This is something that I harped upon for a long time. To be successful, we need to make Hive a destination.
Here is a statement that most would agree with. However, we have a major problem. Few actually are taking the time to do that. Instead, the continual conversation is based upon marketing and how to get more users here.
Repeatedly, we saw this approach fail. People talk about bringing people to Hive only to see them leave. Then the conversation turns to how do we increase user retention.
Of course, you would think most understood the reasoning yet it seems to have eclipsed the majority. Instead, we keep going along the same failed path, being surprised when we get the usual results.
Perhaps we should take a bit of guidance from the CEO of X.
Providing Information
While news is not the best thing to fill a database with, it is something. This is a great deal more than Hive.
Let us take a look at how she is framing the conversation.
If you want breaking news, you turn to X. This is a destination for those seeking this information. It is not delayed which is important in this world of instant gratification. Our database is filled with it so you can always be kept up to date.
This is the message.
What is not discussed is how the news gets place upon X. Did they open up a news division? Certainly not. It is the users who post the latest info regarding what is taking place. A rather simple, yet effective concept if you ask me.
We know there are people who talk about Hive all day long on X. Obviously, they are consuming the news there. It is good we are dealing with well informed people.
This should bring up a natural question: where is the news on Hive? Why is Hive not a destination for this type of information especially for those who talk about Hive? After all, it is a decentralized, public database that is censorship resistant.
Isn't that what people use to promote Hive?
We all know the news is censored. This would lead me to believe it is an ideal subject to have posted on Hive. After all, if the platforms are going to censor, shouldn't we be a go-to option?
How come that is not discussed? Why is it not happening? If we look at the Hive Database, what kind of "breaking news" is on here?
We all know the answer to that.
Fill A Void And Fill It
We have to give Twitter credit. Due to the informal nature of microblogging, it did become the go-to platform for news. Years ago, this eclipsed Facebook. Instagram can fill this role a bit although the focus of the application is slightly different.
What void does Hive fill?
If you posed that to most people on Hive, they would not be able to answer. The sad reality is, part of the reason, is because they are not on Hive. All their time is spent on Web 2.0. Look at the biggest "influencers" and check out their accounts.
Ironic that these can be some of the same people calling for more marketing. How can you promote something that you do not even use? Certainly, there are professionals who do that. They work in the advertising field. Is that what we are basically dealing with?
Of course, if we had professionals, the first thing they would look at is what the offering is and how does it fit into the marketplace. What is the product or service?
Remember when people were posting on Hive how Elon Musk was killing Twitter and it was going away. It seems like the platform keeps growing. Now, it might end up in bankruptcy but I wouldn't bet on that one. That said, reports are they are now over 500 million MAU. This is a number that is supposedly going higher.
How about Hive? The answer seems to be more marketing. For what? To bring people to Hive so they can go back to X to get their news? This is what people on Hive appear to be doing.
Make Hive A Destination
One of the biggest problems is the biggest nodes are not here. This is something that might be a bit confusing, necessitating a separate article.
Simply put, not all nodes on a network are the same. This means that drawing in another person might not be an equal replacement for a departed user. It makes sense if one understands business. Not all customers are equal. Gaining one who spends $50 per month does not replace one who was spending $1,000 monthly.
But with networks it is more than just activity. It is the ability to draw connections. Some nodes are going to naturally establish more links to them. That means, when that goes disappears, the impact is much greater.
Let us take digital infrastructure like the Internet. Each day, million of nodes go down for stretches of time. For the most part, other than a few applications, no harm is done. The majority do not realize when the node for the largest basket weaving site is zapped.
There are, however, nodes which have severe impact. Take Cloudflare. When some of their nodes go down, we can see wipe spread outages. In other words, these nodes carry more weight than the basket weavers.
This is commonplace across all networks. Whether it is social or biological, the set is identical. With biology, there are parts of the body we can do without, such as an appendix. This node is not vital. That said, try to go without a heart or brain. Once those shut down, everything else goes the same way.
All of this leads into making Hive a destination. If it is a social ecosystem, where is the sociability? What is being offered to people who arrive here fresh? Remember, they most likely are low value nodes, at least to start. What are they going to latch onto from the start that will keep them here?
This is the quandary. If the information (and engagement) people are looking for is elsewhere, people will not remain here. So, once again, we are back to the main question of what is in Hive's database? We can evidently cross news off the list since people are getting that on X.
Philosophy teaches how the answer is often not on the outside. When it comes to business building practices, often the problem is within. People want to blame the market, competition, and an assortment of other entities for the failures.
Unfortunately, more often than not, the problem resides within the company. The positive is, for those one that realize it, they can make the necessary adjustments. Those that go blindly, on the other hand, end up dying off.
It is really that simple.
People on Hive need to figure out how to make it a destination. Contrary to the popular opinion on Hive, Elon and his team know what they are doing.
If you want breaking news, head to X.
The value of a network is derived, in part, from what is in the database. X is placing breaking news. What Is Hive being filled with?