quotes! Wow! Huge thanks for that!
                
                Can we at least edit our posts with quotes after we posted them, to be able to remove the unneeded part of the quote? Pretty please?

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                camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                But it is awkward. And by the time the comment is posted, it's less relevent, because of the time it takes (me).

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       Jane@CMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I totally agree, this is AWEFUL!

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          dishyumposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          

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       Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I'm with Relache on this one.  It's always been tough to educate people not to quote whole posts, and now it's even less likely they'll quote selectively.

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    Ohmaposted 13 years ago

    Kudos
    I am so glad that you guys and gals work so hard to keep this sight so user friendly.

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    Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

    Thanks for constantly making HP a rockin' good site for everyone.
    MM

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    wsp2469posted 13 years ago

    I really don't care all that much because I am here to write actual hubs not talk sh*t about other people's religious or political beliefs.  Some people spend way too damn much time in here. 
    (I'm not pointing any fingers; I have no time to explain to anyone why I am right!)  In fact, I have noticed material in the forums that could be considered just as offensive or even more so then some of the pictures some of us post in our hubs.  I think it's funny. 
    I guess people get away with more in the forums because there are no ads in here.  No advertisers to offend in here.  That's a good thing because getting advertisers could be really difficult for HP these days.
    Anyway, most of these features don't apply to me but it explains why responses to certain inquiries seem to take some time lately.  Thanks for the information, folks!

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    shinujohn2008posted 13 years ago

    i like the topic page arrangement and Learning Center

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    Randy Godwinposted 13 years ago

    I don't know about the "elite" thingy.  It seems many of the so called elite have very low personal hub scores and some have only been here a few hours.  Sure, they may be alter egos but this looks amateurish at best. 
    
    Using the term "elite" itself seems distasteful somehow.  Too much, IMO.

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    joecsekoposted 13 years ago

    Allow me to post a small gripe, please. My score has never exceeded 99 in a sea of spammers and illiterate morons. I report spam quite often, but only now and then does Hub Pages admin do much about it. Many have had their pages unpublished, but far too few.
    If you were to compare the academia and readability of my hubs, nevermind their practicality, you would come up with scores far outside what I've received. I don't like adding pretty pictures. I'm a writer. The same goes for the outstanding few that I share this space with. I am a fan of many outstanding writers here!
    I know what I'm talking about, as do the many impressive individuals I'm fond of.
    When will WE get a fair shake?
    As for the forums, there are a great many that I frequent on the Internet. Most of the better forums have very few options for a reply, but always email you when someone replies directly to your post. I've had to turn my email notifications off from Hubpages because they're so irrelevant. More options as to what we'd like to be informed of would be great.
    Seriously, I've built similar sites before.

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       wsp2469posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Joe,
       A lot of hubbers hear you and agree with some of what you say.  however, what you have not been told yet is your score has little to do with JUST your actual writing. 
       WE hear ya though . . . trust me!

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    wsp2469posted 13 years ago

    Okay.  I've given the list of changes and other comments a read and have two more questions.
    1.  The Learning Center:  You ARE going to go over anything submitted by a guest author with a fine-tooth comb, right?  After all, a LOT of people who offer advice and suggestions on a regular basis have their own opinions and agendas and it shows to those of us who are smart enough to notice.  (EX: Look at how certain hubbers discuss the "75 Score Rule".  they throw in their own personal interpretations rather than stick to the facts.  Sorry, but newspaper veterans spot this type of thing.)
    2.  Re: "ELITE"
    I am assuming that this applies ONLY to HP staff, right?  Please tell me YES!  There are enough hubbers in here who play admin without it being further encouraged by a "title" and letter on their avatar! 
    Also: Joe DOES have a valid point or two.  (Then again, perhaps no one explained to him that the scores have little to do with actual writing once you do a bit of homework on the subject.)

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    relacheposted 13 years ago

    So I have to scroll down to the bottom of a page every single time I want to answer anything just to keep it from looking like a horrible mess?
    
    That's a terrible solution... and I have to agree with Marisa that now there's just going to be massive quoting when in fact people aren't saying anything that's a specific response to a previous statement.

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       darksideposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       To avoid the extra mess it's going to take more time.
       
       Before there was a lot less fussing about.

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    Hauntyposted 13 years ago

    The new Learning Center is an absolute winner.

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       wsp2469posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I'm sure as long as the professionals at HP run it or at least edit everything posted there that it will STAY that way.

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    ngurecoposted 13 years ago

    Jason, I was here: http://learningcenter.hubpages.com/crea … e-account/ and getting out of there is very difficult. You may consider adding the home page link at the top rather than I to keep on hitting the back button three or four times.

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    laswiposted 13 years ago

    Congratulations! Topics page is arranged in nice way.
    
    Regarding the HubPages Elite Team, I like if you give some little amount of details in front of each member although my picture is not there.

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    shabarigirishposted 13 years ago

    Great features.. Thank you Jason,
    There is no end for improvements.. Keep improving the site.

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    darksideposted 13 years ago

    I've posted three drafts so far. Let me know if they're on the right track.

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    (Q)posted 13 years ago

    Bring back the "Quote" button!

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    lovelypaperposted 13 years ago

    Looking forward to seeing the new features.

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    sunforgedposted 13 years ago

    well its just a little "e" I cant even see it on my netbook screen, lol
    
    The hubknowledge/learningcenter idea is strong, but I dont think the problem has ever been the knowledge but rather convincing the new user to bother looking for it.Maybe have all accounts less than 30 days old redirect to the learning center after log in and/or include a help newsletter as part of your TOS so all new users get updates to ne knowledge articles which will at least make it painfully obvious of where one should look for hub knowledge
    
    Maybe a pop-up when starting a thread in "need help" forum?

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    cosetteposted 13 years ago

    hee hee..."little e"....

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    WriteAngledposted 13 years ago

    I LIKE Encourager!!! Much better than Elite.

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       ngurecoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       "V" for Volunteer may also do.

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    WriteAngledposted 13 years ago

    I would also like to see the quote button back. I now am using "post a reply" most of the time to avoid having swathes of previous messages appear in my post rather than a selected sentence or two.

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    Randy Godwinposted 13 years ago

    Why not Exalted?  Heck, go for the whole shebang!LOL

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    sunforgedposted 13 years ago

    well you could always fake it to feel better, limited time only
    
    <-----------------
    
    
    

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       cosetteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       oOo, diabolical.
       
       and clever!
       
       edited to add: this is weird.i tried to edit this post so it wouldn't show sunforged's image URL but there's nothing here to edit. it's not pulling in the text for some reason. normally when you quote content with an image, it displays the image, but now it only displays the image URL.
       
       sorry about that

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          darksideposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I noticed that even under the previous normal quoting system it didn't embed images within a quote.

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    Randy Godwinposted 13 years ago

    Don't the rest of get a little "p" at the lower right corner, you know, for peon or peasant?  Or perhaps HP could put the "p" on top, like, "p" on us.LOL

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    Sally's Troveposted 13 years ago

    Please bring back the quote button.

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    Zsuzsy Beeposted 13 years ago

    Thank you Hubpages team for the new stuff. The 'e' is kind of cute and a nice acknowledgment for us doing the work on the hubnugget-picker team. I really appreciate it. Thanks.
    
    I would like to join in with the request for the return of the quote button too though.

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       Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I would've preferred a more neutral name than "elite" - maybe H for Helpers or V for Volunteers.  Elite sounds snobbish.
       
       And please bring back the quote button.

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          SweetiePieposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I agree with Marissa 100% on this .

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             Sally's Troveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Agreed, in every way.

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             Ghost32posted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Yup.  We gots them thar highfalutin' "ee-leets" an then thar's us lowly-life type "followers", ya know?  Gots ta keep tha kaste sisstem in place 'n all....

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             Susana Sposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             I also don't like the choice of elite - elitism is just a breath away. V for volunteer is a much better proposition. I'd be happy with a V, but as it is I'm going to ask to have my elite status removed - it really doesn't fit in with my view of things.

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          darksideposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Or HIV for Helping Innocent Visitors.
          
          Just kidding.
          
          I think we need animated gifs on the site. Getting the 'e' to flash a bright green would really make the site pop.
          
          
          
          PS: Please no one take my rantings in this thread seriously. Except for my feelings on the return of the QUOTE button.

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             Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             No problem, your Eliteness!

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                darksideposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                I was thinking Excellency.

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    liswilliamsposted 13 years ago

    thanks for your work, are the stats by any chance frozen?

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    Beth100posted 13 years ago

    Thanks for the update.
    
    Thanks to the HP staff for doing great work on improving the site!

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    samsoftposted 13 years ago

    Its really cool and okay, thanks for the update

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    Dao Hoaposted 13 years ago

    I also like the Quote button back because sometimes I only quote part of what people wrote. I do agree that massive quoting clutter up a thread.
    
    Pretty please, with sugar on top!

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    rmcrayneposted 13 years ago

    I notice that on most hubs I pull up, "bookmark" is not showing as an option.  Anyone else noticed this or other bugs since the upgrades last night? 
    
    And I agree, bring back the quote button.

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    Ghost32posted 13 years ago

    Thanks for the update; maybe I'll actually notice some of the changes for a change.  Since I'm still steamed and haven't really noticed anything since the change from "Fans" to "Followers", though, maybe not...

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    wsp2469posted 13 years ago

    Again, I am hoping "Elite" would be a term only used for actual HP employees.  there are way too many people in here who THINK they are part of admin. already . . . IF ya know what I mean!

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    lyricsingrayposted 13 years ago

    Thank you kindly - great to know

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    TattoGuyposted 13 years ago

    I noticed the Hub Elite and wondered what that was as a few were newbies, tis good to see the new changes. Deff going in the right direction, oh and tis nice to be back !

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    wsp2469posted 13 years ago

    Okay here is the scoop on the so-called elite:
    They are people who "go the extra mile and manage special programs".
    In other words, these are seemingly people who run hubnuggets, hub mob and who greet newcomers.
    So I guess the old folks at the front of Wal-Mart should have little "e"s on their name tags, too.
    Seriously, no need to be concerned here unless you enjoy working for free.
    If so, I am sure there are a lot more worthy causes to which you can volunteer your time.
    On the other hand, Hp would not have these programs if these folks wouldn't volunteer so that's nice for those of you who like these programs.
    At any rate, it doesn't seem to be anything to get upset about, okay?

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       Susana Sposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       My "e" has been removed on my request. I think it's probably helpful to differentiate volunteers at HP - but Elite sucks, lol. It won't make any odds to me since I'll still help where I can.

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          wsp2469posted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I'm actually happy the explanation at the elite page was so clear. Lord knows the rules about what is "family-friendly" and what is and is not allowed and what wil happen when you have accidentally broken so many rules, etc. are a whole lot less clear. It's way too generalized and all-encompassing for an American site on the internet.
          I don't care if they give you an "e".  It's okay.  Don't let people stress you out about it. 
          Mind you, if they truly valued the programs then they should hire people and PAY them but at least someone thought to throw you guys a bone for helping people who like those programs.  I myself just recently tried a HubMob.

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             Susana Sposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             I agree a lot of the instructions aren't very clear, but I think they are working on it now. I wasn't getting stressed by other hubbers regarding my e - it just didn't feel right to me. I'm just a hubber....nothing special, lol.
             
             Cash would definitely be a better reward

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    Internetwriter62posted 13 years ago

    I really like the upgrades to hub pages. I'm especially happy with the learning center. Being new, it's a lot easier, to get key point. I am very grateful to the hubbers, who have given of their time to give me advice and tips, but it also great to have a center on the site for learning. I also like the other ideas, I think the stats on the health page is wonderful, especially since I write health articles. Great brainstorming session, thanks for all the improvements, I appreciate it.

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