Do Followers Matter to Scoring or Search Ranks?

1. 61

   Anesidoraposted 15 years ago

   I don't generally bother with it. Even under the account people know me under, I never bothered joining other peoples' fan clubs or seeking fans for my own. Under a couple of ID's I tend to only sign in to work.
   
   Does it really matter? I know hubber traffic doesn't convert, but do having followers help your rankings elsewise? Should I put in the time trying to gain followers?

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   1. 64

      Lisa HWposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think it's so much a matter of trying to get followers.  It's more that if a person just kind of participates on the site (like coming to the forums, reading and commenting on other people's Hubs, etc.) you eventually pick up followers over time.  It think it's kind of an "overall thing", and I do think it helps at least in some ways.  One example may be that if Hubbers read your work they're still people, and they can still vote your Hub up or down.  If your overall score is near or at 100, that means more people see your stuff (not "just" other Hubbers, but anyone who lands on HubPages first page).
      
      I write a mix of stuff - some is useful, some isn't.  I read other people's stuff when I'm "in a reading mode".  I've never actively sought followers at all.  I'm not "always sociaizing" with other Hubbers.  Instead I pretty much write my Hubs (when I'm in the mood) and come here to the forum if I'm not in the mood to do much of anything else.  I come here for the discussion (or a laugh), so I don't come here, the way some people do, just to try to participate for the purpose of any advantages it offers.
      
      Having said that, I'm earning pretty well and sometimes reach 100 (for a day and a half  ).  Whether or not my Hubs get traffic depends very much on the individual Hub.  So, I don't know....     All I know is what I do and how well I do or don't do in any one area.    Maybe you can get a reading from that.  (I don't think visibility ever hurts anyone.)   
      
      The way I see it, I'm here primarily to write; and so are most other Hubbers.  So, that other stuff is all a kind of secondary thing that makes being on HubPages a little more interesting than just pounding away at writing.  Aiming to be helpful to someone else is its own kind of little reward, so - I don't know - it just kind of adds to the pleasantness of being on here and writing.  People who do sometimes pretty much write all day and all night can use a little break from it.  That's how I see the non-Hub-aspects of the site.  I do know I've had quite a few followers show up and say they liked something I wrote in the forums.
      
      The following thing is kind of hard to pin down.  Some people follow you because they sense you're doing well and want to see what you do.  Some follow because they like your writing.  Some follow because they like you, as a person.  There are people who tons and tons of followers but don't earn much.  Then there are the "well known" earners who get people following them, sometimes to learn how they're doing it.  Some people think if they follow you you'll automatically follow them back, so that's why they do it.
      
      As with so many other things on here, a lot of things "just depend".  Comments help your Hubs.  Scoring doesn't matter all that much, although more traffic can lead to a higher score - so there's that relationship between scoring and traffic.  Again, it's just kind of "overall picture" type of thing.

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2. 80

   wesleycoxposted 15 years ago

   It's a wasted effort.  It use to mean something but it doesn't anymore. 
   
   Those numbers used to mean someone would comment on your page, you know for ranking purposes, it use to be a this for that situation but it's not anymore. 
   
   I'm broken hearted about this and wonder if it'll ever get back to where it used to be. 
   
   Until then good-bye.

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3. 67

   relacheposted 15 years ago

   Traffic and visitors from outside HubPages are much more important to true Hub performance and earnings, than visitors from inside HubPages (aka followers).

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4. 61

   Anesidoraposted 15 years ago

   Lisa that's how my other account is. I hung out ALOT in the forums, and I got ALOT of followers. But now I just want to focus on what I'm doing, and not get distracted by controversial forum discussions. Generally speaking the only forum threads I'm interested in anymore are the knowledge exchange ones.
   
   
   So, relache, I guess my question is, does the linking of followers to my profile, and/or in the comments section of my hubs, in any way increase traffic flow to my hubs from outside of hubpages?

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5. 61

   Anesidoraposted 15 years ago

   One reason I'm asking is because I have chosen to use multiple accounts, and am actually thinking about starting one more. But if followers affect your search rankings, maybe it's better not to start different accounts for different niches?..

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   1. 81

      angela_michelleposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, but by doing different niches, then when people follow you, they know what to expect and the follow means more to the individual who is following you.

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6. 64

   Lisa HWposted 15 years ago

   I'm not under the impression followers, alone, do much in the search-engine department.  For me, the reason I'm under the impression there's an "overall effect" (besides having read it) on the "overall picture" is that I write such a mix of Hubs.  I think if someone has a niche (and particularly if that niche is something that's searched for by a lot of people), it's one thing. 
   
   With the mix of Hubs I have (and with some attracting more traffic naturally and others not the kind that attract traffic).  I'm under the impression (or at least of the hope) that there's always the chance someone may "come for the dealing-with-loss" Hub and end up hanging around for the WiFi Hub (as long as it's there, and they're in the mood to browse anyway).
   
   Basically, if anything even stands a fraction of a chance of achieving my overall aims, I don't rule it out.  My overall aims include traffic, of course, but that's only part of it.  So that's probably it, too - what's someone's overalls aims, as a writer, are.  My HubPages writing isn't my job, so my aims include wanting to use it to supplement my "real" work and paint a picture of a more well rounded writer.  If someone is using HubPages as part of their "real" job they aren't going to be interested in "supplementing" and "well rounded seeming".  I think each Hubber has his own aims for himself or his writing business (if he has one).  That's why the "does-it-do-any-good" question sometimes "just depends". 

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7. 72

   melbelposted 14 years ago

   I join other user's fan clubs because I enjoy what they write and would love to read more. I don't really pay attention to HubScore, except on those days it hits 100, which always feels nice.
   
   I just follow people whose stuff I enjoy and I hope that the people who follow me do so because they enjoy my work.

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