The Story of HubPages
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HubPages
The Story of HubPages
In January of 2006, Paul Edmondson, Jay Reitz, and Paul Deeds left their families and fiancés behind and moved into a three level house that already had a cat. The house, located in Berkeley, California is under construction, but that didn't stop us from setting up shop in the garage. No, this is not a sitcom, or wait, maybe it is.
Let me introduce you to the characters. Me, Paul Edmondson, I started this thing while working in a bike storage closet with no windows in San Luis Obispo, California. They say the lack of sun can make you do crazy things, and nothing is as crazy or exciting as starting a new company. My role was to come up with the idea and raise money to keep it going. I'm 50% there. Updated: We just completed a series A investment from Hummer Winblad, but it turns out I'm no where near done
Jay is one of the two engineers. With a high set of standards, not limited to how his coffee is prepared, Jay has supplied a tremendous amount of the javascript that makes the Hub tool function, and is also good for a dry side comment now and then.
Paul Deeds is the other half of the engineering. Known to be the fastest typist in the room, he hammers out the object model, and uses his gifted eye to tune the UI of the site. When he's not coding he may listen to the blues, or the Kid From Brooklyn.
Frodo the Cat is a large cat. For whatever reason, Frodo took a liking to our couch and my bed. And when I say liking, I mean he likes to pee on them frequently. After cleaning and flipping my mattress we had to retire it to the dump along with the couch.
We eat frequently at two neighborhood restaurants. Mehak for lunch is an all you can eat Indian buffet. It's responsible for a few extra pounds on me. The owner smiles and waves at us, but I can't remember him ever saying a word, even though he's there every time we come to eat. The Lane Splitter is a little bit more of a walk, but a favorite for late night pizza and beers. We've had a few memorable nights at the Lane Splitter. Most recently when a very large lady locked herself in the bathroom with her suitcase and the waitress became very upset and picked the lock. She opened the door with the lady sitting on the toilet and told her to leave. She didn't leave. I suggested she take her suitcase. It worked. The very large lady came storming out. Yelling very loudly. None of us were quite sure why she needed to be in the bathroom that long, but never-the-less, it made it another eventful evening at the Lane Splitter.
So, after nearly six months of development, one mattress sent to the dump, one couch sent to the dump, countless pots of perfect coffee, many lunches and dinners at Mehaks and the Lane Splitter, we are asking our friends and family to help us create the original footprint of content on Hubpages....To be continued, no doubt, comedy will ensue.
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Nice to get to know everyone!! Loving the site so far, cant wait to watch it develope!!
Thanks Arahorn! Love to hear your feedback on what you would like to be added or improved.
awsome Post, I like Hubpages so far, it's a good way to spend my time,
keep that up!
Its a good idea. I think it will go far. A little bit more functionality, a bit more of a single hub page with ability to add on (al a Blogspot etc), and a little less showing the backend (capsules on the page the public see) and all will be well with the world. love the idea.
Hi Rovi, Thank you for the feedback. We are listening and incorporating it into the product. Look for more functionality soon.
Thanks again for the feedback,
Paul
I like Hub so far. Still playing with the functions.
Where can I add my own HTML -- which capsule?
Keep up the good work.
I am a Grandma and love learning new stuff.
We don't allow html now, but we may soon. Thanks for the feedback.
What a marvelous saga! Your hard work and devotion are evident all over the site! Thank you can't wait to see what wondrous works are in store for the future!
Madame Sosostris, Thank you for the kind words. We hope you enjoy HubPages and feel free to send us feedback.
Really happy about hub pages.You can express all you want.all i do now when an idea pops in to my mind (even something very trivial)is to write about it in hubpages.Way to go Paul.
Hi Rachitha, I'm glad you're enjoying it and I look forward to seeing more of your posts.
I like the extra money. Thanks for the idea bank thing in November. I will try to add more to those later. At least you got the spot in Berkeley, try three guys many miles and states away putting in the work in the evenings. :) Luck on this, great traffic so far. I will contribute more as I can.
gooadam, Glad to read your getting great traffic and making a bit of money.
Good luck on the startup. Let me know if I can help you out with any startup questions.
Wow, you guys have really done a good job on this hub thing! You've gotten me addicted. I like the spirit of the thing!
Susan Peters
AskSusanPeters, I'm glad you're enjoying it. You pet pages are great. Thank you for answering my questions about dogs. It's experts like you that make HubPages work.
i'd like to see some more on how the company is doing and where it is now
I'm so enjoying this means of expression. Thanks for creating such a great site and I wish you incredible success!
Guru-C, Thank you. We're glad you are enjoying the site.
Thanks for giving us a way to post our opinions!
Paul, THANK YOU for this wonderful site!! And vehicle for me to reach dog owners with problems. Gratefully, Dennis Fetko, Ph.D., aka "Dr. Dog"
wow what a great find.. the story of hub pages revealed! any updates? still in the attic? still chasing crazy ladies out of locked bathrooms? do tell..
I love a good backstory!
Nice story. You and weird Al. SLO is on a roll!
Still behind you all. I am following the story though I do not understand all the jargon used. Hoping to learn. You said I can ask you anything. I still do not really understand how RSS works though I have read what it means. Can you tell me in simple English. Thanks.
ITS PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME OOOOOO YAHHHH
This is a new experience for me and I am so looking for to being an active part of a creative adventure. Thanx for the invite and the background.
No way! I have met one of the founders. My pleasure! Aloha!
Paul Edmondson, Found this hub through an excerpt from fellow hubber, Chuck. Good reading. Kind Regards
I WILL write today, and Hubpages is the incentive I need,
xoxox
So 4 years later and here you are!! WOW, great job with the site, I bet you have experienced things you never would have imagined since the birth of Hubpages. Well, keep up the good work, I am new and I am ADDICTED!! LOL I just really need to learn this "monetizing" process and I should be fine. I love to write but I also love to make money ;) I have a feeling I will be here for a good long while!
Congratulations on a successful project! Your team did us all a big service and I thank you.
What happened to the cat?
I don't know. But deeds does.
@ped, I think that HubPages should implement a "follow" feature for hub comments, so that people like deeds can follow comments on hubs like this one. Without this feature I'm going to have to email him this link, or ask him in person, which seems like *such* a hassle...
I just read this for the first time. Great story. :) I will read on. . .
The history of HubPages, this hub should be featured in the blog or something!
I love to hear the story behind the success. Cannot thank you and the team enough for HubPages!
YoJDawg 5 years ago
Hub Pages for life