Is Anyone Else Now Afraid To Write?

1. 88

   andyozposted 13 years ago

   So in the past 6 months we have all endured a real rollercoaster ride thanks to the big G.  Many of us are still really struggling while some of us have reached new heights with our page views.  I am happy to say I am in the second group of people, my views are better than they have ever been and things are going very nicely.
   
   However, everytime I check out the forums it's all doom and gloom.  It seems many people are really struggling and their views are worse than ever.  So the general consensus is that some subdomains have been given penalities by Google thus meaning all the content in that domain suffers.  No one seems to have a definative answer as to why certain sub domains are suffering, often the sub domain owners write high quality hubs and do everything by the book.  So the fact is, that it could happen to any one of us.
   
   Because of this I honestly hold my breathe everytime I check my stats page.  I am just waiting to see a page full of blue arrows.  Another issue is, what if I write a nice new sparkly hub but inadvertantly trigger the wrath of Google thus ruining all my hubs in one fail swoop!  It really is a scary prospect that the next hub I write could cost me a fortune if I do something slightly wrong. 
   
   Anyone else having similar feelings at the moment?

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      leroy64posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Since I have been at HubPages for three months, I have known only this climate.  I will follow this forum and see what everyone is saying.  I have seen blue one day and red the next, but I do not know what is happening.  So I guess I am not scared.

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      Helena Rickettsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I've only been here for two months so I have no idea how it was before.  I don't have as many hubs posted as I would like yet but I'm working on it.  I've been promoting mine through manual search engine submissions, Twitter, Facebook and my websites and am actually pleased with the traffic I've had so far.
      
      It seems the more I write, the more views come in and the more money my hubs generate.  I realize that is common sense by sheer volume but it makes me happy to see the views climb like they did for me today.   
      
      I'm curious too how it is now compared to before and what the niches are of the hubs that have been penalized by Google.

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         Cardisaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         It seems as if in the last month my subdomain has been given the penalty by Google. there are some days I see a reasonable amount of traffic but most days if very low. It wasn't like that before.

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      kschangposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      My traffic had tripled since subdomains got introduced and it's STILL tripled.

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      LhouvieBlueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That's the last thing I will do in my life. if there's one thing I do that keeps me on moving that is writing. Why? In my writings I can express myself, I don't have to pretend to be someone else i'm not. There I am best.. No one can question that..!

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      Nexusx2posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I haven't really been active in hubpages because i have been writing articles in my own website but I still write a hub now and then. I have come to a conclusion that you need to backlink your hub in order to have any success now.

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         Will Apseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I don't how you come to that conclusion. Go look at the successful hubbers backlinks. Some are obviously creating links. Most are not.

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2. 66

   2uesdayposted 13 years ago

   I stopped writing for a while, then I guess the thing that makes us writers kicks in and you just have to go for it and write anyway.
   
   My hunch is that Google will constantly change and evolve the way it works searches or whatever takes the place of the current way of searching the internet. I do n't think being dependent on Google is a safe place to be.
   
   So maybe apart from playing by the rules and by that I mean the TOS, the best bet is to just write the best you can about things that interest you.
   
   If I were writing here to pay bills I might not be able to be so relaxed about it, and it is for the Hubbers in that position that I really hope all their efforts come good soon.
   
   added - sorry - I just read your other post and now I can see exactly why you feel like this. Not sure what to say, have lots of different baskets with lots of eggs in is probably the only way to feel a bit more secure.

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      Jlbowdenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think that is something we have to all take chances on, as being writers on the internet. We in essence have to take the good with the bad. And sure it's certainly nice to earn those few extra coins that our articles produce. But I think it all boils down to-If you really enjoy writing, than you will continue to write, regardless of googoo or any other factor that may affect views etc... This will all pass with time,like everything else.

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3. 57

   Dame Scribeposted 13 years ago

   I think if we read and reread if necessary - the TOS - and use of our common sense all will be ok. I agree, G is always going to be evolving - what may be a downgrade today may turn around tomorrow.

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4. 60

   Mark Ewbieposted 13 years ago

   I know what you mean about being scared to rock the boat.  Who knows what they are penalizing or promoting.  But as a hobby writer, and being here because I want to write, and enjoying writing...  I can't let the fear of Panda stop me from writing.
   
   Nice achievement by Google though.  Make people scared to write new stuff.

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      SimeyCposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with Mark. I started writing on the web over 10 years ago. I didn't expect to earn any money, but when I earned $100 in a year I was really pleased as it allowed me to go out to dinner thanks to my writing.
      
      As the market evolved and I found websites like Squidoo and Hubpages I realized that there was potential to make a decent residual income on the web and I have done well.
      
      However, my motivation to write is one that is more about trying to provide information, give joy or perhaps cause a few tears - so perhaps I can earn a couple of hundred dollars a month or more, but I have a job and through that I live not through my HP earnings.
      
      I write because I love to write - I don't write because I want 5000 people to read my articles a day - if I get 1 read and help someone then I am happy....I am back to the level I had before panda - I've seens the heights of nearly 6000 views a day, but never really expected that to last..
      
      ...so I'm happy that I can still write, can still earn a few dollars each day - but more importantly perhaps one of those readers will gain valuable information - that for me is worth more than anything!

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5. 95

   PaulGoodman67posted 13 years ago

   I write constantly.  But I spread myself around a bit.  I stopped writing on HubPages for a time because of the traffic problems.  Then when the traffic surged recently, I wrote on here again.  Now since my traffic crashed, I've stopped again for the moment. 

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   1. 88

      andyozposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I must admit I did something similar, I wrote about 2 hubs in a 5 month period, then in the past two weeks I have written more than 10.  Still a worry everytime I hit that Publish button.

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6. 75

   David 470posted 13 years ago

   I am afraid to write because my traffic went down, but I am still higher than my pre-panda levels (a few thousand views daily).
   
   What does not make sense is how I went the whole way up to 10,000 views in one day on August 28th, then it dropped.
   
   I can't say too much yet because my loss in traffic may have been because of search engine trends, rather than Google.
   
   But the subdomains did benefit me and I think I just so happened to write about the right topics in August and it really sped off.
   
   I have a theory that my traffic may rise to 7000+ again at the end of September, but I honestly do not know for sure.

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      andyozposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I love a good theory!  Care to share?

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         David 470posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         This theory I believe only applies to me, unless there are other hubbers who write like I do & write on the same niches.
         
         Since the subdomain switch my traffic increased 40-60% or so. These were on hubs that were written in early 2011 and late 2010 mainly.
         
         But that increase was nothing compared to the increase I started to see on August 24th to the 28th. I wrote some Call of Duty Black Ops hubs in August that did not see too much traffic at first, but the day the new map came out on the Xbox 360, they rose way up!
         
         This increase in traffic probably occurred due to it being a "new topic", low competition words with lower CPMs, and the SubDomains.
         
         My theory is that my traffic may rise again because  the new map will be available for the PS3 and PC owners at the end of the month, which possibly means they will be searching for information etc. on the new level.
         
         Also, I believe that a game called "Dead Island" is being highly searched right now & words related to "Black Ops" are being searched less.
         
         Dead Island was sold out the first day in my area so my guess is that people's offline & online activities have changed a bit -- so some words are not being searched as much.

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            andyozposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Makes sense, I see my traffic go up and down depending upon certain popular games and what is popular at one particular time.

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7. 0

   Holmes221bposted 13 years ago

   I am not afraid to write, but I do get bored with writing and discussing the same old forum topics, so I delete my profile for a few weeks, and then create a new one, in the hope that it will encourage me to write with a fresh outlook.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You do realise that you're guaranteeing you will never make any money?
      
      Google uses several parameters to judge the value of a web page.  One of them is age.   Most Hubbers will tell you it takes several months for even a good Hub to start earning serious income, and two or three years for it to reach its full earnings potential.  So constantly deleting and starting again means your work never gains any age, and therefore never makes any money.

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8. 0

   Arlene V. Pomaposted 13 years ago

   I am a writer, so I write.  And as long as I want to write, nothing stops me.  Writers will either write or they will get in their little groups and piss and moan about anything and everything.  I'll pop into the Forum when I feel like it, but it's the same when you get with a group of writers in person.  There will be those who write, those who will try to convince you they are all that, those who are making so much money online that they don't know what to do with their great fortune,  and those who can't even write themselves out of a paper bag.  So if you want to piddle about stats, worry about what you're making or not making online, and what is said or not said on the Forum, be my guest.  I'm not listening to you because I'm still writing.  Online writing requires one to hustle.  And, I'm on it.

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      Mrvoodooposted 13 years agoin reply to this

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         Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Mr V

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            Mrvoodooposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I never was very good at taking the higher path.

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               Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Lol well I start off there ,but fall quite quickly myself ,hehe

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      andyozposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Why do you write on Hubpages then?  There are far better sites if you want to showcase your abilites and not earn any money.  Why bother posting if you have nothing constructive to say?

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      spokaneseoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think its great to have multiple outlets to write as well, what other sites do you write on?

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   thejeffriestubeposted 13 years ago

   Nope, cause Google can do whatever it likes. I like Hubpages. I like the people. And if people read my stuff, that's awesome.

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10. 61

    thejeffriestubeposted 13 years ago

    Tired, Voodoo?

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       Mrvoodooposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       A little.
       
       Self-righteous preaching does tend to make me feel sleepy.
       
       As for the OP's question.  I have stopped writing here for the moment.  Just until things stabilise a little, and we can see where the land lies.

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          andyozposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Me 2 voodoo, yawn.

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          recommend1posted 13 years agoin reply to this

          This is about right -  but I think the writer was looking for the puking righteous or the brown nose accolade
          
          I have stopped writing here until I can be reasonably sure that I will not get unpublished or have to make countless changes or whatever policy swerve might arise.

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11. 88

    IzzyMposted 13 years ago

    I'm not scared to write, I'm just un-motivated to write here. I write every day, I love it, I just post articles on other places.
    
    But I like here the best!

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       David 470posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, unmotivated is the word I should of used.
       
       I still like to write though.

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          Richieb799posted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I wouldn't say afraid, I actually want to write, its always been a gamble here

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       andyozposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Im with you on that Izzy, I write in various places, I do love Hubpages but like to write in some other places too, when Hubpages is in my good books in gets my attention.

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12. 68

    Evan Hutchinsonposted 13 years ago

    Panda slammed me but even after panda, I realized I was still in a very good position as a hubber regarding page views, so I kept writing. The fact that I totally ignored the forums 99 percent of the time helped me stay focused on my work and reap rewards.

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13. 61

    thejeffriestubeposted 13 years ago

    If you were referring to me, I don't see how that's self-righteous. It's my experience, just as you have yours. And some are more cynical than others.

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       Mrvoodooposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Did I quote your post?

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       Barbara Kayposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I don't think he was referring to you, because it's easy to guess who was being self-righteous.

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    Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

    I'm not at all afraid to write on here, and I like the site.  People on here (including the HP staff) went through a lot with the Panda thing six months ago - a real lot.  It's perfectly understandable that some would be on the forums and trying to figure out what they should/shouldn't be doing now, with the changed "rules".  Some people have been on here three/four years or more.  Some had been relying on their income when it crashed.    Subdomains were a big change, and everyone who has been here for awhile has been adjusting, figuring out what's happening, etc. etc. I don't see it as "ps-ing" on the forums.  I see a lot of it as a bunch of people who were earning, working hard for years, and who care about the site and what goes on with it.  A lot of people have invested a lot of time, work, and writing on here; and they've come to kind of know (or know well) other Hubbers and care what happens to them too.
    
    In a family when there are challenges people are supposed to communicate, address the challenges, try to figure out solutions, etc. etc.  A lot of what shows up in the forums in just that - a community who isn't just interested in their own earnings and traffic or writing, but that often has members who care what happens to other Hubbers and the site, itself.
    
    It's nice that there are lots of new people and nice that they haven't gone through the stuff that those who were here for Panda have gone through.  A few years from now (if they're still here) there's a good chance they'll have a better understanding of why there can be those times when it looks like "everybody" is in the forums "b-ing" and moaning.  (Actually, a lot of what's going on in the forums these days is people trying to share what they've noticed, figure out some things, and work together to figure out how things are supposed to be being done now.  Sure, every so often someone comes on and makes a "crack - but that happens in forums, regardless of the topic, doesn't it...
    
    Having said that, and for the benefit of any of the newer people on here who are wondering if they should be afraid to write - no.  I'm not.  Things are fine with me for the moment, and if they change I'll do the next thing.  It's my stuff.  I keep the rights to it.   (Sometimes it really is good, though, for people to be somewhere a little while in order that they be able to understand why it is some things go on.)

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    FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years ago

    I love to write and will continue to do so regardless of what happens.  and anyone who has ever written poetry knows it won't get a lot of traffic -yet just look at the popularity  of poetry in terms of the number of poems and poets on this site.

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       IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I'm not a poetry fan, but if I was, I would condense a few poems into one hub and title it with a search friendly term.

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          FloraBreenRobisonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Hi, and thanks for the  idea. I was referring to the original post about being afraid to write and I meant that creative writing is popular among writers even when they are writing for themselves and each other alone.-i.e., you feel the need to write even when it just for yourself. I used poetry as an example as it tends to get low traffic compared to other writing. If you get an audience, excellent. If you don't, you still want to write.

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    thejeffriestubeposted 13 years ago

    Yeah, my comment radar is broke. I had two shots too many. Which means I had two shots. :-)

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    Barbara Kayposted 13 years ago

    I'm not afraid to write, but Panda did teach me not rely on a certain amount of income coming in every month.

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    thejeffriestubeposted 13 years ago

    Voodoo, I just reread everything. I see now. My apologies sir.

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       Mrvoodooposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       No problem at all.
       
       I tend to lose track of things myself after a shot or two.

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    Randy Godwinposted 13 years ago

    Sure, I still write every day.  Just not putting anything else on here until things settle down a bit. 

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       Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Me too. I've only written two Hubs since the first Panda update. 
       
       Because HP has such a great community, it's all too easy to get comfortable here, and forget the need to spread your work around other places, too, as an insurance.  Panda reminded me that it's never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket online.  So I've been working on that!

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          Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Not actually true in my case, Marisa.  Because of past experiences with other content sites, I have never allowed myself to feel completely comfortable here at HP.  Nothing personal against HP-nothing seriously personal at any rate-merely   
          
          But I do understand what you are saying, especially if you are speaking to those here who haven't had the misfortune of publishing on other sites familiar to both you and I.  I do learn something new each time I try something new, though.  Of course, this doesn't mean what I learn each time is always pleasant. 

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20. 58

    saddlerider1posted 13 years ago

    I have seen my stats go up and down like a yo yo and yet my score still remains at 100  I don't really have a handle on why my score stays that high, I am simply a Poet, nothing more, I don;t write articles, don't write stories, yet my number is always high. I should be down in the low 80's, don't you think?

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       PaulGoodman67posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I suspect that you write a lot of comments, which probably helps your score?  You are rewarded for your contributions to the community.  I spend too long in the forums, that's my problem!  ;-)

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       Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       No one knows why. SR1.  Everything is a mystery here in Hubland.  Do we even know if the folks on staff are real people?  I wouldn't be surprised if all of us frequent 100 profile Hubbers are fake members.  I am, are you?  If we can convince all of the other 100 members to admit they are fake too, we might get somewhere with this. 

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21. 88

    suzettenaplesposted 13 years ago

    I am relatively new at this hub writing and publishing and I don't quite have the hang of how all of this works.  I don't understand how Google has so much influence on Hub pages.  Is it because of Google searches and our Hubs being listed on Google searches?  I'm not a technological guru, so I'm out of the loop on how all this works.  I write on Hub pages just because I like to write, I enjoy the feedback and I enjoy reading others works.  If I get a few cents thrown in the pot daily, I'm happy.  I don't and I didn't expect to make a profit by doing this. So, I'm not afraid to write and I feel badly for anyone who does.  I guess I view this like the stock market.  If you are in it for the long haul, it will go up and down, but average out in the end.  If you are in it short term, then you might have a problem when it comes to making money here.  And, then again, you might hit the jackpot.  Moneywise, to me, it's a gamble.

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       Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       So it would make no difference to you if you could make lots more money writing the same stuff on another site? 

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       Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Yes.  Think about it for a minute - how do you find articles on the internet? I bet most of the time, you type something into Google, Yahoo or Bing and see what comes up.  That's how most people, all over the world, find stuff.
       
       So it stands to reason that most traffic to HubPages comes from the search engines, and especially Google.  If Google drops our Hubs from their listings, we don't get any visitors.

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       PaulGoodman67posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       There are lots of great writing sites for people who aren't interested in earning, but choices for earning sites are pretty limited.

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    jcmayer777posted 13 years ago

    I haven't submitted many hubs lately, but I'm not afraid to.  I think traffic will return eventually (at least I hope so).  The hub platform is really easy to use, which makes it a bit easier.  It just so happens that right now my time is better spent on some other sites, so I can continue to build my online content and income.

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    thejeffriestubeposted 13 years ago

    That does not compute.

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24. 89

    Jean Bakulaposted 13 years ago

    I was putting in hours of a full time job for the first 6 months, researching every hub, until I saw writing is different online. People have short attention spans, and lots of garbage gets better scores and more readers than well written stuff. Now I try to write what I like, but am scared too. I was hoping to make at least a payout, and in 10 months, zero.

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       Ashish Dadgaaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       @ Jean Bakula,
       
       Sorry to disturb you, Jen.
       
       I was going through past forums for some better understanding and knowledge.  I saw your comment and I felt, I am also at your position. How's your experience so far and what would you say about writing from search or from the heart? and What's your call on payout? did your get desired result?
       
       Regards,
       Ashish

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          Jean Bakulaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

          Hello Ashish-
          This is a really old thread, and a lot has changed since the time I posted here. Google downgraded Hubpages about four years ago, it lost a lot of money, and has been trying to find a way to make a comeback anyway it can.
          
          This niche idea seems to be the best one. I continued to write, because I love it, not so much because of the money. Even the rules are sketchy now, and we are confused, though you should read the rules anyway, so you have a starting point.
          
          You can learn a lot here. I mostly write about Astrology, but went on to make two of my own blogs, and have a clientele by word of mouth now, who pay me well for interpreting Astrology charts and for tarot readings. And I strongly believe the clients usually find me on here, as I only keep one small blog as a landing site for new customers.
          
          Any of my hubs on niche sites are making me more money than I made in the beginning, or about the same, as it takes a few months for Google to notice your work. Google likes longer articles now, as opposed to short ones.
          
          So right now I am happy. I'm even moving older articles I wrote for other sites here. I have been approached by other writing sites to write for them, and do write for one of them now. So if you work hard and do well, its a positive place. But it's just in a state of change right now and the staff is trying to keep up with the new niche sites. I would say give it a chance, write about what you know about the most. Good luck.

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    thejeffriestubeposted 13 years ago

    That, however, DOES compute. :-)

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    Jean Bakulaposted 13 years ago

    And much of the "poetry" shouldn't be allowed, unless it's real poetry, not 4 lines like
    I thought he loved me
    Then he dumped me
    I think I will die
    And never will try or some other BS. And Bible quotes ripped straight out of the Bible with no insight or any new interpretation should not be allowed either.

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       Rosie2010posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Jean, love your poem!

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    sord87posted 13 years ago

    Everyone is suffering from Google rules,writing online seems to hard to earn at present.Everytime our hubscore is showing higher meaning our impression is slowing down from Google traffic.A fact is nowadays Google sharing revenue page is slowly revising everyone page up to their quality to be shown off in public.What we can do for now is to help each other in comments.More comments means more backlinks.Higher backlinks increasing the page views from Google traffic.
    
    produces:

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    DIYweddingplannerposted 13 years ago

    Afraid to write here?  Nahhh....
    
    Think it's an absolute waste of time in the situation some of us who have been singled out for persecution find ourselves?
    
    ABSOLUTELY!

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       Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Singled out for prostitution?  why wasn't I picked for this new HP perk?  That's so unfair I....oh, prosecution...that's different.  Never mind. 

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          Rosie2010posted 13 years agoin reply to this

          LOL

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    webmusingposted 13 years ago

    As I am doing SEO for my own company at CBS Interactive, I do get the feeling that  with all the subdomains for each writer at Hubpages still does not necessary add weight to Google searches as much as it has been or should be.
    
    That said, I still think it is worth writing because the community in Hubpages isn't weak and as word of mouth spreads. Worrying about traffic from Google will get nowhere, but why not embrace the community here with your writings?

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    Will Apseposted 13 years ago

    I'm nervous of writing affiliate pages. My main objective is to protect my account as it stands. That means updates to successful pages and other editing.
    
    My newer pages are worthy as hell. Give me some signs of stability and I will probably slip into money hound mode again.

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    BobbiRantposted 13 years ago

    Many are afraid to branch out because, well, HP is much more of a popularity contest (here anyway) so yes it is easy to get comfortable because well, frankly, elsewhere some may not fare as well.  You work up a clique here, much like high school, which is nice, but you end up being a big fish in a little pond.  I like swimming with big fish too in a big pond.  Personal hub scores mean not much more to me than well, it's just cliques, too much like high school used to be.  I write elsewhere also, more now than I used to. Also, the forums, well, Some pop in here and are antagonists, on purpose, but since they are the darlings of HP staff, I steer clear of them, because you comment back, Guess Who gets banned from the forums?  Three guesses!

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    tillsontitanposted 13 years ago

    I can never understand, one day blue arrows, one day red arrows - all the same hubs.

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    lisabeamanposted 13 years ago

    I am not afraid to write... especially when I see the hubs I wrote a year ago start to see some traffic. I'm hopeful that the ones I write now will have the same luck a year or so from now. However, hanging out in the forums does slow me down a bit. They are kind of like a train wreck. You don't want to look, but you can't help it. Then before I know it, it's time to get ready for work and I haven't written a gosh-darn thing!
    
    (On a side note, my friend once used the train wreck expression regarding a couple posting mushy-gushy photos on facebook. That started a fun facebook war!)

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    dungeonraiderposted 13 years ago

    When I see posts from companies or people (not lisabeaman, you just reminded me that I had wanted to say this earlier) that advise other writers to write as much as you can for a payoff one year later, alarm bells start going off.  Sorry, I just had to say that as I've seen it not only here, but at other writing sites.

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       lisabeamanposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for the "Not lisabeaman"! I might have taken that personally
       
       But... why do those alarms go off? Is it a sense of false advertising? Just wondering.
       
       I'm still not bring in any payouts, but my pennies are adding up faster than they used to. I figure it will be another 9 months to a year before I see that $100 in adsense.

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    paradigmsearchposted 13 years ago

    The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Just anybody don't quit their day job.

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36. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 13 years ago

    I just noticed that ads are showing again on our profile pages. I wonder how G will digest that...

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37. 60

    princess gposted 13 years ago

    No fear about writing. Doing it more than ever.

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38. 72

    suvitharojaposted 13 years ago

    I am relatively new here and not much aware of the Panda effect. I have 15 hubs and recently I see a dip in the traffic I receive. I don't know if it is Google's effect.

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    Eaglekiwiposted 13 years ago

    Well I still write,but Ive lost the motivation somewhat.
    Oh the other thing is, I suck at it now

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       paradigmsearchposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       You are wrong. I checked your hubs. You are suck-free. .

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          Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Hey you're definately growing on me ,well not literally,though worse things have grown that came out all wrong, didnt it.
          
          Thank-you!

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    dungeonraiderposted 13 years ago

    Someone trying to share their experience (which lisabeaman was doing) with new writers like me, and to give them hope, is, of course, helpful.  My comment was aimed at online writing in general (not hubpages or any writing site, in particular).   Every site I've joined I inevitably hear, 'its going to take a long time before you see any money from your writing.'  If authors stopped don't produce for these sites, they are finished.  So to tell me to keep writing for them in the hopes that they get things turned around and I see some future money, smacks of false advertising, yes.  They should just say 'Come write for us now to help keep us in business until we fix our working relationship with google.'

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       Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I know what you mean - but sometimes it's true, which is what makes it difficult to judge whether it's false advertising or not.
       
       Last year, that's exactly the advice I would've given a HubPages newbie.  Most Hubbers found it took their Hubs three or four months to start earning anything at all, and about nine months to reach their first Adsense payout. But they'd hit their next payout three or four months later, and soon they'd be cashing out every month.  Panda has changed all that, but most of us are still earning, even if it's at a lower level.

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41. 63

    Neverletitgoposted 13 years ago

    I am not scared to write because it is one of those reasons that I signed a hub page which is to be a writer. I need to make more practice that will end up to be a good writer. yes I need to make money but I have to be patient and at least I am making a lot of fun since I am writing my hubs and reading more information hear in the hub pages.

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    paradigmsearchposted 13 years ago

    "Is Anyone Else Now Afraid To Write?"
    
    My Commode Ode didn't crash and burn me. If that hub couldn't do it, no hub can.

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    Sinea Piesposted 13 years ago

    The subdomains have made a major improvement for me overall.  But I must say that I think my writing may have improved...and my selection of keywordd...since the big G. It forces us to do better.

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       IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Woop-de-woo!
       
       You're a winner, I take it.

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          Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          And you sent ME back to my corner, Izzy?     Are you "plunging" or "lunging" at the moment? 

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             IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Still sliding downwards after the second plunge which was a massive drop.

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                Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                I'm still residing at my very first plunge level here.  Up and down a few minor blips, but nothing significant.  Very uninspiring, to say the least. 

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                   PaulGoodman67posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                   I have left the AWC (Awkward Writers Club) at least for the time being.  Although I woke up this morning expecting to see that my traffic had disappeared again, I was pleasantly surprised to find it still there! 

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    jokeapptvposted 13 years ago

    they change stuff alot look at youtube they got big plans
    just stick with it.

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    1. 89

       Jean Bakulaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I had the most views during Hurricane Irene. Maybe people were stuck in the house because of the rain and wind. Now I feel like writing here is a hobby. I was spending so much time, I would miss it if I stopped. I'm writing other places too though.

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       janderson99posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Up periscope SUB-mariners and take a second look at the situation. Its going to take several weeks for Google to churn through all the millions of links associated with our shift to our Yellow Submarines. The Hubpages system is a fabulous way to develop and edit articles - by far the best in my opinion. It is easy to archive the articles and transfer them elsewhere if your sub implodes. Hubpages still has great potential with a high PR (5) and most Sub URLs have a PR of 3. The articles are indexed by Google and start getting Google traffic after a few days. An article with a competitive title can get a PR value of 3-4 and can get on the first page of search results. So my attitude is to hang in there for a month or so and archive my articles (simply copy and pastes into Word, etc.). Its tougher everywhere for articles now. I'm working on finding those hot little niche fishes, SEO and improving quality while I'm submerged in the wash cycle of the Google Churn. Keep Writing - ultimately you've little to lose.

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          Barbara Kayposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I'm still holding steady with an upward trend. I think they have me confused with Barbara Kay the journalist. I'll enjoy it while the traffic is here.

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    howtomodifyposted 13 years ago

    hi

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       Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Me too!

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    LindaSmith1posted 13 years ago

    What is all of this Panda, the big bad wolf mentality. Nobody really knows what Google is doing, why or how they do it.  Google changes the rules on a daily basis, maybe even several times a day.
    
    What kills me is that Google has all of this power over the internet.
    
    What is all of the talk about subdomains being used. I got lost on that one.

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    AEvansposted 13 years ago

    No. Just working on hubs now and I am being a little lazy. HP is in control, absolutely no fear.

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    Greekgeekposted 13 years ago

    Here is a parable.
    
    Once upon a time, an article publishing website allowed anybody to publish on anything. And lo, it became popular. And behold, the spammers came and did post viagra ads and gambling and warez and all sorts of junk. Google hit it with a manual penalty, which is very rare indeed.
    
    I had articles on that site which were (I hope) of rather better quality. But I took quite a hit -- guilt by association. Sound familiar? Many learned pundits across the web declared the site DOA.
    
    After they shook their heads and walked away from the bleeding corpse, the site instituted automated filters and a lot of annoying new rules and topic bans, and many members gave up because the cure seemed worse than the disease.
    
    Here's my traffic stats for one of my articles from back then:
    
    
    
    See that dip from the infamous "Google Slap" of '07? Panda's taking a little longer to overcome, but as soon as I saw it hit Hubpages, I thought to myself, "Ooohooo, I've seen THIS before."
    
    That's actually what made me return to HP to investigate how the site recovers from Panda. I can truthfully say I know what it feels like to have your traffic tank, your sales fail, and a major upheaval in a site and community you love. The draconian measures required to recover from a dip like that are grim, but my gamble is that a ton of spam will have been thrown out (as well as, unfortunately, some innocent and good content), leaving the site in better shape for those who stick it out.
    
    To answer the OP, yes, I'm quite enjoying writing on HP. However, I'm not in the same position as the scarred veterans, since I'm basically starting over (all my hubs were deleted years ago, which is why I left). I'm just writing for fun this time around, instead of picking topics that draw traffic and/or clicks.

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    Brie Hoffmanposted 13 years ago

    I wouldn't say that I am "afraid" to write as much as I am uninspired by what is going on.

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    Rosie2010posted 13 years ago

    I'm not afraid to write.  I just lost my motivation.. I have to get motivated.  I miss HubMob.. HubMob gave us lots of interesting ideas to write about.  Since the subdomain change my traffic doubled, and the traffic surge a few weeks ago was wonderful while it lasted.  My traffic is holding and earnings are good. 
    Still no motivation to write.  But, I got other interest now.. I sing karaoke. LOL Seriously!

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