The News

This may well be the last #FollowFriday of the year as I am likely to be busy over the festive season. I think I have done 43 of these this year. There will be weeks when I just cannot do it, but it seems a fair few people appreciate what I do.

I did not get to any big Hive events this year, but I met a few Hivers, including at Tokenize:LDN where Hive had a good presence. I hope there will be more opportunities to link up next year.

I am sure some people would not want to dwell on the $HIVE price, but we have to be realistic about where we stand. This was a year where Bitcoin is looking to end up worth less, so the crypto markets are not as buoyant as they have been. Those who come to Hive looking for quick riches are likely to be disappointed, but many who have been here for years have earned a nice amount compared to what they could have made elsewhere online. I keep an eye on the charts from @hivebuzz and the number of accounts with over 100k HP is rising so people are building their stake. You may see some big accounts partially power down, but some may need the money, especially if they are running services.

You can vote for the Hivers who you think excel in various categories in this poll by @hivecreatorsday. The results are being compiled on the blockchain so you need an account to vote.

I just heard of a new Hive market being coded by @borislavzlatanov. This will use Hive posts for listings and will eventually have facilities for escrow payments. This is being integrated into @peakd. They are using it to provide some premium features for a nominal amount.

Friday Follows

• The @wellsforall project has inaugurated the 25th borehole in Ghana.
• @jacobtothe discusses supporting small accounts. This is more important when the value of rewards is lower. There are plenty of small accounts producing good content that may just earn a few cents. We do not have to 'suck up' to big accounts all the time in hope of their votes. We need more people to be active.
• In my searches for new Brits I find a lot of fake accounts, but also found London artist @jompiy who was brought here by @ronthroop.
• I have mentioned @alessandrawhite a few times, but then she just became a Hive dolphin. As well as representing us at events she runs the Creative Work Hour daily Zoom session.
• We can welcome back @andrarchy who just returned after a long break. He used to work for the old chain company, but went on to other projects.

The Dog House

I just heard about another person who lost their Hive account to fraudsters. I am not totally clear on how this happened, but we have to be really careful. With blockchains you have to be responsible for the security of your keys. Here are a few tips I can think of and others will have more:

• Use Hive @keychain to log into apps. It is available for mobile devices and browsers. If a site wants actual keys then be very wary. It will never need your master key.
• Scammers will try to get your keys. I have encountered some on Discord who try to hijack requests for support by diverting you to a private channel. None of the dapps need your keys to investigate issues.
• Have a backup of your keys somewhere other than whatever device you normally use. That can be a USB drive or even a printout in a safe.
• Keep an eye on who you have given authority to use your account. Services like @threespeak may need it to create posts. You can revoke this at any time from various dapps.
• If you think that your keys have leaked then you should change them. This is the only time you need your master key and it is not that hard to do. Be sure to make a backup.

The End

This has been an interesting and challenging year for Hive. I keep playing the long game. I do my best to encourage people as well as recruiting where I can. People need to come with realistic expectations. Hive is by no means perfect, but it offers something unique when other platforms just try to exploit you. We have our share of trolls, but I have met some amazing people here who want to make a difference.

I will you all a happy and peaceful Christmas.