New to HubPages - Would Like to Say Hello

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   Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years ago

   Hello! I am new to the HubPages community and thought I would introduce myself. I joined HubPages in the hope of venturing out on my own as a writer.
   
   I've been writing for other people long enough and thought if I don't do my own thing eventually, it'll only get harder as time passes.
   
   I am very impressed with HubPages' layout. I've tried several and this site has the cleanest design.
   
   Anyway, I've read through the rules. However, if there are any small tips anyone has, I'd love to hear them. Look forward to interacting with you! Cheers!

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      Jean Bakulaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Welcome Alexis!
      
      Since you already read the rules, you are ahead of most people who are new to Hubpages. We have niche sites where once your articles get featured, they go to the proper niche, and that gives you more traffic. You may have to write about 15 or so articles before you start to see money, but I've been making money on the same articles since 2011 now, so no complaints here!
      
      Newbie mistakes include:
      Putting all the text of your article in one text capsule. Use a bunch of them. That way pictures or quotes can go between them.
      
      Don't use any photos that are copywrited. Pexels.com and Pixabay.com are two good places for free images. There are many more, and you can use pictures you take yourself.
      
      The word count is a suggestion, it's not written in stone. I write 3,000 word pieces that have become popular.
      
      We use the APA system of punctuation and capitalization, but if in doubt, or bleary eyed from proofreading, use Capitalizemytitle.com for free.
      
      If you write an article and need advice, just copy the URL onto the forum and ask. You'll find most people here friendly. Best Regards.

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         Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Hey! That was great advice. I do use Grammarly Premium, another web app similar to Capitalizemytitle.com, and Copyscape. About the APA system - Yeah, I am in the habit of using the AP system and I just realized my title is in AP style. Oops!
         
         I'll send you a link to my first article so that you can give me some harsh judgment if need be. No matter how long we've been writing, we only get better from critique.
         
         I'll try to respond with the link to my first Hub as soon as I can..

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      poppyrposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Welcome, Alexis! I'm a bit late to the party, but I hope you enjoy your time here.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I took a look on your article about diamonds and while well written, I have to say that much of the information you've posted can be found all over the net.  Articles must be original, which is not to say that you can't use info found elsewhere, but you have to present it in a way that is unique.  I'm not seeing that in some of your sections, such as the ones concerning the "C;s". Other than that, it's obvious that you are an excellent writer, so keep at it!

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      ChitrangadaSharanposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Welcome to HubPages Alexis! Looking forward to read your articles. Wish you great times ahead.
      The HP community is very friendly and helpful. You would love it.
      We all started once and learnt gradually. In fact, still learning.
      All the best!

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   Patkayposted 5 years ago

   Well, let me start by welcoming you to the home of writers. It feels good writing your own content for yourself and for the interested people. You have made the right choice. Eight years ago, I landed here on Hubpages and I have stuck here since then. My only advice is you keep writing and do not expect much from the very first articles you will create. But soon, you will enjoy the benefits of your hard work. All the best Alexis.

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      Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      That was very uplifting. At first, I was nervous about posting. But, hey! With all the great answers, it gives me some inspiration, that's for sure. Thanks!

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   theraggededgeposted 5 years ago

   Hi Alexis, welcome
   
   HubPages has a Learning Center which is chockful of info.
   
   Click Help, top right of any page and navigate to the link.

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      Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      That is the first thing I did.
      
      I am still going through everything.
      
      I noticed that some Hubbers advised not to sign up for an Adsense account until either 20 or 30 articles (depending on who is writing).
      
      The reason being that if Google denies it for whatever reason, it becomes harder to get accepted later on. I couldn't really find a solid answer, so I was wondering if you had some good pointers on the subject?
      
      FYI: I'm not expecting to jump right in and make money the same as people who have invested lots of time, but since that is the eventual goal, I want to be sure I make very few mistakes.
      
      One last thing (sorryyy): It seemed - according to what I read - that it's okay do backlinks to sites I get paid for. I mean, I didn't see that it was forbidden as long as the links are not all weird or spammy.
      
      Are you in a position to clarify what is allowed so that I stay in the green?
      
      Of course, anyone is more than welcome to pitch in as well.

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         theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         You are correct about Adsense, but should be okay to apply after 10-15 featured articles.
         
         No backlinks. Promotion isn't permitted. You can link TO your HP article, but not FROM it.
         
         The only links you can add are Amazon, references and/or resources.

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            Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Okay. Thanks for the heads up.

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   Titiaposted 5 years ago

   Hi Alexis, welcome to HP. I took a glance at your not featured first article and noticed that most of your photos don't have captions and none of them are credited. You have to credit your photos when they are not your own and make sure they're copyright free.

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      Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Okay. Thanks! I'll fix that.

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      Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I have kind of a silly question: how do we respond to comments on our posts? I don't see a respond button...kind of embarrassing to ask.

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         poppyrposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         More -> My Account -> Articles -> Comments
         If you've approved them already, select "Approved" under "Filter." Click "reply" underneath the comment

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            Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks!

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   lobobrandonposted 5 years ago

   You've already got great advice here, just popping in to say hi and welcome to HP

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      Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I sure did! This is exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks for popping by, too...

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   Jodahposted 5 years ago

   Welcome to HubPages, Alexis. Great choice. I look forward to reading your writing. Apart from being a great place to write, the community here is the best.

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      Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I can see that. Thanks for make me feel welcome!

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   leahleflerposted 5 years ago

   Hi and welcome! The others have given excellent advice. It can take a while to generate earnings, but it is wonderful once you make payout! Your article on engagement diamonds is well written and you will do well here!

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   jansharesposted 5 years ago

   Hi Alexis, welcome to HP! It's always exciting to see new members join with enthusiasm. As for any tips, be patient as you engage in your passion for writing. Traffic and earnings take time to build. But as long as you love it, your effort will be worth it in the long run. Pace yourself and enjoy the ride. I look forward to checking out your work. Cheers!

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      Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the uplifting words!

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   Kenna McHughposted 5 years ago

   Alexis, Welcome! HP is the best, and I am excited for you. Be patient and write a lot about what you know and what drives you to write.

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    Cre8torposted 5 years ago

    Welcome aboard Alexis!
    
    It seems like you know what you're doing so no "harsh" criticism. I won't repeat what others have said but I'll add a couple of things I would do in this first hub...
    
    I wouldn't number things in my subtitles. That is likely personal preference but each subtitle is searchable on its' own so I would probably make some of them like "Understanding Diamond Colour" and/or "Understanding Diamond Clarity" to attempt to capture anyone searching for that specific topic on diamonds rather than "Third C: Clarity".
    
    Just a thought....I'm not a big critique-er because I'm far from perfect and really a novice when it comes to the technicality of the internet but it's worked for me to keep this type of subtitle creation in mind. I find them to be as important as the main title.
    
    Always nice to see new faces! Best of luck.

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       Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       That's actually a brilliant idea. Thanks for the advice on that one.

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    RTalloniposted 5 years ago

    Howdy, howdy Alexis from Montana and welcome to HP. Lots of helpful comments here already. HP is filled with opportunity to learn and grow as a writer. Looking forward to reading your work. Will we learn something of Bozeman that most people don't know? 
    
    Though I prefer pearls to diamonds I found your first post nicely put together and easy to read (sometimes I get there, sometimes not so much). A tip for online writing is that 2-3 sentences per paragraph works well.

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    revmjmposted 5 years ago

    Welcome to HubPages, Alexis! I think you will like writing for this site. I have been a hubber for 8 years, and I love it very much. I enjoy the freedom of writing about different topics and formatting the articles the way I want.
    
    I read your first article, and I am following you to see what else you write.

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    ChristianWritingsposted 5 years ago

    Welcome Alexis! Happy Hubbing

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       Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks!

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    Rochelle Frankposted 5 years ago

    Hello. It looks like you have put time and effort into your first article here. Looks like you are headed for success.

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       Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for your compliment on my article. It usually takes me about three to four hours to write something like that. It's almost 3,000 words. I may add more to it later as more information comes to me.

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    Rodric29posted 5 years ago

    Welcome, Alexis. I hope that all goes well for you. If you know your niche and are not afraid to be the expert in it, you will do fabulously here. Make sure your articles have general appeal and do not sound like a blog. I look forward to reading your works.

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    Natalie Frankposted 5 years ago

    Hi Alexis - Welcome to HP.  It's a great community especially for writers who want to become an active part of it.  You'll find a number of topics covered in the forums some of which are informational, some for feedback an some just topical that are largely opinions. I think the default option for he forums goes according to chronology with official announcements pinned to the top.  You can go to the left hand side of your screen and click "Switch to Topical Forums" which will switch your feed to latest topical forum posts on the right and on the left a list of the topical forums.
    
    One thing you'll want to be careful of though if you still need to get a Adsense account it won't be applicable for a bit is using ads in your hubs.  One of the most common mistakes newbies (as well as oldtimers actually) make occurs when they ad advertisements to their hubs.  You can only ad advertisements for items you own, have used, is applicable to the title and content of the hub and about which you have something unique to say.  It's best to when using Amazon ads that you use the link function not the capsule function as this is the current preference of HP.  If you have ads that don't follow these rules your article will likely not be featured until you remove them.  You also don't want to include too many ads in a single hub so it doesn't look overly promotional.
    
    The other advice you've been given is really good so I encourage you to keep it in mind.  The learning center which you are already familiar with is the primary source of official HP policy, suggestions, advice and general information about creating hubs, adding appropriate photos, tables, graphs and maps (currently HP has to pay for including maps so they prefer we not use them unless the article absolutely requires it), writing in general, traffic, ads, applying for adsense etc.
    
    As I said the community here is wonderful, and we are generally a cohesive group that always does our best to help each other out.  We also go out of our way to help new members of the community and the information about posting the link provided when an article isn't featured is, I think, some of the most important for new writers who are trying to get the hang of how to write for HP.  That being said, I just want to point out that, like anywhere, HP has it's own way of doing things and it's own preferences and requirements much of which is dictated by Google's policy.  So if you write something that doesn't get featured right away, it doesn't necessarily mean the writing is poor.  It may mean there is simply something in there that needs to be attended to because it could cause a problem with Google.  So for example, any article that includes sexual content, even if in an appropriate and professional way for the topic being explored, with not get featured since HP requires article to be "family friendly".  I wrote two article having to do with self harm obsessions and compulsions and how these differ from those found in OCD.  They have some of my highest views and one was my second highest for a long time and regularly regains that spot. However, because they relate to suicide, despite not actually talking about suicide per say at all, they were immediately flagged and ads were automatically disabled because this is a "no" topic for Google.
    
    The bottom line of this last part is just the message don't get frustrated if any of your early articles aren't featured at first while you learn the ropes.  Also, please don't hesitate to ask the community for help if there's anything you don't understand or can't figure out.  We all were there at some point and will be happy to help. 
    
    Welcome again and good luck!  I'm looking forward to reading your articles!

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       Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks a bunch! I am actually very glad for all the feedback. I will use most of it because that's the whole point. I want to improve drastically, and the only way to do that is by putting my neck out there for some advice and criticism where needed.

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          chef-de-jourposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          You'll find writers here on HP to be very friendly overall, and helpful, and unfailingly modest. If you follow all the sound advice, find your niche and create good quality articles, you should succeed. It can take time - months to get going proper - long months - but stick at it, stay on course and later rather than sooner, you could reap the rewards.

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             Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

             Thanks for the kind words! You're not kidding. There is a great group of people here. You know how some sites are: people either don't respond, are rude, or totally off topic.
             
             But so far, all the people I've interacted with are totally awesome! If only more workplaces had such people.

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    Natalie Frankposted 5 years ago

    Some quick advice about your article - When I type in your title I can see at the top "About 151,000,000 results."  The snippet which you ideally want to capture, is 12 Tips . . .  so you'll never get there with only 7.  Of the 10 results on the first page, 3 are just tips without a number in the title, one is "5 Tips. . ., "  five  are  "7 tips . . . " and one is "12 Tips . . ." This means before you even publish yours and have it ranked by Google, it isn't likely yours has a shot at making the first page.
    
    If you write on something extensively covered, you need to include unique information not covered elsewhere and be more comprehensive than all the other articles out there.  Look through the first few pages of search results and see what the highest number of tips covered is, then up the ante.  If it's 12, maybe try 15 tips.  The more the better. 
    
    You don't want to do this as clickbait and not deliver on the promise of the title so don't list very similar tips separately just to be able to add another number.  But the best way to get a high ranking and earn the snippet with an article on a topic there are already hundreds of millions of other articles published about is to make your stand out and give the reader more than any of the others.
    
    Hope this is helpful.

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       Alexis Wainwrightposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       Very helpful! I have been writing for SEO companies for a few years, but I have yet to learn everything. After reading your comment, I just remembered I should connect my account to Google Analytics.

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