HubPages vs My Own Site

I've been thinking about leaving HubPages and have been giving this whole thing a lot of thought. Should I continue on HubPages or create my own site and post articles there? Here are some pros and cons of creating my own blog, to kind of help flesh things out a bit:

Blog Pros

• I get 100% of the earnings
• I have complete control of the site from the design to the SEO
• Sharpen my web dev skills. Chances are I would use Drupal (I don't care for WordPress.) I would want a lot of customization in the way of plug-ins.
• It could be a lot of fun managing my own site.
• I wouldn't have to worry about a bunch of crappy or stolen content dragging down my domain. I would be the only one posting.
• Having your own site is something to be proud of.
• No Westside story Facebook drama.
• I think I could make a pretty strong domain. I've done it before. I think a lot of the "crap" weighs HubPages down. Cutting the crap wouldn't be a matter of hitting a report button, but rather, just deleting it.

Blog Cons

• I would have to pay for a domain name and hosting
• Creating and maintaining a site is a lot of work.
• I would have to rely on AdSense clicks again.
• I'm really sick of the whole SEO thing. As lazy as it sounds, I feel like I'm on autopilot with HubPages.
• It would get lonely. My comments would come solely from search engine visitors.
• Too much control could lead to micro-managing.
• No more eBay... not that I earn a ton from it, anyway.
• No HubScore. Even though HubScore is generally worthless, a score below 70 does kind of let me know, "Hey, Melanie, you really need to work on this on."

So, what's the verdict? Well, I'm going to give my own site a trial run. I finish the apprenticeship here soon and I think, while I'm finishing up some of those last hubs, I'll work on starting my own site. I already own a good domain, so I think I'll be good to go.

What do you think? Should I stay with HubPages or develop my own site?

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Watermelon Slushie

I made this watermelon slushie the other day (it was that super hot day we just had) and it was amazing! I made it from a half of one of those smaller sized seedless watermelons, a syrup I made, and ice. It was fab!

I'll publish the full recipe in the next few days for those of you who are dying to try this.

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Embarrassing Technology Story?

What's your most embarrassing technology story? What's something you did with your computer that was super dumb?

When I first started using the Internet (this was 1997), I went to the library in town and their homepage was the State of Michigan website. I couldn't figure out how to get off that site. I kept searching in the site's search box for "Hotmail", but it kept taking me to State of Michigan search results. I knew nothing of the address bar.

I told you my story, now tell me yours. :)

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Funny Dinosaur Pictures

This post has been moved. You will be redirected to Funny Dinosaur Pictures shortly. :)

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Christian Words for Vagina

My sister and I were bored so we came up with some Christian words that mean "vagina." This list is the result of snarky moods and being up at 2AM. What do you think? Anything funny that we missed? Let me know! :P Enjoy and share! (Note: She's a Christian, I'm atheist)

Cave of Commitment
The Holy Hole

Mop of Matrimony

The Promised Land

Covenant Cavity

Pledge Pocket

Passage of Promise

Sacred Split

Obligation Station

Marriage Land




(Copyright 2012, Melanie Shebel)

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Let's Install Ruby & Learn to Program!

If you've never programmed, you should really give it a shot! It's a lot of fun and even if you don't really know what programming is useful for... even if you know you'll never want to become a developer, just try out Ruby.

I don't write software professionally, but I still have fun programming. I've also noticed throughout my school career that I have really poor math skills. After learning to program, I went back to school and there was a noticeable difference in my ability to learn math. I really believe it has sharpened my logic and reasoning skills.

If you're 100% lost in what to do with Ruby once you install it, there are a bunch of easy-to-follow guides that will get your started. This is how I started!

To get started, you'll need to install Ruby. Here's how to install Ruby in Windows. I promise programming will challenge you in a fun way! Enjoy!

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Stepping Into Some New Shoes

I've really been missing niche blogging. I really loved managing multiple blogs on different themes. I know that sometimes it can get a little hectic, but I think it's time I stepped back into it -- I loved it too much!

I just started two niche blog. One will have a ton of content I've recycled from some of my now defunct niche blogs. I put a fresh perspective on the content and found a really nice way to tie it all together. I'm really excited about it. I don't have the domain on this one yet. I'll have to shop around for something nice for it.

The other blog will be on a topic that I've never tried a niche blog on, so it'll be a new experience. I'm really excited about this one too. I've the domain name for this one already, I just need to start putting content on it.

I'm going to kind of do these blogs the same way I do my HubPages account: quality. I'm not going to make it a "Melanie's gonna talk about nothing" thing like I do here on CodeGurl. :P

In other news, my legs are in some bad muscle pain. Two days in a row of ballet legwork and I feel pretty wobbly. :S

Listening to: "New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini

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