Whew!
It feels like a dream but it's reality. At the time of writing this post I've clocked a month on Hive, and there are definitely a few stories to tell.
My History With Hive And What Came Before
Before hive existed there was a platform called Steemit. I joined Steemit in 2018 and played with it. Steemit had its highs and lows but the lows seemed to be dominant.
There was a plethora of problems with Steemit which I'm not going to elaborate on this post. Eventually it got to a point where Steemit wasn't worth the time and effort I was putting into it and I quit.
The Drama And The Platform That Came Out Of It
I missed most of the drama concerning Justin Sun's takeover of Steemit and the Hive hardfork. By the time I got back to cryptoblogging, Hive was already in existence.
A Community Convinces Me To Give It A Shot
All alone I wouldn't have bothered joining Hive based on the experience I had with Steemit. The only reason I gave it a try was because the guys at @hiveboootcamphub convinced me to.
It's a community run by a group of Hivers with the aim of bringing new users to the platform, and offering them a guide on how things work. They explained Hive to me and I was sold.
Big thanks to @olasamuel, @prechyrukky and @udezee . You guys are the kind of Hivers this platform needs to grow.
So What Have I Learnt So Far?
There a lot of lessons that I've learnt in my first month and I'm going to share them with you. The first thing I learnt was that it's advisable to start by;
Introducing Yourself
When I started Hive, I went straight to making posts. I reasoned that since I made an introduction post on Steemit back in the day, there was no need to make one on Hive.
I was wrong.
Even if you're a Steemit veteran, it's advisable to make an intro post because Hive and Steemit are two very different chains with different people and different values.
A good intro should have information about yourself, and what you hope to contribute to the platform.
Make it fun and catchy. You want your first impression to be superb.
Join And Be An Active Member Of Communities
The presence of communities on hive is essentially a blessing. Joining a community allows you to get your voice heard in a place with people who have the same interests as you.
If you're a gamer, there's the gaming community. If you love art, there are communities where you can showcase your works. If you're a writer or musician, there are communities waiting to see your creations.
Life was harder for newbies back in the day when communities didn't exist. So make the best use of the gift you've been given.
It's important to be active in the communities you join. Don't just drop your posts and bail. Check out what others have done, drop a comment, show some support and spread some love.
That's the whole point of having a community after all.
It's A Social Network, Be Social
Never underestimate the importance of engagement. You should communicate with others and build a network within and outside Hive.
Making 5-10 comments a day can go a long way. @jongolson made a post about that which you can check out.
Leverage the Web2 platforms to your advantage. I.e Discord, Telegram, Twitter etc.
Get to know people. It's a social network, be social.
Find Out What Works For You And Know Your Audience
Play around with the communities and find where you fit. Discover your niche and the audience that vibes to your content.
Get to know your audience by engaging with them. Try to reply to every comment on your posts, because it's great when you get feedback back from your readers.
It's proof that people are reading your work and if you engage with them, they might come back for more.
Be Consistent And Don't Quit
You're not going to be successful overnight. You have to put the work in and build your brand over time. Showing up everyday is half the battle.
Also, don't let your setbacks bring you down. My earliest posts on Hive didn't get any traction, but I kept publishing and the results are now paying off.
It's pretty simple. All you gotta do is;
Show up
Do the work
Be consistent
Reap the benefits over time
Closing Thoughts
Well, those are my lessons so far. Hope you learnt a thing or two from my experience.
I'll be putting work in to take myself to the next level. I've got some goals I want to achieve and I'd like to see what experiences I'll have on Hive going forward.
Until later it's goodbye from me.
Stay safe and stay creative. **
Image credits Pixabay, @jacksondavies
