On the 29th of January 2018, I sat in my room hoping to find a community that actually cared about what I create. Back then, I was messing around with video creation about 3D printing and other things, but web2 was just too saturated. The algorithms didn't care about quality or passion, only about who already had millions of followers. So I searched for alternatives and quickly found Hive (yes of course it had a different name back then - the one we don't speak about). I did not understand anything at all but I fell in love with it immediately.
The community was and still is pretty small compared to other social platforms, but with the open ecosystem, it turned out to be much more than I initially thought. It wasn't just another platform - it was a whole different approach to social media and content creation. No algorithm, no suit-people deciding what you can say, and actual ownership of your content. That sounded good, but I was definitely not aware of the importance of decentralization is to society.
After joining I quickly got involved in various communities, especially one focused on a video platform on Hive - I will not say the name though. It's like Voldem... oops, almost said it. But you probably know which one I mean if you've been around for a while.
So I created videos, joined community activities and also attended my first meetups in Hamburg. I wasn't just hooked! It was a completely new world that unfolded in front of me. Every single day - up until today - I learn something new. Whether it's technical stuff about blockchain, meeting interesting people from all over the world, or discovering new projects being built on top of Hive. The learning never stops.
What really got me was the people. In web2 you mostly interact with usernames and profile pictures, but here on Hive I actually got to know real people. We met up in person, worked on projects together, and built actual friendships. That's something you can't really put a price tag on and that can lst forever.
Over the years I also got more involved in the technical side of things too. Started learning app development, python, javascript and now I know how to write smart contracts on Magi! I never thought about what mass of things I will create just because Hive and the endless possibilities it offers. And one of my "more recent" achievements is that I am the main organizer of an event that enters the third year in 2026: Hive Open Days! The events are actually one of the things I enjoy most. Seeing people meet in real life who only knew each other online, watching new friendships form, and bringing the community together face to face. We're currently working on Hive Open Days '26 in Alicante this April, and every time we organize one of these it reminds me why this ecosystem is special.
Looking back at these 8 years, a lot ore has changed in my life. I moved apartments three times, and while sorting my life I've grown as a person in ways I didn't expect. I'm much more confident now, I learned to say no to things that I don't align with and I got much better at estimating what I can atually achieve instead of overcommitting myself to everything. The biggest change is probably that I trust myself much much more these days. When I have an idea, I just go for it instead of overthinking. Being part of Hive definitely played a role in that - you see other people building cool stuff and you realize that you can do it too - if you only start.
Many people left, that's true, but many also joined in these 8 years and I'm proud to still be around and active. Some left because of the price, some because they didn't understand the long-term vision, and some just moved on to other things in life. That's normal and okay. But there's also a core group of people who stuck around through thick and thin, and those are the ones who really make Hive special. We all have different opinions and some might resulted in on-chain blocks ;)
The price of HIVE has changed a lot during this time, but for me that's just one side of what Hive is about. Don't get me wrong - I also check the price and would love to see it go up. But I stayed because of the community, the technology, and the possibilities to actually build things that matter. We have been at over 8(!!!) USD when I joined back in the day. After a ~7.30 USD drop and all the ups and downs we're still engaging with each other and yes - complaining about the price sometimes. I get that many of you bought in at much higher prices and that hurts, but that's how it goes with financial investments. You can't change the past, only work on the future.
What we all can do is keep working on onboarding new people and keeping the engagement high on the platform. The more active users we have who actually contribute, the higher our chances for an increasing price. Simple as that. We need more devs building cool stuff (yes there are devs searching for a platform like Hive), more content creators making quality posts and videos, and more people who keep them on the platform by engaging.
I'm looking forward to all the things we're going to experience in the next years. The technology keeps evolving, new layer-2 solutions are being developed, and the whole web3 space is maturing. Maybe in 8 years you'll still be around to read my 16-year celebration post - who knows what Hive will look like then! Maybe we'll have 100 times more active users, maybe the price will be at 50 USD, or maybe we will still be a small but dedicated community. Whatever happens, I'll probably still be here, building something or organizing the next big conference or small meetup.
Thanks to all the people I was able to get to know here on Hive. Everyone who helped me along the way, everyone building the tools and platforms I use every day, and everyone in between who makes this ecosystem what it is. I will not name them - you know who you are.
P.S: I have scrolled all the way down on my profile and found my first ever post on Hive - the video is not online unfortunately, but it marked the beginning of a very long journey I plan to continue for much longer.
I searched around and luckily found a backup of one of the early videos on Hive from this post (cringe warning & I say forbidden words in there...):
▶️ 3Speak
