I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on Hivefest and the Hive community. It's wonderful that you found the event so inspiring and full of talented people. Your enthusiasm really shines through!
That said, I can't help but feel like some of your conclusions might be a bit premature or overstated. For example, you claim that Hivefest attendees represent the "who's who" of Hive. But with such a small sample size of attendees, can we really make sweeping judgments about the caliber of talent in the whole Hive ecosystem?
And when you describe the group as a "circle-jerk" telling each other how great they are, I sense a hint of cynicism. While it's natural for like-minded people to want to celebrate each other's achievements, painting it negatively seems unproductive.
The sections on virtual community and creating the future also struck me as overly idealistic. I admire your belief in Hive's potential, but implying it will singlehandedly lift people out of poverty or shape the future of web3 feels hyperbolic. Most successful communities are built gradually through real utility, not grand pronouncements.
Lastly, I'm puzzled by your argument that Hive's "lack of a singular message" is a good thing. Most thriving platforms have a crisp, focused value proposition underpinning them. Decentralization doesn't preclude having coherence - if anything, it requires more of it to align stakeholders. Claiming incoherence is somehow a sign of doing things "right" feels more like rationalization than vision.
In closing, I appreciate you sharing an insider's view of Hivefest. But as an outsider looking in, I'd recommend being more measured in your claims. No community is perfect, and even well-intentioned boosterism can cross into overpromising. The true measure of Hive will be in execution and results over time, not rhetoric. The potential is exciting, but let's not get ahead of ourselves!
I hope these thoughts come across constructively. You clearly care a lot about Hive's future, as we all should. But a dose of realism and critical thinking will serve the community better than unchecked enthusiasm in the long run.