HubPages: Disarray, Uncertainty and Lack of Clarity

1. 93

   Kenna McHughposted 5 weeks ago

   Most forum posts comment on plans outside HP, such as taking their articles from HP and developing their own websites, with no discussions about thriving or surviving on HP.
   
   I am trying to articulate what I am experiencing with HP, so bear with me. It's like disjointed information, where HP says one thing and does another or does something without notice.
   
   I haven't edited or written new articles since the Discover dump and potential article kidnapping.
   
   It's anarchy. 
   
   It could be more transparent and more accessible to determine if I should write and post an article. If I write a new article, are there any suggestions for making sure it moves to one of the remaining niche sites?
   
   The recent articles posted by writers have the potential to be of better quality, but they have some issues, such as typos and poor grammar.
   
   What do you suggest? Leave or weather the confusion and anarchy? Edit existing articles? Any tips on surviving on HP?

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      Cheryl E Prestonposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      I am editing old articles and adding a few new ones until I know something definite.

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         Kenna McHughposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

         Cheryl, That's what I've been contemplating. Getting motivated is the hard part because I have uncertainty in HP.

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   2. 90

      WriterJanisposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      I'm keeping my articles updated and doing a little new writing just to see how things go. At the moment, this is the only place that I write.

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         Kenna McHughposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

         Janis, I hear you. I have my website, which is so-so. But my YT is growing and getting more of my attention. I know I should edit my HP articles. But the "not knowing" is tough.

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            WriterJanisposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

            I know the not knowing is tough. However, doesn't it keep your articles fresher with Google if you keep them updated?

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               Kenna McHughposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

               Janis, Good point.

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   3. 85

      bravewarriorposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      I have considered editing my articles that are still in the original HP abyss (which were quite successful in the day), but I've not been motivated enough to begin the journey because I no longer think this format is where I need to be in order to rise as a respected author/writer. As a result, I've found myself falling through too many rabbit holes in trying to find my place in the discriminate web that is the Internet. I'm very close to giving up. My muse has long been gone. How in the hell do I get her back?

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   4. 74

      Miebakagh57posted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

      Hubpages is a business venture. Proof is that it took some percentage of writers earnings (now uncertain) as profit.                                      That said, things in a business setting can go wrong under any condition. That's what  HubPages is experiencing at the moment. The Maven/TAG is the issue, and is getting worst day by day.                                      Critically, grant the dact that Hubpages 'is here to stay' as assert by Matt, it now looks like a water mirage in a desert.                                      Seriously, I have some article written down, but yet to received the blessings of my keyboard in hubpages favour.                                    Few weeks ago, they is a thread or discusion about trying other writing platforms as Medium and Substack. Seems I got stuck on the later. But I'll get over soon.                                       Seriously, I can't advice anyone here to stay with hp, move over, or operate a website. It's a personal initiative, and the risks there

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2. 97

   Rupert Taylorposted 5 weeks ago

   Kenna. I just posted a comment relevant to your post on the Upcoming Changes to Pethelpful, Dengarden, and Discover thread that Lisa started a couple of weeks back.
   
   I submitted an article that was obviously network-site-suitable. But the judgement was made it would do better on Discover. It hasn't done well there. The implication of the email I received was that all network sites are being shut down.
   
   I am still writing new articles and fiddling with existing ones. I have no interest nor skill in starting my own website.

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   1. 93

      Kenna McHughposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      Rupert, HP is sending out form emails that don't cover specific elements. HP is notorious for form emails; they did me no good in the old days. If my article didn't fall under the form email, which happened more often than not, I always had to reply to the email and ask for specifics.

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3. 83

   FatFreddysCatposted 5 weeks ago

   I'm pretty much done with HP at this point.
   
   I haven't written anything new since April, though I still login to wince at my ever-declining stats and skim the forums every couple of days. I did some quick edits on a couple of my Hubs this week, even though I don't see much point in continuing to do so.
   
   I have made backup copies of all my articles, but honestly, I don't have the time or the patience to take them and go start over somewhere else, or to learn how to start my own site.
   
   So I have reached the "F**k it. This was fun while it lasted" stage.
   
   I'm leaving my articles up so they can continue to earn their few bread crumbs per day until Maven inevitably turns the lights off, but unless the site undergoes some sort of miraculous resurrection, my days as an active Hubber appear to be at an end.

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   1. 93

      Kenna McHughposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      Keith, I feel that way, too. I have not edited or added new articles since the heave-ho to Discover.

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4. 99

   Carb Divaposted 5 weeks ago

   I have about half a dozen articles in draft. Once I publish those I will stop writing on HP. I am moving my content, piece by piece, to Medium. I think every 2 months I should at least hit the minimum threshold of $50 to get some passive income from here.

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   1. 93

      Kenna McHughposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      Linda, I am banking on passive income while I work on my YouTube channel. The channel delivers, and YouTube is on the up and up. I must educate myself on best practices at YT, but there is no confusion or contradiction.

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      WriterJanisposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      Linda, with the amount of articles you have I think you should be earning way more than that.

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5. 85

   Venkatachari Mposted 5 weeks ago

   I can keep writing here if I get $50 in a year.
   
   But, we can always keep editing articles to catch the audience.
   
   What about retaining the articles here and, at the same time, publishing them elsewhere?

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   1. 93

      Kenna McHughposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      Ven, Good for you! I've been thinking about posting my movie articles on my own movie website and creating a subcategory.

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6. 99

   Carb Divaposted 5 weeks ago

   Ven, any article published here can be republished on Medium ( with a bit of reformatting). Hub doesn't care if you repost elsewhere, but they want to be first. Email me and I'll guide you through the process. lindalum52@gmail.com.

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7. 85

   Venkatachari Mposted 5 weeks ago

   Thanks, Linda, for clearing my doubts. I understand your point and will look into it. Thanks for your offer.

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8. 97

   Rupert Taylorposted 5 weeks ago

   Still editing. Still writing. Still seeing traffic and earnings plummet. Still feeling daft as a brush.

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      Kenna McHughposted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      Okay, Rupert. That's good to know. I enjoy your wit.

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      PaulGoodman67posted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

      Views for the Discover site as a whole are on the up and up. This can clearly be seen at analytical sites like semrush.com.
      
      However, my own personal experience so far, as far as articles go, is the same as Rupert's, that's to say disappointing.
      
      Even if I did have some success in the near future, I would still be concerned about the longer-term prospects for HP. The world of technology is constantly changing and updating and I believe that TAG has lost the will to invest here.
      
      As long as I'm earning something here, I will continue to edit and update, but I can't see me doing much more.

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         Kenna McHughposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

         Paul, I plan to get back into HP when I finish a project for a client.

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         eugbugposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

         I wonder is that simply due to the quantity of new articles being added?

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            Kenna McHughposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

            My Discover articles seemed to do well before the dump.

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            PaulGoodman67posted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

            Eugene - I wondered how that affects the dynamic too. As the views were already going steeply up before they started moving stuff over, I suspect the  radical changes with the Google algo are a major factor.

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   Gregory DeVictorposted 5 weeks ago

   I am only doing editing on an as-needed basis. For example, I just caught a blatant grammatical error in my 1941 article, and I had no choice but to fix it.

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   1. 93

      Kenna McHughposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

      Gregory, that makes sense. I'll probably do something similar.

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10. 96

    viryaboposted 4 weeks ago

    I have been editing titles on all my HP accounts. On this particular account, I edited all titles because I discovered most of them are off the mark, url-wise.
    
    I’m not writing new material because there is no incentive. I’m kind off burnt out, ESPECIALLY not knowing what I’m earning.
    
    What exactly is our earning structure again? What’s our cut in it all? I ask because I produce content mainly for the money.

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    1. 93

       Kenna McHughposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

       V, My clients and my YT Channel keep me busy. I used to hustle to work on HP. But now, the incentive is gone because, like you said, I don't know what is happening with HP. Making the extra effort to burn the midnight oil and work on HP is deflated.

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          viryaboposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

          I hear you Kenna.

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11. 71

    lifelovemysteryposted 4 weeks ago

    I didn't receive a single email from Hubpages between August 28, 2023 to August 18, 2024. I hadn't published anything since 2017 so I didn't think about it. I used to have a profile score of 90 and it's dropped to 70. My article scores have dropped significantly yet seven of my 27 articles are still 'HubPro'.
    I feel foolish for not paying attention, and now I'm playing catchup.

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    1. 93

       Kenna McHughposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

       I hear you, Michelle. I am sure you were busy with other work. Let me know how the catchup goes.

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