Bubblews betrayed its most loyal members
@RonElFran (1214)
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
November 16, 2015 12:48pm CST
I've written several HubPages articles about my experiences as a Bubblews user. In each of them, even while trying to give Bubblews the benefit of the doubt, I emphasized that the site's biggest problem was not bad management (which it definitely had), but the lack of integrity with which it treated its writers.
Bubblews was well known for not paying what users were owed. Many who were booted off the site believed their accounts were closed for some claimed but invisible violation of the terms of service, so that Bubblews could avoid paying them. And there was much more along those lines.
But still, there were "bubblers" who stayed loyal to the site. Even in the days just prior to the shutdown, I saw many comments from users talking about how much they loved the site and the community of people they interacted with there. Many continued to post articles, believing, or at least hoping, that by doing so they were helping the site to survive.
Then Bubblews shut down with no warning, and without allowing users any time to retrieve the articles they had posted there. True to the form it had displayed throughout its history, the site showed no care or concern about those who had invested so much time and effort there. Not to mention all the money earned by writers that now will never be paid.
IMO all of us who wrote for Bubblews have been treated very shabbily. But those members who stayed loyal to the site through all the upheavals of the past year and more, through all the broken promises and refusals to make things right, have a special right to feel betrayed.
They were.
22 people like this
18 responses
@briggsy326 (120)
• Glasgow, Scotland
16 Nov 15
Personal opinion here but Bubblews biggest problem was that for far too long they were offering to pay much more money than they were ever bringing in. ;)
5 people like this
@RonElFran (1214)
• Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
16 Nov 15
Yes, that's what they said when they refused to pay money owed prior to November 1, 2014. But, IMO, that way of operating, promising what they didn't know they could pay, reflected a lack of integrity.
3 people like this
@lovebuglena (44537)
• Staten Island, New York
16 Nov 15
It seems that is exactly what happened. It was too good to be true to last long especially when during the time of "old" Bubblews a lot of people were cashing out every few days.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
17 Nov 15
@RonElFran and we should believe that after all the lieing they have do ne? phooey I hated that they did not p ay a lot of s lo yal users after nov11 2 014 just because of some scamers I lost 400 dollars from the jerksl I should have left thejn bu had no place to write so i sta yed.
1 person likes this
@RonElFran (1214)
• Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
16 Nov 15
@boiboing, for me the problem is that they made promises they didn't know they could keep without informing users they were taking a risk of not being paid. That's an integrity issue. And they didn't pass the test.
2 people like this
@DanieGirl80587 (2713)
• United States
16 Nov 15
You're very lucky you got that much! Holy cow!
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
16 Nov 15
@DanieGirl80587 Many people got a lot more and a lot of them were cheats.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
16 Nov 15
They never respected their writers or writing. A lot of stuff on the site was garbage. The people who wrote well were never really recognized for it. The ensuing circus once they told us that what they were doing wasn't sustainable was unprofessional and completely lacking in integrity. I knew it pretty early on though and just moved on.
3 people like this
@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
17 Nov 15
@hereandthere Maybe they bamboozled themselves on that count. From the start they called it a social networking site but it was set up in a way that made it a great writing site. Minimum word counts and the ability to promote your writing elsewhere aren't really necessary on a site set up solely for social networking. Seems obvious to me that the concept wasn't very thoroughly thought through.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
17 Nov 15
@koopharper if bubblews was created to be a writing site, why didn't they have detailed writing guidelines?
2 people like this
@RonElFran (1214)
• Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
16 Nov 15
@koopharper I think you are exactly right: "They never respected their writers or writing." What an epitaph!
3 people like this
@DanieGirl80587 (2713)
• United States
16 Nov 15
Wonderful way of putting their sleazy ways to rest. I truly do feel sorry for all the loyal members that stayed and hoped for that last redemption.
2 people like this
@RonElFran (1214)
• Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
16 Nov 15
That, for me, is the worst part - so many people continued to believe that Bubblews would mend their ways and do right by those who stuck with them. They were not treated well.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317041)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
16 Nov 15
I was loyal until a week ago when I felt the site was about to die. I've gotten all my payouts as promised, and never had a bad incident with the site except they didn't answer e-mails. I'll miss the site, but since most if not all those who were on the site are migrating here, there is still going to be the great interaction as I had there. I'm looking forward to it and have already seen and interacted with a number of them since I started here about a month ago.
3 people like this
@lovebuglena (44537)
• Staten Island, New York
16 Nov 15
The site was definitely not perfect. It had its share of issues and enough of them. Most people still stayed with the site hoping it would get better. It seemed to progress in the other direction however.
2 people like this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
17 Nov 15
@RonElFran yes we assumed wrongly that they were 3 honest young men strike the word honest. IL will not be fooled again I am now on m ylot only ant hats great.
1 person likes this
@RonElFran (1214)
• Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
16 Nov 15
Yes, @lovebuglena, there were many who stayed loyal to the site and hoped for it to survive. I wish they had been treated better.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
17 Nov 15
We got zipfrom them for hanging in there but I think i was do ing it more foir the fri ends who unlike me did noit join the new mylot I feel betrayed as i did n ot get to save a one of my nearly five thousand post 3years wasted ugh hope they get a taste of karma that it bites them ib their butts. ugh.
2 people like this
@Jotomy (6322)
• India
17 Nov 15
I am not worried about my articles there because it is all about daily transactions around us, but I earned a lot and it is the site helped many people they earned in huge, don't know the reasons why they shutdown, I felt sorry and felt disappointed when I see that message on the screen saying that they are going to shut down the site. But still I say thanks to that site, because I learned basic blogging things from that platform.
2 people like this
@yalul070 (1713)
• Manila, Philippines
17 Nov 15
honestly when i first learned that Bubblews has finally shut down, i felt sad but not that sad because it was kinda expected. but the more i read about it, i'm started to get mad again. not because i also lost money there, it's actually trivial. but because of the false hopes and the lack of integrity (as you say) or concern from the managers of the site, that even the closing post was still devoid of apology nor remorse. it's all because of the climate? oh i really hope somebody will teach these guys a lesson so they will never ever be able to victimize other people again.
2 people like this
@lookatdesktop (27134)
• Dallas, Texas
17 Nov 15
It was a real drag on my emotions when I read their posting a few days ago. I am having trouble adjusting. I will manage. I have lived with my share of disappointments in the past and hope for better days ahead.
1 person likes this
@softbabe44 (5816)
• Vancouver, Washington
17 Nov 15
That's just not right treating members like that so unprofessional.
1 person likes this
@ThankyouLord (698)
• St. Petersburg, Florida
18 Nov 15
Well, it's over. Done. No point now in looking back. Many people benefited, overall, in more than just money. Some people got hit hard. Smart ones got out early when it was apparent the money was not coming as promised. It was a journey. And like life, not everyone is honest, so you need to always go in with your eyes open. But many friendships were made, and who can put a price on that?
