Guide to the Hive and Steem Ecosystems

The Hive and Steem blockchains are referred to as the ecosystems because of the diverse activity that they support. Bloggers, photographers, artists, vloggers, developers, researchers, crypto-enthusiasts, alternative media, entrepreneurs, and many more have found their homes in the either the Hive or Steem Ecosystems. Unlike many other types of social platforms, Hive and Steem reward those that contribute to them. The power of reward distribution lies in the hands of the community.

When I created this course in 2019, the Hive blockchain did not exist. In March 2020, Steem was Hard forked splitting into two separate blockchains. The original Steem Blockchain remained and a new blockchain Hive was created. The two blockchains are very similar in terms of what they offer (e.g. rewards for creating and curating content). The biggest difference between the two blockchains is control. Steem is a centralised blockchain controlled mostly by a single entity (i.e. Steemit). Whereas, Hive is run by the community and is considerably more decentralised. The videos in this course are explained in the context of Steem but they are more relevant to Hive. Additional resources and slides have been provided to show the equivalent Hive interfaces, DApps, and tools. Many of the DApps have either migrated from Steem to Hive or operate on both blockchains.

This course takes you on journey through the Steem and Hive Ecosystems. The course is broken down into 5 core sections and an additional section which will be updated with information regarding new developments. These sections are as follows:

- Getting Started

- Navigating Steem and Hive Frontends

- Becoming a Steem or Hive User

- Behind the Scenes

- The Wonders of the Steem and Hive Ecosystems

The ‘Getting started’ Section introduces the Steem and Hive Ecosystems and provides a quick overview of some of their key features. This section explains what the blockchain is and provides some basic information about how the Steem and Hive blockchains operate. This section also explains how someone can sign up as well as buy and sell Steem or Hive.

The ‘Navigating Steem and Hive Frontends’ Section introduces several of the Hive and Steem User Interfaces. These include Steemit (Hive Blog on Hive), SteemPeak (Peakd on Hive), and Busy. The user interfaces enable users to post content to the Steem blockchain as well as access content posted to the blockchain.

The ‘Becoming a Steem and/or Hive User’ Section explains several key categories of users. These categories broadly include content creators, investors, curators, developers, gamers, readers/viewers/listeners, and those that want to try everything. This section demonstrates how to post content, vote for content, support projects and developers, and how to earn rewards as an investor in Hive or Steem.

The ‘Behind the scenes’ Section explains how the Hive and Steem Ecosystems operate and how they support all of the activity that takes place within them. This section is the most technical but is essential to explaining how the blockchain makes everything we see possible.

The ‘Wonders of the Steem and Hive Ecosystems’ Section explores many of the amazing features available in the Hive and Steem Ecosystem. Such features include the decentralised applications, which includes video platforms, games, photography applications, mobile applications and even a fitness application. Other features include numerous tools that can help navigate and analyse the ecosystem. The Hive and Steem Ecosystems even enable users to create their own tokens as well as tribes/communities.

If you are curious about what you have read so far, this course will provide you with all the information you need to make a decision about joining either Hive or Steem or both.

If you are already part of the Hive or Steem Ecosystems, this course will provide you with more information as to how you can further enhance your experience.