If you are in hive for a few days, you have probably heard the terms ‘shitposting’ and ‘farming’. This is not exactly farming tomatoes on your roof garden or backyard. This is farming the reward pool. Most of the hive votes are automated, so it is fairly easy to get into an automated voting trail. It is even easier these days, as there is not enough content to vote, so even some manual curation programs are partially automated. Meaning, they do manually curate content, but often, due to time and efficiency, they also auto-vote some consistent authors, just to make sure they don’t run their VP very high due to lack of content. There comes the problem. People like to optimize their rewards in most cases. So once they know that they got into some auto-votes or a semi-auto curation program due to their good quality content, they try to do one of two things. First, they try to increase post frequency (because they know the more they post, the more votes they will get, therefore more rewards). Second, as they post more, their quality and effort typically drop, as it is very difficult to post one/day (7/week) consistently for a long time. What typically happens is that the quality drops, semi-automation arrives, and then comes spinning and possibly plagiarism. Because, only some people are bloggers, not all. Most people at hive don’t even know what a blog is.
I got into this long paragraph as a reminder that no one is immune to this problem. I typically don’t just point to a problem; I also provide a solution (at least a suggestion). My potential solution is to please consider not going after the rewards. As your writing or content production capability dries up, please do not drag yourself to it and take some of the shortcuts I mentioned above; please consider taking a break from writing. A few days or a week's break is good for consistent production and longevity. Because, if you do take a shortcut, even if you think you will get away with it, in reality chances are high that you will get caught. Someone will see and report you and then the community will take action, sometimes severe. I have seen this happen over and over again, and with very similar results.
Following are the patterns, when farming is identified. First, I didn’t do it; you made a mistake, prove it! Second, You are making a BIG MISTAKE; this is bad for hive! Third, I didn’t know, I did it my mistake, I didn’t know plagiarism or spinning is unacceptable. Forth, Removal of rewards by downvotes is hurting my freedom of speech and this is unethical.
If it goes to the fourth step, the account is toast at that point, and it is rare to come back from there. So please take my advice; please don’t get to the first step and plagiarize or spin an article. Community can catch it quite easily these days. Very recently, I have seen an old account get into this loop, and there is little I can do to protect it. Just remember, if you say that you are here for a long time it does not give you any free ticket. Most anti-abuse community members won’t take that as a positive; it will be taken as a negative. The longer you are here, the more prone to deliberate farming you are, and the less likely you will be able to get away with it.
When it comes to writing, fiction has always been one of my mightiest weaknesses. But that surely never stopped me from reading and investing a bit of time into the world of fiction. Yes, there are other categories that I prefer and enjoy more.
It's mostly the content related to the "factual" aspects of life that I lean towards, but, life isn't all about productivity and facts.
So, here's a little list of fictional content that you may find enjoyable.
This Week's Feature The Wanderer by Author 
We are also delighted to announce two honorable mentions of the week.
| Authors | Highlights |
|---|---|
 @goodysam | The Victim |
| - | - |
 @zeraton | Beauty and the Moonlight: A Beautiful Romance story |
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The show must go on— people say that’s the spirit, but to me, it’s a devilish attempt to exploit the potential one has to offer. But there’s nothing to complain about, cause that’s how life revolves around.
It’s not so long ago I had the chance to stand on a muddy beach and enjoy the serenity it has in its foamy water and mighty waves. Life was bright then, burning with all the strength it can accumulate— but, this is not an everyday story for the people I came across there.
While some of me longed to embrace those sparkling waves breaking on the shore and roaring afar, some struggled to make way through them and reach their homes at the right time. While I was throwing away the fruit basket seeing no succulents in there, some were struggling to manage the food for their families. While I was enjoying the moment of my life in the water, some were struggling to stay afloat with their fishing nets, trying to find the perfect spot.
The sea— so fascinating to some— brings misery to others, crushing their dreams when its mood swings. I see girls selling flowers and people buying floral crowns to gift them to their dear ones. But I doubt the girls ever tried it on them— the struggle of life doesn’t let them live in the moments they create for others. I see fishermen in their 50s with white hairs carrying the crates of fish from boat to the shore— their skin turned coal black due to constant exposure to the boiling sun above. But here, on the beach, some are applying sunscreen while laying back on the camp chair.
What I found more fascinating in there is the way people live. I can say people, both natives and tourists, live amidst crisis and enjoyment simultaneously. Just change the perspective; you can see both of the traits of our lives are living side by side. Consider it a crisis, we are living in that; consider it enjoyment, we are living in that— but it's person dependent; restricted to class. While the wealthy people are enjoying themselves there, others are suffering and vice-versa; they march together, and it’s a matter of life that defines where you belong.
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-Where were you today? Didn't see you in the mosque.
-Was attending a wedding ceremony. So I completed my prayer in the mosque close to the program.
-Ah, okay, I noticed your absence.
He is the chairman of the mosque committee I go to for my Friday prayers. He knows me, knows me pretty well through my presence there. Whether or not he knows me doesn’t matter much to me, but when he noticed my absence and decided to ask me about that, it surprised me. It left me feeling kinda special, and loved. It’s these small things that often make me overwhelmed.
Small things might leave more considerable influences too. Like a place you had visited once with someone special, a place where you spent your time enjoying and making memories. Even if that person isn’t by your side the next time you visit that place, you will never forget those memories you have attached to it. Maybe a bunch of people that you are meeting for the first time, their conversations, their etiquette and manners, their personality, every tiny thing they did is going to form a package of personality that you are going to store with their names within yourself. Maybe they would forget something tiny they did but impactful to you so you would remember them through those tiny things, make them remember, they might get overwhelmed on remembering those tiny things too. These are the tiny things that make us surprisingly special.
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I am at a point in my life where my taste in films and movies has changed - not too drastically. I still am very fond of watching movies and never consider it a waste of time. I'm not picky; I can watch anything and everything and still not be bored. Before, I could never say what my favourite movie was, and now with some certainty, I can name a handful of favourites. There are Directors I absolutely adore and some really great ones I don't like. I'll get to that. This time I bring you Strangers On A Train (1951).
I absolutely adore Alfred Hitchcock. I have always been drawn to mystery films, and even when I was a kid, I loved watching Scooby-Doo. But Hitchcock is the "Master of Suspense" and I fell in awe with his movies. And I often felt surprised when I watched a thriller suspense show or movie, and later found out that the idea of the plot is taken from one of his films - it makes me giggle. I have only started watching his films recently - recently as in for almost 2 years now. I don't recall disliking any film directed by Hitchcock, but I can undoubtedly say each one is better than the other, and the fun and thrill are just the right amounts.
Strangers On A Train (1951) is a psychological thriller suspense film and also categorized as noir - I'm very fond of noir films. I can use one phrase to describe the film, but then the whole plot will be explained - now we don't want that. But just like the film's name, two strangers met on a train, and chaos ensued. A crazy villain, a couple in love, and a head-scratching murder - add all of that into the mix, and you got yourself a marvelous thriller film. You may or may not love it, but I can assure you that there will be no regrets and no wasted time.
The plot wasn't really new to me - almost 10 years ago, an episode of a crime comedy had a similar plot that I had seen. Also, I believe I have seen something that is loosely inspired by Vertigo. At that time, I wasn't aware of Hitchcock and his versatilities. And now, I am very aware of how Hitchcock has influenced the film industry, and, more importantly, the thriller and noir genre. Somehow it all leads to his films. I'm not sure what has prompted my liking of the mystery or detective genre, but with any of Hitchcock's films, the appreciation amplifies more. I couldn't think of one thing I didn't like in the film - the mix I had talked about earlier is crucial to the story, and one element out will have the structure fall. So as basic as the mix sounds, it's the perfect mix. I wouldn't say that this is one of my favourite Hitchcock films (that's Rebecca), but it's definitely one of the top 5.
Do not talk to strangers on a train - or bus, or any local transport.
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