New Hub and Profile Page Designs - Share your feedback!

1. 81

   Simone Smithposted 13 years ago

   In our latest blog post, we've shared James Edmondson's early designs for an updated Hub layout and profile page. 
   
   Check out the blog post for a more detailed explanation of various aspects of each page.  But hey- what are your thoughts on the designs?  We'd love to get your feedback.
   
   Here they are, if you'd like to have another look:
   
   The new Hub layout:
   
   
   
   The new profile page layout:
   
   
   Let us know what you think!

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      Cardisaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I like both,I was hoping that HP would do something about the profile page. I think the current one is too crowded.  The new one seem less crowded and an easy layout.

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         Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Cardisa! We're definitely going to less clutter.

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      Atyqposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Share buttons for twitter/facebook and +1 should be placed in the positions that users are accustomed to (ie open and close of article)
      
      related hubs are too large.
      
      So far this is not a layout created with conversion in mind, it is visually pleasing, too bad web design isnt just about "pretty"

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   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   since ad space is included in the mock ups, they are incomplete.
   
   Get the adspace in there and make a new mockup that isnt half baked

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      Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      These are pretty preliminary, but we'll add ads to future comps.

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3. 75

   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   Share buttons for twitter/facebook and +1 should be placed in the positions that users are accustomed to (ie open and close of article)
   
   related hubs are too large.
   
   So far this is not a layout created with conversion in mind, it is visually pleasing, too bad web design isnt just about "pretty"

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      Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the feedback!

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      Wesman Todd Shawposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      /\  I've got super faith in what Mr. Sunforged says about web pages

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   Roy Perrinposted 13 years ago

   Looks intersting.  Are there any new functions or is it just the ability to add photos?

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   1. 81

      Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      New functions to the profile page? Or the Hub?
      The profile page would be getting:
      -The ability to put your favorite Hubs in the carousel
      -The ability to properly share your social media links

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      1. 99

         Peggy Wposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Does this mean that we get to choose our favorite hubs in what is listed as Feed after the number of hubs or is this a true feed meaning last hubs published?  If the former, can they be changed at will?  And the top photo...also our choice on the Profile page?

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   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   If the profile pages are to be redesigned and are now also a main page for user subdomains - share buttons should be included on that page also

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      Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Good point!

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   maxraviposted 13 years ago

   I like the new looks, but still prefers the current look where you categorize the hubs a latest, hot and best

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      Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Good to know!

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7. 61

   Fiction Tellerposted 13 years ago

   That column on the right with 10 related hubs is very prominent now.  Will we be able to choose the hubs that go there? Please say that we'll have some control over them, especially given that we're on our own domains and the linking done there is critical.
   
   Also, where will the ads go - for people with just AdSense as well as people using the HAP?

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      Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      To my understanding, the related Hubs to the side would be based on their HubScores (we're raising the standards) and their topic-relatedness.

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      1. 83

         Pamela N Redposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Since we have our own domain location now it makes more sense for our own work to be in the side bar and not other writer's work.

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            Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I think it would be given preference. We're also planning to make it more clear that they're *related* Hubs and not more of the same Hub's content. Thanks for sharing your opinion.

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               bill yonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I agree  with  pamela. I  think it should be the hubbers work instead of another hub that could take traffic away from the individual hub.

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            shibashakeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I agree. If there are to be articles from other hubbers we should have the ability to filter out low quality hubs that may adversely affect our sub-domain.

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   prairieprincessposted 13 years ago

   First of all, I love the look! Wonderful job on making it more pleasing to the eye!  I think Hubpages was looking a bit dated and it was time for a fresher more attractive look, which hopefully inspire more readers to stay if they find an article through search, Stumbling or some other means.
   
   I am a bit concerned about the profile information being so reduced (just in the corner.) Presently, we have room in our profile to speak about ourselves, and present links, etc. Now, they have to make a deliberate decision to "read more" to look at the rest of the profile. I am wondering what the thinking behind that decision was. I have been reading lately, from some other hubbers, about how important the profile is as a portfolio introduction, and this design seems to downplay that importance.

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   1. 81

      Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you prairieprincess!
      You make some excellent points.  We're trying to find a happy medium for the bio, since we want to make sure that the Hubs get their proper attention, but we also want to allow authors to share more about themselves.
      Do you have any thoughts on how we might better position the bio so that it does not overtake the Hubs but is still more prominent?
      The problem now, I think, is that the bio is often overwhelming on Hubbers profile pages- it completely washes out everything else, and we want these pages to be as functional as possible.

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         Glenn Stokposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         One solution might be to keep things as they are for the profile but just limit the length of the bio description. I see some bios that go on forever and I have to scroll past all that to see what hubs they have. I think many people would just click away when they see all that text. So those Hubbers are self-defeating by writing too much anyway.

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            rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, I like making a word limit on the bio and adding the new features as well.
            
            
            I'm also not crazy about the moving share function. Why not have it at the top and bottom?  I know I don't like anything moving on a page when I'm visiting. Sometimes it makes me leave if it's too obnoxious.

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               Urbane Chaosposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I have to agree with the moving box thing here.. First, it's annoying - at least that's my personal opinion.  Second, for me, many times pages load wrong or simply don't load when they have those scrolling sidebar widgets.  While it's a nice idea, I think it can be implemented better.

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9. 61

   FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years ago

   I don't see any tabs references. And I agree with the references to related hubs. They are too prominant. I don't see what was wrong with the layout that exists now, quite frankly.
   
   I have recently gone to a seminar about advertising on the internet and it included website design. The companies that do the best  do not change the format of the site to change which sies, or top vs. bottom. they tweak things, yes. But the basic format is the dame. If you look at the history of Amazon.com the loication of eveything has never changed. They may add or remove things or change colours etc. But every function or tool that is on the site remains in the same location. According to the seminar and the man who gave it has been on the internet since it began,,  changing the format of your site too much will ruin its standing.

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      FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      that second sentence should read "do not change the format of the the site to change which SIDES or top vs. bottom to find things. when my mind goes faster than my slow typing, sometimes I wish there was a way to edit forum posts after they have been made.

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      Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Great point about things staying in the same location.

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    FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years ago

    Regarding the profile page, I don't see any biography. I  quite often use this to decide whether or not to follow someone. Also, there is no longer  hubs  listed as grouped topics. This means I have to go through every hub to get to hubs on one topic, when now I can currently click on the category title. I am even less impressed withthis than with th new hub  layout. But since I expect the changes to remain regardless of what I say, I guess it will be taking a lot more time to find the specific topics I want when I follow a hubbe rwho writes on a variety of subjects.

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       prairieprincessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       The bio is on the side and you have to click "read more" to get to it, which makes it way less prominent.

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          WriteAngledposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Ahhh, this is what I hate!!!
          
          Why are you imposing content other than what I have written for my readers to see if they choose to visit my profile page?
          
          Please give us the means to display what we wish on our pages!

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             Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Noted! Thanks, WriteAngled.

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          FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks for telling me. I didn't even see it. That  is what I mean.

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    2. 81

       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       We really do want your feedback, FlorabReenRobinson- how do you think we might better display the bio without it overtaking the page? And could you expand on why you find topics to be very important when looking at a person's profile? And do you have any thoughts on where topics might fit into the updated design?

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          FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I like the bio still atthe top where my eye naturally goes. You can still have only part of it appear with the "read more" button so that it doesn't take over the page. But it will remain i nthe saame place.
          
          Regarding topics:
          
          I will use Patty Inglish as an examplebecause she has a large number of hubs. This isn't important for someone with 30 hubs as there are not many of them. Patty has a large number of hubs in several categories and I am new to the site. I would love to read older hubs of hers on totem poles and British Columbia.  Having the overall categories of her hubs saying "favourite topics of Patty's.." allows me to go straight to her "Travel and Pklaces" and thus go through a smaller number of hubs.
          
          Now this may actually be an option when you click on "see more hubs by"  I just want to be able to find hubs I want to read quicker from hubbers that have a large number of hubs.
          
          Perhaps the names of the favourite topics could be buttons below  where it says "to read more hubs by" so that the examples of the specific titles are not given, but the categories ar. So If  you look at my profile page, you could click a button and go straght to  the books and writing hubs only or the pets and animals only. again, with only 28 hubs published so far, it doesn't take time to navigate my hubs, but for yours, it does.
          I follow both you and Patty and when I have time, I like to go backinto your older hubs and read them.

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             Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Thanks for that explanation.  Would it help if, below a Hubber's profile, the top seven categories in which he/she writes are listed, and each category links to a page listing those Hubs?

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                FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                that would help, yes.

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                Peggy Wposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                I really like that idea!

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                prairieprincessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                That would be amazing!

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          WriteAngledposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          What is wrong with "the bio overtaking the page"?
          
          If someone goes to an author's profile page, they presumably want to find out more about the author.
          
          The bio is the first thing I read on a profile page. I only look at what hubs the author has written if I have been sufficiently interested by what is in the bio.
          
          Thrusting random hubs into my face is likely to make me not bother to surf through Hubpages at all in future.

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             ChristinSposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             WriteAngled - I couldn't agree with you more on this post.  A bio page is just that - a BIO - meaning I want to know more about the person whose hubs I might like to follow etc. 
             
             The promotion of other hubs is rampant in all other areas - why not let the bio page be what it is supposed to be? A bio of the author.

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11. 61

    FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years ago

    I'm talking about both of them, not one or the other. Sorry if I was confusing. Thanks. I'm just passing along information as I have been taught by this expect who gave the seminar.  I'm not tech savy at all. He is.  I'm sure there are differnt people who will disagree. I just cannot find things as easily on the new layout. you asked for our opinions and I'm giving mine. It is not like I'm going to stop using the site if it's changed.  I've just found out from another hubber where the bio is.  I'm not sure what is meant by carousel. I get that you aretelling me that I will be able to control things more than before from your comment, but I do not know this term. Cheers

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       FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Oh, I see now that  you were responding to seeveral people

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12. 61

    Roy Perrinposted 13 years ago

    I agree.  So many hubbers write on such varied topics, I am more interested in them first, then what they've written.  I may have a hub on comic books, religion, military, family, movie reviews, etc.  One of these hubs by themselves does not indicate whether I would want to follow or even read any more.  The bio should be prominent and whole.  The hubs displayed should also be controlled by the hubber as there are some works they may want to promote more than others or some that they are most proud of.

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       janderson99posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I know 'You can't stop Progress' but I don't think this is the time to be changing things. Everyone is working hard to rebuild reputations and to understand how to maximize their traffic with their subdomains. We don't need layout changes that will only add to the confusion about what works and what doesn't. Wait till things settle down first - at least until after the next Panda Squat (end of the month?). Its a good idea, but wait - that's my suggestion.

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          Fiction Tellerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I agree with this - emphatically!  I was also hoping that with the subdomain switch, we were moving toward more ownership of our profiles and pages, with more control over what goes on them and where, thus resulting in more variation from subdomain to subdomain - particularly to prevent their being subdomains in name only.
          
          I'd love to see a more modular and customizable profile page - including aesthetic stuff - more featuring of the actual author, and if possible, a more modular article page, too, with the ability to customize related articles, opt out of displaying Questions to our readers, and basically control link waste.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       janderson99 - don't worry- this would not roll out until well after September starts.
       
       And thanks, Roy Perrin.  You're quite right.

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    FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years ago

    Another example of how  I love the bio as it is-check out Cogerson's bio page. I am a fan of classic Hollywood. I want to read his hubs on actors who have died or have been actring for decades, while menwhile  I couldn't care less about Will Smith or adam Sandler.  The way he has his bio page laid out, this is easy for me to do.

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       prairieprincessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I agree with your point on this one, Flora. It's nice having all the hubs organized by topic so that you can go straight to the hubs in which you have an interest.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       That's a perfect illustration of it.  How best do you think we can present the different topics in which someone rights within general proposed design?

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          FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          that's why I think at least having buttons withthe topics  permoniantly displayed would work. So for Cogerson,  there would be a button for "Classic Movies"  (eg.Marilyn monroe), a button for "Celebrities" (eg.Christoher Walkin) and sports (Greatest Boxing Movies).  Hit the button and then yousee all the hubs that fit that category. That would work.

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    waynetposted 13 years ago

    I've always fancied an optional video introduction to either put in place of your written bio or additional to your bio. A video would be a nice personal intro and would be way more engaging for others to see on the profile page.
    
    Like the designs....

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I REALLY like that video intro idea- perhaps we'll be able to factor something like that in! I'd really like that! Thanks for the excellent suggestion.

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    RedElfposted 13 years ago

    New page design feels like a very nice magazine spread. The only real problem I see with the mock-up (where will the ads go, btw?) is that the related hubs looks so nice and are SO prominent, that they will draw readers away from the original article. If they were only by the hubber who wrote the original article that would be OK, but they are all by other hubbers - not so good. Also, I'm not a fan of floating social network buttons - they quickly become annoying.
    
    I like the profile page but would like to see more bio - perhaps in a block above or below the slideshow? Then the profile pages would look a bit less like a copy of the HubPages landing page. Using more space down the side for the bio would make it look like a Blogger site, but some of us don't display all those accolades, so that space could be used, perhaps. Also, can casual viewers access the "feed" tab? I am hoping that feature is just for the author?

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       Michael Willisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I agree the related hubs should be by the same author of the Hub.

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       prairieprincessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I respectfully disagree. We will all benefit from related hubs on other hubs and it will help HP as a whole. One reason I say that is that I am now getting traffic from other subdomains, which now show up in Google Analytics.
       
       Yes, you are sending traffic to other hubbers, but you will also get it back. I like the idea of related hubs being from other hubbers because it can give different writing styles on a similar topic, which is interesting to the reader. We already have the opportunity to create our own inter-related links within our own articles.

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          Happyboomernurseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Good point Prairieprincess.

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    3. 81

       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for sharing your thoughts, RedElf! We're definitely getting that the bio needs more prominence, so we'll be working on that!
       As for related Hubs, prairieprincess explains our reasoning well- showing high quality related Hubs by other authors helps you as an author as much as it helps them- it's all a part of creating a strong, interlinked writing community.
       That said, we will make the related Hubs more distinct from the Hub itself, and we'll make sure that it's clear that they're related articles and not something else, since I can see how it's not so clear right now.

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          bill yonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I totally disagree with the idea of having other authors work on another authors profile page! Thats taking traffic from the author! the profile page should represents that authors work  and not  anyone else's.

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             rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             The profile page only shows the authors hubs.
             
             Related hubs will show up on hubs.

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                RedElfposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                I agree with that one completely - if it's my profile page, it should only show my work

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                   Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                   Like rebekahELLE said, only your own work will appear on your profile page.

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    Michael Willisposted 13 years ago

    OK, here is my first impression of the New hub page and profile pages.
    
    As for the profile page change...
    
    I see the BIO as needing to be placed back to the forefront of the "Profile." Making it a link will only make it less relevant. I go to the profile page to read about the Author. Why would I want to make yet another click to finally read what I am looking for.
    
    On the new Hubpage...
    
    The Related hubs are too big!!! They look distracting, which I thought was bad for online pages. Just by reading the sample, I couldn't keep from seeing the sidebar with the related hubs, which I see hurting the Hub that people came to read.
    Would that not also be distracting to Google and what they are wanting online articles to be?
    
    No opinion yet for complete layout though, since the Ads are not set in the sample. Would like to see what the page looks like with Ad placements.
    But a suggestion...make the writing area "wider" and the right sidebar narrower!!!
    The hub is about the writing in the article and should be the main focus.
    I see online sites that are going to the larger writing area. It is more pleasing to the eye to read that way with less distractions. It would help HP I believe also.

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       prairieprincessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I agree with the part about making the actual text of the hub bigger. That is the main point, after all.
       
       I do however LOVE the idea of having an excerpt telling what the related hubs are about. That gives a little teaser and can really attract a reader.

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          Michael Willisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I do like the teaser...but why not place the "related Hubs" after the article??? This way, the size of them will not take away from the article they reader came for.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks Michael Willis!
       You're bringing up the two main points that we see we need to change with these designs, so rest assured that we'll be working on them.
       With regard to making the text of the Hub wider- that is definitely something we could do, however it would also mess with the careful formatting of many Hubbers' Hubs, so there would be a lot of turmoil on the site were we to make the move... it's a tough subject!

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          Michael Willisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks for responding Simone.
          A suggestion for widening the writing space....Only make it for "New Hubs" written.  The older hubs would not be affected, so there would not be the mad rush to fix formatting issue.  I do see where making all hubs already published would be a nightmare to go back and fix.  Just a thought!

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       Peggy Wposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I agree that with this sample the related hubs on the sidebar are much too large and distracting especially now with the added photo feature.  If posted at the end as in the example, that would be fine with me.  Is the intent to have them both at the side AND at the end?

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    FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years ago

    to me, the biography is the most important part of the profile page. It says who the person is, what he or she feels passionate about and therefore what topics what they write about best

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       We'll definitely be giving it more prominence.

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    LuisEGonzalezposted 13 years ago

    Actually I think that the new changes make HP better and more appealing. This is a new exciting change and looks to be very promising. Hopefully better quality and higher paying adds can now be displayed.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       They can!  Huzzah!

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    will foljuposted 13 years ago

    It's more visually appealing, therefore may attract new or perception inclined readers, however seems a little scattered.
    Overall seems fine for the preliminary stages.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       will folju; do you have an example of how it seems scattered and how we might address that issue?

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    Marisa Wrightposted 13 years ago

    I don't think we can properly judge the Hub layout until we know where the ads are going.
    
    I'm not too worried about all the "related Hubs" provided the quality is up and the "relatedness" actually works.  Because we're all on sub-domains now, I think we all need the extra cross-pollination across categories - so although we'll lose some readers to related Hubs, we'll also get them back.
    
    The profile - a lot of Hubbers create a long bio so they can highlight their best Hubs, because we couldn't choose which Hubs were displayed on our profiles.  If we can now choose, that's no longer necessary.
    
    I never found the existing layout very helpful in navigating Hubs anyway, especially for prolific Hubbers.  The new layout will just put the onus on us to create a Capstone Hub for each topic instead.
    
    However, I'd still like to see more of the biography appearing on the profile page.  It is a profile page, after all!  Could you leave it where it is now, but impose a maximum word limit on it to stop it overwhelming the page?

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       Peggy Wposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I like that idea!  Some people's profiles go on and on and on listing just about every hub they have written.  I do think that the profile is important and should be featured at the top as it is now but perhaps limited as to number of words.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Awesome feedback, Marisa Wright. 
       What we had in some earlier designs was a profile with a more prominent location in the center of the profile that was cut off and could be expanded at a certain point- perhaps that's what we'll go back to. The benefit of that is that you COULD make a bio that's short enough to completely show, but you'd also have the freedom to write a lot more without it reducing the functionality of the rest of your profile.
       But thanks for bringing up the point that, because Hubbers can choose which Hubs they feature in their profiles, they won't have to use their bio to do that.

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       Rebecca E.posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Marisa-- yes teh profiel is important, but I really like the step of maximum word.  I can't recall who wrote about that, but pointed out too short, and people leave too long, and people leave without seeing your hubs at all.
       
       The idea that you can choose is good, but I am going to ask, what do some hubbers do who have links to say a blog or a website?  Will that still be in the profile? ( as long as it's kept short of course!)

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       Lisa HWposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I've tried a brief bio, a super-brief bio, and the big, long, ridiculous, one that I now have.  I notice I seem to do better (if only score-wise) with the big, long, one.     If someone decided there should be a rule about length, I'll just go dig out one of my stored brief (or super-brief) ones.    Just as Marisa said, I'm out of those who has highlighted my better Hubs because I really hate some of the ones that show up.  They change, so deleting the ones I don't like (but that sometimes do well anyway) would pretty much mean deleting everything EXCEPT what I've highlighted in the profile. 
       
       I like the more professional, clean, "magazine-y", look shown as a sample.  I like the tan color.  I'd think it might attract more "grown up" readers/writers.  Even if it doesn't I'd think it might help get away from the "nobody-really-cares-how-polished-anything-looks" message that to me  (sorry about saying this) comes with the present fonts, styling, and light-blue theme.

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    LuisEGonzalezposted 13 years ago

    Good points Marisa Wright, hope they are listening.

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    Denise Handlonposted 13 years ago

    Wow! Interesting comments from everyone.  And, many good points. Thanks for bringing this into the spotlight, Simone.

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    celebritieposted 13 years ago

    I like the new layout is looks really good and reminds me of a magazine. I think it would be cool if we could customize our profile page with our own background design, similar to how you can pick your own wallpaper on twitter.
    
    Plus as someone else mentioned if we could pick which hubs we want to feature would be cool too!
    
    The bio might work being placed underneath our photo where the subscribe and search buttons are located, but I would have to see how it looked first.
    
    also I was thinking that maybe everyone should start writing on one or two topics instead of multiple ones. It may make the related hubs issue workout better.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks celebrite!
       We were thinking that Hubbers would be able to choose which Hubs would end up in the carousel that's featured at the top of the profile, so that's definitely in the plan
       I think we'll still encourage everyone to write on whatever topics they like, so we'll definitely work on some ways we can show the top categories in which a Hubber writes.

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          Denise Handlonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I agree, Simone.  One of the things I like about Hubpages is the freedom to write about anything.  Thanks!

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    skyfireposted 13 years ago

    Please allow some control on sidebar space for "related hubs". Also i would like to see the ads in this layout before commenting because without ads it's hard to comment.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Noted! And the ads are going to be in the same places they are with the current Hub layout, to my understanding.

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    shazwellynposted 13 years ago

    It does look pretty.  However, where are the ads going or are you giving up on adsense (a greater or lesser extent)? 
    
    The first and foremost point is to concentrate on maximising earnings - this is a business in creation.  I would love to know your business plan.  Will you be charging us for membership? Is this the next move?
    
    I say this because this is the route you seem to be taking - subdomains, magazine design hubs and profiles - it appears to be pointing this way.  If you are thinking about this, you need to act with caution.  I am sure you know this, as you seem to be managing us effectively with the changes in this transition.
    
    For example, would we own our subdomains - just like any other website?  Ownership would make the membership package attractive.
    
    So, what are your longer term goals?  If you are straight we us, those who provide quality content (and these are the people you want to keep for google purposes) will stick with you.  So, why don't you share the love and open to the community which you hold so dear.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Hey shazwellyn- the ads aren't going anywhere; they're just not in these comps.  I'm pretty sure they'll be in the same place that they're in with our current designs.  So no worries!
       We will not be charing for membership on HubPages.
       As I see it, Hubbers 'own' their subdomains now... is there some additional control that you're referring to?
       Our long term goals continue to be to make this the best place to share content online. This redesign move is just to make the site easier to navigate, more attractive, and more lucrative for authors.

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          shazwellynposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I am really glad to hear these clarifications.
          
          If we own our subdomains now, does that mean we can sell them on, like any other website? 
          
          I do like the new layout and I think that Google will love Hubpages for it - tweaking a bit here and there with sharing links other than where you have placed them might be beneficial - I love the existing top of the page twitter/facebook buttons on our hubs - so to change this won't be advantageous.

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             shazwellynposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             I wondered if you can advise me why my traffic has suddenly decreased by 75% in the last 40 hours?  Is there a problem with my account?

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                Mark Ewbieposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                Conversations going on here...
                
                http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/80606
                
                and here...
                
                http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/79215

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                   shazwellynposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                   Bless you Mark.  That is helpful to know... bet it is the transition to the new upgraded server.

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26. 59

    BaliMermaidposted 13 years ago

    Will the RSS module still work in this new design. I would not want the "related hubs" to replace that unless the hub author was able to choose the "related hubs". I understand the importance of having related content. This is relatively easy to do with the rss module.
    So how are the "related hubs" chosen.
    
    Also what about ad placement. Can we see an example that shows that?
    
    Although I cannot say this about my hubs, yet, I have hubbers that are friends I see often. They are getting the best adsense revenue they have had in over one year. They are also getting almost the same revenue each day from the Hubpages ad program. They certainly would not want a design change that affects that.
    
    Would that I could say such a thing. But I still feel changes should be those that increase revenues as the major deciding factor. Hubpages seems to have done a good job using that outlook and testing with the sub-domain idea. Will you do similar testing with these new layout designs?

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Hey BaliMermaid!  We're not taking away ads; I don't believe they're moving, though the pages now accommodate wider premium ads at the top (what with the wider site), which typically means higher earnings potential.
       The RSS capsule is part of Hubs themselves, so it's not affected by these changes.  The redesign is indeed being rolled out in waves- we're starting with the site widening and moving on from there, page by page.

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27. 94

    AliciaCposted 13 years ago

    I agree with others that it’s hard to form an overall opinion without seeing where the ads will go, but I have some thoughts so far. I don’t like the new hub page. The hub looks squished to one side  while the related hubs at the side have far too much prominence. The related hubs at the bottom look fine because they don’t distract the visitor from reading the hub. I also don’t like the moving share box. I find boxes that move with me on the screen very annoying and intrusive and I suspect that some hub visitors will feel the same way. I quite like the profile page, though, and I love the carousel for displaying hubs. I agree with others that there should be some way to see a writer’s hubs by topic. A visitor may not be at all interested in the writer’s technology hubs, for example, but they might be interested in the writer’s craft hubs.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks AliciaC! We'll definitely be giving related Hubs less prominence.
       And you share the opinion of many on the moving box- we'll definitely be discussing that.  And we'll be sure to discuss re-integrating topics into the profile page, too!

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28. 61

    Wayne Tullyposted 13 years ago

    Also a good idea would be to have some kind of beer making function on the profile page...maybe with a straw so that we can drink some beer or any beverage straight from the screen....might need to jump ahead into the future and make some holographic Will Wonka technology or something....

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       Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Fine as long as it's not that Fosters Lager garbage.............................

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          Wayne Tullyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Yeah it would have to be some premium lager that is higher in alcohol volume....

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29. 95

    wildernessposted 13 years ago

    Someone above posted about providing a button to expand a particular category.
    
    I think it would be beneficial to list not categories but our own personal groups (maybe with a hub or two showing?) and let the viewer expand a group to see what's in it.
    
    For the most part it seems that we can make group names more germane to the hubs than the categories set up by HP. Organizing the profile page by groups would let a viewer see what is generally available at a glance, then pick a group to see exactly what's in it.

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       Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Wonderful idea.

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          Julie Lussierposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          *** Excellent idea!  ***
          
          We could "customize" the layout a bit using 'groups'.

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       Glenn Stokposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I like that idea too. Having an option to specify which groups are displayed in our profile. This could be a check box option in account/groups.

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    FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years ago

    Hi, wilderness. That was I who suggested the buttons. I agree, they should be more specific than just the large topic, eg. classic movies instead of entertainment and media or even movies and movie reviews. Very specific. and thanks again for the information you gave me on when Google rereads articles  for the search engines.

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       wildernessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       You're welcome.
       
       I just think that we can design and name our own groups better than HP can.  We know exactly what's in a hub, what our other hubs are and (perhaps) what we intend to write in the future. 
       
       It all adds up to the fact that we can name groups better than HP can provide categories when they have to do it for everyone that writes on HP.
       
       And I really do like the idea of the buttons (name of the group, maybe?) to expand a group to show everything that's in it.

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          Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          It's a great idea! We'll definitely discuss the feasibility of doing so in our upcoming design meeting. Thanks for sharing it!

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31. 71

    bill yonposted 13 years ago

    I do not like the fact of having other authors hub on the landing page. This will take away traffic. The landing page should display the authors work and the authors work only.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       The profile page does not show any Hubs that are not created by that author. It's on Hubs that related Hubs by other authors might be found.

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32. 94

    Urbane Chaosposted 13 years ago

    On the front page, especially regarding the author biography issue, I think it'd make sense to allow the hubbers to choose how they want their profile page to appear.
    
    We can use capsules in our hubs, why not on the front page as well?  Then we can choose if we like the bio to go in the corner, or if we'd rather have it up front and center.
    
    Personally, I like the idea of a separate bio page, but that's just me.

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    melbelposted 13 years ago

    In the blog I said that I wasn't a fan of the "related hubs" in our hubs featuring work that was that of other hubbers, but Simone responded and made a really good point.
    
    On other people's hubs, OUR hubs may show.
    
    It would feature some of the best work on HubPages, thus raising the bar for us. While, it seems to be based on the HubScore and really not our own definition of "our best hubs" (my highest performing hubs aren't the highest scored ones,) it still has a level of raising the bar overall for us.
    
    While it's rough to really write up a good one, it gives us some motivation to clean up other hubs that don't perform as well. By doing this perhaps it will raise the HubScore and get us featured in other users' hubs.
    
    It will also improve the perception that readers have of HubPages. I have a few hubs that really need some improvement that are in the same niche of some well-performing ones. When a viewer checks out my hub, currently they see my stinker as a related hub. Viewers don't want to see my stinker hub, they want to see hubs that are not only related to what their reading, but very good ones at that.
    
    While it will be a lot of work for all of us to get our hubs polished so they are shiny and nice (and more likely to show up in related hubs,) I think it will create more appeal for readers who aren't all that familiar with HubPages (these are the guys that click our ads.) This has a lot of benefits:
    -It might be that they are more likely to share our hub (getting us backlinks.)
    -It may keep readers on the site longer (lowering bounce rates.)
    -It may increase the likelihood that the reader may click an ad (raising our CTRs and keeping us out of that nasty smartpricing sandbox.)
    -It will definitely increase the likelihood that users will return to the site.
    
    Panda affected us largely because readers were complaining to Google about the quality of search results. Google tweaked their search engines to raise the quality, and sadly sunk a lot of us at HubPages. That means, to Google, a lot of our hubs really weren't up to par. I think that by making this change, HubPages isn't hurting quality writers, but helping them. Yes, it raises the bar for all of us, but I think that's really beneficial and, in the long run, is better for each of us as it increases our earnings and our personal writing skills.
    
    While there are some features of the new layout that I don't particularly care for (I outlined them in the comments I made to the blog post,) I actually am really for this particular change.
    
    I am not a fan of how the author's bio is featured in the profiles, I do agree that there should be some level of culling of what's allowed in bios. I think author's should continue to be able to link out to whatever, but the length thing really turns me off as a reader. I visit a profile to see an author's other hubs and get annoyed when I have to scroll all the way down to see their hubs. I know it's rough, I'm constantly tweaking my profile to give information I think is important while staying in check with the length.
    
    It may just be me, though, I'm an odd bird.
    Me: http://censys.org/blog/wp-content/uploa … ngbird.jpg

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       Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I agree.  A couple of years ago, there was a consensus on HubPages that you should keep your bio short enough so you could just see the top of the list of Hubs without scrolling down.   If you wrote a bio that went "below the fold" there was a good chance readers wouldn't scroll down to find your Hubs, and you'd lose traffic.
       
       That changed when Hubbers started complaining the Hubs weren't listed as they liked, and people started including links to their best Hubs in the bio itself instead.

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          Glenn Stokposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          When I see a long bio I never read it either. When someone comments in one of my hubs I go to their profile to look for a hub of theirs that I'd like to read too.
          
          If I see a short (one paragraph) bio I'll read it to get to know the Hubber. Then I'll look at their hub list. But if the bio is long I'll just scroll right down to the hubs and maybe miss something important about the person themselves. 
          
          I think it is self-defeating to have a long bio pushing the hub list below the fold.

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    Greensleeves Hubsposted 13 years ago

    First the idea of a wider page is the single most important improvement - the wider the page the more attractive and presentable the whole page looks. Superficially, the design of the new page layout on both the hubpage and the profile is also rather more attractive.
    
    However, I do have strong reservations, though I think some of these are already being dealt with due to member feedback.
    
    1)On the profile page, it is always a turn-off if you have to click and double click to read the HubPage member's full personal statement. Within reason therefore, the entire bio should be available without a second click.
    
    2)Likewise with the hubs on the profile page - in the example of Simone's profile, about four times as many of her pages are visible on the old style profile, giving a far better impression of her writing and interests. If people do not see something of interest in the 5 or 6 hubs featured on the new layout, they are likely to navigate away without bothering to look further.
    
    3)Although it is good to have related pages by other hubbers advertised (because this does benefit us all) it must also remain very easy for visitors to access the hubmember's own pages and info.
    
    4)Finally, I really really hate the idea of the moving box on the left side!!! When I visit a webpage, it's a real turn-off to have boxes or adverts or captions of any description following me around the page like an annoying fly. They distract the eye.
    
    For all that, I welcome the effort and intention to improve the pages, and I certainly look forward to the wider format.

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35. 0

    Suramya.Kposted 13 years ago

    The ads are not shown in this design, so its pretty difficult to say anything. But adding an AdSense ad block right before the comments section would be great. The ads  are now after the comments and I think people don't read all the comments way down.

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    tlpoagueposted 13 years ago

    These are all interesting ideas presented here. I may be off based on my analysis here, but I like to look at someone's bio first. It doesn't have to cover the whole page, maybe just in a column format would be nice. I think that maybe there should be a word count for a bio along with a limited number of links to hubs. If they want to link their best hubs/favorite hubs, maybe they can have their own capsule to put them in? I then like to look at the different topics the author writes about. To lump these topics together would be a nice bonus, but is there something we could do about seeing older pieces of work that do not see much traffic now?  One thing that I do find annoying is anything hovering or popping up while I am trying to read something. I will usually leave a page is I get spammed with it. I'm not sure what to think here, so just babbling ideas. I did want to ask about the RSS feeds. Do we still need to use them (or have the option to use them) to help lump our topics together? I do realize that I am jumping all over the map, but these are just a few of the things that popped into my head. Other than that, great job in trying to improve HP and helping us to increase our traffic.

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       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for the feedback, tipague. You're not off base at all, in fact, pretty much all of your comments mirror those of other Hubbers.
       RSS feeds on HubPages are fully functional- we're not changing anything with them.

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37. 64

    Greek Oneposted 13 years ago

    it needs more cowbell
    
    and speaking of which...
    
    

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38. 93

    melbelposted 13 years ago

    Anyone know when (or whether) these plans go into effect. I'm excited to see the changes, how they'll affect traffic and whether or not the changes will effect CTR.

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39. 80

    barbergirl28posted 13 years ago

    I am not really digging that the profile information is reduced. People come to see our profile pages because they want to see what else we have written and know a little more about who we are. When you reduce that, they have to make the extra effort, and sometimes the extra effort isn't there.
    
    I think the pages look great and are nicely updated. However, I wish there was a way to organize the photos so you can place them on the right and/or left sides. I think this could add to making layouts more pleasing to the eyes. If you look at magazines and newspapers, they never line the photos up straight down one side of the page. By being able to rearrange the photos on either side, it will make the site more visually appealing.
    
    Also, I am not sure if this has anything to do with the changes, but I hate how when we go to the "Hubbers we follow" tab and it no longer lists their latest publication title. I have several people that I follow. I don't have the time to click on every single persons profile to see if they have written something new. This will decrease community interaction, which is one of the reasons I love writing on Hubpages so much. This will result in the only ones I will be apt to check over and over again are my favorites that I interact with on a regular basis. This will also be bad for those who don't typically publish something new on a daily basis because people will stop checking since they can't tell if they have written something new. Sure - we do get updates. But flipping between my email and hubpages will make this change rather inconvenient. I fear it will lose interaction among the community. Especially by those who do this as a hobby and have minimul time.

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       barbergirl28posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Ironic - after I said something about the "Hubbers we Follow" Tab note listing their latest publication... I went back to see how many people I was following and noticed it was back... there must have been a glitch in the system!

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    Isabella Snowposted 13 years ago

    Have seen so many changes in the layouts over the years that I am not really bothered by any of them anymore -- but I must say that I don't at all care for the related hubs at the bottom of the page.
    
    I don't think there should be any significant level of noise below where the comments section currently is.
    
    My 2 cents.

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41. 71

    bill yonposted 11 years ago

    How about the ability to post google like ads from a hubbers privately owned sites? I like hub pages and I have learned alot from the hubverse, but at the end of the day I hub just for fun or to see what works.I would love to be able to post google like ads on my hubs that would lead readers to my other websites. Having the option to use pay pal, google checkout, clickbank, or a shopping cart of your own would be great also. How about this give hubbers the choice of having total control over their sub domains by creating an upgrade or higher level for the hubbers that are here to make money. Something like 50 bucks a year to have a subdomain that the author can sell digital downloads, or physical products, you understand? This will allow the hubbers to run two sites one that is drawing in adsense and google as well as ebay and amazon ads, and another that the author can link to his/her own websites and products one in which the author has TOTAL control over. Thats my idea, because in all honesty google adsense and what nots is peanuts in the grand scheme of things on the internet. As far as design is concerned I personally would like a site that allows me to place photos and videos,text, anywhere I want to on the page. I want total control of the space I am working with. I like the idea waynett had about being able to post a video as your bio, any video, that would be great. I am an artist first entrepreneur second I would love to have a massive amounts of tools to build my hubpages I think these things would electrify hubpages and take the hub to another level that no blogsite at this point in time is on.

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    Sally's Troveposted 11 years ago

    I'm not sure this is the best place to post about this, but here it is...
    
    The load time for hubs is not acceptable. A hub comes up in an instant, as it's supposed to, but you can't do anything to it, with it, until the social networking stuff loads (the stuff in the right-hand column).
    
    I'm a member here, so I wait. But I think about those folks I point to this site. It's not a good experience for them, because instant gratification time is neglected.

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