Adding "Value:" How Your Actions and Contributions Today... Represent the Steemit of Tomorrow
There are many debates on Steemit these days, about what is "good" and "bad" for the community.
We are dealing with some "spiky" issues
We have discussions about self-upvoting; about "vote-begging" and "follow-begging;" about paid upvote and re-steem services and bots and guilds.
Of course, that is (from my perspective) one of the great things about a site like this with no central "corporate structure:" we all get to discuss and offer our two cents' worth.
Summarized... I see most of these debates as discussions between people who want to know what Steemit can do for THEM, and people more concerned about what they can do FOR Steemit.
Yes, we Like the Rewards, BUT...
Yellow flowering weeds...
I'm not trying to delude myself-- or anyone else-- that the majority of people using Steemit aren't motivated by the fact that we can earn rewards here. That said, I also believe there are very different attitudes and approaches to "rewards" and what they mean to us.
One of the discussions that has been coming and going for a while is that of "quality content" and whether or not it is important for us to consider the element of "adding value" with our content.
Personally, I believe adding value is not only important, it is crucial.
Let me expand on this, a little. It's easy enough to say that something "doesn't matter" if you only look at the very short term. And-- indeed-- it may be true that "adding value" if all you're concerned with is this moment.
But what happens when you take the long term perspective?
Red Beetle in the grass
What happens when you back away from your concerns about whether or not you "should" give yourself a $3.00 self-upvote today, and instead consider the question "What will Steemit look like, 10 years from now?"
Moreover, ask yourself this: Will the choices I make today-- and the content I publish today-- contribute or detract, when it comes to ensuring Steemit's long term growth and survival?
Whether any one of us believes that one of our current "hot topics" represents a positive or a negative... it seems to me that we ALL presumably share the common goal of there still BEING a Steemit here for us to have these discussions on... next year, and in 2025.
Right?
Choices have consequences!
For example, I live in the Pacific Northwest, known to many for its magnificent forests.
Water Droplets on leaves
One of the "hot potato" topics around here surrounds the "rights" of the timber industry to "clear cut" old and intermediate growth forests to harvest the lumber for building, paper and more.
Cutting through all the political and environmental noise, I am always left with one thing at the end: THINK AHEAD!
You don't get to BOTH selfishly cut down all the trees, and then ALSO complain about how there are no more old growth forests for recreation and wildlife.
You don't get to have both!
Tending the "Forest" of Steemit
When it comes to Steemit... I can totally appreciate that it may be very tempting to just "do whatever it takes" (through junk content, self-upvoting, purchased services and whatever) to make as much as you possibly can from the system, RIGHT NOW.
Let us grow a beautiful garden for the long run!
Just remember that whatever actions you take today-- be they self-ISH, or self-LESS-- end up becoming the "calling card" of the community in the future. We're on the blockchain... so technically speaking, everything you choose to do is going to be recorded there, FOREVER.
Also keep in mind that the value of the rewards you so zealously are trying to "harvest" depend in large part on the price of the STEEM token. And-- in order for the Steem price to increase over time-- it has to be attractive to investors; people who buy Steem with the expectation of making a gain.
If you put yourself in the shoes of an investor for a moment... would you rather buy "shares" in an active and thriving community with interesting contributions of content from all around the globe... or a pile of spammy selfishness?
I realize that's a "leading question," but the truth-- extending FAR beyond our little community-- is that investors buy value, not garbage.
As a last thought consider this: Whereas it may be a lot of fun to take as much as you possibly can from the "Steemit Cash Dispenser" right now... ask yourself the greater question: "Do I still want there to BE a 'Steemit Cash Dispenser' to get something from, next year, five years, ten years from now?"
My answer is "Yes." I'm hoping yours is, as well.
So make sure you choose wisely, next time to create content, leave a comment, or upvote yourself or someone else!
How about YOU? Do you think it is important that we focus on "adding value" in order to keep growing Steemit for the long term? Does it ever seem to you that many of the current debates/conflicts are mostly an issue of "shurt term thinking" vs. "long term thinking?" And a simple question: Do you WANT to see Steemit make it, in the long run? I know that's less important to some people who just skip from opportunity to opportunity. Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170807 14:00 PDT
I honestly cannot envision steemit being much of a healthy community rooted in anything but marketability in the future. But it is much more than that right now and perhaps I can do a little to keep it that way for a little longer, or maybe even change the tides and build a greater sense of consensus about how to protect such community. At the very least, I want to make sure I don't waste this opportunity to connect with others who are capable of seeing things in a similar fashion and sharing ideas with them. I sure hope I can make some personal gain but I also believe I need to "be the change". I don't use PAL and randowhale even though it kind of sucks to get $1 for a post I spent hours on. I try to stay just as excited by comments and engagement as I do with payout. I haven't done any sbd giving contests even though I have ideas for them because I don't want money to be a main motivation in my pursuits so why should I make it a motivation for others. Etc. etc. etc.
Keep doing what you do and you will be a star. :)
Haha thanks, I just want to have the time and resources to do what I'm doing but with a little more ease and comfort :-)
@whatamidoing, you raise enough valid points here that I almost want to respond in a separate post... but I'll refrain... for now!
I agree... to a certain extent. Where we get some flexibility is in shaping a "marketable" site that is about individuals rather than "corporate" in its approach.
In the earlier days of eBay-- and eBay was already HUGE-- it was this really cool peer-to-peer marketplace where lots of individuals traded all manners of things under the sun. It was brilliant for collectibles, hobbyists, artists, antique dealers, rock hounds and goodness knows what else. Even with 20+ million users... there was a sense of "community" there-- forums, user groups and other things. Then "corporate" approaches took over... and the whole "being a cool venue" (and a very profitable one, I might add!) gave way to "maximizing the bottom line at any cost." And it became "just another online mega store" with corporate sellers all but replacing the individuals who largely BUILT the site.
On Steemit, we have a decentralized structure. We get to vote for the witnesses who express support (or objections) to changes and hardforks that represent a consensus of the community. UNlike eBay, we get to have a say in what we want this to become. What's ALSO different here is that we have the "investment" (the Steem token) as potentially separate from the cornerstone app... the Steemit social content platform. So our task-- as Steemit citizens-- is to take the actions and vote for the structural changes that make the platform attractive to investors... but without losing character. BE an "alternative." WalMart doesn't NEED a Steemit account... but maybe a local organic farmer DOES. We can continue to support a structure that values what we value... and that makes it unprofitable (the only language "corporate" understand) for certain elements to set up shop here.
Steemit (and attendant apps) are definitely "a new frontier" in doing things... and the onus is on US-- the users-- to protect that, rather than cave in to the idea that "the only way forward" is by becoming "just like THEM," whoever "them" may be.
Yes, "BE the change." Because I pretty much arrived here with zero faith in ANY "content site with rewards," I had no expectations of getting squat from my contributions... and when I did get some rewards and saw others getting rewards... I immediately "set up shop" with a long term intent. It doesn't matter what "this post" or "that comment" might earn... what can I (and what can WE) do today to make sure that there still IS a Steemit, in 3 years, 5 years, 10 years from now.
So that's what many of my "rants" are about. I am supremely tired of watching "short term greed" kill the proverbial goose that lays golden eggs... as I have witnessed across some 50-odd sites, for two decades. Well, with decentralization, at least we have a SAY...
I get really discouraged talking to most whales and dolphins about this. They seem to have two attitudes. The first is "who cares, your steem will be worth 100x what it is now." Or they believe that since hard work and perserverence paid off for them, as a rule,it will for everyone else in the future.
For me it probably will pay off. But we are still in the early stages of the sites development....I don't think someone like me will have a shot in hell two years from now if we don't fix the wealth inequality here SOON and have HFs that make it more sustainable. I wrote about it in a comment to a post by @benjojo . He is one of the few steemains with mich sway here that makes me feel like perhaps I'm not foolish for being too idealistic and that I should keep pushing for steemit to remain more than just another way to make a buck. You also make me feel that way. I think we should all find a way to collaborate on getting this ideas across to @ned and the witnesses. Or finding potential witnesses who understand our concerns.
The post I mentioned:
https://steemit.com/steemit/@benjojo/questions-for-steemit-inc-the-answers-to-which-might-be-of-interest-to-all-steemians#@benjojo/re-ned-re-benjojo-re-ned-re-benjojo-re-emble-re-benjojo-questions-for-steemit-inc-the-answers-to-which-might-be-of-interest-to-all-steemians-20170809t174627905z
I've pondered this topic and mentioned before...is this an altcoin investment forum? Yes...chase the pennies. If this is a community of thinkers and content creators...then the money and upvotes shouldn't make a difference.
It all comes down to the similarities between Steem and "real" life...haves and have nots. We can pontificate about the way it should or should not be for millennia and the outcome is the same...those with the most juice (Steem) make the rules. We either play the game or graciously bow out.
This is a soap box issue for me so please excuse the noise. Steem the Dream!
I hear you @bigskykilroy and I'll add that there are "soap boxish issues" for me, as well.
For me, this all boils down to "short term" vs. "long term" motivations... the approach and strategy to "short term rape" something for all you can... is very different from the approach to nurturing and building something for the long term. That applies regardless of whether this is an "investment forum" OR "a community of thinkers and content creators."
It boils down to a simple question: "DO YOU CARE whether this (whatever "this" may be) is still going to be here, in five years from now? And if the answer is YES, are you willing to put the lid on your own desire for short term gains to secure potential LONG term gains?"
But that's my personal perspective... when I look at myself as an investor, I work the same. I don't "day trade" I do extensive research on fundamentals, with intent of getting in on the ground level of an eBay or a Google. I don't look for stocks that "might triple in value next month." To me, that's not investing, that's playing the lottery. But that's just my PERSONAL approach to life.
I used to "rail against the system" and found that it never accomplished anything much more than getting the "haves" to build stronger walls to keep out the "have nots." It doesn't work. As you suggest, nothing changes. So that leaves (to my view) only one other option... go inside the system and-- like termites in a wall-- tear down the systems we don't like "from within."
It is my nature to examine things with a resolution outcome filter. That resolution is with a "Solve for today and tomorrow in perpetuity" mindset. I have a thermodynamics background and longevity of functionality is paramount in my systems' engineering and analysis of end-of-life expectation. Unfortunately for others within my sphere of influence, this mindset often conflicts with the current "Just Do IT" mentality. (The double entendre was purposeful)
All that said, I believe in micro steams of income that show flexibility to societal and market fluctuations. I believe in taking responsibility for ones actions and therefore am glacially slow in my reactions to eternal stimuli. Investing for me has always been long term although I do occasionally purchase that golden lotto ticket.
Steemit, and blogging in general, is new to me as I do not have a copious amount of "free" time to devote to "journaling". I "work for a living" and invest for the future. Steemit appeared to be an interesting addiction to the micro streams and I am attempting to endeavor organically en lieu of Spam and Slam with the F4F BS I currently see when I engage with this community. Definitely not a "get rich" process and I accept with great appreciation the opportunity to be involved in a forum that encourages creative thinking and original content.
This does not, however, divert us from the topic of concerns regarding the aforementioned "Adding Value" original post. Steemit is a self-governing community that has very affluent residents that manage to absorb the Lion's Share of the rewards and in turn have become the ruling class applying the Golden Rule. Not in the Biblical sense. There are many gray areas here but the reflections of the real world are quite apparent and the mob is growing. My hope is the "flash in the pan" and "fly by night" crowd are merely passing through and we can continue to build a long term organic community for all those here for the right reasons, whatever they may be.
If you ever do those maze puzzles, do you start at the beginning or at the end and work your way back? The answer speaks volumes about an analytical mind. Thank you for your continued participation, partnership, and stewardship of our ever growing community! Steem On Brother!
Value
The issue here is there are so many different kinds of “value” to be added. Some people will view value as the amount your upvote adds to their blog. While others will see value in how many followers they have even if they spammed follow 4 follow and no one will ever see what they blog about. They then want to sell that “value” of how many people they resteem your blog too.
So I think the best way to go is to declare what I feel the value is to me. Value is creating a conversation. It's adding to others knowledge in things by exchanging thoughts and ideas on them and even debating about it. But even that is just the shallow end of things. I value friendship over money I have always and I always intend to. If talking with someone over time leads me to be friends with them then I value the time I spent gaining that friendship. I personally don’t see value as something happening just from a single interaction. Even if someone writes a really well written and educational blog if I’m not coming back for more than I must not have valued what that person had shared with me very much.
Rewards
Rewards I find often overlap with what I value. Rewards for me on this platform tend to be knowledge. Yes, the financial reward would allow me to keep spending every waking hour I have for years to come to remain on Steemit and not have to venture out and do other things for an income source. I just don’t see Steemit as the place to create a substantial income source for me and therefore It's not a focus of mine.
Reward for me using Steemit is what I can take away from it other than money. What can I learn and gain knowledge and a better understanding? Will this help make me a better and more understanding person? Can I gain a lasting friendship with people long after I stop being active on Steemit? Will I be able to have a positive impact on another person's life? Will people use Steemit to come up with ideas they can use in the real world to better enhance their own life and the community they live in? I find most rewards that are worth gaining in life take forever to earn. Sometimes a lifetime. Those really hard to earn rewards are almost always worth the investment of time, trust, and friendship to see it to the end.
"Value:" @enjar's epic comments.
"Rewards:" Very subjective... in this case, appreciation for your thoughts, and a stout upvote.
OK, so that's the quick and flip answer.
Both value and rewards strike me as pretty individual things. As you suggested, at best we can determine what those terms mean, to us.
Outside that, however, I'd like to think it would be a common thread for people to want Steemit to survive in the long run. Whether you are here for "a quick buck" or to gain from long term appreciation of the Steem you hold... it seems that the common thread most us would hold is that we'd still like to be DOING "this" in the future. I doubt there's anyone out there, "doing their thing," thinking "I hope this all goes away tomorrow!"
So-- with that as a common starting point... how do we each-- in our own way-- contribute to a common desire for there to still be a Steemit in 2025?
In a sense, that's a large part of what this post was inviting everyone to do.
One of the things I love about getting thoughtful comments on my posts is that it reminds me to go and look at someone's blog. It can get overwhelming now that I've been here for eight months, to remember to visit everyone I've met and liked along the way. Of course I can go to my home feed and randomly catch them, which I do, but still. When someone takes the time to leave a comment to me it makes them much larger and fresher in my mind.
Sorry, that was a bit off track. Incidentally I couldn't agree with everything you said in this article more. I am most definitely in it for the long term. Of course I enjoy making money on my creative effort, but for a long time I made little and I was still happy to be here. To meet like-minded individuals, to be apart of the first real global community where there truly is no borders.
And I am very conscious of what I post. I even think about my great grandchildren and beyond, imagine them checking out my blog to learn who I was. I would love it if I had the same option, that to me would be fascinating.
I have no doubt about what I'd want as an investor. And a sea of shit posts is not it.
Love what you have to say :)
Thanks @dreemit for your thoughtful reply!
I get it, about "visiting everyone." Even though we both follow far fewer people than follow us... it's at times a daunting endeavor. I'm "in process" of setting up a series of bookmark folders that hopefully will enable me to keep up more readily... that said, publishing my own posts AND writing meaningful comments on 200+ posts a day sounds more like a full-time job than a "pastime" to me.
I finally... after about five months or so (been here about 6 1/2 months in total) came to define the rewards as "a nice fringe benefit" for publishing blog posts. I've published thousands of blog posts in the course of 25-odd years online, most of them without a penny... some earning me a glorious 25 cents in Google Adsense revenue; a tiny handful earning "real" money; my point here being that having any EXPECTATIONS of rewards leads to disappointment... and, frankly, means "I'm doing it wrong."
Sorry, that was my sideways ramble.
Bottom line is that I really like the Steemit community, and I like the quality of content and the level of engagement and intelligence I encounter here. To which end I find myself invested not in earning rewards so much as in the process of helping to ensure there will still be a thriving community here for us, next year, and in 2020, and in 2025. Absolutely, I enjoy being compensated for writing... but that's a consequence of contributing, not a front-loaded expectation.
And that, right there, sums up why I approach Steemit the way I do. How do I make this venue attractive to MYSELF, as an investor.
Pretty simple. And really... quite selfish, too. In a way...
Great post @denmarkguy - I have always acted in a way that promotes Steemit for the future.
I introduced a few intelligent people to Steemit about a month or two ago, telling them of the 'success' I have had here. They checked it out and the next day came back to me with some concerns. Namely that they saw a few posts that had earned hundreds, expected them to be great articles, and saw that they weren't.
This one act of a 'shit post' being on the trending page made them stay away and not make an account.
Other concerns were similar, that it was popularity and not content that was rewarded. Something that many intelligent people are introverts and enjoy content that makes them think and a few close, natural relationships instead of extrovert type content and superficial relationships.
I tried to tell them that a combination of both good content and social interaction would bring rewards in time, but they just saw the popularity winning.
These are just a few of my observations.
I will continue to create content that is mostly 'timeless' - in that it still is relevant in the future instead of throw away posts.
And a great response @getonthetrain-- thanks!
I have encountered similar concerns/objections when trying to get friends who are long-time content creators and bloggers to set up a presence here. So, each of the four people I have persuaded to create accounts only did so to comment on mycontent... but never did anything on their own.
Elsewhere, I was recently in discussion over the issue of shitposting and rewards... and I am sure I could make lots of short "how to use Steemit" nuggets and earn $50-100 per each; but I am just not ready to sell my sense of integrity for rewards. So I will continue to post the best I can for the long run... and encourage others to do so, as well... perhaps in the vain hope that it will add up to enough quality content to at least balance out the crap, if not gradually drown it out.
As for popularity... well, this IS a branch of "social media." Which means you pretty much HAVE to shout from the (virtual) rooftops and interact and engage. Even when (as here-- check some of the other comments on this post) many of the responses have more real "content" than many posts on Steemit.
I love this! So many people come on here to "get rich quick". And It just doesn't work that way. People need to think about the long term and I love your forest analogy on that.
It only takes 7 days to realize this is not a "get rich quick" community. 😎
It's definitely not a get rich quick scheme @kaylinart... although these days we are probably being "saved" in part by the fact that the process of getting from post to cash is lengthy and complicated. These same people who are here for "get rich quick" would be totally draining this place if you could just go straight from rewards to PayPal, for example... they'd be cashing out every time they hit a dollar. Or fifty cents.
bots don't add value.
bot's don't curate.
if people are concerned about the future of Steem they will not use Bots.
same goes for flaggin only more so.
I smell hypocrisy.
The only bots should be administrative/informative.... like cheetah (plagiarism), twitterbot (information) and so on.
Bots have zero intelligence, which makes them dumb... but we've been over that before.
centralization vs decentralized.
master?
I am in favor of a fair upvote distribution - of course!
But, in relation to quality content:
Facebook, twitter, instagram and many other social media platforms are thriving on short status updats, cat pictures and thumbs up (in addition to some qualitive content as well). People also enjoy short posts and easy interaction instead of long posts. I belive Steemit will have to accomodate those needs in order to grow bigger than some of the platforms we compare ourselves to...
We need to be the ideal choise for both long and short formats.
@ronni
I agree with that @ronni... "quality content" doesn't necessarily mean "long." A short post, a photo, a clever political cartoon-- these can all add value.
Authentic dialogue on content-- on different content-- adds value. Engagement adds value.
Someone relentlessly posting "nice, please follow me and upvote my latest post" over and over and OVER again adds nothing (expect for a little "dust" to the blockchain) but DOES have the potential to drive out better content, if allowed to go unaddressed. In a sense... it's almost like a variation on Gresham's Law (bad money replaces good)... in this case, we allow the "lowest common denominator" to dominate.
Hi @denmarkguy, I just stopped back to let you know your post was one of my favourite reads and I included it in my Steemit Ramble. You can read what I wrote about your post here.
Appreciate the inclusion @shadowspub... always an honor to be part of the "Steemit Ramble."
P.S.: Glad to see you're still doing that!
nice
Thanks