Hive community spotlight #7: Interview with @snook

Welcome dear friends again to the #7 of our hive community spotlight!
In this edition, we are very much honored to have another special user, @snook. She's a lady full of positivity and kindness 💜.

Learn how she shares her wonderful journey on hive, what motivates her to continue and also her beautiful words of wisdom and advice. In end I hope you gain inspiration, community engagement tips, creativity encouragement, personal growth insights, and practical advice from @snook's interview.

Stay tuned 🤗

IQ: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you first got involved with Hive?

Snook: My name is Snook. I had lost my dream job due to illness about three years before coming to the Blockchain. My son, @Ecoinstant, was worried about me. I was becoming very depressed from not being able to work and being in pain all the time. Ecoinstant had tried to get me to blog on another platform, but I did not know how to blog, so I soon gave up. Ecoinstant then found the Blockchain. He kept hassling me to join so that I would write. I ended up making my account so my son would stop bothering me.

When I started on the Blockchain, you were expected to write a post that should be around one thousand words long, and that writing should be published with author quality.

I did not qualify for either of those instructions. I planned to write a few posts and then stop.

IQ: What motivated you to become an active member of the Hive community, and what keeps you engaged with the platform?

Snook: A lady named @Mariannewest came up with a daily writing idea. She called the group Freewriters. You were given a word for the day, and using that word, you wrote anything that came to mind and then posted it. The rules were that spelling and sentence structure didn't matter.

I double-checked the rules with Mariannewest. I didn't want to get kicked off the Blockchain or made fun of because of how many writing errors I made. She assured me I would be fine. At this time, I knew three people about Blockchain. What do I have to lose?

Joining that group and writing each day taught me to write better. All the stories stuck in my head came tumbling out and made me happy! The group formed around the Freewriters' daily prompt kept me coming back.

IQ: You're known for your positivity and kindness on Hive. How do you maintain a positive attitude, especially during challenging times?

Snook: Our lives are full of negative things that are out of our control.

When interacting with others, I treat people how I would want to be treated. It is that simple. I do not want to be lied to, so I do not lie. I want to be treated with respect, so I treat others with the same respect I would want shown to me.

Life is hard for everyone. We all feel sadness, grief, and loneliness. Everyone can use a kind word sent their way. It costs you nothing to be kind. It doesn't take any more time out of your day to stop and make someone smile or laugh.

The best thing about living this way is that when you are sad or overwhelmed, but you make someone laugh, you end up laughing, too, and then all of a sudden, your life doesn't seem so bad, either.

It's a Win! Win! for everyone. Give it a try. You will be amazed at how your life will change for the better.

IQ: We've heard you enjoy writing, doodling art, playing games, and reading stories. How do these interests influence your contributions to the Hive community?

Snook: Writing helps me solve real-life problems but in a fictional way. It makes me step back and find solutions to everyday problems by breaking them down in the story and looking at them nonpersonally.

With this in mind, I have run contests to help others tap into writing just for fun. A friend and I ran a contest about singing badly for a while called "Bad Karaoke." That was a ton of fun, and so much laughter was had.

It is fun to try new things. Have you ever written something and wished you had the perfect photo to accompany it? Try learning to draw; you will soon have the ideal art to accompany your stories!

There is nothing a person can not learn to do if they want it bad enough.

Permit yourself to share the ups and downs of learning new things.

IQ: What advice would you give to newbies joining Hive, based on your own experiences and journey?

Snook: Write about subjects that interest YOU. It shows if you are not excited about what you are writing about.

IQ: What kind of posts do you enjoy reading and engaging with the most?

Snook: It's a post I can read without getting a headache.

The best advice I can give you is to make your posts readable.

Reading posts on a computer is hard on your eyes. Breaking up your paragraphs helps to keep a person reading your post and not give them a headache. We are taught in school that a paragraph should be a complete thought, but when reading on a computer screen, your eyes need a break to rest on an open, clear area, or your eyes will get fatigued.

If you can learn to make your posts easy on a person's eyes, the chances of a person reading your whole post are 100 times more likely, no matter the subject.

IQ: Any positive message you'd like to share with the hive community?

Snook: Hive is a beautiful place. Here, you can make lifelong friends and see your dreams come true. Hive gives you the tools. You will go far if you are honest and kind and do not hurt or cheat others.

Find people you enjoy being around and reading their posts. Engage with them, and you will be surprised when you look back five and a half years later and count your blessings on all the wonderful people you have met.