1 Million, Where Are They?
Steem Highs and Lows
I joined this platform towards the end of 2017, when the activities here in Steem felt insane. My ID number is 501,629. We were about half of what the total population is now.
Like most during that time, I was on hyper mode. I couldn't sleep and I was reading and commenting on posts almost non-stop. I met a lot of people and we exchanged comments like we were writing emails back and forth. Those were long comments that were worthy to be published as posts. Now, I found myself commenting fast and sometimes just upvoting without commenting. I am not saying that short comments aren't okay (spam isn't), I just noticed that I didn't have the same energy as before.
Most chat channels were busy. It was easy to join chat conversations and you wouldn't even notice how much time you've spent there. It was normal to see several people typing all at the same time, with several topics going on in one channel at the same time. It felt like a party! But now, most chat channels, whether in steem.chat or discord, are dead.
At the same time, it was difficult for posts to be seen because after publishing a post, tens of other posts buries yours. But it was fun. Everyone was here. Now, you can search the feed an entire day and you still won't find enough for curation (referring to the curation work that I do with Travelfeed). Funny though, whales some still can't seem to notice the little ones who create good content despite the lesser activities (Oh I forgot, there's auto-vote or they just don't care).
People Leaving or Just Taking a Rest?
January felt the same as February... and then I don't remember when people started to disappear one by one. Then I just got used to not seeing most people I know.
And it may be myself as well. From hyper commenting, I have gradually slowed down. There are days I just vote and don't even leave comments anymore. I can't find the motivation some days, other days I force myself to get into the habit again.
I may be feeling what this people who left before they have stopped posting. Or I'm just going back to my normal. Or maybe the excitement is gradually dying and I have to work on that motivation now.
I can go on a day without looking at Steemit. And I think that's healthier now but I'm afraid I might enjoy that too much and I might disappear too. And I don't want that to happen.
And there are other factors like disappointments and frustrations. When no one reads or support your blogs, how can you go on? Sure for some it's just a hobby but there are people who need to make use of their time on something that has a potential - maybe for their needs or for a dream.
Image by StockSnap from source under CC0 license
1 Million Users, Where Are They?
It felt crazy here when there were only half a million. I have wondered how people are going to organize posts and activities if the numbers increase. And recently, we hit 1 million users. A milestone. But where are they? I have felt this place busier when there were only half a million users. Is activity inversely proportional to the number of users?
How many of these are bot accounts? How many are fake? How many are dead and owned by users who once have so much excitement on this platform?
How many are multiple accounts owned by one person? A lot of people have noticed the in rush of followers whenever they post. People instantly get additional 12, 40 or so followers seconds after publishing a blog (who would never really follow and read their blogs).
Update: After publishing this I had another additional 38 followers or so for no reason. Something weird is going on. Hmmmm...
What's happening to this place?
User Retention
I think it's time we focus on user retention. It would be sad to hit the next million but see lesser activities or quality posts. It would be sad to see those hopeful now stop or leave one by one.
I don't really know how to do that. Having a small plankton voice have made it impossible to be heard. It can also be about setting the right expectations to newbies as what @davemccoy disccussed in this post just hours ago.
Lastly, this isn't a rant but my honest questions and observations of what's happening here. It would be great if you can comment on this post so we can have a discussion.
Hi @wanderlass. Check out this post from @arcange. Very interesting. There's less than 30,000 active authors on Steemit, down from 40,000 towards the end of 2017. I just joined Steemit about 2 weeks ago and I am wondering what's going on and if I should invest my time here. I am super new and don't have many insights but I see a lot of people complaining that payouts are dropping (which can also be seen in the stats I mentioned before). Anyone has more insights?
Thanks for sending me that post. It gave me a more realistic view in seeing those numbers. Quite concerning because there's a huge difference between activity and the number of users (considering what was given there is the number of those who posted at least one time - on the active vs registered graph).
Regarding investing your time, this will really be up to you. But you're new so I suggest you give it a try. Some get really lucky but some like me have to work harder. It does take a lot of time - posting, commenting, networking through various chat channels, etc. I had some discussions about this with different people and most have agreed that one has to have more reasons to stay here than the reward (to support a community for instance).
I also recommend you read the post by @davemccoy which is about setting the right expectations for newbies and you might get insights of some realities here https://steemit.com/steemit/@davemccoy/if-ifs-and-buts-were-candy-and-nuts
I also recommend you use the newbieresteemday tag since you're a newbie. The vote is small but it's additional exposure.
I've been here almost the entire time, and I have seen people come and go. But I actually follow and see posts by more people in my feed now, than every before. One result is, I have less time to comment. But just know that if I come upon one of your posts and I Up vote it, I Have read and enjoyed it! :)
Wow you've been here since Steemit started! Amazing! It's nice to learn this from someone who has been here longer. Thanks for giving me your far more experienced perspective. And I'm glad you enjoyed my post. Thank you! :)
do not worry, maybe as you guessed, they are busy with their work, and you know the ebb and flow of the curve of life. perhaps they are seeking enlightenment in another realm, 😁😁😁
Not really worried but I find it strange. The numbers don't reflect the human activity. That would be nice though if they are seeking enlightenment in another realm. I think I need that too 🤔
maybe the other realms they live are more fun, but do not worry, they will come back, because there will be a longing for them.
Hehehe
Hahaha the once the Steem bug bites you, it's just there. Yeah maybe they'll come back more energized. :)
I feel like I would like to share more just don't have enough time. However, I have noticed people get bored of things pretty quickly. And those that start the journey now run into the problem of spam! Many automated messages which keep piling up! Where is the human interaction? Why do we automate something that has been designed for social interaction?
I would like to see less bots and more human! Power to the nation of humanity!
I agree with you that this place is designed for that. Bots are helpful but then they have abused its use that they are now invading our world. Sigh.
Hey @wanderlass... I have been wanting to reply to this all day... I love how you express your frustration... Don't give up though, I do have a plan... I will go over it more later, but the bottom line is this place is going through a transition... And things are not what they appear... In both ways. Its not as good as some think... but its also not as bad either. You have definitely made your mark and established yourself, so I will tell you what that means in discord when you have some free time...
Its a good post and you are on my team (no matter what)... so don't feel dejected... I'm not... I'm realizing what comes next and preparing for the wonderful next phase! ;)
Now I'm curious! I'll send you a dm in discord. Thanks for the nice words as always :)
There are alot of activities taking place in other steemit platforms like dlive,steepshot and dtube. But most people the join this platform newly has not yet be well educated on how the platform works and how they can engaged with others and earn. It is a gradual process of adaptation they will get use to the platform and you will soon notice an increase in the activities here
Thanks for this input. You have a point. I may just not see them because they're on the other platforms where I'm not so active. And probably more new ones lately who haven't adapted yet. Looking forward to seeing them around :)
Hey there @wanderlass. I am guilty of this crime. Been absent for almost 2 weeks now, but I am not planning to leave Steemit. It is just like taking a vacation leave from our regular work. Yes, I've been busy in corporate world but I will be back... And I'm sure, the rest as well. At the beginning we have a lot of things running in our brain that have to be written or posted, And to be honest, it is hard to say something lately, plus the competing priorities in our life. But don't worry, everyone is just around the corner of Steemit, maybe contemplating. Keep writing girl! Don't be dismay. 👌👍
Nice to see you again @davinsh! I wouldn't say it's a crime. We all deserve to take a break from time to time. Maybe some are just like you just taking a vacation, but a longer one.
I'll keep writing. I wish you the best in your corporate world and real life. Looking forward to your posts when you're back. :)
It's funny that you mentioned the followers stats as we noticed that upon uploading our post on Friday. It went from 531 to 570 - that's an increase of 39 followers in a matter of seconds. Something really weird indeed. You can check out those 'followers' in Busy.org as you log in, there's the notification tab. We looked into a couple of them and saw no activity in all of them plus the users were added this month. Still, we're not too focused on the numbers anymore and just having fun on here. For us, it's more about powering up and we also have an eye out for our rep level, yet that could easily be pushed up with bid bots (if we wanted it). We help out in certain communities (Steemit and Discord) and engage with fellow Steemians. Yes, there have been a few that have dropped off the scene since we joined, but they have their reasons. One day, we'll slow down too, but for now we're plugging away. We have a lot to look forward to Sndbox Final Quest and potentially assisting on some projects by Steemians that we are close to.
A lot of people have reported about the in-rush of followers recently. And it's still a question and just a lot of suspicions what it might be. But you're right, it's better not to focus too much on these numbers. I'm also more concerned about my SP more than my rep. It's really where your upvote can make a difference on someone's post.
And I'm also looking forward to the next Sndbox quest! You know I had disappointments recently but thanks for reminding me about the quest where we should be focusing more soon. :)
No worries and we understand your frustrations. We have been noticing what you have stated in your post, but maybe it's us at four/five months. We're sure there's a map of emotions with Steemit depending on how long you have been here and where you're at. If anyone has done and post about that, we would love to see it and find out what would we be going through in the next 2-3 months and beyond. Hahaha, Steemit is not that generic.