I have always felt that second layer tokens are going to be what propels this chain to really fulfilling its potential. One point that was raised some days ago is the comparative differences between developments on the Hive blog and that of her second layer tokens. While the platform might be the umbrella body, it has allowed its associated projects to develop at their pace free from any form of restrictions.
On Hive itself, while there have been developments, progress has been somewhat slow and steady. We all know how long it takes between forks for instance and how developmental strides sometimes feel underwhelming in terms of expected and actual results. It can be quite frustrating to see one of the best social platforms in existence simple go unnoticed as time goes on.
Not to sound political, but this isn't to say that there have been no developments or that the developers are not working their socks off though. Regardless, I think the mere complexity of Hive makes it considerably tough to implement new innovations and agree on a single path ahead on time, or at least as fast as we would like.
This is where the brilliance of second layer projects comes in play. These tend to be project specific and built for purpose. Leofinance for instance is focused on all things finance - education, investment, innovation and so on. Their specific nature helps the developers to narrow their focus and make constant improvements. @Trumpman once said that the only thing giving him joy on the platform was the leofinance project during the all time highs of the project.
If we didn't have these projects running independently then I reckon quite a few people would have moved on. The cryptospace is no stranger to innovation and it probably won't be difficult to find another social networking platform. However, what we have here on Hive is virtually uncopiable due to these projects running their independent visions in collaboration with the Hive chain.
What's even more beautiful about it is that we really only need one or two to do really well for us to experience major growth on the entire chain. Every leofinance account is a Hive account, like-wise every splinterlands and other secondary project account. Inevitably, those who come for specific projects tend to explore the entire chain. The reverse is also the case for those who may be losing motivation with the parent chain - there are just so many projects to look forward to.
Conclusion
As we already saw with the impact of splinterlands growth on the value of the Hive token last year, a win for one project is a win for all of Hive. The developments happening in leofinance right now has been very bullish about the future on this chain, as we can already point to two running secondary projects that are laden with potential.
