What Is Going on With the Newsletter?

1. 93

   EricDockettposted 13 months ago

   For the second time in the last few weeks, the HP newsletter is telling me about Barbie.
   
   Other times as of late, it appears to become a platform for HP staff to express their thoughts on current events.
   
   Shouldn't the point of the HP newsletter be to tell me about HubPages?  If I want news, current events, or editorials I know where to find it.
   
   HP writers have complained many, many times over the last few years about how we don't know what is going on with HubPages anymore, how the staff doesn't communicate, and how we are kept in the dark.
   
   The newsletter seems like the appropriate vehicle to remedy those complaints, or at least alleviate them to whatever degree possible.
   
   It would be great to see that happen.

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   1. 83

      bravewarriorposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      Why do you think many, many past prolific HP writers have disappeared? With the various iterations and handing over of the baton repeatedly, the HP platform is no more. We have no say. The crap that inundates our articles results in not wanting to share on social media because of the inundation of ads - not to mention embarrassment of same - and the interruption of the read. The increase in bounce rates don't seem to mean diddly-durn to TAG. They're forcing us out. Don't you see that?
      
      Frankly, I have no desire to play their game. I'm working on branching out into the REAL freelance world where REAL money is to be made. And it's not on a glorified content mill platform, which HP clearly has become.

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      1. 93

         EricDockettposted 13 months agoin reply to this

         Can you elaborate on the "forcing us out" part? I see something, but I'm not sure it's that. But I've been wrong before.

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         1. 83

            bravewarriorposted 13 months agoin reply to this

            Eric, I simply mean our input doesn't matter. The fact that they've uglied up our posts deters us from sharing and bringing in additional traffic. HP is is low man on their totem pole. It's become quite clear each time HP has been sold/merged three times in the past few years.
            
            Seriously, how can HP stand up to Sports Illustrated and the like?
            
            Read between the ad-laden lines!

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   2. 92

      Kenna McHughposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      Eric, Yes. It would be great to hear from HP on matters of HP, not Barbie or Oppenheimer's box office score, which is old news. Alas! They probably won't even feed us cake!

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   3. STAFF

      Angel Jenningsposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      Hi Eric,
      
      We appreciate your feedback. The newsletter is written by HubPages editorial staff, and there are generally sections on current events, holidays, featured authors and articles, grammar tips, and the like.
      
      In the past, we’ve also included author interviews, spotlights on different Network Sites, and “word of the day” segments. The newsletter is fairly open-ended in terms of what can be included from week to week, and recent years have seen the newsletter transition among different contributors on our team, which is why you’ve seen some variation in its content and style.
      
      When we make major changes to our editorial policies or update our guidelines, we include a brief explanation of those adjustments in the newsletter. Our aim is to provide insights into the editorial aspects of HubPages, as that's our area of expertise, but we try to flesh out the newsletter a bit so as to provide additional interesting and engaging content for our community, especially when we don’t have any new editorial updates to share. As you can imagine, it’s a bit of a challenge to come up with fresh, interesting content for the newsletter every week!
      
      We understand authors would like more insights and transparency about HubPages’ inner workings. While we strive to provide valuable content in the newsletter, the editor-produced publication is not the ideal platform for addressing company operations. We encourage you to reach out to editors@hubpages.com if you have specific questions so that your inquiries can be directed to the appropriate channels.
      
      Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding the content of the newsletter; I will pass it along to the team.
      
      Take care,
      Angel

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      1. 89

         Jodahposted 13 months agoin reply to this

         Thank you for addressing this, Angel. I appreciate that you have been monitoring the forums recently and providing feedback when required. It is good to be able to put a face to HubPages staff - I have missed that.

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      2. 93

         EricDockettposted 13 months agoin reply to this

         Hi Angel. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I do appreciate your presence in the forums as of late. Not sure if this is a new assignment, but if so, I think it is a good move for HP to have a staff member assigned to the forums again.
         
         I understand it is tough to come up with content for a weekly newsletter. I used to run a newsletter myself for several years, so I get it. But if that is the case, maybe switch to a monthly format.
         
         You can send a separate email blast about important announcements.
         
         I have also been around these parts for a long time. I know what the newsletter is and has been. In fact, I went back and pulled a few from years ago. They were shorter, punchier, and almost 100% HubPages related.
         
         With the loss in traffic and earnings over the past few years, I can't believe it is a good use of HP staff's time to research and write content about Barbie.
         
         I also strongly disagree that the newsletter is not a good platform for addressing company operations. It is certainly a better process than individual writers separately emailing questions to HP staff.
         
         For example, you could publish a roadmap for projects that are in the works and on the horizon and give updates via the newsletter. Surely such a roadmap must exist.
         
         If HP staff truly has no idea what the outlook is or what you can share, maybe this means getting different people involved in the process.
         
         The newsletter should be an opportunity to cultivate a community of informed, educated, motivated writers. When you send stories about Barbie and other nonsense, you are treating us like customers you are trying to entertain.

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         1. 92

            Kenna McHughposted 13 months agoin reply to this

            I agree, Eric. The newsletter is vital for letting us know the future road map. It gives us direction, purpose and hope.

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      3. 92

         Kenna McHughposted 13 months agoin reply to this

         Angel,
         
         Sending emails to editors for whys and wherefores doesn't always help. I guess we don't have a choice.

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2. 96

   eugbugposted 13 months ago

   I don't think Hubpages exists anymore, just TAG. That's whey we don't hear anything. Hubpages is just a brand and no longer a separate company. TAG never communicate with us mere plebs.

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3. 96

   eugbugposted 13 months ago

   But maybe not. TAG are based in NY. Hubpages's address is in Seattle. Trying to see in the windows here to see if anyone's home.
   
   
   

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4. 86

   Venkatachari Mposted 13 months ago

   I do not find any issue with it. It is better that they are updating you on good news that you are missing.
   I, for myself, enjoyed reading every word of it and am grateful for that knowledge.

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5. 97

   PaulGoodman67posted 13 months ago

   Angel's response confirms what I thought, which is that the newsletter is essentially the editors' baby.
   
   That's not a problem in itself. However, other sources of info have become sparse or dried up.
   
   The HP blog is still linked to in the account menu but I don't think there's been been any new posts since the Maven demise in 2020.
   
   Official announcements in the forums used to occur with much greater frequency.
   
   Staff participation in the forums was greater and more info was imparted.
   
   I personally don't have any problem with the newsletter. It's perfectly fine for what it is. The difficulty is that it's really the only general source of info left and its scope seems very specific and relatively narrow.

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   1. 93

      EricDockettposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      I can ignore the newsletter easily enough. Or opt out. It is just a shame that it has come to this.
      
      I suppose the healthiest approach is to accept what HP has become and not expect things to change.

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      1. 97

         PaulGoodman67posted 13 months agoin reply to this

         The site has an "unloved" feel about it nowadays.
         
         As I have more than one account, I sign in and out a lot. Every time I see the signout page, I get to see the HP featured writers.
         
         The faces and figures haven’t changed for years. Aside from "Linda Crampton," I don't think that any of them have been active on the site for a long time.
         
         Does it affect my life in any significant way? No, but it’s kind of weird, like seeing ghosts from the past, and it does contribute to the general sense of decay.
         
         I don't honestly think that there is a truly "healthy" response to the situation. But I agree that there's nothing we can do about it.
         
         When you sign up for a platform like this, you're effectively giving others a lot of control. That's fine when things are going well but not so much when they aren't.

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