Last week I did a survey about what 3 things newbies should do during their first week on Hive. 115 Hivers responded with their suggestions. I have grouped all the suggestions into similar categories. This post will talk about the top 12 suggestions for newbies to do in their first week on Hive, and I will also share some of the invaluable comments from the respondents.
The top 3 suggestions are as follows. Out of the 115 people that responded, 71 people mentioned the importance of engaging with people. 59 people suggested newbies should join communities. The third most suggested thing for newbies to do is to make a self introduction post. 50 people suggested this.
The rest of the top 12 suggestions include Read and Learn, Follow people, Power up, Ask, Tags, Create good content, Create your profile, Secure your keys and Learn formatting.
ENGAGEMENT
This is without a doubt the most important thing for longevity on Hive. Many newbies fail to recognise this, and just post without engaging. Some don't even bother responding to comments on their own post. Engagement is important, but meaningful and genuine engagement is what we really like. Try to avoid two word spammy comments like "Nice photo", "That's beautiful", "Looks yummy"
COMMUNITIES
Communities are where people with common interest and hobbies post and engage. Choose communities that align with your interest, and not because all the posts get high payout out there. For example, don't post about your pet in the travel community.
You don't have to post in the community, you can just engage if you want. For example, if you like art, but can't draw or paint, you can still join the art communities and engage with the artists on Hive. As 
SELF INTRODUCTION
Never underestimate the importance of a good self introduction post. The self introduction is about you, who you are, where you're from, your hobbies and interest, what type of content can people expect from you, what value you can bring to Hive. If you want to stay anonymous that's fine, but tell people something about yourself. @Hivewatchers suggested newbies to Verify identity.
Let us know how you found out about Hive, and if a friend referred you, mention them in your post. That helps to add credibility. We're not interested in your parent's name and occupation and how many uncles and aunties and cousins you have. The post is about you, not your family.
| Check the #introduceyourself catagory to see examples of a good Introductory post and a poor introductory post. Make it good because there are some orcas and porposes that are more than willing to upvote and help launch a fresh new face |  |
|---|---|
| Introduce themselves and disclose if they already share content elsewhere that they might share on Hive as well, to avoid plagiarism accusations and gain trust |  |
| intro post for sure and don't make it short put some effort in |  |
| Create decent introduction post with photos to illustrate the best aspects of who you are. Use the #introduceyourself tag |  |
| Make a good introduction. It is something that not everyone does (including myself) and it is necessary. Many newbies do their introduction in a mediocre way looking for votes and I think that should not be the idea. The idea would be to let others users know "This is me, I'm here and I really hope to be welcome". |  |
| Respond to all comments on your intro post and "do" the recommendations |  |
READ AND LEARN
Hive and the blockchain can be very daunting for newbies and there is a lot to learn. Spend time learning about the different aspects of Hive, even if it's fifteen minutes a day. 
FOLLOW PEOPLE
The mistakes newbies make here are at two extremes. Some don't follow anyone at all because they're only interested to dump their post and hope for a big upvote. They're not interested in anything else. Others follow too many people including whales that never post. On Hive, you should follow people because you want to read their content, engage with them and grow your network. Following too many people can make your account look spammy.
POWER UP
There are many advantages of powering up on Hive, and people will be more willing to support you if they see you're here for the long term, and not just to make a quick buck. You can take part in #hivepud that happens on the first day of each month to power up. That's another great way for newbies to engage with other people.
ASK
If you can't find the information you need or are unsure about anything, just ask people. 99% of the people will be more than happy to help you out. The 1% who don't respond is when you send them a Hello message, and don't follow up with your question. Personally I always ignore those messages on Discord. If you have a question, just ask it, you don't need permission. It's better to not get a response, than to get it wrong and receive a downvote or be banned from a community.
TAGS
Most of the suggestions about tags is to use the #introduceyourself tag when you make your self introduction post. Other than that, tags are a good way for people to find your posts when your content doesn't fit into a community. Use them wisely.
| Post your own content using tags relevant to the content in your post so it is easily found |  |
|---|---|
| Look at what others are using for tags and how they format their posts | @Solominer |
CREATE GOOD/INTERESTING/QUALITY CONTENT
Not many people suggested this - maybe it's so obvious and expected.
If you look at many well supported posts on Hive, you will see they either have good upvotes because curation guilds value the quality, or there are many comments and interaction because people find the content interesting. 
CREATE YOUR PROFILE
Your blog header is the first thing people see when they check out your blog. Creating your profile will give a more professional image and helps to show people you care about your blog. Many spammers don't bother with it, don't put yourself in the same category.
| Make sure blog header and info is filled up and external blog or social media (if any) is linked to their Hive account |  |
|---|---|
| Create decent profile description, banner & avatar | |
KEYS
The five long string of keys is probably one of the most confusing things for newbies. They will become valuable in the long run when you build up your account. If you lose them, you will lose everything you have earned. No one can reset your account.
LEARN FORMATTING
A well formatted post makes it easier for people to read, and shows your effort and professionalism. Curators read many many posts each day, if yours is difficult to read, they may pass over it for curation.
| learn a bit of formatting/markdowns to prep for first post | Anoynmous |
|---|---|
| Learn all about formatting posts with markdown |  |
FINAL WORDS OF WISDOM
Finally, here is a selection of wise words from people who know what they're doing on Hive. You will learn a thing or two from reading this.
Don't post anything. Explore the place, spend your time finding interesting content creators to follow, communities you like, comment on content, vote, and try to get a feel for the place. A week exploring is enough time to help you get inspiration on what you may bring to this blockchain
Temper expectations. Don't come in thinking that every post you make is going to be worth $20-60. Understand that it takes time to build a following. It should not be just about the rewards. If that is the case for you, then you probably won't be successful @Leaky20
Be curious. Look for content that interests you and keep communicating with the people who create or engage with it. Huge potential for gaining useful knowledge around here and that's a valuable capital even without the monetization
Do not plagiarize, spam, or beg for votes. slavekitty69
Expect nothing until you have at least 200 followers. You'll get them from your insightful comments on others' posts..
Don't run away if the reality doesn't match your expectations in the first instance. Everything needs a bit of time.
Enjoy reading the content that other hiveans are sharing in your community, engage with them, share your stuff, get some rewards... and the most important, have fun!
Don't think about how to earn a lot of HIVE or HBD - just enjoy!
Have fun! Don't be a stranger. 
Most of all have fun and don't focus on the rewards or you will miss out on all the other awesome aspects of Hive
Last and not the least, if you are a newbie, and made it to the end of this post, you are already off to a good start on Hive. Please follow
Thanks to everyone who took part in this survey and provided your invaluable input.
to tip authors who produce useful Hive posts