Some weeks ago I read one of @ selfhelp4trolls' articles where he talked about a lot of things concerning Hive growth and Inleo platforms' success with threads.
However, what stands out to me and isn't elaborated on is how Hive has many writers/authors but fewer readers/engagement. And also, how some Bees see daily writing as a task that has to be accomplished, rather than writing to express themselves and to communicate with the community at large.
I think this is common among newbees of today.
Regardless, we can’t compare a newbee to a big bee
I think the thing with newbee today is that many (not all)are primarily here for the honey.
This is what attracts them to the BeeHive. However, over time, a few of them will start seeing the potential of being a beehiver which will help transform them to see past the carrot chase mentality.
This type of mentality is something that many bees are all well aware of. I know many well-known and long-time authors must have observed this over the years.
But at the same time, we need to welcome all types of bees and embrace diversity.
And be flexible about it
Because in terms of readers and (honest) engagement, Hive appears to fall short in that aspect.
Often we see many people who prefer to post their content then zoom off. Some won't even reply to comments made on their articles. And this doesn't just pertain to only newbees but also long-time writers.
But if I ask you right now, what do you think Hive needs to make it more sociable or stand out among Web 3 platforms?
More readers, you say?
Let me ask you this question — How does it feel to read a chapter from a book every day for the rest of your life?
Now you get it…?
According to the stats, an average person reads 1 book in a year. While the overachievers read more than 50 books in a year.
So tell me how many people here do you think are overachievers and love reading books to keep reading 750+ word articles about my new house, wife, investments, and Job every day, when the most beneficial books are not even read and lying on their shelf unscathed all year. At the same time, many have busy schedules, and that’s understandable. Hence, the low engagement rate.
Nonetheless, I think if we are to strive for more engagements and real connections, it's the newbee’s that are key to making that a reality
They are key to a great divide and key to remarkable rapport on the chain
With that being said, many new bees are not perfect. But many old bees want them to be like them before they can get their support (many even write up to their level)- like they didn't go through a similar phase when starting as a new bee too.
Every so often, many new bees just need some guidance and nurturing so they can get better.
But when they don't get any feedback or words of encouragement from anyone (especially big bees), it becomes comfortable to write without the intention of being read. Hence, the view that writing articles is like a task to be accomplished rather than a way to express themselves and engage with the community as a whole or with individuals.
So, what do you think is the problem with beginners on Hive?
Is it the incentive/encouragement that is lacking?
Maybe
In the world of today, it’s no news that many platforms and big-name users all like to engage in giveaways, which has been one of the well-known gimmicks, if not the finest way so far to drive traffic to their page.
But that’s the web 2 way, you say…
Which way for Web 3, you might ask?
Hive is Web 3 and a colonial platform, just as the name reads -HIVE.
However, unlike the Web 2 platforms that have to engage in giveaways, here on Web 3, the reward mechanism is already in place to compensate users based on their activity, and also their investments in the system in the form of stake (hp).
This is Hive at its core.
On the other hand, it’s also not that reasonable to be focused only on rewards, but we should try as much as possible to be as new bees to also concentrate our energy on getting more done in terms of putting in more effort into our articles and engagement rate too, which is what will help in building something exceptional from what is built on web 2 that's filed with empty space and loud echoes.
Old or Newbee what are you building - a safe space or an empty space?