Hal's 2,500th & Last Hub. Peace. Out.

This is my 2,500th and last Hub. I figured I'd go out a winner (although some would say "a weiner") before I got stale (although some would say "staler").

There are so many people in the Hubpages organization and among the Hubber community that I am completely in awe of that I can't even mention one without all the others, and the complete list alone would be considerably longer than this Hub. Let it suffice to say that there are many Hubbers who I will always fondly remember and who I'd like to thank for being such a wonderful part of my life. As for the Hubpages management and staff: In 35 years in the writing business I have never been involved with a better, friendlier, more supportive organization. They are absolutely the best in the online publishing industry, and nothing more needs to be said. Period.

Looking back on 2,499 Hubs, I have to admit that I am very proud of a number of them:

75 Sarah Palin Joke One Liner "Quotes"

The Canadian Capital District - The Solution To Finally Achieving English & French Equality

Family Guy Hacks A Cat To Death: Humor Or Repugnance?

Padre Pio: Stigmata Of God

All About Me & My Father

86 Mac Plus Vs. 07 AMD DualCore. You Won't Believe Who Wins

Hotmail Fails To Deliver Up To 81% Of All Attachment Emails

Hal's Master Motorcycle & Scooter MPG Reference Hub

Top 100 Ugliest Motorcycles In History - The Ultimate List!

Hal's Ride Along Motorcycling Memory Lane

... and every Hub I've written about Obama being a Communist.

Some have been wildly successful, drawing up to 130,000 page views in one 24-hour period. Others haven't drawn flies. I'm proud of them due to their content, not by what traffic they did or did not draw. I seem to have a slightly different view on online writing than most web authors. I feel it's important to place real quality content on the internet, not just google bait. Yeah, google bait makes money, but as an ol' skool journalist I still have an outmoded concept of writing: I prefer to write primarily for the reader not for the income. That's why I'm working around the clock to make the rent while imbeciles are pulling in five figures a month with illiterate websites on Justin Bieber.

There are many more than these rarefied and quality few Hubs that I really have to shake my head and wonder what I was thinking when I wrote them... and why I would ever actually post them. They're an enormous pile of Philistine dreck. I've written a huge load of junk to share the platform with my better Hubs, and if I had my druthers, I'd probably delete well over 2,000 of the ones that were primarily or even strictly mercenary. Even though Hubs about flipflops and footie pjs make me an ongoing incremental income, I still can't justify writing about them. I don't wear them, I don't like them, I don't care about them, and the money those Hubs make buys me a Big Mac a month. I would have rather not had the money (or the calories for that matter), and been able to uphold my journalistic principles.

I've done a lot of experimenting with various forms of online articles, subject matter, layout, and although I have discovered various approaches which I prefer over others, I have yet to come up with any concrete and objective "best way" to do a Hub. What tips can I share with ongoing Hubbers? I've already written pretty well everything I learned at the 1,000 Hub level in:

What I've Learned From Writing 1,000 Hubs

But this may be a bit of an update:

• Be literate
• Don't write junk just because you think that you'll make #1 on Google
• Use this exact layout with the big Ebay ad at the top
• Don't use Kontera
• Don't expect to make Misha-money on every Hub you write

I'm also no longer going to be answering any comments, effective immediately. I have my plate stacked high with a huge pile of freelance writing work and I feel it's just best to turn and walk away.

Therefore, with a tear in my eye I bid adieu to Hubpages, its amazing staff, and its incredible community of phenomenal Hubbers. I've had death threats and compliments beyond my wildest dreams... and everything inbetween. It's been a great three year run. Keep on Hubbin' forever... as Hal rides off into the sunset!