Where Did Evy's Hubs Go?
After the BigEzine issue in 2012 was brought to the surface, there were quite a few concerns raised over HubPages response to the issue. Yes, HubPages could not legally do anything for the work of the hubbers being stolen as we retain all of our rights to our individual hubs and all that is included in them. However, there were a few hubbers (myself included) who were upset that HubPages, who also had work stolen, was not joining the band of hubbers who were working together to sort though all the hurdles we were jumping in our attempts to find the correct information on who to contact with our DMCA complaints besides Google. The responses we were getting were either not useful (Here's what we can't do...) or pointed us to articles in the Learning Center that we had already referenced.
Considering that it is the hubbers who ultimately make HubPages what it is, I found myself torn between continuing to publish here with a great community of writers and going elsewhere with my work. As I personally feel I should not associate with a company I do not agree with or who does not include the community as a priority in their mission, my integrity would be jeopardized if I stay. In the short time I have written here, I have come across many hubs and outside articles about HubPages from past Hubbers and second-hand accounts of why others have left in the past. Some stories were a bit vague in the details, but the message that HubPages does not care about the writers is always loud and clear; great community of writers, not so great company to be handing over part of our earning potential to. I could not agree more.
Even when you strip away the fact that I am one of few people who put their integrity above most other things in life, writing for HubPages earning-wise is like working for or well-below minimum wage. If you do not absolutely love your job, love your co-workers, and simply love and adore your boss who better care about you to be paying you such a laughable wage, you're going to leave. I loved writing for a content website that helped me better understand how to engage readers. I loved writing alongside other writers who were more about the passion of writing and sharing knowledge than earning a buck (but learning how to do that, too). I did not love writing for a boss who demonstrated a lack of caring.
Briefly on the Money Thing
Content writing anywhere hardly makes anything. HubPages is certainly no criminal for just how little of a percent writers see out of what their Hubs bring in. More often than not, any other content sites that offer significantly higher percentages simply do not pay out regardless of what self-proclaimed "legitimate" reviewers of those companies say. If you do not run a website of your own, are looking to expand beyond the subject area of your website, or just want to publish something and make a few cents a month doing it, HubPages and other content sites could be exactly what you're looking for.
For me, writing for HubPages just is not worth it financially. When I wrote here regularly, I saw anywhere between $2 and $10 a month. As soon as I started moving a few Hubs to my website (and not particularly popular ones), I saw that $2-10/month drop down to $0.01-$1.00 a month and it only goes down with each Hub removed no matter how high my Hubs' page views and ad clicks go up. Needless to say, such interesting and unclear algorithms of how pay is calculated certainly raises my confidence that leaving was the best thing for me.
What is interesting, is even when I do not delete or add content on my personal website, I still have more months in a year making equal to double (even triple sometimes) through Google Adsense than I did here at HubPages. Important to note is that my website as a whole has considerably less visitors and a much higher bounce rate than all my Hubs here combined. This is less an argument against writing for content sites and more of an argument for starting your own website and/or blog separate from any company who will take large percentages of your earning potential.
Where My Hubs Are
There is no wrong or right in choosing to stay or go for those who write for HubPages. It is a personal choice and the "best" choice will be dependent upon the individual, his or her lifestyle and preferences, writing goals, and personal values. For me, the best choice is to go.
The hubs about hubs and HubPages will be going away. Many of my articles moved to my personal website, Messages in the Moonlight. Some will go to my blog, Bewitching Momma. I will find other homes for the rest. When I made the decision to leave, I realized that many of my hubs have been linked to from other areas of the net, so if you are trying to locate them, I will be putting together a list to redirect you to those articles. Because HP does not allow promotion of other sites and many of my old hubs have moved to my website, you can find the list at http://moonlightmessages.blogspot.com/2012/05/as-predicted-hubpages-has-unpublished.html
Where I'll Be
In my absence, HubPages has enjoyed taking it upon themselves to "edit" the hubs I left here, degrading their quality and clearly showing their ignorance of the topics presented. So, basically, I'll be anywhere not here. I will keep this hub updated as I continue moving my writing elsewhere. As the list grows, I am sure this hub will be viewed as self-serving instead of as the link change information it is meant to be. Feel free to email me any time if you have questions as to where my writing is now!
© 2012 Evylyn Rose