The is the fourth (of five) tutorial/tips posts intended to help people get the most of their experience with the Hive Rocks initiative.
In the first tutorial, we covered where and how to find good rocks, the second tutorial covered types of paint and what to paint, and in the third tutorial we covered protecting your rocks from the weather.
The first two rocks I painted for Hive Rocks
Planting Your Painted Rocks!
You've made it this far, now it is time to set your painted rocks free out into the world with the hopes that somebody will find them and find their way back here to hive to let everybody know about it!
Before you do that, however, I suggest you take some pictures of your rocks. That's not only for your own records, but also so you can come back to the hive rocks community page and share a quick post with everyone about what you have set free for others to find.
Quick side note: As a matter of courtesy and good ”rock group etiquette” I'd like to suggest that you make the Hive Rocks Community Account at least a 10% beneficiary of your post. Of course that's not a requirement just a gentle suggestion!
A table like the ones in this public area might be a good place to leave a rock...
Now Comes the Fun Part!
What makes a project like Hive Rocks a true community effort is the fact that we are essentially creating art for the public domain.
The central premise of our community is that once you have painted a few (or many) different rocks you put them somewhere in a public area where other people are likely to find them. The idea is that people's day will be made a little bit brighter by finding your small work of art, and then they might look on the back of the rock and decide to make their way here to our group to let us know that they found one of our rocks.
Public art in our town. I've seen painted rocks set on the base, AND inside the center hole
Not only can you make new friends, it's also a way to build community membership!
Rock painting groups are not just some esoteric pastime for a handful of people, it has become immense popular. I live across the water from Whidbey Island, Washington, which has the world's busiest rock painting group with more than twenty thousand members!
Where Should I Hide my Rocks?
In general, there are no right or wrong places to hide a Hive Rock, but here are a couple of pointers:
Avoid putting your rocks on anything that might be interpreted as private property, or in places where they require ”opening hours” in order to be found. That might not seem like anything significant to you, but keep in mind that rock painting community groups have literally millions of members and you don't want to invite situations that might be interpreted as ”trespassing.”
In general, it's better to go with the principle of “hiding something in plain sight,” and avoid hiding your rocks so well that people are unlikely to find them.
If you like, take a fairly narrow angle photograph of the place where you hit a rock, and publish it as a ”hint” to where to find it. If you make a note of exactly where the rock is, you can even post a geolocation to the group.
Some of the more interesting places I have found rocks, includes on a bench near a local ferry terminal, at a bus stop, sitting at the base of a public art sculpture, under a park bench, and even on an outdoor table at a sidewalk cafe.
It's pretty much up to you, but do pick a place where there's a fair amount of foot traffic, increasing the chances that your rock will be found!
Spotted these inside a hollow tree trunk at a local park, a few weeks back. Left them there for someone else to find, but a good example of how people hide rocks.
Let People Know Your Rocks are "In Circulation!"
Once you've taken a picture of your rock, taken a picture of it in its hiding place and noted exactly where you left it, you have the basis for creating a brief post to let people know that rocks have "been set free."
Although it's not required, most people make a brief post about each rock hidden.
Most rock groups operate with Facebook pages; but this is HIVE so you get to post about it here!
As mentioned earlier, it would be good etiquette to make the Hive Rocks community account (@hive-127783) at least a 10% beneficiary in the rewards of the post.
Once you've created your post... we wait!
Next Time: I Found a Hive Rock! NOW What Do I DO?
In Part 5, we’ll cover the process to follow when you are the finder of a "Hive Rock!"
Thanks for joining us on this community building journey!
Hive Rocks Tutorial 4: Created 2021-12-23; Last update 2021-12-23
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