Strangely, I have only recently discovered this forum ...
Anyway, can someone please have a look at this hub and give me some feedback, advice, critique, etc., please? I've only begun writing at hubpages seriously a couple of months back and am still struggling with getting traffic. Any tips or advice or constructive criticism is appreciated! Thanks
This is my most recent hub, by the way.
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-learn-a- … and-advice
"How to" Hubs are said to be among the most useful and most likely to be searched for. Your Hub looks fine to me (a lot better than a lot of the "questionable" approaches/styles I often take with my own Hubs ). I did notice a typo in the first couple of lines, but I'm even reluctant to mention that.
Thanks, Lisa, though you made me curious what you meant about "questionable" approaches to your own hubs, LOL
A lot of my Hubs aren't really what Hubs ought to be. Some are, but a lot aren't. I'm always kind of straddling the line between knowing what a "real"/"good" Hub should be and my own wish to push the envelope a little, in the interest of taking some writing liberties/gambles. Sometimes the gambles do pay off, but not always.
Recently, I decided to temporarily disregard the "rules" as I know them and start a series that first needs a lot of personal facts down before I can use what's there to move out, to more general and possibly even useful information. In the end, I may end up with a good, comprehensive, series of a "zero on outwards" nature (by "zero" I mean starting with my personal story and "outwards" I mean "applies to the general public"). In the meantime, the more Hubs I add to the series, the big pile of "nothing crap" it's looking like.
Even before starting this new thing, though, I've had times when I have to just write some ridiculous, yammering-on-and-on, thing that isn't what a Hub is supposed to be - and yet I have to do that sometimes because I just like to relax and write what I feel like writing. THEN, on top of that, a huge number of my beginning Hubs were in response to "requests" (now "questions"), and I didn't know how to turn them into real Hubs, rather than just answer the requests "as is". So, all in all, only a percentage of my Hubs are something I'm not embarrassed about. One reason I started writing on HubPages, though was to be able to exercise a little "creative freedom" (so I'm always in conflict between being embarrassed about my own "gambles" and yet not really wanting to delete all the crap and have only "professional" Hubs). I tell myself (the super-organized neat-nik) that I shouldn't feel unsettled about the fact that my stuff on here is a giant, mish-mosh, of who-knows-what. I think, though, my organized, neat-nik, nature can't be at peace with the mess.
That aside, though, if the really "professional" Hubbers saw my stuff they'd pretty much agree with me that a lot of it's just a pile of mess. I know that - and yet I'm not able to make myself straighten up and fly right.
Looks pretty good to me, with so many hubs offering advice on how to do stuff, it is great that you have wriiten one which has such value. How to clean brass door knobs has its merits however it is nowhere near as practical as learning another language and it is something that everyone should do, and what many people really struggle with. Its fun, rewarding and is a great opportunity to learn about the culture of another country.
As for you struggling with visitors, I see no reason why that will be a problem if you keep on writing intelligent and interesting articles such as this - its just a case of people finding them - do a bit more promotion for each hub and the visitors will keep on coming.
Keep up the good work!
As you might know or see from any other replies I write to "how'd I do" forum posts, I'm pretty critical. I figure if someone asks, why hold back?
Having said that, I like your hub. It's well written, articulate, intelligent, interesting, etc.
I kept thinking I'd see something about the Rossetta Stone program, and was surprised that I didn't. It's #1, in terms of success, and used by the US gov't. Can you find an Amazon link to it, maybe?
This is getting really picky, but ...
In your "Tips" section, where you then provide a numbered, bolded, list, you might consider breaking that up so that each number in the section is its own text capsule. Take the sentence that you have in bold and put it directly into the capsule header (it will automatically come out bold; I suggest using Prgh 2 style) This will improve your SEO, too. Use title form for the capitalization in each header.
You might also consider putting in a poll toward the beginning. Something like, "Do you speak a foreign language? If so, are you ... (put in choices) Fluent, Mediocre, Spinning in Circles, Ready to Quit (whatever; you get the point)
Really good job!
Wow .. I honestly hadn't expected such positive feedback (I have a problem with low self-esteem). I am very grateful .. thank you
Lynda, thanks so much for some very specific advice. I still don't know much about SEO .. will need to research some more. I DO have the link to Rosetta's website in the "Useful sites" section, but I hadn't thought to put the link through Amazon .. doh!
Michifus, yeah, the promotion part is hard. I'm gonna try to work at it, though!
Lisa, I browsed through a couple of your hubs (sorry haven't really had time to really sit down and read them) and I thought your hubs were great! Seems to me like the things you write about really are things that come straight from your heart and I think that makes a lot of difference. I think people enjoy reading that kind of writing more as well (though I'm not sure if it generates any kind of revenue). I say, keep it up!
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