Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash
I write this with 2022 beckoning.
On an absolute whim I whipped open my laptop about two hours ago and decided to create this account in the Hive...at least I think that's what they call it? In the Hive? On Hive? I hive no idea.
I've seen bits and pieces on Twitter about the platform and a friend of a friend is on here somewhere, so I'm told. I may try to find out their details and look them up...but would that be creepy??? mmm...they don't know me personally...ok, on second thoughts, maybe not! I'll fly solo with my writing... as I start up here ... that's what I'll do!
I've never blogged seriously on any other platform, mainly because I just haven't had the time, until now, and I guess because I'm not an established author, this is more of a tentative dipping of the toes so to speak. The few platforms that I have explored outside of Hive have disappointed in some way or other.
When I spoke with a friend about blogging, and wanting to find a place where I could read a good mix of articles and blogs and also start up my own blog, they mentioned that I should look to get onto a platform with a more forward thinking approach...so one with "cryptocurrency rewards built in". This is the friend who has a friend on Hive. Geez! I thought...I just want to write...why are there so many hoops these days? But ok...I'll bite!
So, I've already had a little look here and there... think there have been...mmm...3 platforms so far...not including Hive (?) that I've poked around. My take-away... they each had something to offer but too many people seem overly focussed on cliques or cryptocurrency accumulation these days, and not so much interested in actual engagement. Sure, there's the odd conversation you see taking place across platforms but so many great posts go unnoticed ...and I don't mean don't get upvoted, but actually go unnoticed... and it makes me wonder whether people are even reading them or just upvoting to get on with the job of ticking boxes to earn rewards.
So let me paint a picture for you:
You are sat around with others on cozy sofas or chairs in a lounge somewhere, nursing cups of cocoa, and somebody says something deeply philosophical, or heartfelt, or even something that makes you want to wet yourself laughing...what would happen?... High fives and blown kisses across the room whilst you all sit in a vacuum of silence? Nooooo!!! Be honest, you'd likely reply with a decent answer or break the ice in some way and engage in some free flowing conversation...I mean, you would, wouldn't you? Because we are human and humans crave connection. Anyway, the latter is what happens in my world. And I realise online chat is different but does it have to be so disengaged? We are all still human beings and we have such a great opportunity to learn about each other's cultures and life experiences if we take the time to reach out; to care.
I've seen so many posts on other platforms with not a single comment... but a fair few upvotes. What's that all about?
Anyway, Hive seems to have an ok rep in the little I have seen and heard... and my friend says their friend is happy here...so here goes...
From the communities tab I see that there are quite a few communities it seems, within the Hive community. So I picked a community for this post...one that seemed like it would be a friendly one that aligns with my way of thinking "Thoughtful Daily Post". I read somewhere (was it an FAQ?) that one should also tag "Introduceyourself" the first time one posts here, so I have done that too. Hopefully, I've done the right thing...we'll soon find out ...
Anyway, I guess I haven't really said too much about myself, but this post is already getting too long. What I can say for certain is that I'm not an alien. I'm definitely human, and I really do hope to find other human beings who also value engagement. My interests are varied and I love learning about other cultures, reading and developing my writing so I want to try a bunch of different things here on Hive. I think I may try to see if I can find a community that has writing prompts to get started in and maybe somewhere where I can learn about other cultures. Hopefully, I can also find some good authors/bloggers to read and engage with too :-)
Recommendations on communities that would align with my interests, anyone?
Photo by whereslugo on Unsplash
I've landed with barely a splash and I'm signing off now on my first @lookingforspace post, and then this weekend I will go looking for blogs to read and people to follow.
I wish everyone a very blessed 2022 filled with meaningful connection. My view as I stand on this precipice, gazing into the big yonder, is that if just one of those twinkling stars out there is composed of intelligent compassionate life, it's worth the reach and the effort, isn't it?
Welcome! You’ll love it here, Hive really is another level of community. If you give engagement you I’ll receive engagement; that’s my experience.
Always make an effort to those who comment on our posts. Follow accounts that interest you and be consistent.
Keep that up and you’ll build something really awesome here.
Also I see you say you’re not a blogger. I don’t consider myself a blogger either.
I use this place as a public journal of my work (in video production) along with anything else that I find interesting.
So you can use it however you want. Whatever interests you.
The rewards and crypto are a bonus 😀
Hi @ashtv. Wow, so you use Hive differently to most then. That's fab! I'll definitely be by to check out your posts.
Well, I guess it's not something I've done a lot of on other platforms. I may end up doing some here, who knows? All part of the journey of exploration, right? My primary focus is engagement and writing so that is what is going to drive me in my writing and in reading the works of other people. Thanks for the great welcome!
You’re very welcome. That’s a good attitude - give it a go and see what happens.
Hive is yours to do as you like. There are no rules how you use it. In fact new ways are highly encouraged!
Blaze a new trail I say!
mmm...I like the sound of that 😊
Welcome and look forward to seeing more content from you. You might want to check out @comet.ranker, @theterminal, and @heyhaveyamet as they are about engagement. The Freewriters Community sounds like something you would be interested in as well.
Best wishes.
Thanks @slobberchops for resharing this post for the rest of us or I might not have seen it.
hey @joerhino. Thank you for stopping by to say hello. This is such a helpful response too! Much appreciated. I have made a note of all of these suggestions (lots to digest!) and will look into them one by one to see how I can get involved. And thank you @slobberchops. I truly appreciate that you saw fit to re-share my post. More eyes = more opps to engage. Fabulous! I will be sure to come and check out both of your latest posts once I am finished replying to all the lovely comments on here 😊
His name is @slobberchops He won't see your thank you!
Thank you! My mistake. I have corrected this 😊
Excellent!
You're welcome, I can always tell when someone can write.., we don't get that many here you see.
Well maybe the New Year will flip the coin on that position. Let's hope so. I hear that there are some good writing communities in here and a few people have pointed me to some of them already, so...there must be hope, at least 😊 I will explore the inkwell this week...I have already started...and maybe do their weekly prompt. I think from what I can gather, that it comes out on a Monday... mmm... so let's see. As good a place as any to start, I guess.
Your very welcome!
Thank you as always @joerhino for the mention
Hellllllo! From me to you! I am a newbie myself. I try to comment and never just upvote. I am trying to find my way around still. I like to have conversations, and like to engage with people. So far, I am dipping into a few while still trying to find more.
The Weekend has given fun writing prompts every weekend. I like Wednesday Walk where you can take a walk amd talk about where you are taking people. I have just heard about Cross Culture to learn about other cultures. I also like Foodies Bee Hive for food stuffs. The Inkwell seems to he where you share stories. I like photography groups also.
I hope some of this helps. I am only about a months here, but wanted to share some bits that I hope help.
Another newbie, yay 😊hi @liftslikealady, sounds like you have picked up a lot in 1 month. It's quite an information overload here, so that gives one hope for picking ones way through the milieu of content and communities available, thank you. I will add your suggestions to my list too...looks like I am going to be kept quite busy in the odd hour I have each day to be here😆. I assume as you like to have conversations that you are finding the engagement here enjoyable? I certainly was beyond surprised at how many people have commented on this random newbie post, so thank you for being one of them. I will come and say hi on one of your posts as soon as I get done replying here 😊
I read what you wrote, but I wish people wouldn't assume that unless the person actually makes a comment on the post that they haven't read the content. On Youtube I make like zero comments and almost never upvote videos I watch. Same thing with other blogging sites. I usually never bother making a comment. I'm just lazy (lol).
Good point. As a creator, I need to remember that.
@johnhtims I'm sorry I came across like that. And you make a good point! I didn't mean to offend. I guess I was just feeling slightly despondent having seen a few bits on other sites... and I like engaging with people I guess 😊 No hard feelings I hope. I'm going to come to your blog after I am finished responding to everyone here...warning...I am likely to engage 😂 I won't take offence if you don't reply haha. Friends?
No worries. Welcome to Hive! Just a heads up that the introduce yourself post is usually the one with the most engagement and upvotes while every post after might not get as much traction. This is very NORMAL and happens to almost EVERYONE so don't be surprised. Consider it a rite of passage (lol).
Noted 😊I will not take offence. I will just appreciate the initiation process and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Connection will come in time. Building it is the end goal.
The pattern is usually dollars in the "introduce" post and a few cents in the posts there after. It's pretty brutal, but everyone goes throught it.
I have no problem with that 😊 Thank you for the elucidation though.
Welcome to Hive -- no, not part of the welcoming committee either, but I can point you to some of them! Look into @heyhaveyamet AND @theterminal!
As a Hive regular, I can also give you a tip borne from the beginning: your initial allotment of Resource Credits (check out https://hive-now.com/, and just put your username after the last slash) is meant to allow you to write about one post and FIVE COMMENTS per day. Max that out -- that is, do your one post, respond to 2-3 people that respond to your post, and then go search communities for things you are into and respond to the posts and the people you connect with. In other words: you have 40 chances per week to establish connections, and as you grow and continuously engage, someone may delegate a little Hive Power to you so you can engage a bit more. ANOTHER way of handling this: you could skip a day on writing a post and have TEN comments to work with. That would give you 70 chances a week to look for and engage with other people ... that's enough liberty to have conversation!
One other thing: Hive's algorithm rewards regular engagement from you. I don't know what frontend you are using, but I use Peakd because it allows me to schedule posts for days I'm not going to be sitting around writing them (like today or any Saturday and half of Sunday). CONSISTENCY is important on Hive; the platform is growing rapidly and there are a lot of people looking for attention ... but if you put the work in on what you want, you'll get it. Welcome and best to you!
Hi @deananndmathews . There seems to be a lot of people "not on the welcoming committee" who are standing up to be counted, and being very welcoming 😊 So thank you! Thank you for the directions to the welcoming committee. I will be sure to go and say hi there. This is very useful info on resource credits and I really like the idea of scheduling posts. I signed up using Ecency so have been posting from here I guess. If there are benefits to posting from other front ends that I can avail of, I will certainly check them out. Will pop by soon to visit your blog...I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my post.
Cheers to breaking the silence! I am a firm believer that almost everyone ha something valuable an unique to say. Well, most people. Perhaps less than a few? Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I connected with your writing, and that I look forward to getting to know your writer persona. Welcome to Hive!
I re-joined unde a pseudonym almost two months ago, and it has been truly amazing. I'd highly recommend checking THE WEEKEND community, and if you're into fiction, The Ink Well community.
Be sure to holler if there's anything I can help you with. I saw someone delegated some HP to you so I don't think you'll run out of RC.
Be well and see you around!
hey thanks @beautifulwreck. My, that's a lovely name for an account... now I have to come and check out your blog! You say you re-joined? So did you leave Hive then at some point? or do you have like 2 accounts here haha? More than a little interested to know the response to this as it has piqued my interest. You're the second or third person to recommend the weekend and the inkwell...(makes note and moves them up the list). And yes, I enjoy short story writing, fiction and poetry although I am not accomplished by any means... I just like to write. I hope I don't disappoint @slobberchops 😆 I noticed that I seem to be able to keep commenting ...which is really cool ...I will be thanking my sponsor shortly for the delegation and RC (?) as I move through these comments. I appreciate you taking the time to reach out.
Thank you for your kind words, I took my time in crafting this identity to harbor my writings and my self-discovery journey, and it's been good to see it's well-received. My old account, the one with my true name, I don't use it anymore. Like you, I enjoy writing, in its various forms, and I find it flows better without my name attached to it.
Those two communities are like home here for me! I'm sure you'll like them. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. See you around!
That's wonderful and thank you once again. I will likely see you in those communities then. I will be sure to drop you a message if I need a point in the right direction.😊
Welcome to Hive! 😊 I think you will find decent engagement here! We happen to have a saying here on the blockchain which I think exemplifies things nicely:
Thank you @thekittygirl. I think I already like that saying very much ... that means there is hope for continued engagement :-) Forgot to say that I will come and visit your blog during the week 😊
Welcome to Hive! I am glad you decided to give us a shot. I am happy the read that you are looking for engagement! One can be the best writer, photographer, artist, etc, but if no one knows you are here, that is all to no avail. So my number one piece of advise is to be engaging! Be social, after all this is a social site lol. I saw you from a comment you left on jacey.boldart's post. You will grow like that by doing just what you did, being authentic 🙂
I will let you use a little delegation that will help you get started. Good luck and be sure to ask questions as there is a lot to learn right off the bat.
hi @old-guy-photos. Well, I'm kinda blown away by this! You don't even know me...yet here you are giving me a helping hand. You honestly didn't have to do this, althought it is so very much appreciated. It has enabled me to respond to everyone here without my Resource credits running out as they were so quickly doing after this post and a couple of comments. I had intended to respond to everyone yesterday but I ended up having an early night, which after the festive season, was welcomed, so my apologies for this late reply. I will certainly return the favour one day in another form, and I won't forget your kindness. I hope to be able to be in a position to help others in the same way, down the line. I will be visiting everyone's posts who has taken the time to welcome me here and provide me with such gems of advice and guidance.
You are entirely welcome. You are a good writer and I would like to encourage you to continue on and find you place here on the blockchain 🙂 The resource credits are restrictive but have largely done away with spam. Before RCs, when comments were "free", spam was out of control.
I think you were given some good advice from a wide range of perspectives. As with many things, your experience here is a function of what you put into it. The main thing is to have fun and the rewards will follow. There is a lot to learn, so feel free to stop by and leave any questions in the comments of my posts.
I look forward to seeing how you grow!
Thank you so much. I think I will start with the inkwell prompt this week. We have sadly just had a death in the family so I may take the time the next few days to respond to comments and visit everyones' blog and then get down to my first short story post later this week...just some time to regroup my creative self. Replying to comments and posts will be easier for a few days. I hope you understand.
This is flashbacks...
When I first started back in 2017, @old-guy-photos provided me with a delegation, and I was able to interact right away. Before I even knew what RC (Resource Credits) were... good to see such positive energy!
oh wow! That is quite incredible. Yes... I am learning all about those ;-) And he has saved me from what I believe would have been a stop-start...erm start haha. I am truly grateful to @old-guy-photos
Welcome to Hive. I see the freewrite community has already been mentioned. The The Weekend community may be another that would peak your interest. From those two communities you are sure to find a lot of others.
It takes time, so be patient.
hey @bashadow. thank you for the Welcome. A few people have mentioned The Weekend now so definitely on my list! Patience is a virtue I am happy to practice 😊I'll come say hello soon.
Welcome to Hive! I saw you perusing the "introduce yourself" tag. I encourage you to look around at the different communities, there are many and I think you picked a fine one to start, but, if you are looking for a prompt, @mariannewest has a group called The #FreewritersCommunity gives you something to start with. Newbies are given great direction on where to go, what to do with @theterminal. Reading and commenting is a great way to find people and things of interest. Also, look up your friend! I would be happy to see anyone I know online looking me up here!
Good luck and don't forget to ask questions along the way!
hi @dswigle. Thank you for the welcome and the guidance 😊
I'll certainly look up both of those communities as they both look aligned to my interests.
You might regret saying that! haha
Thanks again for the support and I'll be by to say hi on your blog soon.
Haha! Never! :)
Does it? I am always interested in what happens on the outside. I feel it's quite insular in here. Welcome.., but expect dialogue to be a little limited to start with, it takes some time.
Thank you @slobberchops. I will bear all of that in mind. And thank you again for the share... I truly appreciate it. To be honest, I hadn't heard too much about Hive before I signed up ... I had to go digging for mentions in other social media circles, but the little I found seemed positive, so I am giving myself a chance at a place to develop my writing. Oops hit the update button before adding that it goes without saying that I will come and pay your blog a visit shortly.
That's because people complain about the bad stuff and rarely write about how good things are. If you do things right, you will be OK here. All the moaners you read about were probably complaining about bullying, being down-voted and censorship (when there is none). There are always reasons for these negative behaviours and nothing is unjustified.
@steevc was my mentor, follow him and watch what he does, you will do no wrong if you mimic him. Because there is real money involved (monopoly money if you don't know how to get it out), then the stakeholders (such as me) want the rewards to go to the correct people.
I actually found some positive stuff about Hive which made me decide to take the leap! I have seen mention of the other stuff but I tend to believe there are always lots of perspectives on any given situation and tend not to judge. Make no mistake though, if I feel informed enough to stand up and be counted, on whichever side of the fence it falls, I am happy to do so. Thank you for your additional advice. I will follow both yourself and @steevc and take the wisdom where I can get it. Much appreciated that you have taken the time to reach out more fully.
Oh you're doing everything right, don't worry
I wouldn't hesitate to approach that friend of a friend if I was you
even bein from the same country, or continent is enough to create a bond here on Hive. Maybe cause that's the reason we're here? or at least most of us? 😉
hi @hazem91 I really appreciate you stopping by. thank you. Yes, all it takes is a single point of connection to bring people together. It's really good to see you talking about creating bonds too 😊. Without this, we are just writing into a vacuum. If nobody reads us and connects with our writing and our essence then what have we achieved? We can write for ourselves, and sometimes I do that too, but in order to grow, we also need engagement and feedback, and this flows through connection and relationships 🙏I am slowly working my way through everybody here who has commented...going to visit their blogs to say hello to them there. I will be sure to pop over and say hi soon and to read your latest stuff.
I was about to land a comment after reading... but seeing ...☝️, I am lost for words. 😁
Thanks friend haha
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A platform that has a voice too? I like it...very much indeed 🙌
Welcome!
While there is a lot of room for improvment, hive imo is still on the cutting edge of things and communities.
You can have lengthy discutions around here and plus earn on top of it. While earning is something that we want to put on the second place when it comes to reasons to join, it is still a fact that people earn. When compared to other socials it is still easier to get notice and start around here. Yes it will take time and consistent effort and ayone who expect otherwhise is jusg fooling them self. But if you want to be part of something different, new and unique, give it a try.
All the best!
Hey @dalz, thanks for the welcome. It's another journey I'm embarking on and I am looking forward to the ride! A change of scenery is always good and I love road trips ... 😊 Good content and good engagement and I am one happy person. I will pop by to say hi on your blog later.
Nice writing, man, I could really relate with your hopes and observations 👍
-I'd say you should definitely look for that friend's friend and connect with them because its always more fun on hive (and every platform if you ask me) when you know a person.
-This is not an introduceyourself post, an introduceyourself post has different rules like personal photos and talk about who you are, what you do, stuff like that. Check this sample introduction post if you will.
-I hear what you say about engagement, you're right about engagement feeling more human and less like a click for rewards thing, its just getting harder these days, you know, attention is fast becoming a scarce commodity. On hive posts go unnoticed too, but if you're in communities you would find quite some engagement, also if you engage on other people's stuff they'll engage on your stuff too usually.
Communities with prompts include The Inkwell, Comedy Open Mic, Proofofbrain Word of the Week, etc. There are quite some more.
hey @nevies, thanks for the great welcome and advice.
I have visited @theenchantress. She has a lovely intro post. I understand what you mean, but maybe for me right now, this post will have to suffice. In time, maybe...
Proofofbrain Word of the Week? Sounds intriguing! Do you have a link you can share?
I will be by to visit your blog. Thanks again for the kind words and advice. I will find a few writing communities and nest haha.
Welcome to Hive! With posts as quality as this one, you will enjoy great success!
Happy New Year! Best wishes for Happiness, Health, and Prosperity in 2022!
Cheers!
haha @braveboat. Hopefully what @johnhtims said about engagement and rewards is not the trend that my writing takes too! I'm glad you enjoyed it. No pressure then??? 😂 I'll come visit your posts soon.
Thank you for this. i shall have to add Inner Blocks to my list to visit and explore. What is the community about?
@lookingforspace
Straight from our dear KittyPedia:
"The community InnerBlocks is dedicated to celebrating all of the little "blocks" inside us that make us who we are. The project focuses on people more than anything, not any particular subject. If you write about yourself, you are more likely to get a upvote! We love personal stories!"
"As an example, if you are a photographer:
• If you post a stunning photo, you will not get an upvote from InnerBlocks.
• If you write about the latest tech in cameras, you will not get an upvote from InnerBlocks.
• However, if you write a post about how you became interested in photography, InnerBlocks will love your post! If you write about the camera given to you by your grandfather and how he taught you to use it, InnerBlocks will upvote you!"
"It's all about personal experience and the "blocks" out of which you are built, as a person."
#lifehappening
This was taken from a discussion that was going on at @theterminal when a new member asked what was InnerBlocks. Hope that helps!?
That's very helpful, thank you😊
Welcome to Hive !
No.. I'm not the official welcoming committee, but just randomly came across your post.
You shouldn't mind finding the friend of your friend. Connecting is what helps us grow. I had two net friends here from other places and connecting with them, also connected me with some of their friends who have been very helpful along the way.
Hope you enjoy it here.
hi @jacey.boldart Well, now I don't know whether to be happy or disappointed lol. That was a lovely enthusiastic welcome... So if you're not part of the welcoming committee, then some things need reconsidering, right? Seriously, though, thank you for the welcome. I appreciate it. And for upvoting my post. That was kind of you, although I'm happier that you took the time to drop me a note. And yeah, I hear what you're saying. Maybe I should just ask for their name and then pop along to one of their posts and reach out... I forget this isn't like Facebook haha...so not exactly sending out a random friend request. If you have a moment ...is there any advice you could give on my tags... I kinda winged it so if there is anything you feel I could have done better, I'd appreciate your input. I will come and visit your blog shortly.
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You gonna have a great time here, I have been here for only 5 months now it has been a life-changing experience. The people that are here and the engagement you get are like no other. Join some of the discord communities as well like the terminal and the alliance there is so many helpful people in there and a lot of folks that want to connect and discover each other.
I was never into blogging whatsoever didn't like writing to talking about stuff but since being here I have done a complete 180 and this is one of the biggest passions I have ever had now. Glad to have you here and hope to see more from you much love and have a great day.
This post was shared in #PYPT today and I recommend you stop by there on Thursdays if you have the time it is where the community gets together and shares/pimps posts of authors here on hive. It is in the #dreemport discord 😃
!PIZZA
hi @drabs587 that's a lovely, upbeat comment. Thank you very much. I really enjoy writing and want to explore it's potential on Hive. Just looking to develop it as much as possible and interact with as many people as possible too. I love community and engagement and as each day passes here, I see more and more of it. It sounds like you have found much joy yourself in writing. Keep going man. I'm definitely going to have to come and check your posts out and return some of that love. I followed your links to PYPT. That looks quite interesting. You say someone shared my post there today? I'll have to try find out who and thank them. The Dreemport thing...yeah I saw that in the Inkwell. They have a challenge or something going on. I'm new here so I just followed some advice from folks on this post and went to the Inkwell to write to prompts. So much info overload😂, I wasn't sure I was ready for another site just yet haha. I posted my follow up post to this in the Inkwell this evening, using their prompt for this week. If I just get engagement on it, I'll be happy. thanks again, really appreciate you dropping by.
hi @lookingforspace I'm the host of PYPT. I usually do a wrap up post around the following Monday. You'll be able to see who shared your post and details on how to join in for the next one.
Welcome to Hive
hi @shadowspub, and thank you very much. I'd like that. 😊
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Happy New Year! I found your profile from joerhino account. I think a lot of people here have said the same thing but I would love to add that if you also interested in book, indie publishing and similar, you can check out Hive Book Club : https://peakd.com/c/hive-180164/created
Usually, a newbie will be visited by @lovesniper team but since you posted on the 1st of January, it seem we have missed to leave a comment here. So I suppose, welcome aboard and here's more additional information that could help you as well.
If you have questions or concerns, you can hop into OCD's Discord server or you can tag @macchiata and if you have further question, I'd be happy to help. Cheers!
Thank you @macchiata, I have followed the suggestions mentioned in your comment and joined communities where this is applicable :-) There are a lot of communities on Hive and it is a bit of an info overload at the mo, so forgive me if I don't take an active interest in all of them immediately ;-) As I work my way down my list I will be sure to visit them each in time. Thank you very much for taking the time to drop in and make me feel welcome 🙏😎 I will prioritise the newbie guide account as on a quick perusal it looks to have some very interesting articles. 🤩