Yesterday I read a post by one of the "older" Hive users that struck a chord. We both started on the other blockchain I can't bring myself to mention and have stayed active and consistent for five years and more. Her post was aimed at newer members and, whilst firm, I believe it's a good message for new users to read, understand and employ.
You can read that post I mentioned above, by @erikah, by clicking here if you like.
It made me think about what it takes to gain traction here: Followers, relationships and votes, and what it takes to maintain that over time.
Relationships are key here, for those wishing generate some revenue, and keeping them is important to ongoing success and enjoyment. I'm going to use the word nurture here because that's what we're doing when it comes to those we attract to us and care about; nurturing, caring for and respecting relationships, once we've gained them. But that's not what this post is about today, just the thoughts behind it.
Is your post feed sharp or dull
That's the question and it applies to everyone on the blockchain I believe. More specifically though, what, if anything, are you doing to keep your post feed sharp, interesting and engaging to others in the community so that they may keep coming back for more?
We all do things differently and have different ideas, likes and dislikes, however we all have the need to keep those who initially showed enough interest in us to come by and stay a while, interested moving forward so they keep coming back.
This is especially the case in Hive. Doing the same thing we always did might, over time, become dull and boring and that's possibly going to impact upon our relationships, followers and votes. Life moves forward and I believe if we don't also move forward personally life could overtake us completely; with Hive blogging this could be tantamount to moving backwards. I believe it's in a person's best interest to keep things sharp, to consistently add interest, vibrancy and colour to one's posts which, theoretically, will keep existing relationships consistently interested. Another benefit could be that blogging stays more interesting to the individual as well of course.
I believe being interesting to others is one of the most important elements to keeping them around, to keep coming back for more. A relationship in the offline world is a good example; if things get boring people drift away - variety is the spice of life_ as they say. Could the same be said for Hive? I believe so.
I'd like to hear what you personally do to keep your followers around, and what you do to attract them in the first place.
Feel free to comment below and share some of your methods of keeping your post-feed and relationships sharp; you never know, your answer could provide the inspiration and impetus someone else needs to stick around, make a few changes and, and push forward.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
Any images in this post are my own
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Hello dear @galenkp a pleasure to read you, I do it more than you think I don't comment you sometimes something else, hahaha, I agree with you on this:
For example I see my mother suffering to use a smart phone that we inherited her a Redmi Note 7, she can't manage it completely because she convinced herself that she is old, that she forgets everything and that she can't, in a few words she programmed herself.
Seeing her in that makes me reflect, because I do not want to fall into the same thing no matter how old she may become, but sometimes without reaching old age we can stagnate in many aspects of life and HIVE is no exception, I am currently getting out of my head that not but to create writings or creative writing publications, thanks to your weekend proposals and those of @millycf1976 with her contests in the Cinnamon Cup Coffee community (@hive-152524), plus I have taken the motivation given to me by friends and colleagues of HIVE, who have told me that I can that I just have to put it into action and go polishing, so there I go one step at a time and convinced that I will be able to create content from another angle.
On the other hand, something that I have known for a long time and that for me is vital to attract attention are the titles, because they must give or rather cause some curiosity or desire to know what is in those later lines, the first lines many times are also vital for people to stay reading or leave, just like the cover photo.
And as I am someone very visual, I usually give importance to how something looks, so I worry about my publications look good, that they are pleasing to the eyes, greetings.
I think writing, keeping the brain active through the creativity of writing, can keep us engaged with our inner thoughts and feelings and can keep the brain active. As we get older that's important I believe.
Titles are indeed important as, along with the image, it's the first thing people see. It's like when I see [eng/esp] in a title, I know I'll have to wade through the English text interspersed between text I can't read, and so I simply don't open the post...All based purely on the title.
Thanks for your input and sorry for the late reply, I've had a few things happening that required my attention.
I don't read a bit of English and I look for ways to read English publications like yours.
Yes, I understand and I did so in the past also, however due to life and its complexities in the offline world I just don't have the time to do so. I have to prioritise the various elements if my life on and offline so that those things that are truly important get the attention they deserve.
Get good at being genuinely interested in others. Be engaging; listen and Ask questions. People are often drawn to you when you take an interest in them. People are often drawn to those who are like-minded as well. Naturally, we want to stick around people who builds up people who make them feel valued and appreciated.
That's a good tip for newbies and oldies alike! Being genuinely interested in others will mean better relationships for sure. I think it also brings more personal enjoyment. This is the case on and offline.
I went to read the post that you mentioned and I couldn't agree more. :)
Hmm I personally haven't thought so much about this whole thing because I am not really a social media person and public relations is definitely not my strength. I am not sure if this could be a tip, but I read quite widely on Hive and if I find interesting posts, I would upvote and/or comment. (Fun fact, I actually spend much more time reading/curating posts than writing my posts.) Sometimes, one gets to know more people this way and that's also how I found new communities like Weekend Experiences!
Reading other people's posts and commenting on them us a legitimate way to attract people. Once they're attracted though, we need to keep them interested and that's not always easy. It seems like you're on the right track though.
Thanks @galenkp for this article. Success is what everyone wants in what they get their hands on. but unfortunately some don't succeed because they try to cut corners, avoiding the hard right and choosing the easy wrong path, but for some they are just not properly guided or informed. I remember going through a users blog here on hive and asked "please how can I thrive on this space". his response was very shallow. Almost discouraged, but I continued.... Your post exposes more why I havent gotten it right these while... thanks once again @galenkp
Cutting corners may seem like a good idea however it will rarely result in something lasting and usually ended badly. Applying effort, passion and some personality is a better way forward here, and if outbound engagement (reading and commenting on other people's posts) is done well relationships will form over time.
I don't like to hear that someone gave you a short and valueless reply to your questions on how to improve. I don't know the situation so won't comment much, but urge you to continue asking questions, in the right way of course, and the answers will come.
Thanks @galenkp I will do as you said.
It's a tough balance for me; some days I'm all in and love to chat and engage...other days, work comes piling down on my head like a pile of bricks and I get checked out.
I've always been a spaz in my interests...I think if one wants to get attempt to get friends on Hive and engage more, it's better to consolidate interests and focus one one/two things you enjoy writing about.
I try to keep my feed fresh by a) challenging myself to something that makes me excited, and then b) attempting to share that on Hive. It doesn't always work but it keeps me somewhat involved.
I believe it's always advisable to write about one's interests; if not it may seemed forced. I've always tried to be diverse also, as I don't think people want to read an endless stream of the same things, or look at the same images all the time.
I think it's best that people do their own thing for sure, do what they are passionate about.
My only "strategy" is engagement, natural engagement, nothing forced or overdone, that's about it.
The rest is just me, sharing about my life, thoughts and hobbies. Then it's all about the flow, see if I can make a "friend" or two through a few conversations, talking about common interests, views and mindsets.
I think engagement is a good strategy. It's like meeting someone in real life I guess. If a person is too opinionated and not open to other people's point of view or ideas then that relationship is likely to fail. The same on Hive. Being personable goes a long way.
Yess sirrr, couldn't agree more. 💯
What i do? I have no idea what the specific thing is but...
I know engagement and consistency is already self explanatory. Tone improvisation is something i just got got to discover. We can insert certain tones into our blogs. We can be a funny bald man or a serious business woman. Depends on the information you're trying to disseminate.
Adaptation has to do with our accuracy in grasping what is before us. When those i follow have shifted in style, I know. I learned to move with times on Hive and I believe this helps a lot because engagement on my posts get better. The key to unlocking this is being observant.
Read, read, read! Hehe! Read the post. Don't skip. Once you find yourself skipping, it means you're not interested. You need meaningful comments to be able to catch the attention of people. People love attention and when you give it to them Bham! You know the rest... Also i read books to help. Well mostly here on Hive 🤭. If I want to set a particular tone for my post, I visit the blog of someone who's tone fits the purpose of my post, I read and soak it up. Automatically, the mind conjures up certain ways on how you can incorporate interesting tones and be someone or anyone...hehehe. Makes sense?
Next comes practical. Remember knowing isn't as powerful as learning. The practice that comes with learning is what we should focus on. Practicalize every thing you've read. For example, you want to take your writing up a notch and you follow certain guidelines, don't sit on it. Immediately make that post and watch for any signs you've been improving.
I don't know if i veered off course 😅... But this is basically my own secret. I'll go read erikah's post now.
So many comment on my posts and I know they haven't actually read the post and they're commenting to get my vote. (As you may note I upvote almost every top-level comment left on my posts.) They don't get it though, and only serve to isolate themselves as someone to avoid. Skimming post, or not reading at all is something that happens a lot, although it's usually easy to spot those who do it.
You make a few good points and I it would do some others a great deal of good to take your approach.
Thanks for commenting.
There's a trick many are using. Rad one paragraph, usually the last as that's maybe the one with the whole point, quote that and comment. I used to do a trick, as in the last paragraph write something that is not entirely related to the topic and got a lot of comments on that. I knew they have not read my post :)
The ugly truth is, once you know the person is a cheater ... you will be careful next time.
Ah yeah, that old trick. It's relatively easy to see through though I suppose, for me at least, and it never ends well, certainly not in a vote or any engagement.
Also, I do the last paragraph thing sometimes and titles work too. People read the title, think they know what it's about and...oops, they done fucked up because the G-dog did the old switcheroo. 🤣
Lol, you are mean 🤣😂
Yes, I can be but, I can also be the total opposite, and often am. 😇
Well. I am learning new information. Thank you for actually reading such a long comment😂
We all never stop learning, so good on you for being open to it. I think it shows with your blog's.
😊
I sure wish I could brag, but, of late, life has not been kind.
On a normal basis, it is nice to comment and engage. Genuine interaction is important. There is nothing worse than a nice post comment. I just want to downvote you when you do that. I won't downvote, but, some days, I want to.
Engage, interact, comment, and even vote when you do it.
I think answering your comments is important. If someone comments on my post, I am sure to answer it.
Hi, Galen!
Maybe if they were downvoted they'd not appear with such regularity. I ignore them generally, or write an inane comment in reply, or simply call them out as not having read the post. It depends on my mood.
I hope you're well and you drop by again when you have the chance.
I will. I promise. Can you tell I'm still burning both ends? Its 3am and I am trying to play catch up.
I'm doing great. Hope you are too.
I can tell yes, and I only have one word for you as below:
Get ye to bed and rest because I said so.
Ok, so that's not quote one word.
I have been following the lovesniper introduction curation posts, commenting, delegating 10 HP to each new user, and occasionally managing to check back and upvote after the curation trail drops off. I also have my list of followed accounts and a favorites feed on PeakD. My biggest problem is burning through my vote power faster than it recharges, even with most posts upvoted at just 50% or 75%.
That's an issue for sure, churning through VP. I only generally reduce mine to 75% and that's over the weekend usually with my #weekend-engagement concept.
But what about your own blog...Do you have any hints and tips for others on how to keep your post-feed relevant, interesting and engaging?
I write what interests me at the moment, write it to the best for my ability, and hope for the best on the outcome. It often means a lot of editing before publishing, and then editing a few times as new thoughts pop into my head or new typos get noticed after it is published. Good blogging takes work.
I think this is how it should be all the time. It will mean better writing, more passion and excitement, and that'll bring better enjoyment.
Again, truly spoken (written). I htink people think it's easy, just a few words on a page, but a lot of effort and attention is required to do it well.
Excitement is fading over time.. But on this platform, it's the motivation that could maintain the spark. Engagement always matters to keep the readers and the kind of content as well. It should be something that could fuel the interaction among the readers.
We don't write just for ourselves, but for our readers too.
I agree with you completely. Thanks for paraphrasing my post.
😅. I just said what's in my mind, lol..
Having good relationship with your audience is the number one key for me to success here in Hive. Additionaly, making some blogs that are really interactive can also play a huge role for making this community engaging and active.
I agree, these are two elements that will go some way towards winning and retaining followers.
Thank you sir. Actually I do admire those users who already built their reputation and audience here that are still active in the comment section.
I started here in June 2017 and built my account to what it is today on engagement on other people's posts. That brought them to mine. I comment now, over five years later, as much as I did before. It's important to get anywhere on this platform, and to have longevity. It's also more fun.
Salute sir!! This thread really motivates me to become like you. 🥰🥰
I'm a man, have a head like a smashed crab and am 52 years old...It's best you be like you, not me. 😜😂
Ahahahahaaha I know sir. I mean, you are the role model.. hahahaa 😂🥴
I am new in Hive, but I'm not in blogging. I think the most important thing to make your readers come back to you is to make you blogs relatable with well-written format. Readers will come back when they realize that you put effort on your blogs, and they see you as a good writer. Also, you must engage to the community so that others can see you moving around. At the end, you must be consistent, quality over quantity, and continue to sharpen our writing skills.
This is true enough. Add in good spelling and punctuation and you're on the way. There's nothing worse than a post that is peppered with errors.
I agree with this completely.
I wish you all the best with your journey.
Thank you again for sharing something useful here Mr @galenkp
I'm sure all the "old" residents here are very experienced with their involvement and how to maintain relationships.
What I'm trying to do with regard to what the "old residents" are doing here is also to keep the engagement consistent. But, it turns out that there are many other things that I have to learn.
Here, I keep each of my posts within the scope of what I am (as you describe yourself as in your profile).
Another thing is to maintain consistency at a certain time on a regular and ongoing basis. what I share is something that is useful for others and just share something here.
If you do this you will move forward. Keep the engagement valid and relevant also of course. I get many comments from people who haven't read my post and still wish to comment; I don't like it.
stay consistent in any case to reach the top of the hive community ok to join for success for all
Indeed.
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