It has been a while since we published, but @tenkminnows is still active in voting for small accounts and has added a few recently. We have several thousand HP plus those who follow the voting trail. We will consider adding more people if they can show they are adding value to Hive.
Since Hive split from Steem the numbers of higher level users have been falling. We have lost several hundred minnows and dolphins. Some people may have just not been happy with the split and decided to power down. They will mostly have finished that now. Our goal of 10,000 minnows is looking a long way off now.
Currently it would cost about $120 to go straight to minnow and about $1200 to dolphin. For some people that will be a lot of money, but others will spend the first amount on food or fuel in a week. Spread over a year it may be affordable and if you take part in the monthly Hive Power Up contests it could win you something.
Other figures from @arcange show that these 'middle classes' have a lot of sway in the distribution of rewards compared to the whales. That is part of why we need more of them.
If you are benefiting from Hive then why not get some more friends involved? That will help to make it more fun. You can do a lot of what you would do on other social media whilst earning. Make use of Hive Onboard with your own referral link to make a little more. Get them into games like Rising Star and Splinterlands if they are not into blogging.
Hive has to grow to flourish. If we can reach some critical mass of users then it becomes a more attractive prospect for others who seek an audience. That growth is down to each of us as we have no parent company to do it, but then we all stand to benefit.
What can you do for Hive?
I'm buying HIVE every week. Also, I'm almost done bringing in all my STEEM.
I realized earlier this year that I've been struggling to level up for no good reason. I can afford to reach Dolphin in a few months between power ups and rewards. Looking back, most of my growth has been from power ups. Very little of my growth has been from posting or curation. I should have just kept going.
Now I know better.
Very true it is up to us to make Hive a success. Is the monthly Hive Power Up contests open to Dolphins?
Most dolphins should qualify for prizes in HPUD. Some will post even if they cannot win. Powering up is important as it spreads the votes more.
Good to see you back at it! To all the redfish out there, follow @tenkminnows! They know how to get you to your first 500 HP!