The Evolution of HP, and ME, the perspective of a 6 year veteran.

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   Don Bobbittposted 8 years ago

   
   OK, HP is changing. The owners of HP believes that they are doing what is necessary for THEIR survival and growth.
   I''ve been using this site for six years, and honestly, the one thing I have learned is to take the long view. Let them do their thing, and at some point they will settle down and we writers can move on with a newly defined set of standards.
   Sorry folks, but that's the way it is. Change on the web is a given and once HP has figured things out, we will se if we can go on with them.
   It's very simple, really!
   If they don't make things acceptable to the majority of their writers, they can be the next Bubblews, and we can move our stuff somewhere else.
   So, i'll just sit back, read everyone's rants and worries, and WAIT!
   I, like so many of you, am bringing in money for HP, and myself. If they want this to go on, then they will make sure we stay with them.
   Take a deep breath and watch as this company evolves and improves things, because if they don't take care of us, then we will melt away.
   Just an old writer's perspective.
   Don Bobbitt

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      Old Poolmanposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Don, I notice that the older I get the less I like change.  But, I am still smart enough to know that some change is good, some is bad, and some makes no difference at all.
      
      I also know that if I died or quit writing all together that HP would still continue to operate.
      
      HP should perhaps take a hard look at the old law "If it ain't broke don't fix it".  You most likely remember when Coke came out with "New Coke" and almost went up in flames?

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         Don Bobbittposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Well ...... New Coke Sucked! LOL!
         Don

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      tsmogposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Sometimes it is just like medicine. You don't understand it, don't want to take it, but its suppose to make you well.

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      makingamarkposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      You know Don - I arrived at the same conclusion a while back which is why I stuck it out with Squidoo and hoped that they would finally see sense.
      
      Then Seth saw sense but his solution was to get out of the business!  Which was a bit of a wake-up call!
      
      More than twelve months on I now take the view that - on balance - a lot of us who are older are much less interested in constant change introduced by those who like to experiment.  A bit more thinking and a little less experimentation would be the course of action I'd recommend!
      
      Bottom line - I've come to the conclusion that I prefer to have more control over my content and to have fewer people messing around with it.
      
      I'm also getting a big kick out of
      * the fact my sites look much more professional and have lost the dreadful adverts (which are increasiongly irrelevant given the level of ad blocking and imminent Apple ad block - and the level of payout!)
      * I now get much better feedback from those who are enjoying my new sites - in part because my sites are on their own domains.
      
      That said I'm beginning to think that whatever I wasn't happy about re. HubPages pales in comparison compared to LinkedIn! (It's always good to get a comparison to keep a sense of proportion!)
      
      I moderate a group on LinkedIn - which has just introduced some absolutely crackpot new rules which will end up with LinkedIn Groups getting a lot of spam - and it's already started! I've only had three days of it so far but already I'm ready to move on out and spend my time attending to my own sites. I really do NOT want to spend time on a site where real glitches which are really problematic are never fixed and which is now being messed about by people who know a lot less than they think they do.
      
      So I hear what you say - but my take on it is that, in the long run, you're a lot better off spending time on doing what you enjoy doing - and developing your own sites.
      
      I wish those who want to stay with HubPages well - I know branching out is not for everybody and there very definitely is some considerable merit in what Don's perspective.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I have been known to rant here and there about different things, but have felt that the team was pretty responsive most of the time.  As one of the oldest writers here, I agree that change has become increasingly difficult for me.  I also feel that HP has become complicated for me to navigate as there are so many more rules than there used to be.  I understand the need for most of them, but some really don't make sense to me.
      
      I see lots of problems with moving material, and I also see that those who are successful really understand the internet, SOS and also the technical aspects of internet writing.  They also use very aggressive and time consuming ways of gaining traffic.
      
      I know that without doing these things, I'll never get the big numbers, but for me, that's OK.  I never came here to do those things, even though I wish I had the energy  for them and even wish I understood them.
      
      Sometimes when the gurus talk, it seems like Greek to me!  However, I'm really grateful that they are here because I always learn from them.
      
      No matter what happens to HP, I'm happy that I found it.  It really will be my last online writing site.  The team has done a great job of teaching me the basics, and although I am sometimes frustrated, I have enjoyed my three plus years here.
      
      I decided long ago that when the going gets rough, to just (as the cowboys say) grab another hank of hair and hang on!

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   MizBejabbersposted 8 years ago

   I think this is the only way to go with HP. So far, they haven't really done anything I don't like except for the Pintrest buttons. Once our copyrighted article is pinned on Pintrest, it's up for grabs with copying, then HP puts up big flares that it has been copied. I don't make much off HP because I don't have time to write, but I'm starting to build up a following after four years. Most of my time is spent editing other people's stuff, so it isn't like I'm lazy. After I retire and start ginning out hubs, then I may have something to complain about. Right now I'm grateful to have a place to post a small amount of my creativity.

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   janderson99posted 8 years ago

   I think HP staff are much less receptive to suggestions and comments than in the past. It is much more 'us' and 'them' now, which is a pity. The staff have been 'browned off' by the negative comments in the forums. The writers have got sick of their comments and suggestions being ignored. This has downgraded the sense of 'community' at HP, which I think is a shame.
   
   PS. There has been NO staff response (apart from links to other posts) to the last 12 suggestion topics made in the "New Feature Suggestions" Forum !!!

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      MizBejabbersposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      That is apparently so. Several hubbers that I follow have left HP to develop their own sites, and say it was because of constant criticism from HP, hubs being deleted, and other controls. Some of these people had great subjects, but were poor writers. I just wished them luck on their new sites. I don't publish very often and have gotten very little flack from HP, but because I don't publish often, I've had some shelved for lack of traffic. Being a former reporter, I was surprised when I came here that hubs were left up longer than a week, so I guess I can't complain. I've redone a few, but since there is no notification for a repub, they still don't have much of a draw.

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   Mark Ewbieposted 8 years ago

   6 years is a long time on the net.  Many sites have been and gone in that time.  Even the big guys are trying to find a way - news media, Buzzfeed, Twitter, Huff Post, etc.  Mobile usage must have started only a few years back along with ad blocking, responsive design, and so on.
   
   HP have done pretty well to survive in a recognisable form.  The rules and site have changed a bit, Panda has regularly hit, but the site is still here.
   
   As long as I can post fairly freely and there are some visits and a few cents to be made - I'm happy with that.
   
   Well done HP!

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      DasEngelposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I've just completed my Ph.D.

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         LeanManposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Pubic Hair Design???

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            DasEngelposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            You need to do one sometime.

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   suraj punjabiposted 8 years ago

   I think it is dangerous to depend on hubpages or google for your income. Even though you are receiving hundreds of thousands per month. Imagine google does something or even god forbid one day goes down the drain and your lucrative income goes with it. We should not put all our eggs in one basket. Hubpages is just pass time for me. I like the community of writers here and I love writing. But if I want to pursue writing as a career i would like to make money with real people writing real projects. Not make a blog and hoping to get income from Google AdSense or things like that.

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      DasEngelposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      HubPages, by definition, is a website for 'amateurs', hobbyists, and for enthusiasts. If one loves, and is passionate about some-thing(s), it may take them anywhere.
      
      Life is an organic process. It's not done inside factories.

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