Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts about self-voting in the comments section of my article entitled @SumatraNate's Self-Voting Strategy.

I anticipated that we would hear arguments from both sides (which did happen), and I appreciated that everyone was civil (even when we disagreed).

As I continue to contemplate the issue of self-voting, I am reminded that the reason why we join Steemit might impact our opinions/views of self-voting.

In this article I am going to discuss some potential differences between an investor's mindset and a content creator's mindset regarding self-voting.

The Investor

To understand the mindset of an investor, when need to understand the meaning of the word investor.

Investor: a person or group of people that puts its money into a business or other organization in order to make a profit (source)

By definition, investors use money with the goal of making more money.

In extreme cases, someone who is only looking for a return on investment will interact with the Steemit platform but will refuse to interact with the Steemit community. Although many of us do not feel comfortable with this philosophy, we must acknowledge that financial investors play an important role in improving the valuation of Steem (even though they might not provide value to the relationships being developed within Steemit).

Investors not only want a return on their investment, they want a quick return on investment, which may lead to extreme self-voting.

Extreme self-voting ...

• is a voting strategy where a person primarily votes for his or herself
• often includes 100% self-upvotes for unengaging comments (while neglecting the writer of the posts)
• may be bolstered by the use of bots and additional Steemit accounts

Let me be clear. Our community is blessed by many benevolent Steemians who entered our community with an investor mindset. They have done a great job of seeking a return on their investment, while at the same time developing meaningful relationships with the community.

And though we might not agree with a fellow Steemian who self-upvotes (because of his or her investor's mindset), it is beneficial to understand the reasoning and thought process behind his/her motivations and goals.

The Content Creator

Content creators have grown their following and their Steem Power by creating quality content that engages their audience.

A lot of successful content creators pride themselves on starting from zero and growing into the dolphin or whale that they are today. Developing relationships and building a network of followers was an important part of their growth on the Steemit platform and within the Steemit community. And as a result, they value the opportunity to invest in others via upvotes.

Content creators are validated by the upvotes of others. They find approval and meaning when their content is accepted and praised. It might mean less for a content creator to receive self-praise (via a self-upvote) versus external validation from others.

There are content creators who have self-upvoted in the past, and there are those who still do today.

What is important to remember is that content creators have invested time and effort into creating content (instead of on a large, initial investment into Steem Power). Their reasoning for joining our community and staying engaged in our community impact their opinions and perspective on self-voting.

I am both!

I feel that I can sympathize with both investors and content creators. When I initially joined Steemit, I struggled to create content.

It was a difficult and sometimes discouraging time. I would write articles, but received little response.

But as I improved my writing skills and developed meaningful relationships I started to find some traction. And then at some point, I realized that I wanted to invest outside money to increase my Steem Power.

I want to see a return on my investment, but I also want to invest time into improving my writing ability and engaging others in the Steemit community.

I implore all of us to evaluate ourselves before we start casting stones. I also hope that we will take a few moments to consider other peoples perspectives before we start to tear him or her down.

Your Turn

Let's continue the conversation in the comments section.

1. Do you think more like an investor or a content creator?
2. Have you ever felt shame for self-voting?
3. What advice would you give a new Steemit user in regards to self-voting?

Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to hearing from you.

@sumatranate

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