Loading... Is there ways Hubpages can stop spammers & poor writers?

I think that Hub Hopping is still the best and most effective way of finding/flagging poor and spammy content on HP.

There have been a lot of suggestions regrading such actions, hopping and flagging poorly written or spamming articles is still the best way. Also Elite members spend considerable time checking just that when welcoming newly joined members. Unfortunately the list keeps growing.

I'm new here, so I wouldn't expect my words to carry a great deal of weight, but I'd be adverse to any kind of gatekeeper system that held up a stop sign to poor writers. To me, that's akin to stopping some 5-year-olds from attending kindergarten if they don't know all of their ABCs yet, or can't count to ten. Letting them into the proper environment helps them learn those skills, and everyone benefits from that as a whole.

Similarly, I think the environment here is fantastic and very conducive to the development of up-and-coming writers as well as those who are more established. I believe that if you see someone struggling (but trying) with respect to their writing, that's a mentoring opportunity. I'd prefer help them stand up, rather than kick them when they're down. (No offense to anyone who feels differently.)

Blocking people (other than spammers) from the Hubpages community just because they cannot write very well would be completely unfair. Where is the freedom of expression that we are supposed to be enjoying? Every one has a story to share, they may not have the language nor the skills to tell it and that is where we have more skilled people to help. So, why not have a panel of really good readers who may be willing to read poorly written articles, rewrite and publish them then get credit for them too. This will encourage people to bring their wonderful stories. I am here to share my stories and love of writing, not so much to build my reputation.

I agree. I think it hurts Hubpages overall to have low quality articles with horrible grammar.

Think about someone searching Google and coming on a poorly written or grammatically poor hub - will they ever trust Hubpages again for an article or will they discount anything they see that has the Hubpages name attached after finding subpar articles here.

Yes, Hub Hopping is really an important part of our job here. We need to read and comment on good articles and flag anything inappropriate.

I don't have any objection to poor writing, because HubPages is an excellent place to improve and to receive honest feedback, and also to read good quality writing that will inspire and serve as a learning tool. And I agree that we should all be allowed that right to freedom of expression. I don't think we should be allowed to banish people just because they lack the language skills to put their story across as eloquently as others. Give them a chance. They might come up with something incredible in the future. And you have the choice to vote it down if you don't like it.

But I do object to spammers, and I frequently flag any hub (when hub hopping) that is overtly promotional, and obviously spammy!

LW.

It's up to us in the community to flag those articles that are substandard. I have just flagged one that was titled 'Insurance' and the content was just asdlkgjfhaoweg repeatedly!

We have to keep an eye on the content here if we want our own articles to be well received by the search engines and readers. Flag substandard hubs, comment on the good ones and then let HP deal with the bad as they see fit, hopefully then we can keep our site tidy.

Without a doubt, action should always be taken to stop spammers.

On the other hand, what, exactly, is a poor writer?

Whether some one is a poor writer or an excellent writer is quite subjective. As a matter of fact, some of the best writings on the internet, and the best hubs on HubPages, that I have ever read have been by writers who had poor grammar and the such.

At the same time, some of the worst pieces I have ever read were written by "scholars."

I don't think it would be fair to stop poor writers. I think Hubpages is a great tool for those who aren't too great at writing to develop their skills and ability through various types of literature and creativity.

Positive comments and feedback from hubbers further allows those with a lesser quality writing ability to have the opportunity to understand where they may or may not need to improve on. Unfortunately, this is usually done by the number of comments on each hub rather than the comments themselves in my opinion.

Stopping spam is one thing but this site isn't like others such as Examiner which require writers to apply for positions. This is a site for everyone. So if you think the writing is of poor sub-standard quality it is your choice to follow or read it. Then define poor writers, some of us are always going to be at a higher level than others and that is how society in general works. So this may be a learning experience for some and a refining source for others. In any case its still about choice.

The kindergarten analogy does not work. HP expects that contributors already have decent writing skills before they sign up. If a writer needs extra help or practice, they should start a blog or take a writing class to sharpen their skills.

HubPages staff and editors don't want people with a poor grasp of English using this site for practice. They delete poorly written hubs all the time, and sometimes they ban whole accounts for having too many low-quality hubs.

There is no excuse for spamming. Poor quality hubs of new hubbers can be tolerated as long as they are free of spelling and grammar mistakes; even if it affects the credibility of hubpages. Since this is a problem affecting all of us, we have to take that extra effort and hub hop.