We've got it behind us, the very first week in a team that didn't know each other until the announcement of their selection...

Since this method of forming a team, as well as some of the framework conditions that apply to us, are partly based on suggestions from me, I would like to draw a first conclusion: I see it confirmed that a team that is not homogeneous from the beginning brings a wider range of interests, views, values and ideas with it. My hope continues to be that this will make us more aware of more users, that we will be able to promote more broadly and that we will advance the idea of community as a whole.

This advantage, however, carries its own disadvantage: while the previous teams coordinated before applying, agreed on common priorities and presented a united front to the outside world, this phase of finding each other was and is ongoing during active curation. It is exhausting! At the same time it is fun: we are indeed very different, the five of us. But we find ways to compromise, to harmonise.

I can't and won't withhold a bit of statistics from you, even though we don't have to pay attention to club membership, steem exclusivity or vote bots from the outset, and we also look for quality posts outside of the communities: some interesting observations can be made here.

We were entrusted with the keys on 2nd September:

The vast majority of all posts are written in English, even by non-native English speakers.

We have rewarded users who follow a club condition, but significantly more who do not feel bound to it for very different reasons. There is really great potential here, which has clearly received too little attention so far.

The majority of contributions are obviously published in communities. Nevertheless, there are quite a few authors who only post on their blog. Whether out of lack of knowledge - here one could support by spreading information about different language- or topic-bound communities - or out of another intention - perhaps they use the Steem as a perpetual journal of their work? -, these authors should be read! They are an enrichment!

Our biggest annoyance, like that of many other curators before, beside and certainly after us, is the plagiarism we have stumbled across.

Here, too, I am inclined to assume a lack of knowledge about intellectual property and copyright, especially among newer users. We have pointed out to them by means of comments that they are doing wrong. From some of those addressed came reactions of gratitude for the advice and assurances to cease and desist. We will keep an eye on the accounts concerned.…

But now for our Top Five Posts this week: we each picked a favourite...

@ridwant writes about the following post by @hafizullah:

https://steemit.com/hive-129948/@hafizullah/5fsv4b

In that post the author takes us to a framework of thinking about how to exploit one's own abilities for real-world investments that are very difficult. Be yourself in thinking and generating ideas without parking positive thoughts from others.

@yousafharoonkhan has decided for the following post by @karinflower:

https://steemit.com/hive-104522/@karinflower/how-to-cook-delicious-sweet-recipe-lip-shirin

The reason why this post is selected as the best post is that it describes the complete recipe in detail and informs about the ingredients in the best way. This recipe is unique and every step of recipe preparation is photographed. Lip Sheerin recipe I chose as the best post.

@josevas217 is excited about this post by @romanie:

https://steemit.com/hive-185836/@romanie/slow-city-labyrinth-4-the-serendava

Who shares a post where she shows us one of her paintings and the creation process, with a unique style, a remarkable imagination that goes beyond the normal, that turns what anyone sees in their day to day into something very different from makes it very eye-catching. Having a great artist on the platform and supporting her work can make other great artists look to steemit as content creators, and I think this is transcendental. I take advantage of leaving the link to the external blog of this great artist.

http://romanie.net/

@wase1234 likes best the post by @graciella:

https://steemit.com/hive-195150/@graciella/chess-game-how-to-move-the-pieces

A very original and well presented post about chess. This writer explains some of the pieces and chess movements in simple words that can be understood by people who don't know how to play chess and those who who already know.

And my winner is this post by @udabeu:

https://steemit.com/deutsch/@udabeu/verkreiselungen-durchkreiselfizieren

@udabeu writes one post every day. Not in a community - he runs his blog consistently and in German. Well, a kind of German: he works and shapes the words like a potter shapes his clay. They are changed according to a principle that makes it exhausting even for a native speaker to deal with. But that is exactly what one is forced to do - and that is art! Unfortunately, you have to take my word for it, because no translation programme in the world will be able to make sense of the texts. Do you know Dada? So maybe you can imagine what happens with words at @udabeu. By the way, his photos are also terrific ;-))

All in all: we've learned the ropes. We can still get better. More weeks of curation work lie ahead and we are looking forward to it. Now all that remains is for us to hope for more wonderful contributions from all of you - please don't disappoint us ;-))

Written by @weisser-rabe for Team Freestyle...