Awesome article @taskmaster4450, a much needed discussion. I personally would like to see more whales delegating SP. For one thing, it helps the platform, and for another, the person they delegate to is probably going to upvote their content anyways.
Whales delegating SP out also takes the pressure on them to curate.
One problem I see right now with the steem ecosystem is the vote pandering. Newbies are all flocking to whales despite the content they provide, upvoting them and hoping to get their comment upvoted. I don't see anything inherently wrong with this, but it doesn't really help their cause, the rich get richer and we have the same people in trending and hot everyday. This is something you don't see on other social media because there isn't financial incentive. People therefore distribute their attention more.
So something the minnows and dolphins and whales could do is start reading content they really like and supporting based on content instead of wallet and reputation.
One thing I was thinking would help the whole platform is something like a minnow day, where everyone tries to spend at least half their time finding great content that goes by unnoticed. Hard to organize, but could be a cool community program.
Hey @jakeybrown, I've been reading all of these comments here and your idea of a "minnow day" is here:) Check out @newbieresteemday please. It was started by @davemccoy and @mudcat36, but there's a lot of us now. It started as an initiative to resteem new and good content, but it has morphed into something so much more! It's also about mentoring 'newbies' so that they can perfect their skills and become a part of a community as a whole. I think, @taskmaster4450, it could really help develop the 'middle class' here for sure. Eventually, instead of 'newbies' rushing to whales, they focus on creating good content, genuinely commenting, and becoming a part of a genuine community. Hopefully they then give back as well. When there is collaboration such as that, and just like here between @taskmaster4450 and @cryptoeater (who had a really good idea also), and everyone else, creating a stronger middle class, perhaps some 'bigger guys' may have to take notice :) Thank you for the food for thought! Cheers!
cool, I'll check it out!
The situation you mention is common...we all do it when we first join. That said, it is also a completely fruitless proposition. If you are picking up the sport of basketball, you dont walk out onto the court with Lebron James....he isnt going to be impressed by your skills. Instead, you start with those who are a little better than you, those who will make you better while also having an interest. Over time, as your skills improve, you might surpass them and be ready for the next step.
If someone is new, it is best to try and get friendly with other Red Fish, Minnows, and even Dolphins. The Whales and the Orcas, let them find you. Posting quality content will get a vote from them here or there as they blow through.
Yeah, I definitely know I did at the start, so I guess I should expect people to figure it out as they go like I did. We should get some of this stuff "stickied" or something to accelerate the progress of newbies. I feel like everyday there is a new post for people starting out here and everyday new people appreciate those posts, but it seems like repeat work for the most part and sometimes new people don't know where to look for resources