Dear Hivers,
There is a slight change on Hive right now. Some of the key members are stressing the importance of engagement — with the #POSH initiative.
The vision is not only to write comments but also to spend more time creating quality engagements – and eventually build a quality relationship.
After all, we are on a social platform, isn’t it?
This is why I have compiled this ultimate guide for anyone interested in taking your experience to the next level. It contains the do's and don'ts of engagements.
I have taken my 8 years of blogging experience to share these ideas, and I hope you will find them useful. Glance through them. Pick what you like. Then use it the next time – when you are writing in that little box.
#1. Avoid one-word and two-word comments.
Do you remember seeing “nice post” in the comment section? How did you feel? We all have been there. In fact, the author already knows it is a nice post, so no point in simply repeating what was not required. Avoid this at all cost.
#2. Say no to "blind" comments.
Blind comments are comments written without reading the post. Is that cool? No. In fact, recently, someone asked me a question for which the answer was inside the post. My thoughts: "Well, did you even read?"
#3: Don't copy-paste comments.
You don't win a noble prize by doing what is already done. So if you are copy-pasting comments again and again, do not expect anything new – any prize. If anything, you lose your reputation.
So never ever copy comments and paste on several posts.
#4: Self-linking is a killer.
Have you found several links at the bottom of the comment pointing to a profile, social media, and so on. Such spammy self-linking serves no purpose. In the eyes of the author, you are a spammer.
Remember: That box is not an advertising space.
#5: Avoid being a copycat.
I remember long back when the #introduceyourself section was abused with “welcome” messages. One can refresh the tag, find new post, and then comment "welcome" over and over again. Avoid this behavior.
#6: Don't be a broken record
If you are going to repeat what is already said, then there's little-to-no value added. Comments are written to drive engagements and quality conversations – not to repeat like a broken record. It simply gets boring.
#7: Don't pick a fight over personal reasons.
Never leave a comment to settle personal issues. If you want to fight – to prove who is right and who is wrong – then take your battle to DMs (use Discord).
#8: Meaningless comments / trolling.
One of my blogger friend used to receive several hate / troll comments. Luckily, he was able to moderate and remove them. (Not possible here on Hive). On a good note, trolling is rare here. If you are planning for it? Well, let's use our time wisely.
#9: “I don’t know what to say.”
There are dozens of photos, paintings, and art work here. When you see them and don't know what to say? Perhaps you are confused?
Then here's what you do:
You don’t say anything. Move on. Not everything requires your commentary.
#1: Read the post before commenting.
This is the first rule. It is the most basic and important rule of engagement. Only when you read the post? You will know if you should drop a comment or not.
#2: Your opinion counts.
It is called "content expansion." Through your comment, you can expand on what the author has already said. One way to do this is by sharing your opinion on the subject.
(It is assumed that you know more about this subject than the author)
#3: State unknown yet relevant facts.
Another form of "content expansion" where you leave a comment stating new facts – so it helps not only the author but also other readers. This way, you are filling the gap while making good content even better.
#4: Ask the “right” question.
Not any question. Ask questions that the author didn’t answer in his post. Any hard-hitting question will create insightful debates and ignite meaningful conversations.
#5: Create a dialogue by responding to other comments.
You don’t always have to talk to the author. You can always continue the conversation by responding to someone else’s comment. If you haven't done this before? Give it a shot.
#6: Share your personal experience.
Say someone talked about shitcoins here. Then you can share your own experience in the comment section below. Again, first you read the post. Then acknowledge what the author has said. And finally expand the content with your personal story.
#7: Link to other’s article.
Something we all can do. Many times we find a good post but don’t link it in the comment section below. Moment we start doing this, we turn into a true community-based platform.
#8: Be bold.
I have written comments correcting spelling mistakes. Best done politely. For example: First, if you resonate with the content, share your thoughtful comment. And then start with "by the way, I also want to share..."
#9: Be yourself when you are writing.
Have you ever tried to be someone you are not? It is easy to spot. The same rule applies to life. When you are trying to engage, you have to be you. Each and every comment should be a reflection of your hidden personality.
So there you have it...
My favorite 9 do's and don'ts of engaging on Hive...and literally every other platform. Some of them you already know. And some are new to you.
Why don't you pick a few and test it out the next time you are engaging?
The don'ts list showed you what to avoid. And the do's list showed you what is important – to be you.
Because the idea is not just to comment — for the heck of it. It is also to share something meaningful — to add value — and to make sure your contribution leads to a quality relationship.
I would love to hear your thoughts. In fact, can you drop a comment below and tell me your thoughts? Did you like this article? What is the most annoying comment have you ever seen? Do you even believe in engaging? Maybe you spotted a mistake in this article? Or found this article useful? Whatever it is, let me know!
Let us engage.
Cheers,
Sid
Liked this article? Feel free to comment and upvote and reblog.
I was about to write "nice post bro" then I realized that you may kill me for that 😂
By the way, the post is awesome. It's absolutely worth reading.
Thanks a lot for your efforts!
Note: Nice post 😋
You see what you did here?
You added "humor" - another form of "content expansion."
Beautifully done.
And I must say, I hate you. 😂
All in good fun.
Nice work @sidwrites, this list (both of them) are really relevant on not just Hive but other platforms. The number of people who think spamming comments is going to gain them following on platforms is astounding.
Brilliant stuff Sid. I've cross-posted this to the Beginners Tips community. As far as I know, you (you Sid) can still earn rewards from other people cross-posting your work. Please correct me if I'm wrong!
Thank you for sharing in the community.
I am not sure how "rewards" work when cross-posted. I do know that we will invite more users – and assist them with valuable information (that's the goal).
Thanks again for doing this!
I love your post, it's super nice written and straight to the points. No bullshit. My compliments on that. The topic is more than ever important for the community to grow and attract more people. Something like your behavioral code should become part of the account registration procedure. Almost like a Hive-Drivers-Licence. That would be awesome.
My taking from this: If you engage make worthwhile.
Thank you for your efforts and for sharing this with us.
It is 2 am as I type this, and I am smiling! Absolutely love compliments. :)
Thanks a ton!
You nailed it. Even in life, as you know! :) Thanks for dropping by.
I don't know what to say. But I can't help saying.
Nice post 😀
Literally, I have been silently learning a lot from your posts to write simple but powerful articles.
Haha. Thank you.
Always makes me happy. I must say, you always are first to read - vote - and respond. And I am grateful for that.
Been only a month. And see we know each other. 😀
Good advice on all counts.
Btw, what is the #posh thing about? I keep hearing about it but i thought it had something to do with twitter?
Thanks!
As @Jacobtothe mentioned, this is proof-of-sharing. Took me a while to get it.
Here's all you need to know:
This way, you are cross-linking each other. The rest of the magic? The community will take care of it.
Give it a shot. Let me know!
I will give this a try. Not much of a twitterer but let’s give it a go.
I just asked that the other day. It means "proof of sharing," and the idea is to tweet a link to your post with the #hive and #posh tags plus whatever else is relevant to promote the platform and content.
This is very informative and written in a manner I can understand, I love a jargon free world. I think what I am trying to say is “nice post” matey
Now that's short and sweet. In a world full of jargon, simplicity wins!
I can't stand people who come to your blog/video and post thier own links. Thier the worst category comments if I had one out of these.
What these people don't realise is that by being genuine and engaging whole experience becomes fun and less like work.
P.S
I love the fonts you use for your headers.
It's really pretty and they stand out!
Whats the name of that one?
Haha! You know it: Selfishness only takes us so far. It is the authenticity to contribute that really truly matters.
So glad to hear that. It is called Hand of Sean. :)
The asshole is able to produce all 3 states of matter.
Jokes aside, one thing I would add is to respond to replies. A lot of people here comment once and then leave.
Keeping the conversation going will not only encourage them to comment more but also builds a relationship between the two parties.
Just my 2 cents.
On fire. Now let me see if you reply to this comment. :P
Nice post. Much enjoy. Big wow.
Not bad. Let's try one last time.
Good points. Commenting is kind of an art and engagement is really important but has disappeared for the most part since HF 21. Without the financial incentive to comment it really exposed that lack of authenticity in the whole exercise. But I feel like it's crucial for the growth of hive and I'd like to see more full conversations take place in the comment sections of posts. I hate having to go to discord to communicate. We need to keep people hanging out on hive if this thing has a future.
I was part of HF 19 and I was absolutely astonished with the comments. In fact, I even compared my years of blogging experience with three months of my existence on Steem.
The result?
Steem won – without a doubt.
Hive should get there... if "forced" engagements are stopped. Right now, an incentive to engage is temporary. To inculcate a habit of engagement, we need to create good insightful content.
So, again, it all comes back to the author – the way the content is framed – its freshness – timing – and quality... while bringing the reader into the picture.
Extremely valid point.
thanks for commenting. Lets hope this community gets it right. I have high hopes for it but very low expectations. If people would let everybody do their thing it will work.
I am with you! Let's give more time and have fun here.
Eight years of experience to write this? Hey, you got the rewards so well done.
Haha!
Nice way to put it. :)
And yes, rewards are always a fantastic motivating factor. For me, personally, I need all - engagements to rewards to votes... and your love! :D
Twitter
I will take all of this advice to heart. Thank you to everyone on this wonderful platform. When I first heard about how this was an unmoderated "free speech" space, I was concerned that the place would be overrun by trolls, and spammers, but it seems that the community is good at keeping itself decent without resorting to the use of the authoritarian methods used by reddit and YouTube.
Very well Written MR. Mentor, sidwrites. Thank you for this.
So what if the post you are going to comment on leads you to wanting to make your own content around it ? Either by "answering" the post or giving your experience ?
Something like that will be way to much to just be a comment. If you do that, can you comment on the original post and link to your content that you made ?
IE: I have experiences with XYZ also and what I went through / found out is better explained in this article: (Link to your article / video)
Would this be ok ?
Thank you for this information. Good to get this as a <1 week newbie. Engagement,sound one is very necessary. That you've got on your comment section here. Well done @sidwrites
Thank you for this post, yeah sure I know it is over 2 years old but you are on one of those lists from the newbie's guides... I can't remember which, I have a lot of tabs open.
This is great ever-green content though. Thank you for the condensed knowledge.
I am pretty happy with the 9 don't of your post, of the 9 DO's I think the one I have the most trouble with - that I am not doing - is to strike up a conversation with the commenters, not just the author. Sound advice though so I think I should really focus on changing THAT in my habits.
Cheers! Happy Hiving in 2022!
This post is @HivePope approved. Let me switch profiles so I can share it there.
Jacob, HivePope is what we need. Really love the reblogged articles. There's an immense need for blogging etiquette. Wish to contribute more in the future.