I was pretty dismayed to read this article's fourth point about how to get Steem power:
>Pick great content before everyone else, you get rewarded with $Steem
This kind of incentive has issues for me. It feels too much like a "sticky" phone app, that sucks you into it and doesn't let go. It encourages that "achievement unlocked" dynamic that diverts people from writing, and punishes writers, and readers, who try to engage outside a 24 hour news cycle. You're locked into checking new posts constantly at the expense of time spent creating content.
I didn't find this article until 21 hours after it was posted, and only a strong opinion would have me posting on it, when I know the herd had already moved on to that more rewarding new content. My only option to be heard on it is... To post my own new article.
Quality content is enduring content.
Here and gone content is Buzzfeed content.
That kind of cycle encourages hype and listicles more than thoughtful posts.
You make an excellent point @bradvanceauthor While I have just begun writing on Steemit because there is an opportunity to write - I'm more focused on writing quality content and finding the same to read and upvote. As much as I need to chase the dollar, I don't want to compromise... And from the sounds of it, I may end up making pennies instead of dollars. Ah well! I'll stay in la-la land for the time being and stay in my Field of Dreams "if I build it they will come." Wishful thinking?
Could be :) A lot depends on what the Whales/Founders want the site to be, who are their target user groups, what their long term goal is... Right now they're pitching to Widest Common Denominator, I think - pushing up the content that gets new users to A, stay, and B, to think "that could be me!"
The last few days, I've definitely seen fewer Steemfomercials in the Trending category and a wider variety of content, so that's a good sign.
I definitely got gold fever the first few days. "All I have to do is intro myself, and profit!" Nope. As you say, compromising = adding your voice to the sound of the crowd, and nobody's going to remember who you are and what you say, if you're saying pretty much what everyone else is saying...
I'm okay now with the micropayments I'm making. It's really only a handful of people at this point who can "make you," but I think over time new whales might bring more diversity to the "made men."
I hear that! A part of me is really debating how much energy I should put here. A good researched and cited article takes a few hours - hours that I could be spending developing my own personal blog...and here I go again signing up for another site! LOL
If there's one lesson I've learned about writing: keep a unique voice. People "buy into" people.
In the most recent hard fork you get a second 30 day chance now. I also wrote an article on how to fix many problems: SteemIt voting algorithm problems and solutions from a programmer's perspective
>give the user the ability to choose what percentage of their remaining voting power they want to "invest" in this post!
LOVE IT.