Steemit: Business or Pleasure?
I recently had a very interesting conversation with a fellow Steemian about the purpose of Steemit - is it all about the bloggers or is it a growing business place?
Steemit as a blog
Besides the fact that Steemit is based on the Blockchain and all, let's face it - it did start like a platform of personal/individual blogs. Yes, crypto was involved from the start, but most people posting, especially the first months of its existence didn't really know what they were doing and after that there were a lot of bloggers already -from other platforms- joining Steemit. This is how we promote it, this is how we define it - 'Come blog on Steemit'. So yeah, basically Steemit still is a multi-blog, hosting hundreds of bloggers. The question here though is...
Is it that bad? -besides......when we're on our pages, it does say 'My Blog' there...
Steemit as a business
It would be very interesting to see what would happen if we 'transformed' Steemit from a blog/blockchain platform to a business/blockchain platform. Probably everyone would benefit from it, but is that what we really want for it? Just profit profit profit? Quality content but with different goals? In other words...
Do we want to kick bloggers out?
Bloggers on Steemit
Same way as in many many other platforms, there are good bloggers and bad bloggers. Bad bloggers are hitting the quality of contents in any case, in any platform and in any way. But good bloggers are a plus for any platform, not a problem, not a 'slowing down' process. And I say this because I am a blogger myself.
As a photographer when I first started on Steemit together with @creutzy who introduced me, this is what I was doing, almost exclusively - blogging about Photography. He still does, but I did expand my interests a bit, which is good, but not mandatory if you ask me. Our friend @sebi99p writes about gaming and space - he blogs, and he is an amazing blogger, does that mean that if he's not a businessman he doesn't belong?
Steemit for fun
I understand the view of making Steemit worth more, of it being different than other social media or crypto platforms and I definitely applaud that - let's don't forget that I'm the one that almost a year didn't know anything about Steemit or crypto and now I'm a trader, a meet up organizer (@copensteem), a mentor and a team leader (@steemsugars) with ultimate goal to bring more people -ladies in particular- here and make Steemit a better place. But do I see it as a business...?
...maybe not (?)
Steemit as a money machine
As I said in the past, I didn't get on Steemit for the money, I didn't stay for the money and I'm not willing to ever make money more important than they have to be. I mean, it is a super pleasant side effect, but I don't think it should be taken as a given for joining. I joined for the blogging, the interaction, the communities, certainly not for the money. And we're not talking about today's situation in crypto -which a total bloodbath-, we're talking generally, and about long-term plans.
One of my favorite Rohn's quotes here, about money... Source: Google
As I said plenty of times before, Steemit is my happy place and I'm not sure I want to see it being taken over by businessmen making it a corporate machine - that wasn't the deal when I joined. Of course, the creation of more communities while helping people through them [with charities for example] is a completely plausible and interesting thing to do.
I firmly believe that if businessmen would take over Steemit then it would become an 'elite' platform, not accessible to everyone - which, if you ask me, I don't think it's fair to the people investing in it from the very start. I mean, I get investors looking forward into the future, and I understand that it would be nice to have ONLY quality content on Steemit, but let's face it:
The bigger Steemit gets, the more like other social media it will be - eventually.
I have no idea what the developpers think about all this [@sneak?] and what was their very initial idea when they created this platform, but I'm sure that whatever the initial purpose was, the more people joining the more it swifts to other objectives.
There are new things coming out every single day - new services, new websites linked to Steemit, new people - different people, the platform is evolving and no one can stop this...but we need to ask ourselves at this point...
Where do we all want to see it go eventually?
Some food for thought... And as I always say... don't forget to smile ;)
MeanMommy
Yours
All photos are mine, as always...'cause well, deep down, I'm still a photography blogger after all...
I think it is both. I do not want to be exclusive. :)
This is an excellent platform for bloggers and by being one it gives us an opportunity to make some money of our joy; writing. When I first came here it was because of that. If I write and enjoy doing it, why not do it somewhere where I can have a financial benefit from it. This is not my main goal. It is still raising the number of my readers and engaging with other people who write quality content but the money part is a great bonus.
I have come to realize that there are two kinds of people here on steemit. The first part wants money and sees people as a benefit and the second one wants people and sees money as a benefit. I am a part of a second group :) OF course, I get pissed off sometimes, like every other person, when I see steemit being used in a wrong way, but I just remind my self that there are humans here. Where there are humans, there will always be human behaviour :D We just have to learn to live with that and work on improving the system. I see the glass half full 💚
I keep saying that, I know, but we do need to talk us two ahahahaha !!!
I'll DM you at some point and elaborate ;)
My main concern is that there are business people out there who want to limit bloggers - which, if you ask me, is not right. I mean, bloggers kicked off this place to start with, how can it be without them?!?!
I don't completely agree with the distinction though. There are also people who see ALL benefits and just enjoy being here [like me] I want it all, and I want it now - people, money, business, relationships, blogging, fame!! :D That's why I often say that 'Steemit is my happy place'...because to me, as far as it goes to Social Media...it has it all!!! [for me,personally,at least!]
This is the future of social media and there is nothing that those "business people" can do to stop it :D How could they limit bloggers anyway? Quality is important and bloggers bring it 💚
I hear ya girl !!!! <3 :*
Agreed, we want more people to see our stuff, articles, photos, GIFs, videos, links, etc. So that is one of the three things I like to do. First, I try to get more people to see my stuff. Second, I try save my stuff. Third, I try to make money too. I think I will make a post about these three things. Each day, I ask myself if I am doing those three things.
You should haha, sounds like a very solid post idea !!! And I bet everyone in here can relate!
Great food for thought post I am pretty much focusing more on the having fun and interacting side fir the moment
But when I retire from my day job I may focus on a more balanced approach
Sounds very normal and healthy to me! :D
Missed you !!! Will catch up soon [I already did a bit ;) ]
I have been a bit behind also trying to catch up
Both, I start blogging about my drawing, and thanks to steemit community I got a lot of new knowledges about how to draw better than before, besides I can make money from my amateur drawing. 😅
Sounds good to me! ;)))
I draw too. Great.
Really? I'll visit your page 😊
Well I think steemit can be used in several ways and it should remain like that.
I mean, people that join for the fun are free to do that, the same happens with people that join for the money and of course, there must be people that join for both.
Now, when you say businessmen taking over what do you mean?
Because the only attitude I have seen towards only caring about money is the bid bot trend, which is not good for the platform in my opinion.
I totally agree with you. It should remain this way. Why does it have to be one thing anyway???
I mean, making it an entreprise instead, not by bots, but by putting outsiders to invest...People who support that would say that it's good in a sense that more money will start circulating - I'm not that sure...
Well, I think if outsiders want to invest they are good for everyone, I think the development of steem is clearly defined already and it won't be modified by any future investor.
I remember reading that @ned want's business owners to use the steem blockchain to handle several aspects of their business, that would certainly be good for the platform and it should not affect in any way the blogging nor the community aspect.
That's how some people see it [I'm still balancing about it] - that outsiders wanting to invest add value to the platform. But do they really? When it's not 'their' content and someone else write it for them, how do they add value? Money - that's what they add, not really value now isn't?
And I do believe that steem's development can certainly be modified by future investors! It all depends on the amount of money they invest!!
Yep, a fellow Steemian mentioned that, but what @ned probably didn't think of is the people who want the bloggers out...
I love business. I love capitalism. I love competition where some people make a lot of money and some a little bit of money, and it is a game where not everybody wins, and that drives the competition, the innovation, the adventure, and we can play the game for many reasons and in many ways, for money and/or fun and/or sharing and/or blogging and/or anything and everything and all of that works together maybe like a free market maybe to some extent or in some ways and I love that. I want people to be able to compete in ideas, in making money, in blogging, in having fun, in everything, and let the best ideas rise to the top. Yeah, we may not always like bigger whales, but millions of little Fish Steemians can maybe sometimes outvote bigger Whales on Steemit maybe now or maybe someday. I said million even as there are not even a million people on Steemit yet but I am thinking in the future there will be. And there will be a billion people on Steemit probably before 2025. It is growing. It is not going to stop like Bit Torrent.
I also love any system that respect freedom!
And you are right, minnows can together give bigger support than a single whale, especially if the price of steem increases by a lot, the minnows of today (the majority of us hehe) might end up having a valuable vote in the future.
So let's hope this platform is one of the successful!
Agreed, together, we grow and stuff. Together, we stand tall. And apart, we fall apart. And STEEM is rising.
I thought I already answered to this comment - weird! Anyway!
I'm with you, I'm just wondering/worrying that if some very powerful people wanna change the 'rules' and steemit as we know it, would/could they?
Some of the rules might be flexible or something. But the fundamentals of the blockchain is like a train track that is already predestined. In other words, the root is set in stone as far as I know, the foundation.
It is a very interesting question @meanmommy33! When I started on Steemit in June/July 2017, there were lots of interesting blogs to read and only a few spammy posts. Now, it seems that the interesting bloggers have disappeared somewhat or are at least being overrun by the spam posts, making it less of an inspiring place to be. I would like to see it back to it's former self with interesting people and discussions and beautiful inspiring artwork and photography filling up my feed. It does feel as though we are loosing this more and more as people are 'playing' the system, just to make money :(
Edit: also a lot of the poeple earning vast amounts of steem are no longer making it through posting on the platform, but by being paid in steem for another service that they are providing to businesses
Your edit is actually the most crucial part indeed...
Agreed, with everything you write - even though my point wasn't just the difference between bloggers (quality and non-quality ones), because the more we are in here the more spam/bad quality will appear, that's normal, but mostly if Steemit is going to be a business platform in the near future.... We shall see!
I didn't activate in steemit for about 2 months, and yes, I feel shock of the spam posts... as Steemit growing there are more and more people who come here only for money, it's about time steemit becomes just like FB.
I will hate to see it becoming like FB @hananan - the point is to be exactly the opposite, and better!
But it might...
You want Steemit to be like Facebook in which ways?
I didn't say I want it, I said it's gonna be just like fb if people keep posting spam post
Steemit will always grow in spam more and more as it grows.
This Steemit debate between Business and Blog reminds me of the contrast between Work and Careers. For me, I'm here for both, or for many things. But my main focus, like you said, would be Blogging, Archiving, Saving. YouTube deleted thousands of my Ojawall videos. Twitter said I was a Russian Bot. Facebook attacked me too for many years. I'm mostly on Steemit because I want my stuff to stay safe forever. In some ways, Steemit is like a career for me. I love capitalism, the law of supply and demand. I love freedoms and competition. I am here for business, too, for money, because money helps, but time is money too like you said. I think Steemit is better like that. Steemit is a market place, a printing press, a library, a store, a city, an exchange of business, ideas, diaries, videos, photos, GIFs, links, the heart of the Internet in so many ways. I'm Oatmeal.
It's like on my title 'Business or Pleasure' - you know, when they ask you why you're traveling somewhere...and most of the times I'm like 'God dammit, for BOTH!' ahahaha but there's no option 'both'...
Nothing bad to be here for money, but making Steemit an investment place only, is kind of out of my league I think - because a. I'm not reaaaally an businesswoman [even though I have been in the past] and then b. I'm not sure how I would participate to something like that... I agree with your last phrase 100% - it's not one thing, and if you ask me it should remain this way... ;)
I found Steemit through my interest in basic income. A swedish organization wrote about the Manna project and checking up on that I found Steemit. There are a lot of interesting people here as well as some that are just trying to milk the system. I think those people will eventually tire and leave. And then there will be people who sees it as a job and creates good content for pay. In my opinion it is good with a community where you can meet and interact with different kinds of people.
One of the most exciting things of Steemit is that it is a growing and evolving platform. And to keep it that way it is maybe a good idea to spend time here doing stuff that you like to do, writing about things that you are interested in and have some faith in that the passion will influence the community!
I really hope too that they'll tire and leave but I highly doubt it...
I see Steemit as a job lately - but mostly as in time invested, and less as in money earned ;)
I completely agree with you!!! Cheers to that!!!
@ned announced that one of steemit's goals is to bring entrepreneurs to the platform, so the business side is kind of sailed ship, but it's not clear how this will manifest or if its beneficial to the platform.
A little bit of math told me that if steem would reach 100$, there would be over 1200 users that are millionaires in USD with the steem they have. Most of these people will want to cash out and enjoy their earnings. At that point the will have to options, convert steem to whatever they need, or spend steem directly.
I think that the business side will be to offer services and goods directly on the platform to those willing to spend their steem. @steemromania already has a team that will promote Romania as a touristic destination, with the idea in mind of transforming this effort into a travel agency with which you can visit Romania just with steem :)
It is up to us to grow sustainable and inclusive businesses that will not mess up the platform :)
True that, I was at SteemFest when he mentioned that but the plans were -and are- still vague. Also, just that doesn't mean that bloggers have no place here. I personally think Steemit can be both - a bloggers' platform and a business platform. How it started and how it'll evolved -time will tell.
Working against spam and plagiarism, among other things here, I can tell that there's a sad pool draining phenomenon here - but I don't really think it can be stopped. At least anymore. Now, bringing businessmen that don't care the least about the platform and have other people 'working' for them giving them their 'share' I think is kinda lame.
What you guys do [and you know how much I love Romaniaaaaa :D ] is amazing and if it's that we're talking about then I'm 100% pro !!!! But actually I'm not talking about cases like this - of course what you do is plausible, completely acceptable, expected even, impressive and applauded! :D
Your last phrase says it all and I'd be glad to see it happening... ;)))
Good for Romania's tourism as they use Steemit for marketing. That is good. When some whales cash out of Steemit, then other whales can rise and take their spots. I love Steemit for many reasons. It helps bloggers, businessmen, and everyone between. Steem is rising like Bitcoin, and the Dollar is falling and will continue. That is good.
@meanmommy, great content and some good questions in here. I think wherever there is money to be made there will be exploitation. Also all of us are somewhat on steemit for the money, even if it is not solely the reason. Therefore we're all in it for the business to some extent. But i'm with you. For me it's a happy place too, a means of escape. And one of the main goals for me on this platform is supporting other small business owners. I need support. They need support. It's crucial to have a support system to grow. Great read, lady!
I totally hear ya but when I say 'business' in this case I mean outsiders businessmen who get in only for the money, as investors, and other people post for them...
But yeah, 'means of escape' YES! Same here!
And support is good in any case, but most of all when we're talking about small businesses like you say!
Naice blog i like it @meanmommy33