Since Yahoo!/AC has opted not to renew my Featured Contributor designation, I’ve been thinking about other places to publish. I’m not going to completely abandon the Yahoo! Contributor Network (Y!CN), just want to build my on-line presence in other areas. After researching several on-line publishing sites, I’ve decided to give HubPages (HP) a try.
Multimedia support: HubPages supports embedded pictures and video. Contrast this with Y!CN (previously Associated Content), which allows pictures to be attached to an article, but they are not embedded in surrounding context, and are very low-res. A.C. experimented with embedded video briefly, but never fully implemented it and does not currently support it. HP not only lets you embed pictures and video, but also news feeds (rss and headlines), polls, tables, maps, quizzes, and code listings. Code listings are particularly useful in certain “how-to” type articles.
Revenue Streams: Many sites share advertising revenue with their contributors, but this is usually limited to adsense, or a flat rate based on page views. HP lets authors share adsense revenue, but also lets them place Amazon and Ebay ads on their hubs, and the authors keep revenue from these sources. Kontera is also supported but is being phased out. So income might not be as steady as it is from Y!CN, which is based on a flat-rate model starting at $1.50 per 1000 page views, but could be much more lucrative with the occasional Amazon or Ebay sale.
In addition to direct revenue, HP pays for referrals and links. In other words, if I send traffic to hubs published by other authors, I get a small percentage of their revenue. I can also refer new authors to HubPages, and HP will pay me a small percentage of the revenue they earn there. HubPages pays for these little bonuses, the money doesn’t detract from the other authors’ earnings.
More Control: Hubs can be edited at any time, meaning I can make corrections, make timely updates, or add more revenue cells in the future if they become available. I can also re-arrange the blocks at will, moving around text, graphics, videos, even the comments section as I see fit. The downside to this much flexibility is that HubPages does not provide ways for your content to be syndicated the way it can be on Y!CN or E-zine articles.
My First Hub: My first foray into HubPages is a review of our new treadmill. Please see Gold’s Gym Trainer 480 Product Review, and let me know what you think.
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BlissfulWriter 05.06.11 at 12:53 am
It’s always a good idea to diversify and publish on multiple sites. You made a good choice with HubPages. Of all the revenue producing sites I have tried, HubPages is where I am currently devoting most of my energies.