What do you do when you read a hub that is purely promotional?

1. 91

   MarleneBposted 12 years ago

   What do you do when you read a hub that is purely promotional?
   
   The hub itself may be well-written and enjoyable, but clearly it is all about promoting a company, product, or service. Do you flag it? Do you ignor it? Do you rate it?

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2. 71

   SidKempposted 12 years ago

   If it is truly purely promotional, offering no genuine personal perspective and no genuine useful information, I flag it. If HubPages has too much material like that, all of us lose income. And if the author cares, he can turn it into a good hub. To understand more about this, see my hub about The Hub Hopper.

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   1. 91

      MarleneBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you SidKemp. I read The Hub Hopper and found some really good information about flagging and preserving the Hub community. Very good hub on the subject.

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3. 67

   Bretsukiposted 12 years ago

   If the hub is obviously promotional I flag it.
   
   I have seen many promotional hubs while hub hopping in recent months. I consider the following things to point towards a deserved flagging:
   
   1. the hub authors name is the same as the product.
   
   2. The hub author seems to have written perfect copy. Hubbers are good at adding personality to hubs, advertising copy has no real personality.
   
   3. The hub tells you this is a perfect item. When I write a hub reviewing an item I add any little quirks that I find irritating. Nothing is ever perfect only items in promotional hubs attain this condition.

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   1. 91

      MarleneBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah. I'm starting to see a lot more promotional hubs, especially while hub hopping. I was starting to get concerned and was wondering what others do about it.

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   2. 60

      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Helpful, but ...as a liflong writer I have been accused, starting in high school of writing too well - by the way, I have good days and bad days and do not agree with that, but I am often my own worst critic.

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   3. 91

      MarleneBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Dubuquedogtrainer - Don't feel bad. I don't consider myself a scholarly writer, but I was turned down for a job because I wrote at the "scientific" level. The company wanted me to "dummy it down" to fifth grade level. I tried. I didn't get the job.

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   4. 60

      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry to hear that. One thing I have learned with working with editors over the years is that if I want to get published, I will do things their way, whether the result makes sense or not. The good thing about HP is that I don't get content cut.

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   5. 91

      MarleneBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Dubuquedogtrainer, that's exactly why I like HP, too. By the way, I really enjoy your work. As a reader, I find your style of writing clutter-free and easy on the mind. A total compliment to you - I hope that makes sense.

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   6. 60

      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you very much! Maybe I have learned over all these years to cut, cut, cut and avoid any unnecessary words? I learned if I don't cut, the editors will! I do like to keep things simple though - life is complicated enough!

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   7. 91

      MarleneBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Dubuquedogtrainer - "Clutter free" - not a lot of superfluous words. Your style is crisp and clean. It's a good thing.

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   8. 60

      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you, Marlene - that's what I thought  you meant. I can be trained - I wish I could get in touch with my creative side though sometimes like some writers can - I really like good story tellers.

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4. 67

   Clive Donegalposted 12 years ago

   I vote them down and flag them. They are astonishingly prevalent. I wonder whether they are ever effective.

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5. 77

   Express10posted 12 years ago

   I don't like these types of hubs because there is nothing that I gain from them. I'm reading hubs to hear others opinions, experiences, or for entertainment. I'm not open to spending my time reading hype.

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6. 67

   CrescentSkiesposted 12 years ago

   If I see a hub that's purely promotional with no review or equal piece, I tend to vote it down.

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7. 0

   oceansiderposted 12 years ago

   I ignore it and move on to read other hubs.  I haven't flagged anyone's hub since I have joined Hub Pages 6 wks ago.

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8. 57

   networmedposted 12 years ago

   Personally, if I found it useful and informative, I would rate or vote it up. However, if it's purely promotional and the content is crap, I would flag it.
   
   But, most of the time... I ignore them and move to the next hub. But, reporting helps in cleaning up this place.

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9. 61

   cheaptoysposted 12 years ago

   you can always flag it for attention i think

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10. 77

    Seeker7posted 12 years ago

    If its a purely promotional hub then I'm afraid I do flag it - even if it is well written. I don't think Hub Pages should be used as a free advertising platform. I honestly feel that these types of hub add nothing to the Hub Pages site as a whole and could potentially have a negative effect.

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    1. 60

       Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Everybody is talking about "promotional" hubs but no one has given an example of one. So, we are talking about something no one can really describe. How can you have a discussion about, and be critical of something that lacks a definition?

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    2. 91

       MarleneBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I was hopping hubs and that is what prompted me to write the question. It was a hub about "Buy my product!" The whole hub was about this guy's product and come visit me at my store, my store is amazing, etc. Nothing contributory by any means.

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    3. 67

       Bretsukiposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       One such promotional hub I saw and flagged was for a food substitute for body builders. The author name was the brand name, linked to a profile that was a link to the product website. The copy extolled the virtues of the product with  prompt to buy

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    4. 60

       Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you for that clarification, Marlene. Indeed that does sound "promotional."

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11. 60

    CynthiAnnposted 12 years ago

    I haven't come across too many hubs that are purely promotional, but I'm sure I will at some point or another.  If the hub is well written and enjoyable, then enjoy it! :-)  But if the hub's purely promotional quality is offensive to you, I would say flag it or vote down and move on.
    The thing about websites like hubpages is that even though there is an "authority" on them that will act in a disciplinary fashion, the website is very much community driven.  We, the writers and readers, should be "looking out" for each other and offering tips and tidbits that will help our fellow hubbers to thrive.  You could also leave a comment stating how you feel about it (in a constructive fashion), but you have to be careful about that because "negative" feedback can sometimes cause some unnecessary "cyber-drama", even if your opinions are purely innocent and constructive.

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    1. 60

       Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, and along those same lines, I'd like to see less downvoting of thoughtful answers. This is really quite negative and non-supporting behavior. It really destroys morale and "community."

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12. 68

    AM Hansonposted 12 years ago

    If it's obvious that the hub is solely promotional, I down vote it and move on.
    However, if it's a review that is recommending something based on personal experience, I usually let it go.  I may ignore it for the most part, but i won't down vote a review of a company/product/service unless it's obviously done by someone who will profit from the company/product/service profitting.

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    1. 60

       Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I am more likely to down vote a hub that has misinformation and is poorly written with bad grammar than one that is "promotional," whatever that is. I have not seen a hub that is promotional yet on HubPages.

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13. 60

    Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years ago

    The problem I have with this type of question is that the definition of "promotional" is up to the imagination of the responders. I see someone below has suggested that one of the criteria for judging whether something is promotional is that the copy is too well written.
    
    I disagree! I have had years of writing experience, taken college writing courses and written under the careful scrutiny of numerous editors over the years who have taught me to write the way I do today.
    
    I have been accused of writing too well a number of times throughout my long writing career. In high school I was falsely accused by one of my teachers of having a paper written by my father!
    
    Recently on some forums (which I abhor as a medium for discussion as the "discussions" are hardly ever a true discussion but rather more often heated debates where everyone has lost their sense of reason) I have been accused of being "promotional" because I shared professional advice and mentioned specific products by name. There should be a new phobia named for this behavior of quickly accusing someone of being "promotional" because they mention a product name, ESPECIALLY when the poster asks a question which includes a product name!
    
    I have not encountered a hub that is "purely promotional" yet in my 3 months on HubPages. I would like to see an example of one, so I know what others, including HubPages are considering "promotional."

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    1. 91

       MarleneBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       The word "promotional" is quite subjective. HubPages qualifies promotional as a hub which has more than two links to the same place. To me, it is when the hub is designed with no other purpose but to direct customers to do business with them.

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    2. 60

       Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Who voted down my answer and why? HubPages is quite a negative place! Can you give me an example? What does such a hub look like?

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    3. 91

       MarleneBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I don't know! I voted you up, that's for sure. I wish only the moderator could vote up or down, because some people are just malicious for no reason.

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    4. 60

       Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you, Marlene.

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    5. 65

       Sheepsquatchposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       http://hubpages.com/hop/#/Oil-Rig-Oakleys This is a recent one i have seen.

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    6. 60

       Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       That hub is about Adsense - how is that "promotional?" It just talks about how you cannot earn a living using Adsense.

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14. 92

    Greensleeves Hubsposted 12 years ago

    Of all the 60 hubs I've published so far, the only one which could be described as 'promotional' is the most recent one. Even with that one, I don't expect to make any income (because I've never made a cent yet from Amazon adverts!!) My reason for writing it is because I genuinely think the subject - a singer/composer I particularly admire - deserves wider exposure. As such, I've written a brief biography and analytical section, and created videos rather than just plugging her CDs. I hope the result is an attractive hub in its own right. If you wish, you can see it at:
    
    http://greensleeves-hubs.hubpages.com/h … eensleeves
    
    The point I'm making is that if the writer genuinely believes in the subject matter they are writing about, and they try to make the page more than just a commercial, then I think a promotional page is fine and reasonable. But a hub which is purely designed to make money is annoying, because it becomes just an advert, and I don't want to spend time hubhopping just to read adverts. I don't like flagging down if the writer has put effort into the page, but in those circumstances I probably would.

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    1. 60

       Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Good point and thanks for sharing! I write because I am passionate about animal welfare and education. That's it. In my practice as a professional dog trainer (and previously as a RN), there are products I really like and products I don't.

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15. 65

    Sheepsquatchposted 12 years ago

    If the hub is giving an honest description of a product that they have tried and used I wouldn't flag it. I don't generally flag others either. I do vote down hubs that are purely ads. I really doubt anyone on hub pages has come to read ads.

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16. 81

    ALL4JESUSposted 12 years ago

    It has been my experience to ask the team at HubPages for their review. In one case, yesterday, I questioned the legitimacy of comments. The reply from staff was remarkable - the comments are not their concern - the content of the article was considered overly promotional.
    
    Wow! I was stunned and very pleased with their expediency.
    
    To clearly define the parameters is what makes this a great place to write. It sets standards and boundaries that we can all follow.
    
    I didn't know to flag it so I am learning. Great post -  thank you!

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