Welcome to the 43rd edition of Hive's Community Spotlight! In this edition, we shine the spotlight on a dedicated Hive member, @ph1102. A passionate advocate for Hive and its community, @ph1102 has been involved in multiple projects, including the Liotes initiative and OurPick, while also being an active Hive and Hive-Engine witness. Let's dive into his journey on Hive and the insights he's gathered over the years.

Who is @ph1102?

@ph1102 is an active and longstanding member of the Hive community, having joined in early 2019. With a background in crypto and a passion for helping others navigate the Hive platform, @ph1102 has significantly contributed to Hive's growth. As a Hive-Engine witness and co-founder of the Liotes project, his dedication to enhancing Hive's ecosystem is evident. He’s known for his participation in community events like the Hive Humpday Hangout and his efforts in fostering community engagement and growth.

Summary of the Interview

What motivated you to start your journey on Hive, and how has the platform evolved in your experience over the years?

• I joined HIVE in early 2019 when I was already deep in crypto, mining ETH from mid-2017... I suppose that the main reason was the bear market, and I was searching for someone to share my thoughts about crypto in general... As almost all my "offline" friends weren't interested in it, I had to find someone who was... 🙂 Also, I was interested in making more of crypto, and that's how I bumped up on Splinterlands...
  5 years passed and the platform completely changed... We forked out from the old chain, moved to HIVE, and added so many more things on top of it... IMO, one of the most important things is communities which were a perfect match for retention problems and "visibility" of new posts...

As a Hive and Hive-Engine Witness, could you share what drives your commitment to these roles?

• When the Hive-Engine witness program launched, I was already an "established Hivian", and I wanted to help out with this new sidechain... As I had some experience with server maintenance, it was a no-brainer to launch a H-E witness node... I invested funds into WORKERBEE tokens (governance token for H-E), rented out a good machine, and spun up the node!

You’re involved in multiple projects on Hive, like the Liotes and OurPick. Could you tell us about these initiatives and what impact you hope they make?

Liotes project is an initiative, or as we like to call it 'The Blockchain adventure', run by @achim03 and myself... We have been running it for 3.5 years now, and the general idea behind it was to help out people to integrate into HIVE... As you mentioned, we have other "sub-projects" under the same umbrella, like @Ourpick (curation subproject), Liotes missions (engaging with the community by asking a weekly question), or HivePower challenge (tracking HP of the community members), where we try to motivate people to do better, empower them, and show them that they matter! All this, by showing by example, building the whole project from scratch, using our efforts and work...

How do you balance your responsibilities on Hive with other aspects of life? Any productivity tips for fellow creators?

Huh... I have no balance when HIVE is in question... 🙂 I spend too much time on HIVE, talking about it with others, or brainstorming ideas about it in Discord or the comment section on HIVE... And regarding productivity tips, I use Daily Task Lists... That helps me a lot to finish my HIVE routines that I have and helps with consistency...

What do you enjoy most in your hive experience?

Definitely, people! The community is awesome and after participating in many Hive meetups in "real life", I'm hooked on that... I like to hang out with Hivians and discuss our blockchain, how can we do better, and how to help ourselves and the chain!

How do you approach the topic of growth on Hive—whether for individuals, communities, or the platform as a whole?

Hive growth and growing on HIVE is one of my favorite topics! We are blessed to have this blockchain setup in a way that the person can grow the best, and the fastest when it grows together with other Hivians! That is so awesome at so many levels as it is so much fun, and it fulfills everyone... When you help others to grow, you automatically grow too!! Sharing is caring saying perfectly fits to HIVE!
And in the end, when we grow, the platform grows with us!

The Hive community is diverse. What qualities do you think make the community unique and welcoming?

Hive community is diverse and that's our most important quality! Sometimes it looks like Hivians are always discussing and debating, but that's great to see! That's our main weapon! Dialogue and discussion... We have a platform where we can say what we want and "clash opinions" with others... Diversification is also great as different people have different abilities... Some are great in onboarding people, others are great in retaining them, some are great leaders, etc. A good, diversified community makes a healthier ecosystem... We have developers, programmers, photographers, digital nomads, poets, artists, musicians, etc... All of them have their qualities! That's the chain's main quality!

You host the Hive Humpday Hangout regularly. What inspired this series, and what do you aim to achieve through it?

Similar to already said, launching the #HHHLive show was my way to give back something to the community... With my experience in crypto and a lot of hours and hours spent on HIVE, I thought that I had something to say and help newbies (and not just them) to better understand HIVE... Also, as I'm addicted to Hive meetups, creating a weekly, virtual meetup was the medicine for my addiction... 🙂 The main concept of the #HHHLive show is that everyone is welcome to share their opinions and views on the show's topic(s)... That's why I don't like to call people who attend these shows an audience, but rather participants, as everyone actively participates in the show!

As someone with a focus on financial aspects, what’s your advice to newcomers on Hive regarding investment and earning responsibly?

I don't like to give financial advice at all as every decision that we make is personal, and should be done after doing research... Not listening to 1 person, 1 YouTuber, or an influencer, but gathering data from different sides... But, I would give just one advice that helped me a lot... Avoid FOMO and FUD and you will do much better than chasing every new shining thing that appears... Seek for value to get value...

What’s a piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you first joined Hive?

HIVE is investing in yourself... Hive isn't like other cryptos where you try to buy low and sell high... Hive is a social media network with a vibrant community, where engagement is more valuable than any tokens... Where people do matter... Yes, you can trade HIVE like other tokens, that's true... But adding value to the chain by writing good posts, helping, inspiring and engaging with others, is the best way to "earn" on HIVE... Focus on people, be yourself, don't cheat, don't try to make shortcuts, and you will make it!
And ask questions!!!

A big thank you to @ph1102 for taking the time to share your journey, insights, and advice with us! Your commitment to Hive and the wider community is truly inspiring. Your contributions, from running Hive-Engine witness nodes to empowering people through your projects, have made a significant impact. We appreciate your dedication to fostering growth and encouraging collaboration across the Hive ecosystem.

Project/Community Highlights

@ph1102 has significantly contributed to the Hive ecosystem through various projects and community-driven initiatives. Below are the key highlights from the interview:

** The Liotes Project**

• Overview:
  The Liotes project, co-founded by @ph1102 and @achim03, is described as a "blockchain adventure" aimed at helping people integrate seamlessly into Hive.
• Sub-Projects:
  • OurPick: A curation project that highlights exceptional content on Hive.
  • Liotes Missions: Weekly community engagement through questions that foster participation and interaction.
  • HivePower Challenge: Tracking and motivating community members to grow their Hive Power.
• Impact:
  Liotes empowers individuals, inspires consistent growth, and builds a strong sense of belonging within the Hive community.

Hive Humpday Hangout (HHH)

• Purpose:
  This weekly live show acts as a virtual Hive meetup, offering participants the opportunity to share their opinions and engage in meaningful conversations about the blockchain.
• Goal:
  To educate and support Hive users—especially newcomers—while fostering a sense of community in a relaxed, open environment.
• Unique Approach:
  Participants are not just an audience; everyone is encouraged to actively contribute to the discussions.

Hive-Engine Witness

• Role:
  As a Hive-Engine witness, @ph1102 supports the Hive-Engine sidechain by maintaining a witness node.
• Motivation:
  His goal is to ensure the stability and efficiency of Hive-Engine, an essential layer for projects and token management on Hive.
• Commitment:
  Investing in WORKERBEE tokens and renting a high-quality server demonstrates his dedication to strengthening Hive’s technical foundation.

Through these projects and initiatives, @ph1102 exemplifies what it means to be an engaged and impactful member of the Hive community, always striving to make the platform a better place for everyone.

Conclusion

In conclusion, @ph1102’s story highlights the power of community and the importance of engagement on Hive. His experiences and advice provide valuable lessons for both newcomers and long-standing Hivians alike. From his early days on Hive to his current involvement in multiple projects, @ph1102’s journey is a testament to the strength of Hive’s diverse and supportive community. We look forward to seeing more of his contributions and wish him continued success!

Special thanks to:

@thekittygirl
@wesphilbin
@snook

For their valuable support. See you all in the next edition 🤗

View Previous interviews here 👇