I joined Hive in 2018. Technically it went by a different name back then. Regardless, the fundamentals remain the same. It is a blockchain based on "Proof of Brain," or simply put, you earn by writing and curating. I will emphasize curating later in this post.
Let's start with what a newbie should learn on Hive. This post is an entry for the contest by IndiaUnited.
To be honest, I don't have much to say, really. You can look at my account. I've been here for 8 years and I'm still a minnow. Lol. But don't let that discourage you.
First of all, what the hell have I been doing on Hive? Eight years and still a minnow? Well, I'm a curator. Specifically, a Curie curator—and a very good one. I was a long-term top curator there. It was a fun time, and it still is. That said, I spent most of my time on Hive reading great content, trying my best to find exceptional and original work.
Don't get me wrong though, everyone on Hive is a curator. You can curate content and earn curation rewards, even with very small stakes, though the results might be "dust". So when I call myself a curator, I just mean that there are specific curation guilds here on Hive, and I am part of that ecosystem. Don't worry too much about that distinction for now. But what does this mean for a Hive newbie?
Let's look at Hive strictly as a blogging platform for now. While the ecosystem offers much more, we will stick to this definition for a moment. In this case, I would recommend that newbies on Hive should focus on writing good content. Believe me, curators are everywhere. They are lurking, hunting for great content. Being discovered by curators means more upvotes.
Curator is just like a ghost, unseen, flying around, lol. Photo taken by yours trully.
Why curators hunting good content? Well, because Hive needs that.
Some curators prefer to curate within specific communities, while others prefer a more general approach. But the goal is usually the same, they are looking for quality.
But what constitutes "good content"? The answer varies, but generally, it means original content. Avoid AI, plagiarism, recycling old content, and spam. Remember that this place has a global audience, so consider what might appeal to a wider crowd.
Finding a good community is also critical. You need to find a group that resonates with you, there are plenty of them on Hive.
However, you should know that the social aspect of these communities often extends beyond the blockchain itself. At the moment, there is no unified chat experience across the many Hive front-ends. Because of this, most communities set up their headquarters on Discord. That is where the real-time chatter, planning, and bonding happen. If you want to truly integrate, you usually have to hop into their Discord server.
But remember, every community has its own rules and guidelines. You need to follow those rules. Or don't, up to you, really, just remember that there will be consequences 😁.
Other thing to note, HIVE is not the only token here. The Hive ecosystem is vast and includes a layer of "Community Tokens" (often called Layer 2 tokens or Hive-Engine tokens). Many communities act as their own "tribes" with their own economy.
When you post in these specific communities or use their specific front-ends, you can earn their tokens in addition to your standard Hive rewards. This means a single well-placed post can earn you HIVE and tokens like LEO, NEOXAG, or AFIT simultaneously. Diversifying where you post can help you grow faster than relying on the main reward pool alone.
Some tokens can be earned via HP delegation, others by buying them on, say, Hive-Engine. If you see comments from IndiaUnited account, you'll notice this too. Delegating HP to IndiaUnited will give you rewards in return, in the form of IUC tokens.
This was my mistake on Hive. I was too focused on curating and HIVE only, and that was it. I hope you don't make the same mistake I did.
If you decide to stay, then don't get discouraged when you see someone posting short content daily while getting big upvotes. There are many factors behind those handsome numbers. Sometimes it comes down to the stake they hold, the investments they’ve made, or the friendships they’ve built over nearly a decade. Comparing your "Day 1" to someone else’s "Year 8" creates unnecessary frustration. Instead, view those accounts as role model to learn.
As a curator, I can tell you what actually catches my eye. I will look for a genuine voice and well presented ideas. But great content aside, I tend to look for the person who engages in the comments section to add value to the conversation, rather than just dropping a generic "nice post." If you don't have anything to say, then better not commenting at all 😄. I don't know if other curators do the same, but to me personally, engagement is the unsung hero of Hive. You might come for the rewards, but you’ll stay for the connections.
Stop refreshing your wallet to see if the numbers went up. Focus on the craft. Focus on build your reputation and increase your stake regularly. If you build it, and if you engage with others who are building it, I think it will be rewarding eventually. Easier way to start is by write something that you would want to read. Don't worry too much on whether the curators will find you or not. From my perspective, curators are always curating anyway.