Paul Edmondson profile image96Paul Edmondsonposted 3 days ago
Hubbers, feel free to jump over to the blog to learn a bit about our future. This is an opportunity for us to offer better technology, more earnings, and expand on what we do best together.
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Sounds exciting and interesting but wonder if only for select Hubbers will be allowed to migrate to the Maven’s user experience? I hope not after having invested five years here only to have it all come to naught!
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 3 days agoin reply to this
That does sound scary and I definitely need to know more.
Great set of questions from EricDockett, I would love to know the answers to all of them.
I really hope they don't narrow the content creator field on Hubpages, that's always been the best part about this network.
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Hi Sally,
We will be maintaining the HubPages Network, and additionally, some HubPages authors may be invited to become Maven partners as well, so this represents additional opportunities for authors, not the loss of existing ones. smile
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Christy,
Can you give us a link to Maven's website, so we can see what they are about?
Thanks!
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Hello Christy,
Thank you, that sounds reassuring. I would hate not to reach my first 100 hubs:) I wish the team and their new partners all the success they deserve.
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Okaaayy . . . .so, once again, can you please be more clear.
When I look at the Maven site I see a bunch of subfolders they are calling "channels".
As in: themaven. net/site
Are the HubPages network sites becoming subfolders of the Maven site?
As in themaven. net/pethelpful
Or will the niche sites remain on their own domains?
Also I had a bunch of other questions in my previous post if anyone has a minute to field them. smile
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I would assume that the niche sites will remain on their own domains, because that was one of the main reasons for creating the niche sites, so that Google would see them as having consistent content under one site, rather than just a varied content farm like HubPages main is.
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 3 days agoin reply to this
You may assume anything you like. I would like to hear it from staff. smile
To me, the smart thing to do would be to leave them on their own domains instead of migrating them to themaven. net
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Migrating them to
Maven.net seems like a step backwards. Back to the content farm, which Google apparently doesn't favor.
kenneth avery profile image85kenneth averyposted 3 days agoin reply to this
@Christy smile this being my Third Attempt, so I WILL be included to continue my hubbing with HP?
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 days agoin reply to this
Would "becoming partners with Maven" mean leaving the HP team?
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Christy said below that the team would remain the same.
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Wow! Big news! Congrats on having the most successful 4th quarter in our history. I certainly have seen a nice uptick in CPMs, and am very happy (been publishing more on HP lately). Looking forward to seeing the improvements Maven will bring.
I suggest you send your blog entry out as an email to all Hubbers, as this is a major development that all should be made aware of.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 days agoin reply to this
I have a few questions:
Unless I read something incorrectly, it appears that Maven has only been in business for 6 months. How can you know so soon that it has proven itself?
Also, it appears they are buying HP, not that you are just "joining" them. If this is so, who will be in charge and will we still have access to the HP team as before.
Finally, there is a statement about choosing "select authors" to move into the Maven realm. What exactly does that mean?
I'd really like to know the answers to these questions because this is a big move and I feel some discomfort about it.
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I hope they fix their software. Maybe it works just for mobile. I find it very frustrating. Can't even get back to the home/ start page from reading anywhere else on the site. I could not find any social media accounts for them, on their own site. Overall, it seemed very clunky and confusing. But, no wonder they want HubPages. There are almost no posts on their site! At least not the places I looked.
Venkatachari M profile image67Venkatachari Mposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I just went through it all over and hope everything will be fine. Maven asserted that HubPages will remain completely independent in their acquisition statement. They are taking over the 27 niche sites and whoever may opt to shift.
So, I hope we retain our freedom to choose and shift according to our own willingness and our stamina.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 2 days agoin reply to this
Are they only taking over the niche sites or all of the sites?
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 2 days agoin reply to this
I would like to know if we will keep the same payment structure we now have once Maven takes over. If not, what will the structure be.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I think that's been answered - look in the yellow boxes
HOWEVER you just need to bear in mind that whatever is said by somebody here right here and now will not necessarily apply once contracts have been signed - unless the guarantee is built into the contract - and even then "force majeure" can still apply.
When somebody else controls the show then what happens is what they say happens.
At the end of the day when a takeover happens it's essentially about business not loyalty. It's naive to think otherwise.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I agree. We can ask for assurances from Paul, but ultimately he will not be the boss any more, he will be the manager of a subsidiary, and he will have to do what the boss of Maven tells him.
All Paul and the team can tell us right now is that Maven has bought the HubPages network as a going concern and they're going to keep it running "as is" FOR NOW. It's not his call to say how things will change in the future.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
The other obvious point to make is people very rarely buy a "property/company" to keep "as is".
They normally want to improve it - to what they think works better.
However whether or not they actually add value - or do something else - is something you only find out down the road.
However if you start looking into the background of the person doing the takeover you can usually find some pretty clear indications of the way things will work out. People have a tendency to repeat themselves.
Solaras profile image99Solarasposted 2 days agoin reply to this
True and I think it may be a sad hint of things to come. My gut says this is going sideways then suddenly downhill.
misterhollywood profile image96misterhollywoodposted 19 hours agoin reply to this
+11111
Ashish Dadgaa profile image64Ashish Dadgaaposted 32 hours agoin reply to this
@Paul Edmondson,
I hope change would be positive and the best. However, this new is scary hmm
misterhollywood profile image96misterhollywoodposted 19 hours agoin reply to this
While this sounds promising, I can't help but remember what happened to XO Jane when the site was sold to Time Warner. Within one year, XO Jane shut down.
Why?
Because the organizational culture changed. Editorial content was controlled by the new company. Writers were pressed to produce high traffic posts.
The site died.
Not trying to be negative but I've been through plenty of m/a activity. Things rarely happen as they are initially planned.
But in the final analysis, what's done is done. We must accept and adapt.
Kierstin Gunsberg profile image100Kierstin Gunsbergposted 3 days ago
I forgot my wordpress password (sad...) so I couldn't comment on the blog but I think this is VERY exciting news and can't wait to see what the future holds!
Sherry Hewins profile image98Sherry Hewinsposted 3 days ago
It sounds exciting, but I can't help but be concerned about what kind of changes this will mean for us. Things have been going so well, and now we are being "acquired." That sounds scary.
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 3 days ago
Maven has a great network of wonderful partners and I’m pleased to see that they feel so strong about HubPages to commit to purchasing HP content. That’s a great reflection on the business HubPages has created.
HubPages has been working hard at improving hubs and organizing meaningful vertical niche sites, which has been adding value—not only for the business, but for all of us who have been writing articles on HubPages.
I look forward to the acquisition and to the additional niche sites for our articles. Great work, Paul. And congratulations to all the staff.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 days agoin reply to this
Purchasing HP content? Does this mean we no longer will own our own content?
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I think Glenn means, purchasing the rights that HubPages holds, to display our content and earn income from it.
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 3 days agoin reply to this
The terminology I used may be misleading. Drop the word "content." They are purchasing HubPages. Nothing is changing as far as copyright ownership as far as I can tell from the statements.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
They need our writers and content. All those lovely posts they can run ads on. They should have a pretty big upsurge once the content is on their site.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Maven are purchasing a platform for advertising i.e. generating money
The means to generate the advertising is the content.
The content belongs to Hubbers not HubPages - unless written by their employees (i.e. editors)
The traffic that generates the advertising income follows the content - i.e. not the platform per se
HubPages found out that it's foolish to think you are buying content - because the content can walk with its owner - as it did after the Squidoo transfer - and there was nothing they could do about it.
(i.e. a lot of content left Squidoo BEFORE the transfer and a lot more content left HubPages after the transfer and after the final due payments to authors had cleared. Then more content left etc.)
Just reciting facts.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I was part of all that. I had an account before Squidoo and a second account generated when Squidoo closed. A lot of the writers did not stay due to being upset with Squidoo, the sudden change and we did get some negative and snobby commentary by existing HP writers. Staff here were good, did what they could. But, few of the Squidoo writers felt co-operative at that time. It could have been much different if Squidoo had given us more time. Anyway, that is history now. But, people can learn from history, I hope.
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 3 days ago
Congrats Paul and the rest of the team. Just out of curiosity, since you say the entire team will be joining Maven. Are you moving to Seattle? Either way, I wish you guys success.
There's just one thing from your blog post which wasn't clear to me:
Could you please elaborate on this statement: We will look for opportunities for select Hubbers to migrate to Maven’s user experience after careful testing and extensive planning.
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
The HP team will be working closely with Maven, but we will be keeping our office in Oakland, CA. smile
paradigmsearch profile image94paradigmsearchposted 3 days agoin reply to this
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Let me know if you find their "Learning Center"
paradigmsearch profile image94paradigmsearchposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I tell ya, this whole thing really is a shocker; but it looks like it is going to be a very gradual process (famous last words).
Venkatachari M profile image67Venkatachari Mposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Yes, they clearly mentioned it. It will take at least one hour in moving content to Maven in a slow, step-by-step process. So, you have ample time to get acquainted with the new platform.
I hope everything will be for the betterment of us, writers.
theraggededge profile image99theraggededgeposted 3 days agoin reply to this
big_smile big_smile big_smile
FlourishAnyway profile image99FlourishAnywayposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Thanks, paradigmsearch, for the links. Those Maven blogs are interesting.
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I'm really glad you guys don't have to move smile Makes life a lot easier.
kenneth avery profile image85kenneth averyposted 3 days agoin reply to this
@Christy -- I know this will sound stupid, but will "I" go with HP?
Kierstin Gunsberg profile image100Kierstin Gunsbergposted 3 days ago
Sherry, I wouldn't let yourself feel too worried. I think that you'll find this is a very good thing for HubPages writers. Even if the standards for submissions go up, that can only benefit us in the end.
paradigmsearch profile image94paradigmsearchposted 3 days ago
"Seattle-Based Maven to Acquire Oakland-Based HubPages: Digital Media Deal to Dramatically Accelerate Maven’s Growth"
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
We definitely hope our future will look something like that. big_smile
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 3 days ago
Wow this is a big deal, what an amazing opportunity for the Hubpages network.
FatFreddysCat profile image99FatFreddysCatposted 3 days ago
Are the new bosses gonna let me continue to post nonsense about bad movies and heavy metal music?
If so... then I guess I'm OK with this. (shrugs)
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 3 days ago
Can we please have some plain language on what this will mean for the future of the network sites, the writers and our content? Phrases like "monetization synergies and shared technology" are very vague and don't really tell us anything about exactly what's happening here.
How will this acquisition affect daily business?
Will we still have the HP ad program?
Will writers still be dealing with the same staff we have gotten to know over the years?
Are any of the rules for creating content going to change?
Will the niche sites stay the same?
Will the brand "HubPages" still exist in any way?
Are we going to be working with the same platform or will we have to get used to something new?
HubPages was a small company run by people who seemed to really care about what was happening with it. Writers and staff got to know each other. That's what made it the best place to write online.
I hope this change is a good one, but honestly it is pretty terrifying. I for one would really appreciate some plain speak on what exactly is going to happen here and how it will practically affect writers.
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I was also wondering if HubPages will live on after this Maven merger is complete? Does anyone have experience with Maven?
bravewarrior profile image95bravewarriorposted 3 days agoin reply to this
All great questions, Eric. I asked many of them myself on the original blog post. I haven't gotten any answers yet. Hopefully, yours will be answered. I'll stay tuned...
kenneth avery profile image85kenneth averyposted 3 days agoin reply to this
@bravewarrior -- let me try asking you, seemingly I have asked everyone else . . ."Will I be INCLUDED to go with HP with Maven?"
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
HubPages and our Network Sites will continue to be managed and maintained as/is, which includes our earnings programs.
HubPages is also keeping all current staff members including employees like myself as well as everyone in management (including Paul Edmondson and Paul Deeds).
Additionally, some HubPages authors may eventually be invited to create their own channels with Maven, plus HubPages and our Network Sites will benefit from Maven's brand authority and recognition. We genuinely believe this will be a positive change for HubPages authors.
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
That is very good news, thanks Christy.
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Christy,
If what you say is true about HP being maintained as is, what does this snippet from today's PR about the takeover mean? Relaunched usually means a new look and feel and "migrated to Maven’s publishing and community platform" also indicates a new look and feel.
From the PR:
HubPages’ network will be migrated to Maven’s publishing and community platform, relaunched as part of a single premium network, on one platform for advertisers.
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
The Network Sites will continue to exist and will be absorbed into the Maven Network as channels under the existing Maven Segments, but we have no planned changes to the HubPages Earnings Program at this time. Network Sites will keep their names and existing content, and we will continue selecting new content to be moved there from HubPages as well.
janshares profile image96jansharesposted 3 days agoin reply to this
"New content," meaning not updated content. So we need to write new hubs, right? What would be the cut off years for moving new(er) hubs: 2015, 2016?
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 days agoin reply to this
I think she meant that new hubs would go through a QAP and be selected as they always have, not that only new content would be moved.
janshares profile image96jansharesposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Thanks!
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Yes, TIMETRAVELER2 is right. I just meant that articles will be selected from new, updated, and edited content on HubPages as usual.
janshares profile image96jansharesposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Cool!
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 37 hours agoin reply to this
Kristy: Can you explain how we will be able to keep our niche site URLs under these conditions? If they are absorbed as channels under the Maven umbrella, wouldn't they have to be redirects? This is a big concern.
Venkatachari M profile image67Venkatachari Mposted 34 hours agoin reply to this
I think that only select content will be featured by
maven.com and other content will be as redirects to respective niche sites. But, original
hubpages.com will remain independent and not taken by
maven.com as per their statement. They are migrating only 27 sites.
Jean Bakula profile image98Jean Bakulaposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Normally when a company merges, the new one takes over. They promise nothing will change, but it all does in a gradual way. Soon Maven will make all the rules, and we probably have to be chosen to be writers or invited to be part of Maven (that was already made clear). It means HP is dead and we have to change everything, even if it takes a few months. I've never seen a merge where the same language was used, and it worked differently. I am retired, but worked at enough companies that "merged" to know the score.
And I was just rushing to get all my pictures good by the 15th. Damn.
TessSchlesinger profile image96TessSchlesingerposted 47 hours agoin reply to this
I have to agree with you. Associated Content disappeared when it 'merged' with yahoo. And it happened with a few others as well. Writers always got screwed. I'm hoping that because Paul and Robin are pretty decent sort of people with an outstanding record that maybe this is not going to happen here, but my experience is it goes the other way.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 46 hours agoin reply to this
Jean, my experience with takeovers is exactly the same as yours, but I have to correct you on one point:
We do NOT have to wait to be invited to join Maven. We will continue to be allowed to write for the niche sites, even once they're part of Maven. However, we won't have any rights to write for the other channels on Maven, we have to wait to be invited to do that.
Jean Bakula profile image98Jean Bakulaposted 46 hours agoin reply to this
Hello Marisa,
I read some of the info again, and you are right. I hope the way we write on HP doesn't change too fast, as you know computer changes don't easily agree with me.
But for now, I guess it's OK to just wait and see. I have been back to all my work since the picture changes (and have learned to read directions before I jump)! Most of my articles are of a magazine quality, as I had a lot of rewriting to do, and I think most of them are better now. I have ten to go. Hooray!
It's best not to panic.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 37 hours agoin reply to this
Marisa: I don't think that's how it is going to work. I think HP will remain exactly as it is but will be owned by Maven. This is why the URLs will not change. Maven may invite individuals to write for their channels, but I don't think they'll switch entire niche sites over because they already, in a sense, will be considered the same thing as channels.
The basic HP site will continue to exist as a source for new articles for the niches. So, for this reason I think the hub tool, stats pages, etc will remain the same.
What probably will change is the payment platform. Maven has stated that it wants to move away from Google and Facebook as sources of revenue. If this is true, then Adsense could disappear...although I cannot imagine this happening. I also wonder whether we'll still be able to place Amazon ads on our posts because the writeup claimed that no advertising will appear on articles.
People will have to buy subscriptions to read the articles and Maven, I guess, will place ads on their home page, but I can't see any other way we'll get revenue. I really hate this thought, but it is what it is. Can't see how this will help us to earn more, but who knows?
kenneth avery profile image85kenneth averyposted 3 days ago
@Christy, or ANYONE -- will "I" be a part of HubPages, or just be thrown away like worn-out shoes?
bravewarrior profile image95bravewarriorposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Kenneth, Christy explained that we will stay with HP. However, some Hubbers will also be invited to post on the Maven platform. No one's being left in the lurch. Breathe easy, Kenneth!
kenneth avery profile image85kenneth averyposted 3 days agoin reply to this
@bravewarrior -- "thank you so much. I appreciate that, but while I am thankful to be going with "The Gang in Hubville," there might be a few who are not so accepting as you and The Gang."
Nuff' Said. Happy New Year.
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days ago
From Maven's site:
Maven is an expert-driven, group media network, whose innovative platform serves, by invitation-only, a coalition of professional, independent channel partners.
By providing broader distribution, greater community engagement and efficient advertising and membership programs, Maven enables partners to focus on the key drivers of their business: creating, informing, sharing, discovering, leading and interacting with the communities and constituencies they serve.
Dozens of award-winning journalists, best-selling authors, top analysts, important causes and foundations are bringing their organizations to Maven’s coalition of elite content channels. See coverage of the Founder's Conference and watch the video to hear Maven partners in their own words:
---------
They have the HubPages acquisition announcement front and center on their homepage. They are also a publicly traded company.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
A lot of wordage, even the post about all of this on their own site was very wordy. Big, flashy, trendy, words that don't really say much at all. What I did find is how new they are. They only started last year.
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days ago
theMaven, Inc. (MVEN) stock price is up 12% today on the HubPages acquisition news.
Seattle-Based Maven to Acquire Oakland-Based HubPages: Digital Media Deal to Dramatically Accelerate Maven’s Growth
Business Wire Business WireJanuary 5, 2018
kenneth avery profile image85kenneth averyposted 3 days agoin reply to this
@ Rock_nj or WHOMEVER: am I just being ignored by these posts? I have asked Christy or anyone, now you, and I was only asking WILL this MOVE by HubPages Leave Me in "Nowheresville?" Just a simple yes or no will be okay.
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Kenneth, nobody knows what is happening. It seems like anyone currently writing for HubPages will be able to continue to do so (yes, that means YOU) but staff seems to have no time or desire to field the questions in this thread, so nobody knows for sure.
For such a big announcement it would be nice to have more info.
kenneth avery profile image85kenneth averyposted 3 days agoin reply to this
@EricDockett -- "a Sincere Thank YOU for the response. I would hope that all of us will be included in the move, as I have a lot of New hubs that I did in my Two Weeks Holiday Vacation and they need to start making me some cash. Just kidding. I would go happily if I only had 20 hubs."
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days agoin reply to this
The blog post said HubPages writers would continue to be able publish, but certain writers would be provided an opportunity to work with Maven, which I guess means more prestige and potential earnings. So, yes you will be able to carry on as you have, if they are true to their word. Of course, some of the formatting and publishing policies might change (as if we need more of that!)
kenneth avery profile image85kenneth averyposted 3 days agoin reply to this
@Rock_nj -- Thanks so very much!
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Why do you keep posting this? Do you think you, in particular, will be left out?
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days ago
Per the PR on the newswire:
HubPages’ network will be migrated to Maven’s publishing and community platform, relaunched as part of a single premium network, on one platform for advertisers.
---------
Looks like HubPages will be folded into Maven. They have been upgrading HP's look over the past year or so with Maven's help it sounds like. Are they going to throw all these improvements out and go to a new Maven-based look?
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I hope not, the HubPages look platform perfectly suits my writing.
JynBranton profile image82JynBrantonposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I feel that way too
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 days agoin reply to this
When I looked at the Maven site, it appeared to me to be more of a magazine style site rather than a content farm type of site. Looks extremely professional, which makes me think that only a handful of writers here will be invited to join Maven.
I'm finding all of this very confusing
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I agree I don't know where my writing would fit in but I did notice that they have someone writing about cars. You could be the perfect 'partner'.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I didn't like their site either. Very dark and the navigation seems broken.
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days ago
More PR info about Maven:
MavenCommunications
Nov 17, 2017
SEATTLE -- Maven (ticker symbol: MVEN) today announced that its monthly traffic is climbing at an accelerated rate – from 900,000 unique users in September to 3.6 million in October, with the trend line continuing in November.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 36 hours agoin reply to this
That's quite a jump but is probably the result of new companies joining them.
janshares profile image96jansharesposted 3 days ago
yikes roll
FatFreddysCat profile image99FatFreddysCatposted 3 days ago
Cheeky Kid profile image97Cheeky Kidposted 3 days ago
This seems thrilling yet kinda scary at the same time. Well, here's hoping only for the best!
EricFarmer8x profile image95EricFarmer8xposted 3 days ago
It will be interesting to see what they changes mean. I only just recently got back into writing for HubPages and things already were different.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Me too. I just started fixing older posts and figured out the login for my account created when Squidoo moved everyone here. I hope it works out.
Paul Edmondson profile image96Paul Edmondsonposted 3 days ago
Joining Maven is all about the opportunity to better serve independent publishers and passionate experts.
Eric, I saw your questions and it's imperative to the success of writers to get more traffic and better earnings without worrying about the technical aspects that go on under the covers - We share this. Maven has programs that our different than ours. It's invite only and they get stock.
Our niche sites are performing really well and we are going to build on this for all the little guys and bring you better monetization, tools, and ways to communicate with your audience.
Our first area of focus is going to be on monetization. We believe we can improve yields. So, we are going to do that first.
We will keep you updated on all the plans as we get to know our new team.
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Paul,
It would be nice to have the share buttons back. I generate a decent amount of traffic by sharing my articles.
Thanks for the additional info.
John
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Thanks Paul. I appreciate your response, and I'm all for finding new ways to earn more money. But as of yet nobody has addressed my questions.
Christy's responses are adding to my confusion. First she says the network sites will exist "as/is", and then she says they will be absorbed into the maven network.
Which is it? Will pethelpful. com continue to exist, or will it become themaven. net/pethelpful or something similar?
People have a lot of questions, from what happen to the niche sites, to how our earnings will be distributed, to whether or not we will still own our content, and many others. You've dropped a bomb on a Friday afternoon and a lot of us are going to be extremely nervous over the weekend in the absence of clear answers.
I guess you don't owe us anything, but a little transparency would go a long way right about now.
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Perhaps we should be offered shares in the company:) It never crossed my mind that we might not still own our content. Every time we have a new event here, it reminds me that with all the changes I don't have complete backups of all my content with all the alterations over the years.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 days agoin reply to this
It's always a good idea to back up your work right after you create or edit it. I keep special pages on spreadsheets specifically for this purpose. Also, dating those articles can be very helpful with filing DMCA complaints.
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Do you back them up on an external drive? How do you save them, as a webpage or? .................Would be good to know if there is a method of saving all of them without having to open up each one and save .............
theraggededge profile image99theraggededgeposted 3 days agoin reply to this
The fastest and most effective way (as long as you have plenty of space on your computer) is to go into your account. Right click on each article link, then left click on 'save linked content as'. Or the equivalent in your browser.
Have a folder ready and save each hub there. Everything will be saved: images, even the ads. You'll see a separate folder for each hub plus the actual file. When you want to see it, click on it and it will be displayed in your browser as a complete page.
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Thanks, I will have to spend some time this weekend saving them:)
viryabo profile image84viryaboposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Thanks for this. I can't believe how easy and fast it is.
Titia profile image96Titiaposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I did that with my old Squidoo lenses when we moved to HP, but I don't know if I did something wrong, because they were all messed up after they got moved. Today I just copy the whole page and put it in Word and save it as a word.doc. I already have a map on my pc for each individual hub containing the photos I used in that hub, so I put the word.doc there too.
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 2 days agoin reply to this
If I right click on the link in My Account I am given only an option to save as HTML file but if I open the hub I am given an option to save a complete webpage. I think I should be doing the later. Am I correct?
I don't really want to save the files in 'downloads' which is what the save button seems to default to!
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
If you save as "complete webpage" you get a folder which has all the little files associated with a page - completely unreadable
If you save as an html file then it's readable and the links work
You should also be able to vary where you save to.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 36 hours agoin reply to this
I save mine on an external drive.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
It was only a chance remark by Glenn, who isn't a HubPages staffer. There is no question AT ALL - WE WILL STILL OWN OUR CONTENT. HubPages doesn't have the legal right to sell our copyright, only their right to publish our articles on their sites.
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Thanks for helping clarify my statement Marisa. I should have just said "They are purchasing HubPages." Adding the word content was confusing. As you clarified, the purchase does not include copyright. It's the same as when HubPages purchased Squidoo content—The authors still owned the copyright and were free to do what they wanted with their content.
UnnamedHarald profile image98UnnamedHaraldposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Abso-friggin-lutely. No one (e.g. HubPages, Maven) owns your content and so they can't sell what they don't own. You would have to voluntarily enter into a separate agreement to change that.
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Perhaps this overview will make things a bit more clear. The Maven network consists of segments, which are topic-specific (think family, money, politics, etc). Each segment contains multiple channels which are run and managed by Maven's partners and include many diverse perspectives and voices. The HubPages Network Sites will each become channels within their respective appropriate segments. Those channels will still be run by HubPages and will function much as they do right now.
Authors will still compose works on HubPages and potentially have them selected for the appropriate Network Site/channel and will continue to earn via the HubPages Earnings Program.
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Yes, I understand now. No more niche sites. (pethelpful. com, etc) Thanks for the clarification.
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 3 days agoin reply to this
That makes me nervous, so what if there's no segment dedicated to certain types of content that are on the niche sites.
And what will happen if the niche sites no longer exist.
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
The Network Sites will be kept whole, under their existing names, with all of their existing content.
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Except they wont be sites anymore. They will be parts of another site.
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 3 days agoin reply to this
And if that's true then wouldn't it just become another content farm that Google hates.
All of Mavens channels are under one URL, wasn't that the biggest problem with Hubpages a couple years back hence the individual sites.
If the sites get phased in with the other channels and they all maintain the same site's URL, then it's basically a high end content farm.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
That's the thing that concerns me most. Maven is only six months old. I suspect it's doing well in spite of its content farm structure, because I've seen similar sites do well in the short term, only to fall foul of Google's penalties after a year or so.
9 replies
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 3 days agoin reply to this
That's good to hear Christy, I was concerned about that too since I see Maven places all their niche sites (channels) under the main site's URL. We already learned how powerfully profitable it is to separate all the topics under individual sites. I wonder if Maven will follow HubPages' methods and do the same thing, dividing all their 37 channels into individual sites. Was there any talk about that?
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
It seems like there is some confusion around the URLs of the Network Sites. HubPages Network Sites and all their articles will be keeping their existing URLs (
PetHelpful.com,
WeHaveKids.com, etc).
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
So just to be clear, they will not be channels on the Maven site, i.e. they won't have
themaven.net in their URL at all?
How does that square with the other statement you made, ie. "The Network Sites will continue to exist and will be absorbed into the Maven Network as channels ".
The existing Maven network sites are all on the main URL. So if the niche sites are keeping their own URL's, does that mean Maven is going to switch to separate URL's as well? Or what? If not, how can you call two completely different structures "channels" in the same network? I'm confused.
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Hi Marisa,
The sites will be keeping their existing domains, plus receiving additional benefits of being Maven channels (including some PR and marketing benefits). This is an acquisition. HubPages and its sites will continue to operate, but as a subsection of Maven, organizationally.
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 3 days agoin reply to this
That does help clear things up. The keyword is "organizationally."
But that still leaves me wondering if Maven will learn from HubPages for their own content, or will they continue to put everything under one roof as a content farm until Google kills them off?
If I were to be selected to write for Maven, I would turn it down under the present platform configuration.
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Hi Glenn, I don't know the answer to that and I don't think the team would be able to discuss Maven's future plans so soon.
What I can say is that an invitation is definitely not an obligation. We will not be requiring HubPages authors to accept any invitations to create new Maven channels who do not want to.
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I'm still confused, can you explain what Christy means, Glenn? I know for sure that the network sites will remain as they are. So we are going to find all pet articles under
pethelpful.com where does maven come into play? Are we just using them for their tech and adbase, etc. and in this sense pethelpful belongs to maven (organizationally) or am I missing something? It's 2am forgive any grammar and spelling errors.
EDIT: Christy or someone else feel free to clarify too smile
1 replies
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
What I find surprising is that, if you look more closely, the existing channels are not just writers contributing to categories created by Maven. No, what has happened is that Maven has approached indivdiuals and organisations, and persuaded them to move their whole website over to Maven. Each "channel" is one of those websites. So, if you were invited to be a writer, you'd be invited to create a whole new channel which would be, effectively, your own website.
If you look at the reviews, companies move because it means they don't have to worry about maintenance or monetization, and there are some very good features to encourage reader engagement. I am surprised website owners would be willing to give up their own domain to become just a sub-folder, but it appears to work for some.
That structure seems so different from HubPages that I'm not quite sure where they see synergies, I must say.
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 3 days agoin reply to this
That makes me feel a little better, Hubpages will sort of be like a subsidiary to Maven like Alphabet to Google in a way. I'm also glad they'll be able to keep their domains.
This is a huge shake-up, the content creators need to be in the know, they're the ones who supply this network.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Here's an example of a Maven channel:
The channel is called Global Lead, but you can see clearly that the channel is set up as a subfolder of
themaven.net.
How are they going to manage to make a completely separate website, with its own URL, part of that same system? Or are you just saying that HubPages will be owned by Maven but will continue to be run separately?
I know the word "channel" can have several meanings, but it usually has just one meaning on a particular site. Maven calls their subfolders channels.
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Marisa see my latest response to this thread. I'm assuming it's something of that sort.
2 replies
MelRootsNWrites profile image90MelRootsNWritesposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I'm still somewhat stunned, but trying to absorb. I took a look at the link you provided, Marisa. I see what you are saying.
Maven.com is the main site, but they seem to host a variety of blogs/websites.
So, it seems to me that even when your site is parked on Maven, there is a unique domain that is then re-directed to a Maven channel. Am I understanding that correctly?
Thanks!
2 replies
AliciaC profile image98AliciaCposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Thank you for sharing the information, Christy! I was very concerned about losing the URL.
paradigmsearch profile image94paradigmsearchposted 3 days agoin reply to this
That's what I figured. All is well.
And for anyone who is interested, Maven's TOU is pretty much the same as HP's has always been:
I'll leave it to others to ferret out any differences. big_smile
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 days agoin reply to this
One thing I noticed is that they are going to ask people to pay to access their site. I think this could present a BIG problem for page views.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I noticed that. It reminded me of pay to view newspapers - and the length of time they have taken to get traction - and the advertising which fell off en route.
Take a look at the Murdoch empire - very educational........
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 3 days agoin reply to this
That's clear Christy, but what everyone is wondering is what Maven will do with content published on their site? Presently they have all their channels under the main site's URL. I see that some authors have their own URLs—but they just redirect to the published content under
themaven.net.
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Yed there was definitely confusion. I asked quite clearly if the websites would be keeping their .com domain names and nobody responded clearly. Instead you said they would become channels within the new site. To me that means they would be structured under the new company's domain.
If they are keeping their domain names along with the .com suffixes that is a good thing. That means they are separate websites and not absorbed into the other site.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 36 hours agoin reply to this
Eric: That's not what she said. Read it again. Niche sites will be moved to Maven and become channels managed by the HP team.
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 36 hours agoin reply to this
Read the whole thread. She said several conflicting things at several different times.
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 36 hours agoin reply to this
Yes but she clarified it. Niche sites are not going to be on the maven domain. They are stand alone websites just like now.
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 36 hours agoin reply to this
Also: If you look at the Maven site, a "channel" seems to be nothing more than a subfolder on their site. It is a website that once existed on its own domain but was migrated to the maven site.
It is no longer a site. It is a subfolder of a bigger site.
Call it a channel if you want, but that's what it is.
So, by that terminology, if a niche site become a "channel" it will be nothing more than a subfolder, which is the exact architecture we moved away from when HP developed the niche site.
This is why Christy needs to be very clear with her language. Telling me it's a "channel" means nothing to me. I want to know whether it will still still exist as its own url.
She has since said it will. That's good. In my opinion, doing otherwise will undermine all of the gains made by the niche sites. However, there is now the question of whether that url will be redirected to the maven site.
That would be bad.
Solaras profile image99Solarasposted 36 hours agoin reply to this
This is why Eric has a 100 for his hubber score. lol
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 36 hours agoin reply to this
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 35 hours agoin reply to this
I hope they keep them on their own domains, because if they don't, then it's a really bad indication regarding where this new Maven takeover is heading. Why destroy all the efforts to have stand alone sites, and just send them back to the content farm?
On another note, does anyone else think that a change of this magnitude should be broadcast to the entire HubPages community via an email? Not everyone hangs out and checks these forums. Seems like everyone connected to HubPages needs to know about this major change.
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 35 hours agoin reply to this
It will be out in the newsletter I presume, just like all the other blog posts which come up in the newsletter.
TessSchlesinger profile image96TessSchlesingerposted 35 hours agoin reply to this
I'm sure it will be... eventually. smile
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 35 hours agoin reply to this
Yes. I know, and I read where she said that. And that's awesome. My comment that TT2 quoted was made before Christy said that.
But Marisa has also rightly pointed out that no other "channel" on the maven site has its own domain.
And the press release says:
HubPages’ network will be migrated to Maven’s publishing and community platform, relaunched as part of a single premium network, on one platform for advertisers.
Someone else mentioned urls redirecting to maven.
Frankly, I don't feel like anything is clear at this point. I am hoping that the new week brings more specific info from Paul and staff.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 26 hours agoin reply to this
Paul dropped a hint when he said HubPages would be helping Maven with their network structure.
I'm guessing that could mean Maven is going to change so that each of their channels has its own URL, too. If that's the case then I can see why Paul can't say so specifically, because he can't speak on behalf of Maven.
14 replies
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 35 hours agoin reply to this
But Christy also said our niche sites will be “absorbed into the Maven Network as channels under the existing Maven Segments.”
That contradicts her later statement. It isn’t clear what it means since it could mean a 301 redirection, as I see Maven doing now. To me that means our niche sites will be moved to subdomains under
themaven.net same as the existing “channels” are hosted now. Using individual URLs is useles if all they do is redirect to a subdirectory under the home site.
Christy, if you see this, I would like to see some clarification on this confusion, or a retraction of your statement I linked below if it was wrong. This is the most important issue since placing channels (or niche sites) under the home domain is going back to the old method that was a proven failure.
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 34 hours agoin reply to this
Christy has made it very clear over and over again and in reply to you directly as well Glenn. See the below replies which are after the one you have just linked out to.
What it means is that the niche sites will work as channels in a sense that they will be sharing the same ad network etc and technology, probably maybe something else. I'm not too sure about this. But the important thing is that every article on the niche sites will remain as they are on the same URL and will have no mention of the word maven in the URL.
5 replies
Sherry Hewins profile image98Sherry Hewinsposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Paul, will the niche sites continue to look the same? Will this change the experience for our readers?
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Thanks for that update. Sounds like things won't change drastically here so I can go along and update, fix and create new posts.
viryabo profile image84viryaboposted 3 days ago
I just feel a bit uncomfortable with the word "Acquire". Why does it sound like a purchase to me?
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Because it is, viryabo. Maven is buying the HubPages network. That means they are also buying the right that HubPages has to publish our articles. But that's all HubPages can sell - the rights. They can't sell our copyright, because that belongs to us.
viryabo profile image84viryaboposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Thank you for the clarification Marisa. Glad we still own our content.
What I'm worried about is what some have expressed. So, if somewhere down the line, Mavin goes down (hope not), do we /our works follow suit?
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Er - yes, of course. That is always a risk when you write on any site you don't own yourself. Businesses close down all the time, and their employees and customers very often get no warning - no company is ever going to advertise that it's in trouble. The writers on Helium, Squidoo, Associated Content, Today, Zujava and many other writing sites were all shocked when those sites closed. You should always work on the assumption that a site may not last, that's just life on the internet.
theraggededge profile image99theraggededgeposted 2 days agoin reply to this
The difference is that Squidoo was already floundering. We could all see that our pages had dropped like stones in Google search. Earnings plummeted and the management didn't seem too invested in trying to put things right. Many had been complaining for months, years even, that the poor quality cr*p was dragging the site down.
HubPages, on the other hand, is flying high, so there's no reason to think it will follow Squidoo et al down the pan.
She says, hopefully.
Anyway, didn't Maven pay $3m for HP? Not much, come to think of it. Wouldn't buy you a decent house in London.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I've written for a lot of networks/ sites which disappeared. Always keep a back up of your content, or expect to lose it next time you login and discover the site has posted a thanks for all the fish notice. Wayback Machine won't help you find your posts if it has been blocked from accessing the site. As far as I know the only thing to do is keep a copy of everything you post, and changes you make to update it.
TessSchlesinger profile image96TessSchlesingerposted 2 days agoin reply to this
My concern here is that regardless of what Paul Edmonton says, hubpages has been bought. It is now not owned by Paul, or have I got that wrong. Ergo, Maven can essentially do what they like. In my experience, when I've written for other content sites, once they are bought by another site, the writers don't do well. And that frightens the hell out of me.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 36 hours agoin reply to this
Apparently there is a contractual agreement that states HP will remain as is, will be managed by the team and will function as a subsidiary of Maven. Most subsidiary companies function as before but with a certain amount of oversight and assistance from the mother company. If they're doing well, usually the mother company leaves them alone.
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 3 days ago
I'll be happy if the niche sites can stay as they are, although I wouldn't mind us have additional tools at our disposal for content creation. Also improving loading speeds on articles would be a huge deal, it makes a big impact in Google ranking.
Brand recognition could really benefit our niche sites too, Hubpages doesn't have the clout that a lot of these established digital publishers do, which could really boost traffic.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 36 hours agoin reply to this
Maven has only been in business for 6 months so it is not an "established digital publisher">
alexadry profile image97alexadryposted 3 days ago
Changes are always exciting, (albeit a bit scary at the same time), congrats! Here's hoping that Maven is dog friendly! I see cars, money,politics, food and drinks, but no pets section. A search for the keyword "dog" brings only some news articles. Hopefully it's just a matter of time.
ChristinS profile image95ChristinSposted 3 days ago
Ownership of content? Do we still have full ownership? That is a very big concern I didn't see addressed here.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 3 days agoin reply to this
I asked that earlier. From what was just said, it appears that ownership will remain as is, but I certainly agree that the team needs to clarify this issue for all of us.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
If HubPages dared to sell ownership of our articles, they'd be in for a big law suit. Check the TOS - they don't own the copyright to our articles, so if they tried to sell the copyright, they'd be committing fraud by selling something they don't own!
I very much doubt it would even cross their minds.
Christy Kirwan profile image98Christy Kirwanposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Yes, Christin, authors will still own their content.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 3 days ago
I hope it all goes better than the way Squidoo left it's writers. Funny how all these posts start out by telling us how excited they are. I hope they really are all excited, in a good way. I hope it will work out for all the HubPages writers too.
It's a good way to start a new year, with a bang.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Squidoo was going bust and HubPages' takeover was a rescue, so it all happened in a bit of a scramble.
Also HubPages never said it was accepting every article on the site, and perhaps that wasn't made clear (which is also a concern for me with this takeover - I understand the desire to put a positive spin on things, but clarity is the most important thing, IMO).
Finally, a large group of writers were late to the party and misunderstood what had happened. The myth circulated that HubPages had "bought their articles without their permission". What had actually happened was that HubPages had transferred their articles so they could stay live and not lose all their links and reputation. If the authors didn't want to stay with HubPages, all they had to do was create a HubPages account, save all their articles to their computer and then delete them from HP.
They couldn't seem to grasp the fact that if HP hadn't transferred their articles to keep them safe, then they would've lost the lot, irretrievably, when the Squidoo servers shut down.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Most of the writers I knew at the time understood that. It was more the feeling of betrayal by Squidoo which caused problems. It was VERY sudden. I still feel a little ripped off because I had just accepted/ been accepted as the Canadian Contributor. A title which only meant something for about 2 months. I was so enthusiastic I paid for artwork, with the Squidoo mascot, to promote my topic. We had a group on Facebook for awhile. Eventually, it stopped being about Squidoo writers and just writers. Anyway, I don't think this is going to be the same, with Maven. But, I should follow my own advice and make sure I have copies of all my posts or the ones I want. A lot of those how-to things I only wrote for here and have no other place to put them.
theraggededge profile image99theraggededgeposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Squidoo did not 'leave its writers'. They made sure that writers were made aware of the situation and that the best articles were adopted by Hubpages. We all had plenty of time to back up our work. How many other sites closed down without a whimper?
My articles were moved over and I carried on getting paid for them until my neglect caused major traffic failure. I have them all backed up and am slowly revamping them for this account.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Squidoo did leave its writers. Some of the staff tried to help, on their own time/ dime. It was HubPages which picked up the writers and content. If not for HP we would have been left with nothing. Squidoo dropped the bomb the same day they closed the site. The posts were imported by HubPages, quite quickly, considering they had to create software to do all the importing.
theraggededge profile image99theraggededgeposted 2 days agoin reply to this
You are wrong. We knew for weeks before the switch happened. We were given options, told to save and remove our work if we didn't want it transferred to HP. There was no panic. I had around 130 articles moved, a few were dropped and quite a lot I deleted myself.
theraggededge profile image99theraggededgeposted 2 days agoin reply to this
You keep saying it, but it wasn't like that at all. We had plenty of notice. I remember clearly. They didn't 'drop the bomb and close the site' at all. There was an announcement in August, and then there was a countdown to get our articles sorted by early Oct, when the site finally closed. We were advised to prepare by backing up and opening a new HP account. I opened that account at least two weeks before the transfer. Then there was a redirect for months afterward, so anyone clicking on a Squidoo link was redirected to the new hub.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I also remember it all. We were told the decision was made. Our content would be moved or we could move it any where we wanted ourselves. It was all done and decided the day they announced it. There was no announcement telling writers they were in talks with HubPages, or thinking to close the site. It was a bomb dropped and writers were left to pick up the pieces. Squidoo staff said they only knew a day before we all did.
Giving writers time to move their content was not so much a kindness as a necessity. HubPages was picking it up, but needed the time to move it. So that time was not courtesy of Squidoo.
TessSchlesinger profile image96TessSchlesingerposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Hell, my articles were moved over and they were very bad articles. In fact, I don't think I really wrote for hubpages for a year afterwards. Then I started very slowly.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Glad to hear you stuck with it. I got burned out, even with my own sites. Just putting things back together these days. Annoyed with WordPress and realized I could be writing here again, with less (or at least different) headaches. smile
Dean Traylor profile image94Dean Traylorposted 3 days ago
Cautiously optimistic... Optimistic that this will expand readership and exposure for our article; cautious because the last time a big time company bought a content site like this one, they ran it into the ground and dissolved in six months later. Good thing, I've backed nearly everything I've written.
TessSchlesinger profile image96TessSchlesingerposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Yup. That is my concern. Also that the writers will suddenly be paid a lot less.
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 3 days ago
I see a lot of very short articles on Maven. And some authors are creating blogs under Maven rather than fully-formed articles. I'm starting to wonder now how much due diligence was done my HubPages. Especially since Maven uses a content farm structure.
Their stock shot up 12% earlier today with the announcement, all the way up to $2.57. But then it dropped and closed the day at $1.95 – below the $2.50 valuation offered for the acquisition.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
The due diligence would have been done by Maven, not by HubPages. Maven is the one doing the buying. All Paul had to consider was, "how much money could I make if I retain ownership of HubPages"?" versus, "how much money do I stand to make if I sell it?
I have always felt Paul was quite sentimental about HubPages and I'm sure, like all business owners, he's hoping Maven will take care of it. However, business is business.
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Due diligence needs to be done by both parties. If Paul only considered how much money he would make for the sale, he wouldn't need to be concerned. However, if he is concerned about how much money he will make going forward as we grow, then he needs to consider how Maven might break a well-tuned engine that Paul and the team already created. I'm sure he's covered that.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I guess it depends on what his remuneration is going to be under the new structure, and whether he's planning to stay for the long term or just stay long enough to shepherd HubPages into the Maven fold.
I can't help being cynical because I've seen this happen so often in the business world. A business is sold, the owner makes an effort to look after his staff and make sure the business will continue as he would like, and it all looks good. But the thing is, once the sale is complete, it's up to the CEO of the new company - and he has no sentimental attachment to the business he's bought. Decisions will start to be made on profitability and nothing else.
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 3 days agoin reply to this
Now that's a scary thought! I've come to love all the team here at HubPages and I sure hope they never leave.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 36 hours agoin reply to this
Paul must stay for at least the next three years if he wants to take advantage of his full stock payout. I suspect he'll stay longer if things go well because managing HP will be much easier and less stressful than before.
Sherry Hewins profile image98Sherry Hewinsposted 3 days agoin reply to this
I've just finished re-watching Mad Men. They sold themselves to another company, expecting day to day business to remain the same. It didn't turn out that way. HubPages has done a great job of keeping the company on track so far. I know they can't tell the future any better than the rest of us can, the writers who contribute to HP have no choice but to go along. Let's just all hope for the best.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Pretty easy to see what Maven gains from this. Maven wants pages of content to un ads on. HP has that and now Maven owns the rights to the income from ads on HP. Will see how HubPages changes as things go along. HP might be left alone but for some changes to how ads are run.
Tinsky profile image95Tinskyposted 3 days ago
Sounds exciting. I'm looking forward to learning more as it progresses. Congrats on the sale.
paradigmsearch profile image94paradigmsearchposted 3 days ago
Smart, experienced, ethical people are running this operation. I'm not overly concerned. smile
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 3 days ago
I don't think Paul would risk Hubpages given how hard him and the staff have worked to help it stay afloat, we just had our most profitable 4th quarter with the highest ad revenue yet.
So while I'm a bit nervous about the acquisition, I do trust the staff and that they're doing what they think is best for the platform. These are not novices.
Jan Saints profile image87Jan Saintsposted 3 days ago
I knew something was cooking when they didn't tell us to enjoy our festive season!
Paul Edmondson profile image96Paul Edmondsonposted 3 days ago
I truly believe this will be better for our community.
- our domains will continue
- we are going to help them with organizing content and domain structure.
- authors own their content
- the team is all joining
- Paul Deeds and I are highly motivated to ensure traffic and earnings improve, and to be part of the organization for years.
We both love HubPages, the community and our team. When others have run from this business, we’ve invested.
Eight new super talented editors start Monday!
paradigmsearch profile image94paradigmsearchposted 3 days agoin reply to this
The initial shock is wearing off. I think we'll be much calmer going forward.
To whom it may concern. You can believe everything in Paul's post. Why? Because:
"Restricted stock, also known as letter stock or restricted securities, is stock of a company that is not fully transferable (from the stock-issuing company to the person receiving the stock award) until certain conditions (restrictions) have been met."
In other words, the powers that be are indeed highly motivated.
Update: I see that Will Apse beat me to it. Good one. big_smile
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Or another way of looking at it is that those currently owning HubPages get nothing unless they make this work....
Basically it protects the company acquiring HubPages from finding out down the road that this isn't going to work - after they've already paid for it.
You are right there's a big incentive to make this work - for Paul.
HoneyBB profile image97HoneyBBposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Thanks Paul, I think this is a good move for all too. Google and others of course want to offer the best articles to searchers. If Maven has highly qualified editors, (journalists, award winning authors) and staffers, etc. and Maven backing an article (invitation only) only occurs for high quality content (well written, informative, thought-provoking, etc.) then Google will give content backed by Maven higher rankings. In addition, we will have more editors to help us improve our articles to fit the standards Maven and Google look for. I think the reason others have failed is because they probably didn't invest in the improvement of their writers articles and they may have featured too many articles of low quality. The Hubpages Team has always invested a lot of time into helping their writers improve their articles (not only by editing, but also by informing through articles, threads, etc. every way to go about writing and earning on the site) and it seems having Maven join will give even more help to writers.
Rock_nj profile image91Rock_njposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Good points, but hopefully Maven isn't just a content farm in Google' eyes. That's what it appears to be at the moment. Hopefully, they will learn from HubPages and move towards the niche model.
chef-de-jour profile image99chef-de-jourposted 2 days agoin reply to this
If the people at Maven have the future profitability of their business as the top priority, and surely they have, then they'd be crazy to change the highly successful HP niche domain approach. I advise them to keep the status quo and not go for wholesale change for change's sake.
So many excellent writers have collectively driven the ship forward over the years and gained great, deserved rewards. The last few months especially have seen terrific progress earnings-wise. Those at Maven should take these facts on board. I'm sure they will; it'd be madness not to.
At this time, I trust in Paul and the team to guide us safely through.
janshares profile image96jansharesposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I like this post, Paul. Very hopeful, clear, makes me feel a little more secure about this huge change. However, it's the change that's hard for me hmm and the anticipation of extra work (there's probably something we're gonna have to do to make the transition like Squidoo writers did) and the adjustment that comes with it.
paradigmsearch profile image94paradigmsearchposted 3 days ago
Paul's post is missing, glitch. Bump.
Worked.
Will Apse profile image92Will Apseposted 3 days ago
If the present management are cashing out and leaving us with unknowns, it looks like a slow process, spread over at least three years, as they earn their stock.
KEY COMPONENTS OF THE AGREEMENT (Maven/HP)
An acquisition through a combination of stock, short-term debt and cash.
Stock valued at $2.50/share, for equity grants to HubPages management.
For founders and key personnel, the majority of the payout comes in stock,earned over 36 months, weighed exclusively on the last 24 months.
That give gives me confidence for the medium term, since management here have earned some trust.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 3 days ago
Aha! Interesting. It sounds like they 're still going to have skin in the game, and that makes a big difference.
janshares profile image96jansharesposted 3 days ago
Head spinning, wake me up when it's over.
Will Apse profile image92Will Apseposted 3 days agoin reply to this
The business relationship is hard to understand but presumably, if HP management are acquiring stock in Maven they will have a voice in the organization. If they are taking valuable skills to Maven that will also give them a voice. If they have already worked with Maven, then Maven execs are either master manipulators (unlikely), or have demonstrated that they are decent and capable people.
I reckon it would be wise to give the new structure the benefit of the doubt.
I would like to know if there are any benefits beyond boosting ad yields and unspecified PR stuff.
Also a couple of questions:
What exactly are channels? Are we talking related content from different sites that is interlinked?
Has anyone seen a list of Maven partner sites yet?
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 2 days agoin reply to this
"Channels" are sub-folders on the Maven website. Each one is basically a stand-alone website that's been moved on to the Maven site.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I read it as they only get to acquire stock if they hit previously agreed financial targets within a three year period.
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 2 days agoin reply to this
At the very least it signals that they have a lot to gain if the merger is successful, which means it's in their best interest to make our content succeed.
UnnamedHarald profile image98UnnamedHaraldposted 3 days ago
Don't Panic
Will Apse profile image92Will Apseposted 2 days ago
The Maven team looks like they specialize in getting startups to a good place then selling them on to large corporations. We could end working for Rupert Murdoch. Or Disney. lol.
Still, three years is a reasonable timeframe. You don't get much certainty in this world.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
That makes them a venture capital firm.
Kenna McHugh profile image86Kenna McHughposted 2 days ago
I took a look at one of Maven's Landing Pages. I did not like what I saw because it looks like hard news, nothing but bad news, which is also known as fake news, sensationalism, yellow journalism.
With that, I like writing for HubPages because it is nothing like Maven. We know that HubPages is more successful than Maven, so let's keep it as it is. That is a compliment for all HP writers, editors, staff, and Paul.
I am hoping HP stays the same. It's unique and valuable.
My fingers are crossed.
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Actually, we don't know that HubPages is more successful than Maven.
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 2 days agoin reply to this
It must be more successful in some way, or Maven wouldn't be interested in having it.
Rafiq23 profile image87Rafiq23posted 2 days ago
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days ago
I'll start by saying I confess I haven't read all the contributions in detail.
My reading of this is:
1) I'm 100% not surprised - I expected this to happen. It was predictable for all sorts of reasons.
2) Some of us have been here before re what happened to Squidoo after it "joined" HubPages. Like Squidoo it's good to see authors are being given notice so they can decide for themselves whether they are
* EITHER excited by the new prospect (with "promises" which may or may not be delivered)
* OR want to take this opportunity to bow out and move content to their own sites. (Viable really only for those who write on niche topics). It can be a lot of work but also very rewarding.
3) "Joined" in merger parlance means "Takeover". Maven is buying the HubPages platform/team (not the content) and the niche network channels (not the content).
4) My reading of what has been said so far is that the rest of HubPages is tacking along (and I would NOT expect it to survive i.e. "move to a niche or die" is what I would expect the long term strategy/outcome to be). That's based on what happened to a lot of Squidoo Lenses which did not fit the HubPages way of doing things i.e. if your content is not 'fit' to be transferred to a niche network channel you might find it offline/dead in the water.
5) The payment in this instance is being 'paid' in stock (with conditions) to key players. I'm never very sure why stock goes to key players who built the platform when the CONTENT asset base is built by the "little people" - but there you go. I guess the argument is they are selling an advertising platform which can be monetised to an operation which is doing something similar but different - and also wants to sell advertising. (This in a context where everybody wants to sell advertising - but not everybody can!)
6) I can't see anything in the Maven set-up which suggests that they have a platform which pays people in the same way.
7) While the niche sites might have content which transfers - it's unclear whether the remuneration model also transfers and/or will be maintained over time. Name me another website which still has a remuneration model which works in this way - as opposed to paid editors.
8) Maven reminds me somewhat of
About.com (now Dot Dash
https://www.dotdash.com/ ) - which had paid writers looking after specific channels which were sub-domains of
About.com. This seems to resonate with the notion that certain individuals might be "invited" to join Maven somewhere down the line.
9) Remember the Google Mantra - they want original content by expert authors. Looks to me like The Maven is trying to attract expert authors to become part of what it's about. Not sure why they would be interested in people who are not experts who write about a range of topics. Dotdash offers ("invites"?) people to have careers writing for them - see
http://jobs.jobvite.com/dotdash/ That's the model I'd expect The Maven to have moving forward - or some variation on the same.
10) Be very clear, what happens in takeovers is that what happens in the future depends entirely on what those who run the show want to happen - not what people promise you will happen. The latter will NOT be in charge or having the last say. In this instance, it looks to me that payback for the buyout only happens over time if and when monetisation targets are reached. Whether that works for the benefit of everybody who has created content for HubPages and the Niche Network Channels is, I would argue, a moot point. Maybe for some and not for others would be my educated guess at this point.
11) I find it no surprise that Paul is employing new editors. My expectation would be that this will be the model for content generation in future. Remember that every time your content gets edited by somebody else it becomes debatable whether it is still your content.
12) My RECOMMENDATION is that everybody PRIORITISE backing up their ORIGINAL content now - especially if your priority is to remain an independent author doing what you want to do. You can decide what you want to do eventually re. the future down the line. Right now your priority is to get a record of your ORIGINAL CONTENT.
Having done this all once before there are two very easy ways of doing this
* if you use Apple, use Safari and "save as" a webpage. It saves the complete hub with live links with everything in place as a webarchive file. Very easy to reference in the future and copy paste if you want to.
* If you use Evernote, save as a full page - and you get everything with format and live links. Very easy.
* PLEASE NOTE some other ways of saving hubs create a folder with all the bits - but NOT as a workable page. NOT RECOMMENDED.
* ALWAYS check whether what you save can be accessed independently of HubPages. i.e. move browsers and open up the file.
* Do save all sites to their own individual folders - it makes life so much easier when you're trying to find them down the line....
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 2 days agoin reply to this
lol the sceptic as usual. Since you are not really on HP anymore, I'm sure you don't believe that they in fact did have their best quarter ever. This is in no way similar to the Squidoo situation. Some of the points you make I do agree with, but not the comparison to squidoo. Squidoo was a sinking ship when HP bought it.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Did I comment on anything to do with "the best quarter"? No I didn't. I commented on the financial remuneration arrangements going forward - and what I predict might well happen.
I'm very happy to offer Kudos to Paul for achieving improvement and getting the deal....
Squidoo was different BUT lots of people were making respectable money on Squidoo - I certainly was. Certainly more at the end of Squidoo than I've ever made at HubPages.
However I agree Squidoo certainly had problems and needed a radical overhaul.
Couple that with the facts i.e.
* a team running it who were patently not up to the job (the prime mover had already left and set up her own website - which has a very different set-up)
* Google had changed and
* Seth Godin had lost interest (and had lots of other very nice income streams thank you very much)
and you have the explanation for why Squidoo finished.
HubPages is very different in terms of carrying on (when everybody else has already bailed out of the content market) because of context - and I'm guessing that's because Paul and his team needed to make it work because of the investment to date.
What I'm saying is that I predict the business model going forward will be different and I don't expect the remuneration arrangements to be stable over time. You may well think differently - that's your freedom and your choice.
However you might want to note that I predicted what would happen to Squidoo and was bang on accurate but was 6 months out on the date when it happened.
So ignore my predictions if you want to......
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 2 days agoin reply to this
What I meant with Squidoo was a sinking ship is the fact that they lost their SERP's and had no clue how to recover. Maybe some individual writers were still doing well, but in the broader sense the site was doing really bad compared to "earlier periods", right now that's not the case with HP as they are doing a lot better (on the whole) and most authors are doing better if not all, thanks to the niche sites.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Yes - but a site that has scope to recover is not a sinking ship.
There's a lot of difference between being weighed down by utter tripe and sinking. If they'd just offloaded the tripe they would have still have made money. The problem was that it was the tripe that caused the problem (and the team who were not up to dealing with it) not the good stuff. HubPages had a better team and that's why they've lasted longer before this shakedown.
I had a 100+ lenses in the top 10,000 at the end - I wasn't making what I'd made prior to the first big Google knock but I was doing very nicely thank you. Which is why when moving content elsewhere I am continuing to do very nicely.
That really is the message for people.
If you own your content but not the site then think very carefully as to what you do next. ALL the content sites will go through these shakedown/shakeouts on a periodic basis. You just need to decide whether you want to be part of that sort of business model/prospects - or whether you want to take more ownership of your content and create your own niche channel.
Who knows - one day somebody might come along and offer to buy you out if you do the latter? wink
lobobrandon profile image89lobobrandonposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I see you edited your response. Not a good thing to do once a reply has been made. Anyway, I choose to ignore such gimmicks.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
No I just moved the content around so it read better. There's a difference.
That and the fact I quite often edit after I've written because re-reading it you can see how to make it read better.
It's what writers do...
LongTimeMother profile image96LongTimeMotherposted 2 days ago
I, for one, will embrace the change. For the first time in a long time, I feel inspired to create new content.
Depending on how it shapes up, I might even put one of my ‘professional’ hats back on and write different content instead of just limiting myself to the kind of topics I’ve been addressing as LTM. Lol.
Yes, this change has the potential to be a really good one. I’m looking forward to exciting new times.
Shogun profile image46Shogunposted 2 days ago
Congrats, staff!
Acquisitions can be absolutely awesome, or rather... haphazard. I look forward to seeing the changes, and hope for the best.
Also, I'll have to bookmark this forum post, and read through the previous comments in the morning. tongue
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 2 days ago
What's the best way to back up your content on your desktop when you have a lot of articles.
What's the best way to categorize your folders once articles are saved.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I recommend you save one at a time - and it takes time to do this which is why I recommend starting now...
I know you can do it faster but unless you spend time checking every one then there's no knowing whether they have saved properly
I saved all mine twice - individually and in two different ways (see above post for how)
I have a structured hierarchy of folders for my hubs - starting with the HubPages Archive Folder
- then within that I have BIG TOPIC folders i.e. the content which are going to new niche websites I'm setting up
- then within each of those I have individual folders for each individual hub and its archive files.
Plus I also saved all the stats data and info re Amazon sales - anything which is basically relevant and helpful going forward.
TIMETRAVELER2 profile image99TIMETRAVELER2posted 2 days agoin reply to this
Set up two sets of spreadsheets.
Divide your articles into separate folders and as you copy and paste them onto word processing documents, save them into those folders.
On the other page, simply list your titles under the same titles as the folders, beside this list the number of page views, and next to this the date you wrote the hub.
To copy an article, simply select the entire page, hit copy and then transfer it to a word processing document.
I have always done it this way. Once you capture your articles, you can then do as you please with them if a site you're writing on closes.
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I find it a pain copying into Word - because you get all that Word garbage code gets added in when you then copy/paste onwards.
My preference is the Safari web archive file - dead easy to read and copy from
I also love Evernote for archiving because of the ability to tag them so that you can then find them again easily within Evernote - plus I've got them on the web so if my computer fries I still have a copy.
Rafa Baxa profile image89Rafa Baxaposted 2 days ago
I hope this turns out positively. The last time something like this happened to a community I was part of, it ended up with the website getting shut down entirely. It wasn't a writing site, but it was fun nonetheless.
NateB11 profile image95NateB11posted 2 days ago
Sounds like a fruitful opportunity.
MomsTreasureChest profile image91MomsTreasureChestposted 2 days ago
Congratulations to the HubPages team and best of luck in your new roles!
paradigmsearch profile image94paradigmsearchposted 2 days ago
Happy Saturday morning. Well, I'm going to finish updating my remaining hubs so that they all have the lovely 2018 date. Then I'm going to work on my website, which I will then sell to Maven for a mere quarter-million dollars.
Kierstin Gunsberg profile image100Kierstin Gunsbergposted 2 days ago
Okay, I'm certainly not an expert when it comes to business acquisitions and I haven't been here as long as some writers but it really seems like everyone is panicking and it's probably the lack of details. I don't think the staff can share all of the details because in a merger like this there are some things that can't be discussed right away or there isn't anything to discuss without imaginations running wild. To me, personally, this doesn't seem like a negative change for us at all. If anything, this will present a lot of opportunity to make MORE money and grow our audience!
Maven may look like it's a new company but I can speculate that within it are people who've been doing this sort of thing for a long time or the company has existed for a while under a different brand. Again, just speculation, but I'm sure these people didn't just pop out of nowhere. Paul isn't stupid. I joined HubPages in 2008 and it was NOT what the company is today. Paul carefully built this company into a success at a time when a lot of startups were failing thanks to the recession.
From what I can see Maven is NOT where our writing is going. The staff has already told us the network sites will remain and that makes the most sense if you look at Maven.
Maven.net is like the trunk of a tree. It's not the landing page for readers, it's the hub (lol yeah!) of their company where NETWORK PARTNERS, not readers land. From there, Maven has branches. Go up to the top left of the homepage to "Maven Network" and start clicking through to the sites listed.
I went to KidsActivities. Cool, it's a branch like WeHaveKids is a branch of HubPages. Now let's go to The Resurgent. Nice! It's basically our SoapBoxie! The Maven is NOT a content mill, it's actually a lot like HubPages in it's structure.
Have any of you gone over to Vocal Creators? It's also following the same structure. So does Huffington Post and Buzzfeed and every magazine publisher that's ever existed. There's a main company that is fed by the branches which cater to specific topics. This is obviously a structure that's working right now. For everyone comparing this to Squidoo, I would say that it's the exact opposite. As far as I could see, Squidoo failed to section out their content and to vet it properly.
It would not help HubPages or Maven to "get rid" of any of us! WE ARE THE ONES THAT MAKE THEM MONEY. Without our content, advertisers would have no reason to spill money into these companies for advertising which is where the money comes from. So to be afraid we won't be a part of this means we're not taking the time to think this through.
The smartest thing any of us can do right now is to continue creating great content and submit it to the network sites which probably won't go anywhere since that's what Maven wants. Let's face it, HubPages as a brand doesn't exist. When people ask me how I'm able to stay home with my kids and still make money I tell them I write for the HubPages network and they have no idea what I'm talking about, yet many of them have told me they've accidentally stumbled onto my articles Googling particular topics. This is to say that worrying about the network sites going anywhere doesn't make a lot of sense because these sites are successful!
Last, and I'm sure this is rambly because I didn't get a lot of sleep with sick kids - WHY WOULD MAVEN WANT HUBPAGES AND WHY WOULD HUBPAGES TURN OVER TO ANOTHER COMPANY??
I don't know for certain but my loose knowledge of business says that we can assume that HubPages is working! They've created a formula that works and Maven sees that and wants to skim off that revenue. Maven is probably a larger company and has the tools to monetize HubPages content to earn themselves and the writers much more money. Paul and the team have done a great job but with a team that small there's only so far they can take HubPages now and we're probably due to hit a plateau if we just sit pretty with the status quo. Selling made financial sense for Paul and the team AND for us because it puts more technology and more knowledge and experience into this mix and it makes financial sense for Maven because they just acquired an established network of sites that makes good money AND ALREADY HAS A BASE OF WRITERS (that's us!) so while they'll most certainly grow our network they don't have to seek out writers in the process. See? It makes no financial sense to off any of us.
As for the content that doesn't perform as well, HubPages has been burying that for years. It gets published but it gets buried so it won't negatively affect network site rankings in the search engines. For those writers, this acquisition won't make much of a difference at all since they weren't earning traffic or income here in the first place.
I hope we can all see the good in this and just continue to write through any anxiety. Even though we're all independent of each other, I think that in a lot of ways we ARE a team and we shouldn't all just get scared and go south just because this situation presents a lot of unknowns, because that would just sink the whole ship for all of us. I think we need to take a few deep breaths and remember that HubPages is a business and we're not just writers, we're essentially part of a business and what just happened is business as usual. Had we never been told that there was an acquisition I wonder how much of a change most of us would even notice over the next year.
replyreport
RonElFran profile image100RonElFranposted 2 days agoin reply to this
A well thought-out and level-headed analysis, Kierstin. Of course no one can predict the future, but there's no reason to assume that the HubPages and Maven teams haven't done their best due diligence before committing to this change.
replyreport
NateB11 profile image95NateB11posted 2 days agoin reply to this
If you notice, every time there is a change to the site, some people start to panic. I think they did it when we changed to niche sites too. It's become comically predictable and at some point the panic turns to convoluted "logic" and then you have these long thread of endless speculation and incorrect conclusions.
replyreport
EricDockett profile image100EricDockettposted 2 days agoin reply to this
There are reasons people panic. You don't have to look back very far to remember major changes that ended up being very bad for HubPages. I was doing really really well before the Squid merger. Then one decision changed everything.
Now this. We are in the midst of a very successful time in HP history, where it seemed like it was all finally worth it. Suddenly, another change. It's maddening.
I hope this works out as well as it seems like it could and I am trying to be optimistic. But surely it's not hard to see why those of us who have been around here a long time are a little nervous about it all.
replyreport
Solaras profile image99Solarasposted 2 days agoin reply to this
+1,000,000,000
replyreport
sallybea profile image99sallybeaposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I was pleased to discover that the site includes a section on crafting called
craftgossip.com and this includes felting. I find this slightly reassuring.
replyreport
Glenn Stok profile image99Glenn Stokposted 2 days agoin reply to this
Interesting Sally.
craftgossip.com is a stand alone site. Not like many of the others I've checked that redirect back to
themaven.net as a subdirectory. I hope that means they are in the process of adopting the way HubPages does it with our niche sites.
replyreport
Chriswillman90 profile image97Chriswillman90posted 2 days agoin reply to this
They'd be silly not to given how successful the niche sites have been. Of course I'm not going to assume they will but as a business I'm pretty sure Maven wants to be successful in its own right.
If they have such a large collection of people from companies like Google and Amazon, then I would hope they'd be really tech savvy.
replyreport
Marisa Wright profile image98Marisa Wrightposted 46 hours agoin reply to this
If you look at the Maven Network page, you'll see Craftgossip is listed as a "coming soon". That means that currently, it's still a standalone website which hasn't been migrated into the network yet.
replyreport
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 47 hours agoin reply to this
In this situation both businesses will present the change in the best light, making use of propaganda at times. I've been with sites merged, bought out, acquired many times since 1998 when I was writing for HerPlanet (no longer exists). I've written for Suite101(all but gone), BackWash (gone),
Wz.com (gone), Squidoo (gone), a site with a name like Twilly (gone), LockerGnome (sort of gone), BellaOnline (still online), LifeTips (might still be online) and others I don't remember any more. You just have to wait and see, but make sure you have copies of any and all content you want to keep. You might even make screen captures of your profile and badges.
For now Maven wants to look attractive to HubPages writers. HubPages wants to keep writers and their posts for Maven. If the site doesn't close that will be one good thing. Most I have been with were bought and then abandoned. I never understood how that worked for them, could only have been short term benefits. But, "content farms" were new as a business model, domain selling and spamming was easy (years ago).
replyreport
OldRoses profile image94OldRosesposted 2 days ago
Darn! Just when I started to make money on this site, they up and sell it. Coming from a finance background, I know that mergers do not benefit all employees. A large percentage are usually laid off as the buyer "cleans house". In this case, I imagine HP/Maven will only keep the best hubs and hubbers. Backup all of your hubs and look into transitioning to your own site. Not all of us will survive this takeover.
replyreport
makingamark profile image61makingamarkposted 2 days agoin reply to this
I too come from a finance background - and what you describe/speculate about is entirely typical of most acquisitions.
I can't think of a good reason why this should be any different.
As I've written elsewhere "blind optimisim" is not a good perspective. Some people will do very well out of this - emphasis on the "some".
replyreport
That Grrl profile image57That Grrlposted 47 hours agoin reply to this
Currently, HP has bots choosing which posts are shown on the site and which are hidden. So there is no real need for them to let go of any writers on the site. They can all stay, unless they spam or create some other problem.
Some people will do very well, of course. Those who already have popularity will have even more popularity and money. Most people will be somewhere in the middle, if they stick around and keep posting.