Debating whether to write a "POL" post before the year ends, you can see I have elected to go ahead and write an update post. And focus on the recent financial aspects of my "journey" inside this virtual world, while having a little fun with the title.
While no longer written monthly, these updates represent my "log" of sorts, giving my readers a window into my "journey" through a new "virtual world" based on the creation of our Hive blockchain.
- Note: "POL" @roleerob? Never a big fan of the common POB (Proof-of-Brain ... π) references, I decided to play with it a little. So ... "POL" is "Proof-of-Life" ... π
Since I want to have a little fun with this post, before getting into a bit more serious content, I can't let this Orca image pass without comment:
I had never seen a picture like this one, so I have no idea how common this demonstration is, although it's labelled with references to Orlando and Sea World.
Take a close look at it!
While I have both started and ended this post with a sort of "happy" Orca, they are well known to be one of the most formidable carnivores on earth. How then did they train one to do this? A little flip of its nose and a nice meal drops right in there. But no! It has to not only resist that temptation, but provide a relatively stable "platform" for this young lady to balance on! I can't imagine how much time went in to making it possible. I hope that young lady is very highly compensated!
So ... With that, let's take a closer look ... π§
@roleerob an Orca?
On October 9th, I was evaluating my portfolio on the Hive blockchain, after receipt of my 1st incentive for investing in LeoFinance's WLEO liquidity pool.
In doing so, I was pleasantly surprised and very pleased to find this:
Source 2: @roleerob's Peakd Wallet on 9 October 2020
The "combo" total of all the HIVE and HIVE equivalents I had in my possession was + 53,000! I don't keep up on the exact number, but 50,000 HIVE is a common reference seen on the number needed to become an Orca. I was an Orca! π Sort of ... π
Then ...
WLEO V1 got hacked and the result was a temporary crash of the price of the LEO tokens I held, as well as the single greatest loss I had experienced in 3-Β½ years of investing in the "digital asset" class.
At which point, I was no longer even a "pretend" Orca and had more important things to be concerned with than these somewhat whimsical labels we use "in here" ...
Today, less than 2 months later, with the launch of WLEO V2 and the overall crypto markets heading back into the "ATH wonderland" of late 2017 and early 2018?
The Hive blockchain "purists" would more than likely quibble with my referencing being an Orca, when I don't hold +50,000 HIVE or HIVE POWER in my Hive wallet. Fine. I could hardly care any less about what some may regard as the "bragging rights" associated with these labels.
Since posting my introduction on 14 May 2018, I just know what it means to me to have obtained this level of success from where I started 2-Β½ years ago. I'll talk about some of those details in the "Highlights" section below.
But first, I will capture some of the other types of details found in my previous Update posts. You may enjoy reading through them. I definitely like to have them for future reference ...
Status or "Executive Summary"
To begin, here is a brief overview to answer the "how is it going" question we should probably be "checking in" with ourselves and answering, from time to time.
Profile
Hive.Blog has changed the profile view that I have always used on my Update posts. It used to show our ranking on the Hive blockchain. Guess someone decided to scrap that ...
I toyed briefly with a goal of getting my "rep" up to 70 before the end of the year. Not going to happen. Seems many hold that number almost in contempt anyway ... π€·ββ
Statistics
There is an old saying, "numbers don't lie." Yes, well, there is also an old joke about the executive asking the accountant, "what do the numbers say about how we're doing?" to which the accountant replied, "what do you want them to say?" ... π
Required to issue a monthly report for most of my career, with numbers to quantify progress, here are a few:
To date on my Hive "journey," these numbers are the most important. The first three quantify our influence on adding value to the Hive blockchain. And the second two, the actual work we are putting in to add value ourselves. Given all of our rich diversity, I trust we all have one focused objective in common - adding value to the Hive blockchain.
We want the value to go up!
And ... How is that working for us?
Overall Market and the Hive Blockchain
With the overall market surging, then HIVE must be doing great. Yes?
Uhhh, no ... Like "dΓ©jΓ vu all over again," the Hive blockchain is performing much like the Steem blockchain did. Don't like this comparison? I tracked these exact stats through much of 2019 and commented then about how Steem "lagged" the market. By a lot ...
Don't like my description? Look at these numbers above and tell me how you would characterize them.
I foolishly made several DCA purchases of HIVE through the summer of 2020. Thinking, "well, it surely won't go much lower than this." Hive is different. Hive is better. Right ...
I won't elaborate beyond this, as it is a complete waste of my time and energy. We'll just leave it at "live and learn." Maybe ...
Volumes have been written about markets and the "brutal honesty" of prices set by them, as a reflection of value, if they are "free" markets. We'll all have our own opinions as to how true that is of this new "digital asset" class, in general, and HIVE, in particular.
Awards and Accomplishments
In this section, I highlight anything which stood out to me in the way of an accomplishment or award. As much as anything, it's for my reference, when I look back over time and ask myself,
"Are you really accomplishing anything meaningful 'in there' @roleerob?"
For this post, I have highlighted two achievements.
Highest Payout of the Day!
"On a roll" late this summer, with some of my travel posts, which were being nicely supported, I was still shocked upon receiving this award!
Wow! The highest payout of the day?! I received this award for my Travelogue 7: Back in Time at Spirit West River Lodge post, written on August 16th. Given how special a memory our visit to this magical place was, it seemed very fitting.
- Note: Sadly ... π I went back there in late September and have a much more intimate and poignant post to write about this place. I just haven't had the time ... π€·ββ
Engagement and Support
I am proud of what I have managed, in my part-time status as a blogger, in 2-Β½ years on our Hive blockchain, to accomplish in the way of support for others.
At + 4,500, I have 30X more comments on the posts of others than posts of my own! Not many can make that same claim. I personally believe well written comments on posts add considerable value to them. Some of the responses I have received back on my efforts in this category have had a lot to do with "keeping me going."
Sadly, the EIP changes of HF 21 / 22 put a serious "dent" in the number of comments received on many posts, as it doesn't "pay." I think that is "progress" in the wrong direction. But ... I am just one small voice ...
And 65,000 upvotes (and counting) of others work? Definitely doing my small part to keep the Hive blockchain "green" ... π π
Highlights
Beginning with my first monthly update post, I have been inspired to try to capture "the good, the bad, and the ugly" highlights every month. Specifically focused on my interactions with others on this "social network."
For this update, though, I will intentionally change this to focus on the financial highlights of where I now stand (an Orca! π), after 2-Β½ years of effort on our Hive blockchain:
π π Two Thumbs Up π π
There are many, many so-called "second layer" communities (sometimes called "tribes," but I am not personally a fan of that label ...) built on our Hive blockchain. For many reasons, they are not all created equal!
This post, illustrated above, focuses on two of them - LeoFinance and the Man Cave Project. They are very different communities, but they both provide support for how successful these ventures built on the Hive blockchain can be, as I have written about pretty extensively.
What I have not covered so extensively, I want to cover now. Both Khal and Ray, as the originators of their respective communities, have experienced very substantial setbacks during the short time I have been acquainted with them.
Life is tough. How we choose to handle the inevitable setbacks we experience along the way has a great deal to say about our character. It was very important for confirming my initial impressions of each gentleman, the ...
sterling integrity
displayed by each
in their "trials by fire!"
displayed by each
in their "
trials by fire!"We have far too many examples of the opposite for those of us who have spent any real amount of time on our Hive blockchain. Great to have these encouraging and even inspiring "leading by example," to give us some hope. May their "tribes increase," as we can not have too many good people like these two gentlemen.
My response? Increased my investment in each of them! π
π One Thumb Up π
Most of what I have to say above and below about my current status would not have happened, had I not made the decision to power-down on the Steem blockchain. And, in so doing ...
liberating some
discretionary funds
... as it takes money to make money. Given what I have experienced, why did I wait so long? More on this in my π π section below ...
With these discretionary funds available, for the first time I began to look at the so-called "second layer" communities built on our Hive blockchain, as potential investments.
While I wrote several posts during the critical 4-to-6 week period between the end of June and early August, a key post written during this time was entitled "Money Goes Where Treated Best!?" in focusing in on two of them.
In the end, I invested a considerable amount in both of them which has turned out to be ...
the single
best decision
of my 2-Β½ year "journey!"
of my
2-Β½ year "journey!"... as far as ROI is concerned. And, as a long-term investor, I truly think as good as the ROI has already been, the best is yet to come.
π One Thumb Down π
While I have referred to the major setbacks experienced by both Khal and Ray in my π π section above, there can be no question the hack of LeoFinance's WLEO V1 liquidity pool was far greater in terms of the loss sustained.
While WLEO V2 is now up and running very nicely, one can only wonder what the loss of momentum sustained for over a month has cost the LeoFinance community in terms of missed opportunities? Let alone the 6-figure loss from the hack itself. And, with those thoughts, wondering how is it some nasty people have nothing better to do with their time and talent than to hurt others. Given the reported sophistication shown by the hacker, surely they are capable of creating something positive and constructive! But ... No, man has every bit as much potential for bad (or evil), as he does for good.
Thankfully, I can agree with the final assessment reached by Khal and the community. If it was going to happen, it was good that it happened relatively early, as even a month later, this same "hack job" loss would almost certainly have been far, far greater.
And! Learning from mistakes and getting stronger / better / wiser for having suffered them is an important part of life. This certainly appears to be the case with Khal and his LeoFinance team!
π π Two Thumbs Down π π
With many of you, having suffered through the "back and forth" of the Steem and Hive blockchain wars, while skeptical, I wanted to believe some vital lessons were learned from them. And, as a result, the Hive blockchain would be all the better for it.
Is there any evidence to support that, in fact, being the case?
I won't invest much time and energy in elaborating on why I ask this question. I will only say here how disappointing it has been for me to watch what has unfolded through the Summer and into the Fall. Watching the price tank like it has over that period has been painful to experience.
For far too much of my 2-Β½ year "journey," I was a "good soldier" and never powered down. Not one time. For even a little bit. Due to listening to the constant drumbeat in the "echo chamber" of these "virtual worlds" about the supposed dos and donts. Again, I won't waste my time and energy writing any more about this.
I will simply close this section with "publicly" stating I will almost certainly ...
never again
be more than
partially powered up!
be more than
partially powered up!
There is no way I can calculate the opportunity cost to me of not having discretionary funds available for investing long before I did. But I am certain it is considerable. Always limited on my time, it was easy to "write off" even the possibility of investing in anything other than HIVE, since I had no $$s available.
I always dutifully powered up all of my earnings. I will never make that mistake again!
Onward and Upward!
Wrapping up, while I never have (or likely will be) been the most prolific content creator, I do enjoy writing, when time and inspiration allow. So, while I am not likely to write again for awhile, I am not gone. I will almost certainly be writing again in the future.
About what?
The "conventional wisdom" is to "find your niche" and just write about that. Ever the "contrarian," I just write about whatever inspires me, at any given time. I have always appreciated the "creative spark" we all have at times, like what we see illustrated in this picture above. At a glance, we know a lot of thought and effort went into making it!
While I may write about most anything, I have a backlog of posts to finish, which have already been started, around 3 main areas of interest:
- Business. Successful over a long career, in 5 different industries, I always like to write about what I see going on around us in the business world. Especially as it relates to and impacts my "digital asset" class investments.
- Travel. While not the "nomad" type, I do travel from time to time and enjoy writing about what I have experienced out on "the road less traveled." And others seem to enjoy reading them! π
- Gardening. COVID-19 broke the "rhythm" I had going of writing a series of posts on my fascination with the discovery of permaculture, in general, and "Back to Eden" gardening, in particular. Having now completed my 2nd season, I hope to get back to it some day.
Whatever the future holds, barring any unforeseen disaster, I will be around. Just "frolicking about" in these fascinating new "virtual worlds" based upon the brilliant inspiration behind the creation of blockchains, networked together all over the world.
Closing
I hope you enjoyed reading through this "catching up a bit" post, dear reader. I enjoyed writing it. We live in a remarkable time in human history. Whatever is coming, in the months and years ahead, I look forward to experiencing it, while engaging "in here," with others all over the world!
Iβd love to hear any feedback you may be inspired to provide.
Until "next time," all the best to you for a better tomorrow, as we all work together to build up our Hive Communities and add increasing value to our Hive blockchain! π π
Respectfully,
Blogger @roleerob
Hive "Dolphin" π¬, LeoFinance "Whale" π, & Man Cave "Dragon" π
π π― π
P.S. I am not a financial adviser. Please consider this post as financial information and / or opinion only. Please perform your own due diligence, in whatever manner you seems best to you, if you have found it to be beneficial.
π² No trees were harmed in the publishing of this post! π²
Interested in reading more of my related posts?
| Lead Image | Title, Link, & Summary |
|---|---|
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Is the Future Bright in Hive's "Second Layer?" Less than 2 months after my first post on making a decision between further investments in LEO and / or BRO, I wrote this follow-up. On the decision to continue to invest in both! Details why I am glad I did! |
 |
Money Goes Where Treated Best!? With a decision to make re: where to invest future funds, in choosing between BRO and LEO, I take a closer look at this well-known bit of investment advice. Should we consider whether it really holds true for the Hive blockchain? |
 |
Land of Leo: My First LeoDex Transaction!?
With discretionary funds from powering down on the Steem blockchain, I decided to invest some of it into additional LEO tokens. This post covers my experience with attempting to do it on LeoDex. |
LeoFinance: A Hive blockchain community devoted to investing!
Discord: Engage with LeoFinance's Online Community!
Check it out!
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Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Always lovely to catch up with you. I'm just dipping my toe in the waters of Leo finance, so great to find your post on here.
They do? And there I was proud to have made it. I'm also not a prolific writer, even less since I've taken on curating and communities, so took me over three years. I try not to focus on it now, though
Can you explain LeoDex to me. Is it something like Hive Engine?
Recently I've been leaving my liquid earnings unpowered and had a play around on Hive Engine with them. LEO was one I decided to buy some more of and power up. I'm not at your level, but above redfish if it counts the same way as Hive, so I'm happy with that.
I'm often torn between putting resources into crypto or not, with that niggling thought at the back of my mind that government might ban it.
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Very nice to hear from you @minismallholding! I have always admired the effort you and others put into what you do for the Hive blockchain. I hope you find it both rewarding and that you will enjoy a many-fold return.
I am, of course, biased, but I think you have made a good decision. Already nearly double the price of HIVE, I think the best is yet to come. I did notice you used the Leo UI. What do you think of it? It is perhaps a trivial matter for some, but I very quickly grew fond of the "Dim" mode for viewing. Very easy on my eyes! I wish PeakD had a similar option. That said, I have found it still doesn't fully handle all of the HTML formatting I use as well as PeakD, as can be seen (for those details which I seem to be the only one seeing them ... π€), but it is still relatively new and lots and lots of plans for its future as a stand-alone UI.
Well, I make no claim to being an expert, but I have learned to use it a lot since "jumping in" to investing in these second layer tokens in July. LeoDex basically "sits on top" of Hive Engine, as far as I understand it. Hive Engine has its own database independent of the Hive blockchain and LeoDex provides us with a different interface for interacting with it. In doing so, it has a number of nice improvements, in the eyes of most. Including me ... For starters, you don't want to miss that the fee for converting HIVE to SWAP.HIVE is 0.25% on LeoDex, but a full 1.0% on Hive Engine. Almost everything I do is on LeoDex, since I am supporting my investment in LeoFinance through using it ...
Again, I think you have made a financially prudent decision, although I am biased, as this post clearly states ... If I can help you further with anything, questions, etc., please don't hesitate to ask. Here or a DM on Discord. I'll be happy to do what I can.
Yep, understood. Short of that, one reason I am not writing currently is the time it is taking me to build a database to handle all of the accounting for these crypto transactions. Why? So I can be a "good" citizen and pay my taxes on them ... π
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
You'll be pleased to know that Peakd also has dark mode, it's just a little less straight forward to change. You'll need to go into settings, then interface to change it. I have as many of my front-ends on dark mode as possible, because I struggle with the brightness of the light modes. Even hive.blog has it.
I use a tablet for most of my online work, so the Leo front-end probably isn't functioning as well as it might on desktop. I have to turn it landscape to even see the buttons for accessing my feed. Having said that, I'm used to front-ends being a bit less easy to use, so it doesn't put me off. So far so good for the experience.
Seems like I should start getting used to the LeoDex site, then. Thank you for the explanation and tip.
At the moment I'm way off the tax threshold for needing to trace my crypto, but I realise it's something I'll need to start learning to do if I go into it much more.
Thank you.
Yes, @minismallholding ...
... I have used it for many months. SteemPeak and, then, PeakD have been my preferred UIs for a long time. The "Dim" mode option I mention in the LeoFinance UI, however, is a 3rd option. That is, there is the same light and dark mode many apps have today. But, there is also this 3rd mode which I find to be excellent for my aging eyes. If you are not familiar with it, you may want to give it a try.
Hopefully Australian tax law is more favorable to investors than it is here. Almost every crypto transaction is literally a taxable event. Full compliance is all but impossible. For example, simply look at the number of trans we see in our Hive wallets on any given day. Imagine having to even attempt to account for every one of them!
Oh well, I can only do so much and will dutifully carry out my responsibility, up to a reasonable point ...
Thanks so much for stopping by and adding value to this post. While I will not likely be writing again for awhile, as mentioned in this post, I will be around. I look forward to future "conversations" with you! ππ
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
I see, 3 modes. I was looking at the sun and moon quick switch part on the main page, but now you mention it, I remember someone else discussing the dim mode. I wonder if there's a mode to assist aging brains too. π€
Congrats on your achievements but if you really want to know how they made the orca do the trick, let me tell you it was by exposing the poor creature to constant stress and training in horrible living conditions until they literally broke its spirit and natural instincts. ThatΒ΄s how they do it. Sorry if you find this comment irrelevant to your post, I just saw the picture and had to react... No offence, your achievements are really remarkable ;)
Thank you for stopping by @phortun! π
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
You're doing really well for a part timer π especially investing in the WLEO pool. Congrats on becoming an Orca! I'm always miss the boat as I don't understand all this and don't have the motivation to investigate and understand it. Doing your homework definitely pays of on the chain.
Yes @livinguktaiwan ...
... I guess so. My choosing to get involved with some of this stuff has taken my accounting headaches to another level, so most definitely the progress made has not been without challenges. Some like the old saying, "no pain, no gain." Can't say I am a big fan of it though ... π
That said, I can't say enough about both of the gentlemen mentioned in this post and the integrity they displayed in helping all of those impacted by losses not of their own making. Based on their character, as leaders, in their own way they each took care of it.
Love the inspiration of examples like that when they are in such short supply (in my view at least) in crazy world we live in today. Without them, I likely would not have been in the position to write this post. Most likely I would have just "cut my losses" and moved on ...
Thank you for "playing along" and considering me an Orca. It frankly isn't all that important to me, but still kind of fun to pretend I am, based on what I have written in this post. Who knows, maybe someday I will actually hold an Orca-level stake in Hive Power. We never know what the future holds! π€·ββοΈπ
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
My esteemed senior @roleerob, Did you finally hit the jackpot in Hive? π²
Have you finally achieved the status of a whale in the hive?
I congratulate you on your success!
From my point of view, I guess you have spent a long time and effort investing in cryptocurrency.
You are probably a natural investor!
I wasn't interested in cryptocurrency originally, but looking at your achievements, interest in cryptocurrency is rising.
Currently, my English is at the level of elementary school students in the US, so I hesitate to invest in cryptocurrency, but I am studying while looking at your articles.
I wish your health and long life!
Well @goldgrifin007 ...
... I link the word "jackpot" to gambling. I don't gamble. I make well-informed decisions, to the best of my ability. These crypto assets are very risky to invest in, so most people don't have the risk tolerance to ever consider getting involved. Maybe someday their current volatility will be much lower and more people will "jump in."
In my opinion, if that day ever arrives, the profit potential will be considerably less than what it is now. I think the key is not to invest "more than you can afford to lose" and go from there. That is what I have done and it has worked out quite well, as detailed in this post.
No. In the natural world, an Orca is a type of whale, but here in this virtual world, an Orca is distinctly different from a whale. Specifically (in round numbers), an Orca would hold 50,000 HIVE and a whale would hold 500,000 HIVE - a factor of 10 difference!
Thank you for stopping by, my Korean friend, and for your well wishes. I hope this finds all well with you and yours.
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
This is just like walking through the year 2020 with you when it comes to Investing in oneself. You really did a great job here.
I haven't heard of the man cave before, I thought they are a tribe ?
Do you still have plans to invest in other tribes or possibly outside the hive second layer
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Glad you enjoyed reading it @botefarm. You might enjoy the Man Cave Project. Here is the first post I wrote about this community, when I first discovered it myself. In it, you will find a link to their Discord server, if you find it of any interest.
I have invested smaller amounts into the Archon community, which is interesting to me. While I have no current plans, I do keep in eye out for other possibilities, in the limited time I have to devote to it.
Thank you for stopping by!
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Reading the words above really stuck a string of silence in me but I am glad that you've recovered now from those low moments. I am inspired by your journey and experience. Thanks for sharing.
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Thank you for investing your valuable time @gandhibaba ...
... to let me know this. Glad to "hear" you found some value in this post.
All the best to you and yours for a better tomorrow! ππ
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Thanks a lot. Cheers!
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Congratulations @roleerob! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
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Great! π Thanks for letting me know @hivebuzz! Doing my small part to keep our Hive blockchain "green" ... π
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
You're welcome @roleerob! Well, you're doing more than a small part, huge thanks to you! ππ
Ho Ho Ho! @roleerob, one of your Hive friends wishes you a Merry Christmas and asked me to give you a new badge!
HiveBuzz wish you a Merry Christmas!
May you have good health, abundance and everlasting joy in your life.
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