What is Next? Celebrating two years at HubPages
59Greetings!
What I have learned since I began...
It has been two years since I began my adventures with HubPages. I have undergone a series of trial and error on my journey that is still continuing, if not just as confusing. I hate to admit that I still have no clue to the fine functions of Panda (Not the bear kind), Google +1, Adsense, RSS feeds, or other mind boggling things of the sort. I often steer clear of the political and religious forums, and gave up on figuring out my hubscore/hubkarma. But!, I have not let these things sway me from enjoying my time spent here.
I still find it just as addictive today, as the day I started.
I have never been one filled with confidence in my writing, which is something that I have developed here, along with a few other things that I would like share.
HubPages and its hubbers are filled with tips to help other hubbers starting out. Some will work for you and others may not. Don't get too discouraged! It will take time to get the flow. I took a year off of publishing on HubPages to find mine. I spent that year studying how others here wrote, and questioned myself if I wanted to make money or just write.
I found that step number one is the most important:
Step one:
READ what the Learning Center has to tell you before you begin to publish your first hub. This will save you a migraine and time when a hub is flagged. From the Learning Center, I recommend traveling to the forums to read what others have to say about their experiences or problems that they have faced.
I wished the Learning Center had back then what it does now. I think I would have caught on to things a little quicker. Even now, I find myself browsing through there to keep up with the changes.
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Step two:
Figure out what kind of persona you want to portray yourself as. Reputation here is just as important as on the streets. Negative commenting to pick a great debate for the sake of arguing because you are bored, doesn't float well here. I have seen many an ego shattered from constant battering.
When I began here, I didn't take into account how people may perceive me. I realized now how easy it was to come across as a crazy, schizophrenic, religious nut, that has a passion for food; due to my wide range of topics. Looking back, I have often wondered if I should have created more than one account to focus strictly on one certain topic.
When it came to my reputation of commenting, my main concern was not saying much if I sounded generic, if I didn't have something nice to say, or if I didn't have some constructive criticism to pass on. I was often afraid to ask questions, which brings me to step three.
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Step three:
If in doubt...ask! This was an area I had to work on. Nerves nearly shattered, it took me awhile to ask for help understanding something, or just asking a question in general. Once I started asking, I found many people were more than happy to help me out.
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Step four:
Ask yourself, “Did I join to make money or just write?”
If you are here for the money, be prepared to work your bum off. Many have come here for a quick buck only to leave discouraged that it didn't profit as fast as they expected. I, too, became discouraged when I didn't make a profit within the first month. (That was one of many reasons why I took a break for a year. I needed to see what it was that I was doing wrong and needed to rebuild my confidence.) It has been a challenge for some to keep the income flowing to their expectations and needs, with the changes that have been made over the last few months.
Today, my purpose here is mostly to work on my writing. If I make money great, but I don't pin my hopes on it.
Using you own photos has it benefits.
Step five:
Topics! Write where your interests flow, and try to use your own photos.
I was surprised to find that certain topics I thought would be a hot item were duds, while others I just blundered off the top of my head became popular. I am not fond of writing a how-to hub, but found that I had a knack for being creative. This is one of many directions I try to follow when I write. In some of my writing, I love to use a shock factor. Other times, I find myself writing a serious piece. It often varies according to my mood or idea I was slapped with.
I try to use all my own photos to avoid being slammed for duplicate content, or with a photo that has been copywritten, or protected in some way. If in doubt, check out the Learning Center for places that allow you to use photos.
Step six:
Protect your writing! Your work may be stole at some point. I have seen this happen to many hubbers. Therefore it is best to start out with protection. One of the websites that hubbers are using is called Copyscape Plagiarism Check, to check for content that has been stole.
It is appauling to think that there are people out there too lazy to do their own work, and feel the need to take others. I can't help but ask, "where are their morals?"
My last tip...
Enjoy what you are doing, because when the passion is gone, all that remains is a shell filled with words that lack emotion.
What is next for me here at HubPages?
I'm not sure, but I thank my fans and readers that have stuck with me, while I am still exploring which direction I want my content to flow. So, I will part with these words from my daughter...'Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be completely ridiculous than absolutely boring.'
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A brief bio of tlpoague
- tlpoague on HubPages
Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be completely ridiculous than absolutely boring! by SN (my daughter) Hi! If you...
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How has your experience been with HubPages?Loading...
Thanks! I have enjoyed it.
Wow! Two years is not an easy task but a great milestone. You ve performed excellently. Kudos
Rated AWESOME. Happy 2 yrs at HubPages..it was really special to me when I hit 2 yrs...hopefully many more great years to come.
Thank you Ubanichiijioke and MarloByDesign,
With the amount of changes being made, I have been fortunate enough not to be affected much by them. I still have a long way to go, but have enjoyed every minute I've spent writing here. I'm looking forward to see what this next year holds.
Agreed...I wish I had the time to publish more Hubs during the last 3 yrs at HubPages, but I try to focus on quality. I just published one on How to file a complaint against a bad veterinarian - and it took me a week to write and a week to research the links for 50 US states!
Thanks Marlo,
I have three pieces of work sitting in limbo as I work towards the quality of them. At the moment I have five unpublished ones that needed work, but I am too lazy at the moment to fix them. It does take a lot of work to produce a quality hub. I will have to drop by and read yours. Thanks again!
Awww...I hear you as I have so many ideas in my head and outlines too...and thanks..did you leave a comment :) I would appreciate it.
Sorry, I haven't left a comment as of yet. I was preparing to read it when my sister called to tell me her son broke his arm. He will be fine and I am heading your way now. Thanks for the comments!
Thank you tip, and Happy Anniversary! I've only been here going on 4 months and would miss my friends if I left. I think that is what I enjoy the most about HP. My friends!
Thanks SusieQ,
I have to agree. I have met so many wonderful helpful people here that I wouldn't know what to do with my time if I didn't HubPages now.
When I saw the title I was not looking forward to reading this hub at all, I thought it was another boring hub about someone's HP achievements and thank yous and what not....but it was NOT boring at all. You actually gave advice and these I am just figuring out too.
Thank you for writing a NOT boring hub about your time here. Thank you so much...if I read another one of those thank you hubs I swear I'll SCREAM.
Your tips are well needed and greatly appreciated. I especially like that you encourage us to protect our writing. How do I do that for HP? I really need to know this. There are times I am just inspired to write straight in the HP text capsule. I will come back for your answer.
Thanks, thanks, thank you so much for this hub. Did I say thank you?
This is a hub that I can really relate to. I have used hubpages as a place to write and publish. There are many features that I do not understand and making money is not a priority. Interacting with other writers is first and foremost. Congratulations on 2 years. Voted up and useful.
Interesting topic. I don't write for money. I just love to write poetry. About comments, when i first joined, i was quick to voice my opinion, i try not do that anymore. I really enjoy being on Hubpages, it's a whole new experience for me. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Cardisa,
I have to agree with the boring standard hub that seems dry and repeats itself. Funny thing is, I was browsing through some of my older hubs and found I could have made one hub out of the three posted. I unpublished them for now till I take the time to fix them.
I don't have a lot of advice on the protecting your hub thing, but a fellow hubber told me to make a notice on my hubs or profile letting others know that my work is protected. Later, I can purchase a professional copywrite to further protect them. For more detailed information on this, I would recommend asking one of the big E's about this. Thanks for your support and comment. I feel enriched to know that I have been a help to others.
Thank you Husky,
I can not count how many migraines I have given myself trying to figure out the finer functions of a proper hub with all the bells and whistles. It's still a crap shoot for me, but with time I am sure I will eventually figure it out. (Or ditch it!)
It is terrible to feel so ignorant about the Panda and Google changes. For me, it is like a foreign text message that my cousin sent without the alphabet code to go with it. I finally gave up and studied the what not to do page. Forget the Adsense thing to make money. That will be a topic I will never figure out. Instead, I love to write (as you can tell by my mini hub) and am addicted to the community here. Thanks again for you comment and vote!
Thank you Always,
I have never been able to get the knack of poetry, but have always admired those that can write it. I always felt the need to try to leave a positive comment, whether I liked the hub or not. Until one day, I caught myself five hubs later writing “Great hub!” I had fell into the rut of a generic comment. That bugged me as much as not commenting at all. Thank you...I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment.
Congratulations on 2 years with HubPages and 74 hubs, that's a lot of writing!
Lovely hub and great tips thank you.
Best wishes and happy writing!
Thanks Movie,
I am looking forward to what the next year brings and the new people to meet.
Congrats on two years sounds a bit trite. So here's a couple of other things instead.
I like your daughters comment and subscribe to it whole heartedly.
I like the way you put this page together and your sentiment.
If it's my imagination, or you are not sure about your skills and so on - don't worry and just go for it. And sorry if that sounds slightly patronising - it's really not meant to be - I'm just not great at doing that encouraging thing.
Thanks Mark for your support and encouragement.
No worries about sounding patronizing, I feel like a walking contradiction some days. This year seems to have held a lot of challenges for me in my personal life. I have been tempted to write hubs about my experiences, but when it come to dealing with family, I am sometimes leery about rocking the boat. I see the road ahead of me just as rocky as I come to terms with a few doors that are closing and new ones that are opening. I have to say, that is where being a writer helps. I never use to be able to identify with certain emotions till I began to write down how I specifically felt about something. Writing for HP has given me the boost of confidence I needed for my next goal that I have been working on for the last three years. That is to publish a book. I am positive that when the time is right, it will happen.
Thanks again for your encouraging comment, I appreciate it!
Congratulations on your two year anniversary. I think so many of us are veru like minded on here. Your words of support also mean a great deal from a good writer like you. HubPages has also boosted my confidence no end and i am also busy working on a novel that I've wanted to write for years. As you say , HP has given me that self confidence boost that I needed and you are one of these hubbers who have supported me.
Make sure that you carry on with this book you are writing and I will not give up on min eeither. i am proud to know you here on HP. I hope you get all you want from life.
Take care
Eiddwen.
Thank you so much Eiddwen,
Your comment means so much to me. These last few days I have been looking back at fellow hubbers that started following me from the first. I have lost a few, but have felt a warm kinship with those that have stuck it out with me in my good and bad times. If it hadn't been for reading yours and a few other fellow hubbers poetry, I would have never tried to write a piece of my own. This place has been a blessing in many ways.
I had outlined and written my novel in less than a week, then looked at my hubby and told him I wasn't sure if anyone would like it. To this day I chuckle when I think of his response. He began by telling me that he didn't know of anyone that could write a book in a week. His second response was I scared him, not in a bad way, he just didn't expect me to be so shocking. (My novel was a murder mystery.) Those words and the support here at HP has helped me to overcome many roadblocks and doubts.
I am looking forward to reading your book. I was happy to find “Quill Again” on Amazon and told my hubby...Hey I know that guy in a sense. Let me know if you need any encouragement! I wont give up on my goals. Thanks again!!
Congratulations on being on Hubpages for two years !
Great tips within this well written hub !
Thank you Kashmir,
I was just thinking of you and a few other fellow hubbers yesterday. I had told myself that I needed to stop what I was doing and catch up with those I have missed. Thanks for stopping by!
Congratulations on your 2 year Hub Pages anniversary. This hub is filled with sage advice and I think few hubbers (myself included) really think through the things you said about developing a Hub Pages persona. As in any other social setting, hubbers do get reputations- some deserved, some not, and those reputations can be helpful or harmful to what the writer's trying to accomplish on Hub Pages.
I enjoy reading a variety of topics and I hope you continue to write about the things you're passionate about and produce many more hubs in the coming year.
Thank you Happy,
There are still a few things I need to change. I am always tweeking my profile or certain hubs. I am trying to be more creative in my comments, and still trying to figure out the changes going on. Now that things have changed to a subdomain, I get to sort through that too. I think my biggest goal this next year is to find time to write more. I was hoping that now that my children are starting to fly the nest I would have more time, but alas I find that there are other challenges in the way.
Thanks again for your support and comment! I am looking forward to more passionate writing.
Congrats on two years here...right behind you at 18 months now. The points are good ones especially for someone just getting started here. The first time I pushed the publish button, I was scared to death because, like you, I was not convinced that I was worthy to be among a group of people who called themselves writers. I was sure that I had not yet earned that title. What I found was just the opposite...several people took me under their wing and encouraged my efforts. That is what keeps me here today. If I were here for the money, I would have starved long ago. Thanks for sharing. WB
Thanks Wayne,
I have found that HP is like its own little family. There are good eggs and bad ones. I am happy to help out those that need it and just as grateful for those that have helped me out. I still have my moments of not earning the title writer, but then someone comes along and reminds me that this is being a writer...sharing stories. Thanks again for your comment and support!
Tip - you echo my feelings:). I am not trying to make any money here - I just wanted to become a better writer, work on publishing something somewhere. I have done a lot of the same things as you - plus I get nervous when I want to ask a question. However, there are several of you I feel really comfortable asking for help or answers and that has been an unexpected bonus!
This is an awesome hub!
I am trying hubpages to see what you are having so much fun doing. This was a great and informative hub
Thanks Real,
I am finally starting to feel more comfortable writing and interacting with the community. I am happy that I finally got my mother to sign up with us so she could read our stories. Now, I just need to work on my daughter. Thanks for your support here, funny stories, and comments!
Thanks mljdgulley (aka mom!)
I am glad you signed up to see what all the fun is about!
Congratulations tlpoague, on reaching the milestone of two years. Thanks for sharing your insights and tips. Like you I am amazed when a hub I think will be well read isn't while one I threw together has multiple comments...seems there is a message in that, LOL
Cheers to what may be coming to you in the future. Rated up and awesome/useful.
Thanks Denise,
It is strange how that works out!
Hi, I totally understand, the funny thing with me is that I didn't realise that I had it in me to write about so many topics! lol surprised myself there! and yes its best to be ridiculous than boring! lol glad you stayed, cheers nell
Thanks Nell,
Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I am having issues with some of my comments and fan mail showing up. I love having a wide range of topics to write about. I just didn't think about the reputation it would leave behind with some of my topics...(dead kittens, roadkill jerky). I found out quickly that not everyone has a sense of humor like mine. I guess that is what makes it interesting writing here. I am glad that I stayed. Thanks for being a fan!
Congrats! I think your GREAT!!!!
Thanks Drpastorcarlotta,
It pleases me to know there are so many happy fans out there that are enjoying my babbling. I am glad to be a fan of yours...thanks again!
Congratulations!...
I very recently joined and i would like to get some tips from you!
How do you choose the topics? I love writing and am glad i found this site!...
Money isnt important but i would like to know the mode of payment and the criteria for the pay. who judges?
Thanks Arunaganesh,
The first and most important thing is to familurize yourself with the Learning Center. This will help to avoid being flagged for violations. Topics to pick are things that you love to do or are interested in. I have a wide range of interests, so I write on anything from Bigfoot, Christian hubs, Recipes, my dog, and humor. I don't worry about how much money I'm making, or my hubscore. I just try to focus on writing and supporting other hubbers.
thanks a lot for the suggestions....i shall do that :)
No problem! I am glad I could help.
Please accept my belated congratulations on your two year anniversary. I have enjoyed our interactions. Here is to many more to come! :)
Thanks James!
I thought your hub I read earlier was so interesting that I had to share it with my hubby. He liked it too. Thanks! :)
FloraBreenRobison 9 months ago
Congratulations on two years.