❓Answering Common Questions: How NOT to gain Meaningful Votes or Good Followers! 💩

in #steem-help7 years ago

Newbies...I get that you're excited and want to see your payouts get up there. But Please...

I'm sure everybody has met those super annoying attention seekers that metaphorically scream: LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!

Already you can see how bad that behavior is towards achieving their goal. In the case of new users on Steemit..it's getting people to vote for your posts, get GOOD followers and make friends. So I wanted to cover a few ways that some users are in all reality working against their own self interest. So please, if you're one of these people and reading this...don't take this as being offensive. I really am trying to help you!!

I've been in your shoes, fully remembering what it was like to be starting out, doing whatever I could to be seen. I remember checking the clock to see if two hours had elapsed so I could put my post's link into Steemit Chat's Post-Promotion channel again.

I'm telling you flat out...don't do these things mentioned below. In the long run, they only hurt you.

While I understood it before, over the last couple months I've begun to sympathize with whales even more because the amount somebody has to deal with these types of behaviors is directly proportional to the amount of held Steem Power.

Q: Why SHOULDN'T I leave a generic comment with a completely unrelated link to my post?

I'll tell you right now...after seeing hundreds (if not thousands) of people leave a comment with a link on one of my posts, I can tell that you've not even bothered to read it. Personally, I rarely (if ever) actually check the link as well as NEVER upvote the comment. To put it bluntly, it's rather rude.

The name of the game here is interaction. Say something that shows me you read my post. Hell, most people figure out quickly that posting cute things in a comment gets my attention and votes. Take some time to figure out who I am and I'll then reciprocate it and get to know you.

Simply screaming "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!" is not a good approach.

Q: Why you SHOULDN'T direct message random people in Steemit Chat to just give a link asking for a vote and/or follow?

First off, some of us haven't shut off the loud 'doorbell' sound that happens when a new room is entered, like getting a direct message for the first time. But much like above, there are better ways to go about getting my attention.

Strike up a conversation in the room first. Go ahead and ping me in there so I see..that's no problem. Again..the goal is to get to know each other...not just shove a little beggars cup in my face. I like to think I'm a nice person whose quite easy to get along with. Make use of that!

Q: Why you SHOULDN'T bother with follow for follows?

As we all know..the key metric on Steemit is getting votes on your posts so you earn a little money..right? So tell me...what good does it do you to have hundreds and hundreds of followers that DON'T EVEN LOOK AT YOUR POSTS, let alone VOTE on them?

IT DOESN'T!! You don't want followers...you want GOOD followers. Attract people that honestly care about you as a person and/or the content you put out. Focus on getting those that WANT to support your efforts. These are the people who go out of their way to look for your new content. These are the people who become more than a passing acquaintance.

If you focus less on making the money quickly, you'll end up with more money in the long run. I PROMISE YOU!! When you approach it this way you find the win/win scenarios.

Q: Why you shouldn't feel bad someone doesn't upvote EVERY one of your posts or respond to each comment.

Pretty much every person on here has limited time. Most of the more established users have some combination of a job, projects, family, etc that require balancing what little time they have available on here.

So rather than taking something personally as if you're being snubbed...remember we do what we can, but there are limits. Somebody gets left out each day. Right now in a 24 hour period there are about 10,000 posts being published. It's impossible for ANYBODY to be expected to keep up with that, let alone hundreds of comments.

Q: Why SHOULDN'T you compare yourself to posts on the trending page?

I can again say that I've been there. I had periods with the thoughts of "I'm trying so hard. Putting in so many hours. Why isn't this happening for me?" It hurts...it really does, especially when I compared my work to that on the trending page. I could go down the list at for some saying "I'm at least on par with this one...and way better than that one, etc." But at the time I just didn't understand.

In reality, it's not a good comparison. Either those people had gotten lucky having been in the right place at the right time (which I can't control) or, the more likely scenario...they put in the time and work refining their ability to create, find what the community wanted, market their work and network with users. Often those making the biggest payouts have contributed TONS behind the scenes which you had never seen.

All in all...it's just not relevant comparing yourself to things getting higher payouts. What you SHOULD focus on is finding what makes content creation worthwhile for YOU! Simply saying money doesn't cut it. Nobody starts a job without having some skills already in place. Find the benefit of becoming a better writer, artist, intellectual, musician, speaker...Find the benefits of interacting with one of (if not the) best communities of people on the vastness of the internet.

FIND THE BENEFIT OF BEING ON STEEMIT THIS EARLY!! In six months or a year, YOU will be the one's getting hit up for votes or follows! You can't rush success...you can only put yourself in slightly better and better situations for it to occur.


Remember that ALL of my guide posts are eligible to be added as entries to the Steem Center Wiki or Operation Translation.

Click here to find out how these can earn you Steem!!

Feel free to ask me anything. I'm here to Help!

I've had slow response times lately, but I try to get a response to every question.




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❓Answering Common Questions: How do I know if I got Flagged? 🚩

❓Answering Common Questions: Can I voice chat with Steemians? Learn how and where to Discord! 🎤

❓Answering Common Questions: What is STP (Steemit Talk Podcast)? 🎧

❓Answering Common Questions: I've heard Steemit is Censorship Resistant, What does that mean? 🚫

❓Answering Common Questions: What is @Randowhale? 🐳

❓Answering Common Questions: How do I spend money from my Steemit wallet? 💲

❓Answering Common Questions: What are flags and downvotes? When should they be used? 🚩

❓Answering Common Questions: How can I see who last Resteemed, Followed me or How much my Pending Payouts are?

❓Answering Common Questions: What is SteemTrail? 🐳

❓Answering Common Questions: What happens when you Vote on a Post that's Past Payout? ☑️

❓SPECIAL Answering Common Questions: How can I get 1 on 1 Mentoring Help?👩‍🏫

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❓Answering Common Questions: What's the Difference between Steemit and the Steem Blockchain? ♨️

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❓Answering Common Questions: How do I Visually Spiff up my Steemit Posts? Are there any Templates available? 🎀

❓Answering Common Questions: What are all these keys in my wallet? Why so many? 🔑

❓Answering Common Questions: What should I write about? ✏️

❓Answering Common Questions: I'm getting frustrated...Are my Expectations too high? 🙍

❓Answering Common Questions: Why am I not getting votes? What can I do about it? 📷

❓Answering Common Questions: Where does the money come from? 💵

❓Answering Common Questions: Should I use 100% Steem Power or 50%/50% Payouts for my Post❓

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Don't Miss the Show! Follow the Steemit Talk Podcast (STP) Account

New STP Website!!

Are you new to Steemit and Looking for Answers? - Try https://www.steemithelp.net.


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The overall theme of the article is to make new friends..... NOT BUY THEM

Exactly!! :D

Именно так! Не люблю, когда люди наглые, просят оценку. Я читаю только тех, кто интересно пишет. Не люблю попрошаек)))

Very valid points @sykochica. You've hit the nail on its head. I have not been here long enough but at the same time I have seen more an more newbies following this kind of spam behaviour especially in the introduce yourself section. I hope people realize this sooner than later that this is not going to help them

Thank you for the advice. All of what you said makes sense. I really like the tip about not leaving a link in someone's post in the comment section.

That is 100.000% true @sykochica
In Time with patience and hard work will succeed
You just need to do it little by little
Best Regards Andrei

Beautifully said! :D

Great article and very sound advice. I have been here for sometime and have 400 plus followers and there are new ones with 500 followers within 1 month or less. Rome is not build in one day, do take the time to enjoy your time at Steemit and not to worry too much about the money. Hard work and persistence will pay off in due time.

The vote beggers have found private messaging on Discord aswell! It is a sad day and I can no longer stay nice to them if they bug me there :-(

I understand that. I've magically not had too much issue on discord (yet, lol)

Yeah, it was a new symptom for me too. I hope you won't get bothered there :-)

I'll definitely deal. The big upside it today when asked to give them a link to upvote..I gave them this one! :D

I don't think they appreciated the irony! My subtle version of being Rick-Rolled. :P

Haha, yeah I've done that in the past, but it doesn't really seem to work sadly :D

Oh very true! I expect it to just go over their head. This is totally for my own enjoyment of being 'witty'. Lol

Haha, that's important too! Atleast you get some fun out of them this way :D

"I like to think I'm a nice person *WHO'S quite easy to get along with."
;)

( <3 U Chica)

ZOMG ZOMG!! I know this guy?!?! or are you that guy?!?! Lol

Stoked to see you aboard!

Great post! I guess this is very helpful for beginners and actually also applies to other social media platforms.
It's social media, so be social!

Thank you!!
It's so easy for people to miss the social media component of this place with it looking mostly like a blog format...plus getting blinded with the money.

Yeah you're right. Though I must say that the whole idea of getting rewards for your content is what lured me here. I've been giving my all to my Instagram followers and even though I have nearly 200k followers, I've never earned a cent. It would be nice if I could pay a portion of my bills by doing and sharing what I love ;)

@sykochica... Thank You not only 4 this insightful post 4 newbies, BUT also the many previous posts You have written... so much to learn & You make the "learning curve" MUCH easier. Thanks Again !!

Have a Great Week !!

So glad I am a newbie who hasn't done any of those mistakes. :)

Hehe, woots! It's uber appreciated!! :D

I'm finding the right attention works. In this case I saw the author, but it is sometimes the packaging that counts.

Great points! For me, one of the most important parts of being a steemian is being respectful of the community and to not abuse the system.

😱🙈

Yeah, using steemit for ebegging is not cool. that being said, there's lots of people around the world that live in depressed countries where even $1 a day could make a difference. Steemit could actually offer a glimmer of hope to these folks. However, making meaningful comments and posts is your best bet for acquiring votes. Steem on!

I can definitely understand that and I really do want to be able to help them out. But yea...if they jumped in peoples faces in real life...it wouldn't work well there either. There's a very happy middle ground where we all can get what we want. :)

Very legit.
However, I'm thinking hf19 could potentially benefit this follow for follow behavior. Guess we'll see soon enough.
As for the rest, spot on...it really doesn't take long here to realize what is and isn't proper etiquette.
From my personal experience, I highly recommend interacting with people.... That interaction can payout 10 fold and allow you to build some relationships that can definitely support you in the long scheme of things. It's not that I don't want to check out your newest post, but for Christ sakes tell me a lil about yourself first, give me a reason to want to check out your profile and content.
Great advice psycho 😉

However, I'm thinking hf19 could potentially benefit this follow for follow behavior. Guess we'll see soon enough.

Unfortunately this is true..at least in the short term. Those without the slider bars will probably burn their votes quick and ideally be a little more conscientious of where they are used.

I earned my slider this morning!
I couldn't have timed that better

Well put. I guess new subscribers get too excited to make an impression and get carried away. Building a good network takes time and lots of interaction with others. Rome wasn't built in one day.
Resteemed.

There comes a time while you are on Steemit, when you ask yourself, why do i not get any more followers. Who don't people upvote my post? Why do my post not make as much money as the comments on that same post.. I think that this is that moment @sykochica is talking about. Don't pannick, hang on tide and keep doing what you are doing. I think that works the best. Also i am still doubting what to do, but on the other hand I see my group of followers groing, every day. Not with gaint steps, but I am sure I will get there! Thanks for the tips!

I'm seeing a lot of "Behavior" related posts lately.
It's getting on everyone's nerves.
Love the post!
Upvoted :)

Yea...it takes its toll after a while....would grate on anybody.

Thank you! :D

I've only been around for just about a week. I haven't made a ton of posts, but I've made a few. I does get you down just a little bit when something you've put effort into doesn't get any upvote. But I'm new, I don't have my followers, and maybe my content isn't on par just yet. I didn't expect success to come overnight. It is nice to have a guide from someone that has been where I am but is no successful. Thank you for the time and effort you give us.

I'm so glad that you signed up here @bronxb17! Yea..some people get lucky..but most of us have to do it the 'old fashion' way. :)

More than happy to help.

Great post. I agree that posting and being invisible is sometimes annoying, but you can just change perspective and say to yourself - I'm here to read tons of great blogs, and for my work - if it pays out great, if not then it's not meant to be 😊

Yet another concise information post. Once you have it, it's forever. 😇
Thanks again
Life is Good

I liked your point about the quality of followers. While browsing around i've came across many accounts with hundreds of followers and i told to myself that these guys must be making a lot of money, but when i checked their wallets i saw it wasn't like that, so you're right, and i will focus on getting "good" followers.

Thank you!
Yea...they definitely try...but miss the mark. I'm a proponent of working smarter, lol.

Great post! It has sort of been nuts with all the new users just randomly messaging us in the chat.

Oh definitely! I remember when it was like this last year...at least we don't have as many bots doing it anymore. Lol

So much good information here! I have made some of these mistakes already but will certainly avoid them going forward, and thank goodness I found this, I was just starting to look into those follow for follow things. Once again, great information, very readable, thank you so much!:-)

Resteeming this. I seeing a few of these don't DOs happening and I want to warn people that dong this are taking big risk. Even when I didn't do the bad things, I had a comment downvoted because seems like from a bot and my rep severed and I had to work very hard to get back. And spammy comments and messages can be a magnet for downvotes if you hit the wrong guy.

This post received a 1.2% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @sykochica! For more information, click here!

Great post and great advice. Especially for me as a wet-behind-the-ears total Noob. I am just exploring at the moment and trying to become more familiar with the idea of Steemit before I can hopefully start contributing in a more meaningful way :D Thumbs all the way up :D

nice work, really, but i dont think "FIND THE BENEFIT OF BEING ON STEEMIT THIS EARLY!!" is a thing

There are niches left open and roles to be filled. Being here early gives the opportunity to get into those. If I'd have just been starting now, I'd not be where I was. For new people now..they can be in my spot next year. I still believe there is a benefit of being on Steemit early....200k accounts is a drop in the bucket. (in my opinion.) :)

So true! Been only a week here, but can already see the wisdom of this post! Upvoted!

nice!! THanks to yur posting

I so glad I found this article. It reinforces my desire to become a better asset to this wonderful community. Thank you @sykochica

Cool account with lots of useful info. upvoted and followed

Thank you!

I found this article helpful. I am new and will try to avoid doing these points.

Waooo beautiful piece am getting to look @ dis platform in another perspective of steemit

As a very new user I found this information very helpful mostly because I want to create good content as well as read good content. Thank you for taking the time to put this information out to thoes us us who are just starting out.

Good stuff. It is a good idea to keep people informed on how to properly approach Steemit. I feel like a lot of new people quickly get discouraged when the first few posts don't make trending pages.

Thank you for sharing your real-life experience in your journey on Steemit. You provide very valuable information and it’s paying off for you and us.
Thank you

Thanks, super informative post! I'm still getting the hang of this site but just taking it as a space that I can post some of my work and find others with similar style to mine to connect with

Well, this is an awesome blog post!

Thank you! :D

It gave me a clear vision that I should make things right.