By the Way, Where is Everyone?
I know I've been away for a while. I haven't been writing like I used to. So coming back here I feel like I'm lost. Is it me or it does feel empty here? Has everyone moved on and stopped posting completely? Or maybe the continuous downfall of cryptocurrency is taking its toll. Is it because we are not earning that much from our posts now? I know It can be hard to find motivation, remembering the good old days of earning $10 per sbd. Or $100 on a post on a good day. Are people still buying upvotes? Do bid votes still exist? I see there are ads everywhere now. I understand that the Steemit community has to live. Whatever's happening, it doesn't matter. I just want to know if everyone is still here with me.
Where is everyone?
I'm referring to those I'm following. Prolific writers, artists, regular beings trying to find a place in the crypto space. I admit I kinda miss everyone even the trolls. I check my feed and see some people are still sharing their lives. I scroll down and I see posts some days ago. I used to see a lot of posts on my feed for the current day. I just hope that everyone's just busy living their lives. We have our own lives to live anyway. While some, yes, still thriving here I see that. We have high hopes that soon... everything will be back to normal. But what's normal now?
I'm not updated with what's going on around here apart from the Steemfest that will be held in Bangkok. I read that everywhere. Not that I'm interested in it or attending big crowd gatherings. Not that I'm not interested to meet a real-life Steemian. I just feel like Steemit is just meant to be, you know, a digital community. To keep our relationship, we're meant to stay this way. Forever unknown, mysterious and ungraspable. It's nice to have a home to come back to when everything else fails in real life. With all the familiar people in it. People you haven't met yet or probably will never meet. But that's okay.
Where is everyone?
I've been asking the same in real life. I feel like I've been busy trying to make it. That much-needed meaningful human connection is still missing. I have a dream that things are going to change. I'm not trying to force anything. I just want to go with the flow of my emotions as always. Right now, it feels utterly peaceful yet empty. This is the price I pay in choosing freedom. And I'm imprisoned by it.
But am I really free without the others? Without belonging, without being attached to something. I'm just forever changing and adapting to the changing times.
So how's everyone by the way? I hope everyone's still living, trying to make it, trying to make sense of everything. As for me, I'm still here.
I’m still here. I’m just not writing so much right now. I should likely start back up. Hardfork 21. Lots changed. Curation is worth something.
Posted using Partiko iOS
I see people are more likely to upvote others now other than themselves.
Well since the last HF author rewards were reduced from 75 to 50% and I saw a few people very angry about this and left, then we got free downvotes 2 per day and bid botting started to become really unprofitable so a lot of those people-powered down and left. I think if you want to really find active people you should go through the various tribes and find the ones you like. I prefer sports and leo
I guess only people who like to write and read are left.
Looks like it along worth people who like dapps or are active in communities! We’ll see what the next HF holds with SMT and communities UI almost done and ready to go live soon
Should be interesting there’s some good building blocks in place right now
People have drastically decreased their usage on here. The rewards are paid out 50-50 now, so writers are receiving less of their reward percentage. That's probably part of why so many people left.
The other part is that the community "self-regulation" has started to lean toward censorship in some cases, so we lost people from that as well.
Finally, whales have more influence with the current setup (again), so that's a thing..
But we're still on Steem, and the guarantee we have with Steem is that it will probably change again in 3 months 👍🙂
Bidded votes have gone almost extinct, this is because of 2.5 free downvotes per user per day that the Hard Fork 21 (Steem update) introduced. This gave users a way to regulate the bidded trash on Trending without personal cost on curation rewards. What this has done to bidbots, is that the majority of them have turned into manual curation, in order to keep their delegators - if they let votes be landed on shit content, they would lose curation rewards because of the downvotes given by the community, therefore giving less for delegators who might pull their delegations away because of this.
It has caused a complete U-turn in to the dynamics of the ecosystem which was long due for fixing.
With Steem price being so low - therefore with less competition - and curation being strong and incentivised (post payouts are 50/50 now), it is an excellent time to post for Steem earnings.
Posted using Partiko Android
Wow, 2.5 free downvotes per day.
I see it's 50/50 now. A lot has changed so it seems.
Thanks for the update!
Spammers have almost entirely left the platform. Some turned into prosessional downvoters while others are simply dead accounts. Others seem to have lost interest in blogging anymore since the price of Steem kept on diving, that's what I think is the main reason for many who left or just abandoned their accounts for a while. A small portion of us though might have found a meaning to the real life and didn't felt like posting anymore and spending hours a day in here. I don't like crowded places so it's fine for me the way it is.
Wow bid bots used to be the thing now we have "professional downvoters".
Do you even use the 2.5 free downvotes per day?
Right, I understand!
I don't downvote and I don't mind the -10% downvotes that I get either.
The -10% downvotes?
Yes, from users with less than 50 SP.
I second that notion! And I'm still here too :-) Also getting regular 10%, 50% and even 100% downvotes, but as you say, it looks like most are now "professionals" at that, as it's always the same names ;-)
What do they get when they downvote, being professionals?
I don't even know if they're self-employed or wage-slaves ;-) I guess they get some kind of kick out of downvoting posts with opinions they don't agree with...
Lol so typical.
I don't mind them anymore. A year ago we had spammers with plagiarized content and now we have those professional downvoters. Same poor old retards.
I'm still around, but I published two novels this year, and that's been taking up most of my time.
I'm glad. I'd be checking what you post!
Welcome back. Keep on writing good stuff. I think professional downvoters are destroying the eco system. Votes are bought also here. Something should change.
Posted using Partiko Android
I see people are still buying upvotes.
There's been quite some attrition here, but many stalwarts are still around. The crypto reward dynamics have changed but the community stuff remains. In some ways, this period is a well needed clear out and realignment as Steem transforms to being more about special interest communities.
Still plenty of room for lone-wolves and their let dogs though.
Posted using Partiko Android
This is better.
I have to look for new authors or people to follow.
I think the general pattern is more content output when STEEM is high, and less when it is low. And fuck, isn't it low compared to a year (or was it two?) ago?
Personally, I'm struggling to find inspiration. Poverty is grinding me down. I periodically think about selling up and travelling India for an extended period. Posting travel stories and travel/street photography. It would be a dream with high Steem prices, living off Steem in cheap India. Maybe one day...
Bidbots are being punished under the #newsteem ethic and free downvotes. This can only be a good thing in my book.
So low.
I feel you. I hope Steem will be high again and we can write and do anything we want - that's the dream.
I'm gonna check out that newsteem ethic.
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