There is a growing culture of complaining on Steemit at the moment, lots of angry people claiming that it isn't fair that they aren't making what others are making. These whingers and whiners as I like to call them, think it's not fair that they have just arrived on Steemit and aren't making thousands of dollars.
If you are 35 or under, and grew up in a Western country, the chances are, you have grown up in the "Everyone gets a medal for showing up" society. The warnings have been there for a few decades now, voices from the shadows have been murmuring...
You shouldn't give medals to kids just for showing up, it gives them a skewed version of real life and sets them up for a lifetime of disappointment.
Unfortunately, the warnings went unheeded, and year after year, for wave after wave of children, medals were given out just for showing up.
I was thinking of this the other day, when I was at my 5 year old's, school sports day. The night before, my daughter and I, had both promised each other that we would bring home the medals for the house.
She had parotted the mantra her school had been dishing out that winning didn't matter, it was the taking part that counts. I could tell from looking at her that she didn't really believe that, so I told her that taking part was good, but taking part and winning was even better.
She went to sleep with a smile on her face..,
Blair's Babies
In 1997 in the United Kingdom, Tony Blair was voted in as Prime Minister, back then, most people were happy with him and his revamped New Labour party.
A significant part of Tony Blair's manifesto, was to increase university applications and he felt the best way to do this, was to encourage poorer students to apply. This, was not a bad thing to do, however, in a desperate bid to deliver promised election figures, exams started getting easier.
This coincided with the banning of competitive sports at primary schools, replaced instead with asinine, saccharin, inclusion games.
The nexus of the inclusion, shitstorm was reached when several top universities revealed that they were having to retest, science and engineering students for maths; and law students for English, because A-Levels exam standards had fallen to extremely low levels.
It got to a point in the UK, where A-Level exams, taken by 18 year old's, were easier than tests taken by 11 year old's in developing Asian countries.
You see; in a developing country, you can't afford to have an, everyone gets a medal for showing up, mentality; because you, and/or your family, will starve. You have to be excellent, you have to try and win, you have to do more than show up, when showing up, means surviving on a couple of dollars a day or less.
The true impact of the dumbing down of the British education system, was that you had lots of students leaving these universities, and not getting jobs. Not because there weren't any, but because of their own, previously unchecked, incompetence.
You see an employer, isn't going to give you a medal just for showing up, this can come as quite a shock to a 23 year old, who has been told since she was 5, that it was the taking part that counts and has been fed bullshit notions about how competition is somehow detrimental to society; when in fact, the exact opposite is true.
The problem is that if you give a child medals for nothing, and then you carry on that mentality till they leave university, that child will feel that life is fair. So now as a young adult, going out into the world, he suddenly realises, life isn't fair. Some people have advantages that you don't have, sometimes the person less qualified than you will get the job, not because they're better, but for some other, unseen and unfair reason.
So then it hits you hard...
uh oh....
here it comes.....
yup she's just about to get it....
so is he....
LIFE ISN'T FAIR AND YOU'RE NOT THAT SPECIAL AFTERALL!!!
The Steemit Complain Game
Now we come to Steemit a microcosmic reflection of society at large; people competing with one another, for a slice of the pie; the pie in this case being Steem.
The Steem Heads who have long ago worked out that you don't get a medal just for getting out of bed, they just keep going if they don't make money on a post. They are upset, but they don't voice their upset and definitely don't make a post about it. Because they realise that moaning about not having enough votes, is the adult equivalent of bursting out in tears and demanding a medal, after losing the egg and spoon race.
However it would seem the fastest growing community on Steemit, is the whingers and whiners; their moans are straight from the money for nothing handbook,
Ooh, why aren't I being rewarded?
Huh, if I had tits I would make $20,000
Bloody whales, they just want to vote up their friends, if I knew them I would get votes too.
Why didn't my post make any money?
Wah, wah, wah, GIVE ME MY MEDAL! I'M HERE AREN'T I?
Oh dear, oh dear; this would be funny, if it wasn't so tragic.
The Delusion Of Truth
Now, before you skip the rest of this article, scroll down to the bottom and start telling me exactly why I'm wrong and how I kiss the arses of the Whales and why you actually produce quality content that is ignored, consider the following statement.
I agree with you; I agree that there is quality content that is being ignored; however here's the rub; the majority of authors of aforementioned, quality content, don't complain about it. And guess what?
Those authors tend to come from developing countries, they have the try, try, again attitude, built in to them. I have seen comments, where someone has said something along the lines of:
"Look at so-and-so's cryptocurrency post; that was a quality article and it got $30, whereas that Make-Up post got $30k!"
The funny thing about those comments; and I've seen a lot of them, is the author of the so-and-so, cryptocurrency article they are quoting; never chimes in and says:
"Yeah! That's right, why wasn't I recognised?"
That's because the author of the post, is out there, trying to make sure that the next one they do, does get recognised. They are trying to improve, they might even be pissed off that they are making a few bucks, whilst other articles are making thousands. But guess what? They don't complain, they just get on with it.
Also, what sets apart those contributors who produce quality, and don't complain, from the ones who do, is they don't give up and it is the not giving up concept, that I feel, we have warped in the West. We have changed admiration for the virtue of persistence, into a way to reward participation.
Well done for trying, has morphed into, everyone's a hero for trying.
And
Everyone should be allowed to compete has morphed into everyone should be given a chance to win
Life and art have been in an uneasy alliance since the concept of art first entered our mushy little, brains, with the latter, often reflecting the malaise of the former.
Art has never reflected life so wonderfully, as in shows like The X-Factor; year after year, thousands of delusional, talentless, wanabees, show up and expect their medal.
Even the watching crowd boos at Simon Cowell, as he points out to another tone-deaf, wannabe, what everyone can hear....
"That was awful, you can't sing, don't give up the day job, it's a no from me..."
LOL, and he's meant to be the bad guy - But he's not; the bad guy is the; everyone gets a medal for showing up attitude. This rotten, self-defeating philosophy, has permeated every inch of our society, slowly infecting us with the poisonous belief that life should automatically be fair.
"But life should be fair, and Steemit isn't fair!"
Tell that to the North Korean peasant who is eaten bark and grass so that he can live for at least a few more hours...
"Yeah, but he's lucky to have such stark motivation in his life..."
The Case For Learning
I know that some of you, will be sitting there thinking; ...easy for you to say Cryptogee, you are making nice money on Steemit, but believe it or not; I would be saying this no matter how much I'd made. Because I used to be one of life's whiners and whingers.
I felt like I had a strong sense of social justice, and I blamed everything around me for stopping me realise my true potential.
Whatever the excuse, I had it, whether it was because I didn't come from a rich family, to that I wasn't a white, middle-class, male. I tried on every execuse, searching for the best fit;
"There must be some external reason, why I'm not fabulously succesful! If only I could work it out, life would be better!"
If only I had a trust fund
If only I had gone to that school
If only I could win the lottery
If only I had parents that recognised my talents and pushed me
If only I could get my big break...
Then one day it hit me...
Oh my God! You have no control over outside circumstance, but you do have control of how you react to those circumstances.
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!
I think that is what is termed, in the modern parlance of our times, as; a wake up call.
My first post on Steemit made exactly $0.13, it was a meme and memes were making serious dollars back then. In fact it was how @bleepcoin introduced me to Steemit. He had done a Bob Marley Steemit Up meme, that had gotten $1300!!
Mine however, flopped and at around the same time, someone else came out with a meme that I considered inferior to mine, which made a few hundred dollars.
I didn't complain...
Instead I had an in-depth conversation with @bleepcoin, as to why he felt these other memes were getting hundreds or even thousands of dollars and mine didn't.
Note: This wasn't a whinge fest, it was an analytical discussion.
After this; I realised that I don't have what it takes to come up with a meme that would make hundreds of dollars, so I started thinking about what I could do...
My second post; Steemit Forward The Revolution, was an article about the emerging cryptocurrency revolution and how Steemit was going to pLay a major role in the widespread and perhaps even governmental adoption of cryptocurrency.
After a slow start it gained traction and it got to $1300, a couple of similar articles came out just after, which made in excess of $5000. (The article actually only paid out $135.23, due to the effects of dilution before July 4th)
I didn't complain, I just carried on honing and refining my craft, on occasions I've written, what I've thought to be absolute crackers of articles; which have barely made double figures.
I didn't complain...
My attitude was to keep going until I was producing the kind of quality that would put me on a list of writers who consistently produced quality, original content.
Guess what? It paid off, and now I am on that list, because of the content I produce.
But my content is better than yours, you had a time advantage over me!
Oh, isn't that fair?
Boo hoo, you know what this is?
It's the world's smallest violin, playing just for you.
So you're not going to be given a free pass to the Steemit high earners club, I guess you're just going to have to earn it.
*But that's not fair! It's really hard to do that!
I refer you to the above violin...
Rise Of The Whinge Bots
"Oh look, another article telling people how to write an article, making loads of money; great, just what we need!"
Have you ever stopped to wonder why Steemit tutorials do so well? Maybe, just maybe, it isn't because there is some kind of circle jerk, conspiracy going on. Maybe it is because the people with the most vested interests in Steemit (the Whales) want the quality of the platform to be as high as possible.
And maybe, they feel that there isn't enough quality for them to vote on, so they vote on articles to help people improve, in the hope that they will...
...improve.
I'll let you into a little secret; I never stop trying to learn how to improve; just last week, I saw an article from @inboundinken and I thought; hmm, that's a good tip.
So I tried it out; and guess what? It worked!
That's right, I got a tip from a tutorial, applied it and it added value to my post
Yeah... you're probably right though, it's a conspiracy and you're a genius....
$26,000 for a make-up tutorial???? How is that quality?
Hmm, you got me there, let's see, how is that quality?
Well, let's see now, she made a video exclusively for Steemit, which was well scripted and thought out.
Yeah ok, bu...
She is talking about a popular subject that hadn't been talked about yet on Steemit, the top makeup video on Youtube has over 3,000,000 views.
Yeah, that might be tru...
Oh and don't forget she's appealing to an audience that wouldn't necessarily have noticed Steemit, therefore attracting new people to the platform. Which in turn, drives up the price of Steem as it becomes more popular, benefiting all Steemit users.
Ok, but apart from that....
Ah of course! Let us not forget the fact that if an A-List Youtuber with tens of millions of fans, sees that kind of success and advertises to all of their followers that Steemit is the place to be; that will also increase the popularity and therefore the value of Steemit.
Erm....
And of course, she made a T-shirt; remind me which posts of yours represent that much effort and value?
...Yeah but she's pretty, if I was a pretty girl...
Yawn I refer you to the above violin.
Even though I too, had a flash of jealousy, tingle its way through my body as I saw @guerrint's post creep up towards the $30k mark.
It didn't last long, because I realised that not only was she doing all the things I mentioned above, she had the good fortune to post just as the price rise of Steem filtered through. So hers, with all other posts, saw real boom time bonanzas.
I hope the hate hasn't chased away @guerrint, we need more people like her.
EDIT: I see she has another high ranking video out there! Haha, welcome back, with another original idea...lol
@infovore An Example To Follow
I know I'm going to get a lot of flak for this article, I know that a lot of people will disagree with what I say and show me examples to prove me wrong.
The only ones I will take seriously, are the ones who have read @infovore's story How Steemit Has Changed My Life: From living on $1/day and 3 hours of electricity to Having over $41,319.
The reason for that is, Inforvore is the kind of person you should be trying to emulate, somebody who has never expected (because he's never been given) a medal just for showing up. So because of that, when he didn't make the kind of dollars he saw everyone else making, he didn't complain, he just kept going.
So for me, it is a wonderfully, delicious, irony, that when he writes a blog post about what life is like for people who haven't grown up in a society so bloated, that it can reward its citizens, for managing to get out of bed in the morning. He makes an absolute shed load of cash.
I really love that fact; and you know what? He deserves every penny, I wish it were even more, because he embodies the kind of can-do attitude, that we need not just on Steemit, but in our global society as a whole.
Reality Check
You know where the medal for showing up society never took hold? In the developing world; go to China, Nigeria, Hondouras, Syria, Malaysia, North Korea, and a whole host of other countries, to see if kids in those places are given medals for turning up and pissing their pants.
Go and find out, if anybody is told that it's the taking part that counts in Nigeria; let me assure you, as someone with familial links to Nigeria, nobody will ever be told that simply showing up is a virtue, in the whole of that country.
In fact in Nigeria, you won't even get a pat on the back for showing up, getting your arse out of bed and getting on with it, barely hits the minimum requirement.
Sports Day
The morning after we promised to each other to bring home the winning medals for the house, my 5 year old daughter, won 3 golds and a silver at her sports day (I won the daddy's race) and after she picked up her medal, she noticed that kids she had left eating her dust, were picking up medals too.
"Daddy; why is everyone getting a medal?"
Before I could answer, another parent who was standing nearby (I can only assume their kid was one of the losers) said; "It's because they all took part and that's what matters, so they all deserve a medal!"
My daughter makes me proud a lot; however the way she shook her head in disgust at this statement, whilst muttering no they don't, under her breath; bar her winning the actual medals, that was probably the proudest moment I've had in her short little life.
That's my girl!
You see my little CryptoGirl, realisess that getting a medal just because you managed to get dressed and leave the house is pointless, it renders competition useless and it completely cheapens the meaning of the award.
Perhaps that's why she removed it from around her neck and handed it to mummy, to look after, I had to tell her that even though all those other kids who she creamed got medals as well. She; along with the other winners, were the only ones who deserved all the accolades, the rest were just being given one so they didn't cry.
She looked up at me, smiled and said;
"Thank you Daddy"
I'd like to think she was saying; "Thank you for making me realise that winning and losing, are not the same thing; which ultimately will prepare me for the sometimes, harsh realities of life."
"You're welcome baby, you're welcome."
xx
Cryptogee
Really good article you expressed your perspective so elegantly , but i don't think that these whining bitches deserve that, they need to be called out for what they are until it sinks in.
These mostly grown men stop crying like littles girls and figure out what they need to do to make Steemit work for them.
There was an article yesterday discussing the political ramifications of using the down vote and if it should be use to decrease the pay of articles that many believe is excessive.
This is beyond ridiculous if you don't see the value in an article go about your business it has nothing to do with you.
What a person does with their property is their concern.
If that is what voters decided to support then what gives you the right to take away from them just because you are envious of their success.
There are plenty of things in the world that i don't find to be of interest to me that doesn't give me the right to go in anyone's pocket and take money from them because i feel they don't deserve it.
This is just wrong they act like the money come from a pool that we all have title to.
You can be nice them if if you want, i'm going for there heads
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Exactly, it is good to see that many are reacting badly to these people.
CG
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The A-level quote is the same kind of nonsense populist media spews.
Comparing a Math Olympiad test with public education makes absolutely no sense.
When exams were more difficult in the 50s-70s there were far greater rates of failure, and expulsion from the education system.
Is this what you want to revert to?
A system in which people are "priced out" of certain industries by not being able to possess certain qualifications, due to single instances of bad performance in stress-based conditions?
I agree that complaining is ineffective.
But it's fuelled by articles such as thi that aim to depict newbies as incompetent for not making money.
"Oh just create more captivating content" - "Earn it!!!"
No. Instead guides should teach them how voting works.
How networking governs voting power, and how 100 votes can equal < $10.
Hence it's about cultivating important connections, or being tied to an enormous botnet.
I hope newbies aren't frustrated and understand that yes, you are playing a game you probably don't know the rules to, and will struggle to win unless you adapt your strategy.
(I wrote a post on how to avoid frustration, I won't link it, because I don't want to spam, but I recommend it).
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Your comments suggest you either didn't read or understand the post
Cg
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Typical, can't rebut anything so claim I misunderstand.
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Hint: Education was more selective before. Compare with public school in China you'll see highest performing schools are highly selective (by failing those who lag), and more inclusive schools aren't so brilliant.
And the 11 year old Chinese kid thing was related to Math Olympiads.
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There is guides that show how voting works when I was a noob I looked for them
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I so agree with this. I've not got anywhere with my articles so far but I've done a ton of reading and I've noticed how many are downvoting for whatever reason. I really find this unfair - if you don't like something then walk on by. Instead of the jealousy, concentrate on being yourself - only better.
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What a foolish and naive perspective. With this sort of outlook Steem will barely get past the 1 million users mark.
Clearly the economics of the system need to evolve.
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OK, no idea what you're basing your figures on, but you seem to have confidence in them so, well done.
Cg
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Unnecesarily rude to newbies who are frustrated because they don't understand the dynamics of what it takes to make money on Steemit.
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I am not, I am telling newbies if they don't immediately start making money, not to whine and cry about it.
Cg
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How is that remotely constructive, especially if you expect mass-adoption?
How are these words of comfort that inspire persistence?
How will this prevent people from becoming disillusioned?
It doesn't, but it allows you to project your arrogance on others.
Very disappointed.
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Nice inquiry into the millennial mindset!
Why am I not earning thousands of bucks for my shitty posts? Why is the world so unfair? Who is John Galt?
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Who is John Galt? Never thought I would see that reference being used! :)
Ayn Rand, what a legend!
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Cryptogee you're really raising the bar for not only Steemit but yourself.
Having grown up in the Blair education system from a state school there were also other elements that emerged from this 'everyone's worth a medal' mentality. The crab in a bucket analogy... where anyone seen to be pushing ahead or trying harder than anyone else were pulled back down.
Do these two things go hand in hand? Probably...
Thanks for elegantly crafting this article drawing from observations from Steemit and life. I can see why you're so proud of your daughter.
Hopefully in building this collaborative virtual society we can turn reverse that crab mentality.
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Crab in a bucket mentality! Wow! Yeah, they go hand in hand.
Well spotted :-)
CG
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how do you wright so interesting posts every time? Thanks for them.
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Hear! Hear! @wingz
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Yeah, I am completely confused by the complaining about whales and who they upvote. But here is the thing, whales are everywhere. If Oprah picks your book for her club, well, your book now has a new life.
Or if you slaved away on a screenplay that nobody wants, but then one day Steven Spielberg wants to make it into a movie, well your life has changed.
And over on Facebook, if you make a meme and only your college friends like it, well, that's one thing. But if George Takei likes it and shares it on his page well, most of the world will see your meme.
Whales existed before Steemit. It's just how life works. Deal with it.
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Exactly and you can waste energy fighting it, or use that energy to get in on the party.
CG
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Yes, it's definitely a fact of life.
Beyond that, I feel grateful that these kinds of people exist. People of power and influence who, through their own grace, show the world something which they find beautiful, so we can all share in it.
Oprah never had to put Eckhart Tolle on her show and share what she had gained from it, but she did, and the world is a better place because of it.
People who use their influence carefully and effectively are a blessing.
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She put Eckhart Tolle on her show, and I bet you there were lots of Eckhart Tolle clones, saying; why don't you put me on the show? It's not fair that you just showcase him....
CG
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Very well put, there will always be advantages of getting picked up by people who are already successful.
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Dude, great post!
Love the way you weave your writing around the story so well.
I have to say though, it is difficult not to feel dejected by underperforming....or shall we say the possibility that you are underperforming.
The reason for a particular post not to do well doesn't necessarily mean that the content is crap....there are a number of contributing factors to that outcome. As the way many people have been wired by societal expectations, whatever the reason for the outcome, they will despair.....and as we know, many people turn to whinging or just getting angry.
I honestly believe with the pace that Steemit is expanding, it can be quite easy to get lost in tumult of posts and not get noticed. This definitely ties in with your previous article about the importance of good titles.
Overall though, I agree with you 100% about the concept of shut up and keep trying.
Always look forward to your posts dude!
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Splendid. Left me speechless....Thanks for the compliments...
Your words about the current educational system are profound and reminds me of Amanda Ripley's bestseller: The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way.....You should check it out...Makes a great read.
You rock.
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Studying for hours doesn't make you smarter than someone who doesn't. It makes you more knowledgeable, anyone with that knowledge can be just as good as you. I studied quite a lot but just letting you understand. Too many people think they're special for having access to information anyone can access if they bothered to.
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Holy fuck that was a long read, but well written....can I upvote twice???
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Hahhaaha.... LOL.. I even thought my touchpad was faulty when I didn't see an end....@crytogee really took his time with this..
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when some people throw their toys out the cot after a successful post lol @cryptogee
temper tantrum
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I think I love you
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I saw your kickboxing video and was going to reference it in this article, but it got too long, so you were cut, sorry. But I have something in mind for you; I like the cut of your jib! :-)
Cg
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So true... Stop complaining and just have fun with it. I'm pretty sure if you put in the time and effort along with being consistent you will be rewarded you just need to have some patience.
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This post is MIC-DROP worthy! You've nailed it once again, sir!
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The tiny violin pic hit my right in the tickle spot. I was laughing pretty much the whole post. Great stuff. Hopefully it sorts out all the silver spooners. Coming from a rough upbringing you learn to appreciate whatever you can get. I'm really glad someone wrote this.
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I like article. Why to complain of whales if you are a bad writer and the businessman.)))) You love that what are you doing, at you everything will turn out even if to do a little, the success waits for all.
Мне нравится статья . Зачем жаловаться на китов если ты плохой писатель и бизнесмен. )))) Любите то что вы делаете , у вас все получится , даже если делать мало , успех ждет всех.
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Sometimes, one needs to fail first to succeed.
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You are so right. People should be realistic, life is not fair. I think everyone deserves a chance to post and then decide for themselves, whether to whine and quit or keep improving and win. Thank you for a great post!
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You're definitely on the right track here with your attitude. Your post is eloquent and well written. You're on your way to reach a trend here to be sure.
I think the try and try again mentality is a good one, but the important distinction to make is that value has to be seen as a product of social connections and social impact, when one is dealing with a social network. Rather than blatantly posting things that 'worked for others' it's important to think about what 'works for you' and the kind of people you would like to surround yourself with.
I've elaborated on my views toward Steem marketing and social capital here; please feel free to have a look and see my perspective on it if my comment entices you. https://steemit.com/value/@spookypooky/posts-on-steemit-aren-t-valuable
I feel that our posts touch on similar matter. I enjoy the discussing of matter a lot more than the blatant whinging or the blatant pandering. We're engaging in learning and in refining of our potential as writers and creators.
Steem on and consider me a follower of your work.
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Thanks; and nice post Spooky, :-)
CG
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Success is a mixture of hard work, innovation, talent and luck
True, and that's when it may be time to accept it and move onto something else (I have done this many times in my life)
Complaining is useful, however I was talking about a certain type of complaining, which was leading to personal attacks.
Agreed
Agreed
6, Agreed, I do that all the time, I sent $90 SBD to someone yesterday and I vote 75% on minnows.
Cg
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Another kiss ass post to the steemit community. Wow ! In case you didn't notice the steem system is rigged to the people who were here during the testing phase and to those who are in the top witnesses spots. Also there are people like @massteryoda who simply post anything and then use bots to up vote themselves. So is it fair here? Hell no. Most of the posts that make it to the top are talking about their introduceyousrself or they are talking about how they made some special thing for steemit or they are kissing steem ass like this post does. So is this a true democratic cryptocurreny? No it is not. It is rigged so the people who have the most steempower hold the power over everyone else and in addition to that the programmers who make the algorithm are in total control of how things go. This is like the federal reserve and the member banks that get all the special privileges. I believe if steem doesn't change it's oligarchy ways that another more fair system will come about and we will see steem disappear just like MySpace. They are the pioneers but they are greedy and this will be the downfall.
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Then why haven't your "kiss ass" posts made anything?
The voting isn't rigged, merely people who were here earlier got the attention of the Whales, slowly more people are getting their attention, otherwise it wouldn't be sustainable.
@infovore @guerrint @venuspc were not here early and they are getting the attention of the whales and their posts are widely diverse.
The attitude you display is exactly the attitude I describe in my article, you made 3 "hits" and then you got disillusioned because every article you write isn't a hit. You have written some good stuff that hasn't had any attention, however moaning about it will get you nowhere.
I have helped quite a few people on here, usually via the slack and a couple of them are improving their skills and earnings. Soon they will get the attention of the Whales.
Your Steem articles haven't worked and your early articles didn't gain traction when you attempted to serialise them. So go back to the drawing board and come up with some new ideas, you're competing with at least 500 new people per day, so get creative.
You may say I was lucky to be here early, however I quit my job and put every spare moment I had into Steem for almost 2 months. In that time, I didn't know 100% I was going to get a payout on July 4th, I also didn't know if I'd be able to sell my Steem even if I did.
I took a gamble and it paid off, I paid my rent and through perserverance, analysis and plain old skill, I managed to get the attention of a few Whales and they upvote me.
I've never met any of these people offline, and I don't pay them, so I can only assume they upvote me because I consistently produce, quality, original content.
You may do as well, but the fact is, it's harder to get their attention now, because they're more people, but as I mentioned above:
That's life.
Cg
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Hey why should we have to get the attention of the Whales? Who made them god? Oh that's right they made themselves god. The lesson here is that overtime someone will make a better system that is more fair and people will leave this one and go to that one. Yes there is a rigged system here. Explain to me in detail how @masteryoda gets all the good votes and makes thousands off of simple cut and paste stuff and other people who put hours into work and I'm not talking about just me get cents. The system is not a true representation of time to reward like bitcoin. Their are no special bitcoin mining machines that get special rewards over other peoples machines. This is what makes this system flawed. And I will point it out. To not listen is to be self destructive. The gap between cents to thousands of dollars is to extreme. This system is like a reflection of our current society with the extreme inequalities and a central bank system. So that is why I point it out. I like steemit and steem but it is flawed so I feel I am doing my part as a good community member to point it out , not just kiss butt and praise it regardless of its flaws. I think for myself.
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Everything I need to know about you and your attitude, is summed up in that sentence...
Cg
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you're whinging about whingers. makes you no better really.
live an let live. people are entitled to their opinions.
btw the secret of your "success" is having steemed and his bots pimping you.
so of course you love the system as it is.
doubt such a post would have trended otherwise.
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Not whinging about, calling out...
Btw, Steemed and his bots pimp me for a reason....
Can you guess what it is?
Cg
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don't get me wrong. you're a good writer and some parts of your article were spot on (especially the critique of Blair's education policies).
but then the article descended in the usual bashing of complainers and critics, which of course appeases most Whales as they want to preserve the status quo (while devs might be pushed into reducing the influence of whales if community pressure is high).
it's a bit ironic you brought sports as an example. same conditions apply to all competitors. when a competitor in a race starts 50m ahead it is not even a competition. it is a farce.
in the race for a trending post some poeple on a List are predetermined winners. all decided by 1 person and his bots.
comon with decentralized blockchain technology we can do better than that. some criticism is legit.
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The sports analogy would be better described as, one kid being hothoused from the age of 8, with all the best training facilities and coaches. The other running in his tracksuit on his own till he's 17.
One has an advantage, but is not necessarily going to be the winner, life doesn't even out those chances.
Cg
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My only complaint is they never serve any cheese with the whine.
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Boy is it strange to see a black man describe the act of protesting structural inequality as "whinging". That's what it is too; upcoming changes to the payout schedule, as an example, constitute official acknowledgement of room for improvement in how contributors are rewarded.
Just as in the general economy, here you have people who became rapidly wealthy because of luck, rationalizing after the fact that instead it was their hard work and good attitude. Likewise irl the "whales" are often not deserving people. Donald Trump is the political equivalent of a $35,000 makeup tutorial.
There's no shortage of people irl whose day job it is to justify the status quo. Many of them work at Fox News. They do this in hopes that the irl whales of our society will reward them for it. Apparently that will become a common profession here on Steemit as well.
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Why should it be strange to see a black man call out whinging. Just because black people are unjustly treated in some societies.
Talk about luck all you like, you're just whining, I have been "unlucky" all my life and now I am getting "lucky", never mind the fact that I get up at 5 am and go to bed at half past midnight.
What are you doing at 5 am apart from playing with your todger and dreaming about the reality shows you watch?
Cg
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In the news today, local millionare Cryptogee complains that poor people "Just aren't trying hard enough."
His mansion was firebombed shortly after.
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Lolz, very funny, even if you missed the point completely.
I actually said, people expect a free lunch just for turning up; well guess what, you aint gonna get one.
Funny joke though, you should put some of that humour in a post
CG
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The point I was sarcastically trying to make is that steemit is currently teetering on the edge of class warfare and the last thing people want to hear is a whale talking about how he's sick of hearing them complain.
I don't disagree with your post but I don't think you can pacify the angry mob by telling them their reasons for being angry are stupid. Honestly we might be better of just ignoring the complaining; it only has power if we let it.
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I know you were, but I genuinely found your sarcasm humorous, as I found your writing entertaining. I read your "angry man" post, felt it was undervalued and sent you $90 SBD.
I did that not to appease you in any way, but because your writing touched me, and I felt that it deserved recognition. As far as I can see you haven't complained, the article was talking about a very specific type of complainer.
In fact was inspired by these 2 idiots on the Slack channel that started attacking me, after I made a post giving people advice. I was noticing more and more of this and so felt like I should call these people out.
Anyway, keep writing the way you do and you will start earning here very quickly.
Cheers
Cg
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@cryptogee that was really generous mate. I saw your comment and was blown away because you've actually sent someone money from your own cyberpocket instead of just upvoting which would have cost you nothing and still given a little.
It's people like you that will save this platform. I'm an optimist by the way, I'm sure that Steemit is going to be huge but it's going to do that on the back of guys like you who are going out of their way to reward people's hard work that had previously gone unrewarded.
From what I can see, a lot of whales are realising that, in order for the platform to work, they need to get in amongst as many people's blogs and comments as possible and recognise the work being put in, to reward people before they lose hope and leave.
So, thanks mate.
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That's a great article my brother! You have a beautiful daughter and an enlightening perspective. I agree that as writers and content producers, we must just 'get on with it'.
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I enjoyed reading your post Gee! I have posted a full reply which you can find HERE
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Oh bravo, cryptogee! This had to be said. Sure, you will and have been getting flak. But the world is full of those who feel entitled and it's a mess. Yeah, just for showing up you deserve something. Not in my book. You reap what you sow. I am raising my own children to expect nothing just for existing. No one is entitled to anything in life. Sorry, but that's how it is. So glad to read this glorious post. I salute you, @infovore, and everyone else here who spends more time trying to better themselves than complaining about how life isn't fair. Bring something to the table, but for God's sake never stop improving.
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35,492.509 STEEM - Hey cryptogee I see you are a whale and have been here since the test phase. You have no right to talk. You are like a rich privileged person talking shit about people who were not as lucky as you were to get in the very beginning. Stop kissing Steemit ass if you have any idea what new people are going through.
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I'm an Orca actually, see my reply to your comment above, it answer's all your grievances.
Cg
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So, first it was "Steem writing tutorials" getting the upvotes and now its the "Stop complaining" posts getting all the cash.
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I think one of the main complaints is that it is hard to get your content noticed, even if it is good. I am trying to help with this - https://steemit.com/post/@timcliff/a-second-look-group-train-post-to-get-your-post-in-front-of-more-people
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i spent 7 years growing up in Africa, only just made the rent this month and just about $70 on my first post .......basically i have nothing and can say to you CG you are 100% correct
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I would like to point out that the make up tutorial received more awards than normal due to the larger amount of rewards available from the hack. I'm not saying it did or didn't deserve that much, but it's a factor to consider as to why it received so much rewards.
My guess is that if it were on a normal 'Steemit' day, i.e. no hack, that post would probably have received half of that content instead. But would people have been complaining about a 15k make up tutorial post? I dunno, nor does it matter, as quality content will naturally rise to the top (which I think that was!).
Now, I don't disagree with people creating marketing materials on how to create better posts for the Steem blockchain and whales continuing to encourage them to do so.
As for me, I'm focusing my efforts on building different communities.
I hope that other users will begin to create their own mini-communities to explore the potential of the blockchain (and that others will also support the best content in these mini-communities).
I agree whole-heartedly with the content of your post about the 'show up and receive a medal' mentality.
Keep up the good work!
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Thanks complexring for that explanation, I often get technical things about Steemit a bit (or a lot!) wrong, so thanks for clearing up the reason for the increased rewards.
I totally agree with the communities idea, once follow features start to come online, Steemit will look like a different place and I think a lot of the complaining will subside.
You can't please all of the people all of the time though...
Cg
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Finally had time to read the whole thing. I've been meaning to; you and I have already crossed paths a few times during my days here.
Or I guess I have crossed your path a few times. The highway doesn't notice the deer path.
Anyway, thank you. The makeup maven hasn't hurt me, the trucker-turned-ball-eater hasn't hurt me, no beautiful traveling women have hurt me. The people that post ten times while I'm on my first cuppa with nothing more to say than 'look at me' and 'why aren't you looking at me yet' and 'you looking at me doesn't matter because you can't make me rich for doing nothing' hurt me.
I hope they stop that.
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Lolz, me too jsteck, me too :-)
Cg
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People must have forgot about Charles Darwin and "Survival of The Fittest" somewhere along the lines. Especially with increasing population, get ahead or get left...
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nice article. nobody has to complain, as everybody can be a whale !
https://steemit.com/steemit/@knozaki2015/my-upvote-was-worth-5-06-usd-25300-or-how-to-earn-the-maximum-curation-reward
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I agree with the sentiments expressed but did it have to be so long?
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