Email Notifications From HubPages

1. 85

   Jodahposted 17 months ago

   
   I find it a little sad that the latest Weekly email Notification only contains three hubs by hubbers I follow. Not even any forum posts. I think that is the least I have ever seen in the 14 years I have been a member here.

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   1. 83

      Kenna McHughposted 17 months agoin reply to this

      Google's control over the Internet is oppressive, which bleeds into HP. The result is HP doing nonsensical actions. I am now conversing with the editing team because of illogical perspectives and editing. It's ghastly. I feel deflated and can't "fight back," which signifies defeat. Writers are told not to complain and write good content. But, if editors send out oppressive explanations that don't relate to my article(s). It feels like defeatism. I don't blame writers for not writing.

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      1. 85

         Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

         It is so sad, Kenna. It seems we are constantly in a war wit Google’s changes and ultimately HubPages team because of their reactions to Googles power over everything. It is deflating.

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         1. 83

            Kenna McHughposted 17 months agoin reply to this

            John, thank you for the acknowledgement. Editors lately are a pain, making no sense.

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2. 91

   Venkatachari Mposted 17 months ago

   Is it weekly or daily? Do you receive weekly notifications?
   
   My emails are daily notifications. I received sometimes one-hub notification with one or two forum posts.
   
   But, if you say it is a weekly mail, then it is very awkward to see only 3 hubs and no forum posts in an entire week. It's just like wandering through a deserted land.

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3. 68

   PaulGoodman67posted 17 months ago

   It's difficult to put in the time and effort when the site is declining. I'm glad that HP are still working hard to revive the site's fortunes but I'm as frustrated as others and understand why some walk away.
   
   I can't see enthusiasm and participation levels improving without views and earnings getting better.

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   1. 85

      Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

      It is delating. Views continue to plummet, and subsequently earnings. It is hard to find any enthusiasm to write here. I have gone from writing about three articles a week to one every six weeks.

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4. 85

   Jodahposted 17 months ago

   Sorry, Venkatachari, you are right. It is daily. Still, it is very meagre compared to the usual.

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5. 86

   jansharesposted 17 months ago

   I've noticed the same, John. Less writing happening. When I check the forums, sometimes the last post was many hours since the last engagement. Nothing new going on. It is sad.

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   1. 68

      PaulGoodman67posted 17 months agoin reply to this

      Yes, I suspect it's a trend that's been going on for some time but now it's accelerated.
      
      When I see old forum threads from years ago, it's striking that the comments often run on for pages and there's a great deal of passion.
      
      I do think there's a wider context, though. The internet has changed a lot from the idealist days when it was portrayed as something that would involve us all and transform the world for the better.
      
      Nowadays, it can just seem like a cold, money-making machine that's dominated by a handful of corporations like Google and ruled over by a tiny gaggle of egotistical entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk. It feels like something was taken away from us.
      
      The entire business model of this site depended upon and still depends upon Google. That's a problem as the top search results are now often essentially paid-for ads and Google uses the search to promote its own products and services.

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      1. 85

         Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

         Well said, Paul. These are sad days indeed. The Internet is not what it once was.

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   2. 85

      Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

      Yes, Jan. it is sad. This whole site used to be so vibrant, the forums, the comments. It is even boring to check the feed these days.

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      1. 86

         jansharesposted 17 months agoin reply to this

         +1

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6. 84

   Vlado - Val Karasposted 17 months ago

   John -- Back in my old country there is a saying: "Short is the step from love to hate". And although it's still a little too soon to start "hating", this situation may explain why I have closed my account four times. Probably to match another good saying: "Good-byes often come in installments."-- LOL.

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   1. 85

      Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

      Val, Thanks for chiming in. I like both of those sayings. They are both very true. I keep my account open in the vain hope that one day things here will change, and it will return to the good old days/ways.

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7. 83

   Solarasposted 17 months ago

   Checking forums yesterday, only a half page of active discussions came up.  It was bleak, compared to not so long ago when there was 1.5 pages of active threads.

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   1. 85

      Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

      Very bleak, yes.

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8. 75

   jauthorposted 17 months ago

   It's sad to hear about a decline. I only joined a year ago but I've noticed a drop in views. I really enjoy writing for the site so hopefully things will get better!

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   1. 85

      Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

      I hope so too, jauthor.

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      1. 91

         Venkatachari Mposted 17 months agoin reply to this

         Only one hub got published today also.
         
         I have also not written anything here for months even though I check in to read an article or two daily.

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         1. 68

            PaulGoodman67posted 17 months agoin reply to this

            Yes, it's not easy to summon the energy to write and publish new material in the current environment.
            
            Part of the motivation for people like me is the assumption that views and earnings will gradually improve over time. If views and earnings seem destined to decrease, it's a real dampener on morale.
            
            I published a couple of new articles a few months back but nothing since. Before the decline started, I was publishing two articles per week.
            
            Even those writers who are not motivated by earnings have been drifting away because things like the comments no longer function like they once did.

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   2. 86

      Jan Stepanposted 17 months agoin reply to this

      I have been here for over two years now. I more or less joined when things started to go downward, sadly.
      
      But I am still not giving up, and I hope you aren't either. We must stay and show that we aren't giving up. That's the only way forward – for us, for HP.

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      1. 83

         Kenna McHughposted 17 months agoin reply to this

         I hear you, Jean. But if management doesn't take the correct initiative, there is nothing writers can do. Unfortunately, that is how it works.

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      2. 68

         PaulGoodman67posted 17 months agoin reply to this

         When I joined in late 2010, HP seemed like a stellar success story. Views and earnings just kept going up and up.
         
         However, it didn't take long before Google's Panda update struck. The site was devastated and the original vision for HP was thrown into disarray.
         
         It took the site several years to recover.
         
         I used to be confident that the site could always bounce back no matter what happens but that confidence has been knocked by events in recent years.
         
         Sometimes an individual can succeed through a positive attitude and force of will but there's a lot going on here that's completely outside of our control.
         
         I plan to stay here but I don't really blame anyone for walking away.
         
         I just hope HP can work some magic.

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         1. 83

            Kenna McHughposted 17 months agoin reply to this

            That magic is know-how. And if HP doesn't take the initiative, there is absolutely nothing we can do.
            
            I am not leaving either, even after the last two unfounded edits.

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            1. 68

               PaulGoodman67posted 17 months agoin reply to this

               The disturbing thing is that this is traditionally the best time of year for views and earnings. Come January, there will be a drastic drop in CPMs because there always is after the Christmas period.

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9. 89

   ChitrangadaSharanposted 17 months ago

   Hello John,
   You have shared the same sentiments, as me and many others. Declined views and earnings, lack of feedback, less active participation are some of the reasons why most of the writers have lost the motivation.
   There is no enthusiasm to write something new, due to lack of interaction by others.
   This site has lost it's soul. There is no connect. So many have left or leaving the site.
   What a sad state of affairs for a happening site, which was once bubbling with energy and enthusiasm!
   I was hoping against hope that things will improve. But, I think I was wrong.

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   1. 85

      Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

      Hi Chitrangada. I agree with everything you say. the loss of all those things have combined to make the site what it is at the moment. I always said I wouldn't leave HubPages unless it actually folds. I continue to hope that things will turn around and it will one day go back to how it once was and community will become important once again. It is doubtful though.

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10. 89

    Genna Eastposted 17 months ago

    Hello John and everyone...
    
    I plan on returning to HP in early January, as I am taking an early retirement.  I hope there is something we can do, collectively, to revive this site, and to bring back fellow writers.

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    1. 85

       Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

       Hi Genna. It will be great to have you back, but whether we can do anything to change the situation remains to be seen. Let’s hope.

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11. 84

    Vlado - Val Karasposted 17 months ago

    Just being curious...does anybody know what was the "official" explanation for the "Comments" function having been disabled? I mean, in which way was it "hurting" the website, or Google's policies, or whatever...that writers were acting as a community, exchanging often supportive ideas, and technically doing something constructive?
    And, if we are not supposed to ask such questions, it brings up the question of our overall value as contributors, and as such, producers of the profits.
    So, again, if the number of writers are leaving even because the "spirit of a community is dead" -- not only because of the traffic and earnings decline -- why is it still so important that we don't have our Comments function enabled?

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    1. 70

       Shesabutterflyposted 17 months agoin reply to this

       The Maven platform does not support comments in the same way that the HP system did. I believe that is the reason they have tried (and failed) introducing other platforms to bring comments back to articles. First the system used on Letterpile and most recently Rojo.
       
       The callouts, quotes, quizzes, ect also received a facelift and could not make the transfer in their original form. Unfortunately, those features were able to be integrated into the new Maven layout easier than comments.

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12. 89

    Genna Eastposted 17 months ago

    Hi again...
    
    I just read this article post on HP...interesting read, folks.   
    
    Google Traffic Drop: Lets Put Together an ACTION LIST!

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    1. 68

       PaulGoodman67posted 17 months agoin reply to this

       I wish it were that easy, that we could all post and action a few helpful tips and then things would recover. Unfortunately, I don't believe that's the case.
       
       I'm not saying that hubbers shouldn't improve their work or share their work on sites like Pinterest, they should, but there are things that need fixing at HP's end.
       
       This is a deep decline that's been going on for more than two years and many of the problems are completely outside of our control.

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13. 89

    Genna Eastposted 17 months ago

    I agree, Paul.  And I don’t believe that republishing older hubs is the answer.   I originally joined HP over ten years ago.  I’ve been watching a bit from the sidelines, and HP has changed rather dramatically.  The increased ad placements that splice n’ dice certain hubs; the shredding of the comments feature; Google’s ham-fisted changes, and more, are disconcerting.   I still look forward to returning in early January, and have a couple of ideas that just might be helpful.

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14. 83

    Solarasposted 17 months ago

    Why would it be that the majority of our most successful articles are 5+ years old.  Presumably we are better writers now than we were 5 or 10 years ago. It seems we probably understand SEO better now, but maybe not.
    
    Maybe we are missing out on some sea change in SEO that occurred several years ago. Does it take that much time for Google to appreciate it? All of our articles are on the same platform as the older more successful articles. Does anyone have a clue?

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15. 85

    Jodahposted 17 months ago

    Just to show I am being fair, here is a screenshot of today's notification email. It shows a huge improvement.
    
    

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    1. 68

       PaulGoodman67posted 17 months agoin reply to this

       I didn't have any problem with the thrust of your original post, which I don't believe was unfair. It was highlighting a problem that anybody who's paying attention has noticed. Of course, things go up and down but the overall trend in publishing and participation is definitely downwards.

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       1. 85

          Jodahposted 17 months agoin reply to this

          Thanks Paul. Yes, that’s true… the overall spiral is downwards.

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