Oops. It was me. I did it. After almost 8 years on this blockchain you'd think I would know better. To be brutally honest I've never been a big fan of the "Community Feature" of Hive because to me it is just another centralized power function, but I do generally support the idea of communities. Building them, networking them and even supporting from the outside if I see they are doing good things. But still, that is no excuse for my latest screw up...
In recent times I've thrown a few posts around and put them in various communities without much consideration because I thought my post might be relevant or interesting to that community and I saw it as a kind of cross-pollination type of exercise. Not just exposing some of my content to a new community, but exposing my more regular readers to promote that community too. Whether I am guilty of hubris, complacency or maybe even disrespect - I'll let you decide.
This week I posted the 4th in a series of posts about the Spur Winged Plovers (a.k.a Vanellus Miles or Masked Lapwings) in my neighborhood and the interesting challenges / difficulties I've been having with them. I'd put my posts in the Nature Observers community because they were (in essence) some observations of nature. However, I am just a layman and I hadn't considered the specific guidelines and requirements of that community....so my post got Mod Hammered and now shows up on my blog as an eyesore like I've been flagged as an abuser.
Honestly, it's my own fault but I am kind of a little bit pissed off because I didn't get any warning, engagement or any kind of communication about my first 3 posts in that community which go back over the previous 18 months. I'm kind of used to the whole Shoot First and Fuck Anyone Who Complains attitude that a lot of whales have on Hive, but I thought a community that I was trying (admittedly poorly) to engage with and even promote to my regular readers...might have been a bit more forgiving or even diplomatic...and given me a heads up?
So the message I have received is - Stay in your lane. Throwing posts around in other communities you aren't familiar with and who don't want you there is not a good idea. It hasn't cost me anything except a dirty black (actually grey) mark on my blog, but for someone like me who believes in reputation it does have a price. Lesson learned and I'll be staying well clear of the Nature Observers community from now on.
