The Art (?) of commenting on HIVE
Let me first start with telling that this post isn't a rant or a complaint, actually. Probably a talk or venting out some of my thoughts and observations and making them public.
In a couple of months, hopefully I and my friends survive by then, I'll be celebrating my fourth year on HIVE. This may seem like a long ride, it definitely has been bumpy and challenging at times and I learnt a lot from my own mistakes, yet I feel like a child or sometimes even like a baby, and I admit I don't understand so many things here on the blockchain platform yet.
Is that because I am (mostly) an introverted type of person? I haven't tested my emotional intelligence and I don't have a strong desire to do that as I am sure I won't score big on such a test, LOL.
I think you'll all agree, we are very complex creatures, the people.
Hey, am I allowed to be irritated and annoyed by stuff that doesn't bother others? Hell, yes, I am! :)
So I am touching two personal perspectives on commenting today:
- replying in different languages
- the content/essence of the replies
I took that photo of a bunch of friends of mine searching for the best spot to photograph landscapes from a high location over the monasteries of Meteora in Greece.
1. Replying in different languages
English isn't my mother's tongue. It is even not the second language I started to learn. It's the third one, actually :) Still, I prefer to write all my posts in English from the start. Why is it important to me? Here are few of my reasons:
- English is the "native" language of this block-chain based social network, spoken by its creators. As HIVE is a daily part of my life, that is my way to pay my respect to the people who created it and now maintain/support HIVE by keeping their big stakes in, despite the tempting prices lately.
- English is currently the business language of the modern world
- Even for those who don't speak it, and use online translators to convert the content to their native languages, I believe translating from English gives the best and the most correct results
- Writing in English expands my reach.
- Writing in English, for me, as a non-native speaker, pushes me outside my zone of comfort and thus is a powerful learning method, as I learn new things every day. Probably a good brain exercise too, who knows? ;)
So, based on those bullet points above, few months ago I've decided to stop responding to comments that are different from the language of my corresponding article/post.
Is that rude and unmannerly? Well, it may be, but if a person is savvy enough to register here, have a crypto wallet, use exchanges, understand what the rules and good practices of the platform are, then I think that person is savvy enough to use a translator and pay respect to my efforts. Otherwise, all I see is laziness. Lack of respect too. Why should I bother responding then?
Photo I took at the lobby bar of a hotel in Copenhagen while I was waiting for my flight to Tromsø in Norway to chase Aurora Borealis ;)
2. The content/essence of the replies
I guess someone could publish a whole new book on that topic.
The lack of capital letters and punctuation marks speaks loudly, isn't it?
"It's human to err", but in our modern world, where practically all the text input fields are equipped with syntax and some with grammar auto-correct, what does leaving several typos in the text speak of?
One more thing I "adore" is when someone asks me a question that clearly shows that person hasn't read the text. I've seen that tens of times. Especially on my travel stories where I occasionally get questions like "Where is this?"
Or another type of comments, that sometimes makes me laugh: "Amazing photo!" or "Great photo". Hey, wait, I have published like a dozen photos in my story, which one do you mean? So it became obvious within a second that person is commenting only to get my attention.
Now call me an old mad, but I don't like too many emoticons under my posts. I wouldn't give my 100% upvote on such person posts either. Why? Using too many emoticons is a bit childish, isn't it? And would you give your own child more money than what they really need? I wouldn't.
One user recently commented asking my for my WhatsApp number so they get some info. Dude, WhatsApp numbers are the phone numbers. Unless I am advertising a business, do you think I would share any personal info? Oh, wait, let me add my credit card and social security numbers and publish them all along! That's not the way to contact me, especially given I always share my Discord user ID and web site too, plenty of ways to contact me directly.
Now let me quickly compile a table with some HIVE to common English translation. Do hate me now, LMAO! :P
| HIVE English | Common English |
|---|---|
| amazing | I want your attention, time and money! |
| amazing photos | I want your attention, time and money! |
| nice | I want your attention, time and money! |
| nice post | I want your attention, time and money! |
| sir nice post | I want your attention, time and money! |
| thanks for sharing | I want your attention, time and money! |
| wow | I want your attention, time and money! |
| good read | I want your attention, time and money! |
| check my blog | I want your attention, time and money! Great, a honest person, finally!!! |
I am pretty sure you could add a few rows to that table as well, right?
I feel I vented it all out for today... I know, I know, we all come from different cultures, nations, races, education, classes, families, faith, etc. We are all very different. However, I strongly believe we have to learn and get better every day. That is what really matters after all. If we don't learn and develop on a daily basis, we'll sooner or later be thrown down from the train. Or down the drain.
Thank you for your time and support, please check out below few other ways to encourage me in my difficult visual art endeavor and stay in touch!
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My twitter: https://twitter.com/hadjiyvanov
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Have a great day, stay safe, stay strong and let your muse be always on your shoulder!
@pixresteemer(4/10) gave you LUV.
I so get it what you write @lightcaptured. As you, I try my best to write all my posts in “good” English, also my comments. I know I do make mistakes as English is only my 4th language I learned. I started learning it in 2011.
It’s just… The world around us is changing to communicating in English for everything. I want to be a part of that.
It’s not only here… it is in every social platform that you see the things you mention in nr. 1
Nr. 2… I’m just a newbie, so don’t get those. (Yet)
I must say though… I do love emoji’s 😉
Oh, if you've started learning it in 2011, you're a fast learner, I have to say! Kudos!
My first "touch" with business English was in 1998, when I joined a UK based IT company and for the next 16 years I was employed by UK & USA based companies. They all had offices in Europe, Americas, Asia & Pacific and the only common language was English. Probably one day that would change, I don't know. Spanish & Chinese seems competitive ;) I hope I live enough to find out :)
I like emojis, I definitely don't hate them, but a comment with two words and a dozen emojis just isn't my thing :P
Thank you 😊 I do my best.
You have been fully immersed into it through work. Fasted way to learn.
Once when I was in school in the Netherlands, long ago, I could choose 1 other language besides Dutch. As I lived before the Netherlands in Germany and France. My first spoken language was German where I went to Kindergarten. So in the Netherlands in school I could choose between English and German. I choose German as I was fluent in it already… maybe because it was an “easy way out” back then. Now looking back I should have chosen English…lol
Nowadays children in the Netherlands do get Dutch and English and can choose between French and German. In my time this was not the case. (Not that I am that old now 😉)
At the moment I’m even dreaming in English. My partner (of 5 years) is English what helped in me learning it even faster. Even though I live in Spain now, where I met him, and I am learning Spanish for the last 6 years. (All without lessons)
Oh, quite an interesting story you have there!
By the way, when I traveled in Belgium and Spain, I heard there are many moving or better say relocating there from the Netherlands.
I personally would love to live in Andalusia one day :) I stated learning Spanish some time ago too but the covid situation has demotivated me in the last couple of years.
I've also had few dreams in English and French :P
Yes, Spain was always attractive for Northern Europe expats.
Andalusia is wonderful, although it is getting hotter here lately. We might move away one day…
I totally agree with everything you said here. I'm most annoyed by comments that are not related to the post, I ignore those in languages other than English, but I haven't received many of those.
One thing I love about HIVE is that the community here doesn't tolerate spam comments.
I haven't seen comments like "follow me to follow you", "like me to like you", etc. for quite some time ;)
That's a very good sign, IMHO.
Scam comments also get muted pretty quick, I love that too.
Yes, indeed, now I realize that I haven't seen it either.
I appreciate this post as a new Hiver and blogger. It's really hard to start with comments because there isn't a lot of rules on the proper etiquette in commenting. I am embarrassed that several of your listed comments that are most annoying are comments that I have been making. I think Hive is really about true engagement, and there is a learning curve for new bloggers. Please be patient with us!
Thank you for your honest feedback :)
We all do mistakes and learn, eventually. I've done several of those here too, especially in the beginning of my social block-chain path :)
There are no carved rules nor etiquette here, as HIVE is a great example of dPoS platform, where the guidelines are set by those having the biggest stakes.
So we have to adapt quickly as what we do today may not be welcomed tomorrow.
Generally, to be authentic, honest and to post original content only, pays eventually, after some time.
Welcome and good luck on HIVE!
I completely agree with your opinion on this. And I can say from personal experience (despite my short time here) that such short and repetitive comments are written by those who haven't even read the post above. Hand on heart, I admit I've done it, but I realize how ugly it is and will do my best to improve. I wish everyone on this network would read and think about your post.
Compliments on having the courage to pour out what bothers you:)
Thanks, buddy, glad to see you're understanding it this way! HIVE on! :)
HIVE on & power UP :)
nice post sir !!!
LOL, 😁 now seriously...I really had fun reading your post today. Mostly because it also expresses my own attitude towards the things I see and experience on Hive.
For me, English is not even the second, but the third foreign language I have started learning in my life, but out of respect for the blockchain, I use here only this language.
Well, call me a child, but I do like emoticons and I often use them, but I hope I don't overdo it, and I've already witnessed comment farming based on emoticons only.
I don't understand people commenting with a single word either - amazing or nice, amazing pictures or nice post. These are some of my favorite comments, in fact, and they can be found mostly under the posts of big accounts. I often see them under your posts too and can you believe me, that I feel bad even then - when they are under someone else's posts.
Regards
You should've posted "nice post sir" only!
LMAO, that would be the best comment to this post indeed!
Now seriously, I enjoyed your sense of humor a lot! Moreover, I fully agree with your point of view.
I don't mind posting in other languages too, for instance if I target a French community, I will post in French, and so on. Then I would expect comments & feedback in French and not English ;)
Well, then please excuse me, I'm not a pro in this field, so I need to improve in writing "valuable" comments. 😅
I now have a better understanding of your point of view on the use of different languages. But still, for now at least I prefer to write only in English. And as I see it, you do that too.
Well, we're still living in the tldr age, aren't we? To me it's enough if I know my content touched anybody and made them think about it for a while. The invisible traces left behind (by all too visible sources that are easily out of circulation and out of others' minds).
We are, unfortunately! I don't think this is going anywhere better as once we enter the "meta" world, reading will be forgotten and abandoned by certain huge groups of people.
By the way, I usually don't comment under your posts but I regularly enjoy them. I can't say I always understand them though :)))
Well, so many of them are written in a half-asleep state that I wouldn't understand those either. Think of them as impressionism but of the personal kind.
!BEER
to everything. I love reading books, still. That's what I usually pick for presents and what I buy myself when I do spend on extra stuff. That or sporting tools/utilities. With the wish that some day I find the time to use it all.
As to paying attention...I'll never forget that it was me paying attention to a small part of your lecture about three and a half years ago that brought me here in the first place. That's influence enough for a lifetime.
Ah, I see, so that is the secret of the good writing! :)
Your story with HIVE is quite interesting, by the way what happened to the card game you've been planning to release?
I think HIVE opened my eyes with regards to so many things. With small exceptions, I abandoned the mainstream centralized social networks. I still chat with some of my friends there, and occasionally use Twitter to shill my NFTs and share the posts from HIVE :D
Same, pretty much.
I believe an update on the matter is long due. We're more than halfway through with the art for the initially planned edition. But the game rules and mechanics are still stuck in what I call Revision X (or was it IX) which is an old thing now. No time to shift focus right now.
And with this Ragnarok project being about Norsemen as well, I think it might be a good idea to shill some of my wife's portfolio of illustrations, right? Some editing first, perhaps...
View or trade
BEER.Hey @lightcaptured, here is a little bit of
BEERfrom @manoldonchev for you. Enjoy it!Do you want to win SOME BEER together with your friends and draw the
BEERKING.They took the time to bother with you and your content. If you place yourself higher, then that's on you. If you think they haven't really consumed your content because the comment is irrelevant or not reply worth, that's fine too.
Answering your second point, I believe in approaching the situation case to case and could get behind the idea of straight up ignoring such questions that spell out they haven't read your stuff. It happens especially on a place where social networking gives a literal and apparent effect on social rewards.
I admit not connecting to authors that post in a language that doesn't use English. I know I'm missing out on some good content creators out there but given the limited time I spend online, I'd rather just go to check on posts that I can easily read. I understand the frustration but this is quite common even on mainstream platforms. Some content consumers are just not paying attention to content you expect them to be. I think it's still fair game to ignore the ones that don't put effort into the comments. No hard feelings if you ignored this comment too.
Thank you for your feedback, I am definitely not going to ignore it!
Putting this out of its context makes it a bit uglier, won't you agree? Here is the context:
Sometimes I use translation services to read articles from authors who I already know. Someone who posts only in a specific language I don't speak... will definitely miss my attention. That's normal, I am not their target group obviously.
As another hiver commented, we live in tldr times.
Thanks for stopping by!
Also, as I forgot to mention it, if you check out my posts, you will see that 99% of the times I reply to the comments ;) Even to those from my translation table :P
I don't have the patience to reply to those mentioned on the tables. But you're doing alright if you have been doing that for a long time. I browse some posts to communities I am in, saw your post and checked. Thanks for your time. :)
I totally get that. Thanks for your time too! :)
Must...resist...the...urge...to...😀😁😇🤪😜🤑💥...failed...
I can't say I understand commenting in a different language on a post, unless they know the writer and use their common native language. I see that among some of the Filipinos and Spanish speakers. If I took the time to translate and read a post in a different language I'd write my response in my language then translate it to the post language for the comment.
LOLOLOLOL. I didn't see that coming! :)))))))
I'd do that too if I don't speak the language.
Once I did this experiment: on another post I received a comment in another language. I translated it and in terms responded in my mother's tongue :D Didn't work well, LMAO, I guess, as I received only emojis back :D
I've done that with Spanish comments on English posts before. I don't usually get a response...🤔
Outside the target group, obviously.
Have a great weekend! :)
Yay! 🤗
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