A Thousand Thank Yous!
I’m not one for tooting my own horn but this is as much about you than it is about me.
Thank you to my 500+ followers, I appreciate you all (even the dead ones).
Over 6 months I have slowly accumulated (almost) 5000SP through authorship and without any monetary investment.
Perhaps my rise could have been quicker if I posted on topics such as “I love steemit” , “crypto-anything” or “my bikini clad cooking and traveling extravaganza” (trust me, we all lose in this situation).
The Journey
Steemit has been experiencing tremendous growth over the last 2 months and I’m blown away with the increase in activity and the numbers of new users.
My Journey here on Steemit started in November 2016, when Reddit, Twitter, Facebook and other platforms were actively censoring the open sourced investigation into Pizzagate/Pedogate I was seeking a sanctuary of free speech.
With mentions and recommendations from @Corbettreport and @titusfrost I found myself drawn to the Steemit blockchain. I’ve been here ever since.
Steemit
Achieving 500 followers has been a long road for me and it has been a grind. There was a time where I even wondered if there even existed 500 regular users on Steemit!
Today, 500 followers doesn’t seem like much. Just the other day I saw a post by @stackin who has achieved an amazing feat of 2000 followers in under a month. Alas, I wish I had that kind of charisma.
For 2 or 3 months I posted quite regularly and just as regularly each of my posts received less than a dollar. My voting power remained the same for nearly 4 months – my voting power was zero.
My purpose here was never to make a fortune rather it was an ideal platform to share my research, ideas and comments with some like-minded individuals. The community here is like no other: friendly, supportive and intelligent.
Since, HF19 I’ve witnessed a lot of newcomers achieve things I never dreamed possible; $300 payouts, 1000 followers in a month, and benefiting from wonderful projects like @minnowsupport the brainchild of @aggroed and co. I love this aspect of the platform, organic growth and a collaborative initiative to help build the community.
It really is an incredible time to be a minnow.
Yet, some newcomers lack perspective and arrive with grand expectations with Steem Backed Dollar signs in their eyes. Some even complain that their posts have only received $20 dollars or their payouts are shrinking due to the market price of Steem or their copy and paste Shitpost is being overlooked. (I’m not going to mention the ‘follow begging’ epidemic).
Perspective is important, and as someone who has experienced the flagging experiment and HF18 rewards pool reset I have to say that today’s minnows really don’t know how lucky they are. Yes, after HF19 initial euphoria wore off things are starting to look like they did in the past. Back to normal, maybe.
That being said, the growth of the community is vitally important and I’m a full supporter of @minnowsupport delegating a modest 250SP to the cause and perhaps more in the future.
My Fellow Researchers - True Detectives
The greatest gift of coming to Steemit has not been the rewards, it is the incredible people I have had the pleasure of meeting along the way. The research community here is amazing, inspiring and motivating. I’d like to take a moment to thank some very special and talented researchers.
@ausbitbank – When I arrived he was already a rising star on Steemit. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to him as he graciously supported my early (and largely invisible) research with upvotes, encouraging comments and timely resteems. There was a time when @ausbitbanks 100% vote was worth about 0.12, today it’s worth well over 100. Unreal! Perhaps the coolest part of his success is that it hasn’t gone to his head. He’s actively involved with @minnowsupport, continues to be a manual curator and all around solid person. After all that, I couldn't believe it when he offered to lend me 1000SP to improve my curation. Legend!
@rebelskum- What can I say about this phenomenal researcher and truth seeker? If you aren’t following this guy, do it now. He’s the Editor in Chief of the Pizzagatewiki creator of Esteem.life and has an incredible project in the making called Decentralized Intelligence Network (DIN). Be sure to go back through his archives an read - The Case Against DynCorp and the _Cost of Courage Series-some of the most in depth, trailblazing research on Steemit.
@fortified – One of best, most meticulous and analytical researchers I’ve come across. Underrated in my mind but this poster consistently produces quality content week after week. Be sure to check out his work on Vault 7, Wikileaks, DC Tunnel system and Cicada.
@titusfrost – One of the first people to recommend and bring the Steemit platform to my attention. Steemit Hater of the Year, Pizzagate investigator, original Youtube content creator, citizen journalist, and truth-seeker. His 3 part documentary series - Pizzagate/Pedogate The Unanswered Questions is one of the most detailed and exhaustive looks at the corruption, deception and depravity of the DC criminal syndicate.
There are a ton of very deserving authors that you should get to know that have made significant contributions to the open source investigative efforts and related topics. Thanks you; @richq11, @thelightreports, @thehoneybee, @mandireiserra, @blakemiles84, @frankbacon, @dwinblood, @lecrazycanuckeh and many more (sorry if I forgot anyone).
Special Thanks
I want to extend a special thanks to @jamesc, @fulltimegeek @canadian-coconut, @krystle, @thejohafiles, @ramengirl and @ausbitbank for their support over the last 6 months. Deeply appreciated!
Also, I’d like to thank James @corbettreport, @sonofsatire, @lukewearechange, @krnel, @aggroed, @tftproject, @stevescoins, @matrkoschka, @kafkanarchy84,…
Future
The community is growing and it’s exciting to see @sgtreport, @reallygraceful and @theouterlight join the community. The future looks bright!
Conspiracy Contest - 100SBD in Prizes
A Conspiracy Theory Creative Writing Contest with $100SBD on offer.
I will be adding the link to this post as soon as it’s up!
Contest Details (Coming Soon!)
Update:
Please join in the fun!
Images: 1 , 2, 3
I know right ? Kids these days .. :P
You deserve all your success mate I hope things keep snowballing from here for ya
Aahh thanks Suga-Daddy :P
Seriously though, if it wasn't for you and a few others I would never have made it this far. If the investigative community stays strong and continues to flourish I'll be here for another minute. Some great peeps up in here!
I agree completely with @ausbitbank regarding your success. Let the winter fun begin!
---Homa
I upvoted your comment because I missed this and it told me I couldn't upvote in the last 12 hrs before payout.
Darn minnows "kids" lol
It's always easy to support quality content, especially for someone who is underappreciated on the platform - you word good :D
Plus yeah the new users complaining is infuriating, they have no idea just how good they have it - it's about time your getting some appreciation you absolutely deserve it.
Thank you for that @Krystle, it really means something coming from someone who's actually read my articles over the last few months.
The Newbs have no idea how rough it was not too long ago.
Maybe it's not your thing but why don't you enter my creative writing contest? No pressure, I just know you're fiction and thought that you might have fun with a writing prompt ;)
Thanks for your continued support, much appreciated!
I can only imagine how hard it was for new Steemians back then,now we are lucky we have all these support for minnows, especially from #MinnowSupport . Have one more follower :)
Minnowsupport is a such a boon for newcomers, we're lucky to have that now.
In some way though, I'm glad i didn't have the support as i think it helped me focus on the content of my work rather than preoccupying myself with networking. The networking i was able to accomplish sprang forth from the content and subject matter i like to explore.
Hmmm that's a really nice way to put it :)
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by kryptokayden from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, and someguy123. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you like what we're doing please upvote this comment so we can continue to build the community account that's supporting all members.
You're a great example of how to get the right followers for your work.
I see people all the time with 1000+ followers and their work gets 6 votes because they came followed 4000 people and got refollowed in kind.
A 500 following who actually follow is epic dude and your work is cracking so it's deserved. I'll be checking in more as I need to get back to posting about truth and conspiracy. It's why I came here and have gotten side tracked.
Checking in on you today has reminded me of that.
Congrats dude.
The investigative researchers, forensic data analysts.....those able to find and present proportionally more genuine truth than anyone else, will eventually become the superstars of the steemchain. Their function and status will rival that of witnesses. Great work, congratulations in your success so far. Keep going and if you get the time, teach others with the minds and affinity for research. You are all teaching us the value of critical thought.
Congrats! I am glad to see you having success here - I have also abandoned other networks for Steemit - having been censored on all except minds.com. I actually also run my own social network at www.ureka.org - which is obviously uncensored too - but it has no powerful draw such as steemit does with the $$$.
It's more a space for compassionate wisdom coming together to solve problems as they arise.
Thanks for your support of my work on Steemit, I'll be checking out your back catalogue here for sure.
Congrats @v4vapid!! Hahaha trust me, you're gonna get 5,000 followers so easily! Only if you make a post with a picture in your bikini ;)
LOL!! Be careful what you wish for!!
I always find your posts helpful and informative, and they are one of the main reasons I keep coming back to Steemit! Keep up the good work!
Oh Snap!!
Whats wrong with "bikini clad cooking and traveling extravaganza's" haha... great job boss, I still learn from you. Keep killing it. P.S. there is no "g" in stackin haha
Sorry about that man! Has been corrected, congrats on 2000, I'm hot on your heels...lol.
Thanks boss! You got this, I want you to pass me haha
Congratulations, it certainly is a big achievement to have reached such a goal, I'm sure you are very happy from what I can tell in your post that you have reached this and even though it has taken time, it is great to see you have made it! Also a key point also is that you never wanted to make money off here and I think that shows in your work! :)
Thank you for the kind words! It's a long road but I am proud of the body of work I've been able to accumulate here.
Hello,
First off... wow! As a newcomer to Steemit (I only joined a few days ago) I am very happy to have found this post! It really mapped out your journey and emphasised that which I heard and read many times before, don't come into Steemit with high expectations about money. I will definitely stay on Steemit for a long time and hope to grow and meet new people and share my art (I post poetry and articles) with as many people as possible!
Once again, thank you so much for this post!
Luka
Hello minnow,
It's been a long road filled with ups and downs but it has been an amazing trip. I've always found that the journey is always better than the final destination. There are some really great people here and I hope your journey on this platform is as rewarding as mine.
Thanks for commenting!
Welcome
Congratulations
Work more hard with consistency
Consistency is key to success 🏆🏆🏆🥂
Really enjoyed this :-) It gives us noobs a tangible reference point. Good to hear the investigative side of Steemit is growing - I am also a truther - for want of a better word.
The community is growing, welcome! I'm not crazy about the title/label truther...I prefer seeker or researcher. Truther sounds a little bit pretentious i think.
Very eye opening article. It's so wonderful that steemit can be a true platform for free speech. Thank you for appreciating the people that lifted you higher, and sharing their blogs. I very much enjoyed your article.
Congratulations on the 500 followers that are real and actually responsive, I guess that's the difference when the growth is organic. I have close to 400 followers in less than a month but hardly any more that 10 pairs of eyes on my posts, even lesser in actual upvotes, never really more than a few bucks' worth on each post. Profit of 5000 SP in 6 months is even more creditable, especially without any financial investment on your part. You are inspiring and I know I probably started on the wrong foot but I'm not giving up any time soon and constantly changing and evolving, hopefully I can be an inspiration to someone some time down the road :)
Congratulations
Congrats dude, i'm on my way to 300 now, so i know the journey is hard.
Here's hoping for 1000 soon :)
Hey congrats, Upvoted baby! :)
This post received a 1.9% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @v4vapid! For more information, click here!
This is a great success story. I hope that I will be following in your footsteps sometime soon. At least that is my hope. Keep writing about what you enjoy and I'm sure you'll see tons more success!
A very informative post ... thanks !