Would love some feedback!

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   Rebeccasuttonposted 9 years ago

   Hey all, by no means am I looking for traffic, or to promote myself, but I have been reviewing my hubs and would love feedback.
   I am very happy with what I have written so far, but I feel like I am long winded. I love to research and fact-check, and every time I write something, I learn something; so I add that to my work. The problem is, am I getting too in-depth? Is there such a thing? Do I risk loosing reader interest?
   I know that if someone is truly interested in what my topic is, they will eat it up, this goes for everyone's topics. I am OK with that, but in general I'm wondering if I drone on and on, or is what I have contributed so far worth-while info? (assuming the reader is interested in the subjects of my writing).
   Any feedback or comments are welcome and greatly appreciated, thank you!

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Rebecca Sutton:
      
      You will find your answer in your number of page views.
      
      If you are turning people off, you won't get readers, or at least as many as you may want to have.
      
      Sounds like you are not comfortable with your writing, so if you are not comfortable, your readers may not be comfortable, either.

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         Rebeccasuttonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I'm perfectly comfortable with my writing . I am new to the site and naturally don't have many followers or comments. So far they have all been positive, however I doubt anyone would offer constructive criticism via the comments section. Hence, why I'm here. As I develop my writing for a platform that's completely new to me, I need to get some extra opinions so I can keep working on my style Thanks!

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Rebeccasutton:
            
            The reason I said it sounded like you might be uncomfortable with your writing is that you questioned whether it would work due to length, etc.
            
            If you were totally comfortable, you wouldn't be asking questions...at least that is how your statements came across.
            
            It takes a great deal of time to learn the ropes here, even if you have writing experience and writing success elsewhere.
            
            Patterns will not emerge until you have a good number of hubs and you can see what is working and what isn't.
            
            A top notch SEO writer and expert here hit 800,000 views after only 6 months, but most people never see that many, even after several years.
            
            One writer I know got a million views just on one hub!
            
            So, put it out there, give it your best and have fun.  You never know what will happen!

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      Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Rebecca,
      
      I had a look at "15 Benefits of Being An Adult Student" and here's my critique.
      
      A few pointers on this one:
      
      - Your sense of humour is good. But do you think people over the age of 25 might like this sense of humour? I like it, but I like to think I am very young at heart. Maybe some people might want it to be more obvious (total exaggeration), or less obvious (subtle, dry humour), it's a personal decision. Maybe ask people around you what they think?
      
      - Is the word "Enrollment" meant to have 2 "L's"? Not sure of US spelling here. But any spelling error will immediately turn people off.
      
      - I find it handy to put all tips, notes and tricks on the right in a coloured sidebar box instead of in the main text to break it up. The rest of your formatting with paragraphs is really good and the sections are great.
      
      - The fact checking is fine and adds credibility. Keep up the good work on this, it adds depth to your hubs. But only include links that readers might click on to find out more. I wouldn't link to things just because they are facts - you'll lose a bit of juice in Google's eyes  (eg MyMajor.com - wouldn't link to this).
      
      - The images are OK, but not sure if they're legal - eg is that Bajiroo one free to use?
      
      - If I was looking to read a piece about benefits of being a mature age student, I would want to read an a) serious informational piece offering brand new info I'd never read before or b) totally wacky, over-the-top funny piece. Yours is in the middle.
      
      Overall, you've mastered writing hubs and using interesting pictures and a sense of humour, all which help to hang onto readers. But delving a bit further into which readers and why they'd read your pieces might help to push them further in sharing on social media. Your hub was not too long at all - I had no problems with the length (apart from notes being put in the sidebar or out of the way to make it more readable).
      
      Congratulations on publishing 5 hubs - if you keep practising, by the time you reach 50 you'll be an expert at this stuff!

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         Rebeccasuttonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Your opinion on the humor is mos certainly valid. I hate seriousness, and also am young at heart. I think I will stick with my style in that regards. When I write a little joke or something, I can;t help but smile, so as long as I make myself smile, that's all that matters!
         
         Enrollment is with two "L"s here. But I did look it up and saw that there are variations. Similar to the variation where you might use "ou" where we would use just an "O". I think that is so cool to have variations form country to country!
         
         I will definitely look at the tips and see about organizing them so its more fluid. I think you are right about that.
         
         I found that a lot of blogs etc. use links within the text. Since I like getting lost in the internet, I tend to click on those links, so I am just following suit. Though, you might be right, I think I will have to poke around some more in that dept.
         
         As for the images, I am trying to figure this whole thing out. I have  seen every which way done, and the hubpages learning center is like reading Greek for me. So as I go along, I am doing more and more research and am trying to figure it out. I have seen a lot of linking in the source section to where images are found. I know there is a right way to do all this, but I see that there are a lot of gray areas as well. Something I am def working on.
         
         
         "- If I was looking to read a piece about benefits of being a mature age student, I would want to read an a) serious informational piece offering brand new info I'd never read before or b) totally wacky, over-the-top funny piece. Yours is in the middle."
         Yes, I see what you mean. I like sticking subtle bits in there. I have found when talking to much older adults and doing the same thing in conversation, I get a laugh or a memory ou of them, I love that! I'm 30 by the way, I have no idea if that adds or subtracts to your opinion of my work. I know my readers don;t know how old I am though.
         
         But delving a bit further into which readers and why they'd read your pieces might help to push them further in sharing on social media. -This makes sense. I;m still trying to find my footing in that area. The whole niche thing is a huge turn off for me, I love variety, so I am a bit messy there. But I think the more content I add, the more collective groups of work that piggy back off each other and I will get more organized.
         Thanks so much for the help and encouragement!!

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            Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Hi Rebecca, your age shouldn't matter at all in the scheme of things. Thank you for your feedback and humour is really up to the author - the idea is just to reach as wide an audience as possible, really. Good luck and I'm sure you'll find it easier the more you do and the more you see what converts traffic well.

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               Rebeccasuttonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Thank you so much!!

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      JustLivingOnlineposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Rebecca,
      
      Looks like you are new to HubPages like I am.  I personally like you writing style and feel we are somewhat similar although that may not come out in the few pages I have written so far.
      
      Your posts kept my attention and I didn't feel they were droning on as you said.  You have a variety of subjects ranging from brief and impersonal to the book review which shows depth.  You have definitely embraced all the boxes and tools they provide.  I am still trying to figure out if I like all that stuff or if I like a cleaner look.  It seems that others with more experience seem to tout the advantages of polls, pictures, maps, links, ect. 
      
      Overall I think you have a good start.  But then again what do I know?  I am new also!

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         Rebeccasuttonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Hey JustLiving, Thanks for the feedback, and I'm glad to see another newbie
         I took a peek at your page and you have some great stuff. I love first hand experience and it gives a great spin to the subject of travel. I don't feel like I'm reading a brochure!
         
         I do have a variety of subjects lol, I feel like I need to narrow it down to fit in a niche, but I am just not that type of person. I live my life the same way, all over the place, but I am glad to hear that you appreciate it, I don't feel like a total hot mess.
         
         I like lots of tidbits, but at the same time, the cleaner the better. I think it's a fine balance.
         You are doing great! And I value your opinion, thanks!

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   Wanda Strickfadenposted 9 years ago

   Great stuff!

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      Rebeccasuttonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Wanda!

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