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HubPages Squidoo Transition FAQ

  1. Lensmasters
    1. How do I continue to earn from my content?

      We recommend that you configure your affiliate settings before the import process begins to avoid interruptions in earnings.

      There are three main ways you can earn from your Hubs:

      For an in-depth overview of all of the ways to earn money on HubPages, please visit this Learning Center guide.

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    2. What if I don’t have an AdSense Account?

      Please read the Learning Center entry on signing up for AdSense. If you are a first time applicant, we strongly recommend that your read this FAQ entry so that you don't apply too early and decrease your chances of getting approved!

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    3. Which former Squidoo Modules did not get transferred to HubPages?

      There are several Squidoo Modules that do not exist or appear differently on HubPages. We built support for some (e.g., Callouts and Quotes) and left behind others that were less commonly used or difficult to transfer.

      That being said, the big arrow link, Bookmark, Countdown, Donations, Etsy, Facebook fan, Featured Lenses, Featured Lensmasters, Howcast, Lens Love, Pagebreak, Plexos (excluding the Amazon Plexo), Prediction, Quiz, RSS, RSS reader, Table of Contents, Twitter, and Indeed modules were not transferred.

      Please note that animated GIFs and keyword search-driven videos were also not transferred.

      We suggest that Lensmasters read through our Learning Center entry on How to Create a Hub Using the HubTool to familiarize themselves with the available Capsules on HubPages.

      Updated: 10/01/2014

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    4. Were animated GIFs imported?

      Due to time and resource constraints, we chose to leave behind animated GIFs. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

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    5. How did HubPages handle Modules that did not easily translate to Capsules?

      The Write/Text Module, Photo, Link List, and Text List Modules had analog Capsules and were straightforward to convert.

      Other Modules, while available on HubPages as comparable Capsules, had different formatting options on Squidoo. These Modules got custom solutions:

      • Guestbook. The HubPages equivalent to Guestbook, the Comments Capsule, does not support threaded commenting. Given this, nested comment replies are being displayed chronologically and appended with “@username” to provide context for readers. This will help readers locate the original post that a comment is replying to.
      • Recipe. One Recipe Module on Squidoo converted to several HubPages Recipe Capsules. For the most part, Recipes transferred cleanly and remained intact. Lenses with multiple Recipe Modules have the Ratings Capsule appear on the first recipe.
      • eBay. The eBay Module is partially supported. We imported the keywords and the seller (if applicable) but none of the other options. The number of products per Capsule is limited to one.
      • Duel. Duel Modules were imported as side-by-side Comments Capsules.
      • Video. A Module with multiple videos became multiple Video Capsules with a single video in each. The text (caption) for a video was converted to a Text Capsule beneath the video. Keyword search-driven videos were not transferred. The Howcast.com Video Module is not supported.
      • Map. Maps were imported, but in rare cases certain locations could not be displayed.
      • Poll. Polls and poll data (votes) were preserved but poll comments were not imported.
      • Amazon. HubPages adopted Squidoo's Amazon product design and rolled out the changes on August 26, 2014. You can read about them in this forum thread. All versions of the Amazon Module are supported, except the Amazon Recommendation Plexo and Amazon sidebar widget. Keyword search-driven Amazon product modules were reduced to one product.

        We decided against displaying products in horizontal rows of thumbnails. This format was converted into vertical lists on Hubs.

        Regarding Amazon products and bypassing ad block: we do not have plans to adjust Amazon Capsules for ad blockers at this time.

      • How-To. How-to modules were imported as Text Capsules with nearby Photo Capsules. Shopping lists that are below How-To Modules were imported as regular Amazon Capsules on HubPages.
      • Plexos. Only the Amazon Plexo is supported partially. Author-chosen products were imported as Amazon Capsules, but no support was built for voting on the products, displaying vote counts, or having readers submit products.

        • Updated: 10/01/2014

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    6. What is HubPages' policy on Amazon products and how will it be enforced on Lensmasters?

      HubPages has some specific rules regarding product capsule use that differ from Squidoo’s:

      Most Amazon and eBay product modules used in Lenses were transferred to Hubs. Modules with multiple ASIN products were broken out into multiple product capsules. In other words, one ASIN product per HubPages Capsule. These product capsules are displayed in a list.

      Modules with multiple keyword-driven products were handled differently. Only the most relevant product was taken from these Modules when they were converted to Amazon Capsules on Hubs. The rest of the products from that Module were not transferred. We believe that the decision to showcase a product in a Hub should be deliberate. All products should directly benefit the reader rather than simply fill space.

      We acknowledge that Lensmasters need time to familiarize themselves with our rules and policies, so we are giving a generous grace period of 4 months to address warnings on new Hubs that came over as Featured. However, once one of these Hubs is edited, the grace period ends and all violations must be fixed immediately to avoid possible moderation.

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    7. Did only Featured Lenses move to HubPages?

      No. Lenses from accounts with at least one Featured Lens were moved to HubPages, unless the user opted out of the migration. This includes Featured, WIP, and other unpublished Lenses.

      Lenses that were Featured on Squidoo are Featured Hubs on HubPages. WIP Lenses became unpublished after they were moved to HubPages.

      Accounts without any Featured Lenses (excluding seasonal) were not moved over unless the user opted in to the migration by clicking the link on their Squidoo dashboard and establishing a HubPages user account.

      No locked or untitled Lenses were moved.

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    8. How did HubPages assign usernames to Lensmasters that missed the early sign up process?

      If you didn't opt out of the migration or complete the early signup process, your Lenses were automatically transferred and you were assigned a HubPages username that matches your Squidoo username. If the username was available, you got it. If not, we appended the name with an "LM". After your username was assigned, you should have been emailed with a link to reset your password and complete the account registration process.

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    9. I have an existing HubPages account that's linked to the same email address as my Squidoo account.

      Each HubPages account must be registered with a unique email address. If you already had a HubPages account with the same email address as your Squidoo account, we temporarily assigned your main email address for the new HubPages account as squidoo+yoursubdomain@hubpages.com so that it’s unique. We also sent an email to your Squidoo email address with instructions for how to complete your account registration. The email included a link to a password reset page. On that page you’ll need to pick a password and replace your assigned email address with a new email address that does not conflict with your other HubPages account.

      If you didn't get the original email, you can request another reset email by entering your Squidoo account email address and checking the box.

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    10. Why is there a limit to the number of Hubs I can publish per day?

      There is a temporary limit to the number of new Hubs a former Lensmaster can publish in a day. Users that are in boot camp can publish a maximum of one Hub per 24 hours and users that are out of boot camp can publish a maximum of 3 Hubs per 24 hours. Editing an already published Hub does not count toward either of these limits. We have a limit in place as a cautionary measure, to make sure that our systems don't get overwhelmed by too many Hubs being published at once. We will adjust the number or remove the limit entirely when we are confident that this isn't an issue.

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    11. Can I add new Callout Capsules to my Hubs?

      Yes. On September 24, 2014, HubPages rolled out the Callout Capsule sitewide. Read all about it in the Forum announcement.

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    12. How does the grace period work for Lenses that came over as Featured?

      Lenses that came over as Featured have been given a grace period of four months (until mid-January 2015) before they can be unpublished for rules violations (i.e., content warnings and moderation flags). Once a Hub is edited, the grace period will end and all violations must be fixed immediately to avoid possible moderation. The grace period is granted on a Hub by Hub basis, meaning that if you only edit one Hub, the grace period will end for that Hub specifically.

      Please note that the grace period does not protect Hubs from becoming unfeatured as part of the Quality Assessment Process (for both traffic and quality). All newly published and edited Hubs go through the QAP, but a Featured Hub that has not been edited may still become defeatured if it receives low ratings. (Hubs are periodically re-rated even if they have not been edited.) In contrast, any Featured Hub can become defeatured for traffic if it does not receive sufficient engagement in its allotted window.

      If one of your Hubs was defeatured for either traffic or quality, rest assured that it will remain published. Please edit and improve your Hub to give it a chance at becoming Featured again.

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    13. Where can I find more information about the Squidoo transition?

      In addition to this FAQ, you can visit the former Squidoo Transition Forum to find more helpful information about HubPages' acquisition of Squidoo's content and the transfer process.

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  2. Existing Hubbers
    1. Why did HubPages acquire content from Squidoo?

      We have grand plans to improve the content, design, and features on HubPages. This was an opportunity to gain scale. Instead of two sites, we can combine the content assets from both sites and put the resources to creating a single stronger site. Long term this will mean more features, more support, more design enhancements for Hubbers.

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    2. Did all of Squidoo's content move to HubPages?

      Only Squidoo accounts with at least one Featured Lens were moved over to HubPages, unless the account holder decided to opt out of the migration. Lenses that were Featured on Squidoo are Featured Hubs on HubPages. Unpublished and WIP Lenses were unpublished after they were moved to HubPages. Content by Squidoo users without any Featured Lenses (excluding seasonal) was not moved over, unless the Squidoo user explicitly requested to migrate over.

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    3. How does this transition affect me?

      Like Hubbers, each Lensmaster was assigned a subdomain. We know Hubbers care about quality. So do we and so do Lensmasters. There will be a transition period as we work to get some Lenses to fit within our policies.

      You may see more new faces in the forums, commenting on Hubs and asking questions. We hope you give our new Hubbers a big welcome and help them become comfortable at HubPages.

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    4. I have both Squidoo and HubPages accounts. Can I merge the two?

      No. For measurement and data gathering purposes, all Squidoo users need to create a brand new HubPages account.

      We strongly considered allowing accounts to be merged, but after looking at the whole technical picture we decided against it. If you only have a Lens or two it may not be such a big deal. However, for users with substantial traffic, we felt migrating them to a new subdomain gave them the best opportunity to carry over their traffic with 301 redirects. This also helps avoid any confusion in regard to impacts on their existing HubPages traffic.

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    5. How long did the transition take?

      The content transfer process began on September 2, 2014 and was completed by the end of that same month.

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    6. Will Lenses need to go through the Quality Assessment Process?

      Featured Lenses—which have already been vetted by Squidoo's quality systems—were imported as Featured Hubs on HubPages, meaning they were not subject to the QAP. Lenses that were moved over in an unpublished state will be evaluated by the QAP if and when they are published.

      Squidoo users that moved over with fewer than five Featured Lenses will need to go through Boot Camp.

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