Advice from one minnow to another!
Most minnows ignore the posts of other minnows (like you might ignore this post ;) ) and run after the whales hoping to get that 1 big vote that’ll change their life on this platform. I think there is a better way to improve your chances of success on the platform and here is my $0.00 cent on this topic. This is going to be a series of posts so here is advice no 1 broken down into 4 action points:
Being small doesn’t mean being useless
Do not underestimate yourself. You may not be a big fish yet - you have every chance to succeed on this platform but you cannot do it without the support of others. So start supporting others in the community right now.
How I support others in the community?
Every now and then I will take the time to go and look for new #introduceyourself posts. I don’t look for those who are trending with hundreds of votes but those who need my minnow upvote to boost their confidence. I also try to give them a few words of advice (I am a small fish myself but I can still share the little that I know). When I post some content, I do receive the support of my friends on the Platform and I try to support them too when they post something. You have to remember “we all want to grow, so give as much as you can”.
There are many ways to be valuable in this community and help others as a small fish:
- Stop chasing after the whales! Your upvote has a lot of meaning for another minnow so be kind and give to other small fish.
- Resteeming is a form of giving - You can resteem someone’s post to your 10 followers. We all start with 0 followers so there is nothing wrong with resteeming posts even if you don’t have 10,000 followers. Heck, if I could get a good post even 1 extra view, I will resteem it without a second thought.
- Have an opinion, share it in the comments - you can comment intelligently on someone’s post. I know there’s no end of posts about the power of commenting. I have personally made some really good friends by commenting on the platform and it is really a great way to go about building relationships. NOTE - If you thought the post was good and you write a comment, don’t be too stingy to upvote it too, it matters! Everyone wants to grow here so do give generously!
- Take the time to write something every now and then - I know it is time consuming to create original content for your blog every day but nothing worth doing is easy. Personally feel like I have taken on a second job working for steemit and I get paid like $2 per day but I still love this job so I’ll keep at it ;)
Most of us were all minnows at some point, and some of us still are, but the amazing thing about Steemit is, that everyone has a voice, and a chance to grow, so long as you work hard at it, and you show "genuine" appreciation for your fellow Steemit peeps!
So true! This is the most wonderful thing about this platform. It gives every user an opportunity to shine. Perseverance is certainly very important. Like all good things in life, it may not be easy but it is certainly worth it! :)
Another outstanding feature of Steemit is the fact that unlike other platforms such as YouTube, you don't have to have 1,000 subscribers, and 4,000 hours of yearly watch time to get monetized, only to make $100 a year in ad revenue, no no no, here on Steemit you could start making money on day zero, with no followers, and not a single page view to your name... it's a beautiful thing!
That's absolutely right! I think it really is the best social platform by far.
Some of us are still minnows. Just because you have a high rep score doesn't mean that you are a dolphin. That all depends upon how much steem you have.
I like looking over the fiction posts of new writers and upvoting the stuff I like. If it's really good, I resteem it.
Thank you for the good advice, and I look forward to seeing new posts.
I am certainly very much a minnow still and my reputation matches my minnow-ness, lol :)
It is great that you are supporting new writers, I think this is key to growing our community which in end will serve us all. It is not easy when you are starting out on this platform (I suppose like anything in life) and good to receive some community support and guidance to get us going :)
Noob question here but what is a minnow?
Nice post and I remember this advice you gave me when I joined last week. I always read through new posts rather than trending and pop in to the introduceyourself section to see who else is sharing similar interests.
In fact, it's got to a point where I will be buying a laptop as I am away from my main PC in the week due to the nature of my job (as I drive up and down the country) and want to be active in this community.
Chin up, smile and carry on!
Hey Nicky!
Good to hear from you :)
It's actually a very fair question and I shouldn't have assumed that everyone knows who's a "minnow" and "whale". So here is very rudimentary explanation - on the steemit platform there are different levels from "deadfish", "redfish" (I think it is under 500 SP) and go up all the way to the top which is a "whale". You can check your level by going here http://steemitboard.com/welcome.html
I will definitely be dropping by your blog to see what you are up to and look forward to seeing more of you in the community!
We must keep on swimming :)
I just checked where I am and my fish looks a little bit light on the "meat" department haha!
Quite a few awards there to get through and already got some without knowing about them so that's pretty cool!
I post all sorts of things but you'll see my latest post - "Bluffer's Guide to Cryptocurrency" which is aimed at complete beginners to get their head around this amazing new arena of blockchain. I also post my music but will be doing things about work, travel and other bits and pieces as time goes on.
Mr Content over here lol!
Swim minnow :)
lol! I don't know why they can't change it into something small and cute :)
I stopped by at your blog today. Keep at it and you will become a meaty fish soon!
Haha, well I do like fish and chips so always something to aim for! Thanks for stopping by too!
Upvoted, although, I don't think I am minnow yet, but I do feel I am so small and being useless
Maybe you are now, if not... in do time!
Thank you :) Don't worry, it won't be long before you are a minnow. As Tolkatore said: we all start at the bottom so this is natural part of joining a new community :)
PS - Never feel small or useless (you are a whale in the making)
I was making waves without a dime spent in Steem, but then I felt like helping out the community and dropped some dough, while making a sound investment to boot... a win win!
I know, I was following before the level up and always loved your posts :)
Ha ha, so you were the one huh? 😉
lol! Yes I was the one and I can prove it. It's all on the blockchain ;)
Everybody starts at the same point here unless you are willing to put your own money into the system. You have some great points in the article, mainly supporting other minnows.
If you can get the right people following you and voting resteeming, then you will grow. As you grow you will gain more followers and votes. Its all about being smart with your time and not chasing after whales who don't care about minnows.
That's right! We all start at the same place and grow from there (as you pointed out). I see it all too often that minnows are not very generous towards each other and the new community members when it is imperative that we all support each other. I try to build genuine relationships with people I am following and those who follow me and just take it easy - if I started to look at my post payout, I will get into serious depression lol! :)
True. It's all about finding the right people on here. Those are the people that will read, vote and support others. While that can take a while to find they are out there. It's always horrible to create posts that nobody reads and fades away from view very fast.
For me I am much happier to get 50 comments on a post of mine than a vote from a big account. At least that way I know that people are actually interested.
That's right! And you know that they actually read your post :) so it is not just one of those "Great post dear" comments.
Well said!
I also think it's important to remember why you do something in the first place. I've forgotten that a few times and when I come back to remembering my "why", it takes the pressure off a hell of a lot!
Resteemed....
Thank you so much @woody26
I truly appreciate your support :)
Hi! I noticed your comment on @tolkatore's recent post and was curious about you. Now you have a new follower :) I'm also a minnow and I agree it can be hard waiting for a "big vote" but the more I interact with people of every status, the more I feel connected and enjoy the community. I'm also celebrating 500 followers with a selfie contest if you want to join. Thanks for encouraging and supporting minnows!
Hey @mininthecity :)
Thank you for checking out my blog and congratulations on reaching the 500 follower milestone! I will most certainly stop by xx (I am not very good with mug shots but I will certainly support you xx).
I appreciate you! xx
Thank you for the encouraging words. I agree it can seem like having a second job being a steemian. Keep up the good work!
Thank you @saltycat
Looking forward to seeing more of you around :)
Any encouraging advice is good advice
Thank you @ligayagardener
Minnows need to all the support they can get from others in the community :)
I've been on for about a month now. In the beginning I followed anyone who followed me, just to be polite. Now I realize I want to read material that actually interests me. It is about community. Finding niches where I feel comfortable and where I'm likely to find a receptive audience. That takes time. I'm willing to invest some of that.
That's great @agmoore
It is difficult to know whether you should follow all the people who follow you. I am glad you are willing to invest time in it because there is really no way around it!
See you around :)
I want to thank you for your support and generosity. Sometimes wandering around the platform can seem a little like negotiating a dark room without a flashlight. But I'm an optimist. Running into someone like you reinforces that optimism. It's a pleasure to meet you.
Excellent advice! Minnows underestimate how much impact they can have if they support each other instead of chasing after whales and sharks!
Thanks to @josephsavage, this post was resteemed and highlighted in today's edition of The Daily Sneak.
Thank you for your efforts to create quality content.
Thank you so much @sneakyninja and @josephsavage for your support! I truly appreciate it. I will be coming to check out and learn more about the Daily Sneak!
You made my week :)
My apologies for linking the wrong edition. Your article was featured in this one:
https://steemd.com/curation/@sneakyninja/the-daily-sneak-16-march-2018-with-guest-curator-addempsea