Tune-in to SteemSpeak and you could find yourself discussing many topics. Anything from the latest Polo prices, the rigged 2016 US election, or even perhaps the best masturbation music ever written... Yes, you read that correctly. The free organic conversations are what make SteemSpeak great and it embodies all that make Steemit great, as well.

Last night, we happened to be talking about the future of Steemit (as is often discussed). A few fellow Steemians shared some insight and it got me thinking: what is the future of blogging and how does Steemit fit into that vision?

If Steemit is to become the latest and greatest blogging platform, then we must first understand where blogging is today:

The term "blogging" and "bloggers" are outdated.

Blogging has evolved tremendously in the last decade. You are really doing yourself an injustice to consider yourself just a blogger. You are more than that. You are a publisher who influences and inspires ideas in others. You are a brand. The authority and trust you build in your brand is very valuable. Your brand is what companies pay big money for. Once you think of your blog in this manner, it opens up your mind to more possibilities and it gives your publications direction and focus.

https://quotesgram.com/bigger-than-yourself-quote/

Lifecasting is no longer enough.

There was a time back in the early 2000's where many lifestyle bloggers were making waves publishing moment-by-moment updates on their life. Many people were falling in love with babies they've never met, salivating over recipes they've never made, and crying over sentimental letters written to loved ones. This is no longer the case. Everyone has a blog these days. If you're still trying to build your authority in your niche, then you NEED to focus on creating valuable and quality content. This doesn't mean that you can't add personality into your posts (in fact, I encourage it!). What this means is that you need to give your readers something extra. Something they can take away from your posts. Extra value may be in the form of a review, a tutorial, a checklist, etc... Adding value to your posts is the first step in creating loyal followers who begin to trust you. Trust and authority are what turn readers into buyers.

(gapingvoid.com)

A bloggers income does not come directly from their posts.

Several years ago, influencers starting realizing the value in their following. They were spending many hours/days creating posts and they were not being compensated for their time. So, they started to seek ways to monetize their brand. At first, many looked to Adsense and the Amazon Affiliate program as their main source of income. It was fairly easy. They were seeing money come in and they were relatively happy with their results. But soon enough their readership began to decline. All the of the ads and links within their posts were becoming spammy and their readers were losing trust in the influencers interests.

Nowadays, influencers are cutting back on the ads and affiliate links, and turning to selling their own products. The influence and trust they have built with their brand has allowed them the authority to publish a product and sell it to their readers. Many influencers choose to write ebooks or ecourses that are directly related to their niche. This makes a lot more sense. Why choose Amazon with 2-5% on a sale vs. your own product for roughly 95% made per sale?

http://annmarieloves.com/category/e-course/#.WBtnmSQ5rcs

Ideas for how Steemit will become the future of publishing.

1. Establish a system for authors to gain authority over a certain skill and/or niche. The idea (@beanz) was thrown out there to create some-sort of badge system. An author can earn certain badges for achieving predetermined milestones. ie. the most posts in a certain category, completing a course (see below). Adding levels to the site will work like gamification and encourage author attention.
2. Establish a system for authors to create courses on a skill or topic. People and companies spend a lot of money on their development. It could be courses on learning how to mine crypto, learning how to prepare a certain dish, or learning how to network with others... Allow people to purchase the courses with their steem and kick-back to the author on the amount generated.
3. Give authors complete creative control over the look of their posts. The 90's style editor is lifeless and limits the creative potential of our posts. (Not to mention the broken title bar) We need to be able to control the branding of our posts.
4. Add Adsense for people just visiting the site.

What are your thoughts for improving Steemit?