Could you help me get this article onto WanderWisdom?

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   poppyrposted 6 years ago

   Hi, everyone! My article "7 Facts About Japan That Aren't Actually True" has got quite a lot of views already and traffic will likely increase if it gets moved to a niche site. Shortly after publishing it, I got an email saying that it was eligible for WanderWisdom if:
   
   Title/Subtitle Capitalization And Sizing:
   The title and subtitle of your article help your reader to navigate your article and get an idea of whether they trust or distrust your content. Proper capitalization goes a long way towards making your article reader-friendly. We require standard titlecase when formatting your titles and subtitles. See the APA guidelines for guidance. Additionally, using standard font sizing (the provided title and subtitle fields as well as Heading 2s) allows your reader to follow the structure of your article more easily.
   
   Photos:
   Every article on Network Sites should have at least one high-quality photo. If there are multiple photos in the article, they should all be relevant to the content and visually appealing. Original photos—without watermarks—are always preferable to stock photos. If you must use stock photos, please choose them carefully and tastefully.
   
   The article is here: https://hubpages.com/travel/Facts-About … ually-True
   
   Sorry for the long read, but I don't want to submit it if I haven't fixed the problems as you can only submit an article once every two weeks (I think).
   
   The pictures are all stock photos because it's quite difficult to come up with ideas relevant to the topic; however, I already deleted one stock image. If you have any ideas on how it can get it onto WanderWisdom, I would really appreciate it!
   
   Sorry for the long post.
   - Poppy

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      CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      The photos look fine for me. I looked at your sources. Are you sure they are all free to use?  One or two looked doubtful to me.
      
      You can use photo-editing software to make the pictures "original." I crop photos and often add text to them. You have to make sure that the photos are 'free to adapt."
      
      That's the only things I can think of.

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         CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I do find it very frustrating when we get these emails, they are so vague. Sometimes it is very hard to figure out what the editor wants and you can not reply to the email to ask.

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            poppyrposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you, Catherine

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      You clearly have some problems with sentence structure, word usage and punctuation.  Here is an example
      
      Your first paragraph reads:
      
      Japan is a country of many things. It has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, fantastic cuisine that has gained popularity all around the globe, and a rich history that we can see in its people's traditions, architecture, and festivals. According to the Business Insider (2015), Japan is in the top 20 list of countries to visit, and in 2016, the country saw an all-time high of almost 20 million visitors.
      
      Instead of "Japan is a country of many things" you should say "Japan is a diverse country".  For example, It has
      
      1.  one of the lowest crime rates in the world,
      2.  fantastic cuisine that has gained popularity around the globe and
      3.  a rich history that we can see in its traditions, architecture and festivals.
      
      Your last sentence should be divided into two sentences.  You don't need to quote the Business Insider in the first senence and the second should begin with  "In 2016 ....).
      
      Using more appropriate words and listing things rather than stating them all in one sentence makes them much easier for people to read.  You should also limit your use of conjunctions whenever possible.
      
      This is a nice article, but it needs updating as noted above.  Hope this helps.

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         poppyrposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Hi TimeTraveler,
         Those are nice ideas, but the email didn’t state that there was anything wrong with the text. Thank you for taking the time though, I really appreciate it.

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   EricFarmer8xposted 6 years ago

   One of your subtitles is not in APA title case. “Have you ever been to Japan?” should be “Have You Ever Been to Japan?” I use the website capitalizemytitle to make sure all of my titles and subtitles are correct. These rules confuse me and using this tool is one way I am 100% sure I am right.
   
   Other than that everything looks good to me. Maybe somebody else can give more advice.

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      poppyrposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Eric, thank you for responding!
      I don't think it's the poll that's the problem. I don't put poll questions in the title case. Other articles with polls in that style (for example, the poll in this article: https://levelskip.com/horror/How-to-Com … ying-Light) do get moved to niche sites.
      
      Plus if I edit it, the answers will disappear Thanks for the suggestion, though

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      cam8510posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      capitalizemytitle?? I learned something new today. Thanks for that idea. I'll be using it in the future.

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   AliciaCposted 6 years ago

   The verbs "is" and "are" need to be capitalized in APA title case, too, even though they are short words. The same rule applies to "has."

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      poppyrposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you, Alicia.

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   Marisa Wrightposted 6 years ago

   All my photos are stock photos, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

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   Marisa Wrightposted 6 years ago

   If the email specified those things in particular (capitalisation and photos), then concentrate on that.
   
   People will always have ideas on to improve your text, but HubPages doesn't have a problem with it (otherwise they would've said so).  My philosophy is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!  Your priority is to address the problems the HubPages editor has identified.  If you try making other improvements which haven't been requested, you might undo the very thing that's making the Hub a success.
   
   I must admit I hadn't looked at your photos. There are problems with them.  If the photo is free to use and isn't under licence, the correct way to attribute it is to state the source, but don't paste in the URL.  So if you got a photo from Pixabay, you'd show "Pixabay" as the source but it won't be hyperlinked.  If you got it from Wikipedia/Wikimedia, Flickr, or any other site that offers photos under a Creative Commons licence, then they have specific attribution requirements and you need to paste in a specific URL.
   
   Your other photos are illegal to use.   Have you read my Hub on how to use photos legally?  I think it might be worth it.  The rule is easy - ALL photos on the internet are copyright, unless you can find a statement saying otherwise.  I can't see anything on Japan Today or Know Your Meme that gives permission to use their photos, so you can't use them (unless you write to them and ask permission).
   
   Oh, and if you've been invited to submit an article, it's an extra - it doesn't count as one of the "one every two weeks".

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      poppyrposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for all your kind words and help. I’ll fix the images. I actually didn’t know about the “once every two weeks” rule not applying in this case, so it’s very useful if you to point it out. Thanks

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      CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      About the source url: It is my impression that yu must always show the slurce url so that the editors cn check that the pictures are free of copyright violations.(That is why the source url box is there.) If I use a photo that is not free to use, I get permission from the owner of the picture and then add "Courtesy of (name)" or "By permission."  If you didn't use the source url, maybe that is the problem

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         Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         You are right, Catherine - if the conditions of use say you must attribute the photo, then you must paste in the source URL.  However it's not so that the editors can check, because they don't!  HubPages editors don't police the legal use of photos (which I think is a pity, but it's the way it is).  It's up to us to be aware of the substantial risks and do the right thing.
         
         So, to clarify - if you're using a photo that's free to use under a Creative Commons license, then you must paste in the URL because that's what the law requires.  If you're using a photo from a site that says no attribution is required, then you don't paste in the URL (but as a courtesy, it's nice to state the name of the site). 
         
         Thanks for pointing out how my post could be misunderstood, I'll go back and fix it.

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            CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks Marissa. When I joined three years ago I thought HP checked. I might have misunderstood or mis remembered.

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               Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               At that time, I think we ALL believed they checked.  I think they probably wanted us to think that, because it helped keep us in line!  In fact, I'm not sure they ever have.  The only real reason to use photos legally is that it can be very, very, VERY expensive if you do it illegally.  It is rare for a blogger to be sued, but when it does happen, it can cost thousands of dollars. That's enough of a reason for me!

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                  CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks for clarifying, Marissa. I'll continue to do the Pixabay attribution and I'll put the url in just to cover all the bases.
                  
                  Hubbers should be aware that not all flickr images can be freely used.

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                     Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     Very true.  Even the Flickr photos that can be used, must have the correct attribution (i.e. to the photographer personally, not to Flickr). 
                     
                     I noticed someone recently who got into trouble for inserting the Pixabay URL on all his photos, because it was too many links. I'm confused about that because I thought Pixabay was exempt, but it's something to be aware of.  What I do, if all my photos are from Pixabay, is to put a "Photo Credits" section at the end of the Hub which says, "All photographs courtesy of Pixabay".

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                        CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                        I often combine Pixabay images to create my own unique image. I list Pixabay as the source and then put 2 or 3 urls into the url box separated by the word and.  It has never been a problem.
                        
                        In my recent hub 'Trump Anxiety Syndrome", if you scroll down to the Jail house picture at the end, I have combine 3 Pixabay images. I put all three urls into the box.

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                           Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                           Have you tried clicking on the link, though?   When you post more than one link in the box, the system can't separate them so it just takes you to the first image.

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                              CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                              Never thought to click on the link before. Clicking on Source brought up pixabay then clicking on pixabay brought up page not found. So is it your advice that I only put one url into the box. I don't know why anyone would want to get to the original picture anyway,

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                                 cam8510posted 6 years agoin reply to this

                                 Pixabay's photos that don't have the Shutterstock watermark do not need attribution. I always put Pixabay in the author space on my photo capsule, but nothing in the url space. I've never had an issue with my Pixabay photos.

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      paperfacetsposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      All I can say is wording is very very important to get a Hub into WW. I have been told  "grammar errors through-out". Don't forget a comma because it is not acceptable. I have had ALL travel Hubs rejected. I use all my own photos, so stock may be acceptable.
      
      I have absolutely given up on pleasing that niche. Catherine,  I do not want to  discourage your efforts. Keep working on your Hub.
      
      ps  per an email, WanderWisdom is flooded with work and is waiting for additional staffing.

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   Marisa Wrightposted 6 years ago

   One more general point about the "once every two weeks" rule (you may know this already, I just want to make sure):
   
   Since the niche sites were launched, EVERY new Hub is considered for the niche sites automatically.  If it hasn't been moved to a niche site within a month or so, it's not good enough.  So there is no point in manually submitting that Hub using the "submit to a network site" button, because it won't succeed.  You will need to identify why the Hub failed, and fix it, before you try submitting it.

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