A few days ago, I received feedback from prominent members of the community expressing concern about my rising KE score. This is the first time I have received such feedback, and it prompted me to take a closer look at what is really happening with my KE score.
Although I had heard of it before and even thought about taking the time to check on it, it somehow slipped my mind until recently. I remember the first time I noticed it on my PeakD profile page. It was around KE 2.0, which did not concern me at the time. Then, a few days later, the PeakD developers made the score less visible. Now, in order to view it, one must hover over the KE+Stats icon or button.
I had not checked it again since it first appeared months ago, so I was not aware of its progression. It was not until I received the recent comments that I realized my score had reached KE 6.0-something. That made me more attentive, and I began searching and reading blogs to fully understand what the KE score actually means.
created using Sora
For those who have just joined recently and are not yet aware of it, let me share some quick facts about the KE Score. I want to walk you through it and will do my best to explain it starting from the basics. First, we need a quick refresher on Hive itself.
What is Hive?
It’s the platform where popular dApps like PeakD, Ecency, Splinterlands, and Keychain were built. It’s a decentralized network where we, the creators, can earn coins or tokens simply by posting, commenting, and engaging with the community. Rewards come in the form of:
- HIVEPOWER (HP) rewards from posting and commenting.
- HIVEPOWER (HP) by staking Hive and curating content.
- HIVE-BACKED DOLLAR (HBD) is a stablecoin used for payouts.
Additionally, we can also earn some liquid Hive from tips or bonuses that we get from services like Comment Rewarder app.
What is the KE Score?
The KE Score is a metric developed by the community to reflect a user's commitment to the platform. It provides a simple numerical interpretation of how you manage your post earnings and staking choices. It can indicate whether you are reinvesting your earnings or primarily cashing out. Here's the formula.
KE = (Author Rewards + Curation Rewards) ÷ Held Hive Power (HP)
In Simple Terms:
- If you've earned 10,000 HP worth of rewards and kept 10,000 HP staked, your KE is 1.0.
- If you only kept 5,000 HP staked, your KE is 2.0.
- Lower KE = more of your rewards are staked (good!).
Why Does KE Matter?
It’s a useful indicator that some community curators consider when deciding whom to upvote or support. This is because it reflects a user’s commitment to the platform and shows how they’ve managed their earned stake. Let me give an example of how one can interpret their KE score:
- Low KE (1.0 or less): You keep what you earn invested on Hive. Trusted and respected.
- Moderate KE (1–3): You've taken some profit, but you're still invested. Still considered solid.
- High KE (>3): You may be powering down or cashing out often. Curators might hesitate to support you.
Understanding the basics and technical details of the KE Score didn’t quite help me relate it to my own Hive account, so I decided to run a thought experiment and use my account’s KE Score as a case study.
As of the time of writing my post, here are the info that I gather through Hivestats:
- Author Rewards: 32,204.44 HP
- Curation Rewards: 10,848.13 HP
- Total Rewards: 43,052.57 HP
- Held HP: 7,060.13
KE = 43,052.57 ÷ 7,060.13 = 6.10
That means that I have just kept ~16% of my earnings staked. The rest of the times were powered down, spent, and while some Im keeping to my cold wallet.
What Actions will impacts my KE Score?
✅ Lowers KE:
- Powering up more HIVE
- Converting HBD to HIVE and staking it
❌ Raises or Freezes KE:
- Powering down HP
- Not converting HBD
- Sending out staked HP
Now that I understand the basics of the KE Score and have identified possible ways to improve it, I will take some time to plan a course of action over the coming months to bring my KE Score to a level that is acceptable to the community.
While learning more about it and analyzing how my KE Score came to be, I realized that one factor contributing to the increase is the fact that I rented Hive Power (HP) from others, which I pay for using my powered-down Hive. Since curation rewards are also part of the KE Score calculation, this setup has actually worsened my score. Based on this insight, I’ve concluded that reducing the amount of HP I rent or lease would help decrease the Hive outflow from my account.
In addition to that, I will also work on increasing my own Hive Power so I can gradually lower my KE Score to a level that is better aligned with community expectations.
Understanding the KE Score has given me valuable insights into how my actions impact my standing in the Hive community. While the learning process was eye-opening, I now feel more equipped to make mindful decisions moving forward. I hope sharing my experience helps others become more aware of their own KE Score and how to manage it responsibly.
Join the CryptoCompany Campaign here:
@cryptocompany/engdeu-banner-for-boost-a-fair-exchange-to-grow-together
click here ⏩ City Life Explore TikTok Page 🎦
