$HIVE is certainly having an interesting start to the year. I am not sure it has anything to do with the new POTUS, but I believe little of what he has promised for crypto except that it is intended to enrich his friends. There was some frantic trading today that sent it up again. It has broken away from some of the shitcoins, but should still rank much higher. $LEO is not doing so well though.
Talking of InLeo, they have joined forces with Splinterlands to get more people interacting. I think a lot of those playing the game never did anything else on Hive and they are missing out. They could be earning by talking about the game as well as anything else they are interested in. I doubt that anyone only has a single interest.
There are many front ends to Hive and some of them are aimed at specific topics. I am not sure I had seen Political Hive until today. I do engage in some discussion of politics online, but it is not my main focus.
@scottcbusiness who has been here a while (seven years), but less active recently. He has a lot of followers elsewhere who may not be aware of Hive.
@silviabeneforti who just marked eight years. Hive is not just about cryptocurrency as some may assume and there are a lot of creative people here.
@selfhelp4trolls recently released some music. Check it out and let him know what you think. It is not always just about votes.
@coldbeetrootsoup just ran a contest to design an infographic for 
@thedistriator. Contests are a great way to get noticed on Hive, so find some that fit your skills.
@ablaze runs one to do a weekly post about music you love.I expect that one of the most controversial topics on Hive is downvotes. I would hope that you understand the need for them to deal with abuse. On a platform where people can earn there will be those who try to cheat the system. I think it is very deliberate that there are no restrictions on how downvotes are used so that we can each make up our own minds about it. You are not obliged to explain your actions, but most people will just not dare to use them for fear of retaliation.
A new account just popped up and it has been given a fairly big stake to use. They have been distributing some downvotes, but it is not totally clear what the reasoning is. They are being quite playful with their rhyming comments. I would assume that it is someone with extensive experience of Hive.
I get that it can feel hurtful to get downvoted, but if you are still earning something then it is not the end of the world. If that account has a lower reputation than you then they cannot harm yours. It is not fun to lose potential rewards, but you ought to be trying to build broad support that keeps you earning. Downvotes run down quicker than upvotes on your account, so there is only so much harm such people can do.
I think it is important to not blame Hive itself for your troubles. The platform is neutral and such issues are between people. Doing a 'rage quit' or attacking the general community will not do you much good. Focus on the good things and the bully may give up.
Is Hive your main online platform? I know many are frustrated by other platforms and Hive offers more freedom. We need to make it a compelling destination with great content and engagement. I know I get more responses here than on any other platform.
I would really like to see Hive integrate with the Fediverse to broaden our potential audience. Networks like Mastodon and the new Pixelfed have grown much faster than Hive has even without rewards. We need to consider why that is.
Hive five!
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