I was preparing for my first-ever international presentation, and even though I’ve never been one to shy away from a crowd, this was different. I was going to talk to people not only from different backgrounds but also from different parts of the world. I needed to take up one particular course from Alison to help me with my presentation, so I did that and then shared my certificate on LinkedIn.
Some days or probably weeks later, this guy texted me on LinkedIn to ask about the Alison app and how effective it was. I told him all that I knew and the experience I had on the app. He then told me about a platform called Hive. He said I could blog and earn and also thought I could do well on the platform. I listened to him and thanked him, or maybe not. I don’t exactly remember because my mind was somewhere else.
I had already had a number of meetings with the headquarters of the organization in the UK, and they were all anticipating my presentation. So, my focus was on my presentation. After the Hive conversation, I found him funny because, although he didn’t know I had such a big task in front of me, I was like, “This guy wants me to leave this huge opportunity and follow him to blog on some website?” Interesting.
I know @depressedfuckup will probably read this and come to know of the truth today, so dear onboarder, it wasn’t nice of me to think like that. I apologize, sir (prostrates at thy majesty’s feet).
Now, here’s the other side of the story I never told anybody. The main reason why I joined Hive was to just make him happy and shut him up. Yes, he told me it was an amazing platform and all, but for me, I just wanted him to be happy that at least all his explanation didn’t go to naught. So, I joined, and I think even for my account creation, he did it for me and showed me how to download my keys.
Two weeks after a successful presentation, I started coming around, and anytime I came here, I felt lost. There were days I would ask @depressedfuckup so many questions because I felt like I didn’t belong here. For about two months, I isolated myself in the HiveGhana community, and on days I felt brave, I would pass through Ladies of Hive. I eventually found people who spoke my language; the Needlework Monday community. That was where it all started for me.
I was inspired to share my crochet projects. And as time went by, it became easier for me to express myself in other communities. I also found out I could publish vlogs aside writing. After about four months, I was so into this platform and began making friends. The one thing that grounded my stay on this platform was how amazing people were to me.
Already, I wasn’t a fan of Web2 because of how mean people are over there, and I also didn’t even know how to use some of them. So, realizing there was an upgrade (Hive Web3 blockchain) where people were so open-minded and would always try to see things from the writer’s (me) perspective was the cherry on the cake.
In that month, I just carried my bed straight to Hive, and I’ve been sleeping here since then. I later found out @depressedfuckup wasn’t even paid for bringing me to this platform and that made me extremely grateful. As I said earlier, I joined just to make him happy, but little did I know I was entering a place which would become a safe haven for me months later. Someone should help me tell my onboarder he’s the best!
Images are mine