Upon spending a few days on Steemit most newbies realise that there posts are automatically upvoted by themselves when they are posted, and furthermore you have the ability to upvote your own content. Surely you should be doing this right?! More upvotes = more money… Let's look at this in a bit more detail.
Upvoting posts
First lets talk about whether you should be upvoting your own post. Upon reading through some of the threads here on Steemit the general consensus is yes you should be. Lets first think of the minnow upvoting their own content - their vote is worth so little it actually doesn't make much difference at all. I think you would be better using your upvotes to upvote content that you really enjoyed and could relate to. The reason for this is twofold - first you might earn some curation rewards, and secondly you gain more ability to create new relationships on Steem as people become aware you are invested and interested in what they are posting.
You can actually go to Steemdollar and find out how much your upvote is worth… mine is worth $0.00014! As you can see that won't make any difference to whether my posts get noticed at all. I guess it is nice to see your post have any upvote as soon as it is published though :)
However as your vote actually becomes worth something I thin then it is better to upvote your own posts. Why? Because people on Steemit are drawn to what makes money. If your upvote is worth say $1 even people are more likely to look at your content.
Upvoting comments
Now let's talk about upvoting your own comments. In this case, I make a strong argument for not upvoting your comments no matter how much your upvote is worth. Similarly to the argument above, minnows upvotes are so insignificant you won't make any money upvoting your own content so your better to upvote content you think is valuable and can relate to (again you might even earn some curation rewards).
However as your votes start to be worth something wouldn't you just upvote your own comments - it's like printing money right?! Well yes on the surface it is but if you look at the bigger picture I don't think its the best idea for building and engaging your audience. Firstly the comments are for discussion about the post and if you upvote your own comment it will automatically move up towards the top (trending) depending on how much your upvote is worth - which as a consequence pushes down others comments who might add to the conversation. I think those upvotes could be shared among those commenting who you feel offer the best opinions or new thoughts about your topic as this will bring them to others attention. Upvoting (showing the love) comments on your posts from others is like showing your reader that you appreciate them reading and showing that you value their opinion. I believe by doing this they will be more likely to be engaged in your content in the future and become a loyal follower.
It also shares around some of the reward pool abit more and encourages minnows to strive to create engaging content and comments as they will be rewarded for it. Otherwise what will happen is the rich will get richer and the minnows will continue to struggle - take it from me it ain't easy getting started on this platform!
So in the short run I think upvoting your own comments will definitely generate your $ account more money but in the long run being more strategic with these votes can help to build your trust and reputation and lead to a more loyal following.
One last thing - what if you want to draw your attention to a particular point, for instance if you're running a competition and its about to finish? Isn't upvoting your comment the best way to do this? YES. I propose and hope that Steemit offer some type of pinned comment service in the future (Like Facebook where you can pin a post to the top of your page) so that if you need to get others attention you can get it that way rather than having to upvote your own post.
This post is just my personal opinion and I welcome any discussion on the topic!
All pictures downloaded from royalty free sources.
Remember to upvote, follow and RESTEEM if you found this article valuable.
Very helpful post for us minnows. Thanks. I will upvote hope it helps.
Thanks for reading and glad its helpful
Good post @conradt
I am also new to steemit and have been experimenting with upvotes etc.
But like you, I would like to see a true community grow here where people engage around ideas and not chase quick bucks.
Thanks for engaging and posting! Upvoted!!
Thanks! Yeah im here for the long term too. It isnt a get rich quick scheme ! Thanks for reading
Thank you for that information sir @conradt now i know and i will do it on my next posting.
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Thanks!!
Thanks for this. Very helpful for the guys just starting out. Thanks for posting!
Glad it helped
This is interesting stuff......thanks for turning me on to Steem Dollar Ticker...I didn't know about it. I'd be interested in your opinion about using voting bots to self promote ones content. There is a big controversy about this, but I'm thinking if you are willing to invest in yourself to move your post up the list for a short time, so at least a few people may have a chance to see it, then why not? I don't think anyone ever looks at the promoted tab.....they look at the dollar amount of a post to determine its worthiness.
Its definitely handy to know how much (or little) your upvotes are worth. I agree about the upvote bots i use them sparingly. They arent used to make profit but as you said can move your post temporarily to the 'hot' page where more people will see it 🖒
👍
Thanks for this information, it's really helpful and honestly I'm so interested in meeting friends here and getting more ideas
These are actually really good points. I've been upvoting my own stuff but you've convinced me to stop. I didn't realize until I just looked at steemdollar how little my vote is worth. :/
Thanks! Yeah its a bit sad realising how little influence us minnows really have 😢
The odd thing is that I've seen different numbers on how much my upvote is worth on other sites (Steemfollower in particular). I seem to recall that according to there, 15 SP will get you like 0.0035ish. Do you think they're using different calculations?
I have no idea most probably tho - Ill have to look into Steemfollower im not familiar with them. Thanks!
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This post surely deserves an upvote 😃
Haha thank you :)
Very helpful post for us minnows. Thanks. I will upvote hope it helps.
Great post @conradt. You have a clear understanding of what is and isn't good for this community and its users when it comes to upvoting.