I’ve been wanting to get this post out for awhile now but as always time gets away from me. As the saying goes better late than never so here we are.
Over the course of several months there has been some sort of a trend happening. I’m not speaking of the type of trend that is glorified on the Hive trending page but rather one we’d hope not to ever see.
What motivated me to write this post was the fact that it happened on more than one occasion (one just recently) in our very own needlework community. I won’t go into details about the who’s but let me just continue on to get into the what’s.
I will actually be talking about three different trends one would want to avoid…
Before we get into those I think we need to shed light on how and why certain things are considered abuse on Hive.
One needs to understand that Hive is community governed. This simply means the rules, policies, standards and etiquette are all based on a consensus of what the community has agreed upon as acceptable and unacceptable. You won’t find an “official” rule book based on this fact.
What you will find are a plethora of posts from veterans and even projects like @newbies-guide that has listed out for you the do’s and don’ts of Hive. You’ll even notice curator’s and community leaders speaking directly about certain actions that are frowned upon by the community.
I think @derangedvisions said it well when he stated
One of the aspects of decentralization is that it gives the community the power to manage itself.
You will quickly realize here on Hive that many of us don’t tolerate abuse or take it lightly and will do what we can to keep this platform free of it.
Moving on to the first trend to avoid…
Mixing in Plagiarism
I could’ve just left this at plagiarism but this form I’m talking about is a more subtle approach.
Let me say that just as with a lie is a lie (there is no such thing as a little white lie 🙄), plagiarism is plagiarism whether you think it’s harmless or not.
Here’s the situation:
The author wanted to post about a place they visited. They shared info about their experience where you could tell it was their own words of expression. Where they made the mistake was adding in bits and pieces from an online article to help with sharing facts about this place where they weren’t able to gather that info from their visit.
When this was mixed in with their own original writing and no sources of credit were listed for the online content, it automatically became a plagiarized article. Doesn’t matter if the majority of it was their own. This is very deceptive as most readers won’t even notice it and think the entire article is original.
Someone spotted the used article online and the author was flagged. The author realized and admitted their mistake and was quite embarrassed by it because they knew better.
Now onto…
Recycling Content
This isn’t new but it’s something that has been happening more and more frequently.
Another name for recycling content is reposting. You are basically posting the same material that you’ve previously published. This also includes changing the order of your photos around to try to make it look like a new post but the words are still exactly the same. 😑
You say
Hey, it’s my content and if I want to share it again that’s my choice and I have every right.
So why is this frowned upon by the community?
Let’s start with your voters…the automated ones to be exact. This is seen as a form of milking the system or double dipping rewards because your automated votes keep coming in and voting on these reposts. If your supporters knew they were voting on the same post over and over again do you think they would be happy with that?
I would think most people would want to spread out their votes to those putting in the work and effort to produce new and original material.
I think the situation is this. Those who have been here for years may feel they should get special privileges and bypass the standards and rules that have been set. They feel like they have given an ample amount of time and energy to help grow this platform which they have.
However, because of the longevity fact and even more so if they are in a leadership role this is all the more why they should continue to adhere to the rules. Instead of thinking in an entitled way I myself as a leader have a different thought process. I know that after representing Hive in such a positive way for so long and having an influence I better not even think about doing something I know is unacceptable.
I know that if I did do something like this my consequences would be even more harsh than it would be for a newer user. One, because I know better, two because of the position I’m in and three because I know that so many people would be disappointed and feel they couldn’t trust me anymore.
Hive can be very unforgiving at times but that’s because people are invested here. Once you ruin your rep and that trust you had it’s pretty hard to get back in good standing. It’s not even worth the extra few bucks you’ll make on that double post. 🤷🏽♀️
I think the main problem is doing this without any mention because once again it’s very deceiving. Those who have been caught doing this not once mentioned it was old material being shared or even tried to change up the post a bit to make it new or different.
If your post is a progression or continuation of something you are sharing then that doesn’t count as a repost. For instance, I share a post about a bird feeder we built and show process photos along with the finished product. Then in another post I share about the birds actually using the feeder. Those are two different posts even though they are about the same subject. It was a continuation so you could see the bird feeder in use. The point is that it wasn’t cloned and republished. It had new wording and photos to make it new.
Cross posting into different communities is acceptable and a good way to get your post seen by different audiences. Even with this though you have to be careful because cross posting the same post into too many communities begins to look messy and can also be seen as one trying to milk rewards.
Use your best judgment. Take a look at other authors who have been here awhile and take note how they govern their blogs.
Finally we’ll briefly look at…
Using AI Without Mention
Whewww y’all! This is a really touchy, tricky, sticky topic so I won’t be here on this too long.
Most people have probably already shaped their opinions about this wave of AI use while others are still trying to figure it all out.
What I do know is using any type of AI generated help on your post without mentioning you did so is a total Hive No No.
Original content is one of the highest standards that shapes what Hive is all about. Right alongside this is effort which is what it takes to create original work. You’ll see this stamped across any type of newbie guide post you come to.
With the addition of all these AI tools being implemented it’s getting harder and harder to tell what’s original and what’s fabricated.
Here’s the situation:
The author stated in one of their posts that they were “trying” out one of these AI apps. They wrote a little of their own content and then showed us how it was improved/enhanced by the AI.
That’s all good right? Right. They stated, let known, mentioned, disclosed that they were just trying out the tool.
Well, here is where the mistake comes in. The author continued to use this AI app on their next few publications. The difference was they didn’t mention they were using it. At this point they were proceeding as if it was their own writing efforts and failed to inform their readers that it was AI generated.
Eventually someone put the pieces together and realized what was going on and the author was called out on it.
Whether you feel justified or not in using these tools in your posts it is still a smart practice to be straightforward with your intentions. This could help you avoid flags and downvotes and even wrong assumptions if you just make it clear from the beginning.
I’ve noticed that more and more communities are adding to their rules that the use of any type of AI is not allowed. They are expressing the fact that they love human content with emotions and real life feeling and even the grammatical errors that come along with it. I second that 🖐🏽!
@Acidyo hits on this point when he said
He actually goes a bit deeper and expands on this topic to make it more clear. I recommend you click on that quote to check out that post in it’s entirety.
I personally love the many different characteristics, vibes, personalities and customization that gives Hive its home feeling. If we take that away this place will become null, boring and a place of no unique identity. It would consist of a bunch of publications that all sound the same and the only way it differentiates is from the photos that are shared. 😕
I appreciate you sticking this out and reading to the end.
My goal here was to highlight the unacceptable things that have been happening more frequently so that you can avoid them.
My hopes would be that each of us would use integrity when conducting ourselves here. Based off of what you’ve learned and already know it would be wise to always consider the standards that have been set here and adhere to the rules.
Having a reputation of value and of good standing should be top priority for those who care about this ecosystem and the future thereof.
Very timely! @callmesmile and I were chatting last Sunday and one of the topics was the stuff I have been doing here in Hive. She noted that I was kind because of everything I did, but I laughed so hard about the kindness part. I know I'm not kind (@indayclara agrees with me on this). If you'll list all the kind people in the world, you won't find my name on the list. But what I have is integrity. At least that's what I always stand on.
I can confidently have someone audit all my activities and say that they can't find anything that could be used against me. With all the trust Acid has put me in OCD, I know I can easily profit from all of it if I'm just greedy. That's why I'm easily triggered by any accusations (direct or indirect) against me. I always say that if anyone can present a damning proof that I abused, I'll happily leave everything here.
Having integrity is not easy especially when you're tempted every day. Hive is my bread and butter and given the current crypto market, I'm not financially as stable as when the value was at $0.90. I have a lot of bills to pay. But that didn't prompt me to commit any kind of abuse. I would say you can strip me bare and integrity will be all that I have. I'm not claiming to be so noble about this either. I just find it to be the most logical thing to do considering that all your activities are recorded and anyone can easily connect the dots if they're resourceful enough.
Okay, enough about me. I just love this:
I can relate to this one because I had some unpleasant interaction here with someone entitled. While I believe that community has absolute power in terms of governance, some think that communities are just there as a dumping ground for their shit. This applies not just to the Hive community in general, but also to the niche communities. The owner of the community has the ultimate power and you can't do anything about the rules it imposes. If you're not happy with how the community is run, you can make your own community. It's that simple.
There's always a consensus on the line between the acceptable and the unacceptable. It requires just common sense to discern which is which, but I noticed people just want to do what they want without dealing with consequences after. I always warn my onboardees that if they're not sure, there's no harm in asking questions.
What I hated most is when people are so entitled to call community leaders and moderators as customer support. They're thinking that they are customers and that they can always command the moderators to do their bidding. And when they're called out, they will call you a power tripper.
Anyway, I love how you compiled these three things to avoid here in Hive. At least we now have some written notes to add to the rule book of the acceptable and unacceptable here in Hive.
Lol well I've always considered you to be kind in my book. 😆😁😉
I hear ya on that. It especially is irritating when someone accuses you of something but you know how you have governed yourself. You know that with all the trust and responsibility that has been given you, you take it seriously and do your job to the best of your ability.
I’ve gotten several DM’s about this over the years when people make mistakes. They talk about how Hive was there everything and a way to help support their families. So yes, it is very tempting to go against what we know is right in order to make a little extra. Resisting and keeping that integrity that you have is definitely the right way to go and I commend you for it. This definitely pays better in the long run if you know what I mean.
Let me just say that the curators I know and have seen in action are straight beasts 😄. They be on it and eventually what people think they are getting away with will catch up with them soon. People are geek with it, they know how to connect the dots and find stuff out 👀. If anything, that fact alone should make people have more integrity. 😅
I agree about some seeing communities as their dumping ground. This is why I love seeing active community leaders and teams not putting up with these types of things. They mute, boot and salute! Bye bye 👋🏽!!
Yep! I just recently dealt with a situation like that. The member wanted me to vouch for them and then made statements like they “should” still get supported. Entitlement all the way and this type of attitude will only make people support them less.
I truly appreciate your support and leaving this thorough feedback. I personally was just getting more and more disappointed from what I was seeing and felt it was time to write about it ~
That's a tricky one. Does that also mean using a spell checker integrated with the browser? Or AI in a smartphone or DSLR (For example AI Servo AF in your Rebel T6 ;-) ). Sure, there's a line, but I don't think it can be described as simple as above. Humans should be able to tell the difference.
Content reward pool is our common good. We all should use it wisely because ultimately we are paying for it. And of course it's a decentralized platform, so we should remember that there are also people who have different points of view than us. And that's fine. People have their right to be wrong ;-)
This is definitely a tricky one. Maybe I should have explained further that the actual written content not consist of AI without mention? Even when using a spell checker you’re still checking and correcting your own words. I agree that this is something that needs to be a little more in depth but at the same time I’m aware debates and discussions could go on for days about it.
I was hesitant to mention it due to this fact but really wanted to stress the point that it’s causing some uproar and negative reactions when it’s not mentioned. I know I won’t be able to answer every question about this because I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it all…it’s really tough to know how to draw the lines with this one.
💯
Thanks for reading and responding ~
I wasn't reading, AI read it to me ;-)
j/k
😜😅
Well said. It gets really old when you have to call out someone and have to go through the same old justification for why they didn't realise they were doing anything wrong when we and they know that they did.
And when its an old timer it is even worse, they are just showing contempt for their readers and the platform.
Thank you. Yes, it really does. Sometimes that justification process they go through turns into a whole other drawn out ordeal instead of just admitting their mistake.
I'm still kind of blown away by those who have been caught up with this stuff. People I've followed and watch put time and effort on the platform since the early days. It's really disappointing seeing how things end most the time. Would be nice to see this turnaround and stop happening but my hopes are high (unfortunately some people will still do what they want to do and not care). 😕
That's the thing isnt it. When people just hold up their hands and say, my bad. I did it. I am sorry, things can blow over remarkably quickly and relationships can mend but when they turn it into a circus everything goes south.
I haven't seen who it was but I have seen enough in the past to imagine. It is like an endless cycle. It damages your faith in humanity somewhat!
Exactly!! A circus is a good description of it.
Yea very sad but true. I've seen so much go on over the years but I guess it’s what to be expected on a platform like this. Seems there’s a new wave of something each year. 🤷🏽♀️
Spot on @crosheille.
Some don't understand how community consensus works and think whales make the 'rules' because they have a big stake. Yes and no. A bigger stake can influence pay rewards either up or down based on the stakeholder's view of the author or his/her post's merit or demerit (rules). But the community may or may not agree with the stakeholder's rule. A stakeholder who constantly supports, say low effort recycle post in Hive, doesn't mean than recycling is acceptable here. Also, what's acceptable four years ago, or on other shit chains now may not be acceptable on Hive today.
Too many people, including old timers, say "I didn't know" when they break the rulea. Perhaps if they were more involved in the community and engaged more, instead of just coming online everyday to drop their poat they'd understand how community consensus works and what it is.
Thanks Living! Yea it seems this part of it is commonly misunderstood. I'm glad you added the part about the stakeholders. 👌🏽
This 👆🏽💯 !!!!
I agree. I think a big part of it is engagement and being in the know. If you’re not around much you really don’t know what’s going on and it takes a bit of time to catch up sometimes.
Thanks for adding your helpful input ~
Same here :) One of the things I look forward to the most is seeing a notification that @jfuji put up another episode of Hunting Midnight. A series which was written by a human :) Well, maybe there might have been some supernatural help???
I also love the genuine engagements here on Hive in the comments.
This post has been manually curated by the VYB curation project
There's nothing like human interaction! I think it's so cool to see that we all have found some favorites that we look forward to reading/seeing here. There's a lot of value in that.
Yes! This is one of my favorite things about Hive. 😊
Thanks so much for your comment and support ~
Haha as far as I know it all came out of my brain ;)
Will post another installment up today most likely 😁
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I'm off to read it now 🙌
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These are exactly the reasons why I am deeply grateful to my mentors/coaches, @indayclara and @callmesmile, who are diligent and on-point in reminding me and pointing out my mistakes. It's been seven months but still a newbie in the Hive, I made mistakes because of my ignorance but I tried to learn from those because I know that ignorance is not an excuse.
Reading this one @crosheille is an awakening and a guiding principle for me because I truly want to stay longer, if not a lifetime, in this amazing community. And thank you so much for posting this.💕 God bless!
Hi @ciadanmea! It's so great to have those mentors close by to help you. Oh trust me I made plenty of mistakes in the beginning because back then it was kind of a learn as you go along situation. Now it's a bit easier for newbies since you have all the tips and guidance from those of us who have been here.
I’m so glad this was a helpful read for you. I hope you continue to enjoy it here and have fun. 😉
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment as well. Take care and God bless you ~ 💗
@crosheille,very useful information, I also realize that I have also made several mistakes here, especially I sometimes don't read the community rules, day after day I start studying and learning, Without realizing that as time goes on we will definitely be able understand everything. I've also read one of @erikah posts, about guides for beginners.
involvement in the community is really needed and choosing the right community with the topics we discuss. May I ask you, if I have posted in one of the communities, then I changed my image to another version, such as an example of a black and white community, is that allowed, please tell me, because I am still very young here.🙏🙏
Hey @furkanmamplam I'm glad the info was useful to you. 😉
Researching and asking questions helps prevent those mistakes so you're on the right track.
Are you saying posting the same photo in two different communities but changing it to b&w to be a bit different? I want to get this straight first before answering.
Yes, that's right, I suppose posting in two communities with the same photo, hopefully I can understand it well so that I can also avoid mistakes in my posts.
I think crossposting would be the safest way to do this. I know you're saying changing the photo to a different color but this could still be seen as double posting...especially if you're posting into photography communities.
@livinguktaiwan what would you say to this?
I agree with you @crosheille.
I'd say if it's the same set of images and the images are the focus the post, then that's recycling. All the user done is to tweak to change the style in an editor. There's no new content.
@furkanmamplam I see you mainly do photography post. With you skills, there is really no need to reuse images when you can easily take new ones
Thanks Living!! 👍🏽
Thanks @crosheille for the suggestion,may I prefer croosposting for a safer way.
Please guide me so that I understand more in the future.
I still have a long way to go to understand this, I really hope for now and beyond I can still survive here🙏🙏
No problem at all. Please make sure to read the comment above from @livinguktaiwan. 👌🏽
thanks @crosheille. i will read it soon
🙏🙏
On the old chain circa 2017 it was semi-tolerated to occasionally repost if you used the #repost tag. But too many people abused it and it went from being semi-tolerated to not-tolerated.
I actually remember that tag and how it was short lived. That was the foundation of why it's now looked down upon.
#memories
I just learnt something new now. Before now I thought recycling content was to write about a content you had written before.
I have had a situation where I wrote a content and after publishing, I realized that there were more things I could have said. So instead of posting it again, I just let it go and think of something else to write.
Is that acceptable by the way? Can I write about a topic I have written before?
I'm glad you asked this question. Yes, writing about the same topic is totally fine as long as it's not a post clone.
Two years ago when I was gardening I wrote about my gardening ventures several times a month. I may even had mentioned the same thoughts in a few of them but they were totally new posts with new info and photos. There are some here on Hive who only write about very few topics.
The main thing is as long as it’s not the exact same post (duplicate) you can write about the same topics. 😉
If only this could be pinned somewhere so people especially newbies get to see it so often. Funny enough I see a top member of this platform promoting the use of AI in his articles.
I know what you mean. This is why many of us try to make posts like this from time to time so newer folks can grasp hold of this type of info. Thankfully we have the reblog feature which helps get the word out too.
I'm not sure who you're speaking of or how they are exactly promoting it but I just know that the ways I explained it being used is what's been looked down upon. I know there are different use cases for it but one needs to be careful with using it here and making sure the use of it is mentioned somewhere in their content.
Thanks for your response to this ~
what an eye-opener. Thanks, this reminds me of how should I post here in hive.
Absolutely a pleasure. Thanks for visiting ~ 😊
Thank you so much for sharing this useful information it's really helpful to avoid mistakes and improve the quality of over content
For sure. 👌🏽
I hope it helps many avoid these types of situations.
Thanks for reading ~
Thanks for sharing this, I really take my time to go through it, this is really helpful to me
I'm glad you read through it and I hope you keep these things in mind when posting.
Yes very well and nothing will make me to fall keeping to this. Tha
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