Why are lengthy Hubs discouraged when they might bring in more $$$ ?

1. 0

   Frank Sanelloposted 13 years ago

   I don't know why HubPages and other ezines require short articles.
   
   Wikipedia must be the most referenced source on the Internet. That's because its articles are long and in-depth.
   
   If Wikipedia were a for-profit organization, its guesstimated worth would be $581 million, most of it from advertising.
   
   I wrote about Wikipedia in a Hub where I compared it to the ancient Library of Alexandria, which contained the learning and wisdom of the classical world...before it burned down twice!
   
   Since HubPages lives or dies on ad revenue, wouldn't Wikipedia-length Hubs attract more advertisers if it encouraged or at least allowed longer Hubs?
   
   I usually end up cutting my Hubs in half, thirds, sometimes even fourths! It's a hassle, and I'm afraid some readers might not click on the link to the next Hub.
   
   The slogan of the Internet Age summarizes my concerns: "Instant gratification takes too long."
   
   Studies have shown that excessive Internet use causes people to lose focus and fail to complete tasks. The Internet creates an artificial form of Attention Deficit Disorder.
   
   I'm afraid that the need for instant gratification and attention deficit discourage readers from clicking on linked articles.
   
   If HubPages would like to enjoy Wikipedia's success in attracting more readers and advertising dollars, it should stop discouraging lengthy Hubs.
   
   What do you think, fellow Hubbers?
   
   Frank Sanello

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      kschangposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I have some very long hubs. However, due to the nature of Hubpages and the web, I've found it to be easier to nagivate if you cut it up into several hubs and group them in a "series" of sorts.
      
      Hubpages don't let you link to a specific capsule or subsection, so you have to read / scroll the whole thing through. If the article's too long, you get the TL;NR syndrome. (Too Long, Not Read).

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      carpesomediemposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think this really sums up the issue with longer hubs or any content on the Internet.  It's not that it can't earn well or that people who write them don't earn well, it's just that the audience wants snippets.  I think that's one of the reason Twitter has done so well with its following.
      
      If you build an audience though, they will be more likely to read longer works from you.  That takes time, too, and I think that's another issue writers have with trying to write longer content.

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2. 85

   WriteAngledposted 13 years ago

   Frank, HP does not actually prevent anyone publishing a long hub. It only enforces a minimum word length. The 500-1500 word guideline is only a guideline, not a rule.
   
   I do agree with you about the instant gratification culture. However, it is also more difficult to read long stretches of very dense text on screen than on paper.
   
   If you do want to produce a long hub, look into how you can break up the text in various ways.

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3. 69

   sofsposted 13 years ago

   I would have to agree with WriteAngled. HP does not prevent you from writing long hubs. If fact I have seen hubs that are long and in depth being showcased here.
   
   It is the attention span of the reader on the internet that is to be blamed not HP.
   
   Google loves long articles, and well researched ones.
   So go ahead and write there is no stopping you.

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   psycheskinnerposted 13 years ago

   Hubpages doesn't care if you write long hubs. But unless you have a real hook there is probably more $$$ in writing two medium length hubs than one long one.

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   kmackey32posted 13 years ago

   As for Wikipedia, I think there pages are too long and usually end up scanning the page to find the right info I want to read...

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   relacheposted 13 years ago

   HubPages has automated filters to try and prevent really short articles but nothing is done to limit long articles, so why are you getting the idea that lengthy articles are discouraged?
   
   Also, longer articles do not automatically equate with more revenue.  There are some really long rambles on this site that clearly don't earn beans.

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   R.S. Hutchinsonposted 13 years ago

   I have a hub that is almost 9000 words long. GET SOME! booyah! ha ha jk ... seriously though it is 9000 words and growing (because I'm continually adding to it) and I suspect it will become a very popular hub.

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   Stacie Lposted 13 years ago

   I think the long hubs should be made into shorter ones..like a sequence or parts.it sounds like you are writing a book and yes, online readers have short attention spans.JMO

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      kmackey32posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yup I have a short attention span....

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   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   No matter what anyone writes, or how lengthy/brief it is, a whole bunch of people aren't going to like it for one reason or another.  If it isn't length, it might be that they see it as "bad writing" (maybe it is, maybe it's just their idea of what's "bad writing").  I pretty much hate most of my Hubs because I've usually tried to straddle some line between writing what I want to write and writing something that has a shred of redeeming value/use to it, or else that it's some slim version of "what a Hub ought to be". Anyway, between already watering down/straddling lines with my writing (on here, anyway), I can't worry about who likes it or doesn't.  I put it out there, and (as my mother used to say), people can either like it or lump it.    (Bad attitude, I know, but - honestly - you can't please all of the people all of the time, and some people aren't going to be pleased with whatever it is you do if it isn't their idea of what you ought to be doing.)

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10. 0

    Frank Sanelloposted 13 years ago

    Thanks for all your responses to my posted thread!
    
    I see a lot of people besides me have thoughts about this issue.
    
    Another ezine which shall remain anonymous (Suite 101 won't let writers post articles longer than 1,000 words.
    
    I've stopped writing for Suite because it has all these make-work, anal-retentive formatting and sourcing rules that require more unnecessary work than actually composing the article.
    
    Frank Sanello

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       Lisa HWposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Some sites want to keep things to "standard, uniform, informational, web articles". (Nothing wrong with those, but they're only one kind of writing.)  This one describes what it wants as "magazine style" articles (with an aim for "useful, informative, and/or unique".  It allows for fiction and poetry too.  The added flexibility is what a lot of Hubbers like about this site.

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    IzzyMposted 13 years ago

    I shoot for a minimum of 700 words on every hub I write. I may have the odd one below that, but a hub of 700 - 1500 words is pretty good IMO. The longer the hub, the more keywords you are likely to use, and the greater chance of getting picked up by the search engines. Then again I write a lot of 'how to' type hubs and sometimes it is not possible to use less words if you want to write a comprehensive and useful article.

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