Site Update: Widening and +1 Button

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  1. Jason Menayan profile image59
    Jason Menayanposted 12 years ago

    A couple of hours ago we made an update to the site with 2 significant changes:

    1. The site was widened by 120 pixels. As Simone explained in her blog post a couple of weeks ago, this is to accommodate wider, premium ads that we'll be serving via the HubPages Ad Program as part of our direct sales efforts with advertisers. You should see these wider ads in action next week when our first such sponsor, Drano Snake Plus, comes on line.

    Part of the widening involved putting a gray, 1-pixel border around Hubs. This helps break up the white space that resulted in the widening (we didn't want to widen the Capsules themselves, since many Hubbers took great pains to format their Capsules relative to each other with the current width).

    2. We rolled out the Google +1 button. As we had stated earlier, we wanted to wait until all Hubs were moved to subdomains before we did this, in order to not lose the visible count like we did with Facebook Likes.

    I would like to sound a note of caution here. Please do not start +1ing your Hubs or other Hubs. Each +1 is tied to a specific Google account, and Google will likely be monitoring each account's pattern of +1s, and the quality of the sources that are +1ing your Hubs. Therefore, self-serving +1ing will probably only work to your own detriment. Don't forget that it's the same Google that drives the bulk of search traffic to your Hubs!

    Please just allow readers who don't know you to do the +1ing of your Hubs... and the best way to do that is to publish only the best-quality Hubs. That way, the +1 button can help reinforce a genuine stream of traffic from Google to your high-quality Hubs.

    1. relache profile image72
      relacheposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That did wonders for the author stats/account pages on an iPad!

      1. Jason Menayan profile image59
        Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Agreed; makes good use of the real estate on the iPad.

        You'll notice that the +1 button doesn't show up on the iPad (or other mobile devices). Google hasn't enabled it for anything other than desktop devices so far.

        1. Glenn Stok profile image95
          Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          It also doesn't work on older versions of IE prior to Version 8. Latest Firefox handles it.   And of course Chrome.

    2. Jean Bakula profile image91
      Jean Bakulaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm confused about the +1. When I switched to the subdomain, I noticed that when my hubs were indexed, most of them had the +1. But I didn't put it there. So that's good, right?

    3. kannanwrites profile image93
      kannanwritesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Loved it.

    4. Cardisa profile image88
      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Jason, if you by chance did not know not to +1  can you unplus it?

      1. Glenn Stok profile image95
        Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Cardisa,   Yes you can.  Go to your Google profile, click on the +1 tab. You will see all the sites you ever +1'ed. Click the "X" next to the one you want to unplus (remove).

        1. Cardisa profile image88
          Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Thank you Glen, I actually thought it worked similar to Twitter, where you did your own thing.

    5. Marisa Wright profile image88
      Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This is really good advice and I'm surprised I haven't seen it anywhere else.  Most people seem to be treating it like a Twitter or "like" button and gaily +1-ing their own stuff - and since they've identified it as their own stuff to Google, it does seem obvious that Google will just ignore it!

      I'm wondering also about Circles.  I've added quite a few Hubbers to my circles and I'm seeing several people suggesting we +1 each other's Hubs within the Circle.  Seems to me Google won't be fooled by that either - thoughts?

      1. Kangaroo_Jase profile image76
        Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Simple Marisa,

        If you get the feeling that even suggesting to do it for others is making you feel a little sus about it, then don't do it.

  2. Rochelle Frank profile image91
    Rochelle Frankposted 12 years ago

    Thanks for the updates. Will the +1 button appear on hubs or on the Google search page?
    I think the warnings need to be reiterated as much as possible. You did say that we should not try to do our hubber friends a favor by using it--- right?

    1. Jason Menayan profile image59
      Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Rochelle,

      Yes, I would not use +1s as a sort of quid-pro-quo type of arrangement. However, if you genuinely like a Hub, feel free to +1 it. You will want to +1 lots of stuff, in that case, from plenty of other sites you visit and like, to make sure you don't give Google any impression your +1s are being used for anything other than their intended purpose. smile

      1. Aficionada profile image81
        Aficionadaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I'm glad to see this spelled out clearly.  It's hard to know when we're walking on eggshells!  I would hate to feel that we couldn't +1 something that has genuine value here.

        1. Glenn Stok profile image95
          Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Aficionada, I am sure Google will know if your +1'ing is genuine or not because all your +1's are saved. You can see what you +1'ed by going to your Google profile and click the +1 tab.

          1. K9keystrokes profile image85
            K9keystrokesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks for the extra info! It's very helpful.

  3. profile image0
    Dr. Grizposted 12 years ago

    Thanks for the info.

  4. Kangaroo_Jase profile image76
    Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years ago

    Jason,

    I don't see any mention of the Google +1 button or Twitter & Facebook likes in the learning center, unless I have missed it somewhere?

    1. Jason Menayan profile image59
      Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Kangaroo Jase,

      Nope, none yet...but we will be developing one. Thank you for your patience! smile

      1. Kangaroo_Jase profile image76
        Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        No problem Jason,

        Just happened to be the first item I thought of when I read your OP smile

        1. Glenn Stok profile image95
          Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Kangaroo_Jase, for now you can read all about how it works by searching for "+1" in Google.

          1. Kangaroo_Jase profile image76
            Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            G'day Glenn,

            Thankyou for the tip, I will be having a look at this on Google and researching about it over time. I made mention as above to Jason as currently there is no Learning Centre information (for when one clicks on the help button ob the top right of the site) on Hubpages about +1ing, Twitter or Facebook liking for hubs.

            I mention this as alot of new Hubbers would not be aware of this.

            1. Glenn Stok profile image95
              Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              Well it doesn't really have anything to do with HP.  So I can see why there is no urgency to talk about it in the help section. +1 may be new and therefore little known. But in time it will become just as common as the "facebook like" or the "twitter follow."   Anyway, what would HP put in the help that's not already fully explained in the Google Blog?

              1. Jason Menayan profile image59
                Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                We will be working on a specific entry on "social sharing", but it will primarily focus on Facebook and Twitter, since these are social networks that you can share your or others' Hubs on. In the meantime, we do mention them briefly in these entries:
                http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/2-attract-readers
                http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/a-gu … acklinking
                http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/hubp … -etiquette

                We'll discuss the Google +1 button, but since it is a bit of a different animal - no current social network linkage, but rather just a quality signal to Google, and, frankly, potentially more damaging to search traffic - it will be treated a bit differently.

                Note that when you publish a new Hub, we show you buttons to share on Facebook or Twitter, but not Google +1. (However, if Google+ takes off and they enable a sharing button for that, then we'll be happy to add that)

              2. Kangaroo_Jase profile image76
                Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                Only that it appears on each persons published hub now, right after the Facebook Like and Twitter on the top of the hub.

                For those not familiar, they will come to know about it in time.

                Not everyone reads the blog from Google and not everyone on Hubpages visits the forum.

                1. Jason Menayan profile image59
                  Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Just published the Learning Center entry!

                  http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/Usin … d-Google-1

                  1. Kangaroo_Jase profile image76
                    Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                    Under two days, that was bloody quick!

  5. K9keystrokes profile image85
    K9keystrokesposted 12 years ago

    Oustanding! Thrilled with the changes so far.

  6. paradigmsearch profile image61
    paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

    That fine-line border and fine-line separator under the title really does enhance the  appearance of our hubs. smile

  7. tlpoague profile image80
    tlpoagueposted 12 years ago

    Terrific addition! This also explains the question I was about to ask on the +1 feature. I was wondering what the deal was with the +1 buttons I was seeing. Keep up the great work!!

  8. Neerizzle profile image72
    Neerizzleposted 12 years ago

    Awesome, the new borders look nice as well as the title underline. Excited to see how the +1's will effect our traffic.

  9. saddlerider1 profile image57
    saddlerider1posted 12 years ago

    It would have been nice to see the +1 Plus along the bar where the vote up and share button is. One won't remember to scroll up to the top to look for it near the Tweet and FP buttons. On the other hand I guess it will take some practice to remember before we all start using it properly and often:0)

    1. paradigmsearch profile image61
      paradigmsearchposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I consider it a virtual certainty that it will show up there soon enough.

      And remember, as Jason has said, THOU SHALLT NOT +1 THYSELF!

      Besides, that's still illegal in 12 states anyway.

  10. Anamika S profile image68
    Anamika Sposted 12 years ago

    That's awesome!

  11. Purple Perl profile image49
    Purple Perlposted 12 years ago

    Good,good! Thanks for the update, Jason.

  12. Paraglider profile image89
    Paragliderposted 12 years ago

    It's looking good - thanks team!

  13. Rosie2010 profile image68
    Rosie2010posted 12 years ago

    Thanks, Jason

  14. Peggy W profile image94
    Peggy Wposted 12 years ago

    Thanks for the update Jason.  I noticed the +1 button and wondered about how it should be used.

  15. Beth100 profile image71
    Beth100posted 12 years ago

    The +1 is great!  Thanks for that HP!

    The grey border adds a nice touch to the hubs plus it highlights the article in way without detracting from the rest of the page.

    Again, GREAT WORK !!  smile

  16. waynet profile image67
    waynetposted 12 years ago

    Excellent updates! cheers now!

  17. Audith Johnson profile image59
    Audith Johnsonposted 12 years ago

    Thanks Jason for the heads up. It's well appreciated.

  18. viryabo profile image95
    viryaboposted 12 years ago

    Well done HP. I'm glad we persevered.

  19. Rebecca E. profile image79
    Rebecca E.posted 12 years ago

    I think this looks good and so far seems to make teh reader read the hubs you have written.  Looks god thanks for the +1 info.

  20. Green Lotus profile image60
    Green Lotusposted 12 years ago

    Thanks Jason! Things are looking really sharp. As for the +1 tag, I believe it's more than just a "thumbs up" gizmo, it tells Google about your interests and flags your location so your future Google searches will be more intuitive.

  21. FaithDream profile image80
    FaithDreamposted 12 years ago

    Love the new look!! Great job!

  22. Nspeel profile image63
    Nspeelposted 12 years ago

    Bigger ads = more money for hubpages so this will be great for all readers and writers alike.

  23. Glen619 profile image61
    Glen619posted 12 years ago

    Thanks for the updates glad to see the +1 button making its introduction at HubPages.

  24. saddlerider1 profile image57
    saddlerider1posted 12 years ago

    The new look is fantastic. Neat and clean cut lines, make ones Hub appear to be in book/page format, easy to read and stands out better to. Well done, congratulations.

  25. RedElf profile image89
    RedElfposted 12 years ago

    I noticed the border first - nice clean look. Interested to see how the +1 works out - thanks HP team!

  26. paradigmsearch profile image61
    paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

    Read it. For now, I'm not going anywhere near that button. smile

    1. Cardisa profile image88
      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I read it too and that button is dangerous. tongue

  27. ripplemaker profile image78
    ripplemakerposted 12 years ago

    Thanks for this...now I know what the +1 means... big_smile

  28. FloraBreenRobison profile image60
    FloraBreenRobisonposted 12 years ago

    I'm not going to be getting a Google+ account anytime soon. Unless and until it's as popular as facebook, most people I personally know will not use it.

    1. Glenn Stok profile image95
      Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      FloraBreenRobison,  You are confusing Google+ with the +1 button. The learningcenter review that Jason gave the link to does not talk about Google+ at this time. That is Google's new social network that may complete with Facebook.  +1 is Google's 'like button' and is the subject of this thread. I know it's confusing.

      1. FloraBreenRobison profile image60
        FloraBreenRobisonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        okay. thanks for clarifying. I though that thet were the same thing.

  29. laptop-computer profile image60
    laptop-computerposted 12 years ago

    is there any benefit from SERP position with google +1?

    1. Glenn Stok profile image95
      Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The more people who you don't know who click the +1 button, the better your SERP.  Note that I said "people you don't know." If you ask friends to click it, Google can very well see a pattern. Or worse yet, if you or your friends use a gmail account and you ask people, in an email, to click your hub, you are basically telling Google you are gaming the system. These are all my own thoughts, but it makes sense. Doesn't it?

      1. newsandtechnology profile image61
        newsandtechnologyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        yes i agree,but once i had email from i don,t know,they are selling google + 1 review

  30. Cheeky Girl profile image66
    Cheeky Girlposted 12 years ago

    This is a great move! For some weird reason, it doesn't appear in any hubs when viewed with the Apple iPad. Anyone else seeing that? And if so, will there be some plan to fix? Just wondering. I don't rely on an iPad for my main work, so it's no big deal. Cheers!

    1. Glenn Stok profile image95
      Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Google does not support +1 on the Apple iPad. Not on the iPod Touch either.  So far that I know of it's only supported on IE  (Version 8 and 9), Firefox and Chrome.

  31. Howard S. profile image88
    Howard S.posted 12 years ago

    I hadn't noticed the widening of the page (though knew it should be coming). I just figured out why. I try to keep fairly large fonts in view so that I can read the page with my bad eyesight. That shoves most of the new left margin off of the screen. If I switch to a higher screen resolution, the rest of the left-side Drano ad pops into view. It seems like the anchor should be at the left edge of that ad rather than at the left edge of the text column.

 
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