“The heart is just a muscle,” someone said to me the other day. I tried very hard not to explode into a rant about how this central organ is a little more than that. The heart is connected to your lungs, your breath, your brain. It's scientifically proven that you can die of a broken heart. We say 'follow your heart' and the 'heart knows'.

Hold that thought while we talk a little about KE — or the Krampus Co-efficient.

I hate metrics with a passion. I do admire those who think that way — they're just as important as those who don't — but that stuff usually bores me to tears.

I haven’t paid much attention to my KE score, just like I didn’t care much about my reputation score. Post cool stuff, engage, be a good human — and I’m happy to hang out with you and support you here.

But to some, the KE score is a useful indicator of who brings value to the platform.

As far as I understand it, it’s a representation of how much stake a user keeps — calculated by comparing your total rewards (author and curation) to your current Hive Power. The higher the KE, the less you've powered down or sold. The more people that sell, the more the Hive price tends to drop — so ideally, it’d be great if everyone had a high KE score.

Ideally.

At face value, people say a low KE score means you have little commitment to the platform — that you're just here to earn and take your money. What a bad person you are! How very dare you! We'd much prefer it if you powered up and stopped withdrawing your rewards, thanks very much.

But not everyone powers down their HIVE without a thought for the platform. There are plenty of reasons this happens — here are a few:

• Some users live in countries where HIVE rewards mean buying bread or rice for their children, or paying an unexpected medical bill.
• Some might withdraw HIVE to invest in BTC at opportune times.
• HIVE might be powered down to use in Splinterlands.
• Or gifted to other Hivers, especially those in need.

It might also be delegated elsewhere, powered down to exchange for HBD to earn interest, or cashed out and reinvested when the price dips. Hive price goes up — sell. Price drops — buy back in. We should have sovereignty over how we use what we've earned.

Of course, it’d be nice if the “moral” use of Hive was to power up, buy more, and never sell — boosting the price. But that’s unrealistic if we keep promoting Hive as a social media platform where people earn.

For some, earning is the main goal.

For others — like me — it’s about engaging with good content, being inspired, finding catharsis through writing, being creative, and forming global connections.

It’s a heart investment.

I’m privileged enough not to need my HIVE right now. I might in the future. I’ve needed it before.

But I like to think people look beyond my KE score.

Because there are other ways to invest in HIVE that are just as valuable:

• Engage with other people’s content and make them feel seen in ways they might not on other socials.
• Delegate to new users so they can get ahead and feel supported.
• Write good content — and thoughtful comments — to make Hive an interesting place to spend time.
• Run or support niche communities that help people connect through shared passions.
• Host competitions or challenges to encourage participation.
• Be kind.

If the big curation groups are only curating based on KE, they’re missing the point. If they’re completely ignoring KE, that’s probably not right either. Ideally, they’re considering a mix of factors — not just Hive price or stake retention, but the deeper metrics that decide whether Hive is a place worth sticking around for.

Now, autovoting is obviously a bit of a minefield. A friend here once rightly called it a kind of nepotism. If you're only voting for popular creators because of who they are or how well-connected they are, you're probably part of the problem.

I do get autovotes (thank you, friends), and I feel okay about it because I do my best to put out decent content. It’s not everyone’s taste — but I try. Honestly, I might not have stuck around if I wasn't getting consistent rewards. It sucks when no one sees, hears, or acknowledges your work.

But if we all scrapped autovotes tomorrow to level the field? I'd be fine with that too.

We can keep measuring KE, engagement stats, comment counts, word counts, payouts.

But at the end of the day, what you put in emotionally matters too.

Hive works best when it’s a place of passion, care, creativity, and connection — not just metrics and maximisation.

Maybe we need a new score to sit alongside the Krampus Co-efficient.

A Heart Co-efficient.

Measured by how much you give back in other ways.

Duck knows how you’d calculate that.

That’s for the numbers people.

With Love,

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