A couple of days ago I was struggling to write a pitch for the Hivefest giveaway. I am not in the
habit of talking about some of the things I do behind the scenes, mainly because I do them for altruistic reasons (and I get paid in some way for them). However, after putting out the post I got some positive comments from other Hivians who had benefited from the projects I have been associated with. Asides feeling fulfilled, this whole experience had me thinking about my journey, hive and crypto.
Don't be humble to the point you disappear in the important moments.
The last bull run was an eye-opener. I saw people who did not know as much as I do make life-changing money and become influential in the crypto space while I was in my bubble preaching about fundamentals with my group of faithfuls. And I told myself that I will not be in the same position during the next bull run.
I understand the importance of being visible in the crypto space. It is far more important to build your online brand within the crypto community than it is to buy coins because it will always yield results/profit. Letting people know what you are doing and how they can help you reach more people in this space is the right way to go not just for your individual growth but also for the development of the projects you are working on. It might seem too salesy but there is no way around gaining visibility.
A couple of years ago on Hive, there was a developer who complained bitterly about how his work wasn’t noticed and how people were supporting a useless project (he even went as far as downvoting people because of this issue). To be frank, he was right (to be annoyed). The project ended up being a flop and everyone has forgotten about it, and the same can be said about his work because he destroyed the goodwill he had among certain groups. To be fair, I (and many other hivians) did not know this developer or the work he was doing on Hive, therefore it was impossible to even support the good work he was doing. So this instance goes to Buttress my point that it not enough to do the right thing. People need to know you are indeed doing the right thing and how they can support your project/community.
The reality is that in this crypto space, the loudest voices get the most attention. Playing the long game can be detrimental to a genuine project with real utility. This is because the buzz always overshadows substance, at least in the short run.
Creating a buzz around your project isn't a bad thing; short-term wins aren’t a bad thing. The long run comprises several short runs, so it is a game of numbers. If you are able to win several short runs, you are guaranteed longevity. However, if you are unable to win in the short run, you do not have any guarantee that the long run will be any different. We often think that one has to forgo the short-run benefits for the long run but this theory has proven to be false, especially in crypto.
The crypto space is notorious for killing projects in the short and bearish market irrespective of the utility these products provide. Even on Hive, there are a handful of good projects that have gone under. At this point, in time Hive can maybe account for 3-4 good projects on Hive, without any new or exciting ones coming up. This wasn’t the case a few years ago. What does this mean in the long run? Nothing promising I assure you.
Fortunately for Hive, I am beginning to see a genuine effort by projects and communities to exist outside Hive the Hive bubble. The reality is blockchain Maxis will find it hard to function in this space as the next crypto wave is all about multichain decentralized applications. Loyalty in the crypto space is on a steady decline. If you have little to offer your developers and community chances are they will move to other chains. Even if you provide the right environment for development people will follow the money/market.
Blockchains like Hive that do not have VC back can only thrive by building more partnerships with the community. This is the only way to attract investment, developers, users, etc in the crypto space right now. No project can afford to build in a vacuum and expect to reach to the masses. We have a very small industry with fewer active users. So it is imperative to continue growing and building relationships and partnerships with this person and I believe this is quite easy to do on layer Twos.
It rubs me the wrong way when I see dapps on Hive struggling to get the attention of various sparse amounts of people on the chain. There is little to no effort to reach out and bring new users into the space. They are even unwilling to partner with other Hive applications. A blockchain against it is one destiny to die, and if this mindset isn't corrected we might continue to see a steady decline in activities on chain.
I believe every person, community, product or blockchain that genuinely wants to grow will be concerned about visibility. Only the visible products, blockchains and individuals will get the chance to benefit from the next bull run. So it is imperative that will position ourselves to be seen.
There is no way to bring about mass adoption if the masses do not know your project exists. One of the prevailing arguments against marketing or creating visibility for projects like Hive is that it is not perfect yet. I joined this blockchain when it was in its most basic form and we had thousands of people using it then despite how difficult it was back then. I believe the masses will be willing to help develop the chain forward if they see the value in what is being built here. The challenge for all of us is to tell/share compelling stories about Hive.
Check out this short thread on products with potential airdrops.
