Sharing What I've Learned

Wow it is late my time, hence calling myself a night Hubber...probably not when I do my best work, but definitely when I get the most peace and quiet to get the work done.  Where do I even begin?

Okay, so if you haven't pinned your hubs; do it!  If you are an ex-Squid, used to be a member of Squidoo, and have pinned your articles, go through and fix all the links.  It should automatically redirect you to HubPages, but I noticed some of mine weren't and eventually when Squidoo is completely gone there could be a problem redirecting.  The other thing is that you can earn money by referring people who sign up on HubPages - you get 10% of what they earn from HubPages earnings (not from the writer).  How do you do it?  This is my referral link: http://hubpages.com/_3tb4psx2h1v0v/user/new/  -  once you are signed up, go to My Account > Earnings > Referral Trackers.  There you will find your referral code.  Replace my code, shown in bold in the link above, with yours and you are set!  Pin your referral link as well!  When you are creating or updating your hubs you will wonder why it is so important to add a summary to your hubs even though it doesn't even show up after you publish.  Well, when you pin a hub, as long as you pic the first picture after your summary; the summary will show with the pin.   (You can follow me on Pinterest here: http://www.pinterest.com/rymom28s/ and if you leave me your link in a comment I will follow you.)  Which brings me to my next subject...

I found some great stuff on the forums of HubPages.  Spend some time there and click on profiles to follow those that you feel you learn from or whose writings interest you.  I personally am also trying to find as many ex-Squids as I can.  Following will not only increase your traffic, but hopefully well seasoned Hubbers can send you some pointers as well.  Pin their articles as well to help each other out and save valuable info.  Here is a great hub for those transition from Squid to Hubber: http://relache.hubpages.com/hub/hubpages-squidoo

(BEWARE: mass following can hurt your hub score and cause other issues, so only do a few follows at a time.)


LINKING SITES IS KEY!  Link any and all sites that you are on to each other; Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus blogs, if you have a Facebook page you feel comfortable linking...link it all, so you can get a lot of exposure.  Also, make sure to use those sites to circulate your writing.  There may be a more efficient way of doing this, but after pinning my hub, I post an article (usually my most recent writing) on twitter.  Then, I share it on any pages that I can find on Facebook where the subject is relevant.  Finally, I post it on my blog here.  My newest hub is "Stuffed Animal Must-Haves"; how to keep stuffed animals looking great.  Make sure to edit your profile, and add all of your pages to the links section of your HubPages profile.  You can discover a lot by seeing who is pinning your articles or viewing them on Twitter, it will help you get a feel for what type of writing is working for you.

As for editing my articles: it has been a little crazy, but I think I finally have a system down.  I mainly have been focusing on pages that I see are being viewed frequently and subjects that are popular or relevant; such as holiday articles, and go from there.  First, I have been trying to go through and fix or update any links.  Next, I have been updating my topics, so they are easier to find.  Squidoo seemed to have limited topics, so I have been happy to find a lot more tops and subtopics on HubPages.  Then, I change and delete some of the products I have featured.  I also go through all the pictures and edit the picture source details, as that seems to have gotten all mixed up in the transfer. Finally, I try to go through and edit my content by making it clean and clear.  HubPages is more about content than featuring products, which is great, but makes it difficult to change some of the articles because on Squidoo you earned more money if you were getting sales from your pages and thus tend to have more of your articles focused on that.  I have deleted a couple of articles due to that.

I found out that you can't share the exact details of your earnings from HubPages, so I am guessing I will have some pocket change at the end of the month. lol  I don't really do it for the money though, a little helps, but I really enjoy writing online.  I hope that this has helped someone out there going through the same transition that I am.  Please feel free to share your hubs or profile here and I'd also appreciate it if you encouraged others to follow.

Here is my next goal, figuring out how to add a sitemap to HubPages: http://noveltreasure.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Add-a-Sitemap-to-Hubpages


Happy Writing!!! :)

Squidoo is Addictive!

I've mentioned a couple of times that writing on Squidoo is addictive, but reading lenses is as well.  You don't have to be a member to read or like a lens; you can connect with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, etc.  I like to do searches and just check out what is new and kind of "network" in between writing my own lenses.  There are so many topics that you can pretty much read about almost anything you would want to and if you can't find what you are looking for, then you can write a lens about it - it is a win win situation.  If you aren't careful, you could spend hours on there though.  When I am looking for lenses on a specific topic I tend to get side tracked by all the other great lenses that come up in the search.  For instance, just today I was looking for ideas for a date with my hubby and found a lens on Yorkshire Pudding, which had talked about what they are and even had an easy recipe.  Some of my favorite lenses that others have written, so far, include: Best Travel Toys for Toddlers, Zero Calorie Foods, Centerpieces with Wire Lights, Nap Mats for Preschool, Simple Homemade Fudge Recipe, Forest and Tree Murals...  I'm sure I could add so many more to this list and will probably feature more as time goes on.  You will also find out there are some lensmasters (writers on Squidoo) that almost specialize in certain subjects.  Often with authors such as these, if you like one lens more than likely you will enjoy most of their other lenses.  As for me, I just write about whatever comes to mind that seems like others would be interested in reading, which hopefully hasn't already been done.  I always try to put my own perspective into everything I write, so it can be a different way of looking at the topic.  If you haven't checked it out already, I would definitely recommend that you do, even if you don't want to be a writer on Squidoo, there is so much to look at on the site that it is worth at least one visit!

Moody Males

My most recent published work is Moody Male Syndrome.  My husband was being really cranky at the time that I decided to write on this topic and not to long after that I also had a friend text me saying that her husband was being moody too, so I did a little research.  Come to find out there is an actual syndrome called Irritable Male Syndrome - I wasn't too far off!  I found some great information on this topic and learned a lot more about men and what makes them get so bothered at times.  My greatest discovery, for me at least, was that men have hormonal cycles just like women - who knew?  It makes sense now having done the research, but it so often seems like everyone only depicts women as having hormonal cycles.  I really liked getting my frustrations out while writing this lens.  It is amazing how therapeutic writing on Squidoo has been for me.  This was also the first lens that I used a duel debate module on; it should make for an interesting part of the lens if people start to vote on who is the moodiest sex.

Side note:  I do not have Facebook likes on my lenses yet, please share and/or like if you find one that you enjoy.  I'd also like to get some comments on my blog....your thought, questions, and anything else just send them my way!  I look forward to hearing from you!

UPDATE:
 Whatever you do, do not tell your husband he has this while he is mad, it makes him more upset.  I think it is funny, but I know some women might need the warning.

Finding Squidoo

For a long time now I've been trying to find something I can do from home that I enjoy, which will bring in a little extra money.  For the first two years I was married I was the bread winner, making around $15 an hour.  I quit because my husband had started a new job.  At that point, I decided I wanted to be a homemaker.  Shortly after relocating with my husband's work, we conceived and nine months later had a beautiful baby boy.  I have reached a point in my life where I want to do something that is just me, something that makes me feel important and brings gratification.  Squidoo allows me to do this and surprisingly has already become somewhat addictive.  I love not only writing, but reading other lenses.  You can interact with the articles and like them through Facebook, Twitter, Pin It using Pinterest, or even recommend it here on Google.  It is the thing I do to get away from every day life.  I usually work on it at night when there are no distractions and I am just left by myself to share my thoughts without any critiquing.  It has also helped me to not snack as much at night because my attention is focused else where.  I don't like to just throw out my opinions, what I really enjoy doing is helping others by sharing my experiences.  I would be lying if I said I don't hope to make a little money while doing this as well, we shall see as time goes on.  There are some amazing stories of those that have been making thousands of dollars a month, which are very inspiring and definitely add motivation.  If after reading my lenses you find you like an article I've written, please make sure to click a like button and feel free to leave me a comment on Squidoo.  While you are there check out some of the other great lenses.  If you are already a Squidoo writer, send me your lensmaster name and I'll make sure to return the favor.  Hopefully this journey will a prosperous one for us all.