For a long time, I intended to write a post about how I curate. Somehow, I never started such a post since my 'algo' isn't straightforward. Then I left a large comment to a HIVE member in which I mentioned I may write a post. His response was, in my own words: "Please do so!" (source).
And finally! I made it! I am going to try to tell all of you who like to know, the algorithms I use for curation. What I find important in content and for HIVE. What I like to see. What I look for when I intend to give a vote.
Those of you who don't like to spend minutes of your time reading the entire write-up, you may skip to the 'Endnote' section, in which I give a summary.
A Little History
Focus on curation started out back in 2017 when I was approached with the question if I wanted to curate the music side of the predecessor to HIVE. Although I stuck to the music side of things for a long, long time, by now I curate posts in any segment. Still, I visit the music side of things almost daily, looking for textual posts.
Curie - back in time, one of the biggest curator services - just launched community curation. For some reason, they thought I could be someone helping out. So I did. Initially, with a few team members, but as time progressed, I found myself being the entire team. Perhaps not so democratic, but honestly, the time spent finding posts, deciding what to vote for and casting the votes is a faster job on my own then with a team. Not that I am left all by myself; the Curie team is still watching over my shoulders, as far as I know. But even when they wouldn't, I try my best to reward those users and posts that deserve the vote.
Valuable Content: Not Straightforward
In principle, I am somewhat idealistic and like to reward those posts and comments that add value to HIVE. However, it is mighty difficult to define what is valuable and what is not. I give an example:
When a user with a large following and an interactive userbase on other social media (regardless of which social media this is), starts posting on HIVE, this in itself can give a (large) boost to HIVE, especially when such a user is going to promote HIVE to their large userbase.
We've seen in the past some of those users being pushed out of HIVE (and its predecessor) because the users weren't 'playing' the engagement game at HIVE. Honestly, I can't disagree too much, since one of my views adding value to HIVE is engagement. As a matter of fact, I don't like users pushing out posts while not engaging with the wider community, including engaging with other users in those users' blog channels.
But then again, I know a few users on HIVE creating and publishing many posts, not engaging on other users' posts, but being quite active in the comment section on their own publications. Although I do like to see such users going to other users' posts also, I still curate some of those users since I believe their content is of high quality and important for the HIVE social network. Posts that set an example for other users in our ecosystem, while also serving as examples for newbies and for individuals not on HIVE yet. Post with personality, with opinions, with depth (more about this later).
For this example, I hope you see how conflicting and - in a way - subjective curation can be. Am not even sure what I'll do when the next user with - let's say - 1M followers on Reddit opens an account at HIVE and starts posting, but not playing the engagement game. On the one hand, I would like such a user to stay on board. On the other hand, I think HIVE will become a post-push network and money extractor when only a few engage.
Blogging is my Conviction for HIVE Social Network
On the blogging side of things, I see HIVE mostly as what I articulated with 'blogging', a social network around text. I like to see our blockchain being used for textual contributions, rather than for image or video contributions. One of the reasons for this: Text is what is preserved by our blockchain, each letter, word and sentence. While images are not part of our chain (we have some kind of centralised image store), and videos also not (we have 3speak network, a network which isn't the HIVE blockchain). I am not saying that I am against images and videos, not at all. However, when someone posts images and videos, I prefer - by far - a textual blog post that involves those images and videos, rather than posts that put the images/photographs and videos in the centre. On the other hand, I know users who spend quality time creating images and videos with value.
Effort, Depth and Personal Touch
People talk about skin in the game. Skin in the game is not only financial, but also the time spent. And even when spending much time within HIVE, this doesn't mean the contributions are valuable, whatever valuable is, something that can be quite subjective.
That being said, I do like to see people spending time in what they create and publish. Add value by not just copy-paste whatever information we can find elsewhere, but add a personal touch: Ideas, Thoughts, Opinions and whatnot. Not acting like some journalist, a content refactorer, a summariser; I don't believe in such type of content for HIVE.
The personal touch is what I think is needed for HIVE. To create something more unique in the world of long-form social networks. And here is another element I believe in for HIVE, long-form content. Long-form content allows depth in whatever we share, and that is, in fact, what I think HIVE needs to stand out in the crowd: Depth.
The world is becoming way too black/white. Nothing is just right or wrong. Everything has good and bad sides. In fact, in my worldview, everything is in the grey zone, everything is nuanced. To articulate the nuance, we need long-form content. With short-form posts, such nuance cannot be addressed and brought across. We truly need long-form for such.
Curation Parameters: a Summary
Let's get down to what I look for when curating posts, in short.
Engagement
I look at the post/comment ratio plus the type of comments ('thank you' comments don't count).
Content Topic and Opinions
This doesn't matter to me; I curate almost any topic.
Post Write-ups
I look for personality and like to see users' own thoughts, opinions, ideas - I like to see text, write-ups.
Styling
I like to see effort.
Blog channel
I like to see variation in posts (but this isn't an important one for me for curating). However, posts should be unique, ie not much of the post being a copy with some extra added to each new one.
HIVE Power
Someone who is rock bottom all the time, I skip, mostly (this also depends on the region of the world the user is from).
Post Value (current)
Plays a role, but I do vote for posts with a higher dollar value when post/user deserves a vote.
Past Post Value in Blog channel
When constantly high, I tend not to vote, but it depends. Great posts still get my vote. Added to that, I may vote for users I know doing (good) things behind the scenes, outside their blog/comments. For these, I may lower my expectations for their posts. Doesn't happen too often, but it happens.
Nothing is Strict
Having said all that, I do not always follow all the above. It depends. It can happen I like a post, but it is of 'low' quality, whatever 'quality' may mean. I may vote for high rep and low HP, or a low amount of comments. Honestly, I may relax my view on all parameters I mentioned above, which can depend on my mood of the day. I mean, when I feel very forgiving, I may simply vote for interesting content regardless of any of the parameters I mentioned. The thing is, when I am strict, it is mighty difficult to find enough authors to not fall into the trap of voting for the same users, constantly. Therefore, I aim to be forgiven most of the time. Truthfully, I can have many not-so-forgiven days in a row. And suddenly, I can have a period of forgiven days. Confusing! Isn't it? THE reason I was hesitating to write this post. In the end, my curation behaviour may show a different reality.
Endnote
My conviction is that HIVE's niche revolves around long-form content written with a personal touch and depth.
