The reputation system

The recently introduced reputation system on Steemit is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it rewards Steemians who consistantly produce high quality content, and disincentivises the use of bots and those who produce content that does not add value to the platform. This is good for the platform as it encourages authors to build a following and consistently produce quality content.

However, on the other hand, one of the consequences of the current reputation system is that it serves to widen the gap between those who have high reputation scores and those who don’t. On average, regardless of content, those who have high reputation scores tend to receive many more up votes than those who don’t. This is partly because they have already built up a following, but also because those chasing curation rewards are more likely to target those who have high reputation scores, as there is an expectation that their posts will generally do well. As a result, new users often struggle to build up their reputation and following. They try their hardest to have their content noticed, but no matter how hard they try, still no one notices. Many of those new and undiscovered authors produce high quality content just as high reputation authors do, but if time and time again, they are unrewarded for their posts, then many of them will be discouraged and leave Steemit.

Introducing featured posts

One of the great initiatives that some generous individuals in the Steemit community have implemented is to feature posts by new and undiscovered authors. People like @gavvet, @jacor and @dragonslayer109 regularly feature authors who are yet to establish a following. And thanks to @jacor, I have been one of these authors. In this way, those who have high reputation scores, who already have a significant following, are able to give exposure to those who are not yet well-known in the community.

So far so good.

The featured new author usually receives 100% of the Steem Dollars. This is great, as these authors, like myself, probably would have received significantly less if they published the post on their own blog.

The dilemma

Restrictions with the current Steemit posting options Although currently, featured posts are a great way to provide new authors with the exposure they may not otherwise receive, however, if like me you’re looking at more long term Steemit success, there is an essential piece to the puzzle still missing. The dilemma for the new author is that if they choose to publish an article as a featured post, the potential success of the post does not contribute at all to boosting their reputation score, and the post only appears on the blog of the one featuring their post, but not on their own blog.

The solution

Introducing a co-authoring feature

What if there was a co-authoring option where the same post can be posted onto the blogs of both authors at the same time?

This could be similar to the feature on Facebook, where you can tag other users for your post, and then the post, including likes and comments, would also appear on the accounts of each user who has been tagged. Obviously, in the case of Steemit, this would need to be slightly different to avoid people tagging other users without prior permission. This could be resolved through users who have been tagged needing to approve and sign off on the post as well.

What if both authors were rewarded equally? I.e. Each Receive a boost to their reputation scores, and receive an equal share of the Steem Dollars and Steem Power from the co-authored post.

In this way, through featured posts and other collaborative initiatives, new and undiscovered authors would truly have the opportunity to stand on their own feet, and succeed in the long run. It would encourage new authors to be invested into the Steemit community for the long term, as they too would now receive rewards to both their reputation scores and Steem Power.

I have also outlined some additional uses for a co-authoring feature in a previous post

I believe the introduction of this co-authoring feature would lead to a healthier and more diverse Steemit community. It would provide new and undiscovered authors greater opportunities to build up their reputation, and as a result lead to the retension of many authors who would otherwise be discouraged over time.

These are just some of my initial thoughts. Please feel free to include your thoughts in the comments below.

In the meantime, whilst we await a solution, can I encourage those who enjoy and up vote featured posts, to please also go back and follow the featured authors and up vote their posts too.

Jimmy