It was March of 2019 that I finally received an email from #steemit that provided me with my eagerly awaited Steem blockchain keys. My expression of glee was outwardly loud. I had essentially been waiting years for my keys.
See, it was years prior that I applied for an account, but my application must of gotten lost in the woodworks. Eventually I moved on and forgot about the website. Fast forward a few years: one day while sitting in front of a screen I thought, “I’m tired of writing great content on Facebook and getting no return on time, research, knowledge/education nor the quality interaction.” As I began to search in the Google browser for “social media that pays” and similar wording changes, the memory of my application years ago came back to me.
It took me hours of searching to finally find Steemit again. I applied, again. This second time I actually received my keys!
I was confused from the initial moment (the keys) and continue to open doors into new confusion.
"Confused" by Guudmorning! Creative Commons ©
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kristiand/3223044657/in/photostream
I expected to make money on Steemit. Not fluffs, but a revenue per post that could offset living costs. The disappointment that instant, fast income flow was improbable had constantly caused me to waver. I felt like I was wasting my time and believed that the Whales were feeding off of red fish. (I’ve since learned that it’s more complex that that and Whales have, or could have, different and multiple ways to establish growth).
Then the hard fork came along. I stuck around the community and packed my bags to move to Hive, adjusted my witnesses, read a lot of drama, went into lockdown, had some emotional life breakdowns (due to lockdown) and then left Hive behind like a lost sock in the dryer.
Eventually I started using my old Wordpress websites and even paid for one of them. I had chosen to Wordpress over Hive because I wrongly thought it to be more visually appealing. It really isn’t. A blog is a blog, and aside from a few minor navigation aesthetics, a blog is only as visually appealing as the content that the creator applies.
"Art Piece 7" by GlitterandFrills Creative Commons ©
https://www.flickr.com/photos/33334577@N06/5572631859
I enjoyed being on Wordpress and very much enjoyed the properly written quality content. I developed a number of genuine readers and started making acquaintances.
Then one day I decided to copy paste a Wordpress publication to Hive. I believed that I would stay primarily committed to WP blog- that didn’t happen. I rapidly dove back into Hive with a better understanding and respect for how the blockchain worked and not how I wanted it to.
I began to understand the different frontends of Hive better. I recall a time where I questioned why there were so many different places “for the same website.” No Ana... they are DIFFERENT sites (frontends) that all operate under one login on the blockchain. To help me grasp, I began thinking of Hive like a universe with different planets that had different neighborhoods- no borders/countries. Regular old internet was visualized as one planet with different countries.
My understanding expanded and my appreciation and love for the blockchain exploded.
Not long after being back, I decided to take my funds out of Wealthsimple (I was going to invest in Coinbase) and apply it to an alt Hive account for curating. I wanted to move up in the ranks and I wanted to be of more value and a bigger (albeit, still small) part of the evolution here.
My returns on activity started actually happening. At first I was happy but I’m the type who isn’t happy for long. I want more and expect more of myself. If others could do it, and I was seeing that others could, than I would.
Today I had a revelation, posting outside of communities was going to take me ages to see the progress that I wanted. There’s different types of community members and Content Creators will always be at the bottom of the social and economic tier if not using the specific community .io dApps
I’ve A/B tested, researched Creators, curators, devs, investors, informers, and promoters activity and their social circles, posts, frequency, time of day, length on Hive or Steem, and learned of people’s side projects. Then, upvoted “recents” to support low value articles- then trending- then hot- then curations- promos in Discord; I have watched videos when cooking dinner and listened to audio while cleaning, to learn and genuinely comment on Dolphins and Whales publications. I’ve read long post of knowledgeable, popular people who are the ones with the REAL votes; commented, entered some contests, created very diverse content, settled into frontends and communities that suit me; I post photos, poetry, short stories, finance, parental, nature, reviews; I have developed good friends from Hive on discord where I often hang around; I have done everything to produce an increase in rewards, and still am overlooked by those with the power to help me grow.
Photo by Nick Fewings with Creative Commons ©
https://unsplash.com/photos/C2zhShTnl5I
My votes on my content are stagnant around 0.04 and if I’m lucky I’ll smile at a 2.00. If I’m lucky. If.
I spend hours writing content- sometimes researching, editing format, grammar and word selections (addicted to the thesaurus), then searching the perfect stock photo or editing then uploading my own images.
I have learned about crypto and nearly every spare second that I have goes into checking stock value or researching crypto and other blockchains. I have reached history of everything, politics, and even spent hours educating myself on security breaches throughout years. (Facebook is a mess).
Still, no one with a coin shares the love.
I should correct myself- there are a few that have expressed appreciation via a decent vote. One of those people is someone whom I have developed a small social connection with due to our mutual love of dnb. But, he’s taking a Hive vacation right now. Another, I’ll call him E, pops his head over to support me occasionally. I have my friends who are amazing and exceptionally motivating. Thank you friends.
Now, before you start thinking that all these things are just vote fishing; I ONLY comment on content genuinely. And I diversify my social behaviour.
I know this all takes time, I’m okay with that because I love this. I love writing, I love reading, I love crypto, I love expanding my mind, I love the blockchain, I love the social aspect and amazing people.
But just because I love love love all things pertaining to Hive, doesn’t mean that I don’t want to see my account grow. I have soiled blood and sweat, sanity, time, faith and personal finances into Hive. There’s no reason that I shouldn’t be getting the votes that I deserve.
"Poor man showing empty pocket" by wuestenigel is licensed under CC
https://www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/47844383282
It’s not just me that I’m talking about. Like I said, I’ve been researching like crazy and nearly everyone is getting overlooked. The big voters literally ignore 99.9999999% of Hivians. “Didn’t see that” or “Don’t know you” aren’t valid excuses. I have shoved myself in faces; just enough to be seen yet not too much that I’m annoying. I backed off of a few people who I attempted to communicate establish awareness with because it was exceptionally apparent that they wanted nothing to do with me. I have no desire to annoy anyone into voting me.
I want genuine votes. I know that I write worthy content, so when I’m making myself seen it is only so people know I exist- NOT to beg or annoy for votes or reblogs. Please don’t give me a cookie and tell me to go outside and play with the little children.
I’m not going to name names, but we all know who the people are that actually produce the numbers that we look for when checking Hive in the morning, noon, bed, and on the toilet.
I don’t get you wallet holders. Your posts make $150-400 each day or so but you can’t tap your finger or push that button for someone like me? I see your votes for the same people repetitively,(who are also big wallet holders) at the top of the vote list; $25? $10?
And why in the rare circumstance that these people do vote for the little fish, do they lower the value to $1 - $4?
That’s like leaving a waitress $.10 cents. You just voted $25 to a dolphin or whale then toss flecks dust in a red fishes gills? And sometimes the $300 post isn’t even that deep nor remarkable. Do you think we are all morons? Do you not respect us? Do you not respect fellow humans? Why?
"humanity. love. respect." by B.S. Wise is licensed CC
https://www.flickr.com/photos/39474253@N00/4621075758
——-
After much research and a new understanding of the social and financial dynamics here, I’ve decided to drastically decrease my posts via Peakd. #proofofbrain is so new that the community is smaller. The degree of separation is not a thing. I’m not feeling invisible, ignored, lost our like I’m trying to be part of the cool kids group.
I have decided to focus my time more on #pob because I think that there might be a chance that I’m not going to get lost in the crowd and treated like an ant.
I also love #naturalmedicine. If I had to build a house on Hive, NM is the neighborhood I fit in the most. I’m not sure why I’ve not posted a lot more there already. #cine and #musicforlife should expect to see much more of me also. #leo is unavoidable now that I’m getting deep into crypto (I’m also teaching my 14y child).
I really do like the Peakd frontend so I’m sad to have to back off. I’m just not as welcomed and appreciated the way that I feel I should be and have proven myself to be.
I hope that those of you who have the power here understand and take what I’m saying to heart. I’m not the only one and unless behaviours are changed, there will only be a growing number of Hivians who eventually see what I have broken-heartedly opened my eyes to.
"Broken heart" by Paula Satijn Creative Commons ©
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8457667@N08/24310549635
Your thoughts seem to be a common thread, for me I focus on the work of trying to write better posts, if mine were as good as your post I would be very happy.
Proof of brain is just a community on hive... peakd is an interface for hive.
And yes people should be finding communities of similar interest to interact with it's very helpful.
Peakd, hive.blog, and ecency are catch all interfaces, yes.
I think of those tools as airports or downtown city centre.
PoB isn’t just a community.
There’s communities that are straight up communities, and there are a few communities that are also frontends.
They are their own town just outside of the big city- still connected but has its own ambiance and social behaviour. :)
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
After reading your post I was going to say something similar, then I found your comment! What you just said!!
I'm doing my own self-guided tour of this place called Hive, and there is just so much out there-- like being in New York or Toronto in 2018.
Finding the right places where we can be rewarded for our time and effort can take a while, but after we're settled in we can explore other areas of Hive. Some of these areas (not including what was mentioned earlier) have their own tokens, too.
Yeah but it's got its own frontend to earn pob along with hive!
https://www.proofofbrain.io
These are some valuable insights, Ana, and I really do hope that you get a TON of input here in the comment thread! I use Peakd a lot (it's the most organized platform, easy to search and navigate) but I almost never post there. My #tribes are LeoFinance, ClickTrackProfit, CineTV, Foodies BeeHive and Proof of Brain... so I post and curate almost exclusively on these front-ends. And then I use Peakd in a few ways: to track all my notifications and thread conversations; and to find people and communities in general.
The one major benefit of using the tribe platforms is you will start to interact with the Hive Engine tokens... so if you have #LEO and #FOODIE tokens staked as you curate content through these front-ends, the creators will receive your upvote rewards in the respective tokens. And your own curation rewards are paid in HIVE.
So I don't stress too much about it, but I do focus on cycling through my tribe platforms every day to support the communities that I enjoy (and their economies). Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this important aspect of the #Hive universe... I !LUV it. Upvoted and followed. Keep talkin' hard! :)
Thanks for sharing your thought on this, it was a great read. I've been trying to focus on communities too and I'm really excited about PoB, CineTV, Music4Life and, ofc, LeoFinance
I actually found out about your post because someone posted it on our daily @leomarkettalk post.
We are a very active sub-group inside of Leo that gather every day to chat about many subjects and we would really love to have more people joining us so drop by to see what's all about if you'd like :)
Time spent on Hive should be rewarded and not just via upvotes. I’ve discussed this issue with multiple people since some people don’t get rewarded or overlooked. Keep writing and don’t get discouraged. This chain is a work in progress. I’m finding Proof of Brain and LEO are vastly superior in terms of rewards. :)
Welcome to pob, anaclark! I think finding a community you belong to is more important than which frontend you use. You're right that pob being smaller at the moment means more interaction and a better chance of getting noticed.
When communities get large, it is easy for small voices to get lost in the crowd.
Thank you. I agree with you.
Community and a personable sense is not possible in massive sizes. Even for someone as social as myself (with time on hands due to lockdown orders and my business having to close) I cannot keep up with hundreds of people.
Additionally, I read a large number of posts, then comment and edit. It may not sound like much, it is.
I’ve been an avid reader and writer my entire life- Hive can be like a drug for me sometimes lol
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First of all thanks for sharing your experience with us....
You will enjoy this platform if you are consistent and also ensure that you are fully engaged e.g write good contents,comment on the post of others,upvote good posts etc...yeah it can be sad to see some poor contents get massive upvotes while some great contents gets no upvotes,but when you are consistent and you keep posting great contents,just be patient and someday you will start getting the kind of rewards/upvotes which you deserve....@anaclark
Nice post! 👍
It was very interesting to read. Be consistent and sooner or later you will start to receive a lot of juicy upvotes.
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Thank you very much. I was apprehensive about how the piece would be received. I appreciate your motivation. @cryptospa
Ok!
Plus, keep in mind that the rewards the posts receive nowadays are 'small' because we receive Hive (HIVE power + HBD). HIVE is trading at $0,60 currently. But one day (probably in 2-3 years from now) it will hit $10. Then it will reach $50-$100 per one digital coin. So, take advantage of the cheap HIVE and collect as many as possible, just by blogging, while the competition (activity) for the rewards on the HIVE blockchain is low.
Hi @anaclark, you were just shared some LUV thanks to @thatcryptodave. Holding 10 LUV in your wallet enables you to give up to 3 LUV per day, for free. See the LUV in your wallet at https://hive-engine.com or learn about LUV at https://peakd.com/@luvshares https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmUptF5k64xBvsQ9B6MjZo1dc2JwvXTWjWJAnyMCtWZxqM
Great post, much wisdom! Thank you for your point of view!
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Speaking as someone who somehow made the T20 earners list on Hive last month, I've no idea how I got there - I think it's something to do with knowing some big fish but also having committed to platform (Fests and Vests).
Speaking as someone who makes a living through WordPress where I put out all my content for free, I know the real value of blogs is near zero.
Hive is an odd one for me, to say the least.
Communities/ tribes seem to work for a lot of people. I'm interested in POB but I don't really get what differentiates it from Hive, unless it's just a different set of Whales?
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I'm just learning about it myself. I do enjoy that you can post anything there. However, it is a tribe like any other. I'm in it to see how they evolve over time.
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A suggestion I have for you is to start engaging with others. I think the first step to get known is to start letting other know about you. I tend to read most if not all of the LEO content I get on my feed so I think you will get there soon enough if you are consistent.
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Your post was promoted by @jfang003
Proof of Brain is the place to be. Stick around and you will do well!
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I agree, blogs are only as beautiful as the amount of time that you put into them.
One thing I like about traditional blogs is that the nature of the content is more evergreen so we are more prone to promote them.
I don't promote blockchain blogs so much.
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Yet, many traditional blogs are bogged with too many ads.
I don’t mind ads, that’s how people get paid and I learn about new things I likely don’t want 😂 just, moderately.
The plainness of Hive has grown on me. It feels unthreatening and quiet. I can practically smell cleaner air here 😂
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The way I see it is that only a mimimal percentage of people have the time/energy/desire to be such an active member of the community as you (I am certainly not one of them!). Incentivised Social Media is a difficult thing in my opinion because really social media is something that most people use as a quick fix during downtime or as a break from the rigours of daily life. What that means is that to earn a living here, you probably have to accept that the majority of your paying audience is made up of other professional/semi-professional bloggers, a few super-enthusiastic digital socialites, and the odd hardcore crypto revolutionary who is desperate to see platforms like this pave the way for a major paradigm shift and so will put the energy in just to lubricate engagement. Its kind of weird. Is it the future? I doubt it.... but I think it is a seed that will grow in to something very different and very powerful.
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This time I have is a byproduct of 1.5 yr in lockdown and being forced to close my business.
I was losing my senses until I began blogging again. There’s only so many board games a Mother can handle lol
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Congratulations @anaclark! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Your next target is to reach 4000 upvotes.
Your next target is to reach 8000 upvotes.
Your next target is to reach 900 comments.
Your next target is to reach 900 replies.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
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It does seem to be awfully tough to gain any footing here. I'm a totally newb though so I am not one to talk. If only I understood all of this stuff I MIGHT do better, but I find it all completely overwhelming. For now I'm just writing blogs when I can and hoping over time the rest will start to make sense. Wish you the best of luck here, Ana! You certainly deserve it, with all the time and effort you have put into it. Impressive!
Hi Crystal. Welcome to Hive.
That’s the best way to get used to things around here. When people I know ask me “What is it” I usually say “the best answer is “blogging social websites that are interconnected and produce real financial rewards for everyone. Hive is actually much so more, but just think of it as social blogging until you get footing “
Of course, they all ask me to explain. Lol
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You know you can just post to proofofbrain in peakD by using the PROOFOFBRAIN tag ?
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yes, you are right, peakd is only the front end. One thing that pob will be regulated better than hive in the future.
POB is just a community and scotbot token on Hive; so I don't see the distinction. Using PeakD I can interact with POB or Leo, or any of the photography communities I use. It is all Hive; I don't draw the distinction just because they have a secondary token and run their own front ends. The constant comparisons between Hive and Leo or POB are not helpful. It's the same as comparing the country of the USA to the city of New York or San Francisco. You can't say New York is better then the USA as it is a part of the USA. In the same way you cant say Leo or POB is better than Hive as it is built on Hive and hence part of Hive. Just my 2 cents but I think people misunderstand the relationships between these communities/tribes and Hive. You can say the POB front end interface is more regulated than another interface. But please compare the interface and secondary token economics rather than comparing it to Hive as though hive is a separate entity to compare with. That's how I see it anyway. I regularly engage with posts across multiple communities using PeakD (and post into them) without having to use the dedicated front ends for those communities.
I will have to disagree with you in regards to there being no distinction.
Peakd is Hive is PoB is Leo etc.
Peakd had more going on because everyone m everything is reachable- like a downtown in a big city.
Connected Frontends have traffic, specific content, people, and personalities.
I have continued to use Peakd for a few posts or other account management, but I prefer organization.
Yes, all communities can be reached in peakd, ecency, or hive.blog BUT it feels like what I image NEW York City Airport to be.
Sometimes it’s nice to go to a cottage in the US instead of NYC.
I enjoyed the analogy you painted, but it didn’t seem to perfectly fit. Too many variables were lost.
Great visual though!!
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Certainly... but that’s not how the frontends are designed and encouraged to be used.
Additionally, when Hivers utilize proofofbrain.io, Leo finance.io, naturalmedicine.io, cine, music for life, online buzz, etc. through the designated URL to frontend, the post sometimes draws more token rewards specific the the group.
Not just that, it is the respectful thing to do and creates a ambiance that feels specific.
There’s more to this that I can’t jar out of my brain at this moment.
Maybe someone else will explain better than me.
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we will just have to respectfully disagree on that one ;-) It is decentralized social media and by definition that encourages many ways to engage. The font ends have to compete for your attention, with the ambiance you describe. That's what drives competition and makes the whole ecosystem better in the long run. Some people prefer to use a swiss army knife to cut things others prefer to use a dedicated knife for each job , its just a question of preference and has nothing to do with respect IMO.
I see your frustration with the FB ecosystem. Ever since FB "devalued" organic posts, almost all money is generated via ads. Ads still work amazingly well if you have a proper funnel in place and you feed the "beast" accordingly with fiat. 10 years ago small accounts were able to accomplish miracles on FB, nowadays things have changed dramatically and corporations are the ones breaking the banks. Obviously, you can take all that know how and experience, tweak it a bit and apply it to blockchain social media / advertising. Nothing is lost.
In terms of Hive, I had a similar experience as I had to wait nearly 2 months to get my keys as they weren't provided upon signup. I'm new to Hive and I find the POB community very welcoming and friendly. The content is good and the questions / topics raised trigger lots of engagement which is fantastic to experience. I currently use PeakD to publish my content but will move to the POB frontend as soon as a more user-friendly WYSIWYG is implemented.
Looking forward to your posts on POB ;) Cheers.
Yes! Pob is very rich in content and engagement, which I like.
I’m a true reader writer type so that’s the content my soul thrives on.
On the other hand, PoB can take the wind out of me sometimes. I will think, “I’ll just give some votes and leave... oh, that looks interesting, just a peak.” And just like that I could lose an hour!
I get sucked into the quality content that also beckons me to comment, editing, etc.
There is NO ‘only a few seconds’ in the brain of Hive. Lol
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Thanks for the indirect mention - I'm slowly resurfacing my friend 😊
I know what you are going through with Hive, I'm not in the cool club and have seen many friends step away from Hive for reasons you mention. I deleted Discord apps and probably miss out on a ton of things but my mental health is more important and off Hive life is taking the forefront at the moment. Just remember that it's not always about Hive rewards now with all the tokens for various communities so try not to look at them so much (easier said than done).
I'll come find you on Twitter
Hmm? I don’t know what you mean about the mention... 😆 kidding.
I saw you moving around in the shadows here. Glad you are back.
I hope your education journey is going smoothly.
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You must have a powerful flashlight then!
Thank you! Haven't started the Uni course yet, there's a few more mountains to get over first!