The Challenges of Onboarding New Users to Hive (And How to Fix Them)

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"Hive is not an easy peasy thing. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme. You have a lot to do as a newbie. You need to set time to explore. I can't teach you everything because I haven't understood many things, too. But don't give up."

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This has always been my advice to whoever I would be onboarding on Hive because I need to prepare them for what they'd encounter on their new journey, especially on a Web 3 platform.

Hive is complex, and even being on this platform for over 4 years now, I'm still learning things and I will continue to do so because one thing I love about Hive is that new updates are rolling in every time, making us learn new things day by day.

If there's one thing I used to emphasise to new users whom I am bringing onboard, it's the importance of storing their keys.

I can't remember how I reacted at first when I first joined the very first platform (Steemit) when my sister introduced these keys to me in year 2016. I am someone who learn faster and adapts easily through self-exploration, and I don't like asking questions at first. I try on my own, and if I still don't get it, I would then reach out.

I understood the usage of each key vividly, and it wasn't that complex to me. So, seeing keys when I joined Hive, I quickly knew they must be kept safe. This is something I always tell them - to keep those keys safe, making them understand that once they are lost, their account is gone.

I have faced lots of challenges bringing people on Hive, one of which is the account creation. I wouldn't lie, it's so difficult trying to sign up on Hive using different methods.

Some time ago, someone tried their best to sign up on Hive. I introduced inleo.io but she couldn't. We moved on to using Ecency, but still, no success. She almost gave up trying until she had to try paying $3 to buy an account and it went successfully.

That was one of the challenges I faced bringing people onboard and it's kind of frustrating having tried many ways and no success.

Another challenge is the issue of explaining how it works. Don't get me wrong here. All I'm saying is that explaining Hive Blockchain to someone who doesn't understand anything about crypto and Web 3 can be overwhelming and annoying, especially when the user keeps coming to ask for little details they could at least try to explore first.

How would a user ask me how to copy and paste a key or to log in, even after showing a screenshot guiding them on how to? It's so frustrating but you know, I just have to be patient till we are done and I'm off while I only watch from a distance observing their activities.

Explaining this platform to such a person isn't an easy thing and this is one of the reasons I tried to stop onboarding new users except they already have an idea on how to operate their phones or laptop and not coming every time asking how they should edit a drafted post or copy their URL 😤

Now, onto the most challenging part of it all. The problem with people who want quick money. They don't want to be patient but to sign up now and start earning the next minute.

Let me be sincere with you right now. When I am onboarding someone on Hive, I would explain a little and then include that, "you won't earn for the first few months and that's when you should focus on improving and learning how everything works."

In this way, I try to observe if they are the kind of person who wants to be here for the long term or those who feel they should post, earn and withdraw simultaneously without having anything to do with the growth of the platform.

This also makes me stop explaining Hive to such people because I would like to know your "why" and intention of joining Hive in the first place and not that you are part of those ones who wants to make quick money overnight which is why I tend to say that if you are looking for a get rich quick scheme platform, Hive isn't one of them, I'm sorry to say.

That was how I onboarded my university's course representative to Hive two years ago. She reluctantly wrote 2 posts and the following week, she came asking how to withdraw.

I told her it doesn't work that way because she hasn't been writing consistently and besides, she would have to wait till the next 3 months to withdraw - I intentionally said this so she would be patient and not see Hive as an opportunity to milk it off.

I thought that would keep her on the platform but unsurprisingly, she came after three months wanting to withdraw. I couldn't stop laughing because this was someone who left Hive and only returned intending to get money from the two posts that barely made $2 😂

These kind of people make it more challenging for me to continue talking about Hive unless I see they are willing and ready to start writing and exploring without the aim of milking the system.

Of course, everyone is here for the money except for the few who are only here just to have fun because they already have enough income that they are surviving on. It still calls for us to do our best, learn as we move on, make connections and improve.

So, how can it be better?

I believe a lot has been going on here to make things better and easier for everyone. Tools like the user-friendly mobile app make the experience easier to navigate, tutorials breaking down each segment to explain how Hive works, plus 'Frequently Asked Questions' (FAQ) are available.

There are mentors like us who can guide new users on how to navigate Hive. The newbie initiative program was a great one that helps newbies explore Hive and know everything they need to understand the platform and their journeys.

Lastly, newbies should be encouraged through giving nice upvotes and comments to keep them on their toes and not make the whole thing look tougher for them.

Times I have had people I onboarded coming to my DM complaining of not having upvotes on their posts and looking for ways to earn more. Though I understand them because when there are no incentives like this to encourage new authors, they feel discouraged, thinking what they are writing or doing isn't worth it. They feel their efforts aren't appreciated enough, and this is something to check on to make things better.

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