HubPages is a user generated content, revenue-sharing website founded in 2006. The company acquired its main competitor, Squidoo, in 2014 and moved from a single-site to a multi-site business model in 2016.
History
The site launched on August 6, 2006, funded by a US$2 million investment from Hummer Winblad. The three founders, Paul Edmonson, Paul Deeds, and Jay Reitz, are former employees of Microsoft and were part of the startup MongoMusic. In 2011, traffic to revenue-sharing sites, including HubPages, was slashed following changes to Google's algorithm. Over the ensuing years, HubPages made strenuous efforts to recover from the setback, while most of its competitors gave up and closed their doors. In 2014 HubPages acquired its largest competitor, Squidoo, in a friendly takeover. In 2016, HubPages announced it was moving from a single-site to a multi-site structure with the introduction of separate "vertical sites". Each site contains articles covering a group of broadly related subjects.
Membership
Members post informational articles. Anyone may contribute Hubs but to earn income, members must hold a valid Adsense account. This can be applied for using a portfolio of 10 to 15 Hubs after the first month of membership. Once the Adsense account is approved, members can sign up for a range of other earnings programs. Earnings accumulate in the member's account and are paid out when the threshold reaches $50. To be paid their earnings, Hubbers must maintain current tax information. Members retain all intellectual property rights to their "Hub Content" and can delete their Hubs at any time. However, questions, answers, forum posts, ratings, votes, comments on other Hubs and photos cannot be deleted. Their forums are full of right-wing trolls and white supremacists. This forum post was allowed recently: Masks are for liberal wimps looking to the state to tell them what to do. You are clearly a traitor to your own country if you don't follow the President. Don't wear a mask. When you confront them, things often turn nasty from both sides, the site's moderation manager, Matt Wells, sides with the white supremacists and bans every liberal voice from forums and occasionally from the site as well. From his actions, it's clear the management team supports conspiracy theories and the alt-right movement.
