New competition is in town, here I said it. Many people don’t like competition, some people fear it, some people get motivated by it, and some people see it as an opportunity that helps them step up to the next level.
Personally, I get the same emotional reflex from new competition than I get from any change of weather, it doesn’t really faze me that much. Long time ago I’ve learned to open a new folder in my brain containing all the elements that I can’t control, and the emergence of new competition certainly qualifies for that folder.
And the reason I do that is because I think that the worst thing you possibly can do is to let your fear-based reactions make your decisions for you.
Although to be totally honest with you, I’d be an idiot if I told you to completely ignore competition and act as if doesn’t don’t exist.
Sometimes it’s well worth your attention because it may show you something you’ve missed, it may remind of why you do what you do in the first place, and depending on the competition, it can even help you improve and advance.
A few months ago a new disruptive technology came to the world. It allowed all sorts content creators to make some income doing what they love, all while bypassing the restrictive censorship of armies of gate keepers around the world. And since you’re reading this, then you’re probably using it too.
But here’s the thing, when what you do is truly amazing, you can’t really expect that no one else is going to try to replicate it. In fact, the strange thing would be that if no one was ever going to attempt to create “the new steemit”.
After all, competition is a part of life, and it’s almost here so maybe it’s time we talked about it.
Dancing with Mr. Ying and Miss Yang
On the positive side, competition can make us stronger and more connected. All those small debates and unnecessary dramas would suddenly take a back seat to more important matters.
It can motivate us to up our game and take it to the next level. It can encourage us to keep improving so we don’t get too comfortable. It can help us realize what we have, and not take it for granted.
But there's another way to approach competition, the Yang way, where you can go to that room where you archive all those things that you can’t control, head towards the door and kick it wide open. Just sit there and let fear invade you.
I know this sounds crazy, but believe it or not, the second most common thing people do in face of competition is to fear it and let them rush into making unnecessary decisions. Now, I don’t know about you but to me panic doesn’t precisely strike me as a solid strategy.
However, I do understand why some people might experience some concerns. "Look, there’s a new competition, they have a brand new website, their logo looks so professionally made, their name is so catchy. Hell, they even have shiny shoes…"
From that point on, it will be just a matter of time until this question starts circling around: What if people start pouring there?
I hate to break it to you, but these things can and will probably happen.
A few steemians will move there and that’s ok. In fact, that’s very understandable, they will have their reasons. Maybe they go on their own, or maybe they will have an offer to join.
So when that happens, there are two things that you can do:
You can worry that people are migrating elsewhere, or you can remember the “secret”: That they will never stop making people.
Plus, if that if the goal is expansion, then it’s a comfort knowing that the journey hasn’t changed and that we’re still on the same course.
Destination Moon
That are enough potential users in the planet for everyone, they will never stop making people, remember?
Plus, if the dream was grow and reach hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people, then nothing has really changed in the grand scheme of things. right?
Maybe a few will leave and it’s ok, maybe they’ll come back quickly afterwards, maybe they won’t or maybe this is a good opportunity to remember:
That moon we all talked about, our moon, is still the goal.
Picture dedicated to @smooth. Thank you for the logo advice!
A View from the Future
So in the future if you read some open letters from some prominent writers explaining why they moved away to the competition, so maybe we don't need to give these things more importance than they deserve.
Sometimes diversification is a smart move, sometimes people need to look for what’s best for them, and sometimes they look for whatever they perceive as such. Whatever the case may be, it’s still their choice and they are free to change their minds.
And yes, we will probably read a few editorial posts about “Why I left steemit for X” and maybe a little worry might circle your train of thought.
Maybe their reasons are totally valid, or maybe they’re unconsciously making up a story with which they can justify it to themselves. So all of the sudden every small problem is magnified and the grass on the other side looks greener. It happens.
Either way, it’s not our place to judge them.
And yes, the preachers of doom will jump at the opportunity to parade their psychic abilities, See? People are leaving steemit already. I told you!, but when that happens please remember that we’re talking about people who never let a good crisis go to waste. So whatever they say should probably be taken with a fine pure grain of Himalayan salt.
These are things that we can’t control, here’s what we can do.
We can step up, we can up our game, we can show them what this platform has already proved, we can remember why we joined and that maybe, just maybe show them that we are still fighting for that fucking moon.
Because let’s not forget, steem is third behind Bitcoin and Ether.
And just as Bitcoin had so many new competing coins that were going to completely erase it from the map, we’ll probably hear the same song again.
There will be many death predictions too. Bitcoin had about a hundred of them, so don't be surprised when that happens.
But what if I’m wrong and the competition is very strong?
Well then we learn to compete better. Competition is a part of life, and it can make you better if you know how to approach it. In fact, I wrote about the subject in the past.
So this goes for those of us who experienced the life changing abilities of this platform, and especially for those who are crazy enough to still believe in the same dream that we are at the beginning stages of a beautiful game changer. For those who still have the same passion about disruptiveness as in the first day, here’s something that we can do:
We Can Bet on Our Strengths
We can focus on what steemit has achieved already and introduce it to the world. How many people have made some good income already? How many projects has steemit helped? How many it has brought in to life? How many relationships have been forged?
So maybe you’re a filmmaker looking for a good story, maybe you can make a documentary about the lives that steemit has changed and its future effects on society, maybe the rest of us can help you.
Maybe I should listen to my own words and lead by example. Maybe I should carve out some time and finally launch my very own book that was born out of pure steem.
Or maybe we shouldn’t have to do anything at all. Maybe we shouldn’t have to step up our game just yet, and ignore any competition.
I’m not quite sure.
Whatever the case may be, I just want you to know that if you’re here for the long run, than you should know that more competition will come, and when that happens don’t listen to the alarming voices and trust your own judgement.
I want you to know that it’s not the end, that this is the beginning and that I hope that you’re still enjoying this beautifully game changing ride and not planning to give up your seat just yet.
I would not call hype and speculation competition, another platform has to actively prove itself with functionality and users who love using the platform, before earning the right to be called competition. Ignore is the right way to go until that happens, and I say that is a very long ways off from now. As time passes and steemit has the head start, the competition could look something like bitcoin vs dash.. in other words, no competition
You might be right. As I said towards the end, I'm not quite sure.
And you're right that the other ones have to prove the functionality, that's why I suggested those ideas towards the end, bet on our strength.
Thanks btw!
What? I just bought dash. AAAARRGH ;0)
Dash is good for long term holding, so nothing wrong with buying dash for that reason
Dash is good stuff.
Then I shan't panic sell :)
Inspirational. Competition separates the wheat from the chaff, the quality from the fodder. Let's keep upping our game and make Steemit a success.
Thanks. Take care. Peace.
Absolutely! Take care too @krnel! All the best!
молодец
Thank you!
Another excellent article. Congrats.
By the way - I must ask :) - do you have any particular competition in mind or is this post aimed at any competition that comes Steemit's way?
Because I've just signed up into a site that looks like it could (hypothetically) be a competition. And it's not what everybody is talking about.
Thank you again @ervin-lemark! I'm glad these posts have some use :)
I started writing this post to address Synereo, but then somewhere along the way, I realized that it doesn't matter and that more competition will come.
And that competition is not to be feared, it can even be used, or learned from..etc.
Basically, trying to take the taboo out of competition :)
True about the taboo thing. Sound competition is ... well, sound :)
Haha true :)
My son said that Yours is going to have a similar pay for posting arrangement too.
I'm afraid I didn't understand what you mean? :P
Yep! Competition leads to innovation, it sharpens our ideas and helps us make new connections.
I won't quit either, certainly not. Even if I don't have the rewards that lots of people are raking here, I will still continue to share my ideas, who knows someday I will be blessed with that rewards.
Yeah who knows? As @heiditravels once said, the darkest hour is juts before dawn :)
I wish you good luck anyways!!
Bring on Synereo for all we know it might be a great compliment to Steemit. What I see here is a blogging platform like wordpress, blogger and medium. Now we need a true social media platform for micro content.
I agree. I love Steemit for what it is but in its current form it's not a Facebook competitor. And that's a good thing.
That's true @stephen-sommers. It's not a Facebook competitor, it took some great part from FB, Medium and Reddit and added a differential touch!
That's exactly how I see it Randy, that it should be taken as a compliment!
I love New Beginnings
Me too! :)
I am Here
I am not a good
Keep up with the flock, herd right now
I am still learning,
I choose to finish What I started
Now come the Steem Maximists!
Competition will make everyone better.
That's how it usually goes down! :)
It's funny you bring up the moon in this post actually, because the only reason man ever stepped onto the moon was because of...competition. :)
I believe healthy competition to be a good thing. Bring it on.
Haha good catch! I totally agree healthy competition only makes us better!
As long as Steemit continues to be about the content... rewarding good content monetarily, it will have a place!
My only fear is that at some point FB will offer to pay it's users for content. At that point Steemit's only claim to fame will be the fact it doesn't censor it's users...
Somebody correct me on this, but I don't think that would be a factor. FB have a billion people, they will lose doing so. Mainly because they deal in fiat and they have no currency that can be mind.
In this regard, I don't think this is a concern.
That being said, there will be competition, and maybe we should all step up. But as I mentioned on the article, Bitcoin also had several coins that supposedly were going to erase it from the map. So I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it :)
They will create some kind of FB coin that can be exchanged for BTC or something of the sort...
I don't think FB is into cryptos, but if that happens the world would totally abandon the current banking system! So show me where to sign :)
Plus, there will never stop making people so.. Can't be afraid of someone stealing your costumers, just make new ones :)
They can be into anything they want... They are a $350B dollar company, with lots of cash.
I did think of a way that we could work with some of our competition instead of against it. If you have time to check it out, I'd be curious about your thoughts. (link)
I will check it out and tell you what I think there :)
Cool, thanks :)
Bring on the competition
That's the good mentality!
yessir!!
Competition is a good thing. It encourages development and prevents complacency.
It is not a reason for fear as you describe in the post.
Indeed having no competition at all can lead to problems such as stagnation and a lack of new ideas. Why improve if you are the only game in town?
I'm not saying that would have happened to Steemit necessarily but we have all seen companies that seem to lose their minds and their way when they don't have anyone to compete against them.
Both the company and it's customers lose out in the end when that happens.
I know, plus you can't really expect that you will never have competition. Better use of time is accept it as a part of life and use it in a way that you can prosper:)
Some people want to ban it all together and that's very dangerous in my opinion, for the same reasons you just described.
Competition makes us better if we want to progress. Nothing worth having comes without speed bumps.
That's absolutely true!
nice one!
Thank you @allmonitors!
I LOVE COMPETITION… Im the kind that thrives on it! From my early days of playing baseball and hockey -- I always had my best games, playing against the best… Each and every one of us has that competitive streak somewhere inside… Sometimes it takes those, so-called, 'negative' emotions or feelings, as some like to refer to them - fear, anger, sadness -- just to name a few -- to churn-up that thing you have buried inside, to push you towards accomplishments you never thought imaginable! They are roadmaps to greatness if you embrace them… I can see from this post and the comments, I am not the only person that feels this way.., so let us take this 'new competition' as an opportunity and meet it head on. Cheers @the-alien and Cheers to all of here on Steemit for creating a community we can be proud of.., and will continue to thrive!!!
Fantastic comment thank you!! Yeah, I know what you mean, I'll take the 'negative emotion' of failure anytime over constantly being afraid that a new competition could do the same thing I'm doing.
And I sure hope we continue to thrive! :)
Having been in numerous competitive situations with business, play, and so on, you really do just have to roll with it. So far, I'm happy with Steemit and I'm willing to stick it out and give it a chance. I don't have a lot of time to begin with as I'm writing mostly.
It's true, you can stop it from happening :) Good luck with the writing by the way!
Yo alien! Another fantastic post. Embrace competition! It makes us look more closely at ourselves, in a good way.
Haha I'm loving the "YOs" lately :) And I totally agree, it makes us look closely at ourselves.
Very nice article. Really relays the point that this is a community.
Thank you! Glad you like it :) And yeah, I think we have a great community here.
nice post interesting
Thank you @crowtactic21!
Awesome Post.
It must have taken quite a while to write.
It's a good model for others (like myself) to follow.
Thanks @everittmickey! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thought-provoking post. Thank you.
Thank you Michelle! I'm happy you liked it :)
unless you are in dev team (and even then), users shouldn't view another platform as competition but opportunity... stop being childish, this isn't a football game... more over you can be part of both team
Why do people comment without reading posts? Again, competition is good and not to be feared. If you want me to resume the post in one sentence: Do not fear competition, it's a part of life.
Done, there you go and have a good day.
sorry still not see where there is any competition for you as a user.
I don't feel like competing when I post something to instagram or facebook.
however people of instagram/facebook might feel (and are) in competition.
This is a matter of perspective, and competition isn't your perspective (or our perspective)
If there is an appeal to post on the synereo platform, I will without any hesitation like anyone (and won't feel guilty about it...) that was just my point.
As they say, "If you sit by the river long enough, you'll see the body of your enemy float by".
Haha I never heard that :) Thanks for the insightful proverb!
excellent writing @the-alien
Thank you @tito-baron!
Nice article. But your bitcoin analogy doesn't hold according to me.
You're right, but for other reasons, it wasn't an analogy. :)
Wasn't comparing Bitcoin with steemit, was saying that there will be new platform and some haters will say that steemit will be wiped out of the map. And the usual prelude to an apocalypse scenario that every succesful business faces. Not just in cryptos.
So yeah, the text actually really reads what is written, there was no reading between the lines, and I never compared steemit with Bitcoin, because it's a different thing.
Anyways, hope you have a great day man and all the best!
Thank you for the feedback btw, it makes me pay more attention to how I phrase things more accurately :)
Nice Article, i like the effort you put in this one! Upvote and follow !
Thank you @elyaque :)
We can't let this become "democrats" vs "republicans" not everyone will agree as to what makes the best platform. The first shot in a war has been fired, that is all. Just as Myspace led to Facebook, so too, Steemit will likely lead to its successor. Will you be about the team to the exclusion of the solution? The solution is this: we are taking social media and turning it into an anarchist endeavor, not a centralized profit engine for giant corporations. The more the merrier. If someone else can supply me with what I need better than steem, why wouldn't I choose that solution? Competition is what makes free markets strong. To even consider it as a bad thing is to miss the entire point of steem to begin with.
That was nowhere the intention, and you will never see any kinds of "Us VS Them" from me :)
See, I had to slaughter and skin and destroy the flow of the text, just to throw away countless repetitions such as "It's ok", "it's their right", "there is enough people in the planet". "they will never stop making people" all of that so that people don't perceive it as "Dems vs Reps". or whatever.
But I guess that's what people are used to in the media, and maybe that's what people want to see.
Plus, I never considered competition as bad. :) Haha I don't know where you got that, but isn't there.
Everybody knows I'm a free market guy, I agree with you btw, I just think you've read the wrong post ;)
Well, you are assuming that I disagreed with something you said. I'm simply stating a fact, if we choose steem to the exclusion of better options, we will be guilty of stunting the growth of a new idea.
You're right, sorry! I'm miss-understood. I have been plagued with people who want bring me in their class-war here on steemit, minnows versus whales. And I'm tired of us VS them.
I saw Dems vs Reps and I thought that you thought that was what I was advocating. So that's where I made a mistake.
Sorry again, sometimes trolls can bring down your defenses sometimes. :)
No blood, no foul. I think it's silly to be afraid of these other platforms, at all, really, but especially before they even launch. LOL But, if one of them will pay me better for my silly stories, so be it! I can shape minds anywhere.
Nothing wrong with bit of competition to spice things up. What happens if I take the Red Pill and Blue Pill ?
Then you would be facing reality while having an erection ;)
SYNEREO IS NOT COMPETITION! It's just idle heresay
YOURS IS NOT COMPETITION! It's just a signup for a mailing list! Once/if it launches it will be bound to the micropayment-unfriendly bitcoin blockchain!
Bullshit hype and idle talk will never be competition for functioning code and an awesome community Dislike the hell out of your post man.
OMG, 23 paragraphs of feelings & memes & you do not ONCE mention who this competitor is... If steemit articles are going to be 100% feelings, pats-on-the-back & feel-good memes, maybe the competition is worth a gander :)
nice post
nice
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Nothing personal against you but I'm flagging your "." comment spam.
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This could be considered comment spam. It could be flagged.
Thank You! ☙