Yesterday I got a lot of comments on my post about "what to write about", which means the time spent with putting the post together was not a waste. Reading through the comments made me realize there's something that would be helpful to share as it may change a few people's view of how things work on Hive and in real life in general.
Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash
Let Me Tell You A Story
This is not fiction, it happened on Hive a few years ago and made me see things differently and understand why people do what they do.
Once upon a time there was a frontend on Hive, called Musing.io. Basically it served to ask questions and get answers from the community. Both questions and answers were curated by the community account, which had a considerable delegation from the guy who sold us to the highest bidder.
It was good fun as you could ask almost anything and get various answers as well as you could share your own point of view on different topics, by answering questions. I met a few interesting people during those times, became friends with them and because of the common interests, we're still good friends.
During those times there was a guy who stood out of the crowd and not for a good reason. I noticed him because he was literally everywhere and no matter what topic was discussed, he never shared his opinion, but was always saying "We have to do this, you have to do that" and all his comments referred to human behavior.
My reaction to these "brainwashing speeches" is always "We don't have to do anything. You do what you want, I do what I want and you don't get to tell me what I have to do on a personal level as that's my decision!" We're all grown ups, old enough to make our decisions.
I started avoiding him as his style became annoying. Then one day, when I had enough of him, decided to ask him openly why he always feels the need to lecture everyone, every single day as that is what he was doing, day in, day out.
He told me he was a community leader and his job was to educate and teach. After taking a deep breath, I told him that it may be true in his local community, wherever that may be, but not on Hive. We agreed to disagree as he was firmly convinced that it is his job to educate everyone and continued his campaign without hesitation.
Long story short, Musing went down, he started posting on his blog, then became inactive after some time as talking to the walls seemed not profitable for him. Most likely I wasn't the only one not interested in what he had to say as his posts were never rewarded.
Adjust Your Expectations
This was not a single isolated case. I've seen others feeling the urge to teach others on Hive at any cost. I suppose it's the culture and it may be normal for them. Being senior may also mean others have to listen to them, but that's not how it works in other parts of the world. Once you're eighteen, you can make your own decisions, your own mistakes and learn from them. This is how you can develop as individual.
Obviously no one can stop you from teaching or lecturing others, you're free to post whatever you want on Hive, just be aware that not everyone sees things like you do and adjust your expectations accordingly. What you think it may worth gold, may not be appreciated the same way by others.
This is when disappointment takes over, frustration settles in and you know the rest. You see users asking for votes openly, which is the last thing you want to do on Hive. You see them on Discord asking why they don't get curated, which can also backfire.
Just as I don't like staged and over edited, kitschy photos, vegans don't like my meat recipes, Muslims don't like my pork recipes and so on. It's everyone's right to like what they want and vote what they like. This is why it's important to find the right audience for your posts and not force things that don't work.
Following users with high reputation and stake, commenting on their post, hoping to get notices is something newbies do. Been there, done that, then comes the bucket of cold water, when you realize things don't work like that.
Hive has users from all over the world, literally. I don't have any statistics to back that up as you're free to remain anonymous and not disclose your location on Hive, but most users are open about the country they are blogging from, so you most likely have met uses from every continent.
This means they have different interests and what may seem normal to you, may not be acceptable to them. I've read posts saying that parents beating their children is done out of love. Where I come from this is called child abuse and it's punishable by law, you can go to jail for that. So life is not the same everywhere.
See The Opportunity
Hive being so colorful as far as the user base is concerned, should be seen as an opportunity to learn about different cultures, customs, you name it. This is all free and can help broaden your horizons a lot. It is a huge advantage, as it is for free, you can meet a lot of interesting people, make new friends that you can connect with in real life too, if you want. Some can see the opportunity and adapt, while others will always be limited to their local habits and knowledge.
If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:
- Communities Explained - Newbie Guide
- Cross Posting And Reposting Explained, Using PeakD
- Hive Is Not For Me
- How To Pump Your Reputation Fast - Newbie Guide
- Tips And Tricks & Useful Hive Tools For Newbies
- Community List And Why It Is Important To Post In The Right Community
I have read everything you wrote here and it can be concluded that there are still many things I have to learn here, thank you for writing this very useful article, especially for newcomers like me
We wish you success always and have a happy weekend ma'am🙏
Thank you @roronoa46. The truth is, there's always something to learn on Hive as development never stops.
Yes, of course I will implement it, but everything needs a process, direction from you of course we really need it right now
May good people like you always be in good health and happy ma'am🙏
People need to understand to see everything in the community as a whole. You can't get votes just by posting, even if you write good posts. You don't get votes just by interacting, even if you write great comments. You have to combine them. You have to really connect with people. Eventually you will get noticed, but expecting it right away is disappointing.
Engaging is hard work and takes time, why not get money for free, right? Well, Hive is for those who are willing to make an effort.
Thanks for taking the time to write this kind of post, which help us to understand much more about Hive. The beginnings are not always easy, that's why it is so important to have some kind of guidance. Blessings 🙂🤗🙏🏻🙏🏻
My pleasure. Beginnings are never easy, but if you're dedicated and really want to succeed, you can. There's always guidance.
You are absolutely right, dedication is fundamental. Grateful for your advice 🙂🤗🙏🏻.
This is a very interesting post that has inspired to write something I have been thinking a lot lately. The urge about other people telling you what to do AND wanting to get money out of it.
Btw: I saw your banner of Presearch. I have create an account but I am not sure how it works. Do you recommend any video or post about this topic? Thanks :)
I saw your comment last night, but in the meantime I guess I've also read your post you are mentioning here. If I'm right, isn't it nice to get inspired by reading a post? This is the beauty of Hive.
Presearch is paying you for searching. You can use those tokens for advertising, but I'm not interested in that, I'm just accumulating tokens as it's the right time for that. Google is centralized and pays nothing, on the contrary, it is using your search to flood you with ads.
Presearch has a Discord server as well, if you want to read more
https://discord.gg/rCBqhfgrFw
Perhaps partof the challenge/problem we face is that almost all newcomers primarily see Hive as a sort of "cash dispenser" FIRST, rather than as a social content site that just happens to dispense cash.
And that can set up some unfortunate expectations. I came here with pretty much no expectations and now I have 2700+ HP... so I see myself as way ahead of the game!
You are right and unfortunately onboarders are sometimes to blame as when you start your speech with "you can make money", you know that expectations are already high. I also started with nothing, not even with expectations as my goal was to practice English.
Great post, having recently joined Hive with a flurry, half expecting to make my millions in the first night, whilst having some crypto experience told me this wouldn't be the case.
Hive is a great platform to grow on, both as an individual and as a creator, it has a great way of cutting down those looking for quick fame or money. As you say, it seem to be more important to find your niche and what you enjoy and roll with that.
And as you suggest, I would also recommend people "see the opportunities", be prepared to dip your toes into some "new" niches, who knows what you might enjoy! There's endless possibilities on Hive for those willing to learn.
Those looking for quick fame or money are going to leave as fast as they came as disappointment will be big for them.
That's the only way. Also being open minded, instead of pushing what you want is key here.
You nailed it.
What I like about your posts is that you’re as open-minded as open-minded can be, and I believe that is how people need to be to enjoy Hive and create good relationships here. You’ll see a lot of strange things, things you don’t agree with and ones you don’t much about or have heard nothing about, but you’ll have to at least be willing to hear other people’s version of their stories and understand that things work differently everywhere.
You write these newbie guiding series posts from experience and that’s what makes it priceless. Writing it from memories and experience of back in the day when you just started, is what makes it helpful, because newbies really see their feelings, actions and mistakes in your writing. They’ll listen if someone they admire and look up to, and has also been in their position before tells them what works and what doesn’t from experience.
Being open-minded is the only way both here and in real life in my opinion. I've seen the opposite and the devastating effects of it. And of course I'm writing from experience as that's also the only true way. I've been a newbie once, have been through a lot myself and know what it means to be lost or to get help when you need it. We need to give back to the community, plus the community is as strong as the weakest link, so ... 😏
I love the way you practically share your experience here. The few times I have read your post, there is always an added value 👌
A chair might be placed on a mat but a lot of people will give different definitions of it, this simply means that everyone has their view about something.
Hive is indeed a rainbow- colored 🌈 block chain and meeting new and awesome friends is one of the main feature of hive that I love 😍.
Thanks for sharing this valuable information with us, @erikah
Again, I have learnt so much from reading your post. So much insight. I obviously still have a very long way to go and I don't mind the process. I'll just stay on my Lane and do my own thing as I consciously make an effort to learn from others.
Thank you @erikah
You're welcome and I'm glad to hear it was helpful. I think it's important to show people the other side too as most tend to not see or refuse to realize the importance.
Good luck and happy blogging.
This is a universal truth 💀.I'm doing this.But got to understand it doesn't work.
Only content matters.
I'm glad you can see that now.
Dear friend,
I don't know who are you?
But
Why you downvoted.
I am not fake and try to do something
I know you try to do something as it's clearly visible. You've been shitposting for a long time. You haven't voted anyone in the last 30 days, you're here only to milk DTube votes and cash out the liquid rewards. I'd like to let you know that the Hive reward pool is not your personal ATM. Rewards are for those who are making an effort to post quality, which obviously you are not doing. The downvotes will stay and if you continue your selfish act, the rest of the rewards that may occur, will be removed as well.
Okay
I am not knowledge about this.
From now i will follow your instructions.
Give me an opportunity
Kindly
#erikah
Kindly
Help me and pic up your downvote.
I am not your enemy.
I am just a beginner blockchain site.
Very cool photos taken with good angles and adequate lighting make the results of photos that are very good to the eye
Next time you make sure you read the post before commenting as the photos are not mine and the post is not about the photos.
That was extremely helpful and encouraging. Many thanks for sharing!
Yes, everyone's motives behind the hive are different, but I am in the hive to connect with like mindsets, I've learned so much in so little time spent here, and so many interesting cultures that it almost feels like I've been to the country before.
Being entitled to rewards in the hive will sap you of your joy when your expectations aren't met.
Just like you said, what is acceptable in my country might not be acceptable in yours.
We just want to broaden our horizons of knowledge and enjoy every bit of it.
I'm just two months in the hive, but it feels like I've been here for over a year, simply because I enjoy writing and meeting new people, I interact a lot with others here, and honestly, I'm getting addicted to hive, even if I don't get upvotes or reward I keep posting,because i'm here not primarily for the reward but for the love of writing and mingling.