Why I Write at HubPages and at HubPages Only
72These days, HubPages is the only place I write. Excluding personal and legal correspondence, of course. It was not that way three years ago, but my interest in other websites--even my own--dropped away over time until every one of my numerous literary eggs was firmly ensconced in this single cyberspace basket.
Despite all the conventional wisdom about hedging one's bets, I'm comfortable with that.
Not long ago, however, a good friend--who also happens to be a crackerjack writer with whom I agree politically--let me know I was needed to provide a few articles for a serious political website he was in the process of establishing. He's got the chops for this sort of thing, the opportunity was genuine, possibly even golden...and the very thought of contributing so much as a single sentence to this wonderful new venture left me absolutely depressed.
Before I called my buddy back, I had to understand that. What follows is a list (in no particular order) of some (not all--there isn't room on the page for them all) of the reasons that, cobbled together, explain my declination of his kind offer. I've known for some time that HubPages and I fit together way better than the gloves appeared to fit O.J. Simpson's hands in court.
Now I know why.
The List of Factors
1. The laser effect. I learned from building a multimillion dollar sales distributorship in the late 1980's and early 90's two very important things about myself: I'm capable of slicing through incredible obstacles to reach a stated goal when I laser-focus my attention on a single target...and I'm virtually worthless whenever I allow that focus to spread too wide, to "split my forces" like Custer did at the LIttle Big Horn.
Writing for two publishing outlets rather than one would diffuse my energies exponentially. I wouldn't just be half as effective on each website--I'd become relatively worthless on both sites.
That's enough explanation right there--but wait! There's more!
2. Income. Despite having more than 750 Hubs published to date, my HP financial rewards are not exactly overwhelming. That is, I'm not one of those few authors on the site who rake in thousands of dollars every month. But I do make a little bit, enough that this year I'm getting at least one paycheck every month (especially since the advent of the HubPages Advertising Program).
It's enough to pay for our Internet access, at least, plus a bit more. The momentum here is real, and I have no intention of jeopardizng that.
3. Pure, unfettered freedom. I can work a structured job with the best of them if I have to, but that doesn't mean I don't hate it. My late father could never hold a job working for anyone else; he had to run his own ranching operation or else punch out the foreman at the sawmill, take this job and shove it. That sort of thing. His irascibility transferred to me, even if I can disguise it a bit better--sometimes--than he did. At HubPages, I write whatever I want, whenever I want...or not.
My friend's operation will have deadlines. it will focus on the political arena. Despite my own deep interest in political matters, sometimes I don't feel like writing about politics for a while...and I detest deadlines that are not self-imposed. I'm even reliably bitter and resentful about having to write a check once a month to pay the phone bill. Every week while my mother was alive, we exchanged letters. When she passed and I no longer felt the weight of that social duty bearing down on my shoulders, I was pratically giddy with relief.
I cannot, or will not, accept a new Mommy-deadline called Magazine Goes To Press.
4. Exposure and Voice. The new venture is well organized and has the potential to provide a great deal of exposure for the writers who contribute to its pages. But HubPages already provides enormous exposure for many of my pages.
In fact, one Hub I wrote eleven days ago has come closer to "going viral" than anything else I've ever done on the Net. That one involves some serious questions that need to be answered by a stonewalling law enforcement agency, and the response has been--in a word--awesome. While I've quoted extensively from excellent coverage on the case by a Tucson newspaper, that paper's online version has turned around and quoted my Hub as well. More than a dozen major websites have linked to that page. Organically, without me doing a thing other than writing the piece and hitting PUBLISH.
There's the old saying, "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't". Okay. The reverse can also be true. In this case, the appropriate wording would be, "Better the angel you know than the angel you don't." Not saying HP is precisely an angel, but you get my point.
5. Loyalty. From the time I wrote my first Hub in January of 2008, it was clear that HubPages had my back. Oh sure, sometimes the team would necessarily point out that a page here and there needed to be revised for one reason or another.
Yes, my ego is plenty touchy enough to get me all puffed and red in the face about that. But the required changes always made sense, and eventually I got to the point of just repairing what needed to be repaired without even any steam coming out of my ears.
Plus, I figure HubPages is in a war for its very survival. No, no, no, don't take that wrong, okay? Restate, restate...ok: I figure the HP team has to constantly stay on its toes in an extremely competitive environment--the Internet--if it's going to continue to not just survive but flat-out thrive.
It's certainly thriving now, with QuantCast showing it at a U.S. ranking of #107 out of all the millions of websites out there. Going by my naturally fluctuating HubScore, I've somehow become one the top 200 writers (give or take) out of 200,000 using the site. The HP team may not need me as much as I need it, but I still believe I owe these folks a bit of "riding for the brand".
6. Trust. It's not that my friend has given me any reason not to trust his new venture--it's just that the trust level between HubPages and me is sky-high and set to stay that way. At least, I know I trust HP,and believe HP has reason to trust me.
That said, how could I give HubPages anything but my best?
Will I be uncomfortable notifying my friend that I can't (and/or won't) help out on his site? Nah,not really. Mmm...truth? Maybe a little. It's never pleasurable saying no to a good cause. But it certainly won't compare to explaining to each of my six ex-wives why the relationship just wasn't working, and I lived through that just fine.
You now know, dear reader, why I write at HubPages and at HubPages only. Without being depressed even one little bit.
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You're more than welcome, Dexter. Thanks for commenting.
Fred..If it ain't broke don't fix it.
You have a gift, and all of us who follow you are glad that you share that with us here on HubPages.
Your opinions are always well expressed, and when you write about events that have gotten real (like the Marine shooting) you seem to shift to a thought mode where you are looking for answers to the question, 'what is the right thing to do?' Then you tell us about the level-headed steps you're taking to make it happen.
In a world full of emotional reactionaries who think that a loud jaw exercise is equivalent to getting things done, you show us the real way to get things done.
Mike: Exactly.
Jim: You're choking me up here--thanks. Pam has already racked out for the night, but I'm going to make a point of reading your comment to her in the morning.
Nice, Love your style in writing. Had a few giggles here and there, especially on this line..."I detest deadlines that are not self-imposed. I'm even reliably bitter and resentful about having to write a check once a month to pay the phone bill."
I feel the same, I hate dead lines, especially writing them. And I would hate to write for a magazine that would give me topics that don't inspire me.
It's funny you wrote this article and I read it when I did, I spent a lot of the day looking at other venues for writing my stories. All the time I was doing this it just felt funny and the questions they were asking seemed intrusive and the hoops seemed to many. And after all I needed to keep reminding you that Sarah is not a gift from God. Good work Ghost, I'm staying to.
Thanks, Peter
Ranzi: Yeah, I read it, and now I may end up relenting and actually writing for the political outlet after all my "opposite rant" just 24 hours ago. One of the reasons for my change of brain: The founder of that magazine pointed out rather emphatically that I would be picking my own topics. (*sigh*)
Peter: Ah, Peter, you've truly taken on a quixotic crusade if you believe you can ever convince me Sarah is not a gift from God! As I recall, you're not all that sure God EXISTS? (Correct me on that if I'm exhibiting early Alzheimer's here.)
Anyway, given that I do happen to believe in an omniscient and omnipresent Creator, I must respond with...aren't we ALL gifts from God? How could Sarah Palin be EXCLUDED from such an all-inclusive group?
About the other venues, though: Despite my gear-shifting (as described in the response to Ranzi), I surely do know about some of those writing sites and their intrusive questions. Hoops galore! And I've not even experienced all that many or (I'm certain) the worst such. In 2009, there were two write-for-hire sites I tried out, neither of which ended up being a pleasant experience. Other, more HP-like sites (though nothing close to HubPages, really) included Examiner, Squidoo, Ezine Articles, etc.
Fred - I have to agree to an extent, but have no doubt at all about your writing skills. You, at times like me, zoom in under the radar and take a closer look than most people. Doing that though is necessary in our present circumstances. The truth needs to be brought forward - all of it. That, at times, makes some readers uncomfortable but so be it. I don't write for anyone's comfort zone but my own.
The other thing about Hub Pages is their rules about articles duplicated in other places in cyber space. That has to be centered around ad dollars as it makes no sense what-so-ever except from that perspective. I write original articles and stay away from plagiarism, just sticking to the facts as I come to know them.
I'm about to delve a bit into print media besides what I do on the web. That, from my reading of the rules published, won't be a violation of the rules. We're about to see come the end of the summer. I see it as another avenue to inform people rather than a source of revenue.
Great Hub and I see your rationale clearly and keep up the good work.
The Frog
This is a very helpful hub for those of us that have spent some time searching the web for other sites.
I particularly like your first point: the laser effect. I'm similar in that aspect, but I think many of us are. It's not at all impressive to try and juggle a dozen things and give a mediocre output on each of them when you can just focus on one and do an outstanding job. I recently learnt that one too.
Frog: Well put, plus thanks...and back atcha when it comes to keeping up the good work.
Majadez: You're no doubt right about there being lots of people who do better with the laser effect than without. My wife swears all women can multitask well and few men can. That's always seemed questionable to me, so I'm delighted to see you prefer doing "just one" thing at a time, too.
Hi :)
What a very encouraging and uplifting hub.
I think that this is just what I needed! :) :)
Glad to hear it came across as helpful, Trish.
Loved this hub and your points are very reasonable. And yes sir, I hear you on the "without being depressed part"!
That's pretty much always a good thing. :)
Hoo-ah! You know what's best for you and you do it with no apology. I know what you mean about not being focused on one thing - for me, I will be branching out soon because I want to, but HP is a magical place where like-minded people come to read your stuff and you theirs. HP is more than money, it is a real community and I, along with you, feel that is important enough to preserve.
Alexander: Thanks for the Hoo-ah! HP is definitely more than (just) money.
Thank God for this...we don't want you spreading yourself too thin....Your hubs are awesome and I am glad you are going to concentrate on them alone Hooooorrrrraaaahhhhh!
WMH, you're WAY too reserved--why not let the folks know how you REALLY feel? LOL!
Seriously, thanks for appreciating what I do.
I pretty much agree with everything you said, especially deadlines. HP is a great place to learn what works, and just to enjoy writing.
You are a great example! I am still thinking whether or not to join HP ads program though.
:) Sounds like oodles of great reasons to me! Write On!
Mark: Absolutely!
myi4u: Your call on the HP ads program, of course. For me, it sliced my AdSense down to about 30% of what it had been--but made up for that by producing right at 100% itself, for a total take of 130% of what I was making before joining. And HP pays out at $50 rather than Google's $100, which was enough to put me securely in the get-paid-every-month bracket for the first time ever.
DayLeeWriter: Thanks. I will!
Lots of things to think about. Glad you picked us!!
Thanks, Sally.
You know, I recently started a blog. More or less it was to publish those thoughts that were fairly personal and/or just not organized enough for me to turn into a hub. This may make me rethink that action. Awesome and useful and UP of course. Wow.
Wow yourself. I really did write this page just to organize and synthesize my own thoughts on the subject. The comments by other writers thanking me have been a pretty much unexpected surprise and quite a blessing.
Thanks for commenting.
You make very good points Ghost. Spent 4 years in Casa Grande, couldn't handle the heat. Loved the winter though. Congrads on all your success. Look forward to reading more.
Cooler down here on the border--only 102 today!
I am new to hubpages, so I needed this inspiration here. Very inspiring and helpful on my part. May not make alot, but it will keep me fed.
Thanks. I'm impressed either way--whether you end up being one of "us" who makes hundreds (or even thousands) per month, or whether you can eat for what I make here (under $100 per month)! :)
I too feel very comfortable with hub pages.
That's good--I suspect there must be quite a few of us who do.
I like your Hub here very much, Ghost32. Rated Up and Awesome and shared.
This is lovely! I really liked your point about the laser. I think that being able to concentrate on one site really does have that advantage. I do write other places but there is something about Hubpages that is so special!
I'm really glad I came across your Hub. Am I split? Yes, I am and it drives me nuts sometimes. My traffic has dropped on other sites but I've been publishing Hubs regularly now and I feel more committed here than other sites. I like the creativity afforded with Hubs.
I'm glad to read that you don't want to split your efforts and I like the Custer analogy. And it's great to know you were quoted by a Tucson paper. Our articles here can have credibility if we write them well.
I really enjoyed your hub. I am going through the same process right now. I write at Hub Pages and several other sites plus my own websites. I am going to focus on Hub Pages plus one personal website and stop writing all the other places.
Trying to write for 10 different websites and hold down a full time job has, at times, been overwhelming for me. The end result is poor work. Having that laser focus is the best way to go.
Inspiring hub!I hear negative things sometimes, but I'm very happy with HubPages. Hope you still are. Thanks for sharing this. Voted up and all the way across!
I really like your style. You also helped me come to a decision I have been trying to make for some time now. I have been splitting my talent among several avenues and wondering if it would be better to stick with one and go full force. Like you, I prefer HubPages. Well folks, you read it here first. I'm all in! HubPages it is. Thanks Ghost32.
I completely understand how you feel; it's liberating and energizing to write about any topic we want, and write it when we want to write it, rather than adjusting our lives to deadlines. Very nice hub; I enjoyed it!
great article mate :) voted up!
I'm glad you've honed in your energies on Hubpages--you do great work!
I too have been contemplating whether I should focus all my energies and write solely for Hubpages. This is a great community and a wonderful place to write. I always find myself coming back here from other writing sites. Thank you for this excellent hub and for letting us know why you only write for hubpages.
I totally understand the sentiment of writing for too many writing sites. You end up not giving your best and only getting mediocre or worseresults. I too cannot stand deadlines. It's hard to put a deadline on any creative venture.
That's good, but don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Very thought provoking article, although I'm not yet ready to totally agree, I am concerned over 750 articles and only enough income to pay for a phone bill. This seems overwhelming!
Patty: Thanks. Coming from you in particular,that means a LOT.
prairieprincess: HP is the best...especially for a guy like me who doesn't multitask all that well. :)
Don: Glad you caught that. Cuser's splitting his men at the Battle of the Greasy Grass (Little Big Horn) has always struck me as worth remembering. :)
Shawn: Good for you. I can't even IMAGINE trying to write for 10 different sites (even writing full time).
Victoria Lynn: Yes, I'm still Thumbs-Up for HubPages. Just one exampl of why that is so: I'm campaigning for Barbara Kaiser in the Cochise County Recorder race this year (2012). She's super-qualified but not well known yet in this area, and people often say, "...but I don't know anything about her!"
At which point, I'm able to tell them, "No problem. Just Google 'Barbar Kaiser County Recorder', and the article I wrote about her will pop right up on Page 1 of Google results."
They like that, and I like the easy rapport between HP, the search engines, and me. If it works, don't fix it.
Marlene B: Good for you; go for it! :) (And thanks for liking my writing style.)
Wow. Obviously, this Hub must have been recently featured somewhere very obvious. Do believe I'd best split my responses into two capsules. Be right back....
Marcy: Yes, it is liberating. Thanks.
Bazookaz12: Thanks for the vote up! :)
ctbrown7: Glad you like the work.
creativelycc: You're more than welcome.:)
thoughtfulgirl2: I actually do put deadlines on a pretty much everything I write--but they're MY deadlines. For me, that makes all the difference.
Whitney05: I understand the sentiment, but putting all my eggs in one basket has generally worked out best for me during my (to date) 68 years of life. In rodeo, for example, I started out at age 15 riding bareback broncs and saddle broncs. When I got to college at age 17, I added the bull riding.
But in the end, the bareback riding was dropped completely and the saddle bronc riding down to a rare event. Only when I specialized in bull riding did I begin winning at a level that established me in the pro ranks.
RtailRich: From a commercial standpoint, I TOTALLY understand. Two points (one repeated, one brand new):
1. The vast majority of what I write has only nominal commercial value. Political pieces, for example, have a notably short shelf life, and fiction (be it western or science fiction) draws from a pretty small market unless you're one of the big names out there.
2. When I first wrote this Hub 9 months ago, that "nominal income per month" statement was true. Now, not so much. About SIX months ago, view counts and monthly income figures both began to skyrocket (relatively speaking). For this past half-year, my monthly HP Ad Program take has been has high as $600 and never below $300, with a bit of Google $ added to that.
Total published article count is now over 1,100.
Thanks for such inspiring thoughts. Its really appreciated. For me, I dont do hubbing just for the sake of making money. I do it for my satisfaction only.
You're welcome. I do my writing for a LOT of reasons (to maximize my political voice being one of them)...and HP works for every one.
Good job with this one, I like your style, someone way back up the comments said you have a knack for writing, with 1,000+ publishings, I'd have to agree. I think I met you a couple years ago when I started out getting laughs across the board here. I agree that HP works for us, we don't work for them and there are no time lines or deadlines to meet, which is mostly why I stay here in the basking sun of authorship. Enjoyed reading this. Peace and Joy fellow hubwriter.
If it works for you, then it's only sensible to continue.
I tend to put things on HP that I can't place on other websites that I manage with specific themes. I started off placing everything on HP and not managing anything else, but going through several algorithm changes with search engines, I've been hit a few times. I wanted to spread the wealth a little.
Good luck.
Whitney, glad to know about your strategy. It's similar to mine. Nice to have a confirmation.
Artin2010: Glad you enjoyed this. Got a kick out of your phrase, "...the basking sun of authorship". Sounds really nice, and I may actually slow down long enough to bask a bit someday. (Or...not.)
Whitney & Don: You may simply be more "aware of stuff" than I am. Mostly, I wouldn't know an algorithm change from a dirty diaper change. I understand they can both be pretty stinky at times, but I seldom even know there's BEEN a change until (or unless) I stumble across other people's writings on the subject.
Hi Fred,
No wonder you have this 1,000 plus hubs here. You have good liking to this site.
I like the "Pure, unfettered freedom." This is very important to me because I love freedom and to express it is my passion.
Yes, HubPages and I have felt like a "fit" from the beginning. Freedom is definitely the key.
I agree, HubPages has been good to me from the get-go. Their ads add up quickly and more than my google earnings on some days. But I do publish on other sites, too, but not nearly as much. HP is my main focus.
Glad to hear it, Sandy. In my case, the Ad Program has virtually "taken over" when it comes to income stats: Hundreds per month from that, maybe $30 per month from Google AdSense. More than a 10 to 1 disparity, and that's a GOOD thing! :)
Interesting take. I guess you don't need money since you have millions stashed away. I would rather write for print at 50c to $1 a word. HubPages is okay. It fits in with other things I am doing, but I have a family to support and need more than 15c an hour. I don't have time for hobbies.
The name of the game here is generating traffic. If you don't spend enough energy with that, who will read your crackerjack stuff? Of course, if it they are good enough, I suppose hubs will go viral from sheer talent.
You do cover some key points:
1. Yes, if a writer's #1 need is a certain amount of immediate cash, I can see why those who write for print at 50 cents to $1 a word do what they do. And in all honesty, I tried to do that at one point--but I'm simply not capable of functioning in that mode.
2. I can truly understand your comment that you "...don't have time for hobbies". Providing for one's family is Priority #1. I get that.
3. You are absolutely correct that if Hubs are good enough, they "will go viral from sheer talent". Not always, but sometimes. Although I would say that the talent must also meet a need somewhere, such as my Hub titled, "How to Build a Survival Cabin on a Shoestring Budget".
That one has generated a significant number of daily views for more than 4 years at this point in time.
Dexter Yarbrough Level 7 Commenter 12 months ago
Bravo, Ghost! You are an inspiration to many, including this newbie to Hubpages! And I thank you.