We on Steemit want quality content, right?
Of course we do. So let's stop leading new users to think that they can get paid on Steemit for the same type of stuff they post on Facebook, or Twitter. People post nonsense on social media all day, myself included. I would never expect to get paid for blabbing about something funny my cat did or posting a single meme. But I often see blogs directed at new users telling them to ditch their other social media and come here saying things like "Why not just come to Steemit instead? You post on facebook without getting paid." I even said things like that myself in the past.
But the more I thought about it the more I realized Steemit is absolutely different from other social media. I mean, besides the obvious crypto-blockchain dynamic. We strive for quality content. Knowledge. New ideas. Creativity.
What I say to New Users Instead:
I recently wrote a blog for newbs and I tried to focus on the opposite of "Come over here and get paid." Why? Because it takes a lot of time to get paid anything significant on Steemit for most people. I have been posting for almost a year and finally have 700+ followers (Thanks guys!) and many people have thousands but let's not lead new users to think that they will have the same experience off the bat. Let's be honest instead.
I tell new users they should have a real desire to write quality content and engage in the community for the sake of it. I invite them to poke around. Show them my blog as an example. I tell them to expect it to take awhile to build up a dedicated audience. Just like any other platform, it takes work!
I feel like many users believe they will make money right away for posting a few unformatted paragraphs. So they come, post a few times. See a few pennies. Maybe post once or twice more over a span of a few weeks with just a few more pennies and they get frustrated and leave. To be honest, we don't want people that unambitious and underwhelming anyhow. We want people who are excited about Steemit, who believe in Steemit, want to engage WITH Steemit, and want to share quality stuff.
I agree! I feel like this is why a lot of people are calling it a scam! If they want more facebook esque sites that pay. They can go to TSU for that.
Or another website like TSU, It appears to be down now.
Because users only came for the money, and when the earnings didn't live up to expectations, They left.
Which is another reason people need to stay here for the community.
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Exactly. I am really into the community at this point so I try to tell people to poke around, follow people, find stuff they like BEFORE writing.
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Those are great tips! I feel like a lot of people join hoping to get rich quick, Which is not how it works haha.
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That's the way I was introduced to it and in glad I saw this blog .. thanks
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I could not agree more with you. In a sense I think this is what the creators of steam might have had in mind. I mean look at the effects of the Curation System. It's actively tries to have everyone who gets a good post the rewards they deserve. How awesome is that?! I will be telling my friends to join steam as much as I can
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Yes definitely invite friends! I avidly invite mine. I just try to make sure they know how it will really go down. ^_^
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Totally agree. I have switched from Facebook because it does offer more unique perspectives and I believe that the community is more sophisticated and mature about entertaining differing views. That being said, I still use steemit to post less serious material at times, but I don't expect those posts to generate many upvotes. I use those posts just to lighten things up once in a while and show a more human side of my profile.😀
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Yeah I do that myself. Sometimes post just a simple art or a comic I made. My main point is to not make people expect those posts to get huge payouts. :) But certainly, lightness is needed to break up the seriousness.
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This post received a 2% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @lauralemons! For more information, click here!
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As newbie myself I agree that it's not easy to write a good post if you are doing for the first time. I have to learn a lot about writing + I have to strengthen my english too. I start to enjoy writing and it helps me grow and learn more myself! Thank you for sharing!
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Thanks. :) Keep working at it. As long as you are willing to learn and striving to make good content you will be fine. ^_^
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Thank you :)
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Yes, we do want good content or else Steemit will fall apart. We'll have to be in it for the long distance run. Whether we run fast or walk slow so long as we keep moving everyday. Then when we look back after 10 years in this race we will be saying, I am so glad I stayed in this race.
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After one year I am already glad!! And definitely in it for the long haul.
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Yes, this is good, I agree as well. When I started I just wanted to make money, but now I realize what it is all about. I love learning and reading about other people's travels and food etc. It is way more exciting than any of the other social platforms.
Thanks for sharing!
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spot on if you have ever visited Infobunny then you will probably know what i think of Facebook
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@lauralemons im following
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Totally agree!!! Almost a month here! It's not easy at all!!!
And also unpredictable! You may write an excellent post for few cents, and then write another quick post and make more money! It's a matter of relationships I guess!!
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It's got many factors. Obviously partially followers. But the reason a great post may make a few pennies and another not much -happens to me ALL the time- is simply a matter of the post being buried before many people see it. So timing is a big factor too. Consistency and work pays off though.
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Nice, I have a post similar to that. You may as well check it out.
https://steemit.com/chainbb-general/@manishmike10/facebook-and-other-social-media-are-not-worth-welcome-to-steemit
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Hey Laura,
Yeah I agree totally.
Facebook and Steemit are similar, but also very different!
Steemit can be used like Facebook - as a personal page -
But Steemit is better for blogging and sharing Quality Content.
Thanks for the insight!
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Yeah it can be used as a personal page but people shouldn't expect money if they are posting a few sentences per blog. hehe. Thanks. :)
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I am with you 100% I came here thinking I had a place that was ad free (Youtube) to learn about things like Health, Gardening, Herbal Medicine, cooking etc. and really I have noticed just so many posts about STEEMIT and Crypto that I also truly hope that more people join this community for quality content. Thanks
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Hi @lauralemons, great perspective through your article. But i suppose no one can write quality articles right away, rome wasn't build in a day. Guess minnows like me still have to start from somewhere. But i guess one thing about Steemit is the encouragement it gives. And the encouragement i hope will spur everyone to improve and create quality posts to the community. But nevertheless your article tells the true intent of Steemit.
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Anyone can write quality articles right away. As long as they speak proper English. Look around at blogs that are high quality. Put time and effort into your blog. Make sure it is not just a few paragraphs. Learn to format. In my opinion, you can definitely make sure you are posting quality content immediately. But if you think not, just do your best!
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There is absolutely no incentive to make quality posts or tweets in FB or Twitter, so there is no continuous improvement in the quality of the media.
One of the amazing parts of Stemmit is that over time, the quality of the posts will continuously trend higher! I am learning to take better pictures, next I will work on formatting posts and improving my writing skills. I've been on Facebook for years, and I have never even thought about improving the quality of what I put there...
The other amazing part of Steemit, is the number of users who are working together to make us a stronger community. Achieving success by helping others to achieving success. Perfect!
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Yes that is why the posts are so different and shouldn't be compared. Theres no reason to write long, well researched articles, on facebook. Or even a good way to do so.
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Thank you for this post. I agree and this fact has me planning more of my content, wondering what I can deliver that is higher value. It takes time and effort... you are not getting money for free!
BTW you just earned another follower!
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Thank you. And yes, it is not free that is exactly what people need to realize. It will take work just like anything else but I personally find it much more rewarding than most work. ^_^
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Oh I can tell. I spent about 15 minutes reading many of your past posts and I appreciate the effort and honesty that you put into them. I'm going to enjoy following you! Wow that sounded creepy...
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hahaha Not too creepy. ^_^ I can be creepy myself. I kid. I get what you meant and thanks. :)
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Me too I will put more thought into mines .. I feel lie I have but didn't know how to reach an audience
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I think you are right, because quality and to the point work is the only way to success...
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Thank you.
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I am not going to call anyone out, but there are plenty of people making a fortune on Steemit talking about whatever randomly pops into their head. One thing I do like about Steemit is how tech savvy it is. Personally, I enjoy when I see someone post a cat meme video that would go viral on YouTube, and it gets no love here. I don't like to revel in the shortcomings of others, but it's one of the reasons why I love steemit. No matter what anyone says though, it will be a long time if ever before you get recognition for quality work without substantially investing in STEEM Power and engaging with the Whales. I think in the long run, all of the politics involved in getting an article to earn 1k or more will be more art than science, but for now pay to play is in full effect and nothing earns on merit alone.
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I still don't think we should give people the idea that they will make money talking about whatever they want. Especially since it depends on many factors such as...well super hot chicks have an advantage here like anywhere else. Also, people getting in early have more followers.
But you are right, in some cases people can get money for posting random stuff. It isn't the norm and not what I want to encourage from new users.
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That's a great point, like yourself I post silly stuff and mostly repost what I find on my favorite sites. However, on here I take time to write and think about what I'm going to write. Sometimes I spend all day thinking/drafting, all to ensure it's not nonsense. Being a new user,I know that it's gonna take time, which makes more sense to target bloggers on other non-paying social media sites then just typical Facebook users.
However, even though everyone says it and repeats it. The sting of having a post you spent some time on not get any attention hurts. Other bloggers would understand that and be more willing to stick to it for the long haul.
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Right, and if they fail to gain the rewards, they will stop and gone.
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Exactly. We need to make them aware that it's work and make sure most of all that they will actually enjoy being on steemit regardless.
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Better tell them early that its not easy to earn rewards not unless they already have connections with the famous people in the platform.
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Exactly. Yeah like if you are famous as heck, you'll be fine but regular ole plebs like me, you need to work and should be aware of it upfront. hehe :)
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Yeah, that's the reality in steemit. I've been here for 11 months and have not yet enjoyed rewards like those that are in trending page :)
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I had some trending payouts in the past but never anything like $1000. My biggest post was like $400 something and that was many months ago. I still do better than a lot of people here and for that I am grateful. :)
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Great. Mind was around $60-$70 and its very seldom.
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I have followed you for what it's worth! :) Glad you're still around. And hey, many people dream of $60 posts. XD There is always someone making more.
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Yes, absolutely. I've known how it goes down from the very beginning because I made it a point to study the accounts of several successful Steemers. I still do it. What I immediately realized was that they weren't an overnight success - unless they ported over an existing user base from somewhere else; i.e., YouTube.
I haven't recommended any friends come here yet. I'm creating a short list of people we'd actually want here who would create thought-provoking content. I'm leaving some people off my list (for now) because I find it difficult to explain how the platform works to certain people. I need to come up with a good, simple explanation of it first. And of course, like you said, make sure they know the reality.
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I just had my first introductory post and have been overwhelmed by the response(by my standards). The beauty of this community is that they welcome the newcomers with open arms. I didn't find myself very exciting till today when i read a lot of people replying that they found me very interesting and different and loved my hobbies and pictures. This kind of behavior from the steemit community is itself good enough to help steemit grow and encourage newbies to post original content frequently. Here is the link of the post (just in case you feel interested)
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@mindboggle/from-a-fighter-pilot-to-a-travelling-artist-my-introduction-and-some-unfulfilled-dreams
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This post has been ranked within the top 50 most undervalued posts in the second half of Jun 12. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $43.05 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.
See the full rankings and details in The Daily Tribune: Jun 12 - Part II. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in our initial post.
If you are the author and would prefer not to receive these comments, simply reply "Stop" to this comment.
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Good point. Yet there's a very real possibility the little cents of today could be worth dollars in not so long but I agree with your point.
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Thank you for upvoting my photo. If you like that one you will love my other ones. https://steemit.com/@readallaboutit
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I like the article, it's pretty well explained. There is no quick earning especially for beginners. Great job :)
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I couldn't agree more and am glad you put this to words! There are so many false expectations floating around. The big ass payouts in introduction posts also add to this. I understand the warm welcome, but I feel they add to the frustration of all the following posts earning nowhere near that amount.
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Well, I think we should try to give everyone a warm welcome when we notice it but many of the intros get buried because of the large volume. This all comes back to try to set lower expectations. I mention the intros to my friends too. Tell them not to expect a huge one.
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I don't want Steemit to become anything like Facebook or be flooded with the kind of content you see over there. I am here because I have the 'desire to write quality content and engage in the community' as you said it. I am here because I am basically running away from Facebook...lol. Sharing about our pets, recent artwork, daily thoughts, updates I am starting to see those as little bites to perhaps gain a few followers at most and paving the way for longer, more well written and quality content deserving of larger rewards. Balance is good.
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Totally right new users must know they need a lot of effort to build a neat precense on Steemit. It is rather difficult to know what is valuable content or not. But I agree, posts like only showing a cat is not the definition of bringing value here.
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Agreed. That is why I post varied content. I post 2-4 blogs a day and usually the content is very different. I tell new users to avoid just one topic as people may grow bored and they may not find what people want.
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That is a great advice. Varying in content will eventually bring you a larger follower base.
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Exactly. Thanks.
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Thanks for the advice
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