Will there ever be a time when we can make a living simply by blogging and posting here on Hive?
I think this is a question that many of us have probably asked at some point. After all, when we look at mainstream social media, we constantly hear success stories of content creators who managed to turn their online activities into full-time careers. Some didn't just earn enough to survive, they completely changed their lives through content creation.
And honestly, what they are doing isn't necessarily that different from what many creators are doing here on Hive.
There are Hive users producing excellent photography, travel blogs, financial content, gaming posts, tutorials, artwork, and many other types of valuable content. The effort is definitely there. The bigger question is whether the rewards we receive can eventually become enough to finance our lifestyle.
Can Blogging Alone Be Enough?
At the moment, I think the answer for most people would be no.
With Hive's current token value, even a decent post reward may not translate into a significant amount when converted into fiat. Sometimes, after spending several hours writing, editing photos, researching, and engaging with comments, the reward might barely cover a coffee.
Of course, this can become completely different if Hive appreciates significantly in the future.
But that also highlights the problem.
If our ability to make a living depends entirely on the price of HIVE and the rewards our posts receive, then we're relying on something that we cannot fully control.
And when I think about mainstream content creators, I realize something similar applies there. The people earning huge amounts from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or other platforms represent only a small percentage of their overall user base.
We mostly hear about the winners.
We don't hear nearly as much about the millions of creators who tried for years without ever turning content creation into a sustainable career.
So perhaps the better question isn't:
"How can I make a living by blogging on Hive?"
Maybe it should be:
"How can I use Hive to help me make a living?"
That's a completely different perspective.
Hive as a Platform for Business
This is where I believe Hive becomes much more interesting.
Instead of seeing Hive purely as a blogging platform where we wait for upvotes, why not view it as infrastructure where businesses can operate?
Imagine an e-commerce application built on top of Hive where users can buy and sell products using HIVE or HBD.
Someone could sell artwork.
Another person could sell handmade products.
Freelancers could offer services.
Small businesses could accept payments directly from customers.
Communities could even create their own marketplaces.
Suddenly, earning on Hive would no longer depend entirely on whether a curator decides to upvote your post.
Your blogging activity could instead become part of your marketing.
You write posts, build a reputation, establish relationships within the community, showcase your products or expertise, and eventually turn that audience into customers.
That sounds much closer to conventional business, except Hive provides something very useful underneath it all: a blockchain payment infrastructure.
Transactions on Hive don't require users to continuously pay transaction fees. That alone could become extremely useful for businesses handling many small transactions.
Maybe Blogging Is Just the Beginning
This realization makes me look at Hive differently.
Blogging may have been the gateway that introduced many of us to the blockchain, but it doesn't necessarily have to remain the only economic opportunity available here.
Hive is technology.
And technology becomes powerful when people figure out creative ways to use it.
So instead of waiting for Hive's price to reach a level where every post suddenly pays enough to support our lifestyles, perhaps we should start thinking about what businesses can be built around this ecosystem.
The opportunity might not be hiding inside the reward pool.
It might be hiding inside the infrastructure we've been using every day.
Maybe one day we'll see Hive merchants, Hive marketplaces, freelancers receiving HBD, and entire businesses operating through this blockchain.
And when that happens, making a living through Hive could become much more realistic than making a living simply from blogging on Hive.
That's the future prospect that excites me the most.
Hive on!
click here ⏩ City Life Explore TikTok Page 🎦
People have made a living here when the price was in dollars rather than cents. It is debatable if that price was justified and the crypto hype has cooled off now. Anyone making a living on other platforms either has many thousands of followers and earns from ads or they have people paying them directly. Hive just does not have the numbers for now so we will only make beer money at best. Some who get the big votes may do a bit better, but the average user makes cents.
So we need something to bring in far more users who may buy $HIVE to make their vote worth more. People have tried e-commerce with variable success. I have bought a few things with $HBD over the years including art, music and comics.
We have to be realistic about what you can achieve here so that people do not just give up. We have to build something that is better than what we have and any of us can help with that.
I agree that expectations need to stay realistic. The current user base and token price simply cannot support many full time creators through rewards alone.
Your point about bringing in more users and buyers of HIVE is important too... without greater demand, the reward pool can only stretch so far. I also like that you mentioned e commerce has already been tried, because it shows the idea itself is not enough... we need something people genuinely want to use and keep using.
Building something better while staying realistic probably gives Hive a stronger chance than promising easy income.
I think there is an enlightening suggestion here.
More information - Support - Reports - Discord
Support engagement with a delegation to topcomment:
50HP - 100HP - 250HP - 500HP - 750HP - 1000HP - 1500HP
This has been tried and done many times throughout the years. Even before the community fell off, the marketplaces just never gained any traction. Probably because we never really had creatives on here in that sense. Most were bloggers and not those who produced something that could physically be shipped or sold, or digitally.
I think a bigger problem today though is that nobody really has much money to spare. We've entered an era where most are considerably more frugal, but are ready to consume some form of media. It's less about engagement now and more consumption of content. Text doesn't cut it and that's largely why a lot of people left around that time.
That’s a very good point, especially knowing marketplaces have already been attempted without gaining lasting traction. Maybe the missing ingredient is not simply building another marketplace, but first having enough creators, buyers, and products that people genuinely want.
I also agree that content habits have changed a lot. People seem more willing to quickly consume videos and short form content (I'm also guilty of this) than spend time reading long posts.
Maybe any future Hive business model also needs to adapt to how people actually use the internet today, instead of assuming the old blogging model will remain enough.
There was a time here where video was largely popping off. Tons of videos being made of all sorts. Reviews, vlogs, music, just tons. But our video services weren't the best and stagnated alongside decreasing rewards. It's a lot of effort to put a video together and there was no algo here that could potentially get you tons of followers and views even without the financial incentive.
I genuinely think even if Hive had adapted alongside the traditional social medias to provide what people wanted and needed back then we still would've just ended up here because it's still a different concept and the world changes so fast now that it's nearly impossible to keep up. Even those very social medias are seeing less interaction.
People are generally just facing a lot of burn out. Tired of socials, tired of work, struggling economically. In the case of crypto it's very true, institutions are the only ones really buying anymore, retail has no power left, which is also why most coins have sold off, it's retail leaving and institutions looking at crypto like equities: what provides value and what doesn't?
That’s a good point. Without strong discovery and enough users, creators have little incentive to put that much effort into videos. Hopefully Hive can eventually improve in that area.
It is a really good question. I already wanna know how?
That’s exactly what makes the question interesting... I’m curious about the different ways people are making it work too.
It by faith that we keep on with Hive. The earnings now aren't encouraging even for new users to come. We are only trusting that better days will come and that soon
I understand that feeling. The current rewards can definitely make it difficult to attract and retain new users. Hopefully we can do more than simply wait for better prices... building more useful applications and opportunities around Hive could help create those better days too. 🐝
not at these prices,
(unless you perhaps have a top 10 account and remove all that you earn) Again why at this price would you do that...
but those that build something now..... maybe in the future ... need some more peeps and some more projects... a decent take off and im sure there will be some very happy people out of those that have accumulated in this downturn.
I was reading someone the other day that said they were not look at the "$2 post rewards for the moment, but the number of HIVE they were receiving for it. Its certainly a better view point.
Again some more projects, if Hive moves out of just what we have, then for sure. never know!
As for me, im just stocking the hive as she comes.
I like that perspective of looking at the amount of HIVE accumulated rather than only its current dollar value. At these prices, building and accumulating may indeed look very different if Hive eventually recovers. I also agree that we need more projects and real use cases beyond blogging... that could be what brings the next wave of users and activity.
thank you, it was not my magic though. but looking at the hive number vs the dollar value is certainly helpful. for sure.
Definitely... looking at the amount of HIVE accumulated rather than only its current dollar value gives a very different perspective, especially during a downturn.