HiveComb

Hi guys, it’s your girl again… (hahahaha) oh, don’t mind me, I’m just goofing around.

So this week’s prompt is quite straightforward but, at the same time, a little tricky for me. Why? Well, it’s simply because my own on-boarding process to Hive was a bit different from the on-boarding experience I had when trying to onboard my protégée.

Image generated using ChatGPT

Now, if I’m going to talk about the challenges I face when on-boarding people to Hive, I think it has to stem from the challenges I personally encountered when I was getting on-boarded. Honestly, it wasn’t a walk in the park.

When my friend @young-tari tried to sign me up on Hive, oh my goodness, it was a whole hassle!
First off, she didn’t want me signing up using the Inleo front end because she was more conversant with PeakD, and that’s what she was comfortable with. So the back and forth began. At first, we thought we had figured it out because I successfully got my passkeys. But guess what? The passkeys refused to work. Like, I couldn’t log in no matter how hard we tried.

It was so frustrating that at some point, I just wanted to give up. We spent about two to three days trying to figure it out. Eventually, she had to escalate the issue by reaching out to a moderator for help. Thankfully, that was what eventually solved the problem, and I was able to get signed up.

Another challenge I noticed was that there was no comprehensive manual or guide that breaks down how Hive works. It’s not like those platforms where you sign up and immediately get a step-by-step tour. Nope! On Hive, it was more of figuring things out on the go. I had to literally keep asking questions from my referrer so that I didn’t end up doing something wrong unintentionally.

Now, moving over to how I think on-boarding can be better-I’ll exclude the sign-up process because honestly, I eventually discovered a way easier method. Using the Inleo front end through Hive Keychain was like a breeze. I tried signing someone up with this method, and trust me, it was a seamless process compared to my own experience.

But beyond sign-up, here’s where I think improvements can come in. Yes, there are pinned posts in communities like Hive Naija, Hive Learners, and Hive Reachout that try to guide newbies. But I strongly believe there should be a compiled tutorial or a well-structured welcome package dedicated to newbies. Something simple but really detailed enough to take away the initial intimidation most people feel when they first land on Hive.

Also, when it comes to joining communities, I think Hive should introduce some sort of algorithm-based recommendation system. For example, after filling in your bio or making your introductory post, the system could suggest communities that align with your interests; just like how TikTok curates your “For You” page. This will actually help newbies settle faster and find where they truly belong without feeling utterly lost.

Well, that’s basically it. I must say that, overall, I had a smooth on-boarding process thanks to the patience and help of my wonderful referrer, @young-tari. Maybe, if we all extended the same help and support to our referrals, Hive would be an even more beautiful and welcoming place.

Posted Using INLEO