Which image shows the ASCII art better? One is a screen capture of ASCII art I posted as text to a blog. To display it as text rather than an image file (png, jpg or gif) I have to be satisfied with those lines running through it and the gaps too. I don’t like it, but so far it’s the best solution I have found to the problem of displaying text in an HTML world. I prefer using screen capture to display the ASCII art so it can show as I created it, in the text file.

Likely this is getting confusing for anyone who has not had the problem of making ASCII art work to be shown on the Internet.

I used to post ASCII art to HubPages and other online sites. I seldom do now because several people were leaving comments about the images being posted as an image file instead of as a text file (which they could grab with cut and paste – using without permission or assuming ASCII art is all free to take).

Well, I had set it up to display as an image gallery, just like photos, paintings and so on. The artist does not bring paint cans to the gallery and try to recreate all his or her work for the display. I see the ASCII art the same way.

Mainly, it is very difficult to get the ASCII art to display in plain text. Each site uses different software, HTML code and fonts. Every time I want to post ASCII art as text I would have to figure out how it will work on each individual site and sections on the site itself could be different. I did find some things which worked, sort of.

For blogs I found a plugin which displays the text in the right format but, it leaves it choppy looking, with bare lines between. I don’t like the look of it – but it is the best I have found so far. I’m still using it on this blog and my other blogs if I post a few ASCII art pictures I find on the web.

At this point I am done with trying to post text files anywhere online but in an actual text file which can be a clickable link from the HTML web page. Keep it simple.

If people want to complain they can go ahead and do so. But, no one should complain without offering me a solution to the problem of posting text in an HTML environment. If you don’t have a real solution, you should not complain about the solution I have found.

Note: This was originally posted on the HubPages site, June 2012. I have stopped writing at HubPages but still recommend the site for new writers or those who don't want to set up their own site or weblog.

I was thinking about what I get out of writing for HubPages and decided it would actually make a good post. Other writers should know the benefits, the less obvious benefits, to writing for HubPages or other networks.

Yes, you get paid. But, yes... you actually do get paid.
You get to practice in front of a live audience.
You get your name out there, on topics relevant to you and your interests.
You get to dabble in blogging without opening a site or buying anything.
You can work on your spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Meet other writers and other people sharing your interests or interested in you.
Promote yourself on social media by linking back to your accounts on Twitter and etc.
If you have a site you can give yourself back links and interlink between relevant posts.
Learn from the guides, tips and rules on the network. Watch for changes to how they do things and find out the reasons behind them.
Get fresh, new ideas from what other people are posting. Use the ideas in your own way.
Making Money at HubPages

My time writing for HubPages is a bit skewed. I opened an account and didn't start using it until about 3 years later. So my results are different from what your own may be. Of course, no one is going to have the exact same experience anyway.

However, when it comes to my time here versus my money earned, things are a bit complicated.

Still, as far as being paid by HubPages. I am getting paid and I am making money here. I signed up for other writing networks and did not get any money for my work and my time. In fact, I've only been paid for work on my own blog (which is outside of any writing network) and HubPages. None of the other networks have paid me a thing in the past year. So, of course, I am putting more into HubPages and my own sites.

My first payment from HubPags was just over $50 and I am halfway to a second $50 payment. Due to my own efforts - choosing topics, writing headlines, writing content and finding context, etc - I have made $25 in three months.

Now, if you look at your cost of living that doesn't seem like much. But, it's pretty good for a writing network. I know others are making more money in different ways. I'm not comparing apples and oranges though. I'm quite pleased with the money from HubPages.

Of course, the secret is time management. Don't over do it. Keep your time, work and the returns you get in balance.

There's More to Writing for a Network than Money

People always want to know about making money. But, as a writer, there is more you can get out of writing for an online network than money alone.

Don't forget the importance of feedback, building up your skills, learning how things work and building a reputation/ creating an online presence for yourself. Those are all real things you can get from writing for a network like HubPages.

I also like HubPages because it gives me a goal to work towards. When I write for myself I have no boss, no one looking over my shoulder or keeping me on track. I sometimes go off on my own and daydream about some new idea or write a post because it appeals to me, just me. Having a bit of a task master at HubPages is a good thing. You need to keep your focus, watch how and what you write/ post and you can see the results and set yourself goals to improving based on the numbers HubPages tracks for you.

Right now I'm working on getting traffic numbers up. I want to go from 10K to 100K around the end of this year. It may be too much to reach for. But, I'm past the quarter point. Progress, even if I may fall short at the end, I can still see things might work out. I'm pushing extra buttons by promoting my posts, linking to them and continuing to write new posts.

Why Not Give HubPages a Try?

I'm not going to stick in a referral link here. If you do join I would appreciate the referral but I'm Canadian and I'm just not comfortable asking for something for myself.

But, if you have read this and think writing for a network is a good idea, try HubPages. You don't have to pay to join, you don't even have to start writing right away. Think about it, consider how useful it could be for you and then give it a spin.

Send me a note when you make your first post. I'll leave you a welcome comment.

*Note: This was originally posted to HubPages, February 2012. I'm no longer writing at HubPages but the advice to people who write for network sites is still true and worth knowing. *

To my fellow HubPages writers,

I've been writing with HubPages for a few months. I had joined years ago, but I wasn't writing Hub posts until recently.

My writing experience online comes from other sites, other writing networks and my own sites which I create, maintain and promote. I have moderated forums, email lists and newsletters. I have guest posted and I have accepted guest posts. I have begun working as a content curator. In the past I have been a web directory editor for The Open Directory Project and a less well known directory, BOTW. I have written for known and unknown sites like LockerGnome, Suite101, BackWash, have any Hub writers heard of these? Chances are you have not.

HubPages has become it's own little microcosm, it's own little closed in and sheltered world. The traffic here is mainly from inside the network or Google. This is not really a good thing.

Google is like a bird, picking at bits of food in a huge log on the forest floor. The Google bird just snips up one snack at a time. It doesn't dive in and find more or tell anyone else to come and see what great snacks there are in this tree. Everything Google finds becomes part of its database and someone has to search for it in order to find you. In Google, your content is just a little bug waiting for another bird to dig for it, with the right words.

There are so many other sources for traffic! Most Hub writers are not usingTwitter, for instance. Twitter is simple to use. It would also let Hub writers talk outside of HubPages which is a good thing because it promotes HubPages - outside of HubPages. Twitter is only a beginning... StumbleUpon, Tumblr,Pinterest, Snip.it, Flickr... Are these foreign lands to you? Then it's time to set your eye on the horizon and explore them.

You can promote your Hub posts in so many fresh, new places. Places you will enjoy exploring, places you will find new ideas to write about, meet new people with your interests and interesting sidelines to your interests.

Start your own blog on WordPress.com or Blogspot. It's free in those places. Link to your Hubpages account, post links to your lastest Hub article and invite discussion. Yes, you want people to comment on your Hub, but they have to get there first. Post the best Hub comments on your blog, as a way to lure readers from the blog onto your Hub post where they can add to that discussion. However, don't use your blog or any social media as just a way to promote your HubPages account. That is a slippery slope.

It takes time to use social media or a blog well. They should never be used as just a feed for your Hub content. Why would someone read a carbon copy? Have original content, things you don't post at HubPages. Post ideas you find and may write about. Post updates to old Hubs you have written and, of course, link back to the original Hub content. Post about a bad day, post about your new achievements and goals you are setting for yourself.

Each place you land in, establish a presence in, will bring you new readers and give HubPages new life outside of itself. This will bring traffic from outside of HubPages, those places where most people have never heard of HubPages or think it's not worth visiting. Reach out there and change their minds.

I don't know if there are rules about posting traffic stats on HubPages. I don't mind to share mine, to show my work.

My Hub traffic reaches out past Google. I get traffic from my own blog where I have added a link to my HubPages account right along with my Twitter, StumbleUpon and etc. accounts. I put in time on Scoop.it, content curating for topics which relate to the Hubs I write. While I do link to my own posts there, I also link to some of yours on HubPages and other sites.

On my blog you will see a wider variety of traffic sources. Some of these come from comments I have left on other sites and blogs. Some are networks I have joined. I also exchange links with other bloggers, web writers and friends online. I even get a little traffic from a writer's network which is now abandoned by the owner.

So you can get traffic from a lot of places, even those which aren't especially active. The key is in the focus of the site, especially in the case of a small or inactive site. People wind up there, with the focus of whatever the topic or niche is. If they find your link, chances are you will get clicked on because they came looking for your kind of content.

So far my favourite camera for urban (and rural) exploration has been the Panasonic digital camera. It was the second digital camera I bought myself. At the time 10X zoom was the most I could find on a simple digital camera (without going for the more expensive SLR cameras). That first Panasonic was a DMC TZ3 with various other features, like a wide angle, which I didn't really get into using. It was the zoom I wanted.

When I go out to explore an abandoned place the thing I most want is to view it closer. Between having the path physically blocked by fallen debris, cement blocks and legally blocked by no trespassing signs and my own sense of how far I should go - it can be difficult to get up close and see all the details of the old places. Often, I would find more detail when I had a look at my photos at home even. So, getting a camera which could travel the distance for me was of real importance.

I also found the Panasonic was great (exceptionally great in my opinion) for capturing everything in accurate colours and shades and for not showing camera shake and thus getting everything in sharp focus.

After a few years I decided it would be nice to have a new camera and by then I could also get more than 10X the zoom. I looked online to see which camera I could get a lot of zoom from without spending more than I had in my budget for a camera.

My next camera was (is) a Fujifilm FinePix SL300 with 30X zoom (super wide). It is nice for the extra zoom but, I don't find it as good as the old Panasonic. Maybe you do get more for your buck in the camera world. I did spend more for the Panasonic (especially counting the years between purchases) than I did for the FujiFilm. Still, I'm happy enough with it.

One problem with going up higher in zoom power was the thickness of the camera lens. I can't fit it into my purse any more. This camera requires it's own carrying case/ bag. So, I bought a small Canon camera on impulse one day. It fits in my purse and it's there for anything I want to get a snap of. (I had given my nephew my Panasonic but later gave it back to myself when he left it behind when he went to university). Mainly the Canon is good for family photos, the odd quick photo of something interesting while I'm out shopping, running errands and all that day to day ordinary stuff which doesn't require a better camera.

Anyway, next time a new camera comes up in the budget... or, to be honest, next time I decide to stretch the budget mercilessly, I will buy another Panasonic Lumix. This one I have bookmarked on Amazon (see photo above) looks absolutely marvelous and it has 60X zoom!

I just searched for red camera bags because that's what I'd like to find. It needs to be easy to deal with when you want to grab your camera and put it away again quickly. Usually I want to be quick when I have to deal with things like taking photos in the rain or being attacked by animals (usually birds and bees in my experience).