I've been waiting for the Hive Buzz announcement for ages it seems - I felt like it was coming up to my 7 year anniversary on this amazing platform, but wasn't sure when. I felt like all the people I've known here for so long they feel like old friends had turned 7 before me and I was wondering if I missed it. But here I am. Seven years. Seems surreal.

Early Days

Honestly, the first months on Hive were crazy. You'd spent hours on a post and get pennies - I'm sure some of you newcomers are feeling that pain, but don't worry, it gets better as you improve your game and make connections. I'll never forget getting over 100 Hive for my Australian gothic short story 'Horses' - from then on, I was hooked. Fiction doesn't get rewarded here as well these days sadly and if there's one thing I'd change, it would be that. There's some really good writers on Hive and I've learnt a lot from them, as well as practicing my craft.

I still can't believe it all started with my husband saying 'do you know there's a crypto rewarded blogging site?' I was in so fast - and just never left. I found the learning curve really interesting - how to use mark up, how to use the various tools. I know it's hard for newcomers but that makes it far more interesting than platforms that tell you what to do and decide through algorithms who you should see.

Natural Medicine & The Alternative Communities

Pre COVID there was a lot of good energy around three main communities, Natural Medicine, Tribe Steem Up, and Ecotrain. Each posed some interesting challenge questions that had people thinking and there was some really good discussion going on.

The communities were amazing for gathering like minded people and helping them feel supported. At first, the communities were the big curators, running off generous deleegations that helped reward their users. Now most of them are on an even playing field with the larger curators across the platform dipping in and out of the communties to reward good content.

I loved leading Natural Medicine - that was the time of tokens as well so I learnt a lot about how they worked and we created 'Lotus' which is now owned by another community. I was working full time in a really difficult job and running a crazy busy Discord and co-ordinating some amazing specialist curators that were putting out editorials on specific days of the week, as well as curating for the community and making people feel valued. It may have been really ambitious but it worked and we were super proud of the value we brought to Hive.

In the end, the workload was far too much. I tried so hard to get other people to take on the load or at least lead the community as I was sooo stressed from work and then the anxiety of the COVID years, combined with the stress of building a really, really huge community. I don't think I was the only leader that realised it wasn't tenable and stepped down from the job, but boy I was so, so stressed and worried about it for months. In the end I just shut the whole thing down and divided our Hive amongst the people who'd put blood, sweat and tears into the thing. It's still a community people use to this day, but it's not monitored - it is really lovely to see alternative medicines still being talked about in Hive spaces.

Hive Garden

I took on the leadership of Hive Garden which I'm really proud of. I kept it small and, having learnt the lessons of Natural Medicine, decided to make my life a lot easier by only running one challenge a month which I took over from another Hive user with their blessing, as they couldn't manage it anymore. So actually the 'Hive Garden Journal' challenge predates me! People really love this community and feel supported there and valued, so it's really nice to help facilitate that.

It feels really good to give back to the wider Hive community that I've really got so much love out of.

Challenges on Hive

Being part of various communities and their challenges has been so much fun here. In the early days communities were quite competitive but now many of us flit across communities we are interested in and participate where we can. Many of the challenges really ask us to think about meaningful life questions or challenge our creative skills. I've always been a big believe in taking part, because if we don't, we might lose the communities we love. Use it or lose it, they say.

Ups and Downs

Having been here for seven years, I can tell you a ton of stories about various dramas, hissy fits, trolling and abuse on this platform. Whilst we'd like to think it's a utopia immune from the issues in real life, that's not the case - Hive mirrors the real world. There's theives and scammers here like anywhere else, people who'd rather play the system than be an honest part of something good. But like many of us old timers, we've learnt to stay in our corners and do we we think is right, bringing value to the platform in our own ways. As long a we are doing the right thing, it doesn't matter.

This place is definitely not perfect and there's been times where I have thought the system has been incredibly unfair, and still at times think so. We've all seen people who have got huge rewards - and get them regularly - for very little effort, and the downvote system doesn't always seem fair, particularly when we get downvoted for not really doing anything wrong. But the downvote system is the best we've got for regulating poor behaviour here and copping it on the chin for a DV or two, even if it's an asshole move on the downvoters part, must be weighed against the good.

The good is absolutely being part of a really different social media. I have loved the friendships here, the innovations, the support of people. I've seen the most beautiful things happen here when people are struggling in real life - I mean, total strangers donating when someone is struggling or they or a family member is ill. People jump in with advice, words of comfort, and good humour. I genuinely think some of my Hive friends are better than my real life friends in that way. Ah, it makes me feel all warm and gooey on the inside.

Sometimes it sucks when we just get crickets on our post, meaning no one comments when we've poured our heart into something. But we can't take that to heart - sometimes it's because everyone's busy in real life, or the Hive price is down. Hive teaches you to roll with the punches. And it also gives back to those who put in an effort to comment on others, even if takes time out of your day. This system is only as good as the people here.

The Hive price, well, it goes up and down. I genuinely don't think about it much. It'd be great if it stablised around.50 which it does sometimes. Of course we dream of a moon but the value of this platform, as many of us old timers know, isn't really the price.

Thankyous

Thanks to all the people who make this awesome, not forgetting the developers of the various spaces here that make it a pleasure to use.

I know for some of you, reading this post, remember the times I remember or have been there with me during various events and ups and downs. There's the people who have helped me curate, handed me the reins on things, supported me, upvoted my posts, give me beautiful comments and words of encouragement, have provided entertaining, moving and inspiring reads, taught me lessons that at first made me mad and then just shifted my way of thinking about things. I purposefully didn't mention anyone because I didn't want to leave anyone out. But I can't think of a single person here I haven't felt really grateful to meet in some way, even the twats and trolls, haha.

If you're reading this, that's YOU, even if I haven't met you yet.

Vive la Hive!