Good thing for that disclaimer. Ha ha! But in all seriousness, this is a really great post. I am not sure it's all about "guilt" for me, but that definitely plays into it. I want to do my part, help the people around me, and be a part of that big beautiful love fest you so perfectly described:
And so you chat. And you get to know them. And they know you. And you share common things, and everyone runs across fields of flowers in slow motion while sappy music plays.
I actually have a lot of different things that motivate me to visit, comment, and upvote, not the least of which is that it's actually quite a lot of fun. I'm also always evaluating if I'm doing all the stuff, and if I'm doing it all the right way. In fact, I'm sure I'm not, so you have to throw a dose of neurotic fear in there with the guilt.
Oh, and I really like people. I should mention that. It's really neat to find so many great people to banter with. Am I boring you yet? Okay, I'm done now!
I'm glad you noticed the disclaimer, @jayna. I definitely didn't want anyone to get salty at me for my minor observations.
Some folks have different motivations and reasons than others, and it sounds like yours run the gamut. I think at its most basic level either guilt or gratefulness drive the actions on steemit, but if you're getting your own pleasure out of the 'game' aspect of it, or meeting people, etc, then you're probably more well-rounded than some others :)
Thx for your insightful and interesting commenting, as always!
I see what you did there! We were talking about the meaning of the word “salty” on Discord the other day. Thanks for using it in context so I can learn how to use it.
Yes, I do think it’s a mixed bag. I don’t have as much experience on Steemit as you do, but for some reason my blog doesn’t attract many useless, spammy comments, and very few gratuitous ones. So I have blissfully ignored all those issues.
One thing I’m struggling with is the percentage of upvote to give various comments. For a while I was giving posts I like 100% and comments I like 3%, given that it can take hours to write a post and seconds to write a comment. But then I felt really stingy about comment upvoting; people should feel rewarded for visiting your blog, upvoting and contributing to great conversation, right? So I’m updating my whole strategy. Welcome to the weird, reflective, and somewhat obsessive little world inside my mind.
I think anytime anyone gives you a well thought out comment on your blog, showing that they read the article and actually care to contribute value to it, then they should be rewarded with a decent upvote. So I'm going to practice what I preach and upvote your comment...especially since this is my brother's blog!
Nice to meet you, @mattphilleo! So, it runs in the family then, this Steemit blogging thing? Which of you recruited the other? And do you all use the word “salty” in your family? So many questions.