The Best Use of HubPages

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   Farawaytreeposted 8 years ago

   Is HubPages used best as an online support for beginning writers or as a place to earn an income as a writer? What do the writers think?

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      PegCole17posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I see HubPages neither as an online support for beginning writers nor as a fast source of income. An aspiring writer who is looking for money may be discouraged as it sometimes takes six months or more for articles to start earning. On the positive side, when your hub is chosen as an Editor's Choice or Hub of the Day, it provides a good deal of encouragement. For beginning writers, reading the learning center guides may take a while but will be well worth it for tips like the legal use of photos and other key issues.

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         relacheposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I agree with Peg, HubPages is neither of those things at the moment.

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         DebraHargroveposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I like your suggestion Peg.  I am a new Hubber also and reading the learning center guides really has been a huge help to me.  So many things on this site can be confusing and overwhelming.  Now when I can't figure something out I check out the learning center and can get clear answers.

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      Cardisaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I see Hubpages as a place to hone your skills as a writer. Hubpages encourages new writers to build on what they have. The more you write and publish the better you become at it.
      
      Before I came to Hubpages I was primarily a fiction writer. I was never interested in article writing. Because the platform encourages informative article I started article writing. I have grown over the years, thanks to Hubpages.
      
      Along with the staff, there are many hubber willing to help new writers become better at what they do.

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      RJ Schwartzposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Money would be nice, but I personally don't see much.  I post for the chance to share my work and get feedback - that helps me grow as a writer and make some new friends in the process

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      Solarasposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Some people use their portfolio here as part of their writer's resume.  I find it fits well into a mix of online sites of mine.
      
      If you can get a good niche going, you can earn some reasonable money with Amazon sales.  Reasonable means it will pay a bill or two, which is not bad if you only have to give those hubs 45 minutes a month them keep them earning.
      
      This last year has seen my pageviews go up while earnings have gone down.  I don't put a lot of effort into my hubs, so the passive income is still appreciated.
      
      I am currently making a living at "giganomics" so I am happy to see a regular monthly amount drop into the bucket.

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      Jewelsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I started way back in 2007.  I was getting into social media and stumbled across hubpages.  I met a great bunch of people, most were professional writers and they helped me with encouragement, critiquing and great feedback.  Those were the days when we would follow each other around and make comments on each other's articles.  We laughed and had so much fun.  Then google changed it's algorithms and the game changed.  I'm still in touch with that network, I found it priceless.

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      MarleneBposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      When I first came to HubPages, I had high hopes of being able to earn a decent income. But, slowly I learned this wasn't the place where I would earn the kind of money I was looking for. Instead of money, what I received was more valuable. I received encouragement from other writers. They offered honest feedback and answered many questions. You might say they "showed me the ropes." There are few of them still here, but those who are here from my beginning days feel like friends. I make small change here and it is fun to receive payment every now and then. But I am no longer here for the money. I am here for the companionship of other writers and continual improvement of my skills. I enjoy reading, and HubPages has some fantastic writers, so I am fulfilled in that aspect as well.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      HubPages is best used as you need or want to use it so long as you keep its limitations firmly in mind.
      
      I think HubPages is a good starting places for beginning writers, not only as place to write that provides a bit of support and guidance, but also as a place to beta test your writing skills. Over time, you'll get a feel for what things your readers respond best to and what things put them off. You can use that information to teach yourself to use those strengths and to shore up those weaknesses.
      
      HubPages can also help you figure out what you write best. You may think you already know what that is, but your readers are likely to have different opinions. The way to use HP to help you figure that out is to publish at least a few hubs on every topic you are an expert on or have a passion for and to pay close attention to how your readers respond to each. You may find yourself surprised; I was.
      
      Unless you plan to really go gung ho, you can't realistically hope to earn more than a couple hundred dollars a month on HubPages. So it's not a place to earn significant income for most people. But when you are freelancing it is nice to have something that is dependable even if it's not terribly profitable. HubPages doesn't pay much but it pays out every single month without fail. You'll never have to send HP an invoice or a collection notice and they'll never shortchange you or try to wheedle you into accepting less for your labor than agreed upon. Once you get hip-deep in freelance writing, you'll likely develop a bone-deep appreciation for those facts.
      
      I think HP is also useful for writers who publish professionally and/or write for clients. For me, HubPages is a nice place to put writing that is non-commercial or that is commercial and doesn't sell. For example, if you have a magazine article you've had rejected a few places, HubPages is a fine place for it. It may or may not, over time, earn more than if it had been accepted by a publisher. Another good use for HubPages is to post material you wish to educate people about if you can't find a better place for it. It's also good for self-publishing pieces you've written that don't fit the niche of any of the blogs you maintain.
      
      Good luck and welcome to HubPages!

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         Farawaytreeposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Well said! Thank you Kylyssa!

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   clivewilliamsposted 8 years ago

   Money is not a key factor here at hub pages. You must write quality, entertaining and engaging content people will love.

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   Marisa Wrightposted 8 years ago

   I would say it depends what your expectations are. 
   
   If by "income" you mean an amount that makes a meaningful contribution to a liveable wage, then I would say no - HubPages will not give you that.
   
   If by "income" you mean some handy pin money for doing something you enjoy anyway - then yes, it would work for you.
   
   Once upon a time, there were a lot of experienced writers on HubPages, who were able and willing to share that experience with newbies - and that made it a great place to hone your online writing skills. Because it's no longer a viable platform for professional or semi-professional writers, most of those people have gone.   It is a still a good place to practice though, IMO.

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   calculus-geometryposted 8 years ago

   Yesterday, I would have said the best use is to earn enough money to pay your monthly internet bill.
   
   After some aimless wondering on the site today I have changed my mind. The best use of HubPages is to learn about Jesus, even things you didn't want to know about Jesus, as I unwittingly did when I happened upon this discussion:
   
   http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/55787

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      Solarasposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      LOL -You can read that if you want to, but it will affect your mind.

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      Jean Bakulaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      It used to be worse. I once suggested that the name of the site be changed to Jesuspages.com. It can get annoying when people either want to argue about religion, or convert you to theirs. The political forums get nasty too. I once got banned when someone else was calling ME names.

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      makingamarkposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I know if I was running Google I'd have an algorithm which was much more impressed with the type of article site that did NOT have forums like that.
      
      How they stack up as part of the business rationale is beyond me!
      
      I was not tempted to click that link......

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      Cardisaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      How did you find that thread? Jesus Christ...that was hilarious! (pun intended).

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      NateB11posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Some of the best entertainment I've found has been from old forum threads. Those old ones are particularly entertaining; people kind of let it all hang loose. Funny stuff.

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   Farawaytreeposted 8 years ago

   Thanks everyone! I just started 3 weeks ago. I love it.

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      Jewelsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Hope you enjoy it.

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   Jewelsposted 8 years ago

   Gosh Jean, I can so relate to Jesuspages.com.  I was wondering if they had shares in the hubpages company.

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   WryLiltposted 8 years ago

   I see it as a fantastic place to start out - as long as you're aware of the huge learning curve involved. I send any new friend interest in online writing here to start out. Then I warn them it'll take a year to make money and learn the basics. It's a good way to weed out those who aren't serious - the ones who are serious, I'm happy to spend more time helping them build a website or collaborate on projects, once they've written a few hubs.
   
   As for money - I make monthly payout on two Hubpages accounts and then some, but compared to having my own website with multiple affiliates, the chance to A/B test and also working with a top blogging advertiser, it's a pittance. Your own website offers so many more options (but only once you learn how to use them).

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   NateB11posted 8 years ago

   Kind of a hard question to answer. I think the educational aspect of the site, how much you can learn about Internet writing, is the best thing about the site. I think earnings are good, speaking for myself, if you consider it is residual and is paying on work that's completed and that you did some time ago.

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      Jean Bakulaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      HP gives you experience if you are a writer who has never published before, or shown your work to anyone else. When I came here, I was treated very well and everyone tried to help me. They made good suggestions and really built up my confidence. I always wrote, but didn't show my work around to others. It was a different place then.
      
      There were a lot more professional or semi professional writers, and they were generous with helpful hints. They also used to have contests, like who could write the best hub in 30 minutes, it was a lot of fun back then just reading other people's work. That first Google algorithm changed the site forever, and many people left right away. A few good writers hung on, but quickly got annoyed by all the changes. Now I think the staff will change anything to see if it sticks. Much of it is silly.
      
      But there aren't many good writer's sites left, and it's a fun hobby. I make the minimum payout, but not all the time anymore, I used to do better. I find that changing the titles of some old hubs is attracting more Google attention now. I still like the community, there are a lot of good people left, and also a lot of good newcomers who are good writers. I wish they would change the hub hopper back to the old way. I used to like reading a hub, knowing who wrote it, so I could follow them if I chose to. Plus it made it easier to see what everyone was writing about in their niches.
      
      You won't make too much money, enough for pin money. But it does allow you to build your skills and try new things in a setting where people are supportive.

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   word55posted 8 years ago

   I like this Marlene. Money is not everything!

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      MarleneBposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Well, it's a good thing money isn't everything, word55, or I would be poor as dirt. (smile)

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    Pico Trianoposted 8 years ago

    I'm hoping to make some money here but I'm not expecting much. I think it's a home for my article writing efforts, while I learn.

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    Farawaytreeposted 8 years ago

    Great feedback guys, I'm so glad I asked. As far as money, I'm not even able to sign up for any earnings yet due to waiting on google adsense, so that's not even a factor right now for me anyways. I am super interested in starting my own site, so we'll see what I learn here....

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    FatFreddysCatposted 8 years ago

    I've been posting here since 2011. After all that time, I obviously harbor no illusions that writing on HP will be a stepping stone to being "discovered" and lead to a "legit" writing gig.
    
    I am honest with myself: I write goofy nonsense about cheap monster movies and rock bands that everyone forgot about 20 years ago.  Neither of these areas of "expertise" are a commercial gold mine, nor are they likely to turn into one any time soon.
    
    I have always treated HP is a hobby/distraction. If I can squeak some beer money out of it every couple of months, that's cool too, of course.

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       Jean Bakulaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Hi FatFreddysCat,
       I've had some offers from other sites since I began writing here, but always turned them down, because I was trying to improve on my personal blog. It never took off the way I wanted, so now I'm moving a lot of articles back to here. But I did get noticed, I just didn't realize the worth of the offers at the time. I was asked twice to write an article a week on two different sites, and stubbornly stuck to my own failing blog. So you never know.
       
       I like your pieces about musicians, I have a soft spot for musicians and authors when I write about famous people of the astrology signs.

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    passionatelearnrposted 8 years ago

    i think its a good place to start.

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    Bru Swanposted 8 years ago

    Hello everyone,  just signed up 4 days ago, had my first writing rejected because I started with one I had written on another website a month or so back. Sham on me ,should have looked at the rules a little more closely.
    I have no illusions of becoming a great writer, or making any money.  Always been an avid reader, and it seems lately I've been dabbling with putting words on paper, so basically i'm here to have some fun, and enjoy the writing process, and maybe, i'll learn a few things.

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       passionatelearnrposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       its good to have no illusions but keep some ambitions.

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    Chriswillman90posted 8 years ago

    Yeah it's not about money when you're writing here. The support is great and you really learn to hone in on your writing skills. Like others said, it's a great way to beta test what pieces work and which ones falter if you're ever interested in having a website/s.

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