Remove Related Forums Widget Completely from Hubs

1. 75

   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   The title says it all - just do it , the topics are often unprofessional, the discussions are never on topic and as a basically unmoderated area of the site they should not be appearing on our carefully crafted hubs.
   
   Remove the forum widget from all hubs!!!! also "related questions" should get the axe as well ..
   
   
   btw - I said "why arent there ads in the lower sidebar" 2 years ago - ya'll said they dont work - guess where there are ads now?
   
   http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/9434#post1027644  ( told ya so)
   
   A vocal segment of the community always said get rid of Kontera! - guess what you are finally getting rid of?
   
   
   
   be proactive - cut that stupid widget right off of all hubs - a good portion of your community actually blocks!!!! much of the topics from appearing for our own viewing - imagine what readers must think.

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   1. 0

      Linda Myshrallposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Second.

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   2. 68

      Cagsilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Besides, isn't Google frowning upon "automated" content?

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         Michael Willisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         lol, good one!
         I am for doing away with the Forum and question widget on the Hubs also.

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   3. 59

      C.V.Rajanposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with your views.

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   4. 84

      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, yes, yes.

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   5. 68

      Peter Hogganposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree and hope HP have their ears on.

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      Susana Sposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Definitely agree on this. Those elements add no value to the page.

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2. 75

   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   I dont think so, Cagsil, I dont think its a technical issue.. Hubs is good at search and technical stuff, but sometimes they are a little slow on the human/marketing factors. Having related, interlinking site navigation will always be a good thing technically and it does increase usability - but a site admin should make a value judgement as to whether EVERYTHING needs to be so visible - the forums do not fit my standard of what visitors should be exposed to and I have a feeling many authors would agree, even those who enjoy the forums for their own private entertainment.
   
   
   Here is an example:
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Most_Difficult_ … s_-_Polish
   
   a nice "100" Hubs from the Best feed by a staff member
   
   related forum:
   
   http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/64049
   
   dead end - spam - and thats in a tame category! - does that deserve to be linked a high value hub - no
   
   If they cant moderate and control those type of details they should cut it out until they can. It makes their site better an their jobs easier!

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   1. 68

      Cagsilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      But Sunforged, I recently removed the RSS feeds and the News feeds from my hubs and the traffic increase isn't from my views but outsiders.
      
      I don't believe in coincidences.

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         Sophia Angeliqueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         This is interesting Cags. So did I.

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3. 80

   camloposted 13 years ago

   I certainly wouldn't miss those widgets. Nor the FB one.

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      MPG Narrativesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Ditto, they serve no purpose as far as I'm concerned.

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      Cagsilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, the Facebook widget benefits your readers, in more ways than what Sunforged is talking about. So, I disagree.

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         camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         How?

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            Cagsilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            They get to see all the other material of all the other people the writer is associated with. It's exposure for other people, who don't happen to be friends with the reader but are friends with the writer.

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               camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Are you sure? When I read other Hubber's Hubs or my own, I only see the latest posts by my own freinds and myself.

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               1. 68

                  Cagsilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  And, that's what YOU are going to see, but not the reader.
                  
                  
                  Edit: It's based on Facebook and the reader at the time.

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                     camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     Okay. I pretty much thought the readers would see their own latest posts and those of their friends.
                     Is there anywhere I can read about this?

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                        Cagsilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Either on Facebook somewhere or in the Learning Center(maybe).

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                           camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           I'll have a look tomorrow - too tired now.
                           How did you find out, btw?

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                           1. 68

                              Cagsilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              I am pretty sure it was something said here in the forums, but do not remember if it was a posted thread(by itself) or just a post from a veteran.

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                                 camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                 Yes. I think there was a thread about it - people concerned about strangers seeing what they were doing on FB and their real names being revealed, which I could understand.

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                                    sunforgedposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                    http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/70086#post1526686
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    the hubbers concerns were unfounded

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                                    1. 80

                                       camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                       I remember it being nothing to worry about. Thanks for the link!

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4. 64

   lakeerieartistsposted 13 years ago

   I have never liked the forums in the sidebar, should only be for logged in members.  Facebook I can live with, but don't love either.

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5. 73

   Hauntyposted 13 years ago

   LOL! Sunforged, you cannot be serious! God, How many times has this been asked and hubpages just won't listen. This is one of those thing I will never ever understand.

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6. 69

   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   Standing ovation, Sunforged.

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   1. 69

      Pearldiverposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      What an amazing amount of progress technology has made in 2 years! What an amazing amount of wasted space and opportunities have been wasted! What an amazing amount of good advice has been ignored over the same period! - Amazing!
      
      Dead Right SF... but then isn't the 'Content' 'adjusted' on our pages, depending on whether or not we are logged out and 'able to see' or logged in and blind?
      
      I for one certainly could have Sold and Filled those slots on my page to advertisers and potential advertisers that I know personally - I would have been quite happy to split that revenue with HP.. Afterall, people in my country don't know HubPages.. Or the Problems that HP are currently having - Unless they read the Sidebars on my hubs... irrespective of whether or not yours is turned off!

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7. 66

   Mutiny92posted 13 years ago

   I'm embarrassed to say that I have never noticed that forum block before...

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8. 74

   Karandaposted 13 years ago

   What about the related hubs? I have one on saving a deposit for first home buyers and the top of the related hubs list is, 'How to knit your own dog'. Que?

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      camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think that has something to do with tags (I read once, but don't know where). Maybe you could take a look at the tags on that Hub, and see if any are the same as the ones you're using on your Hub.

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      1. 74

         Karandaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Easy to follow was in my title and the other hub has 'easy to follow patterns as a tag'. I've taken out the 'to follow' in the hope that it will be gone tomorrow. Thanks Camlo.

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9. 0

   Nelle Hoxieposted 13 years ago

   I hope HP listens to your pleas more than mine - because I've started numerous topics about the inapporpriate forum topics that end up on hubs. I even send emails to them at 2 am when I see a sexually explicit topic on my kitchen accessories hubs. (They are always good about putting the salacious junk in the sandpit).
   
   How are these sexually-charged topics appropriate for an adsense driven hub? Seriously there are huge numbers of categories that I won't post hubs in because of the disgusting topics that show up on my hubs, if I do post there.
   
   I have been lead to believe that an association with FB is a good thing in Google's opinion. So if it is I'll put up with it. But I don't know that for a fact.
   
   Anyways good luck with your demands - I'm really glad that you brought it up again.

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10. 60

    Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

    I'm not a fan of the widget either.  It creates the impression that clicking on it may bring the reader to something worth reading; and then - voila!  Some useless forum  foolishness.  That thing always makes me wonder, "Why, on Earth, are you people sending anyone to the forums?"     A good number of the forum "categories" barely have anything in them.  The ones that do are  religion and politics (and the HP-related ones).  I just don't see much worth sending people to from Hubs.

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11. 61

    prettydarkhorseposted 13 years ago

    Consentio!

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12. 0

    EmpressFelicityposted 13 years ago

    Definite thumbs up from me as well.

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13. 77

    skyfireposted 13 years ago

    +1

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14. 58

    WebbyAvatarposted 13 years ago

    I too agree with the OP.

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15. 82

    Sufidreamerposted 13 years ago

    Agreed - they are very unprofessional. I often use my Hubs as portfolio items, and I dread to think what potential clients think of some of the topics and questions.

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16. 74

    frogdroppingposted 13 years ago

    Agreed SF. I have a forum post 'I hate being knocked up' in the sidebar on my pregnancy hubs. It's been there for ages and I dread to think what that looks like, especially to women that have gone through IVF to become pregnant or want to be but are still waiting.
    
    On another (related questions) it's a Q about rodents, hardly related to the joys of pregnancy and childbirth

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17. 0

    ryankettposted 13 years ago

    I agree with this, in fact I would go further, far too many unavoidable page leaks and these in turn devalue our internal linking (part of the issue of course).
    
    I would remove the ask a question box, and instead place a small text link to 'ask ryan a question' beneath the contact and follow links.
    
    I would remove related questions. And I would possibly even remove the Facebook widget which is largely irrelevant. Then, I would limit every hubpage on the site to display the last 5 comments, with a 'View all' option.
    
    Reduce the page leaks, the number of dofollow links, and move that bottom ad unit closer to the content in the process.

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18. 59

    SunSevenposted 13 years ago

    Bumping it up.

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