Why money isn't the best argument to attract people to Hive
Since I have joined the blockchain, more than 5 years ago, I have heard the following sentence quite regularly:
I came for the money but I stayed because of the community
I can totally relate to that and it's also true for me. As long as I can remember, when we tried to onboard people to hive, the monetary argument was used. Experience has shown that this simply doesn't work.
Why the monetary argument doesn't work
If somebody joins Hive for money reasons, the main motivation is to earn as much money as possible for as little effort as possible. They probably see the post payouts in the trending page and expect something in a similar return range.
The person will probably start with an introduction post that might actually reach quite a big payout. There are some actors who look out for these posts and reward them handsomely. This is great but there comes the first difficulty already. Why do I have to wait for 7 days to get a payout? Why do I get only 50% of the payout? Why is 50% of it powered up and I need 13 weeks to get the money?
Immediately, there are a lot of questions and very few answers to be found easily. If this didn't bother the person, then comes the next challenge with the second post. Probably this post will reach a much lower payout and it will be same for post 3, 4 and 5. If the person is still around by then, it means that the reality has sunk in and another motivation made the person stay on Hive. In most cases however, the Hive adventure stops here and on a bad basis. The person is disapointed with the results and will certainly not recommend the blockchain to others.
This is the big issue with Hive, it's the bad retention rate of new users.
What if we didn't try to sell the money?
So far, whenever it comes to promoting Hive, the monetary aspect was used as a main argument. But let's be honest, you can earn on Hive but it takes work and commitment. Most of the people won't earn more than peanuts in the first months on Hive.
What if we try to attract people with what Hive is really good at? Something that is felt from day one on the chain? Namely the community?
Not everybody is looking for money
Of course many out there are looking for money. But is Hive really capable of helping these people?
There are also a lot of people who feel lonely, who want to belong somewhere, who want to talk, exchange and interact. There are such people in all countries and all cultures and these people are not interested in the money in the first place. If they earn something on the way, it's even better but their main motivation is of a social nature.
I believe that Hive can really help these people and these people can help Hive. Imagine you join a community where you want to belong to. What would you do first? You would try to read some content and then give a comment because what you want is build relationships. You then hope that the comment is answered. Little by little this person can meet others through the comment sections and build relationships within a community.
Such people could bring a lot of added value to the existing authors in the form of comments and interaction. They could grow on the way and later also create their posts and hope to get comments.
I think that onboarding to Hive would have much better retention if we didn't use the monetary argument but rather a social argument. We should put forward that Hive is:
- A place where everybody is welcome
- Where you can chose your community of real people from all over the world
- Where you can interact and engage and make friends
Isn't that exactly why we are all still active on Hive after many years ?
What do you think?
Let's connect ! You can find me on these platforms:
Those are some very good points and it lowers the retention rate by giving people false expectations of what is possible in the begining. It is far better for someone to join a community and make friends and grow their experience on the blockchain together. I have seen a few users who have tripped up at first or unsure of how things work and guided them to community where lots of friendly help and guidance is available and then see them start to thrive once part of a community.
I believe that this is much more organic and sustainable in the long run. It's a totally different experience if you are surrounded by a community that gives you tips and supports you on your path.
I agree, sometimes expectations are too high.
I think the worst is when people's expectations are not met. If what they expect is to earn 100 $ per post and then they make 0.6$, they won't stay around for long...
I joined hive nearly 2 years ago, after discovering Spl.
When I first discovered Hive, I thought I could easily make some bucks. Than reality kicked in and I was rather passive on Hive, sometimes participating in the spl social media challenge as there rewards are kind of guaranteed if you write decent quality.
Since nearly 2months, I made the decision to be more active on Hive.
Why? I look at it as a game, trying to connect with as much people and as much assets/tokens as possible.
BUT: a very important take-away, as you mentioned as well: Communities! There are plenty, if you find those in line with your personal interests, it definitely helps to interact!
Great article! 👍
I also see it that way. I'm trying to have fun and if I earn some tokens on the side, I don't mind. In the long run however, the value for me is the connection that I managed to build with other people from all over the world.
Thanks a lot :-)
I definitely have had some conversations with people from all over the world which are very valuable as well! These are often really insightful and great to have! Although acquiring as much assets as possible is definitely a target as well. For me personally, I wouldn't call it 'just a nice extra'. The way to achieve this is to look at the long-term though, not just spitting out low-effort content but trying my best to write quality and connect with people as this will give me higher returns on the long run. Atleast that's my believe! :D
Funny thing is, besides hive, I'm totally not present (actively) on other social media. It actually makes me wonder if the majority of Hive would be or not? #random #thoughts
People who create low effort posts to make a quick buck are killing their long term chances to make a real income on this blockchain. The best way to succeed is to build your account like a brand and work for the long run. Like that the income could actually really matter one day...
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Thanks for sharing my opinion about retention on HIVE, as I share your opinion... 😃
Also, I would add that @stekene's comment is on the spot! When we joined HIVE (pardon, legacy chain) we didn't have communities and it was an even bigger mess... But today, we have them and they are playing a crucial role in keeping users active! You find people who are similar to you and there is no way that you will quit! Firstly, you will enjoy posts and conversation, and secondly, they will not let you go! 😃
I agree, the community allow to break down the whole activity on the chain into something that is easier to grasp. Once you found your community, it's a place to stay and evolve. I think that most efforts should go into making communities even more inviting and welcoming to new people.
If I could add to it, having an easy overview of all communities could be helpfull as well. I'm often discovering new communities I didn't even know they existed.
Ofcourse there is a search function but still, it isn't always that straight forward (especially for newer people).
Was confused when reading the begin of that sentence. Haha :p
I wasn't around when there were no communities but I definitely agree that these are kind of an implicit must-have of hive! These really help me to stay active for sure! The support I get in those communities is awesome.
Every now and then, I try to interact with introduction posts and it's usually my advice: check out the different communities and find some in line with your interests.
I strongly believe you have a point here. Most times when people join hive and are not able to have access to that monetary rewards they have been promised, they tend to be disappointed and leave unknown to them that hive offers more
The money that you can earn on hive is nice but it's by far not as much as most people would like. So they will end up disapointed because their expectations are not met. Therefore I believe that we shouldn't market the monetary side of hive in the first place.
That's true. We should not make the monetary reward the first
I still believe it will need a killer app to bring people in. Splinterlands was the key driver in the previous bullrun. Perhaps the focus should be on devs.
Splinterlands was the killer app that brought a lot of people to hive. But a lot of SL players stayed on hive even if they don't play the game anymore. Why are they still here???
Money does not attract money, value attracts money, and there is value in the Hive community, great thoughts Achim.
!ALIVE
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There is actually quite a lot of value in this community and that's what we should promote. Not the fact that you can make money I believe.
Exactly, you get what you promote, if you promote the money making, you will get people that only wants the money.
!ALIVE
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The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want, plus you can win Hive Power (2x 50 HP) and Alive Power (2x 500 AP) delegations (4 weeks), and Ecency Points (4x 50 EP), in our chat every day.
I also think same. I think hive is the platform on which You can show your skills in any community. Peoples around us are really skilled and different contests organized by authors, amazed me alot.
There are plenty of different skills around and it's possible to give value in many different ways.
You are right. Se people come here with the mindset of making money immediately they join without even thinking of how they can increase their HP
Hive is more than that
This place is just like my home where I usually have fun
Having fun is a big part of it I believe. If we enjoy our activity here, we will stay in the long run.
The first thing that they think is "Nah".
Unstaking HP takes longer than they imagine. You need stable HP to post. Spamming post isn't appropriate. Need to wait 7 days to get the money. Upvotes are really needed.
Well, so far people around me who asked about HIVE are talking about money and money 😂. They don't know how much effort I did for 2 years before my account like today. 😂
Despite my talking about Liotes and others, they are back to the main reason: You need HP to do transactions + I can't delegate them forever + Mostly they don't know how crypto works and how to withdraw it = So far 0 into HIVE + 2 of my friends tried and left HIVE. Hive -> Binance -> P2P is simple but they said it's troublesome 🤣. Those 2 were attracted by Splinterlands and Rising Star.
I think the game is an important part of my social circle rather than the HIVE itself. 😂
!LOL
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@achim03! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @ cursephantom. (3/20)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want, plus you can win Hive Power (2x 50 HP) and Alive Power (2x 500 AP) delegations (4 weeks), and Ecency Points (4x 50 EP), in our chat every day.
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@achim03, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of cursephantom
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Your example shows very well that people who are out for the money on Hive tend to give up sooner or later (most of them ;-))
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Hello Achim! This is the first time I read you and it is the best example of what you say in your post. I also arrived 5 years ago, and being Venezuelan of course the money was my inspiration, but I was lucky enough to attend a meeting quickly and for some reason I started to do well with the earnings after that. I have brought a lot of people to Hive and nobody stays for a long time, I am still me, and the friends who share my way of thinking are people like us who love the community and sharing.
Even if it is the web 3 for me it is a social network and in fact I do much better here than on facebook, instagram, twitter and so many others that I loved before. I have built a lot here although I am still in nappies compared to others and I always promote interaction as a basis for my own benefit and that of the platform. I do my bit by helping others from my music community to some curation and teaching projects and as you say, the best thing is that I get rewards along the way. This has been a great post and a great way to get to know you through your words...
Thanks a lot for your comment! I think that it's only possible to stay keeping active on the blockchain if we have another motive than just the money. Of course, it's nice to earn while being active but I believe it's like in real life. You need to like what you are doing and have fun. In my opinion Hive can provide that if you find the good communities. Very happy to know you :-)
I think those are some good points and I agree that money shouldn't be the main reason to be here on hive. I came here because of Splinterlands and I am definitely here for the community now. I think the focus should be on something that people can use such as a gaming application. The amount of people that blogging appeals to is quite small but if we add in all the different cases, then we would have more reasons for people to stick around.
A lot of people joined through SL but many stopped playing and are still around. If we manage to point out why these people are still here and maybe push this side of hive, it could be pretty successfull in attracting people.
Haha I could relate to all these stuff at the start! I spent a few days understanding how all the stuff worked, staking, payout, voting power, etc. Agree with you that the retention rate is quite poor among the people that I know - but the few of us who are still engaging the community have seen our accounts grow day by day, month by month, and I would like to think I am in a much better position than where I started off with zero. :)
!LUV
@achim03, @relf87(4/4) sent LUV. | connect | community | HiveWiki | NFT | <>< daily
! help(no space) to get help on Hive. InfoIf you are willing to go for the long run and ready to invest time and effort, I believe that hive can pay off. The problem I see is that if you promote the monetary side first, you will mostly get people who want to earn money quickly wihtout investing much time and effort.
Hello achim03, how are you? hehe, today I come to disagree, when you comment "Why the monetary argument doesn't work" this argument does not work because there is not money for everyone, that is why many leave, so we could talk about those who stay, do they stay for the money? Let's analyze what Hive gives to those people who stay?
Contact with other people, many social networks can already have that superficially, Facebook, Instagram titok and if they want something more select divided by interests "Communities" you also have them on Facebook, blog or forums, in all of them for sure You will find incredibly cool people with whom you will share many things and others not so much "nothing new here"
Anti-censorship, the truth is hive is quite censored at the community level, each community has its rules as it should be, if you go outside of them you will be censored like in any blog, forum or social network "nothing new here" even if you want to publish Pretty crazy things for that the deep web has so again "nothing new here"
Easy money, making easy money, without a doubt it is not a feature of blogs, forums, Facebook, etc. In all of them, for you to start earning money you need to have a high amount of work behind you, not in hive, just like comment on the first post it may be the easiest way to make money in the world here hive if it presents us with something new making money quickly and easily, but the misreading is believing that it will stay that way, easy money becomes laborious but that's not all The person can create good content but if they don't make connections the money won't come to them "those end up leaving too"
So we can shift the question, what do they get from hive that they don't get from other communities (wherever they are) to those people who stay? The answer is undoubtedly "money"
All the people you see who are promoting hive have something in common, and that is that they earn at least, they aspire to earn money with hive, that is, it is not important if the person is in the community of games, movies, photos, etc., everyone Something unites them, we are in hive for money.
Imagine that in hive the inflation APR of the currency or the HBD did not exist nor that there was money for votes, how many people would you find in the communities or rather how many communities would exist? How many people would you see in a hive t-shirt doing a meeting to tell other people that hive trains?
That's why I see it differently, money is the only reason why people stay in hive, so much so that everyone who stays earns money and those who don't earn leave, that's why for me you should sell more like what you really do. It is first a blog in which you can first earn money by networking either as an employee or by creating content and not by popularity, number of followers or views (this is what hive has different), in which you can also earn money through investment, I think that by really indicating how hive works, of course the amount of person's income decreases but the % attrition of that income would also be much lower.
Achim03 now an honest question, do you think it's wrong that people are in hive for the money?
Hi my friend, thanks a lot for this great comment. Even if you disagree with me, I believe that we don't have such different opinions about it :-).
The problem in my opinion is that if we put the monetary side first when trying to attract people, showing them the trending page with hundreds of dollars of post value, we send an untrue message that will result in disapointment.
People coming to hive because of the big money will undoubtably be disapointed because there is no big money. There is money but it takes time, relations and efforts to achieve it.
I totally agree with you that without monetization, we could also spend our time on facebook or all the other social media platforms. The monetary aspect sets hive aside but I think it's not the best argument for trying to onboard people.
I see some efforts are made on twitter that show that you can make 30$ or 100$ from a post. That is simply not true for somebody starting out.
Absolutely not, I think it's one of the great things that the blockchain brings. However, I think that the message to the people who are not on the blockchain should be truthfull: you can make money but it will take time and require effort. However, you can meet a lot of interesting people on the way and have a lot of fun :-)
I am very happy to hear that, there is a group of hivers who want to show hive as a religion and say that being in hive for money is a sin, I totally agree with you, sincerity must be sought, indicating that it takes time and effort, we can Using university study as an example, most enter a university to graduate (obtain a degree) that is the common goal of everyone, and along the way you will most likely experience incredible things and also meet great people, which keeps people in the loop. universities is the possibility of graduating.
Greetings
That's a very interesting analogy and very spot on :-)
I agree that using the rewards argument for getting people on Hive is generally wrong because it is easily proven wrong. And all we can say then is that it takes time and consistency and rewards will come. This might be true, but it's not what most who joined this way expected.
From my offline business, I have learned that you can provide the best service but if people don't get what they expected, they will be disapointed nevertheless. When it comes to finances, new people lack the understanding of the blockchain and they will almost always be disapointed by what they really get. I think this is a big stone in the way of people joining for monetary reasons.
That's right, I would like to say here that money is very important for living, but when one has been working on a platform for so long, one can interact with people in a very good way. and talk with each other daily, talk in comments daily, then this thing becomes most special and love each other a lot, then people will work with this platform for a long time and Will continue to do so.
That's very true!
Yeah.