Steemit Newbie FAQ - Netiquette: How To Avoid Being A Steem Douche?
The last massive influx of new members on the platform is, by and large, exciting. But, along with this wave, a few other things are coming, which are not very well catered to the specific of the Steemit platform. Hence, I decided to wear my community witness hat more often and to write a series of posts about the nuts and bolts of this, seemingly familiar, but completely revolutionary (Im not exaggerating) social media platform. You can find the first two posts, about rewards and witnesses, at the end of this post.
Today, we'll talk about netiquette.
What Are That Basic Steemit Netiquette Rules?
- be polite
- post original content (we hate plagiarizers)
- discuss ideas, not persons - all persons are, by default, ok
- when you comment on somebody else's post, try to bring at least a minimal contribution
- if you follow someone, try to really follow up and engage. Don't try to build numbers, instead, go for interactions, that's from where the power of the platform comes
- this is a decentralized platform, so that means we're all equally responsible for what it happens here, based on our level of involvement
- other than that, use sunscreen, don't text and drive, don't drive and drink, you know the drill
What Are The Dont's Of The Steemit Netiquette?
- never, ever, under no circumstance, beg for reciprocation (of comments or of votes). We're free and we can express freely here, so one will comment or upvote only if he / she feels like. Don't try to force reciprocation using sentences like "I just upvoted your post, can you please upvote mine?"
- avoid excessive tagging of other people. Don't put one hundred "@" usernames in your post, hoping they'll come by and support you. More often than not, the opposite will happen
- don't follow somebody until the other person follows you back and then unfollow. We see you, you know. And this is not Twitter. It's 2017, for God sake!
- don't fire up a bot with standard comments on all the posts published, hoping they'll come back. Steemit has a few built-in spam protection mechanisms and, rather sooner than later, your reputation will go down dramatically if you're caught. And you will be caught.
What Is A Flag And Why Is It Used?
A flag is a downvote and it has the same consequence as an upvote, only in the opposite direction. In other words, it will take from your potential rewards and put it back in the main rewards pool. You will see that as a decrease of your potential payouts. This happens for a number of reasons:
- the downvoter didn't like the post
- you used abusive or spammy language
- you are engaging in a direct controversy with somebody else which uses his downvote as he sees fit
- you're using plagiarized content
- you try to game the platform in some way (luring people into clicking shady links is a form of gaming the platform, for instance)
I've Been Flagged, I'm Going To Cry All Day And Rage Quit
Better not. The psychological effect of seeing money disappearing from your potential reward is hard, I agree. But it's part of the game, just like illness and death are parts of life. We should rejoice in whatever we can get from life, despite of the trouble. So head up, and keep writing, engaging and creating great stuff. That too, shall pass.
I've Been Flagged By Mistake (Or So I Think). What To Do?
Contact the flagger - either by leaving a comment on one post on his profile, by sending him a message (transfer 0.001 Steem to him and use the memo field as a message, this is a common practice here to get in touch with somebody else) or by getting in touch in the steemit.chat.
What's Whale Hunting? Should I Engage In That?
Whale hunting, in the Steemit ecosystem, means following obsessively and trying to win the favors of some large Steem Power holders (whales) in the hope of getting upvotes from them. While knowing as many whales as you can could prove beneficial to you, engaging in whale hunting, especially when you're doing it only to get back votes, is not.
Other posts in this series:
- Steemit Newbie FAQ - Witnesses: What Are They And Why Should You Care?
- Steemit Newbie FAQ - Rewards: Were Does The Money Come From?
For the Steemit ecosystem I created a free tool for checking your potential rewards at steem.supply.
https://steemit.com/~witnesses
Thanks for sharing! A link to your post was included in Steem.center wiki page about Steemian. Thanks and good luck again!
Very good and practical information. I like the fact that, for the most part this platform is polite!
I don't think that merely disliking the content is a good reason to flag it. A flag from a whale can be very consequential (and, from what I understand, flagging is only available to whales and near-whales in the first place), so it is more appropriate for blatant spam and scams. That a whale might flag a legitimate post into oblivion just because they don't like the content doesn't sit right with me. Just ignore it, mute the poster if you can't stand them, and move on, please.
flagging is available to everybody, and its effects are proportional to the amount of Steem Power one has. A flag for a minnow won't take out as much money as a flag from a whale.
With that being said, I agree with what you said but there can be circumstances in which a whale would like to "send a post into oblivion" because he doesn't like it (happened in the past and probably will happen again).
Life is not right. Nor is Steemit. But both are beautiful.
I am a sardine not a whale and this moment steemit is like fb for me, when i like content i vote up, before i would flag , it also would be like fb to unfriend, it must go against all my principles, but when i do.... i hope the power of my vote is destructive... but i think everyone is like that?
if you follow someone, try to really follow up and engage. Don't try to build numbers, instead, go for interactions, that's from where the power of the platform comes
Ditto..
and by that I mean
OH HELL YEAH.
I learned it the hard way.
I screwed up big time on that one.
At one time I was following 1500 people.
And for why?
That was a very good question. Why was I following them?
I didn't know.
So I decided not to.
Then the purging began.
I'm following about forty now.
I know each and everyone of them on some leve.
they are US.
not THEM.
So Dragosroua is absolutely correct on this one.
I follow only people whose content I enjoy. Fortunately you are one of them..LOL!
It's tempting to run the numbers and assume the more people you follow, the better you'd be. More often than not, this is just wishful thinking: there's no time to meaningfully engage with so many people.
that's right...I discovered the very same thing.
this...it took me just four days to lose my way in a tangle of resteems and squawks in my feed...granted, there are many good places it's landed me...for instance here.
I do believe I'm going to have to sweep my broom...and soon. Excellent post...and thank you for setting me straight. This journey is the reward I've spent my life working towards. It begins...and ends with Steemit.
I have pictures to write...I've got no time to build bases. The platform is the foundation.
~may all hatred cease...let there be peace~
Hi @dragosroua this is a good article, but I am just not with you on the downvotes. In my opinion,everyone has the right to like (upvote) or dislike (downvote) an it affects your payout. Flagging is separate. If you flag someone it affects their reputation. Am I wrong in this?
As far as I know, these actions are combined into one, the UI is confusing.
Thank you but I still differ. I know I read a comment once from @pfunk . Possibly @pfunk could shed some light on this?
Look forward to it.
Good post. As more and more new Steemians arrive it's imperative to protect the culture of Steemit. This community is really special. I've never been a part of such a positive, nurturing and engaging environment. It's something we have to protect!
I am new and literally agree with you!! I posted something the other day about being unique to YOURSELF and this platform really allows the writer to express themselves and its fun in an arena that also rewards. You should not chase the money you chase the job. Sorry - not trying to soap-box on your post but it is simply refreshing and I am glad we agree on the true etiquette of Steemit, even if we are setting the standard! I am a follower, freely and resteemed to pass on the word!! :) Have an amazing day and "Happy Steeming!"
You should make a Steem Douche List Daily article. Would be funny. Get submissions from people in comments.
First submission = @nicnas
@dragosroua Excellent points in Your post AND I am still somewhat guilty of making some of the errors that You mentioned in Your post.... like asking what is written directly below:
UpVoted & Following... please consider following me ( now I don't do this very often any more and if I do it, it is with people that are generally close to my current level... not that this makes it perfectly acceptable.)
( There is a learning curve here at Steemit AND even a MUCH steeper "learning curve" regarding the crypto markets in general... even for myself with almost 40 yrs of a financial background in the Bond Markets ( institutional fixed income ie Commerical Paper, Overnight Repos, Mortgage Backs and of course US Treasuries, which may soon no longer been "perceived" as the safest securities both within the United States or any where else on the planet.)
We are currently observing a fast moving/ever increasing pace for the massive paradigm shift occurring in almost every area/aspect of life for the world.
I have been speaking with @aggroed & sharing ideas with him how the Steemit Community can better assist the new people (2 to 8 weeks or less ) so that they can not only move "up the ladder" but do so in an intelligent & effective manner. Aggroed is using one of the ideas I freely shared with him and is being currently utilized in the Minnow School 1 hour sessions that he is now conducting. I hope he is able to help 100's, then 1,000's, tens of thousands and perhaps hundreds of 1,000's of new people that come to Steemit over the coming months & years...
Your points in this post speak to a growing problem amongst people that are new, excited to succeed ( and maybe because they desperately need to make an income ) whether they reside here in the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia, etc... ARE important & significant because most people, like myself are somewhat lost unless there is someone that is "guiding" them...
I am sorry for making this comment so lengthy, but I really want to help any way that I can... knowing that I still have a tremendous amount of learning to do... just regarding the appropriate behavior & the most effective ways to become successful, here on Steemit.
SO.... Thanks Again for this post. UpVoted.
Hope You're having a Good Weekend !!
Didn't know about the minnow school, sounds great :)
Yes... aggroed has done a really great job in helping new people ( minnows ) find their way when they first come to Steemit. Thanks Again Dragos Roua
@aggroed has helped me quite a bit in developing relationships on Steemit and allowing me to go with my gut to interact with other Steemers. Sorry to drop in your convo, but feel like I am a part of the demographic you are all trying to assist in this community ..... I think it is amazing to be a part of it and learn this way!
No worries Tammy... If You are available this evening at 10pm EST then follow the link below for @aggroed class for Minnow Support... Cheers !!
https://steemit.com/minnowsupportproject/@aggroed/minnow-school-101-live-professor-aggroed-in-discord-sunday-night-at-10pm-nyc-time
Watching the Stanley Cup, but going to do my best to multi-task! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond- much appreciated!
hey, love to you both. Would be happy to have you there!
new member here.! thanks for posting this, nice to reinforce the idea of netiquette <- first time hearing this word lol