As you know, the direct recommendation is the best way to sell an idea and this article is how I've been preaching away the word of Steemit.
In the last days, I've gone deeper and deeper into this rabbit hole called Steemit, it's becoming such a thing in my life that almost without notice I've been talking to people around me about this new and amazing social project.
To be honest, I'm quite surprised and amazed how well people tend to receive the Steemit concept. I've been in the Bitcoin scene since February 2014 and since then I've talked to so many people about bitcoin and maybe 95% of them didn't understand what Bitcoin could do in the future or even sparkle the curiosity about a new disruptive technology.
Well, with Steemit... that's a different story! I say this because in just a few words about Steemit I'm able to grab people's attention and notice that "sparkle of curiosity" regarding Steemit becoming a bright lighthouse! I'm truly amazed regarding the feedback I've been having, and if with Bitcoin I felt that only 5% would grasp it, with Steemit it's the exact opposite and I feel that almost everyone shows genuine curiosity leading to a quicker understanding of the basic concepts of content versus reward.
I guess that when people are looking at a post and they see the total amount earned with the dollar sign "$", it's normal and usual. They don't stop to ask, for example, if it was displayed "124.42 SD" they would stop and ask "what's this SD, this is not money...". Usually, this kind of situation tends to create confusion and branches out to technical questions pushing away newcomers or leaving them thinking it's not actually real and it's all play money.
Conclusion, Steemit hit the bullseye by choosing to display the amount earned in "$" instead of STEEM, Steem Dollars, or BTC, or any altcoin! It simplifies and for example when I start showing a post to a friend, I say "look, this post has earned so far 1000$" and the magic happens, people know that 1000$ is worth 1000$ and there's no confusion there leading the talk to other Steemit details.
In the last four days, I've talked personally with more than ten friends about Steemit and some already have joined the platform, Hurray! And others are motivated to join real soon saying "I'll join it soon!" and I only say to them "Call me if you need any help with it, or if you have any more questions! (smile = trust = support )"
Meanwhile, with all this preaching, I've picked up some good pitch lines to grab my friends attention and also some basic and minimalistic explanation on how things are within Steemit:
"... So, we have the button "Like" on facebook right? In Steemit, it's almost the same but the like button it's called "UpVote" and when you give an UpVote you're claiming that the content you upvoted has some value in some way. On the other side, the publisher (content creator) will be rewarded according to the number of votes and status of the voters, cool right? Well, everyone knows that Facebook does not reward they users in any way, in fact, they just take your data and profit from it, and if have to pay to have more expose and more likes. In Steemit you get paid. Pretty cool right?"
"The basic concept is simple, in Steemit it's all about the "content", everyone can write about anything but it's not guaranteed that every post you make will bring you profits. If you publish interesting stuff or quality material it's highly probable that your post may start getting attention, in time the community will pick and reward good content. As always, some may like what you post on your blog, others may not, but everyone is free to share their stories, advice or junk without any nonsense!"
Usually, when I'm "preaching the word", It helps a lot to have a computer or a smartphone nearby because you can show the Steemit platform in real time. Just before I type the steemit.com address I also say something like this "Ok then... what you're about to see, imagine that it's like facebook when it first appears on the university campus, the very early stages. Steemit now is like that first version of facebook that was not very pretty and lacked some functionality, in time will grow and be more user-friendly ok? so let's dive into it!
About the "user Status in Steemit" I explain that it's not just the upvote that counts, but who gives the upvote. There's the Status Factor, and there are users that have more Status in the platform and their upvote is worth more than a new user without any Status. So one upvote can be worth 0.01$ or it can be worth 30$. The users with high status usually try to pick and upvote contents that are juicy, that are interesting, or have what it need to be a hit post. If they pick a post that in time has a lot of upvotes, that same upvote will be profitable in the long run.
One moment I like to watch, is when they start looking at the Steemit landing page and they start looking at the top payouts, they start opening their eyes making remarks about the rewards per post, they make comments, questions, they become so intrigued, it's priceless to witness that "wow moment" and probably it's that moment the fuels me to keep it going!
And it's not only young people! A few hours ago, I went out to eat with my parents and they had the complete and full introduction in Steemit! We've talked almost for two hours about Steemit, Social Platforms and we're the all may go in the near future... At the end, even they like the idea! They understood the concept and how it could give some extra financial support to people that are in need! (Big shoutout to my parents: Love Them!).
And what do you reply when asked "where does the money come from????"
I have a straight approach to this question, and it goes more or less like this: "I'm not going to get too deep with technical details and I'm going try to keep it simple ok? So, everyone can upvote and each upvote has its value. I don't know the exact numbers but let us say that every day the Steemit platform releases 1 million dollars per day to be distributed throw upvotes, during that day all the upvotes will drain that 1 million dollars and on the next day the same thing happens. So, every day there's a constant release of value. Then there's another variable, and it's like stocks were the price of a stock can go up or down, the same happens with Steemit were the Steam Dollar has a price and can be sold in any exchange."
But without any doubt, the hardest part is when I have to explain how to get their money from Steemit into their bank accounts. Since none of them have ever bought bitcoin, it requires me to explain the current state of cryptocurrency, where there's an exchange where you can sell this for that, then send it from here to there, and finally to the bank account. I usually end saying that cashing out money from Steemit and all the required conversions takes about an hour or less and what really delays the most, is actually the Bank Transfer, but since Portugal is in Europe's SEPA zone, it takes 24h to reach your account, so it's quick!
This conversation can happen in 5 minutes, or it can take 2 hours, every case is a case, and if you have understood what you're saying and you have your pitch lines at the end of your tongue, then this new thing will continue to go Viral has it become to be!
And tomorrow is another day, I'll come across more people and the cycle will repeat itself over and over.... and to be honest, I'm loving each moment of it!
From Portugal to the World with love! Cheers!
This post goes with inline with yesterday's post "Steemit Community Challenge - "How can you change someone's life for better when they are in need!" and if you like today's article, check it out also!
(message from the content creator (ME): if you reached this far in the text, congratulation to you! you rock because you're really using the platform and reading content! thanks and remember to upvote if you like my stuff!)
words and thoughts to feed the mind by BrunoPro // 22 July 2016
Time thinking about this: a few days
Time writing draft: 1 hour
Time reviewing to final version: 2 hours
Time to do graphics and text formatting: 3 hours
Total time spent in article: 6 hours
Feeling after publishing: Exhausted but again, that same fulfillment.
#steemit #steem #uplifting #inspirational #help #give #lifestyle #bitcoin #introduceyourself #life #money #portugal #viral
I like your approach. In my experience, practice develops the perfect elevator pitch, most importantly one that breaks down the complicated to the simple
Thanks! It also helps to have more than 2 years trying to explain Bitcoin to people... so speaking about steemit for me it's like being on vacation relaxing ;)
An upvote for your parents!
I'll show them this comment ehhehe
Steemit Quotes Of The Day –
Sometimes life is tough. 諦めない
I love both the post and comment... upvoted! :)
I have to say, you have made some great simple points. Especially when trying to explain where the money comes from. I've tried to come up with an explanation for my friends here at home, but I will borrow yours...if I may.
sometimes it's hard to set aside the knowledge one has, but I notice it that it's essential to keep all the details that may distract, and usually those aren't that important when trying to achieve the bigger goal.
Man I felt like I was reading my life there this explained everything I'm struggling with too, but I like how you explained it.. I said kind of the same thing too in a post I did yesterday called What sounds better.. a new car or a yacht?
But this was great brotha thanks for sharing !
Check mine out and let me know what you think :D
https://steemit.com/investment/@stealthtrader/what-sounds-better-a-new-car-or-a-yacht
Absolutely! Being able to succinctly, confidently, and clearly express your idea is paramount. Luck is being prepared when the opportunity presents itself. Practice won't make you perfect... it'll keep you prepared.
Not easy to explain something new. Get the point right, updated info and try to simplify it. Good job @brunopro and appreciate all the comments.
Thanks @pinklee and yes, I'm trying to reply to all the comment because each one took a little time to read the article and share some opinion about it. The minimal I can do is to be thankful and reply back :)
#respect
Welcome to Steemit
Here is some interesting info that will help you create amazing content.
How to Create Successful Steemit Content:
Why Steemwhales are upvoting Crap instead of Your Masterpiece - And why you should be Happy About it
How I Earned $100,000 With Steemit
Foolproof Formula for a Successful Post on Steemit: 7 Ingredients for Success
The Secret Formula to a Successful "IntroduceYourself" Post...And The #1 Mistake to Avoid
I Lost Over $124,768 On Steemit In My First Month(Why I'm Kicking Myself In The Balls For Not Powering Up)
How to Properly Format your Steemit Posts
These are just some of the posts that once understood, will give the reader a SIGNIFICANT advantage on steemit.
Everyone is rooting for you!
Good Luck!,
Weenis
@elargroup , sorry but I don't feel that "thrill" writing about any of that :) I have other goals, other ideal to share, ideas how to use this platform in a social way....
This I can say... what I'm planning to do next week will be something like THIS but on steroids. I think I'll be able to fulfill kind of a dream I have and it has nothing to do with me, to be honest, I cried when I got this idea and continue to cry because I could see that "thing" becoming a reality.. and the tears that fell, tasted special, tasted like tears of happiness while grasping that it's possible to make a better world one step at a time...
But until this "thing", I'll be around with other things to share :)
wow! i like. XD good jod of @brunopro
Similar to SP, SMD tokens cannot be purchased directly on an external exchange. SMD are primarily earned through contributing but can be purchased by converting STEEM tokens to SMD tokens.
Actually Steem Dollars can now purchased on external exchanges !
https://poloniex.com/exchange#btc_sbd
https://bittrex.com/Market/Index?MarketName=BTC-SBD
PS Abbreviation of SBD = Steem Backed Dollars
or just SD = Steem Dollars (not SMD please edit)
Good post brunopro, I will start following you. Keep em coming.
Omg you make its with @berniesanders again, some more crazy upvotes!!!
you just trolls or?
Upd. I write post about @berniesanders See it if you want to learn a little more about him.
https://steemit.com/marijuana/@kell234/berniesanders-make-crazy-upvotes-again-20-upvotes-with-cost-10k-sdollars-in-article-about-marijuana-who-is-he-and-why-is-it-done
Thanks @Kushed, like any addiction, it will be hard to fight this one... even more when it open up the mind and make one dream about Utopia!
I'm confused about the following feature. Where can I see those that I follow?
good job the @brunopro like me! excellent! upvoted.
I agree, it clicks with people without much explanation. Looking to see some of my referral online here soon too. It's the ah-ha moment!
Yeah, I've noticed that too! I've explained Steemit to several co-workers in 1-2 minutes, and their reactions were, "WOW".
I say it's a Social Media combined with Digital Currency.
I also show them the website on my iPhone 6+ and show them the trending posts and money generated.
Then I say it's like Facebook, but now you get paid to post AND you get paid to comment. So, now there's an incentive to participate!
One of them tried to sign up, but apparently Steemit is by invitation only right now, because so many people are signing up! Now, that he's on the email waiting list, he's even more eager to join! 😄
I jump up into this area. " And what do you reply when asked "where does the money come from????"
For me, Steem is still on the process on where it should go on the long run. I think its merely decentralized when we are talking about SBD distribution and Steem coins conversion but its clearly making its way to regulate the volatility of the main Crypto, the Bitcoin. I agree on your concern about if only we can or you can put your earnings direct to your bank accounts. They should work on that thing for the future of steem to stabilize.
With the natural development of Bitcoin that's the main Flagship for crypto-currency at the moment, in time that missing link will become available by the growing need of that service. We have to let time do it thing, everything has it's momentum ;) Cheers!
Great content.this is the awareness i have being saying that we should post
The first rule about Steemit ...
We all know what really happens though... everybody breaks the rule!
it's
TALK THE SHIT ABOUT STEEMIT
:D
and the eighth and final rule: If this is your first night at Steemit, you have to steem
Awesome post. Gives some good point to talk about when spreading the gospel of Steemit. Preach on brother man!
I'll do, loving the project and community! :D
Wif read my blog at @gabbans, you read how i i taik on the preaching the steem gospel everyday, so that, when it goes mainstream, ww all be smiling to the bank
Great read awesome....Just a heads up on this line ::::::"I went out to eat with my parents and they had the complete and full introduction in Steemid! <------
Thanks :) will correct it now Cheers!
np mate:)
no no, I appreciate you remark :)
np is short for No problem ....so i meant your welcome:)....probably my Kiwi way of abbreviations isn't recognized yet:)..anyway glad i could help
Preach on!
Bless u my son
That you have twice that you wish for me :)
btw i have hit your follow button and for today i will be reading all of your blog, love your style, all the best
Great post @brunopro
Always love to counter the argument 'but isn't the money made out of thin air' with the concept of the federal reserve. They've been printing the world's money out of thin air for the last 60 years... People have no idea how our financial system works!
indeed, ignorance is a blessing for any country / state....
We've been printing money for ~150 years. It was commodity money then.
Since 73' (Nixon Shock), we've been printing fiat money.
The way the system works is so shockingly ridiculous that I never bother trying to explain it. I just direct people to this video:
If you don't tell them about Steemit, we don't have to let them in (unless they have an invite). It's almost as if all new invitees are vampires.
I like to describe how money is, essentially, a ledger system. Blockchain technology is simply a distributed ledger system which everyone agrees to and can only be added to by those who are in agreement about it. Essentially, blockchain technology is the best form of money ever invented. From there, I talk about the 10,000 BTC pizza. I ask them, "How can 10,000 of something be used to buy a pizza and then later those 10,000 tokens of value are worth $6.65M?" That's not a hypothetical, so it really gets their noodles cooking. Then we might talk about how value exists in the moment of exchange and, currently, there are exchanges where people want STEEM and SBD, just like they want bitcoin (which is currently worth around $665 each). I talk about how the Bitcoin blockchain is creating new value all the time and the market is supporting it. Steem does the same thing, but instead of giving it to everyone who validates the ledger, it gives a large portion of it (at a 9:1 ratio) to the content creators and curators.
I gave this little talk at Liberty on The Rocks tonight, actually, and it went really well. If the site was open for signups, we'd have a few new members already. :)
really great job
It's alwas good to receive complements, don't matter how many letters they have. Thanks @mikemiziner
I have few professional photographers here in Moscow, and it was very hard for me to explain them how exactly they can make money (Like who will pay them) and how to withdraw it in fiat, one famous and talented Russian blogger just didn't believed me, he thought it's impossible to make such money and its just some kind of scam lol, with help of ur examples i try to explain it better to Russian community that can bring unique content to steemit! thnx u for ur work Bruno!
Hope these ideas can help you out! the thing is not to get down or lose motivation to teach others :)
"Hope these ideas can help you out!" Yes it will! i made simple group in Facebook and Russian most popular analog vk.com, im working on to bring as much people as i can (Mostly girls ;) that can attract even more people (When sign up will open again).
Keep spreading the word. And good explanation on where it comes from.
:) amen
I really love your tittle and the very useful information about the reading time, and the original content tag, this is something I think we all look for in a tittle
:) I say: Small details make the entire whole
Agreed!
nice read mate. keep the original content coming. It makes steemit its own original space.
...such untapped potential, yet the force is strong in this newborn platform :)
Thank you for your time and effort! I especially liked the idea of writing about it in numbers. I will probably borrow it from you.
Do what you will! glad to help out :)
Great article and Im sure it will be useful and helpful for many people on steemit platform!!
Omg @berniesanders make crazy upvotes again!
:) Hope so, the world needs more hope!
I like your approach! What got me into Steemit is the following: Why not get paid for something you are already doing for free? When I was told this I began to think this person might have a point. I was already very active on social media and sharing my travels, pictures, suggestions, tips and other, but never thought there was a possibility of getting paid for it. I find that this approach works with others as well. For Bitcoin it may not be as easy so thank you for sharing your approach! :)
The amazing thing is that I never write in English, and the last time I wrote anything interesting was 9 years ago while flirting with my ex, we change a lot of letters with our own story and characters... I was a Dragon, she was my flame... dam... maybe I'm going to dig that up... although painful to dig back into it but I guess there's some text gems in Portuguese...... but, don't know if I have the courage...
Wow is hard to believe you do not write in English. In this case congratulations as you have done a very good job! Keep on posting! I am sure you have many interesting things to write about. If you feel the necessity to have those "gems" I'm sure you will have the courage, but you are only obtaining pain from this is it really worth it to dig in the past ? Whatever you decide be courageous and keep motivated so that you can motivate others like me!
good post @brunopro
thank @gekko :)
Great post. Steem community is great place to help spreading the word!
Growing strong from withing, one day will fight Goliath aka Facebook
I'm intrigued, very good post.
Thanks @jills - By the way, intrigue with?
nice, excellent, i like. Upvoted @brunopro
Thanks @maykor15 :) glad you enjoy it
See you on the moon, fellow Steemians!
why not Mars??
Why not the edge of the universe!! :P
Awesome post and nice to read. Many some good points.
Glad to help @cwmyao1 :)
You're right - Steemit is a viral machine because... it literally gives away free money for something anyone can do. That concept is almost a cliche but that's what's happening. It makes us all fanatics, raving about the free money social network, how can anyone resist checking it out?
and I guess the madness is yet to come....
Thank you for sharing your information. I really enjoyed your pitch lines.
more often than we think, less is more :)
Brilliant mate. Our version of Guy Kawasaki. I'm just sticking with "You make money from posting and engaging and when Steemit becomes the next Facebook you'll be sitting on a retirement fund." When people ask how it works :-)
Excellent post. I think there's a lot of us out there that need a simplified way to explain this fantastic idea that is STEEMIT. You have highlighted some good ways to do this. The where does the money come from question is always the kicker. Job well done.
:) Knowing that my work is being appreciated and it can be useful fulfills me. But to be honest I have to do my homework regarding the geeky tech side of the beast, I'm still in the dark about some things that I need to learn in order to explain...
I feel your pain. The more I read, the more I learn. I think this will be a continues process going forward.
Great article
I've been preaching the word myself, already got 5 of my friends on steemit. More are intereseted, but the sign up is currently off :(
It sucks being off but let's hope for the best!
There's a reason why I was already following you :) You're making great content. Loved this blog too. Keep going!
Thanks @sharingtheworld :) I'll try to keep the quality
Brilliant write up!
I really like your statistics dump at the end there.
Keep preaching. It is easy... much less of a mental hurdle, particularly when you tell them how easy it can be to convert the SBD to dollars (still what majority are focused on. Whatever works though.
Looking forward to seeing how much you earn for this excellent post.
after this one I'll be preaching a lot... but with doors closed it like showing a candy and then say "you can't taste it" :D hehehe
Incredible post, thank you so much! My friend @wingz introduced me to this platform, and I have already told my friends about it. I only joined today and Im excited to see what happens when I start sharing my knowledge and experiences of being a youtuber and self employed food blogger! Thanks again for amazing post and kudos to your parents for giving this a go ;) Alla x
I thank you for your time in replying :) Spread the word my friend hehehehe :) cheers!
HEHEH will do :)
I try to show the numbers and have to talk a bit about the philosophy of it and it slowly, but sure does go forward. all for one and one for all!!! Thanks a bunch for the posting and your great work. Namaste :)
I have been having similar experience like you. I explain steemit to people and unlike with Bitcoin, they immediately want to join.
I have explained it with and without an iPad/phone and you are right, showing the articles with high $ rewards helps so much because it's unbelievable to most.
Regarding to where the money comes from I usually explain it like this:
"There are investors in the site which creates value that steemit is able to pay out to the content creators. This creates much better content than elsewhere on the Internet, which is what the investors want. Imagine the difference on Facebook or Reddit where everyone writes whatever they want, while on steemit people try to write useful things so they get up voted. This is why steemit is so amazing and in the end everybody wins this way."
At this point I won't have mentioned anything about Bitcoin or blockchain but now I'll ask if the person knows what Bitcoin or a blockchain is. And if the answer is yes, then I'll explain that steemit is the combination of this technology with social media to combine the hottest technologies of today into one.
The other day I had an uber driver that I explained this on the way to the airport and he said while dropping me and off: " I will go home now and try this thing". He had explained to me that he was a writer but made no money with it. When I explained to him the stories and $$ some people were getting on here he was so surprised.
Steemit really changes the game. Thank you for sharing how you pitch it. Doing the pitching well, will help us all. I really enjoyed your story and learned from it.
Thanks @knircky likewise, thanks for your comment although in "There are investors in the site which creates value that steemit is able to pay out to..." -> I'm imagine people asking.. "but who are the investors? and how did they get there? so they are making money with other??" -> :) that's why I try to keep is as clean as possible keeping out variables that may lead to deception.
Cheers!
Yes keeping it simple is important.
it looks good, I just want to say something to you @brunopro
Thanks sir!
okay @brunopro it seems quite good, continue
Great read. Preach on, man!
And what do you reply when asked "where does the money come from????"
The simplest possible answer to that, and I've given some thought to it because I had to simplify it when explaining it, was "Bitcoin investors". Because, technically speaking, the only thing sustaining steem price and translating steem to dollars, is the size of bitcoin investment in steem. If they want to know the full mechanism you can expand on it.
Thanks! Your post inspired me to write my own account titled The Emotional Roller of Investing.
Well written, but completely shameless.
You're pumping something which is as decentralized as 13th century feudalism.
I wish you'd at least make clear to your family what you're getting yourself into.
Thanks but didn't you forgot to take your meds today? What the hell are you talking about? lol?
Ad hominem, wow very smart.
There is open collusion between writers and whales to vote on select posts.
80% was premined, and a large bulk of that devs have openly said they intend to cash out (75% of their indivual stake), as soon as the markets are stable.
Early adopters are trying to encourage people to buy at a price 1900% greater than that at which they bought it, so that they can "become whales" but it's disingenuous because they'll be trapped with an illiquid asset. And will have provided enough buy support to allow them to cash out.
So you are irresponsible for not letting people you invite on this platform understand what's going on.
So I guess you're the one that gave me a red flag? Ok then, go your path and I'll go mine. I could give you 2 red flags on you comments but I'll not do that... I'm better than that.
I didn't give you a red flag. Don't accuse me.
Go on steemd.com/@brunopro to see who flagged you
I walked into Starbucks the other day and everyone in there was on their phones browsing and posting on Facebook, Reddit, etc.
If only they knew that they could be getting paid for all that content lol. Steemit is the future in the here and now!
the day will come brother!
Thanks for your post! a good read.
I think the world need a lot more of Steem and other platforms like it, LRBY is looking like it could be a nice match for Steemit. What does everyone else think about a distributed Youtube?
That's too much to handle for now :P one brain can deal with so much...
I guess is that LRBY may suffer the "2nd place" syndrome... steemit has the lead and they will have to make a real nice platform, or launch in the timeframe that steemit is with the doors closed. Whatever they choose to do, it won't be easy...
What a great post!
I love the fact that quality articles are continuously popping up and the writers are getting paid! @brunopro
Cheers!
Thanks for all the inspiring thoughts. I've been in cryptos for a while and would always be trying to spread it to everyone, becoming a sort of go-to person if they have questions.
I just think it is super exciting to be in this social project in these early moments. I was pretty late to facebook but at least I'm here for Steemit!
"becoming a sort of go-to person if they have questions." Yap, know what you're talking about but the thing is that not many people reach me to ask anything... it's like I wrote above, Bitcoin to many people didn't clicked, to far ahead of it's time ??? ironic to say this but a lot of mind aren't formatted to input that info ;)
Yes, definitely too far ahead of its time. I remember reading about when credit cards were barely out a lot of storeowners would be like 'take that plastic thing outta ma store! we only accept hard earned cash'. lol.
In the case of bitcoin, people just think it's a big scam like tulips or dotcom, especially when you tell them that they are mined with computers. Then they think it's a get rich quick scheme. and THEN when they ask about the exchange rate and you tell them it went from a few cents to a high of $1200, it's just darn impossible.
But for those who aren't scared away, I've given most of them an extremely well-written article from medium.com. https://medium.com/@nik5ter/explain-bitcoin-like-im-five-73b4257ac833
Amen brother, Spread the word!
I share your approach to 100 %, I also explain so it is steemit, steem even when I speak of bitcoin use words easy to understand, it is the only way of which the persons who do not know anything of this world approach little by little.
Nice to know I'm not alone :)
Absolutely agree with this. It's not easy being an evangelist. People think you are trying to scam them or sth. And you are right, the most prominent question they ask is "where does the money come from". And then you have to go on for half an hour to "teach" them about cryptocurrency and stuff.
But hey! the effort we put will be better for the whole community. We should all start doing this. Cheers! :)
Yap, but if we do it with genuine will then it's easy to keep things interesting, sort like fishing...
true! Keep steeming! :)
Way to represent Portugal. Thanks for sharing
:D #Portugal