Writing Showoffs
Hub Comments - Take the good with the insipid
Adding a comment capsule to a hub opens the digital door to everyone with a browser and a passing knowledge of the English language. Some hubbers suggest that comments may increase the interest that search engines take when returning search results. This author observed Google returning a particular hub when an otherwise completely unrelated keyword appeared in a comment.
It's pleasant to know real people read what we write: every hubber should take time out from composing Bollywood screeds to read and comment on the works of their peers.
Recently a commenter swooped onto on of my hubs, dropped a cheery greeting, and flittered back to cyberspace. It couldn't be bothered with identifying itself or actually providing useful information, but in the interest of making lemonade from lemons, here's the unabridged text:
holy eye roller 5 weeks ago
I only lurk on the HP forums, but I have to say you take yourself and your "work" on HP waaaaaaayyyyy to seriously. HP is just a content mill good for backlinks. I don't know why you pour yourself into writing for HP when you could be making so much more money with your *own* website and *real* writing jobs.
I make $75,000 USD a year from my own websites and magazine feature writing, how much are you making on HP? Not nearly as much I imagine. You need to do the math and re-prioritize your efforts. You write well enough to get better gigs. You're squandering your talents here.
Deconstructing HER
Certainly HER (Holy Eye Roller) meant well. Leaving an anonymous virtually content-free self-congratulatory composition tends to inspire amateur writers to glorious heights of wordsmithiness. HER simply wants to help, yes.
So many questions are begged:
I only lurk on the HP forums. The comment was not left on a forum. Perhaps the hub looked dangerously like a forum.
...but I have to say you take yourself and your "work" on HP waaaaaaayyyyy to seriously. : obviously, given that I have written such epics as "Fun Facts About a Grilled Cheese Sandwich" and "A Day in the Life of Stan Fletcher." Ovid and Beatrix Potter, look out for me.
HP is just a content mill good for backlinks: A third-grader with a browser knows better. Head Start teaches SEO these days.
I don't know why you pour yourself into writing for HP when you could be making so much more money with your *own* website and *real* writing jobs. : Sure! I strolled out of my 5th Avenue apartment the other day and a "real" writing job fell on my head. I can't stand in line at the Mercedes dealer without people offering me publishing privileges on my own PR 7 websites.
I make $75,000 USD a year from my own websites and magazine feature writing... : The use of "USD" suggests that HER is not from The Colonies. US residents assume currency units as United States Dollars, especially when using the "$" prefix.
...how much are you making on HP?: evidently a rhetorical question, since HER neglected to leave a forwarding address.
...Not nearly as much I imagine.: It's nice than HER possesses a functional imagination.
You need to do the math and re-prioritize your efforts: I have a Master's Degree in Computer Science, so somebody thinks I'm good at math.
You write well enough to get better gigs. You're squandering your talents here.: Perhaps wading through the nebulous unsupported ramblings was the price for this backhanded complement. Or not.
Where'd this advice come from?
Our semi-anonymous commenter connected to HubPages through this IP Address: 98.224.224.174
Click here to see who owns the IP address. It's no big deal, it's not the CIA or Random House or anything like that. Comcast is a major ISP (Internet Service Provider) that sells service to hundreds of thousands of individuals and companies in many regions of the United States. The IP address reveals almost nothing about who left the helpful (?) message.
Conclusion
Keep writing. Write for yourself and consider yourself blessed if anyone comments.
