I've been on Steemit since the early days - but sometimes it seems like a ghost town.
I get comments. Sometimes travellers come across this site - read my content - and leave nice responses. Most of the time however they are "canned" or bot's of some form. Some of my old posts where I have written tutorials on Steemit get continual comments (which is nice).
Writing creatively seems to have lost its Steem.
I write all the time - its part of my job. I understand the gig. I know all about trying to engage my audience - but I fear they arent here. Writing on Steemit for me has always been about contributing to a blockchain project and testing out marketing techniques. Steemit is also a pretty "gentle" audience - if people actually see your post and actually comment.
Unfortunately I can't get much more than a "follow link" if I bid up my post.
I'm trying to get into a gig that involves crypto. I've been trading for years - but I don't publish my work. I decided to setup a trading view account in hopes of fame, fortune and more than anything - being able to "prove" some level of industry knowledge (beyond my trade receipts).
What I found was right away I got a lot of engagement. I very quickly received followers - my calls to action were being responded to - marketing techniques worked like they normally do. I don't get paid to do technical analysis - but there is something to be said about gaining an audience and getting a response.
Steemit as it is currently configured - can't provide the opportunities an Instagram photo or a tweet might provide. Growing a legit following and being consistent with your content - will give you the opportunity to make more money marketing than you ever could on a Steemit post!
Typical call to actions dont work on Steemit because there are too few people and the content is ranked based on stake rather than share or likes. After writing for years on Steemit i've met a few nice people, made a bit of crypto, practised abstract thinking and contributed to a block-chain that has the possibility of lasting FOREVER.
Maybe someone will read this in 1000 years - thats the cool thing about Steem. Its important to remember the power of traditional social media as a real money making tool and as a place to engage deeply. Sometimes you get a lot of readers sometimes you don't. If you are looking to really make money - look to the bigger social networks - build a following - and naturally market something you are into. If you write - content writers easily can make $50-250 an article - creative writers can market their published works and aggressively push it on all the social media networks. There is a bit of work involved in building a following and making contacts - but not much more than whatever you are doing right now..
Use Steem because you believe in the project (long term) - but don't forget about the power of traditional social media as well!
I hear you. I have been writing here on two topics - investing and orchid photography for nearly two years and am getting very little traction. It is kind if frustrating to write 244 posts on investing and trading and to get 20 to 30 upvotes only each time. Maybe you are right and it will change over time as the average person joins in. I keep doing it because it gives me a paid way to do my journalling. And I know the journalling makes me a better trader or investor or photographer or writer.
Maybe it is time to become more bot focused.
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I think a lot of people become jaded because of the money system. It is not a commentary on how good or how bad your work is. Steem should find a more accurate way to market itself - content manufacturers are essentially miners on this chain - but the pool gets distributed based on invested stake rather than quality of content. Essentially the people who get paid the most have a really expensive "mining rig" called SP allowing the holder to vote for themselves - or even sell their votes to people like us.
I agree with you on using Steem as a test bed. I don't write on here for money because its a losing proposition. I find that its a place where I can be somewhat anonymous and try new things with my writing. The down side is - I don't attract enough visitors and commentators to really get the feedback im looking for.
There is also the problem of the "Steem filter". Of course the sales pitch says this place is censorship free - but lets face it - its not. I started setting up pseudonym accounts and posting my writing on some of the major social media sites - I get WAY more feedback. Not only do I get feedback - I get HONEST feedback (people have no problem telling you that you suck on the real internet).
There are a lot of downsides to Steemit including the inability to monetize after the 7 day window closes. Many sites have also banned the link making it hard to promote. I have articles that are 5 years old that bring in more traffic in a day than a trending Steemit post. I also have the ability to swap in and out advertisers and offers. If you hit a home run on an article - you really want to keep it going. With Steemit if you hit a home run and its past the 7 days - your only hope is to make a high ranking comment and hope someone reads it.
I think the bots are here for a good time not a long time - so why not take advantage of them. Will it land you new followers or a whale to constantly support you? I personally think its only a winning proposition for the bot owner - and even then maybe not! I'd settle for the 30 upvotes if it was actually 30 people taking the time to read and discuss the article!
Good luck with your posts!
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Good to read your post and to have a point of view from someone who's here since the "early" days. I noticed the same: The mass readership is not yet here compared to the social media monsters. At the same time, I see steemit too as an investment. I see it as a great opportunity to build a following and find my voice on a plattform that is slowly flourishing.
Nobody knows how facebook and instagram - and also Steemit will do in the long-run. But what I know for myself: I enjoy it better here, as facebook and instagram for example, require you (to a good extend) to pay for your content to share your art to the masses.
I believe (and please correct me, if I'm running off blindly here) that here on Steemit, it's not that extreme yet, and I can build a readership on a platform that is not yet overcrowded. As you said: believing in the project for the long term...
thanks for the post!
Sam
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Hey Sam - Ya the environment on Steemit is different because I think it attracts a certain type of person.. but its not yet at the point where it attracts the average person. Its easy to forget about the power of social media to engage the masses.
I don't like to get too political but Steemit has always been a paid platform - in its current version you essentially have to pay bots to get your post noticed - you do get most of your money back doing this but unless you are hitting trending everyday you are never going to get the extra votes to make up for any drift in the payout..
This version of Steemit is fun when it works - but it looks like the future is in outside applications built on the Steem chain.. perhaps there will be a "writing community coin"..
I look at the reward pool as a game of social mining.. some people use it for what it was meant for some don't.. I don't care who makes the money but the best content should be at the top of the trending section not the guy who paid the most for bots (I've done it myself). Unfortunately dollar value is the current way content is ranked - hopefully future hard forks address it!
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I agree with that! Sad in a way - I believe it would be in the best (long-term) interest of steemit to push "quality"... and encourage the creators to create great content...
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