Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, it did. After reading a HubPages forum thread about doing a Google search of your name and hubpages in quotes, I decided to do the same.
Are you baffled by the management decisions on HubPages? For authors on HubPages right now, I have some facts and theories to share with you that might explain the most backward business decisions I've ever witnessed. These finer points might help you decide whether or not you should continue to contribute to this platform.
After wondering for months why my Pinterest traffic nosedived, I discovered that someone created a Pinterest account using my old Squidoo pen name. Not only is my work still being posted on HubPages without my permission, it appears that this new Pinterest account is sucking traffic away from my real Pinterest account.
In a response to a forum thread posted on HubPages, I felt compelled to answer Marisa Wright and others in this short article. I'd like to clear up some facts, present the law, and dispel any myths. Any anger directed towards me is clearly misplaced.
If you are wondering what being "unfeatured for lack of engagement" really means on HubPages, I can bust some myths for you. Does the Hubber score (or Hub score) make you wonder too? Since I have never joined HubPages, I can spare you some work.
It's getting harder to stomach all the excuses that HubPages is coming up with for abusing authors. Yes, abusing is the right word. I feel it's high time Hubbers took a look at what has transpired over the last few months to see how their rights have been infringed.
The red flags have gone up for HubPages writers: former Squidoo lenses are being unfeatured for lack of engagement (prior to the four month grace period), writers can no longer disclose their earnings without the prior written consent of HubPages, and authors are being encouraged to leave their "Hubs" [articles] up for at least a year.
This week, HubPages announced a change to their HubScores. For the life of me, I couldn't find anything concrete or reliable about their new method to calculate it. Except, of course, that traffic is falling and they don't want writers to leave. Heck, even if your articles are so-so, HubPages wants (no, needs) you to stay.
The grace period for Squidoo authors who transferred to HubPages ends soon, on January 15th, 2015. At which point, authors may find their work doesn't measure up to the QAP on HubPages. Moving content off of HubPages means losing the 301 redirect that proves you are the original author to Google.
Here we are at the end of 2014 and I'm wondering how I will make ends meet at the end of February. I have no idea how long it will take to hear back from the IC3 or Level 3 Communications, the ISP for HubPages.