69 As In "Rep 69" - Honestly... ๐
I'm handing over the keys to the Hiveboy mansion to those of you still 69ing away though, who wants them? ๐คฃ
Anyway, I like having goals to aim for as it keeps me focused and motivated. When I started on Hive/Steem, one goal was to get to the hallowed ground of rep 70!
I checked on my @beeme page this morning after my introduction post seemed to go supernova (thanks to everyone supporting it) and was left mortified ๐
Come on... 0.001... can someone please push it over the edge? (I mean the rep of course, you filthy animals!)
Up stepped a few badasses during the day and I obsessively checked my beeme page to see this beautiful round number:
Does Rep Actually Mean Anything? ๐ค
For most, the reputation system may have lost its meaning because for a couple of years, it was possible to buy upvotes for your posts, which meant you could go from your starting rep of 25 up to 70 and beyond in the blink of an eye! Anyone who knows me knows that I wasn't a fan of them at all!
Thankfully though, a set of improvements came along last year where users could counteract the effects of buying upvotes and we have since seen the demise of this practice, at least on Hive, and I really hope it stays that way going forward.
Seems the bid bots have started up again on Steem - they can keep them, lol!
Earned Rep The Proper Way ๐ช
First 4 Months ๐ถ
From memory, when I first got into the platform at the beginning of March 2018 (thanks to @atomcollector), I was informed to just post my music every day, post the links to various Discord servers and try to interact with others.
I still made the effort to change the content of the blogs for the tracks I shared but sure enough, post payouts (other than my intro post), suddenly plummeted with my 3rd one reaching an incredible $0.02 and the comments also started dropping off - rep was still very much in high 40s, low 50s at this point.
So yeah, a bit of a disappointment and was getting the feeling that this didn't seem to be much better than using Facebook - I left FB because their algorithms are notoriously bad for artist pages. Those who follow you or like your page often don't have your posts show up in their news feed unless you pay for ads! WHAT!
Bluffer's Guide ๐
The 3rd post I mentioned above was the introduction of the Bluffer's Guide to Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency to share my noobish experiences after being burned with getting in at the all time high in Dec 2017 - Feb 2018 (oops)!
I thought it may have been well received over here and although I did get a couple more comments (thanks to those that did), I think the best this series did (until the "Upvotes, Downvotes and Rewards Pool" guide in Oct 2018) was a post that took 10 hours to write, netted me $0.45 and had 3 comments on!
My rep slowly climbed to 52-53 with these but I had fun writing them as it helped my understanding if nothing else!
Changing Tactics - Travel Blogs ๐ก
6 months after joining, I had an idea! I thought I'd change tactics and this proved to be a good decision!
I joined the @travelfeed discord server as I wanted to share some blogs about the 7 day trip I had planned to Cornwall for anyone who'd be interested. This lead to my first @curie upvote and one of my posts went in to trending with a whopping $25 payout and a plethora of comments came flying in!
This incredible surprise felt like a breakthrough as my following went up and really gave me inspiration and motivation - truly grateful, everyone remembers their first curie!
This definitely changed the way I set myself up online and I rebranded as a liquid drum & bass music producer and travel blogger, combining two of my favourite things, along with the occasional Bluffer's Guide to Hive!
Advice To Newcomers ๐ฃ
I would say that the key takeaway to grow your rep and account is to network with various communities.
It doesn't always work out in some and that's fine, as long as both sides are graceful and professional about it. You'll find you gravitate towards the people you're supposed to gravitate to and that makes everything fun - how it should be!
Other tidbits of experience include being consistent, don't spam, interact with others but make your content as best as you can make it and you'll do well here!
Nicky's Rep 70 Stats ๐ค
A little look at the numbers then for you stats freaks (I'm one of them haha):
- Account started = 2nd March 2018
- Age = 28 moons (sounds cool but is ~770 days!)
- Blog Posts = 587 (1 post every 1.3 days average)
- Comments = 10005 (13 comments per day average)
- Author Rewards = 4,944 HP
- Bid Bot votes purchase = 0 (rep still matters ๐)
Other Hive Goals? ๐
My main one now is to become and Orca which is about 50k HP so just another 19k to go but with the Steem that's getting powered down, I'll be looking to make the most of that on the move to Hive. 11 more weeks though... dull!
What are your goals or milestones you want to achieve on Hive? Do you still think the rep system has its merit? Who is still 69ing?! Haha
As always, take it easy and stay safe!
Nicky
Congrats on turning 70, old man.
I''ve been stuck at 67 (goes over to her profile to check) for ages. I should really post a bit more often, lol.
Although rep score doesn't matter that much anymore, it has bothered me for a very long time that people who started later than me, overtook me in the race. It's only recently that I stopped caring. A lot of that has to do with the recent Steem/Hive drama. I guess I kinda lost my... I don't know the right words for it... trust, maybe? Believe in a positive outcome?
I haven't stopped my power down on Hive yet. I think I will when I'm back at 5000 HP, but I'm not 100% sure. If I've learned anything from these last couple of weeks, it's that my investment is not safe.
I do want to get to posting and engaging more often again, though. Just need to find that happy place again.
Haha thanks a lot "young bean" ๐
About posting, yeah I know you've been finding it tough and lots going on offline but when I see that cheeky bitstrip simplymike cartoon profile pic appear on my newsfeed, there's some cool shit about to happen!
I guess with the rep thing, I wanted to prove to myself and others that it is possible to get to 70 and do it honestly through hard work and being around. Sure, there'll be people who get above quicker and sometimes it will be through some great support. I was only racing myself really and found it helped keep motivation going.
I can't deny that's had an impact on the way I go about things as well. It's still kinda raw although the dust is beginning to settle a bit, I'd imagine it will be 6 months before the storm will fully subside. I've been engrossed in the music studio so have been focusing on that seeing as I can control that.
It's your money so do what you feel is right for you. I'm going to powerdown all my Steem, get back whatever I spent on buying that 22k and probably move the rest to Hive as I won't be focusing on Steem... it's a ghost town there now with spam upvoters and no control on those who abuse the reward pool. I still want to be an Orca here so I'll stick around and I really don't think funds are unsafe here on Hive.
I know soft fork 22.2 was initiated to freeze accounts but from what I've heard on the grapevine, the funds were given back to JS? Unless you have 10s of millions of HP somewhere that you mined, I believe your funds are safe on Hive!
We all like a happy Simplymike! Stick around me long enough and maybe some of that blindly optimistic eccentric juju will rub off ๐
Well well well...looky what we have here. The great sir nickyhavey can finally rest on some laurels. No wait, you can't rest because of this addiction you have. Sorry, maybe when you reach Orca.
Hey, the Barroness finally took an axe to my time online so I'm essentially out of the game except some commenting and occasional post.
Oh my God! It's Lord Janton! I was wondering why I could see a silvery haired head rolling down the street the other day, must have been yours from when Baroness wielded her axe!
Haha, there'll be no rest I don't think here even if I do reach Orca, there's always a new goal to achieve and Hive is just getting started, there's a lot to look forward to and get involved with. Hey, the price has literally sky rocketed the last 24 hours, hope that can help with the re-attachment of your head LJ?
Howdy today sir nickyhavey! Well, I plan to stay a little bit involved with Hive so I can increase my time on here down the road..maybe. lol. I will at least stop in occasionally to harass my favorite Brit!
Fingers crossed you do, I need someone to have as much as a baron wasteland of a blog to compare to than my own! As long as you don't follow Trump's instructions to drink detergent then you should be OK! I guess rednecks have their own detergent! Beer and mowercycles!
lol...sir nickyhavey! you're so funny. Your earnings are pretty decent, mine suck for my rep level. I'm lucky to earn more than $2! I thought Trump had some great advice. For you Brits! lol.
I'll be around as much as possible but the Baroness is watching me like a freaking Hawk. lol.
The earnings range a bit, some of my posts do better than others (I.e. The hive oriented ones haha) but am grateful for what I get. Even when I first started and the first cent came in, it was more than anything I got on Facebook or Twitter!
You're right it was great advice for us Brits... To ignore! At least we know he was being "sarcastic" now ๐ so you have a quota of 2 comments and that's it? The Baroness has you on her own lockdown lol!
lol..yeah 2 comments is about all I have time for now! I keep sneaking back and when she's at work I get more time in. lol.
fb and twitter. So you are an admitted social media addict. Now I understand.
Trump. Oh my gosh what a rich treasure trove of material for comics the world over! lol. I just shake my head. He's done so many great things to turn the country back from socialism and helping to restart the economy and other things...all overshadowed by his stupid, arrogant, clumsy, ridiculous, narcissistic lies and rhetoric!
Congrats good sir. Your music is rockin!
Thanks a lot man! Will do my best to keep the tunes coming!
Congrats! Iยดll follow you in the coming days/weeks.
Great, youยดre using one of my fav gifs! ๐
Haha thanks a lot for the follow man! I pass the keys to the Hiveboy mansion to you ๐
That is definitely one of my favourite gifs! I have a couple of other "go to" ones but you'll see those as time goes by, can't reveal all the secrets haha!
Fantastically well done, Nicky!
I agree that Steem improved enormously after HF21 with the demise of bots. It's interesting seeing things settle on Hive. For the first time in about a year, I received a vote from @curie, yesterday.
As usual, some great analysis and good advice tucked in between the blarney!
Thanks a lot Fiona! And all your support as well, hasn't gone unnoticed ๐
Hey congratulations on the curie upvote! Great to see them still going and curating again, we have quite a few curation guilds now on Hive which is such great news!
Glad you enjoyed the tips and analysis, will try and drop a few more tidbits of information but have left a comment on peakd's post saying they can use bits from the Bluffer's Guide if they wanted to help with FAQs etc. I might do an "ask Havey" series where people can ask about Hive related things they aren't sure about...
Gaining a reputation of 70 the right way speaks highly of the user as it shows consistency and effort. Well done.
Thanks a lot mate! Yeah, I have been on a mission these last 2 years and hope to inspire people to do the same, "stay around and you will get noticed"!
Now to carry on and set some new goals ๐
Goals are important as they help keep a person focused and moving forward. I like that you said that.
You're welcome for the congratulations...Rep 70, earned the good old-fashioned way, is a milestone for sure. Keep doing what you're doing and you're right, people will notice you, and you'll push forward. Post with passion and personality and make that the reward, posting and engagement, the money will take care of itself...That's what I tell new people...You've obviously done exactly that.
Good stuff mate.
Yeah you're absolutely right about that. I read a book that I keep going back to called "You Are A Badass" by Jen Sincero where she talks about having an abundance mindset. It all ties in with what you said about being yourself when you post, let your personality shine and have fun, don't even think about the money - with an abundance mindset, it's already there and you can take those thoughts of chasing money off the table (takes time to train the mind this way).
Things got easier for me when I removed the "money" aspect and gained reward from the act of posting (writing) rather than the money. Wealth and earning? Sure, it's important...But it won't happen without good quality posts and that won't happen without enjoyment of what I'm posting...That was my ethos.
Abundance mindset...I like that.
Congrats, Nick! I remember reading your travel posts on Steemit.
Hey @lymepoet! Thanks a lot - it's been a while since I last spoke with you too, how are you doing?
Yeah, last travel post was a couple of months ago now, I need to get back on it again for sure!
Cool it gramps you might just blow out your hip! Youโre no longer the young man you once were
Don't you worry about me, they don't call me "Snake Hips" for nothing...
You have the best gifs๐ and congrats on 70rep, I wanna be like you when I grow up
Haha, thank you so much and glad you like the gifs! They are a wonderful thing, I've had to learn the hard way as I was "out-giffed" in many conversations so had to up my game ๐
Your username is pretty badass as well! I saw you share a post from the @arsenal4life page... are you a gooner too?? ๐
I'm a gooner by association
Hahaha lucky you... I think! We have had season tickets for about 20 years... it's been tough supporting them the last 7 years or so! Hope Mikel can turn things around!
Funny, Nigerians think Mikel is shit but we proud of him repping the country still.
Haha, no way! Why do they think that? He can't be any worse than Emeri... I think the players he inherited are just dead wood and need to be shipped out
Emery had it rough man. I still feel for the guy because despite being shyte at managing Arsenal in our difficult period, he seemed like a pretty nice guy
Wow. You moved really fast! I'm still on the rep of 67 and I guess it will last a lot my 69 hahaha. I'm happy for your achievements and thanks for the precious advice! Even though I'm not a newbie anymore, I do still have lots of things to learn :)
Haha thanks a lot little sister! Yeah really went through 69 fast... not sure what connotations that has but it seemed I was stuck on 68 for a lot longer! ๐
I'm still learning a lot of things myself but I've tried to keep my finger on the pulse on this platform as there's so many ways to get involved with it. Content creating is one of many ways!
Are you sure you want to leave 69 behind forever ๐คฃ๐คฃ
At your rate you should become an Orca in no time, you were on a rocket a few months ago ๐
LOL! Pauline you saucy mistress ๐คฃ I'll forever have 69 on Steem so there's always a "backdoor passage" should I wish to use it... oh dear... ๐คฆโโ
Yeah I was buying up a load of stake before I got a new car which wiped out any spending capacity...a car which I haven't driven because we are having to stay at home with the lockdown ๐คฃ Still, at least I have a cheaper piece of metal depreciating in value sitting outside the house now compared to before!
Once the powerdowns have completed on Steem, I'll start cranking up the heat on my Orca drive! 31k or so now, 19k to go!
Welcome to the club mate ๐
It is a small and select club of rep 70 people who didn't buy their way up in one form or another. What you say about communities and genuine interaction is key! Yoda would say something like "for his age, wise this one is hmnnnn"
Glad you made it ๐๐ช
Yeah! Thanks Rowan! The shiny gates of rep 70 are very welcoming indeed! Haha, where's Hive Yoda? We need some inspirational memes from that one!
Awesome work well done! Im still at rep 67... Although rep doesnt mean as much as it once did, its still a good metric and way of ยดkeeping the scoreยด.
It also makes it harder for someone new to create an account as a phishing type scam where they imitate someone who is trusty as we can just check their rep score!
Thanks mate!
Yeah definitely think it's a useful metric in that way you describe with phishing - there's some really good groups on here who detect plagiarism and phishing accounts. Word spreads quickly so the perpetrators are often brought down before they've had a chance to do too much damage.
I think now with Hive being what it is now, new users won't be able to buy votes with the way the culture has changed too so the rep may well be a bit more "organic" (vote circles aside I guess)...
Lucky us veterans know what to look out for ๐. I feel for new people here tho could be easy to fall for a scam. Although it is much cleaner than when I joined back in 2018!
Yeah true those back when there was vote buying the rep meant less but now it is more organic like you say.
Keep up the good work!
Yeah that's the danger/worry isn't it? Scammers are everywhere and will look for an opportunity to pounce in any environment. The amount of emails and SMS I've had recently with things relating to Coronavirus is sickening. I know there's things like "online safety awareness month" that we have but should be an ongoing campaign.
Hmm, you've given me an idea to perhaps rewrite some of the Bluffer's Guide and remind folks how to stay safe online ๐
Yep as I always say ยดwhere theres money to be made there will be scammersยด.
Yeah I get things about the coronavirus often. Sadly I ignore them all because I know people will be using this as a chance to scam people.
That would be a good idea. I dont think we can remind people enough ho to keep safe online. If you are interested in scams then ยดthe perfect scamยด is a good podcast. Hosted by Frank Abigail the guy who invented alot of these scams
Nothing sad about that! Smart thing to do is to ignore them, anything unsolicited really is to be ignored.
Thanks for the tip about the podcast - funny how the ones who came up with the scams are now turning educators against things they used to create... but then I guess, who better to combat scams than someone who's done it before?!
Woot! Congratulations, I think! ๐
Hahaha thanks Victor! Yeah, depends which way you look at it I guess - some might say it's a hard one to swallow for want of better description...
HAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm so glad that Covid-19 hasn't dried up your ability to pun.
Haha I do miss the pun trains we go on! We'll have to whip them out more (the puns that is...๐)
congrats! wish you became orca sooner than you reached rep 70 :)
Thank you @photovideo! I tried to get to Orca last year but I have a feeling it's going to happen this year for sure and then who knows where to next! As long as we're all here having fun, that's the main thing hey!
Lol.. I thought this is NSFW for a moment๐คฃ
Congratulations on hitting 70!
@tipu curate
Upvoted ๐ (Mana: 12/18)
Hahaha, I was debating whether to use the NSFW tag but once you get passed the headline (and the adult humour connotations) it's not too bad... probably PG, maybe 12A if we're going with the UK cinema rating system ๐คฃ
Thanks a lot mate! Been a lot of blood sweat and tears gone in to that, feel like a new man haha
Wanna relive your moment of getting back to 70? ;P
/acidyo
Haha, what are you suggesting here? Sounds intriguing...
Congratulations Nicky you OG you!!
If you like your goals so much you should see if you can reach level 70 in our new Hive game "Rising Star"! Oh, and you can submit your music to be played on the in game radio!
Haha thanks a lot ACR! Just goes to show that consistency does pay off!
Thanks for sharing Rising Star, I had seen this pop up in my feed on Hive a few times but when/if things settle down, will have a look at it. Things seem to have ramped up during lockdown rather than wound down for me!
Hope everyone at ACR is doing well!
Ah! At last Dr. Nicky, a warm welcome to the genuine Rep 70 club.
Some say that the hard way is always the best way, as the successes are more appreciated. Others prefer the shortcuts, but so be it.
Congrats my friend and we are happy for you!
Blessings and take care!
Thank you very much Mr Legend Himself! Great to be in such hallowed company such as yourself - it has been a struggle for sure but when you get there, it feels SO good to earn your achievement!
Take care of yourself too man, rep 80? Haha
I am now halfway in 72 and 80 is still a way off Doctor Nicky.
Personally I think Dr.Nicky sounds better that "Havvy" lol.
But as many are not English speakers they might not understand the Dr. abbreviation, so it's better to write it out.
Blessings and stay safe!
Haha, I can imagine it taking about 18-24 months to get to 75 and double that to 80 as these levels will get tougher to get through!
Awesome, a new nick(y)name! Thanks man, I'll add that to the ever growing list haha! My brother just simply calls me Doctor ๐
Okay I get the and it shall be Doctor indeed.
6 years to get to 80. I personally have 14 years to get to the age of 80, so almost half of that I will be struggling to get to the 80 Rep Lol
In this light, maybe I must do 5 posts every day lol.
Okay, my maths might be a bit out here, but I was the only one in the maths class in High school that was older than the school principle hahaha
Blessings and take care my friend!