RE: My story about Steemit for GQ Australia: "Cryptocurrency Conference Steemfest Proves Bitcoin Isn't Dead Yet", March 2018
I read the story on GQ - found it via steemit on twitter. While there was some good things about it, (rather controversially I appreciate your observations regarding the cult-like feel of the event), it was also pretty flat in other important aspects.
I'm not sure a reader would have gotten an idea of what it's like to be a part of the steemit community. What can you get from the story? The interface is clunky, you've made $1900, and people using steemit don't need to know how cryptocurrency works. Where's the drama? Where's the hook?
I get that a lot of people think that the first rule of steemit is to never say anything bad about steemit, especially where non-steemians might see it. But this didn't say anything of substance about either the good or the bad of the steem ecosystem.
No discussion of the great communities or fantastic people, as well as the relative lack of trolling and full-blown culture-wars. No mention of the fact that most of what is on the trending page is only there because of paid up-voting, or the general plutocratic concentration of power in the form of SP. This is the first post that I've seen anywhere near the top of trending for ages that got there without the use of bidbots (and that's mainly because of the $180 from @blocktrades). You didn't think that any of this, good or bad, was worth reporting?
That said, I get that you've got to write what GQ wants to publish - not everything that's worth writing is what a publication wants to run.
I agree.
There's a ton of collaboration, and art projects, community projects, and comedy groups, and foodies and gardeners and don't forget all the contests! ...basically "doers" working together that lend to the community feel. I think it was touched on by the author just a tad when Ned was quoted as saying that steemit (and the possibility of earning steem) brought out the 'collaboration" of its users. But it was sort of buried.
On the other hand, press is good! Andrew McMillen has written twice now about steem and steemit, and I think it's great that he's covering the crypto scene/steem and bringing it to 'the masses" if you will.
But as many of us already know....People come for the steem, stay for the experience. ;0)
i would like to bring you witness to my w/(h) ea L/L (t/h) D https://steemit.com/g0fig/@xubrnt/ned-steemit
Thanks for this thoughtful response, all very fair.
As you've identified, this was written for a general (men's magazine) audience, and largely about the event rather than the platform.
I wrote about Steemit for more of a tech-oriented audience last year, which may satisfy some of your critiques. Here: https://www.wired.com/story/the-social-network-doling-out-millions-in-ephemeral-money/
i would like to bring you witness to my w/(h) ea L/L (t/h) D https://steemit.com/g0fig/@xubrnt/ned-steemit
Don't randomly spam people, unless you want to get downvoted further.
i am not randomly spamming, you are, without sound presence to return debt ass t a r e a.d.