Hello everyone!
I'm not a fan of doing posts like this because I feel it's like "lifting one's own chair". While it's not inherently bad, I'm afraid I might do it too much in the future that it's taking too much credit for too little work done. Then I stumbled on anomadsoul's post about Hive's failure in curating quality content. While I'm on the optimists' side of the argument (maybe because of my involvement in OCD), I agree with a lot of points laid out in that post. If what I'm doing as a curator is just half of the equation, then what I'm doing as an onboarder completes the other half.
It's known that we are all extracting value from a scarce resource called the "reward pool". Some are extracting more than others. We are then giving back value by providing infrastructure, creating quality content, curating, onboarding, or doing anything that makes the community vibrant to the point that many people are enticed to join. At least, that's the ideal premise. Just like in any community, there will always be bad actors. In our case, we call them abusers. Tragedy of the Commons in the context of Hive means that any act becomes abuse when you're extracting too much value without giving back something of value or that value given back is negligible compared to the extracted value. While anyone can argue that value is subjective, there's already a consensus in the community on what provides value and what's rubbish. Again, as I'm on the optimists' side, I won't dwell on the negative and bad actors. I'm here to celebrate those who are doing their best to give back value.
This post is not solely to pat myself on the back but also to give credit to the people who are tireless in introducing Hive to the masses.
Hive and Academia
Did you know that there's already an approved master's thesis topic that will be showcasing Hive? Take note, it's not just a thought topic for a master's degree; a panel of examiners and advisers already approved it. What's lacking is the implementation of the methodology or the second part of the thesis. I don't have the liberty to divulge the details yet, but you'll know more about this in the coming months. You might ask why it was not pushed through yet; the main reason is funding. That's why I immediately expressed my support when I learned about the topic and its methodology.
While there are already considerable stories about how Hive was able to penetrate academia in other parts of the world, I think it's the first time I have heard that a certain study is centered on Hive. The effects of this development will surely reverberate not just in Hive but also in academic institutions and will inspire more educators and scholars to pursue similar studies.
Onboarding of Educators
The approved thesis is just one of the fantastic developments here in Cebu. While I love working in the background, it's good to occasionally come out in the shadows to showcase the groundwork. The onboarding done by the teachers in Tabogon, Cebu, has been an inspiring feat. I thought of adding Tabogon in the title, but I realized it would not just be in Tabogon in the coming days. Due to the networking done by the teachers, we will have more onboarding in other parts of Cebu. That's what I'm excited about.
I'll be lying if I say that I am not affected by the bear market, but the work done to introduce Hive to more people made me realize it's worth it. The stories I hear from those who experienced the positive impact of Hive in their lives and knowing that I have contributed to that impact reinforced my belief that I have made the right decision.
I have been onboarding even before in the previous chain, but I felt it was a thankless work. While I don't really want to be in the spotlight, some people even claimed that they were doing an awesome job in onboarding here in Cebu when it's clear who's doing the actual work. Those were in the past anyway and I feel this is different this time. I'm not in the authority to claim the prestige, though. It's time to highlight the people behind all of this.
The Highlight
First and foremost, the onboarding program won't be possible without OCD and the man behind it, @acidyo. I'm thankful to Acid for the continuous support in the onboarding initiatives done here in the Philippines. The Onboarding Program Compilation is now at its 100th post. While it's all over the world, we are thankful that we are given a certain level of freedom to do what needs to be done here in the Philippines.
Second, the onboarding of the teachers won't be possible if @indayclara didn't mentor well the first batch of teachers from Tabogon. She might be strict, as per feedback from the teachers she mentored, but they were all thankful for her guidance. They ended up being onboarders themselves because of Claire.
I was not really involved in the first batch of onboarded users because I trust that Claire will do what she does best. I only became involved when I was invited to their first meet-up in San Remegio. There, I promised that we would be willing to help them as speakers if they can organize an onboarding seminar.
Special mention to @intoy.bugoy for eagerly joining us in the onboarding seminars. He's been an onboarder, but his eagerness to be a speaker at the seminars has been invaluable to us.
Onboarding at Caduawan Elementary School
Thanks to @callmesmile, @naymhapz, @dehai, and @jobeliever, the onboarding seminar at Caduawan Elementary School was a success even if we were late for more than an hour because I woke up late. Together with the support of the other Northern Cebu teachers, they organized an event that I'm sure they can successfully pull off even without us. When we arrived, they were already talking about their experiences with Hive. They're having very powerful testimonials that helped those who were present decide to join Hive. I think almost all of them have already introduced themselves.
What I like about the teachers is their initiative when it comes to these kinds of events. Food will always be abundant and the budget often comes from their own wallet. You can't hear them say "I won't do this or that" whenever there's a task that needs to be done. It's the exact opposite of what I've experienced before. With them, you won't have to worry about almost anything. They get things done.
Onboarding at Kal-anan National High School
Thanks to @missjoycee and @selflessgem, another onboarding at another school in Tabogon was successful. Of course, the presence of @callmesmile, @naymhapz, @jobeliever, @ciadanmea, @netswriting, @virgoxsy, @annetimistic, and @mrexperienciado also made the event more meaningful. I know I haven't mentioned a lot of people, but you are all important to the success of the onboarding seminars. You know who you are and I'm thankful to all of you.
Only in these seminars that I was confident in what I was saying, even without preparation. As an introvert, speaking in front of people has been very dreadful for me. It never changed and probably won't change. But with Hive, I can speak with authority on many things because I have lived in it and through it. When I say back in the days before Hive was born, I can confidently narrate what happened like a war veteran because I was there when sockpuppets replaced the top witnesses. Speaking about Hive became so natural that my anxiety when I'm about to talk to people is gone.
These onboarding seminars are critical to Hive's success if we follow anomadsoul's idea of value and quality. The challenge is on how to scale this. Onboarding is one thing, but retention is another. Let's be honest, the learning curve of Hive is very steep and you'll probably get lost in account creation alone if you join without a mentor. Say you'll get past account creation, you'll have a lot to learn about the mechanism of Hive and without a mentor, it's just impossible to know where even to start.
I guess that's all for this post. By the way, my previous post is about a personal project for my upcoming birthday. If you haven't read about it yet, please do and donate if you want to. I would really appreciate it. Thank you to those who donated and to those who are planning to donate. I'll still accept donations until August 24, 2023.
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits remote destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying-hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.
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