I'd like to take a few minutes and go over some things that I've really begun to stick to, and which some of you might consider trying if you want this place to work in your benefit. This is also very much in line with a post that @sean-king posted yesterday.
1. First and foremost - FORGET ABOUT THE MONEY.
This part might be hard. Let's face it - that was the premise that led us all here.
If you're looking for a job, you should probably just go get a job. Steemit might not be everyone's best bet as a substitute for a good ol' fashioned, steady paying jobby-job. For some it might, but for the majority of us, don't quit that 9-5 just yet. BUT...don't let that be why you dislike Steemit, because there's a different mindset that seems to work better for it.
Here's the way I look at it:
It's Christmas.
We have the option to enjoy the experience of the whole day, have fun with friends and family, make great new memories with them, share great stories, look at funny pictures....OR...we can be whiny babies who decide we don't care about any of that stuff and just "Gimme my presents! Right now! I wanna open presents!"
Please don't be that bratty kid. I know it's tempting, but it's going to spoil Christmas for everybody.
I promise you don't want that.
I know some of you have said that you seem to get paid more when you complain about stuff, but that seems to be a rare phenomenon as far as I can tell.
2. DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT THE WHALES ARE DOING.
This is it folks. This is what we have. The platform is here, and I think we should embrace it and do what we can with it by creating a positively thriving community that is able to successfully run the system the way it was designed to be run.
The whales are going to do what they do.
Just like you are going to do what you do.
Just because you're both in the same room doesn't necessarily mean they're obliged to interact with you. They created this place, and suddenly 40,000 people showed up (and counting). Don't expect them to go around shaking hands and sticking wads of money in everyone's pockets. That's not how this place works. If they see something you posted and believe that it's worth that upvote, trust me they'll give it to you. Or they'll give it to someone else. Whether or not you agree with what they upvoted is irrelevant. Just like it's irrelevant whether or not you agree with what any other person on this site upvotes. It might be worth checking out what many of them seem to like to upvote and consider catering to those interests. Don't expect them to automatically like something you posted which you think is hands-down awesome. That's all subjective. You will never please 100% of everyone, even if you try giving away free money (which the whales have proven).
3. SPEND TIME CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMMUNITY.
This doesn't just mean posting content, but also mingling. That's what community does, they get to know each other. Get involved and start conversations and ask questions to learn things about each other so we can all grow together. There's more than enough topics here to find out your commonalities. Make friends, FFS.
For some of us - such as myself - this may involve switching gears from old social networks to this one. I used to spend hours a day on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and G+, and I can do the same thing here!
Think about that for a second.
If you already spend a lot of time on social networks as it is (which you do without compensation) , then you're already doing the thing which is the FUEL that runs Steemit. Don't let the idea of money corrupt that existing thought process or you're just going to leave quickly with not much to show for it besides disappointment.
Don't forget to be genuine when you post, too. That's important. Don't just pop in and say,
"Awesome post! I agree! Very informative! Keep up the great work!"
As we know from the actual bots, it's robotic and impersonal.
People won't know if they can trust that you're real, and won't find out for sure until they see your complaint post about how you didn't really make any money even though you "contributed".
4. STOP SPENDING TIME IN THE TRENDING PAGES.
If that's where you're spending your Steem time, no wonder you're getting disappointed. You're drooling over the success stories of Steemit. Those are the posts that get that rare bump up to virality, and if you see it in Trending, you've pretty much missed out because the piranhas have already skeletonized the cow. Move on.
I also recommend limiting time in Hot, New, and Popular. I spend almost all my time in Active. Here's why.
- All the stuff that's in those other pages show up in Active.
- Anytime someone edits their blog post, or anytime someone comments on one, that post gets bumped right back to the top of the Active pages of any/all topics and tags.
The Active Pages are where it percolates. It's the stock ticker.
It keeps you on the forefront of what's going on. I don't know if the whales use the Active pages the most, but that's where I tend to see them pop up.
It's great to see that this is the trending sentiment around the community. I still see many junk posts in New, but it's also good to see many failing, and those interesting in a quick buck getting frustrated and giving up. I'm braced for an explosion of such posts in the coming months, but months after that I bet things stabilize and we are only filtered down to real content.
It's all going to be a matter of how well we can automatically stop spam. That's going to be the key. We need more and better anti-spam and anti-plagiarism bots; @cheetah is a hero but it's only one.
As for people looking for a quick buck, why would we ever get rid of those? Look at reddit - a billion terrible low-quality meaningless things get posted for every gem. It's going to be vastly worse than that here because there's money involved, and we just need to figure out how to deal with it.
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If you like my writing and ideas, check out my series on the game theory of steem!
I didn't say get rid of them. I'm just reiterating points which have worked for me.
By putting the money out of my head, not worrying about whales, and concentrating on community in the key first moments of a blog post, I've been able to get where I am today. I'm not a rock star by any means, but I'm definitely a lot further along than I led myself to believe I could be when I started here. ;-)
Oh, the "getting rid of them" comment was directed specifically to @liberosist who seemed to be saying that someday we'd weed out all the crapposters and just be left with quality.
I appreciated your post! Carry on!
Thank you for that clarification, because now I agree with you. LOL
Here's hoping.
It was really good man glad to see you finally getting some traction after all these good posts!
Hey man, thank you for pointing this site out to me. :)
The activity in here has dropped since the last vote and post, so my earnings are dropping, too. Oh well! Look at that! I wasn't expecting even $50 from it because I was more hellbent on making my point! LOL
Couldn't agree more
Thanks. :)
If you are going look at trending to find new stuff to vote on go way down the page. Page down like 10-15 times and sometimes there is some gold down there.
Sometimes, and by all means if you see something awesome upvote it! Comment on it! Start a conversation with the poster! Even if the post doesn't make money, that person is going to remember you if you make a genuine effort to get to know them.
Are you trying to tell me my plan of becoming a millionaire overnight by posting potatoes will fail? Fiddlesticks!
Hey man, you never know. I know people who love potatoes. In fact, I know a guy who had a potato tattooed on his leg. Only tattoo he has. He had it done whenever he went to Egypt about four years ago.
I used to work in a potato breeding and research program. Does that count?
As long as you're the first to post potatoes, you'll probably do pretty well. ;) Maybe you can get @berniesanders to come to your post and make it rain like he does.
^^Ha!
Great Post! Best post i have read so far today. I usually go through all categories.
The Trendingpage to get an overview whats high $. after that i check hot and active as there i find most interesting posts.
I hope that the system how posts are displayed will improve, its too fast atm, and imagine 100.000 users instead of 25.000...
another thing i have to admin, sometimes i vote posts only reading the headlines, if i know the poster from a previews post.
i think the best thing to do would be, to only allow voting on the post page itself, not on the overview page.
Very cool. Another tip could be to simply reserve your vote. Comment like crazy to show your support to others, but save those votes for the absolute coolest stuff you see. I try never to let my voting power go below 70%, which you can see on https://steemstats.com.
Thanks for the incite. I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing for about 3 days now. Since I'm still a little confused and haven't found my own pattern or structure, I'm going to follow yours and see what happens! Sending positive vibes your way!
Awesome, I hope this helps! Everyone may need to fashion a custom version of these tips into something that works for them, but these are the base points that tends to work for me. :)
You're saying what I'm feeling man. Just ride and enjoy the scenery and if you get some extra $$ for doing what you would do anyway, great! It's good to see this sentiment out there
I just hope it's the sentiment that wins.
Another great post. I think people need to look at building a reputation as the "long game" rather than short term rewards for jumping on the bandwagon.
It is hard to do because in some ways we are programmed to follow the herd.
Ultimately though it is unique content and new ideas that will win out. Just look at more mature platforms like Youtube.
Exactly. The mentality of getting rich when you come here is going to spoil this place faster than anything else for any given person. If you can ignore the bots, and wade through all of the crap that is here right now, and apply a little patience for the people in charge to clean all that up, the potential of this place is there for those who really want to contribute to an online community, and they will have an amazing opportunity to do well. But, in order to do that, we have to shed the childish mentality.
Something I'm noticing about the fluctuation of what's being earned by this post, too...
The more active the conversation in the comments are, the more it earns. If it is left to simmer too long with no activity, it literally starts losing Steem.
I wandered over here from the followup thread about this post being devalued. If this is actually what is happening here, this makes no conceivable sense. There are 237 people who have weighed in positively on this post and the comment section has been steadily climbing to now around 100. For the payout to plummet almost $1,000 simply because traffic or activity on your post quieted down briefly seems insane. Those 237 people didn't take back their upvotes just because things slowed down after the initial zerg rush. It seems like Steemit goes out of its way to create entirely unnatural ecosystems.
Incidentally I have also noticed the same phenomenon on my posts (diminishing payouts) though not nearly to this degree. I really hope you figure it out and are fairly compensated.
What's interesting is that this comment you replied to was made before the payout incident happened, and I was actually referring to something else entirely. The issue you're referring to is still a concern until I'm able to get a response from the higher-ups. Thanks for your support. No idea what happened.
A big fat THANK YOU to everyone who made this thread what it is. I had hoped to get some agreement from some of you, but not upwards of 200 of you (not sure how many are bots), and I certainly wasn't expecting it to blow up like this. I was quite surprised when I woke up this morning. :)
STEEM ON, everyone.
Right on point @winstonwolfe! Musicians play music regardless, because they love playing music, which in turn makes them better musicians.
Be who you are, do what you do, and become better!
Hey, I wondered when I'd bump into you.
Good to see you on here! :)
By the way, your point is exactly right. It's very much like a bunch of high school kids who put together a garage band expecting to be rock stars next week. It's awesome that your desire is there, but does your band suck?
I tend to watch for the newly created posts. Although, I would sincerely like a filter for time, so that I can find posts within a specified period, say 10-30 minutes.
That's good to know, and I know what you mean about having a way to filter the results down to posts which have been made with a specific time frame. If and when I go to the New page, I scroll down furiously to get to the ones that are about that old. This is why I tend to stick around in the Active page because anything that is getting attention by way of replies always keeps popping up there first. It gives me an idea of what seems to be bubbling. :)
funny, i found this on the active page
Awesome! It works! LoL
It's true. Steemit is not for money making. It's just for fun.
I didn't say that. I said forget about the money. Yes, this place is definitely for making money, but if you don't put the money out of your mind while you're here, it'll turn into one big poisonous blob of disappointment.
I understand you! But if I tell you: "Don’t think of pink elephants,” what are you going to do? You’re going to think about pink elephants )) You can't forget something what you know well. But you can focus on something else. For example, you can focus on your fun. That's what I mean.
You've got to have more control over your mind than that. I understand where you're coming from, but if you fall into this hole of a bad attitude about why you're not making money, then you're focusing on the wrong thing. Focus on being social, because with that COMES the money. Don't put the cart ahead of the horse.
We're talking about the same things but in different ways. Usually we have more money, when we do not bother. Do what you really love, write about you really want, upvote that you really like and money will be.
lol Now that I've re-read your previous post, I agree. We were talking about the same thing. Perhaps I may not have been so literal with "Forgot about the money". Just don't focus on it. That's what I mean.t
Deal! ))
The funny thing is that the highest earning posts are still about the whales and why we should not write this kind of posts.
I suspect the next hot topic will be "why you should not write on why others should not write about the whales". :)
I'm just talking about what works for me. I may not have seen the post you're talking about.
Nevertheless, I'm not trying to tell people what they should or should not write about. That's up to the individual. What I'm trying to say is don't fret about the money. It's like going to Sea World and worrying about whether or not there will be any water. Whether or not you get wet when Shamu does the big jump and splash depends on where you're sitting.
I believe I am the Plankton
Whales Love me as I end up in the food chains
Mainly, I follow Good posters like @winstonwolfe and other
So Follow me to Follows other @bullionstackers
I am the walrus! Goo goo g' joob!
Hi mr walrus
🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗 + 👍👍👍👍👍 = 🍺🍺🍺 for sharing
100% Wholeheartedly agree, and reading this put the biggest smile on my face.
Those same words were echoing thru my head while I spent my week of downtime with a compromised account. I spent a lot of time wishing I could be on here trying to make money, but that downtime instilled a great patience in me, and I know that if I keep trying, my time will come :)
Thanks for putting this up, more people need to think like this and see the bigger picture...
Thanks, glad to see people out there who agree. :)
Those are some great points, especially where to spend our time. I was looking at new posts but will spend more time on the active posts. Thank you!
Awesome, I hope it works out for you. :)
This is very insightful
good post, but there are alot out there like this i'm sorry to say
GOOD. Then the idea is spreading.
It is very easy to make a post Active - just edit it. So I guess when more people start to use the trick to spend time in Active is going to be of little use too.
It becomes easier to spot when someone does that by recognizing the same numbers on the posts every time they pop up.
yep!
:D
Hey-hey... awesome post! It's nice to see other's feel similar in a way to myself. Kind of funny too because I just posted something kind of similar a few hours back. I'd extend a Hi5 to you if it were possible right now... but it's not so I'm just going to up-vote this instead.
Thanks, @jayjustmay ! Which thread did you post? Feel free to link me here.
Absolutely.. my point is a bit abstract because I'm comparing it to Moby Dick but I think you'll get it.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@jayjustmay/if-you-re-a-whale-ignore-this-post-this-isn-t-for-you
Quality post. One thing came to my mind. Don't try to please everybody or you doesn't please anybody. Decide if you want to make money or just blog about what you are passionate about. Either way. Be persistent. Eventually it will bring you the money. :)
Yep. Participants who take part on an above average level will see rewards. Just like when you go swimming. You're going to get wet when you get in the pool. How wet you get depends on how deep you're willing to go.
This is really true, awesome post you got there.
Thanks. :)
Great post, Winston. The discussions here sure beat Facebook, eh? :)
Absolutely. I hate Facebook now. I joined Facebook in early 2006 back when only college students were allowed to join. It was a really cool platform back then. Now it is just a bunch of political crap or people making lame posts about the latest social/gaming fad. Honestly, the only reason I'm still a member is so I can stay in contact with old school friends and a few long-distance family members. I wish I could quit. I have high hopes that we will see a "Steembook" competitor created very soon. I would love to tell Mark Zuckerberg what he can go do with himself.
I'm glad I'm not the only one, honestly. I was addicted to FB, and by the time I joined Steemit, I found that every time I signed onto FB it was like walking into a room-sized pressurizer, and the pressure would start at 0 and quickly go up and up and up just by looking around, seeing how people are being so ugly to one another, yadda yadda. I'm so glad I've only been there maybe 4 times since I came here - and those were to make posts ABOUT Steemit. LOL
Wow, that sums up Facebook! LOL
Oh yes. By far. It's nice. So much better than the Trump Vs. Hillary Vs. Pokemon Go crap going on over there right now.
Man, I scrolled through my Facebook this morning for a bit. It was trash. Absolute trash. Even the discussions in the various anarchist groups I've enjoyed in the past were so intellectually juvenile. I wonder how long it will be before the Steemit community gravitates toward the average... or, if possible, we might raise the bar for effective communication via monetary incentives.... hmm....
Possibly. And I keep having this idea that someone is going to come up with some awesome way to really pull in some money using this platform that hasn't been thought of yet. Everybody keeps regurgitating a lot of the same old stuff, and after having post this post, I'm finding a lot of similar posts on the trending page. I had no idea. I missed those because I've been kind of ignoring the trending page.
Zeitgeist!
@lukestokes - No reply button.
Ha! I suppose that's true. If it's what the people want, it'll start saturating the medium.
Lol yeah im never on there anymore
I'm not either. I hopped over there a few days ago to talk about Steemit, but that's it. LOL
I've been looking for a better way to curate content here, will give the 'Active' section a try, thanks for the pro tip!
Awesome, I hope it helps. Good luck and have fun!
Spread the love! Words from the wise! 1-up
thanks
Very good post. i really share your opinion. And to all steemians: Give the new page a chance, you find so much cool stuff there even if the post does not make whale money :)
Absolutely! This is where the point about community comes in. Even if a post doesn't make money, commenting doesn't hurt you. How you use your up and downvotes do. Post to your heart's content, but be mindful of your vote.
I liked your post.
Awesome, I appreciate you taking the time to read it. I hope the tips help. :)
Spot on winstonwolfe! Being active and staying active counts! I have been on steemit for a week and a half and have learned through trial and error what you just spelled out to everyone!
Glad I could help. I hope that any new people can use this information to help with a good mentality to walk around with here.
Great post ! Love the Christmas analogy :)
Thank you. :)
Great advice, thanks!
No problem. I hope it helps. :)
Great post, ironically it deserves to make money hahaha. Love it!
lol I'm glad you feel that way. I just hope it helps others. :)
Great view. I must admit the money is nice when I score a little but this is an upstart community lets have fun with it and quit whining about the whales.
Right. They're not worried about you, so no reason to worry about them. ;-)
As a side note, I'm noticing that when the activity here stops, the value of the post drops. It seems consistent activity may be a determining factor as to what your payout ends up being.
Congratulations, is a great post!
Do you like it?:
My God STEEM
Do I like my own post?
I dunno, do you like being a bot?
i like your post :+1:
This has some great info. Thanks for sharing. I wasn't clear on what "active" meant before reading this.
winston... say your post on github.... looks like you ran into the new content limiting rule... you get penalized on payout for having more than 4 posts per day
like this upbeat post :) go active