Why HubPages is the Perfect Writing Site for Me

I joined HubPages almost two years ago, wrote a few hubs, and retreated back into my other writing sites on line. I didn't really feel at home and comfortable with HubPages then. Back then it seemed harder to get capsules to do what I wanted them to. There weren't any polls or quizzes. Now there are a lot of new modules which make building hubs much more satisfying. The more building blocks one has, the more creative one can be in constructing a unique hub.So, I am happier with the writing process here now than I was at first. 

That, though, is not the cause of my new-found enthusiasm for the site. What I appreciate most now are the various kinds of writing one can do and the conversations one can have in the comments sections. To contribute on HubPages, I don't always have to write a full hub. If I'm not feeling particularly inspired, if there's no idea in my brain fighting to come out on the keyboard, I can still find a question to answer or read and comment on someone else's hub, or see what's happening in the forums. One can get to know others a bit as you read their hubs.

Best of all, I can do the kind of writing I am best at here. My strength has always been in answering questions and participating in discussions. Answering a question makes me think and try to get at the heart of what someone wants to know. Sometimes others have already given great answers and I can just vote them up or down -- usually up. Sometimes I think there is something I can add. And sometimes trying to answer a question leads me to write a hub, thus solving the problem of what to write about. This kind of interaction is one of the primary reasons I am feeling more and more at home here.

If HubPages is your first writing site, it may be easier to feel at home right away, since you are starting your on-line writing career here. It's always a good idea to read all the help files, terms of service, policies, and frequently asked questions before writing anything so that you don't make any big mistakes. You will learn to sign up for AdSense and Amazon if you wish. Other members will help you settle in and find your way around. Pretty soon you will feel connected if you participate in all the opportunities offered to interact with others on the site.

If, however, you have already been very active on some other site, you will find a different way of connecting here that may feel strange at first. As many of you know, I had been active primarily on Squidoo when I first arrived. I was used to writing lenses with a lot more bells and whistles. I was used to putting Zazzle products in my lenses to both promote them and have a great source of images to fit almost any subject. I couldn't do that here.That's one thing I do miss. I've also been spoiled, as a Giant Squid, in no longer having to count how many outgoing links per domain I have, whereas here, I still have to count and watch where my images are hosted. If you come to HubPages as a Giant Squid, you will also have to make these adjustments.

Also, I was familiar with the Squidoo culture -- something that if you went from HubPages to Squidoo, you mind find strange and have to acclimate to. I have already written a detailed hub on the Squidoo culture for those who are considering adding another site. HubPages has a different culture and writing environment. If you are making the transition from Squidoo to here, I have some suggestions to help you acclimate faster than I did.

First, start by reading hubs. Find some people you want to follow and read what they write. Comment. You will notice that commenting is much more interactive on HubPages and more real conversations go on. I have not seen as much of that kind of interaction on Squidoo. It's one of the things I really appreciate about HubPages.

Second, look over the questions and see if there are any you want to answer. Read how others have answered the questions that interest you. You just may be inspired to write a hub to answer one of those questions. When you read someone else's hub and have unanswered questions, you can click on the right side to ask the author a question, and that will start another discusssion, as other people will also have a chance to answer. I have gotten useful answers that way.

You also might want to look over the forums. It's a good way to meet people and get an idea of which people you might want to follow. I tend to follow people who have high scores because I believe I will learn the most from them, but I also follow new hubbers who have low starting scores if I like their work. I generally don't follow people until they have written a few hubs because there isn't anything to read yet.

Don't neglect hub-hopping. This is a great way to meet new hubbers. You might have the chance to encourage someone who just wrote a first hub by commenting and voting that first hub up. You also will get the chance to see new work from your favorite hubbers as soon as it's live. Best of all, you can hop a couple of hubs while you're taking a break from other work and you don't have a lot of time.

There are still many parts of HubPages I've not had a chance to explore. Most of these are on the forum. I just haven't had much time to spend there yet. I'm sure that someday I will. But one reason I like HubPages is that there are many opportunities that I can still look forward to, and I can take advantage of them at my own pace, without pressure. I would enjoy having time to write several hubs a week all year long, but I don't have the time. So I do what I can, take a new path now and then, and come back whenever I can. Since I have come back to HubPages and settled in, I now have two writing homes and can easily move from one to the other and take advantage of the best features of each. You can do the same.