HubPages Curtain Call: What’s Next for You?

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   Nathanvilleposted 2 weeks ago

   No doubt you’ve all seen HP’s recent email announcing its imminent closure. The writing has been on the wall for some time, and now the curtain is finally falling. So the question is: how will you be spending your time once HP is gone?
   
   For me, I lost interest earlier this year and began using my spare time more productively — focusing on YouTube and hobbies like DIY, gardening, genealogy, and cooking. My latest project was making this for my wife: https://youtu.be/MoZp4t_FKVY
   
   A lot has happened since I was last active here. We’ve enjoyed holidays in Anglesey and Essex, visiting “A House for Essex” (an eccentric architectural gem) and spending two days at the Clacton Airshow. The highlight was a day trip to RIAT (Royal International Air Tattoo) at Fairford.
   
   On the domestic front, politics and policy have touched our lives directly. In spring, my wife was granted full Motability Disabled Benefit due to her back condition. Under the UK Government’s scheme she received a new EV car (2025 Citroën e‑Berlingo), with tax, insurance, repairs, and maintenance all covered — and replaced every three years. A home charger was also installed, meaning her only cost is electricity, at just 2.6p ($0.03) per mile when charging overnight. She now has a disabled badge for free or priority parking, and our son receives carer’s allowance — £370 ($470) per month — for supporting her. These policies have made a tangible difference to our family.
   
   By coincidence, when our son’s old Daihatsu finally gave up, we found a pre‑production Renault Kangoo EV van at half price, with only 3 miles on the clock. Another unexpected but welcome change.
   
   So yes, it’s been an eventful year. But with HP closing, it feels like the end of an era. How has your year been, and what are your plans for the future — once HP is gone?

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      Readmikenowposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

      It's been good to be able to converse with you over the years and get the perspective on political issues by someone from the UK.
      
      I'll be over there some time in 2007 to visit my friend from Wales.  I'll never forget how one of them would come up to me speaking the Welsh language and my friend telling me how they're speaking English.  My confused expression made them have a good laugh.
      
      As for me, I will continue to operate my businesses.  Write for various forums.
      
      My year has been pretty good.
      
      So, one last issue to debate. 
      
      What do you thing of President Donald Trump suing the BBC for deceptive editing of his Jan 6 speech.  It was blatant and obviously intentional.  Many Brits that I've discussed it with feel the BBC deserves to be sued.  Others don't.
      
      How do you feel about it?

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         Nathanvilleposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

         It’s been good conversing with you too over the years, and I’ve always appreciated hearing perspectives from across the pond. Your anecdote about Wales made me smile — the quirks of language and culture never fail to amuse.
         
         As for Trump suing the BBC: regardless of whether their editing was right or wrong, no, I do not believe the BBC should be sued. To me, this looks less like a pursuit of justice and more like an attempt to stifle opposition. Trying to silence the BBC is a blatant attack on freedom of speech.

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      Credence2posted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

      Greetings to our special guest star
      
      If the forums here would no longer be available, I would be bored to tears.
      
      Matching wits with the “family” of forum participants over the last 15 years has been my delight. It is interesting to note how rigid our attitudes and beliefs are and how resistant to change those tend to be.
      
      So, what would I do? I would engage in on line chess games, and ply through the internet knowledge bank continuing to improve and enrich myself. I could continue to gradually read all the magazines that I have subscribed to over the last 45 years, determined to not discard any one until I have read them.
      
      The alternative of focusing on looking after my rather infirm spouse is not a great deal of fun. This leaves me rather home bound as I would otherwise be bouncing around the planet seeking ever more oddities to explore.
      
      The days of backyard barbecues and summer picnics are over as the country where I was born and the values that I adhered to and supported are now under threat, where comfort is no longer an option. As the threat comes ever more close to impacting my personal life, I cannot afford to be complacent as so much have changed.
      
      These forums and debates are therapeutic for me as a way to vent my rage, frustration and disappointment regarding the direction this country has taken over the last year. Being the mercenary that I am, I would have to find a comparable medium to the hub pages forum, if it can be found.
      
      As you say in Britain, I am a “sticky wicket” determined to educate and inform as well as be educated and informed.
      
      So, I say to all the forum participants, thanks and fare well………

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         Nathanvilleposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

         Greetings back to you, my long‑standing ally in these debates. Over the years, I’ve found our exchanges to be some of the most rewarding — not because we always agreed (though we usually did), but because we shared the same values and outlook, and reinforced each other’s determination to speak plainly about the issues that matter. 
         
         Like you, I will miss this forum “family.” It has been a place where we could match wits, vent frustrations, and sharpen our thinking together. I’ve always admired your persistence and your ability to keep enriching yourself, whether through chess, magazines, or simply the pursuit of knowledge. That kind of resilience is exactly what keeps us going when circumstances at home or in the wider world feel restrictive. 
         
         For myself, I stopped participating regularly back in January, once it became clear the writing was on the wall for HubPages. Since then I’ve been finding pastures new — focusing on YouTube, DIY, genealogy, and other projects that give me a sense of purpose and creativity. So while I’ll miss the camaraderie here, I’ve already begun to redirect my energy elsewhere. 
         
         I share your concerns about the situation in America. With Trump and the far‑right dominating the political landscape, it feels dire and unsettling. By contrast, things are a little rosier here in Britain now that Labour, with its more socialist leanings, is in power. It doesn’t solve everything, but it does give a sense of hope that progressive policies can make a tangible difference. 
         
         So I echo your farewell — but I also say thank you. Your contributions have enriched me, and I suspect many others too. Whatever platforms we each find next, I hope the spirit of debate and solidarity we’ve shared will continue.

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   Kathleen Cochranposted 2 weeks ago

   I suspect the end of writers being able to comment on each other's work was the beginning of HP's decline. The interaction that first attracted most of us has been reduced to toxic discussion boards that I will certainly not miss.
   
   Since you asked (otherwise I wouldn't risk being banned for self-promotion) what is next for me is publishing my first novel on Audible. Very excited for this new venture, and I've been fortunate enough to find a narrarator who is absolutely "the voice in my head." Wish me luck!
   
   What I will miss is the 400 readers each month who encourage me just by reading my work. You have been like gasoline to my fire for writing. Please look for me on other outlets.
   I can never thank you enough for all that you have meant to me.
   Kathleen

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      Nathanvilleposted 13 days agoin reply to this

      I completely agree with you that the loss of interaction between writers marked the beginning of HP’s decline. And while I share your view about the boards becoming toxic, I must say I’ve also found them fruitful — they’ve given me insights into Americans and their perspectives that I could never have gained just by reading articles on Google.
      
      Brilliant! Your words about Audible made me smile. Publishing your first novel there is such an exciting step, and finding a narrator who perfectly matches “the voice in your head” is a rare gift. I most definitely wish you the very best of luck with this new venture — it sounds like the start of something wonderful.
      
      I also think it’s a beautiful reflection of the bond between writer and reader when you mention those 400 monthly readers. Clearly they fuel your creativity, and it’s a testament to the impact your words have had. May that encouragement continue to follow you wherever you publish next.

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   Kathleen Cochranposted 2 weeks ago

   (One last time . . .)
   
   https://hubpages.com/community/Top-Ten- … hing-a-Hub

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      Nathanvilleposted 13 days agoin reply to this

      Brilliant — thank you for sharing that link, it genuinely made me laugh. A proper tonic!
      
      We don’t have a dog ourselves, only a cat, and I’m fairly sure she’d struggle to eat a half‑finished hub (though she might sit on it in protest).
      
      And as for number 3… well, if my agent ever rang with a movie deal, I suspect I’d leave a few hubs unfinished too!

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   boxelderredposted 2 weeks ago

   Kathleen - I love this and am so glad you shared this link.  Made me laugh out loud.

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   Kathleen Cochranposted 13 days ago

   I have my moments.
   
   Thanks!

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