Some people on Hive feel like we have a user growth issue. I’m one of them, and if you are too, UNHIDE is for you.
UNHIDE’s top goal is to make it easier for willing community members to do something about user growth. As a decentralized platform, people will often start projects alone or in small groups. They often operate as islands, alone, disconnected from other efforts.
So: UNHIDE is about trying to get some (not all) of these efforts to start communicating more, start using the same language, and start rowing in the same direction.
TL;DR up front
- Four phases to help fix the above:
- Phase 1 is to review two lists that outline things we need to work on: List 1, List 2
- Phase 2 is to turn the agreed upon list items into good documents
- Phase 3 is to figure out how all the items could maybe work together
- Phase 4 = do the things
| I’m writing UNHIDE in all caps because it is both a rallying cry and an acronym that might sound like silly corporate crap, but it spells UNHIDE and I like it: |
|---|
| UNHIDE = Unified Network for Hive Information Distribution and Exchange |
UNHIDE’s Mission
UNHIDE’s mission is to grow collaboration between Hivers working in the following areas:
- Onboarding new users
- Marketing Hive and its dApps
- Anti-abuse efforts
- Getting Hive listed on crypto exchanges
- Crafting DHF proposals for any of the above
Each of these areas ties to user growth (or retention) in some way. Currently, there is no formal system of collaboration, sharing of information, or coordination between these efforts. Our massive DHF fund is not efficiently used to support them either.
Improving coordination, even just a little, can have a significant impact on efficiency and output. It’s important to note that UNHIDE is not trying to centralize anything. Coordination between people in Hive’s decentralized, autonomous, “organization” is the goal.
How does UNHIDE work?
Phase 1: Two simple lists
We start very simple with a few lists.
List 1 takes the five areas above and breaks them into smaller chunks: what makes up, say, anti-abuse on Hive? What are its components? There will be many opinions and some of them will clash. There are already very rich discussions about Topic #5 happening in various corners of the community 👀
List 2 is: all known people or groups or communities that partake in one (or more) of the five areas listed above. We probably won’t be able to find them all.
We then take List 1 and open it up for discussion to all of Hive, but most importantly we share it with the people already doing work in the respective areas (aka List 2). This includes virtually all community leaders. We ask if List 1 makes sense, is accurate, etc.
Phase 1 will also help determine who’s even interested in these discussions and the vision for UNHIDE. It won’t be for everyone.
Both Lists can live on-chain. I've started them in the comments below.
| List 1 | List 2 |
|---|---|
| Link to the comment | Link to the comment |
Phase 2: Documentation
Once there is decent input on the makeup of List 1 (which, as a reminder, is just those 5 topics above broken down into their component parts), we can start building documentation for each chunk. Even chunks that disagree or are in opposition with one another.
This could be as simple as a one-pager that explains the chunk. Some things may be longer and more involved, depending on their complexity.
We’ll build a little library of shared knowledge around the five key areas. These can also be on-chain.
Phase 3: Process building & ideation.
With a Version 1 of documentation complete, we have what amounts to a bunch of puzzle pieces dumped out on the table. And hopefully, a growing group of people that have exposure to UNHIDE, thus more than few eyes on all the puzzle pieces.
This allows people with specialty knowledge, ambition, or just plain good ideas to say “wait a minute, what if we took this chunk over here and combined it with that chunk over there and…”
Phase 3 aims to fuel ideation for new dApps, working groups, strategies, etc. It will start to give more shape and direction towards what we can accomplish as a community, in respect to user growth and funding related to user growth.
Phase 4: Operationalizing (Make Things Happen)
The vision for UNHIDE is to become a group of Hivers who have strong sightlines into the five areas mentioned above, and are able to help coordinate others into action. To do that effectively you need the puzzle pieces mentioned above—the Who’s the What’s the Why’s, etc.
👥 Who is UNHIDE?
There’s a lot of “we” mentioned above.
Who’s the we?
Well, it’s anyone reading this who wants to be involved. There should be no gatekeeping.
Realistically, this will appeal more to anyone who:
- Believes user growth is absolutely critical for Hive’s future and for its value
- Is action-oriented; someone who knows how start making things or talking to people or providing insight in service of getting something done
- Is interested in Hive as its own ‘brand’ or platform, and can see beyond the scope of their favourite dApp
Next steps?
I’ve built out a first version of List 1 and List 2 in the comments. The next step is for Hivers to start commenting on the Lists. Correct them, add to them, debate them, agree with them, hate them—you do you.
The more input, the better.
| List 1 | List 2 |
|---|---|
| Link to the comment | Link to the comment |
Let's do this. Let's UHNIDE Hive and get this damn place ready to catch a bull.
I agree that we need more people here and we've been failing at achieving that. Many who join don't stick around. That may be down to wrong expectations. They can't expect to earn a lot from little effort anyway.
I welcome discussion of these topics.
I know anti-abuse is a contentious topic. I've been involved with it (not with HW) and it is a dirty job, but it needs doing. There are those who just want to cheat the system, but others will just make mistakes or not understand how others expect them to behave. They ought to be steered to a better path rather than being dictated to. No one group gets to set the rules, but it can seem like some shadowy cabal is trying to keep the newbies down. I'm not sure downvotes are as big an issue as some make out anyway and most never get them.
Thank you for the input! Do you still do anti-abuse stuff now? Regardless, it'd be interesting to understand some of your approaches (understanding that methods might best be kept secret to make it harder for people to try to circumvent).
I do less of it now, but if someone lets me know of a post that is earning by immoral means then I may add my downvote. I have to use it with care as others follow the trail. Doing this can bring consequences and I've had plenty of retaliation. I still think it's worth doing. I give a lot more in rewards than I remove.
I don't feel like hive has a new user base issue. What it has a issue with is telling people to come here post content and get paid for it and using it as a ATM machine on all levels while none of these front ends up any revenue back into hive. That's the real issue here. We have had Plenty of new users and adoption from the last bull market.
Gotcha, so that would fall somewhere under either our marketing practices or onboarding practices (or both) would you say? How we communicate to new users, versus getting loads more in?
This is all great, and I think more discussion is helpful. I'm concerned these initiatives will get stuck in the discussion phase and not amount to tangible action.
I share that concern. My commitment to this process will be to continue to bother people about this, take my licks, and hopefully start to narrow it down to a coalition of people who find UNHIDE motivational vs. annoying :)
Then it has momentum beyond individuals screaming into the void, in theory!
If this doesn't go through, I'll move to Justin Sun aka Steemit's network.
Great ideas and distribution of information about the project.
Haha thank you! We don't have to worry about you leaving for Steem 'cause this is already "through" in a sense that it's underway and happening as we speak. The conversations are happening and I am working to slowly bring more folks in.