Will Hubpages Sell Up?

1. 70

   Aiden Robertsposted 14 years ago

   I am having a great time on Hubpages, writing, meeting like minded people, learning new skills and earning a couple of pennies.
   
   I do not want it to end but nothing lasts forever and realistically Hubpages will take the money eventually; or will they.
   
   What do you think?

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      BRIAN SLATERposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I'm pretty sure you are right and they will take the money, that is why it is so important to spread yourself and not have all your eggs in one basket.

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         Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         And also why you need backups of everything so that you can quickly republish elsewhere should that become necessary.

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            Aiden Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Even greater advice, I am really poor at backing stuff up.
            
            Any tips on how to do it quickly?

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         Aiden Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Great advice.

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      oceansnsunsetsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      What do you mean exactly by "hubpages taking the money?"

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   paradigmsearchposted 14 years ago

   

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      Aiden Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Is that a yes but please don't?

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         paradigmsearchposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Exactly!
         
         I think the FB situation these last several days may have brought your prediction one step closer to reality.

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            Aiden Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            I sincerely hope not

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3. 74

   Bill Manningposted 14 years ago

   Like I always say, nothing stays the same on the net. Sites come, get big, then get bought out or go. Only your own paid for sites has security.
   
   Even then different formats come and go, new ways of viewing the web, new speeds and different technology.
   
   So spread out as much as you can, have a dozen or so of your very own paid for web sites and keep track of the newest things going on that deals with the web.

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      BRIAN SLATERposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      well said Bill

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         Aiden Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Seconded

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      oceansnsunsetsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I have seen sites that had great ideas, but poor management in place that allowed some pretty bad things.  Its no surprise those sites slowly go downhill and eventually crash or die or get an incredibly negative name.
      
      I have always thought Hubpages was a bit more upscale and classy, and I am not sure what you mean by "keep the money...."
      
      If they break from what they are now, it may slowly falter anyway, but man I hope not!  I brag on hubpages, or have more in the past anyway, and hope they stay on course.  If people don't abuse others, and the system and the way things work, I think it will be ok.
      
      I wonder about things like Bing vs. Google... and how that plays in too.

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         Aiden Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Yeah I hope it carries on the way it is, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
         
         I just wonder if they will be tempted by big $$$$, if they did it is easy to see how small changes can bring the whole thing tumbling down.
         
         Let's hope that doesn't happen.

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   Sally's Troveposted 14 years ago

   The only constant is change ~ Heraclitus
   
   Be prepared. ~ Boy Scouts

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      Aiden Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      Dib Dib Dob
      
      This is pertinent advice.

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   Mark Ewbieposted 14 years ago

   If they sold up presumably they would be selling something, ie. an established business with writers and income.  So unless the new purchasers wanted to what.. change the business.. but why would they do that when they just bought it?  Therefore nothing would change apart from maybe the name over the shop front?
   
   Tell me what I'm missing here.

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      Aiden Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Funny and wise, why didn't I think of that.

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      lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think what happened at Mahalo, Examiner and eHow are perfect examples. Although none of them involved a sale of the business, they just prove how things can change drastically overnight.
      
      Mahalo basically closed their doors to writers with no warning and stopped any RevShare payments -- and they kept what had already been written. Writers were just left out in the cold -- minus their articles.
      
      eHow changed their business model so that where once anyone could write for them, you had to apply for and become approved to write for them via Demand Studios. You no longer could write what you wanted and the articles were all upfront pay with no RevShare. They got rid of a LOT of the articles that people had had up on eHow, although they kept some others. The few who have articles left there are lucky they are still getting RevShare.
      
      Examiner was doing well with the people writing for them (all RevShare) until they did a site overhaul -- and evidently forgot to include their SEO folks in the mix. Traffic sank like a rock -- as did everyone's income. I know folks whose income from there went from roughly $1,000/month to pennies.

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   Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

   HP used to allow x-rated content. It resulted in a 30% decline in traffic when they decided they would no longer allow it.  The new owners could change the standards for writers, change the split. Or decide on oher ways to monetize the site. Any number of ways, that life here could change.
   
   Amended - see posts below.

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      darksideposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I'm interested in knowing where you got the "one-third" figure.

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         Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         It's in my notes, I made when I read a comment from one of the HP guys. I'll try and find the exact source - back in a few.

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      GmaGoldieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Ah, but the decline in traffic MAY have produced more income from the prudent Google Adsense revenues.
      
      Traffic without substance....equal simply traffic.

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   starme77posted 14 years ago

   hope they don't go away - I like it here - I like other places around the net too - but - hub pages is one of my favorites

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   Aiden Robertsposted 14 years ago

   Let's hope they don't sell out before I finish backing my hubs up.

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      kimberlyslyricsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      They already have started!
      
      Am I the only one sensing the loss here since approx. 4/5 months ago coupled with the o fun dictating administrative tweaking between Hub Hits? 
      
      Its so sad
      
      But it's business, I just want that damn date with Paul before Ralph straps Maddie and I to a space shuttle and has his way with us
      
      Maddie hurry up work for [barf] helium and we'll get there our way
      
      [this in no means indicates Maddie and I get high or that Paul hates me]  :
      
      [btw am I banned again?]
      
      
      

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   Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

   Sorry it was traffic not revenue
   
   "In the early days, we decided we didn’t want to be the arbiter of quality or try to control what people wrote, but we soon discovered that high-quality authors and advertisers did not feel comfortable with the fully open publishing platform that included adult content. So, in July of 2007, about a year after our launch, we modified our terms of service and took leading steps in the social content category to become a porn-free site.  The short-term impact was over a 30% drop in traffic, but it reaped long term gains.  We also continued to build anti-spam technologies and put in place requirements for publishing on HubPages that improves the overall quality."
   
   Here's the link http://jetlib.com/news/2010/10/23/guest … to-scale/#
   
   I'll amend my original post.

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      darksideposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I was aware of the amount of traffic it pulled, but I did know it wasn't converting well for HubPages. Which is why they looked into adbrite and other advertising partnerships at the time.
      
      Often the converting traffic (into clicks and sales) was via third party affiliate links, so HubPages didn't see any short term reward from it either.

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      GmaGoldieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oops - you got - sorry...still reading...I apologize.

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    elayne001posted 14 years ago

    My advice - don't quit your day job, or if Hubpages is your only job - get a day job!

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       cpvrposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Or better yet, create other websites and make more money.

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    Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

    Oh I don't think I'm going to go get a day job just yet. I just stay as diversified as possible. By the end of this year HP will be about 10% of my revenue stream.

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    GmaGoldieposted 14 years ago

    Pcunix made a very important recommendation - have three baskets by which you grow income on the web.  Very wise advise.

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       Aiden Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Excellent advice

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          BRIAN SLATERposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          right...where can i get two more baskets

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    Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

    Remember when KFC used to be Kentucky Fried Chicken?  And when they used real chicken? 

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14. 84

    Midnight Oilposted 14 years ago

    Write timeless features that don't date and then you can change easily to different sites as  websites come and go like the tide.
    
    Ride the site when its on the way in, but be prepared when the tide turns to jump off at the right point when it's on the way out...

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    AMSpaceposted 14 years ago

    I agree with what others have said - having additional income streams is the key, here. Undoubtedly Hubpages is a great one, but it shouldn't be the only one

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    brandonhart100posted 14 years ago

    Mark Ewbie had the most important piece of advice on this post.  The truth is that if HP does end up being sold:
    1.)  It will be to a business that wants an established income and platform.
    2.)  They aren't going to just cut our income in half or change everything.  That would be like throwing writers/money away.  While a slight modification might ensue, I think that one of the reasons HP is successful is because of the 60/40 split, which I find to be quite fair.  Anything less and other article writing platforms immediately become more enticing. 
    
    In business school they taught us about price point.  You don't want to price your customers (for HP this is us) out and you don't want to give your service too cheap either.  Right now they have a happy medium that works for everyone.  They give more money than sites like Squidoo, but less than unappealing spammer sites that draw no traffic.
    
    3.) HP is still growing fast - IMO it would be a poor time to sell for at least a few years.

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    Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

    With HP writers owning exclusive rights to their articles it would be risky to change the revenue sharing model if it did sell out.  The ability to remove Hubs at will is what I like about this site as opposed to others.
    
    The buyer would only own the technical aspect of the site, not the content which earns the money.  I would think the technical part could be replicated easy enough, unlike the multitude of articles which bring in the money. 
    
    Disgruntled Hubbers would remove their articles and sell them or republish them elsewhere or on their own sites.  Just my viewpoint, though! 

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    thisisoliposted 14 years ago

    The biggest issue in all of this is that when you write for Demand Media they retain the rights to your wrok. WIth Hubpages you retain teh rights to yor work.
    
    Hubpages can sell their platform, but they cannot sell the articles already written since tehy are owned by the respective authors.
    
    If somebody bought Hubpages it would be in their interests to keep the site 'writer friendly'.
    
    It is one of the reasons I am catious about writing for sites abotu brighthub.  I get paid $10 per article, which is not much but the ongoing residual earnings bump it up. However Brighthub retains the rights to my work, and they have the right to cut me out if they want.

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       lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Agreed. I do more editing for Brighthub than I do writing -- which is fine in my book since I get upfront pay for every article I edit plus RevShare on those articles too. But I look at BrightHub and Demand as "active" income versus my blogs, websites and sites like HP which are definitely "passive" income.
       
       PCUnix was right about having your income spread among several different baskets, but I also like to have them spread among different types of baskets as well. Although it's highly unlikely, what if I lost my AdSense account tomorrow or Google fell off the face of the earth? At least I have a guaranteed income while I shift gears.

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19. 76

    skyfireposted 14 years ago

    Yieldbuild and Hubpages are related and i see in no way both companies are getting sold in any near future. If hubpages gets sold to company -say Google or MS then they've to also sell yieldbuild optimization software which is the real brain behind HP earnings. If i'm not wrong then 3 CEO's are Ex-MS employees and they're investing a lot of time in this project as independent developers.
    
    Hubcamp, Hubpages students page, contests are some of their efforts to keep the site growing.  What makes you think they'll sell this profitable content mill ? Atleast i don't see any signs of this happening any time soon.

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       kannanwritesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I second it.

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       SiddSinghposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       HubPages was funded by Venture Capital in the startup stages. How do think the VC will exit?

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          skyfireposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Interesting. I had no idea about VC of HP.

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       china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       It is a certainty that they will sell at some point and building membership can also be a sign of puffing up the size befor a sale, although it is also a normal second stage activity also.
       
       However, I believe we own the copyright to our stuff and so any new owner can only buy the machine, not the contents - but watch for any changes to that line in the TOS
       
       The fact that we control content limits the changes any prospective new owner can make - their advanage is that they could (I guess) unpublish you if you don't agree to their terms of service and we would all have to jump with our content to another site if we did not like the change ?  The resulting loss of all that built up google climbing and linking that is fixed with Hubpages in the URL would be a hit, but not so hard to rebuild I would think. On a hub by hub basis anyway - so more of a hit the more hubs you have.

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    lakeerieartistsposted 14 years ago

    I think just in general it is best to spread your risk around in any business venture.  In my store, I carry different types of items, so that when one item becomes less popular, I have others to carry the weight.
    
    Same thing with buying from vendors, and I do the same online.  I earn from my own sites, sites like Hubpages, and blogs.  (So far, haven't been accepted to Demand Studios )

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       TajSinghposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I agree with you. It's only logical.

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    kmackey32posted 14 years ago

    Ut Oh, I have all my eggs in this basket....

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    skyfireposted 14 years ago

    Squidoo and hubpages are in this business for quite some time and survived some ups and downs(recession as well). The fact that they're not having some strict publishing criteria and are open to new publishers regardless of content quality is attractive selling point. Take case of demand studio and infobarrel, the content published on those sites pass through review of editors which makes it more of business and automated content mill. Normal visitors have less interest in automated content mills. No disrespect to those who work with DS/IB or other automated content mills.
    
    Read the success stories of some average members on hubpages and squidoo, some members got jobs because of their stories or hubs. On squidoo few people got chance to meet their favorite band etc etc. See the point ? HP/Squidoo are also open to comments without having to login to their system(there are disadvantages but see the bright side). It's not about quality all the time. Social signals bring more money than automation in terms of quality and quantity. Of course DS/IB/About.com like sites maintain quality and also limit spam. But more you remain open to new members, it's easy to attract users from around the world and earn from that traffic. To sum up that point, do you keep track of about.com or DS author or you prefer to interact with author on squidoo/HP by interacting with them on forums/sending email ?
    
    You may also argue on concepts like LSI/LSA but the reason it's not implemented so far is because it'll deindex more non-native english content from the web if they effectively applies it and also this will create more powerful automated content writers, afterall if you can spot the mistake in non-natural content then writing software for natural content with automation tool is not going to be hard in future. Those points aside, future belongs to place where everyone wants to flock and not on places where automated content is published.
    
    So if you've a choice to run such content mill then are you going to sell knowing there is a chance of more profit ?
    
    Oh i do agree on that copyrighted content and TOS part.

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       kimberlyslyricsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       :

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