My First Post On Ecency (Review)

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(Edited)

It took me over six months to figure out how to use hivesigner on different devices (I am a busy guy, and yet, a persistent procrastinator), but I think I actually figured out how to log in using my tablet so I can finally try out Ecency. Although I have been using Hive on Peakd for years, now I am making my first post on Ecency.

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Favorite Ecency Features

There are some things I really like about Ecency. Using the app it will let me add photos to a post directly from the device I am using to take photos with. I can update my post beneficiaries, and reward payout options. It looks like I can even swap between other hive accounts very quickly with a couple taps.

The display view on the feed screen is very streamlined. I like how easy it is to view posts with or without the cover images. Advanced options are shared next to posts, allowing additional choices to copy, share, bookmark, promote, and more.

The points system on Ecency is interesting, and sort of fun to track. At the moment, I do not really care about collecting points. Perhaps I will notice more when it starts showing a growing cash value.

Lastly I really like the notifications panel. It shows information about the activities of my followers that I do not normally notice easily on other platforms. Ecency does all the detective work. It lets me know if someone I watch has made a post, a comment, or other action. Any recent activity is marked until I mark it as read. A bit stalkerish, but hey, if it's public information on the internet, it's all fair play. Though I am not sure I want to develop a habit of marking off my peeping in on my followers' every action.

When editing posts, the save and preview buttons are super easy to use on a touch screen tablet. With a quick motion I can save my work, or preview my edits, and there is almost no wait time. The green save icon is a handy visual to show me if I need to save or not.

Least Favorite Ecency Features

A few things seem a bit more challenging for me using the Ecency app than I prefer.

The first thing I did once I started editing this post was attempt to add photos. When I add photos in from my Google Photos or Downloads, they do not appear within the post content area. It causes the right corner to become a spinning wait-circle, and the content area is not accessible for me to edit the text while I wait. The only area in the screen I can effectively interact with is the back arrow, which cancels the image upload. I think they should add a progress bar or an error notification if it is not able to load in my selected image within 30 seconds. Otherwise I cannot problem solve to find my own solution.

Something I cannot find in Ecency is saved templates or snippets. I use these frequently on Peakd, and find them very handy. Saved templates ensure my standard banners always appear at the bottom of a post, and my favorite beneficiaries are always included so I don't forget. Being able to save my basic post design and post settings for future posts would be a super time saver.

On a touch tablet, I am also discovering some limitations on how I can interact with the app. There is no option to rotate the display for horizontal display use, which is a shame. The text is also a bit small to read (about 2-3mm), and I cannot use stretch or zoom gestures to increase the standard view size. At least the text is bigger when I hit the preview button. The editor is a bit tinier than I prefer for touch controls and reading.

When publishing my completed post, I got a weird error. Something about a type error not able to read the "salt" of null. I tried deleting a tag, and switching nodes again, and that did not work.

Conclusion

It is a shame I cannot add photos to my post. I tried several times. Changing the node in the settings did not help. Posting without photos completely prevents me from sharing the type of content that intially attracted followers to me.

It is also a bit of a deal breaker if I can't find an easier way to save a post template within the app.

However, the Ecency app is amazing for browsing and upvoting favorite posts. It is very good at presenting an ideal display view on my tablet. I can also quickly set posts to bookmarks and favorites, and find them easily. The posts I want to bookmark on my tablet (videos, journals, literature, how-to learning) will probably be different than the ones I would bookmark when using my desktop (help articles, links, reviews).

Until I can figure out how to post images through the app, I probably won't be making any more posts here on Ecency, which is unfortunate, because I really enjoy everything else about this well-designed app.

Next step it to test out if the website experience of using Ecency is better than the app on my tablet.

Epilogue

Okay, so I switched to the web version of Ecency, and it has most of the limiting factors of the app covered. In the end, my post never published using the app. It always caused an error. So I came here and posted using Ecency.com, on my desktop. I can't help but feel at least slightly let down by the app.

The web version of Ecency has got saved snippets, saved gallery images, and a fast image uploader that works. The web version has a preview screen on the right side that is perfect for desktop use. Can't save post templates or advanced post settings, but still everything else is working as intended. It was incredible to discover my saved draft from the app that I wrote, well it also appears it was saved here on the web version as well. Super helpful!

Let me take a moment and thank the developers for all the hard work that went into making Ecency. It has truly helped the blockchain grow, making it a popular accessible choice to more and more people every day. I hope it continues to develop into something better. For a free interface, I know it must be hard for the developers to feel like they are receiving fair compensation for their efforts, so I want to pay them a special thanks. They are truly deserving of our respect.

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3 comments
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Greetings @creativetruth ,
that's a big limitation as an article without photos tends to generate little interest for readers, excellent article.

Yours, Piotr

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Most definitely. I wondered if other people were experiencing the same difficulty as me, as the Ecency app has been in use for by many for a while now. I am using it on newer model android tablet.

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Hi @creativetruth

I appreciate such a quick reply :)

ps.
I would like to take this opportunity and invite you to my recent post (celebrating my 3rd anniversary on hive chain with some special initiative). I would appreciate if you could consider reposting it - so I could reach out wider audience.

Stay safe and have a great weekend,
Yours, Piotr

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