Hi Friends!
Lately I have been telling more people I know about Steemit… and I keep seeming to run into a similar roadblock. I’ll dig into that a little below, but I’m hoping to start a conversation in the comment section! I’m curious if you anyone else runs into similar issues, or can maybe help me figure out what I’m doing wrong.
I have mostly been approaching makers and creators, showing them Steemit as a way to share their art, music, film, writing or graphic design skills with the world. Many are interested. Here is my concern.
Money, Money, Money
I often find that all they want to talk about is the potential rewards. I get that. It’s a huge draw to posting here. When I try to explain how amazing the communities are and the potential collaborations they could do – they seem to mostly just want to talk about the money. I let them know that success on here does not happen overnight and it takes a lot of consistent effort, and community building to have any kind of long-term success.
They don’t seem to be taking that message to heart and keep bringing the conversation back to money.
Am I just asking the wrong types of people… or should I not even worry about it? I guess they will figure things out for themselves when they get here.
I just feel like if I’m going to take the time to onboard someone, I want to do whatever I can to make sure they are successful. If they start off with the wrong attitude, I don’t think they’ll last.
Thoughts?
I’d love to hear if any of you have had this experience? I’d love to hear how you evolve that conversation. Also, if anyone else has experienced other roadblocks with bringing people onto the platform – shoot them below! Maybe we can all discuss them and give each other feedback and advice.
Love you guys.
Lea
▶️ DTube
▶️ IPFS
Hey great post @coruscate. By the way I didn't realize my child hood memory had gotten discussed on your show, thanks for the reward! Yes, I am experiencing the same problem when I talk to people about Steemit. But some are excited about posting good content. My friend has made a lot of money from flipping houses and he is excited to start posting about that to help people. Another one of my friend's uses Steemit as a creative outlet and therapy by sharing his experiences and thoughts. I think the money thing is an issue for some, but just like in the real world - if all you do is you want to make money you will never be successful.
Unrelated side note: do you know of any upcoming Steemit conferences? I want to network with more Steemians in person and I saw you went to Vegas. Thanks!
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It's cool to hear the approach that both of your friends have taken! I think a lot of people are interested in the topic of flipping houses, and this could be a really cool way for him to share some of his knowledge!
As for conferences - I'd follow @steemcafe and @dnews. Steemcafe hosted the event in Vegas and Dnews has hosted an event in Toronto. I know both have talked about planning more events in the future. Besides, that - there will be the ultimate event coming up later in the year - Steemfest 3. I havn't heard any news on location or dates yet, but that would definitely be a great event to attend if you are able.
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Wow! What can I say. Lea ; you continue to hit it out of the park. Outstanding work. Your video and written post work is phenomenal. @coruscate you ROCK!!!
@jfitmisc There is a big meetup the 19th in Nashville TN I wlll be at. And in New York on the 18th for @dlive. Both events promise to be incredible. You can hit me up [email protected]
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I personally would love to see steemit offer a better way to communicate between users with a more intuitive friends' list (EX: If your username is mentioned you'd be notified...I know minnowbooster does something like this.)
As far as the getting people on steemit....I just tell them bluntly that it isn't anything like Facebook and that they will need to create the friends through interaction. I think you're right in your thoughts about the user adapting to the platform. The platform has already become such a great place and I imagine it will only get better!
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Couldn't agree with you more @jonnyrevolution. We are missing some pretty key pieces to make this platform more user friendly. Notifications is huge, bring able to private message is another one, and better search-ability. Well... let's be honest, we could probably both keep adding to the list!
I just make it clear to people that we are still in beta testing when they have questions about some of those common features being missing. Once you have been on here for a while, you get used to it and it doesn't seem as bad. haha
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Yep, if they are that's the wrong type of person for Steem. Its all about building a community here. What I have noticed is people that stick around and are persistent with quality content are rewarded over time. In fact, the entire blockchain and Crypto space is like this. I can't even count how many people I introduced into buying their first Crypto, then the price go down a bit and they bail out soon as they "perceive things go bad". This is when Bitcoin was around $100 and Ethereum under $10. The blockchain rewards the people with the most tenacity. If they don't plan on sticking around for at least 4 months its not even worth your time.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts @hedge-x! Part of me wonders if they will become better community members once they are here...but you may be right that I could just be speaking to the wrong type of people.
I like your idea of a four month investment. That's a good way to put it to people. Ask if they would be willing to invest a lot of energy for four months and see where it takes them.
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Its hard to imagine why they would not wanna come here and learn about a totally new decentralized future in finance and social media? Crypto and Steem only gets bigger by the day. Anyone hanging around for a while makes money. Whatever they'd do on Facebook for free they get paid for on here :-)
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No kidding. Once you are on here and get more exposed to different ideas and learn more about cryptocurrency - it can only benefit them in the long run. Since coming hear, i've learned a lot more about cryptocurrency and am invested in multiple coins that i'm excited about.
Pretty big shift for me from my old model of investing. There is a lot of opportunity in this space and I think getting people onto Steemit is a good, kind of easy, entry point.
Thanks for all the great discussion!
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I think that if Steemit displayed upvotes in token form or # of upvotes rather than in SBD, that would help people detach themselves from posting just to make money and instead creating valuable content that people will naturally upvote.
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Great point! It will be interesting to see how SMT’s change things. I think some of those communities will move more in that direction.
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Yes! I am very excited for SMT's.
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This is awesome because I think we all feel this way. There are so many hurdles to understanding what goes on here yet.... we have all done it! Honestly I think whatever brings people on is fine and fair game. People will find their own paths once they get here and they have to individually decide if they want to put the work in to be be “succesfull” here. I totally agree with everything you said..... I do think it takes a very specific personality to want to make their STeemit journey worth the effort, but thats on them. Getting the on the platform I think is the most important thing... the rest is up to them ! :)
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Great perspective @goldmatters! I guess I worry too much about my friends doing well if I bring them on board. Ultimately, it’s up to them and how motivated they are to learn and engage once they are here.
Like you said, we all found our way once we got on here. They will take whatever approach works best for them. 😊
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Wow, I noticed that I have a lot of typos . You know from our chats how excited I get then all grammar goes out the window. Bad habit lol
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Hahah didn’t even notice the typos. It’s funny how our brain fills in the gaps when we know what the other person meant! Haha
I feel like that happens to me all the time. I’ll proofread a post a few times and then notice typos the moment I hit post. Haha
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Totally. Like I know you know exactly what I mean when i say wot[o3ihti[h32glkwgkrl;enlkwghew
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Couldn’t agree more. 😂
Hahah
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I also wanted to mention that commenting on Steem post are very underrated to building up a community. Some of the biggest money makers on Steem are constantly commenting and up voting on others post. Community building is the key to success on Steem apps which includes the ever expanding eco-system - Dtube, Dlive, Future SMTs, Steemit.com, ECT.
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You strike again with another great point @hedge-x! Commenting on other's post and taking the time to get into meaningful dialogue in the comments on your own posts are definitely some of the best ways to build community!
I only recently started using Discord... but up until then, all the relationships I build were just through comments. Looking back, I probably should have gotten on discord earlier...but what can you do. :)
It is true that some people will have no interest in creating content, but love to consume it. They can definitely find a home for themselves here on Steemit just by reading and commenting on other's posts.
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I don't think there is a "right" or "wrong" type of person for Steemit. @Ned has a vision of the Steem blockchain becoming the base of the future of the internet. If that doesn't happen, something that does things bigger and better than Steem will. Ultimately, blockchain and decentralization is the future.
That being said, I think Steemit itself is a terrible platform for the average person. Using Reddit gives me diabetes, and I think it's safe to say that most people want to have brief engagements with many people, rather than write stories about their life with just a few. This would explain how Facebook gained so many users. I think Busy is a much more user-friendly option and I think the other apps all have something different to offer.
In all fairness to your friends, Steemit sells itself on the ability to make money here. And even though it also sells itself as a place free from censorship, ask any of the friends I started with that got pummeled into the ground by speaking against whales if they still think that's true haha. So really both of the things that are supposed to make it stand out from just your run of the mill social media aren't looking so hot when you really run the Steem blockchain through a fine tooth comb.
A.) Making money on here is crazy hard for the most part.
B.) It's totally censored, it's just, instead of some head hancho at Youtube calling the shots, it's the whales with the most amount of SP. Granted they likely won't mess with you if you don't say anything bad about them, but that's still not the point.
So that puts us in a place where Steemit isn't a whole lot different than most other social networks (like tumblr or Reddit) if you don't consider the money aspect of it. That is what is supposed to make it evolutionary though, and it's the first thing you see on the page that invites people to the website. Sign up, Get Steem. They want you thinking about money before you even get your password. Now if it said, Sign Up, Join our Community, that would be different. They are hocking this as a place where you can come to earn a cryptocurrency, so it makes sense that that is what people focus on.
The last thing I wanted to say is that, not everyone is just money hungry. Frankly, I think it's quite a privilege to not have to worry about money, or rather think about money. I think about money all the time, because to me, time is money. We haven't reached a point in our lives yet even where my hubs and I can just have hobbies that we don't get paid for. Now, we have chosen these lives, as artists, but it's important that all of the extra things we do bring in some sort of income, or we just don't do them. It's depressing, but it's our reality, and we aren't alone. There is this trope that people "sit for hours on other social media not getting paid" so they should be happy with what they get here. (And I agree that we should all be thankful for what we make on here) buy my point is that I really don't know anyone who sits all day on social media. Not millennials anyway. I see a lot of boomers sitting all day on social media, posting political rants and playing fake slot games. What I see of my millennial friends is them taking just a moment to post a status update or share a funny meme on one of their breaks at one of their multiple jobs. This speaks volumes to me about how millennials are using their time and it blows out of the water, this idea that they were somehow wasting it before, haha. It's maybe even a little insulting.
Anyway, Loooong explanation to an easy, but still somewhat complex question. I think that your friends ask about the money they can make because their time is money, and most people our age don't have that time to spare without being compensated for it!
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Well written and thorough response Beth! Getting different views on this subject is exactly what I was hoping for with this post.
I have just worried that these people will either be eaten alive on here or will get quickly discouraged with a singular focus.
You bring up a really important point though that time is money - and it’s only fair they ask those questions.
Thanks for the perspective!! I can always count on you to have an opinion! Hahaha
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You still have friends outside of steemit? :D
Kidding. As i posted earlier, many people are rejected by the long waiting time for their accounts. Sometimes their application simply dissapears. To further promote steemit i just buy them the account for 5 steem on anon.steem.network
I act within the realm of german Journalism, so people basically appreciate a plattform with no censorship, that steemit still is.
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Great idea! Get them up and rolling right away with anon.
The lack of censorship is a huge selling point for any journalist!
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@coruscate I came to steemit for the money but it is so much more to me now.
Last year I was looking for something to do online to make money one of the things I went looking at was paid surveys but after spending many hours on them sites I had hardly anything to show for it.
When I came across steemit by chance and it said you could earn money from blogging I jumped at the chance to join.
What made me think this place was a fake site was the wait to get on here.
Once I was in I didn't know where to turn, there was so much to learn and no one to tell me what to do.
My posts are still inconsistent with what I am wanting to do on here but when I get myself sorted out I think I will shine just like you have.
I remember your first post and I thought it was great.
Now I have done a lot of promo work to show people steemit, I have been to meet ups and talked to family and friends about it. when I show them that I have made money over the month by been on here they want in.
what they find is the same thing as me, What do you do first?
Where does the money come from?
Anyway it has been a long journey for some who I have brought on here and they still wonder like myself what is their niche.
I have got to the point when I tell people about steemit and they ask about the money and rewards that i tell them that the potential is massive but it is down to them to put the work into it just like everybody else has on here.
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Awesome way to look at it @artonmysleeve. I like the way you talk about the potential of the platform. Just like with anything else in life, it takes time to build up a following or brand before you can expect to monetize.
Thanks for chiming in my friend! Staying consistent is tough... especially since you have a family and a million other things going on. Ha e ever told you how much I like your username? Haha It’s super witty!
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No @coruscate you haven't said it before, but it's not the first time some one has said it to me, I was doing some promo work with a guy called @starkerz and he said the same. it was the first time I had met a real person through steemit.
But thank you anyway :)
It is hard having 3 kids and a wife, then steemit is like another baby to look after and I just can't seem to get into the swing of things. I have so much to say and do on here it's unreal, when one idea comes into my head a thousand join it.
I think like you consistency is the key to success on here.
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Dear @coruscate, I have brought four people to this platform and supported them with various booster up votes and most have given up. I think we are a rare breed and that's okay because no matter what you do they will have to earn it for themselves. If you have to support everybody you bring on to this platform you will have zero voting power and wasted a lot of time. There may be a few that make it and you have changed their lives, that's my take on all of this and I appreciate everything you do, God bless!
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Thanks for the well-rounded perspective! I think you're right that I just need to let people go and offer my help, but maybe make sure they have some skin in the game and are willing to put in the work before getting overly invested.
We definitely seem to be a rare breed here. haha I wouldn't have it any other any way though. It's pretty cool to be surrounding by so many amazing, like minded people every day on here. :)
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When I tell people i've put money into steem, or am blogging on steem, I usually make a point about the transparency of the platform and of blockchain in general. Human greed will play a role in any human activity. Transparency is the key to truth. As soon as secrecy becomes even a possibility, humans tend to exploit it. You can be a dick on steem, and you might be able to be greedy in the short term, but I think steem will show over time that transparency leads to truth and supreme knowledge.
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Well said @ferrisbueller! It's easy to get caught up in the "issue of the day", but ultimately, the best content and community members will rise above the rest. Even if it doesn't always seem like it does.
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Exactly!!
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I've had this happen to me many times. I have to let them go, to be honest. The best thing I do is I mention money but never how much and always tell them it's not guaranteed. It's better if they naturally stumble upon steemit as they're more likely to do it for the right reasons.
Ultimately they need to have the hustle gene in them.
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The hustle gene!! Hahah I love that.
Such a great way to think about it too. It really does depend on what their motivations are to be here, and how much energy they are willing to put in.
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Yes, we all can't be coruscate :)
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hahah you mean we can't all be @kevinli's??
Let's face it... the rest of us Dtuber's can't compete with that accent! ;)
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Too bad I don' look like Chris Hemsworth #SteemDreams haha
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For me it is more educational... let’s face it many shy away from any discussions of money, others work and even more on so many other topics.
Let’s face it also that our lives and technologies are also rapidly changing... so many people do want to know about this and Steemit is a great platform for learning it, tracking it and evolving with it. And there is enough other stuff in the platform to interest of intrigue others... we just need to know their wants and needs on an individual basis.
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Thanks for the thoughtful response @kyusho! Tailoring how we talk about the platform based on their individual passions and interests is a great way to approach things.
Also a great point about Steemit being a way to ease into the idea of cryptocurrencies in general. I know that I’ve learned a ton about crypto and blockchain technology just from being here. My knowledge level would be a lot lower if I was just sitting from the sidelines and reading an article here or there.
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I just signed up a friend today to steemit/dtube and run into the same roadblocks. lol
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Ahh glad I’m not alone! I guess even if money is what brings them here, they’ll start to see some of the other benefits once they are actually interacting and using the platform. I guess if they are motivated enough, they will take the time to figure out how this whole eco-system operates.
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From my experience I can tell you that: being steemit a platform with so many benefits (the most attractive reward is undoubtedly the reward), it is difficult for people to stop focusing on it until they live it, I always try to compare it with facebook or instagram, where you can make publications without rewards, at least in my case, however I have guided them along the path of friendships and learning that they can acquire here, many have stayed and understood that steemit goes beyond rewards, others are happy to have a boyfriend, others are happy with the followers, in short, I feel that each person who really is the right person for this platform, is captivated (as I am) and from there begin to learn more about their journey on this platform, happy night
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I think you are right that even if money is the main motivator at first, they will find their way once they’ve been here for a while.
Thanks for the thoughtful response!
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A few days ago I asked the question: Is Steemit bullshit??
Look at the answer I got from one of the bots:
Now at first I thought that was funny. Unfortunately there seems to be quite a lot of truth in it at the moment.
Steemit is mostly about the money and has a very unequal wealth distribution at that. Like in real life it is not what you know but who you know that mostly determines your success. As a result even Ned Scott admitted in his recent Bloomberg interview that the platform is suffering from low quality content.
With regard to that I second @fabbyd oppinion that Steemit seems to have somewhat narcissitic tendencies with a large number of posts on Steemit itself or cryptocurrencies.
I do hope that Steemit can turn things around. With people like you on board that should be possible.
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Ahh SUCH a great point about narcissism. We do tend to talk about ourselves a lot here on Steemit... letting other non crypto content fall by the way side.
I was encouraged to hear Ned admit some of the problems we have here on the platform. That gives me more hope that he’s committed to working on them. It will be interesting to see how SMT’s change everything.
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I think it is overwhelming for people used to twitter, facebook, reddit etc. When you first start what is trending or filling your feed is not necessarily tailored to your interests but is does not take huge effort to start following and get a better experience. It will be interesting to see if Steemit does develop a wider base of users. Right now it looks like the demographic is content creators who also enjoy consumption. I wonder if over time it will become more a destination with more casual users browsing content but not necessarily blogging or creating stuff themselves
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Great points @redskylullaby. Steemit really isn't comparable to other social media sites where people can just post casually. There really is a different vibe and expectation around community involvement here.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the platform evolves and changes over time.
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Just send them links to your openmic vids... they would more eager to join ;9) ..... It's tough.. the learning curve.. the interface.... somebody really has to have some kind of skin in the game... maybe they want to submit travel logs, photos, openmic ect.... the barrier to entry is a little steep for most. I commend you on your quest.. I'm just not sure that at this time your ratio of adding people is going to be really high... but most people realize that youtube is not acting in the best interest in their own community. Just as facebook and twitter are doing the same restrictive actions against their own user base, there has to be a breaking point.. there was for me... Maybe troll the disgruntled users of these platforms... As long as we have "free speech" on Steemit we will prevail. We are a world wide social network. I know your well aware of the impact the guilds such as Curie have.. life changing. Alright I talked your ear off and rambled on ... good luck to ya.
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Great points @gibber!! The idea of decentralization and non censorship is a big draw. Thanks for chiming in!
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Great post, I also find that as the content is heavily skewed towards cryptos. New members can loses interest if they a looking for a platform with more general content
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Agreed. I think both types of content have value... we are just a little out of balance right now.
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To be honest, no-one ever mentions the money when I bring it up. They register but are never approved, but spambots and Phishers lurk and get multiple accounts registered in bulk. Its a real problem, and is a bit concerning.
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Make some seminars on steemit to get people onto steemit.💦
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