1st 30 Hubs in 30 Days Hub Challenge: Self Discovery!

I began my 30 hubs in 30 days challenge on August 18, 2011 after 12 days on hubpages. I was tempted to do a 90 hubs in 90 days so that I could reach the 100 hub mark. But I know that I tend to over-commit myself, so I decided to have a more realistic expectation of myself, especially since I've never done anything like this before.

And I reasoned that when I finished the first 30 days, there would be nothing stopping me from doing another 30 day challenge, and then another. So I decided to take it one step at a time.

I highly recommend the 30 day challenge to anyone needing a boost in their writing. It helped me accomplish some goals that I made for myself in a very timely manner.

I finished my 30 day challenge in 21 days. Just in time too, my life is getting ready to change! More about that a little later.

Originally, after beginning my journey with Hubpages, I had a goal to get my personal hub score to 70 as quickly as I could. That seemed to be the first magic number -- the number that allowed a person to start making money. I was able to reach this goal in 7 days after writing 10 hubs.

And as of the end of August, after 25 days on hubpages, the three programs (AdSense, Google, and HPads) totaled out to $7.00. I know its not much, after all the hours I have put in, but hey, you have to start somewhere. I am pleased!

My next goal was to have a personal hub score of 75, allowing me to qualify for HubNuggets. HubNuggets are hubs by new authors that are first chosen by Hubpages special Elite team, and then voted on by the community. You can read more about the program in the Learning Center at: http://learningcenter.hubpages.com/hubnuggets/ So I became a HubNuggets wannabe.

I reasoned that one of my hubs may or may not be selected as a HubNugget, but I wouldn't even be in the running, if I didn't qualify. You see, you only qualify for HubNuggets your first 60 days at Hubpages. This only took one more day and one more hub. All the qualifications are outlined at the HubNuggets link above.

I have been writing this hub as I move through the challenge, and amazingly enough, I received an email telling me that the very first hub I wrote has been selected to be one of the hubs in this week's challenge. This was three and a half weeks into myhubpages journey. That would have never happened had I not known what the requirements were and then made the effort to qualify.

In the middle of the hub challenge, I was finally able to reach my next goal of breaking into the 90's with my 31st hub after exactly 3 weeks on hubpages. I made a big leap with that hub, and although I am not entirely sure, I attribute that leap to the length of that hub. It was the wordiest hub that I had produced up until that point. So the amount of words -- not just words -- but meaty words, just might make a difference. This particular hub, Silkie Chicken Colors in Pictures, also had a tremendous amount of images -- around 40. I was concerned about the number of images, but it seems to be well received. The next day I was out of 90's for a couple days. Then after another longer article I was in the 90's for a day, only to slide down into the 80's again. It's a pretty slippery slope.

As far as my being able to move my scores from 0 at the beginning to the levels that they currently are, I believe that I was able to get them up as quickly as I did because I spent a lot of time in the forums, a bit of time hopping hubs, and a massive amount of time in the learning center. (Sleeping seemed to help also.) Many times my hub score went up over night by as many a 6 points -- while I slept! Who would have thought?!? Maybe I was moving so fast, it took that long for it to catch up with me. ;-)

Hub hopping is really a wonderful way to be exposed to a lot of writers and many different writing styles and techniques. It allowed me to see what other people are writing about, and opened my eyes to new avenues of writing that I had not even thought about, such as writing about recipes.

Seeing that I had quite a few hubs started but not finished, I knew that by doing the hub challenge I would have the motivation I needed to complete the hubs in order to meet the challenge.

A very special thank you to Cloverleaf, jodiejay71, lunmusik, adeagustus, tlmcgaa70, Danette Watt, and rosettaartist1. You have been faithful through this journey with me. I want you to know that it has been extremely appreciated. Thank you so much.

I would also like to thank qsera, winphatak, Barbara Kay, amazingchild, sensiva, RTalloni, Admiral_Joraxx, samhirata, thisspice, Jeannieinabottle, cathd, Movie Master, funmontrealgirl, DDS, Ghost32, september girl, moonlake, rockdresses, livelonger, seeker7, Gypsy Willow, Eiddwen, Joe Macho, daisynicolas, WesternHistory, RunAbstract, rick combe, viryabo, the clean life, VENZKHVAM, weestro, and Valerie60 for reading and commenting on the 30 hubs (make that the previous 29 -- this is 30) written during this challenge.

I know that you have been inundated with hubs to read, but it will slow down a bit now that I am done. That is until I get another "wild hair" and take another 30 day challenge, when I will once again say, "Charge!"

First of all, since I was so new at hubpages, some of these items I would have eventually learned but at a slower pace. The 30 day challenge really ramped up my learning curve, and for that I am very grateful.

• One of the first things I learned about hubpages in general, and really came to appreciate while doing the challenge, is how very supportive everyone is. Thanks to everyone who has been so encouraging in this new journey I have found myself on. A special thanks to J.S.Matthew for his help getting started on hubpages, and to Cloverleaf who was an excellent supporter/cheerleader during the challenge.
• One thing I learned was to start thinking globally. I would get comments from someone in a different country, and think, "Oh yeah.... this isn't just in the US. This is everywhere." It really changed my way of thinking. To be able to share, give and receive, ideas across the world was so ... the only word I can come up with is powerful ... and exhilarating! It has been a wonderful, amazing, eye opening, and growing experience.
• It is easier to write about things that I am familiar with. It is much harder to write about something that I have to do a bunch of research on. And when doing the research, you also have to come up with a new spin on the subject because you want your article or hub to be original. It may be harder, but sometimes it's more fun too, because I get to learn new things.
• It is much more important to be concerned with quality, instead of quantity. The 30 hubs in 30 days is obviously concerned about quantity, but quality must always be maintained. If I didn't have the time to do the work behind the articles, then the challenge may not accomplish what I intended it to accomplish -- to have good hubs that would draw a following. Obviously, it would be easy to just push a bunch of hubs out there and say it was done, but that would not help me get where I intended to go with my writing.
• Since I had not ever done any consistent writing prior to now, I found this to be a rewarding experience. I also noted a significant increase in my ability to find words to describe what I wanted to say. I had gotten a bit rusty in this area. It is good to see that my words are starting to come back to me, and I know through this challenge that I have become a better writer. As they say, practice makes perfect! I just have to keep practicing.
• I learned that it is beneficial to create a related set of hubs that can then be cross-linked to each other. If after reading the first hub on a particular subject, the reader found that they enjoyed the subject, they could then move onto more of your hubs.
• It is really true. What you might ask? It is true that if you spend time reading other people's hubs, and take the time to leave good comments that you will be able to gain a following through these individuals.
• I learned that it is better to be specific about which Amazon ads you want placed with your article, because if you don't, you never know what you will get later on. In my article about lizards, I chose my ads by using keywords, in the apparel category. When I previewed my search, the first item was a horned toad belt buckle, something that I was very happy with. This was followed by two other items that I approved of. Later when I was looking at my hub, three identical ads for pants were there instead. I did not know the ads changed, but now I do. So now I am typically more specific about my ad compaigns.

These are the 30 Hubs I wrote during my 30 day Challenge:

• Moments to Forget - Coping with Alzheimer's, Dementia, and Short Term Memory Loss - "Moments to Forget" shows you how to create enjoyable moments with and for someone who has Alzheimer's Disease. These special points in time can shine so brightly, they will bring a smile to their face and a twinkle in their eyes. (This article has been moved.)
• Alzheimers Journey 1: Know Your Enemy - The first in the series, "The Alzheimer's Journey". This series will discuss the technical aspects of Alzheimer's. (This article has been moved.)
• Alzheimer's Journey 2: Take the Team Approach - 2nd in the Alzheimer's Journey series, this segment continues the discussion of not making this journey alone, and picking the right doctor to be on your team. (This article has been moved.)
• Alzheimers Journey 3: Doctors Visit: Questions, Answers, and Concerns -3rd segment in the Alzheimer's Journey series. Hekpful hints about the doctor's visit: questions, expectations, and concerns are addressed. (This article has been moved.)
• Alzheimer's Journey 4: Utilizing Community Resources -4th segment in the Alzheimer's Journey series. This segment covers finding and utilizing community resources: Alzheimer's Association, support groups, non-medical in home care, adult day care, etc. (This article has been moved.)

• Caring for a Family Member: Family Members as Caregivers

  We usually do not think about caregiving until...The answer to the question... is a resounding, Yes! and No! How's that for ambiguity!?!...you are the primary caregiver...hands on care... (This article has been moved.)

• CaringBridge: Helping Families in Their Time of Need

  The mission of CaringBridge is to amplify love, hope and compassion in the world, making each traumatic journey easier. Each CaringBridge website is personal and private, and is made available to those the family choses. (This article has been moved.)

My 30th hub is the one you are reading right now.

I have so many things that I want to do, and my plate seems to overflow with activities that I could surely benefit from. One of those is to read the 80+ hubs that I have bookmarked to read that I did not have time to while attempting this challenge.

But before doing all that, I think I want to take a few days off and catch my breath. Then ...

I want to spend a lot more time in the learning center.

I want to learn all I can about SEO. I know that many of the hubs I have bookmarked cover this subject. If any of you know of some really good ones on this subject, I would be very open to suggestions. I know next to nothing on the subject.

I want to continue to add hubs to my two Alzheimer's series. And I would like to finish the mollusk series. I'm even looking for another angle for the silkie chickens. Which reminds me -- I have some more poultry things in mind. And then, I also have some more homestead hubs brewing in the back of my mind. (Take a deep breath...) Looks like I'll be busy for a while longer.

And I want to look over all the hubs I have written and see if I can make them better, and more consistent as far as how I give credit to photgraphers using the hubpages guidelines, resource sites, etc. Paradigmsearch recently asked and I responded, "Yes, I am a tweaker!"

After doing these items, I might even consider another 30 day challenge. Who knows?

This is my wish list however, because as of the end of this week, I start a new job working 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. So I will get to these things when I can and celebrate the fact that I have been able to find a job. It is temporary to six months, so we will see what happens between now and then. In the mean time, I will be able to pay the bills! Yeah!

But will have a lot less time having fun and getting lost in the world of hubpages. :-(

But I'll be popping in and trying to read when I can, and write when I just can't seem to get my mind off of a subject. When that happens, it keeps me up 'til all hours of the night, or, make that, early morning. So I have to get it out so I can think about something else, like sleeping!

It has been a wonderful four weeks at hubpages so far, and I'm looking forward to many more.

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Copyright © 2011 Cindy Murdoch (homesteadbound)

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