Minnows, Dolphins and Whales, Oh My!

Being new to Steemit is a bit overwhelming. There is a lot of content to explore and lots to learn about the platform. You need to have a rudimentary understanding of the terms used on the site. Some of these are STEEM, STEEM POWER, and STEEM DOLLARS. Each one is used differently. There are upvotes and downvotes and they are not necessarily used to acknowledge good works or to downgrade others. It is a power struggle to determine how that days/weeks allotted STEEM DOLLARS and STEEM POWER will be distributed to users: authors and curators. There is another set of terms that had me baffled at first.

The words: whales, dolphins and minnows. Okay sure, obviously the minnows are the ‘lil guys which leaves the whales being the BIG guys. The dolphins thence forth are the ones in the middle. The first time I read the comment (on another person’s post) “you need to get yourself a whale”; I thought to myself, what kind of whale are we talking here? A humpback whale or is there a mini/micro species because otherwise it is not going to fit into my bathtub.

I get the big, bigger, biggest reference, but can we talk about the diets of these beautiful creatures of nature? The minnow basically gets the left overs. He eats whatever particles he finds floating through the water. The particles are just his size. The dolphin typically eats fish like herring and mackerel or cephalopods. Larger dolphins eat mammals and sometimes turtles. Most whales eat krill, shrimp, and plankton, while there are a few that eat giant squid or mammals. These diets cross over a bit but are also very different.

As a noob (newbie) with little STEEMPOWER I classify as a minnow. Someone who has been here for a while and has gained a certain level of STEEMPOWER is a dolphin and someone who has amassed a great amount of STEEMPOWER is a whale. Alrighty, simple enough. Based on diet I get that a minnow would want to hang out around a dolphin, there is a lot of scrap coming off the foods he eats. For the minnow to hang out around the whale could be dangerous and even fatal. If he is hanging with a humpback whale for instance, he could be sucked in as the whale skims the water for the krill and plankton. He is just a ‘lil guy. The dolphin is not going to really get much from the whale and vice versa. The minnow has nothing to share with the whale. If anything, they are competing for the same foods.

Now there is one guy out there that makes the prefect crossover; the killer whale. He is not a whale but a dolphin. He has the speed and power of a shark. He is quick and resourceful. Food is survival, for which he hunts and does it well. In the case of Steemit users power is survival. The more power you have the more STEEM you can curate and/or receive as an author. The STEEMPOWER you have helps to direct the pay outs of the available STEEM DOLLARS and STEEM POWER. I think in my case I want to be the Killer whale. He can survive in the environments with the minnows and the whales. He is resourceful and survives. I will cultivate a mixture of whales, minnows and dolphins in my followings. Each group has something to offer and something to be given. It seems that once a Steemian reaches a certain level he must be moved on to the next grouping. But for me, I am going to become a killer whale; staying a part of each grouping always. I will survive in all the environments.

I encourage others to become a killer whale too. Diversity is a great thing. I do not want to change, but to enhance, what is already here. I want to contribute to this ocean of opportunity; to watch it flourish and grow. I want to be as involved as the little minnow, with his iridescent coloring across his scales, as he darts to and fro. As busy as the dolphin, with the amazing skill of echolocation and ethereal beauty, swimming the waters for miles. To have power and kindness like the majestic humpback whale, a gentle giant full of grace and elegance. Steemit is full of minnows, dolphins and whales, it is a bottomless sea brimming with life; the information and possibilities are endless and will leave you reeling in awe.