Hello! Below is my analysis of the importance of originality and openness in the steemit community.

Originality

Originality
noun.
The ability to think independently and creatively.

If you sort by new on steemit.com, chances are that you'll see a lot of copy-paste articles, a few images of naked girls and generally some low effort content. When I joined, there weren't that many users so the 80% of the content was original and honest. If you read it, you really felt that the author poured some heart and effort into it. I am definitely not saying that that kind of content is nowhere to be found here nowadays. I am saying that that kind of originality is a bit rare now.

The comments of trending posts often contain comments saying how the steemit voting system is flawed as their posts don't get as much votes as the others. There can be some factors contributing to the feelings of these commentors.

One of them is the lack of originality. It is very possible that the trending posts contain about 80% more original content than that of the commentors. Originality is the only way you can get your post up to the top, not by stealing ideas or copy pasting. Only by being honest, open and original can you get your post to trend.

So if your post isn't upvoted/liked that much, it is possible that you lack that honesty and originality in your post.

So why don't many of the short fiction stories trend? They're mostly original, right? Why do introductory and make-up posts trend?

Not everyone here has the time to read short stories. Most people just come here to get the latest on Steem and read about the new additions to the community. Introductory posts are incredibly interesting as they provide a sneak peek into the every day life of the authors, like how they found steem, how can they prove themselves to be useful members of the community. People love to read these kind of posts and welcome the new users.

Make-up videos and tutorials are amazingly original. They are the kind of content creating the Steemit platform needs, not the images of naked girls that the internet is virtually filled with. Plus they are totally auditory and visual, you don't have to read them. The audio and video makes it kinda easier for us to digest the information. The more accessible, honest, original and open your post, the more likely it is to get upvoted.

Openness

Openness
noun.
Openness is the unrestricted and unlimited access to information as well as collaborative or cooperative management and decision-making rather than a central authority.
opposite of secrecy.

Alongwith originality, openness and transparency are the pillars of the community. If there is no openness in your post, it feels held back. Something feels like it is missing. If you want to join the community and rank among it's most valued and respected members, you must be open as to why you're here and what can you do to improve the platform; what are your special skills that you feel like you can contribute?

The whole crypto-currency system is transparent and open. Anyone can see and record the transactions being made. If the basis of the whole platform is transparency and openness, then why shouldn't the community which follows the platform be equally transparent and open? Food for thought.

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The whole social media is full of clickbaity crap and a ton of nonsense. But we are not and should not be like others. We should not follow in the foot steps of others. We should be our own role models. There is no place for things like that here. Our goal is to revolutionize the crypto platform. Can we fulfill that goal by being unoriginal and secret?

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As always, thanks for reading. Keep being amazing and awesome. I look forward to what the future holds for us.