Perhaps you’ve noticed some buzz in the forums about a new challenge, not a 30-day challenge, which is the most common format we see, but rather a 60-day challenge.  This is a repeat of an effort launched by sunforged (interviewed for the HubPages blog last year) and is a great example of the cool initiatives hubbers independently launch on HubPages.

What makes the 60 day challenge particularly special is that it involves not only churning out hubs, but learning how to create good hubs.  Says the modest sunforged (who, by the way, is a new father!): “The background of The Challenge outlines comes mostly from stuff that was happening at Hubpages already – just all jammed together into one event with added elements of quality control and morale boosting via a writer/publisher workshop method.”

englightenedsoul

What is it like to go through the 60 Day Challenge? englightenedsoul was kind enough to share her experiences with us in the following Q&A:

HP: How did you first hear about the 60 Day Challenge?

ES: I heard of the 60 Day Challenge from the forum post made by Sunforged on Hubpages.

What did you initially expect from it?

Honestly, when I first joined I didn’t knew really what to expect. I looked at few experienced hubbers hublog and then made my goals for the 60 day challenge. And through collaborative efforts I achieved most of those.

What makes the 60 Day Challenge different from other HubPages challenges?

I would like to quote KCC Country’s word’s here. I think it is a perfect answer to this question:

This 60-day HubChallenge is more aggressive approach to writing hubs and following up with the proper promotion of them to optimize results. You will be strongly encouraged by your fellow hubbers to stick with it because it will benefit the entire group.  The 30 Day HubChallenge is like going to the gym a couple days a week where this 60 Day Challenge is like having a team with a personal trainer 7 days a week.

What was the hardest part of the challenge for you?

The hardest part for me was to complete my 30 hubs in 30 days. I really ran out of ideas but Sunforged’s tutorial hub really helped to overcome it.

What was the challenge’s greatest reward?

The challenge’s greatest reward would undoubtedly be the knowledge I gained from it. I also, got to interact closely with a team of talented and quality writers. They all have helped me at every step, showing me what to write, how to write, layout, keyword research, promotion, SEO and what not. In fact, even if I hadn’t earned a penny I would have still considered the challenge successful.

What kind of impact did the 60 Day Challenge have on your affiliate earnings?

The 60 day Challenge have reinforced the belief in me that I can make a living online and can make a living online at hubpages alone. Before the challenge I hardly used to see $3 a day in adsense, but now I am averaging $3-$4. The major impact of this challenge was on my Amazon affiliate earnings. In my first six months at hubpages, I never sold an item on Amazon but after the challenge, in the last 1 and a half months I have sold items worth $594 and earned $31.75 in commission. This challenge has made Amazon my first love.

Do you plan on doing the challenge again? What would be the benefit of doing so?

I absolutely would do this challenge again. This time the benefit would be tremendous as I would not be repeating the mistakes as I made in the first challenge. Also, I will be using the knowledge I have gained from the first challenge. I am expecting atleast a 300% increase in my performance as compared to the first challenge. Infact, if everything goes as planned, it will help me realize my dream of earning online. Looking forward to it.

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If you’re curious to read more about the 60 Day Challenge, check out our Learning Center entry on Hub Challenges.  While there is another 60 Day Challenge coming up soon, its space is limited, so chances are it’s already full!  That said, there is nothing to stop you from following sunforged’s guidelines, getting your own group together, and doing the Challenge yourself!  As sunforged proves, it is perfectly possible to take something on HubPages (the Hub Challenge), customize it, rally some friends, and create something truly amazing.