Oops.  It was me.  I did it.  After almost 8 years on this blockchain you'd think I would know better.  To be brutally honest I've never been a big fan of the *"Community Feature"* of Hive because to me it is just another centralized power function, but I do generally support the idea of communities.  Building them, networking them and even supporting from the outside if I see they are doing good things.  But still, that is no excuse for my latest screw up...

<center>![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmcj8PCNo19WJPcgzAENswkUL9vjbGfdCW754y7xr18mRq/hammerdown.png)
[Source](https://tuhoctiengtrung.vn/ten-cac-sieu-anh-hung-avenger-trong-tieng-trung/)</center>

In recent times I've thrown a few posts around and put them in various communities without much consideration because I thought my post might be relevant or interesting to that community and I saw it as a kind of cross-pollination type of exercise.  Not just exposing some of my content to a new community, but exposing my more regular readers to promote that community too.  Whether I am guilty of hubris, complacency or maybe even disrespect - I'll let you decide.

This week I posted the 4th in a series of posts about the **Spur Winged Plovers** (a.k.a *Vanellus Miles* or Masked Lapwings) in my neighborhood and the interesting challenges / difficulties I've been having with them.  I'd put my posts in the [Nature Observers](https://hive.blog/trending/hive-130906) community because they were (in essence) some observations of nature.  However, I am just a layman and I hadn't considered the specific guidelines and requirements of that community....so my post got **Mod Hammered** and now shows up on my blog as an eyesore like I've been flagged as an abuser.

Honestly, it's my own fault but I am kind of a little bit pissed off because I didn't get any warning, engagement or any kind of communication about my first 3 posts in that community which go back over the previous 18 months.  I'm kind of used to the whole **Shoot First** and **Fuck Anyone Who Complains** attitude that a lot of whales have on Hive, but I thought a community that I was trying (admittedly poorly) to engage with and even promote to my regular readers...might have been a bit more forgiving or even diplomatic...and given me a heads up?

So the message I have received is - Stay in your lane.  Throwing posts around in other communities you aren't familiar with and who don't want you there is not a good idea.  It hasn't cost me anything except a dirty black (actually grey) mark on my blog, but for someone like me who believes in reputation it does have a price.  Lesson learned and I'll be staying well clear of the Nature Observers community from now on.