The Onboarding Saga.

Onboarding new people to Hive takes more than just getting them excited about a Web3 blockchain platform. Yes, Hive is this amazing space where you can share real content, connect with people all over the world, and even earn rewards, but that’s just the surface. Signing them up and getting them an account? That’s the easy part. Thankfully, there are several ways to do that now, easy peasy. But that’s not where the dilemma of an onboarder begins.

You know, it’s easier for someone to just create an account on Web2 without needing help. All the person has to do is show up, explore, observe how things work, and they’re good to go. But with Hive, the real drama starts after someone creates a fresh account. That’s when the questions begin: “So how do I start earning?” “How much am I looking to make this week?". Personally, I prefer when someone asks, “How do I start learning?” Because as much as Hive is this exciting place to be, there's a lot to learn. Even as onboarders, there are still things we don’t fully know, but because we show up regularly, we have the bare minimum knowledge to pass across. That’s one thing newbies don’t understand at first. When you tell them, *"You shouldn't do this,”" or “This is how it works here,” they get exasperated like, “Why are there so many rules?” Next thing you hear is, “Nah, I don’t think I can do this,” and off they go.

Now wait till you get the impatient ones. It’s hard to explain to them that rewards don’t come immediately. A lot of them come in with the mindset of making cool money, and when they don’t see the kind of returns they expected, it becomes disappointing. I think every onboarder can relate. Then you have the adventurous ones who decide to take matters into their own hands. Before you know it, they’ve landed in places you would never advise. They start breaking rules, getting muted or even blacklisted. And in the end, the work of onboarding triples, because guess what? You’re the one who brought them here in the first place. So for an onboarder, it’s a constant struggle to keep people from falling into those situations. And bless your soul if you get someone who even struggles understands how to use their phone properly.

But I’ll say this, lately, I’ve found it easier and more exciting to onboard people who already have specific talents or skills that match fitting communities. That way, the workload reduces. They don’t spend too much time wandering around, looking for where they belong. For example, I’ve been onboarding people into the SpendHBD community. From their onboarding system to what’s expected of members, just make purchases and earn rewards, it’s been so easy. Over time, these onboardees start asking things like, “I see people doing this and that in my Ecency feed, how can I join?” And just like that, every piece starts falling into place.

Another thing that helps is showing them the little things they can do, leaving comments, engaging on posts, participating in Ecency waves. Small tasks that don’t require too much pressure but slowly build confidence. At the end of the day, learning will happen. It’s one thing to let someone in, but keeping them in is where the work really is. They’ll eventually get the hang of it. As onboarders, we just have to keep showing up and giving the best we can, no matter how many times we have to repeat ourselves.