Last night I got an announcement from Hivebuzz that I reached a milestone, I got more than 30,000 replies, which means that on average, I have got around about 10 replies per post for every post on the blockchain - which doesn't sound like much, but after about 3500 posts, it is not too bad considering that in the first 6 months, getting a comment or three wasn't so easy for me. That changed as I started engaging more myself however, and while I have received 30,000 replies, I have made a little over that in comments myself. While I have failed from time to time, I do try to reply to most of the comments I receive in some way, as I think that if someone takes the time to engage with me, the least I can do is acknowledge them.

Engage me

While I am not the most engaging contributor through numbers of comments received, I would predict that when it comes to the depth of the replies, they are generally pretty good and people do spend their time and effort in response sometimes. For me, the quality of engagement is more notable than the number of comments themselves and generally I don't have to rely on drama to get a reply. But, I do get a few high number comments from time to time and I don't get much automated commentary or "nice post" kind of shit these days.

A couple times is better than none?

I have been on the blockchain for 3 years, 3 months and 21 days - for a total of 1207 days altogether. But I have only achieved the "Daily top commented" badge 4 times.

Still, with 1.6M accounts on the blockchain - I think that this is not a bad result - and I am pretty sure I have come close dozens of other times. It is an interesting position to be in because I can almost be 100% certain that while people say they "don't want Hive content", pretty much all of my posts that have got the most comments and shares are Hive related.

The lowest common denominator

The reason that Hive content is so popular is that regardless of who you are on the blockchain, Hive is a common denominator and it is a niche that everyone is interested in.

• If you are an investor, you are interested in the opportunities, the price, the potential, the technology, the governance.
• It you are a contributor, you are interested in how to best approach, how to build an audience, how to get votes, how to engage.
• If you are a developer,* being up-to-date with the blockchain in many ways is compulsory.
• If you are a consumer, there might be less interest, but due to the oddity and newness of blockchain and crypto, most people still will want some Hive related content as it is part of the experience.

Like the weather, the common denominator of Hive brings people together and gives a talking point to begin from. Many of the relationships I have built with people have started from Hive-centric content, whether it is mine or theirs and then built into a more personal relationship, where we then get to know each other through other interest areas.

We share

I think that this is an easier point to socially start from than finding niche areas that don't share the same common denominator. For example, I started on the blockchain writing a fair bit of content on business, philosophy and psychology from my perspective - and while I think it was decent, it didn't attract widespread interest. Once I started putting it in a common denominator framework, it became more accessible, more relevant to those who would read it as they could relate to it in a way that was important for them - through Hive.

In time of course, this type of content will lose relevance, but while the blockchain is in the forming stages, it is vital for more people to connect with it from various aspects before it splinters into narrow niches. I would predict that over the course of the 1207 days I have been contributing to the blockchain, a fair number of people have built their accounts after being brought into the conversation through content I have produced as it creates a feedback loop of experience.

The natural self

I can be wordy, I can be repetitive, I can over simplify - I am a trainer. I am a corporate trainer for management level and facilitate change management - I am a software product trainer that effectively onboards and ramps ups end users at a corporate level. While the style might not suit everyone, it does work for many. I think that this is why my Hive content has engaged so many over time, as while some like to get very technical, most don't, they just want to know the basics and how it affects them, how they can take advantage, what opportunities there may be.

As I see it, the future of Hive is in endusers and there is nothing better than the visible testimonials of end users doing well on the platform - end users like myself, who I consider somewhat of a success on Hive so far as essentially I have done what I have suggested to all.

Find a place that fits the skill range and work your ass off.

Will everyone succeed? Hell no. But that is what makes this place so valuable...

skills matter.

Showing brain

Some people don't seem to believe it, but proof-of-brain is alive and well where people actually think about what they contribute, they think about how they talk to people, they think about what may or may not work and, they do it. They prove they have a brain to negotiate a highly dynamic environment and can balance multiple points on the social matrix. Skills matter - not "skill" - it is plural.

You don't have to be the smartest, but being informed helps. You don't need to have the highest technical skill or knowledge, but being authentic builds relationships. You don't need to be perfect - because no one is.

Finding the balance in Hive live is the same as finding balance in life in general, too much formality kills relationships, too little and you might not be taken seriously. There is a time to be an asshole, but that is rarely going to work if that is the default setting. As said, skills in plural matter and those who have generally good skills in various areas and are able to cluster their approach and communicate it through their accounts, do better than those who are narrow - generally speaking.

People like interacting with humans. Try being human.

This is a surprisingly tall order in the world of disposable people we have created.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]