What is the point of my Hive Afterweek website project?
I'd planned to start here with an explanation of the scope and purpose of my latest Hive website project. Including what I mean by "Hive Afterweek". And other important details.
But I've just been inspired to take a step back. And really think about the main purpose of my website project.
Illustration created by me with CreArt. Using the prompt described in the footnote
Why am I creating my Hive Frontend?
Well, I have to admit that I was mainly driven by the opportunities for revenue from evergreen Hive content. After the 7-day Hive rewards period (hence, Hive Afterweek). With the possibilities for building a brand as a secondary objective.
Until I read, Your website should be about you. Which I found very inspiring. And with a clear emphasis on what really matters. Expressing yourself first. Because I believe that any potential monetary gains are dependent on you finding your own voice.
I'm so grateful to @creativemary for reminding me of how essential it is to focus first on "an authentic blog with emotion." I always used to think, "What would I do each day if I won the lottery?" Then, I would try to do that and find ways to make money from it. But I prefer the way that @creativemary puts it…
What do you love to do so much that, even if billions of dollars came your way tomorrow, you’d still do it? Writing, painting, baking, coding, anything—pursue it. Build a website around it.
So I'm going to turn off the adverts from my Web3 blog. And focus on creating a collection of articles I can feel proud of.
Please note that it will take a few days to make adverts optional. Meanwhile, you can see how my site looks with adverts on at Keith Taylor's Web3 Blog.
Important Website Lesson Learned
Having had a moment to think about this, I realise that I have been very wrong with my "revenue first" approach.
It's only because I have an existing AdSense account that I have been able to put adverts on a new website. Because Google insists that applicants have a good quality site with substantial content. So I should definitely have waited until I had 50 pages before adding adverts.
In fact, there's a chance that I could harm my reputation with Google by adding adverts to a website before it is ready. So I urge you not to repeat my mistake.
By the way, the 50-page minimum is my interpretation of a site with adequate content. But if you know any "official" number, please let me know.
Hive Post Inspiration
Before I finish, I must explain that I'm trying to get into the habit of rewarding blogs and comments that inspire me to write new posts. Especially because my Hive Power is not enough to give an adequate reward, yet. So I've made @creativemary a beneficiary of this post. And I encourage you to read and upvote, Your website should be about you.
Your Website Purpose
You've seen that I firmly believe that a personal blog should first be all about the person. And I'm happily reminded that rewards come after.
So what would inspire you to create your own blog? Are you satisfied with one of the current Hive frontends? If not, what features would you like?
Please share your questions, experiences, and opinions in the comments.
Website Fame or Fortune Footnote
It took me a few attempts to create an illustration that I believed suitable for this post. In the end, I prompted CreArt with…
The difference between a website created for interesting content and a website created for making money