A Questionnaire For Whales And Solutions For FRUSTRATED MINNOWS: Comments Are Needed, Don&#x27;t Have To Upvote

aboundlessworld (59) · 8 years ago

While I agree with the premise of the post --- we need to make newbies feel more welcome -- I actually like the fact that it takes a while to get in a groove..

Let me explain. I obviously want people to do well here, but unfortunately the idea that you can write and make money "easily" is going to attract IMO the wrong type of people.

As a writer and content creator, I KNOW I'm going to have to put in the work for a significant period of time before I should 'expect' my effort to be rewarded. If people get upset that they aren't making money in a week, a month or even several months and leave -- that leaves those willing to do the work which excites me.

I like the ideas that people can run with, I think that's super valuable, and I also think a "how to section" would be incredibly helpful.

The reality is, Steemit is new. Those who experiment, test, build relationships, are the ones going to be "successful" in the long run. It's not easy, but it's also not meant to be.

They say when you're trying to build an online business that making the 1st dollar is the hardest? Why?

Because we have so many limiting to beliefs to as if it's really possible to "make money online."

There should definitely be a balance between making people feel welcome and letting the "professionals" put in the work and get rewarded.

Really insightful post.

$17.48

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

I agree with you. The ones who build relationships and care a lot about creating something sustainable will be the ones who stick around and who do well. The more engaged one is, the better and stronger the group will be. So, the question is, how do we get non-engaged people to become engaged? Is it perhaps a time issue? Most people have day jobs right? Is that perhaps something that is getting in the way?

aboundlessworld (59) · 8 years ago

It will be fascinating to see how this all plays out.

I think for starters, expectations need to be managed. The reality is, many people will NOT make significant money from their content which is perfectly okay.

I think when we and other Steemit users introduce Steemit to our family and friends we need to share our experience open and honestly..

Instead of "You have to join this site! You can make bank by posting content!," We can experiment with reframing it such as "This site is really cool, it's an awesome place I get to test content and make some awesome friends."

I do think, as you mentioned, making it easier for newcomers to discover content related to "how to" Steemit will help significantly. I also think that the reality of most social networks, for example Reddit, the behavior is to lurk and consume rather produce. That being said, one of the reasons i'm so excited about Steemit is because it may encourage former "lurkers" to dive in and share their story in a way that people can relate.

I think as a community we must do our best to be as welcoming as possible which I feel you've done a great job of doing @stellabelle. I also think we should continue to reward content that is actually good rather than just upvote people in hopes they will notice you.

I'm super excited as you can tell to see the future of Steemit and I'm glad there are many people like you Stella here that will make the Steemit community a better place. :)

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daoine-sidhe (54) · 8 years ago

I think you're right @aboundlessworld that many people will not make significant money, and that is okay. I also think that once this community becomes diverse and large enough, it's possible that whales will get somewhat smaller, dolphins will become more prevalent, and minnow populations will decrease in size as they have more access to dolphin waters. Minnows like me should have every opportunity to become dolphins with hard work and patience, without the miracle of a helpful whale. That's what competition tends to do - increase the population in the middle and give everyone (willing to work it) access to higher levels. But it will take time. I'm excited to see this environment and how it will be played out a year from now.

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shadowspub (70) · 8 years ago

the biggest challenge from my standpoint is opportunity. I am not usually a person who creates a topic but will contribute to one. I often spend time looking in chat for something to start that I can respond to because I can't think of something to start. It's a bit of a vicious cycle and I know that but at the same time, I can't force the ideas for conversation. If I do, it creates a likewise conversation.. forced and dead. :)

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aboundlessworld (59) · 8 years ago

Then in my view you just have to be the best contributor there is!

Look at my comment above. I made more on that single comment than I have so far on my content. There's incredible opportunity for everyone here, especially when you leave insightful comments like yours. :)

Just invest the time in reading, learning, and jumping in when you have something to add. Don't worry about making mistakes, those are part of the process.

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xanoxt (61) · 8 years ago (edited)

Yeah, I can relate to that. One of the more important reasons why I like steemit, is that I need external motivation to do something cool. Doing high quality writing, photography, music, video or whathave you requires quite a bit of time and effort. Bit I am a bit lazy, and fine as I am to get up and do it. Even if we are talking something more simple, like planning my finances.
I noticed that if I have other people that are interested and I can collaborate with, or who depend on me, I am suddenly much less lazy, more disciplined and better off.
A lot of people here like to talk about selfish but intelligent self interest helping others (which is natural with the amount of anarchists and libertarians we have here), but that is exactly my motivation.

It took me about ten years to go from ignorance, to knowledge about how I best function, to conciously acting on that. Steemit is a platform that is rife with opportunities for such collaboration and help.
I am new to this community, but being part of different communities alowed me to do amazing things in the past. Communities have much more then mere monetary value, it is just something that more new people need to understand, and they'll be better of. Hopefully we as a group can engage more incoming people to stay and do their part.

Currently there quite a few efforts like #usersummary or maybe that FollowFriday tag.
Anyhow this post by @thedashguy is one of such efforts to raise the cohesion between steem users, check it out!

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rubenalexander (69) · 8 years ago

There is a certain amount of uncomfortable uncertainty with this approach where you are at the fate of the market. But that is only part of the equation. The other aspect of Steemit is very internal. A lightning arc connection between the distant reader and the inner workings of a writer. The only way to strike that connection is to experiment, have fun, and be committed to doing your best. I've read many folks having a goal of writing once a day and this has helped sharpen their skills.

Thanks for starting this discussion, @stellabelle.

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xvickx (53) · 8 years ago

I'm happy to see this discussion being created. I'm not a whale, and honestly I'm rather new here. But as an internet marketing expert I'm confident this discussion can benefit everyone - even the whales - by getting some genuine ideas flowing. You've already done a great job of that in your post above.

First and foremost, I can't stress enough the importance of quality content. Additionally, I think it's critical to educate people to the basics of steemit etiquette before trying to teach them how to monetize the platform. I encourage whales to support this idea, or we'll forever be dealing with a massive learning curve from new users.

Yesterday I noticed @intelliguy has an incredible writeup called Steemit (FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions, Common Myths, and Misconceptions, that I think is highly relevant and helpful to anyone new or trying to learn the ins & outs of steemit. His post also does a great job at covering some of the ethical issues in regards to posting/voting/monetizing on steemit.

Anyone who's serious about steemit has a responsibility to guide users - and steemit as a whole - in the right direction. However, for you whales this rings even more true because your reputations hold authority and give you more leverage. It'd be nice to see you leverage that strength to help eliminate the learning curve for people who are here thinking they're going to make a quick paycheck by posting, spamming, or recycling mediocre (and even plagiarized) content.

Thanks to everyone who's taking the initiative to help get things on the right track! Your consideration and concern for steemit really shows in your posts and willingness to help.

$2.26

13 votes

intelliguy (68) · 8 years ago

Thanks for noticing. I did get paid well for it. But that wasn't point of it. :) I just wanted it to be seen, and it was.. just not enough, considering the amount of people showing up daily.

Luckily upvotes now also have a 30 day payout too.. so they can get longer exposure.

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xvickx (53) · 8 years ago

I had written a post yesterday about the problem with content recycling, and you were kind enough to enlighten me with links to 2 of your posts in my comments section. They answered a lot of questions very clealry so I wanted to be sure that others see it as well.

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https://www.amazon.com/Cost-Benefit-Jr-Stories-Microeconomics/dp/0615829562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471381164&sr=8-1&keywords=cost+benefit+jr

geke (70) · 8 years ago

Create children's books on topics that they will need in the future. Example title: What Is Money?

I've written a book on basic economics for kids, Cost Benefit Jr., and the next book for kids I'm planning to write will be on currency, inflation, central banks, etc.

Now I'm wondering how I can utilize the book I've already written into the Steemit market?

$2.26

13 votes

coloured-content (65) · 8 years ago

XD interesting

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hoopatang (52) · 8 years ago

If you've gone exclusive on Amazon, you cannot publish the book here in any form.
You can't even preview an excerpt of it for a while and then take it down later, as there is no way to delete a post, and you can't edit a post after it has had a payout.

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geke (70) · 8 years ago

Oh I'm not trying to publish the book or excerpts of it here. I'm publishing supporting articles - so far one on Say's Law and one on how sharing assumes ownership. I'm just wondering if I could use the book, perhaps as a tool to teach courses in the Steemit market... just thinking aloud. But no, I'm not trying to double publish my work.

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xanoxt (61) · 8 years ago (edited)

Nice ideas. I do help people from the Russian segment i translating/proofreading their stuff, but am yet to charge any money for that. Still, I am about to require mentioning my help at the end of their post.
It is quite likely that there is going to be such a post today, or perhaps tomorrow (it is 1 AM where I am located, so definitely today, for me).

Deprogramming kits are also really cool idea, it is something I've been doing for years now. Helping people be more mindful of what they are doing, and not just going on drudging through situations that they don't like.
I didn't actually got to the point of helping them change their lifestyle completely, but it is something that I'd like to participate in. Also check out guys at Escape the City, they are actually focused helping people break away from their 5/2 drudgery.

My own idea is somewhat far fetched, but for more than 15 years I am thinking about smart villages (I am calling that "mountain cave with internet connection" same as when I first thought of it as something I'd like to do myself). Basically mostly self sufficient communities, with smalish resource footprint andtrading what they cannot produce themselves (which with advent of 3d printing technology is shrinking) for digital currency and/or services they can do online.
With guys like Open Source Ecology around this idea is getting closer and closer. In fact my friends sold their appartment and moved to the countryside. As soon as I am able, I'll go visit them.

$2.24

16 votes

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago (edited)

I am looking to build out your exact idea. I live in a small community right now and it has the ability to morph into what you describe. I am looking into buying more land too. It's built in a circle and has an existing amount of people. I am familiar with Open Source Ecology. I am looking to find others (who are sane) to move the idea forward.
By the way, I live near that Open Source Ecology location. And I studied the Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage model to learn how to live peacefully among others. They use a very healthy technique which is this: you live there for 6 months and then the people who already live there get to decide if they want you to live there or not. This is necessary to keep a group free of dangerous elements and those who would do harm, since the isolated nature of the group makes people more vulnerable. That system works well for them I believe, since most people who are not ready for such a commitment, end up leaving anyway. I followed one guy who was mentally unstable, and watched how he ended up leaving Dancing Rabbit because he felt he was not mentally able to deal with that kind of new life.

7 votes

reneenouveau (66) · 8 years ago

What an amazing opportunity!
I also love the work Open Source Ecology is doing. Trying to export those ideas and technologies to a community in Micronesia. So many challenges with the distance and the lack of internet connection. As I disentangle from the unrelated 9-5 it would be amazing to see these other communities in action.

Personally, I love the idea of the 6 month 'trial' during that period the illusions one brings with them tend to drop away. Thanks for sharing that model!

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xanoxt (61) · 8 years ago (edited)

For me the challenge is that right now my wonderlust and comitments require me to travel extensively, so I can't be a part of such a community for very long.
Having reviewed my options I arrived at two. Either organize something caravan style (perhaps on a boat, since it is somewhat easier). Or seed and spend time building several such communities in different parts of the world, and then travel between them. Perhaps spending time as part of existing communities in places where they exist. Where my friends moved seems like a good such place to start.

Anyhow, that is my plan for forseeable future!

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hoopatang (52) · 8 years ago

I would love to see floating towns of people voluntarily living together, out in the water free from any nation's rules. They could structure whatever type of community system they wanted. If one wanted full-out communism, they could have it. If another wanted a floating Galt's Gulch, they could have that.
They could all freely trade with each other and with people on the mainlands.
The only three problems would be

Hurricanes/Cyclones
Rogue waves (those 300' monsters that come out of nowhere)
Pirates

The first two could be countered with technology and ingenuity. Perhaps have eco-domes that you can close up, strap yourself into, and ride it out. Even if things get tossed around, you'll bob back up afterwards and keep chugging along.
The pirates, though...without your own formidable navy, you're sitting ducks.

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

Oh, also, that is very commendable of you to translate Steemian's posts from Russian into English. How many hours would you say you've put into that work?

xanoxt (61) · 8 years ago (edited)

A couple (out of four days I've been here). So far I've mostly helping @on0tole get hists posts to the quality that his perfectionism requires. I do answer any questions that people have about translation when they arise. Going to go & advertise that Im available for help more explicitly now. :-)

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11 votes

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

Do you think you could professionally translate from English to Russian? Are you fully bi-lingual?

xanoxt (61) · 8 years ago (edited)

Yup. I prefer Russian to English though. Being bi-lingual was part of my job description almost since I started working, and I was part of English speaking communities since I got on internet sometime in '95, I guess? I like to say that I know English better than Russian, but still Russian is my first language.
You want help translating something for Russian segment?

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aleksandraz (61) · 8 years ago

Hi!
I can professionally translate from English to Russian, because Russian is my mother tongue and I even have a Translator's Degree, but I fail to see why such a translation would be necessary? :(

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mark-waser (56) · 8 years ago

Now following you, xanoxt -- NOT because I think that I'll get curation rewards (for a little while at least), but because we believe in the same things and you need to be supported

All you people who are in here complaining about the curation awards -- maybe you should pay more attention to community-building rather than mindless money-grubbing.

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mark-waser (56) · 8 years ago

And anyone who agrees with the latter sentiment should please up-vote xanoxt's comment rather than mine.

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matthewtiii (60) · 8 years ago (edited)

I agree with you and have done something about it. Every day I look for new people's introduction posts and welcome them to the community. I have found many just starting that I know will be very entertaining so I follow them. I probably lose money, but , it isn't all about money is it. I feel bad that I don't have time to welcome all of them. Maybe we can have a welcome wagon of some sort.(If the whales want to hire someone to do it, I'm looking for a job ;))

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jaggs (47) · 8 years ago

Yes, great comment @xanoxt. Sustainable living using the kind of ideas behind Open Source Ecology and the [Open Building Institute] (http://openbuildinginstitute.org/) are one of the ways we may pull ourselves out of the climate mess when things start really going south. I would think that offering this sort of 'eco survival skills' would be a great product for a marketplace.

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coloured-content (65) · 8 years ago

My own idea is somewhat far fetched, but for more than 15 years I am thinking about smart villages (I am calling that "mountain cave with internet connection"

I have been pondering the same idea for the last couple years....instead of mass amounts of people living in jam-packed cities, wouldn't it make more sense to live in self-sustainable communities of no more than 500 people or so? Communities that support and co-exist with nature, produce their own electricity, food ect. and include everything that is needed and could potentially be full of creative individuals. with such small communities, the idea of everybody giving back and "paying it forward" could actually become feasible... thus creating a new plateau of consciousness and personal evolution that is continuously elevated by each persons self-less action which would affect the community as a ripple, and reverberate off of every individual. we could create smart communities that would almost function as a power cell and be interlinked with ll the other communities creating a unity grid of collective consciousness...decentralized communities for sure. I think one of the biggest problems with cities is the amount of different types of people in the same space and far from nature. I think communities should consist of like minded people....at least not polar opposites. I think that when everybody provides a service a community can exist in a state of perpetual balance.

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coloured-content (65) · 8 years ago

forgot the tag....@xanoxt

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pkattera (59) · 8 years ago

What is one business idea that you could see flourishing on Steemit?

An ecommerce Content Management System powered by Steem, similar to Shopify. This would allow people in the Steemit community to easily set up shopfronts and sell products. People could buy products with their hard earned Steem, or could 'star' (favorite) products via upvoting. This might also give boutique shops an additional revenue stream.

What are some good business ideas for non-writers?

Steemit acts as the ultimate portfolio for everyone. By contributing to the community in the field of your expertise, people from all around the world are exposed to your skills.

For example, if I needed UI design work, I'd seek out @cass.
If I need professional photography, I'd seek out @jamtaylor.

So, it would be nice if you could list our your services and rate card within an 'About me' page on Steemit. Payment would be quick and easy and you could easily have international clients without having to worry about currency conversion.

$2.20

13 votes

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

yes, great ideas actually. I like the idea of having our page reflect our available services so as individuals we become more empowered. There could be a feedback/rating system too.

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pkattera (59) · 8 years ago

Love the idea of a feedback / rating system against services provided.

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io-io-io (50) · 8 years ago

Hi stellabelle, could you please expand on the concept of mind reprogramming kit here on in another post? Looking forward to hear more about it. Thanks for caring about us small little things.

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10 votes

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

We are all small little things. Remember, I started out here with nothing. No money, no friends. I never invested any money into this platform. I worked hard every day to make something small happen....

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

Now that you have asked for it, I guess I need to start working on that. I have mostly gotten rid of detrimental fear from my mind. I used to be crippled by fear, so it does work for me. Thanks

xanoxt (61) · 8 years ago (edited)

I feel that books by Robert Anton Wilsoon are quite good starting point on that subject, particularly Prometheus Rising.
Another really good book is "The Art of Memetics" and the free pirate edition is available!

Here is the blurb:

Memes are not about "communication" or transfer of data. Memes are programming instructions. They are tied to actions. Memes are just the packet on this network. And the packets are usually programs which get installed on the system that accepts them. That system is you and I. Because we are components in a very large system and made up of smaller systems and components the percentage of control we are generally capable of at least at first is really small because we are constrained both by our constituting components and the system of interactions within which we are embedded. Creatively organizing and processing signals through oneself and sending those signals out into larger networks can radically reframe a person's experience.

Hehe, they are so much more then the pictures of cats! :-D

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coloured-content (65) · 8 years ago

Mind reprogramming kits....kind of like heavily compounded instant enlightenment packages? lol...I'd love to see that :) kind of like DE-education or UN-learning for people still caught up in the societal matrix. Like a cleverly disguised red pill to wake them up.

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davidbrogan (57) · 8 years ago

@stellabelle Thinking a lot about this post and the great sentiment and empathy behind it. It reminded me a lot like parenting.

We want the best for our kids, we would do anything for them, we would make any sacrifice, we don't want life to hurt them, we don't want them to fall and cut their knee, we want all of them to achieve great success etc.

But you know the old adages. Give a person a fish, they eat for one day. But teach a person how to fish....WOW! Likewise, you can lead the horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.

I believe personal empowerment is the answer. You can provide the tools, but you can never make someone use them. Steemit has provided the platform and all the tools already. It continues to provide more.

Really, I believe the problem is neither the platform, the present tools, the lack of opportunity nor the reward system. It is how do you empower people to claim self responsibility for their own lives.

Coming back to the children analogy, the great question for every 'parent' to consider is: Do we prepare the road for our children? Or do we prepare our children for the road?

I'm willing to be way off beam here, to be totally wrong. But I am also an Educator and feel I have a responsibility to share my experience with others. Learn - Share/Teach - Reward. Repeat.

$2.15

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

"how do you empower people to claim self responsibility for their own lives." I believe you are correct actually. I feel like I am providing band-aid solutions. But really, I am looking for a solution because I hear it constantly. It's noise that exists from real pain.
Teaching people to become self-sufficient, well, I believe it must be a combination of drive on the part of the person and also a mentorship situation. I had a good experience with a writing mentor and I really sought him out because I felt really passionate. Once he said, "Leah, I really like your writing", it was like gold to me. I felt that I could move on from being a student, to becoming independent. I feel that personalized attention is one of the greatest things lacking in the modern world as far as adults are concerned. At least that was what i experienced. But my passion led me into to the territory of "never giving up." I tried to turn my back on writing several times, and I literally was not able to. James Altucher became my inspiration to go down the path of discovery, mastery and self-reliance. It was important for me to find someone who was both successful and odd, eccentric. He's both of those qualities, and I am also eccentric, in some ways, so I had to find someone I identified with before I could properly emulate.

davidbrogan (57) · 8 years ago

Agree with you 100%.

I feel that personalized attention is one of the greatest things lacking in the modern world*
I would phrase it that the greatest gift you/I/we can ever give another person is simply our time, to sit and listen. The problem is that time is such a limited and precious commodity; and why I would suggest; (as both you and I have experienced the direct positive benefits of this) a mentoring/sponsorship/training programme via Whale to Dolphin to Minnow. That the first generation on Steemit teach the second and so forth.
I believe a band-aid approach is much preferable to letting someone just "bleed out" btw :)

$1.87

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

I already took on a mentee during the first week. He found me and asked me. I said yes. Now I am asking to become someone's mentor. I have been doing this mentorship all along, quietly, behind the scenes.

pierce-the-veil (42) · 8 years ago

@pierce-the-veil: Thank you very much @stellabelle. As a fledgling SUPER MINNOW, I came to steemit with the scales on my back.

Literally creating a Facebook (which i had resisted for years) just to join.
I think this post really hits the nail on the head and i like your well thought out "Tags". I hereby grant and convey unto you my respect, following, and most importantly, an Upvote. (for what its worth).

Please check out my idea for solutions to relieve the minnow steem that is reaching a boiling point. Link to Article here: https://steemit.com/money/@pierce-the-veil/bring-out-yer-dead-a-steemit-graveyard-edition

LOVE YOUR WORK, AND YOUR STORY.

Ciao!
@pierce-the-veil

$2.15

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

Thanks for your very energetic response!

blockcodes (37) · 8 years ago (edited)

There are just not enough spots for the amount of blog posts that are being generated. That is a fact.

@stellabelle I agree, but with the following caveat. There are not enough spots given the current limited distribution and concentration of vests.

The issue is not with too many posts but with too few curators with effective vesting power. I believe that through a distributed vests voting system such as @dantheman proposed the number of curators capable of reading and rewarding quality posts can dramatically increase.

There is no reason to believe there won't be tens of thousands of curators with the ability to reward authors reasonable amounts in the months or years to come.

That said I 100% agree the situation now is horrible, curation is being done ineffectively and in many cases not at all. The system has resources to provide compensation and PAY for the curation service. It is plain as the nose on my face those rewards could be more efficiently utilized for increased "curation bandwidth".

My 2 cents,
@blockcodes

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

Let me ask you this: who is currently curating? The rewards for curating are scant, so I know there are probably some things in place to correct this, but how many quality curators will want to do this daily?

alyssas (60) · 8 years ago (edited)

Not many people are curating at all - most votes come from minnows who are hoping they will receive a reciprocal vote, and not really understanding that they'll get a fraction of a cent as a result.

Here is a challenge for you - spend a day solidly curating - and be sure to try to find stuff that was not written in your time zone. Then collate how much you have made from the effort, and how many writers you managed to get to. And then write up your results.

Keep an eye on your Steemd profile: https://steemd.com/@stellabelle

If your voting power falls below 50% you need to take a rest. It is currently showing at 96.44% which means you haven't done much voting in the last five days.

You are a dolphin, right? It should be an interesting exercise to see how effective dolphins can be. If it turns out that dolphins don't have much effect at all, then it is up to the whales to patrol the site curating to make it work. But we won't find out until someone with proper dolphin power is willing to do the experiment.

$0.06

blockcodes (37) · 8 years ago (edited)

We need to fix it. The platform is getting ripped off paying too few people too much money for too little work.

The ones getting paid too much must decide the formula for dispersing the curator funds. Voting is not rational or profitable for 95%+ of users. So hardly anyone is curating. I think we agree on this and I haven't explained myself well. Currently the rewards for curation do not encourage enough people to curate.

I think we both agree that the number of curators with a measurable effect on a post should be larger. Everyone wants this, then more content is reviewed and more users can make money curating so they don't have to post as the only option for earning income. This would create 1000's of income streams for users and free up room for serious authors to be reviewed.

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

And, let me repeat, blogging should not be the only form of income. We need to create more ideas on this, and then have the results of our efforts be in blogging form. Many of the top creators are professionals: programmers, video bloggers, artists.....the point is that THEY ARE DOING SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES WRITING. That is my main point here. The writing comes afterwards, as they are documenting their work. Not everyone can be a successful writer. More stress should be placed on different disciplines: teaching, outreach, parenting, running a business, programming, etc........... making films, you get the idea...

blockcodes (37) · 8 years ago (edited)

blogging should not be the only form of income

Yes agree 100% on same page, Curating should be a form of income for more users.

More stress should be placed on different disciplines: teaching, outreach, parenting, running a business, programming, etc........... making films, you get the idea...

Those other avenues of income are not related to the platform. If some one wants to be a teacher or programmer this is not relevant to the discusion of optimizing the platform or payout of posts and curation. Unless they will be monetized by blogging or curating. Those are the only current mechanisms to reward income for any effort related to the platform.

We are left with two streams of income, posting and curating. 100% of users will have to derive any Steemit related income from those two sources.

There is only ONE discussion that matters and that is optimizing the use of those two rewards to facilitate growth of the platform.

I wrote a blog proposal about changing curation rewards but you can find it if you havent.

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phoenixmaid (62) · 8 years ago

how things like running interest groups (i've been admin in a few over on facebook it's hard work so rewarding those who do it well would be amazing), a steemit version of instagram or a steemit wiki,

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nubchai (57) · 8 years ago

I'm so happy to see this discussion StellaBelle. I think blockcodes has explained the current problem with curation. As a minnow, when I upvote a post that I think has merit, it does little to nothing to reward the writer financially. Whereas, if a whale or two upvote the post, it produces a larger payout for the author and the whale benefits with a large curation payment. Aside from upvoting and commenting because I like a post, I have no financial incentive to do either. I just do it because I'm moved to by the content.

Steemit is promoted as a community where people can earn a payment for curation, commenting, and writing good content. If new members who don't have a lot of steem or steem power quickly realize curation and commenting don't pay off financially, they'll try writing content... or they'll leave. Good content can generate excellent payments, but only if it's noticed. And then the whales jumping on to upvote is what seems to result in posts being noticed and the higher rewards for all.

I think some of the ideas mentioned, like storefronts and maybe contests, could provide a form of payment that might keep people in the community. As a writer, I'm excited by the potential audience here and interaction with other creative people. Thanks StellaBelle!

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davidbrogan (57) · 8 years ago

@dragonslayer109 is just one example of someone who is already doing a great job with his/her Daily Pick of Hidden Gems which directly addresses the question of Minnows getting lost in Steemit's initial growth spurt 'Data Shock'.

I imagine in due course many more curators will organically arise in various specialist categories and sub-categories, becoming the gatekeepers of quality content. Creators via Curators to Consumers - Consumers 'value' the service/product in the marketplace via feedback (comments and upvotes) - Feedback loop back to Creators on what the 'market' needs/wants.

I suggest the 'market' in and of itself will determine the course of future content on the platform, rather than trying to second-guess what the market wants . In other words, fit your service/product to the Steemit marketplace rather than trying to fit the marketplace (Steemit) to your service/product/content. This is a fundamental mistake many make, and then having spent endless hours creating products/services/content; become frustrated to learn that the market doesn't actually want/need or highly value such items.

Watch the market. Produce accordingly. Give people what they want rather than what you think they want.

I worked as a Curator in the physical world (Wholesale distribution between Manufacture and Consumer). I believe if you are creating great content that the marketplace wants and needs , there will be no end of curators willing to distribute said content.

Rewards are not necessarily monetary.

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intelliguy (68) · 8 years ago (edited)

I love the "aha!" moments, I periodically get, when I find a good quality post that no other curators have noticed yet. Sometimes the post is already 1 hour old, and sitting at 0.01

I'm happy I have enough SP to send it to 0.04.. just to acknowledge the effort and good quality the post has..

I am not saying whales don't do the same thing, and I am sure they do.

But all of us could benefit from more of those "aha!" moments when we find one of those unnoticed, underpaid posts and get the attention it deserves.

I'd also like to see a weekly training show by the founders. Even just a 15 minute youtube. "Steemit tips from the founders".. where they talk about how the ecospace is doing, and where it is lacking.

Especially if they draw attention to examples of bad content, why it is bad content, and why people should down vote it.

Then conversely, show some unnoticed "aha!" moment good content, explain why it is good content, and upvote it live in the youtube video.

That's two "steemit tips by the founders" videos that would cover the next 2 episodes and people could use the ideas as footing strongholds to begin from... while we climb this rockwall named steemit.

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judyd100 (48) · 8 years ago

As a newbie, I would LOVE to see frequent updates from the founders. Not only could they make company news items, encourage content creators, mention outstanding posts, but all of their interaction would encourage and reassure current and potential steemers to stick with the long term plans and goals. That's how we grow.

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rea (75) · 8 years ago (edited)

Unbelievably I posted an article regarding this very issue a few hours ago, lol.

"By this point in the future, unless some drastic change is made to the voting system, anyone looking to sign up will be in for a rough ride. Steemit will already be a structured, established entity unto itself, so getting any noticability will be an uphill struggle. Again, for anyone joining, it will be a case of "who you know" to help you up that ladder as quickly as possible or of course the buying of Steem itself, which will hold a great deal more value than it is worth presently. "

Great post, Stellabelle. Thanks for all the kind advice you are giving out. Bless!

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

What responses did you get? Do you have anything to add to my list?

rea (75) · 8 years ago (edited)

Well, I was just illustrating the fact that unless something is done about the situation now, it may only get worse. We are all hearing through the grapevine that Dan and Ned are working toward a solution for this currently which is positive news.

One of the best things I see happening on this platform so far are people with an already good reputation posting "link" posts promoting good articles from minnows giving them better exposure and more chance of upvotes from dolphins or whales.

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

I did one Minnow Rising post, and I plan on doing more to highlight new writers who produce good content......there are so many, so I have trouble finding them, actually.

rea (75) · 8 years ago

Given your status on this platform, posts like those go a long way to keep new users spirits high and the determination to keep on posting. But as you rightly say, how many times can this be done by so few influential individuals?

We are fast approaching 70,000 users. Imagine when that number reaches hundreds of thousands. Let's watch this space for now. But posts like this one throwing out ideas to improve the situation is definitely a positive step in the right direction and raises more awareness of the issue.

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timcliff (73) · 8 years ago (edited)

I think this is a really good idea, and appreciate you doing this. You are doing great things for the community, and helping more content producers get noticed and seen by more people.

I do tend to lean more towards the camp that feels more needs to be done to recognize and reward content from good unknown content producers.

I agree people shouldn't come with the exception of making quick and easy money, and that it takes time and work to be noticed, but we as the community need to make that process as smooth and enjoyable as we can for the ones that are doing that.

If good content producers post quality content for months, and keep getting pennies per post, while the same group of 'popular' people keep making hundreds and thousands per post (often with sub-par quality content) the newbiees are going to leave.

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mark-waser (56) · 8 years ago

Hi Stellabelle!

So . . . . you mentioned smart contracts . . . .

The answer is (as far as I know -- and I've done the research), they don't exist for Steemit YET!

I really want to change this. Four days ago, I made the blog post (https://steemit.com/steemit/@mark-waser/less-than-hack-ether-camp-greater-than-a-4-week-virtual-hackathon-to-build-out-steem-tools-1st-prize-usd50-000) where my idea for the hackathon was to "Crush Ethereum with Smart Contracts on Steem".

The event runs for four weeks and doesn't start for a while. I am an experienced Software Developer (and, when forced to be, Program Manager). I already have an architecture, design and implementation plan (though I'd love for it to be improved by an awesome team).

This is eminently doable if I can recruit some developer talent (with basically zero budget being the problem). My post got no traction and remained in the slush pile.

It would be awesome if you would be willing to become the "business advocate" for getting this done. You've got enough clout that I'm sure that you can make this succeed -- and I want it to succeed even if I'm not part of it because it will enable so many other things (that and the fact that I'd rather be "just a lowly developer on the team" if that is the best way to get it done ;-).

As I explained in https://steemit.com/steemit/@mark-waser/my-steemit-powerpoint-for-the-extreme-futures-and-technology-forecasting-conference-seattle-wa , my ultimate goal is to crowd-source artificial intelligence (which Steem finally makes possible with its economic model and micro-payments). Smart contracts are the next major step on our (http://wisdom.digital) plan for enabling this, so . . . .

Unless you/we hear from Dan that the developers are already well on the way to implementing smart contracts, this is probably the best thing that we can do for Steem, Steemit and all those who can't blog but have other skills (I clearly suck at entertainment blogging -- but my wife is funnier than I realized ;-)

Sorry for not adding more ideas but I'm very passionate about this one. Can I convince you to be as well?

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5 votes

stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

I am curious what dan and others are working on in the way of smart contracts. Perhaps forming a group of people whom you trust to work on this would be helpful. I need to become more educated about it before I continue on. I like to get to know people before agreeing to anything.

mark-waser (56) · 8 years ago

Do you have any real contact with Dan or were you just early enough and good enough to become a whale all on your own? I am indeed starting with a core group of people I know and trust (and want an excuse to drag onto Steemit ;-) -- but the ability to advertise would really help . . . .

I need to write up a post on smart contracts . . . .

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digital-wisdom (55) · 8 years ago

One way to win at curation as a minnow is to convince each of your family members to join Steemit, invest $200 and up-vote all your posts. It, at least, gets rid of the dreaded $0.00 post (and they get curation rewards in relation to their investment).

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5 votes

dwinblood (73) · 8 years ago (edited)

I think another big issue that contributes to this is discoverability. I believe it can be fixed and I am hopeful that it will. This issue arises when you have a flood of information and you need to help people find a way to make sense of that information in a way that is likely most interesting to them.

The New, Hot, Popular, etc are good ideas but they ARE all-in-one things. I believe we should keep that because, you can always look at those when the places you normally look at are not doing anything for you on that day.

I'd like to see maybe the Trending page changed so it shows the posts with the MOST VOTES (not money) from different TAGS on the trending page. This would make the trending page seem less like a collection of similar things. It would express the top things across multiple interest areas. Also is it truly TRENDING if it is money that is determining it? One person can give someone big money, and I don't think that really shows a trend. It certainly is likely to make it INTO a trend, but I've also seen posts with a lot of votes and low payouts.

It will I think be important just like with FEEDS (great addition) to add a display that shows people a view based upon TAGS they have subscribed to.

We still need the views that show everything, because you can't know you are interested in a particular tag perhaps until you've read a few things from that tag.

I believe that this will be critical to tackle as more and more people join, because @stellabelle is correct there is already far more information than we can keep up with. Let alone very little time to go back and read old items.

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thecryptofiend (74) · 8 years ago

I think feeds may have made things worse (see my longer response if you can find it).

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dennygalindo (59) · 8 years ago

Totally agree. Maybe we should have an option of after 30 minutes but already has ten minnow votes.

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thecryptofiend (74) · 8 years ago

These are important considerations and I remember you did a similar post a while back. If Steemit isn't able to bring in new people and retain them then it isn't going to succeed in the long term.

I think I have a suggestion that might help but would probably also be unpopular. It seems to me that too many posts are being made and too few people are actually voting and commenting. Votes and comments (even from those that have tiny SP) still help to promote content and bring it to the top of the pile.

One solution to improve things would be to prevent people from posting until they have done a minimum amount of upvoting and commenting. It's not a perfect solution. People could just randomly vote and use comment spam but even if only some of the people do things properly it could improve things a whole lot.

I also think the 4 post limit is probably a bit too high and this kind of restriction on posting would help with that too. The problem right now is that there is just so much new content it is impossible to keep up.

I have noticed that their are some big money posters who have started churning out multiple posts per day. This on the surface is understandable but in some senses makes the visibility problem worse for newer creators.

These writers are often on botlists - so their posts automatically get upvoted and start trending. Unfortunately this removes a chance for newer posters to get noticed and make some money on their posts too.

I personally don't see any reason why anyone should be posting more than once a day but that is my opinion I'm sure those doing it would disagree.

My point of view is that we all have some degree of community responsibility in this platform and if we act in too mercenary a way we will kill the proverbial golden goose.

Another unpopular solution might be to limit the rewards for a single post. This would help with fairer distribution of awards but again would be a matter of contoversy and most people would be against it.

Finally another thing I have been considering is the impact of the feeds feature. Since it has been implemented I have been having a lot of trouble keeping up just with the people I follow. It has severely impacted my viewing of new posts and I'm sure I'm not alone on this.

I know @dan and @ned would not even dare consider doing this but I think it might actually be of benefit to the platform to remove that feature. It would level the playing field a bit more.

Another idea to help with this which has been discussed before is to anonymise the name of posters for the first few hours a post is out. Again I doubt this will ever be tried but it could help to flatten any advantages that older users have against new ones.

Anyway these are some of my thoughts on the matter.

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dwinblood (73) · 8 years ago (edited)

Hmmm.... being able to post a top level blog post only if you have up voted posts, comments, etc. Not a bad idea.

EDIT: I am not for limiting how much someone can make, simply because I am anti other people deciding what is "fair" and setting caps. It is too subjective.

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thecryptofiend (74) · 8 years ago

Yes I think that would be controversial and most people would be against it.

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denha (42) · 8 years ago

Good ideas!

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thecryptofiend (74) · 8 years ago

Thank you:)

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nubchai (57) · 8 years ago

I kind of like the idea of anonymizing poster names for the first hour or so. That would force people to actually read the content before voting.

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exitmass (57) · 8 years ago

The only problem I can foresee with the current trend - Is eventually another thing like steemit will pop up and the minnows will flock to it like sperm to an egg. They want to get their early enough to possibly become a whale on that platform. There will obviously be loyal minnows to steem regardless of reputation as well. But this is all to be expected though I guess. It's only a matter of when.

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warrensteem (65) · 8 years ago

Great ideas. i can't for when i ask to not be upvoted xD

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ervin-lemark (71) · 8 years ago

I agree completely - it is discouraging.

I'll be blunt. This system sometimes (more and more) reminds me on the real world economics. 1% of people is holding on to 99% of wealth.

We know very well that this is not sustainable in the long run.

The write and be happy mantra won't help, I am afraid.

Your suggestions are valid. You care deeply.

Let's see the reactions of those your questions are aimed at.

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anotherjoe (66) · 8 years ago

Yeah, but involuntary (coercive) redistribution is certainly not the right answer. It's in beta too. As more folks rise up, the current advantages of the top 1% will be diminished. And, in this case, other than the fact that the 1% can "vote harder", the group has much to say about what will rise to the top. Only those who are creating good content should be rewarded.
The challenge right now is that many who are creating great content aren't getting recognition while some less helpful posts are getting a lot of popularity and celebrity votes. That's life. Hopefully the community will mature beyond this flocking (mob) mentality, but it is something we tend to gravitate to.

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14 votes

hoopatang (52) · 8 years ago

many who are creating great content aren't getting recognition while some less helpful posts are getting a lot of popularity and celebrity votes. That's life. Hopefully the community will mature beyond this

This is an exact mirror of society.
We've got people like Larken Rose publishing books that could free people from a slavery they don't even realize they're in, and hardly anyone (percentage of the population-wise) knows who he is.
Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian waggles her enormous baby-oiled ass in front of a camera, and the entire world stops to goggle and applaud. That woman contributes nothing--nothing--to society, and yet she's the celebrity pulling in all the money on her name alone, while Larken is setting up donation drives.

We won't mature past this. This is what we are, unfortunately.
This is society in a microcosm.

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rigel (39) · 8 years ago (edited)

Perhaps devs should reconsider curation rewards distribution.
A horde of writers needs a horde of curators to evaluate their posts but current curation rewards for minnows is not existent.
That's why too many good posts are unnoticed.

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

I think that's what dan is currently working on. I was suggesting that people start thinking deeply about what else they can bring to the table besides writing. That's where my focus will continue to be. Long-term many of us want to pay in Steem dollars, not our fiat currency. I am trying to get people away from thinking that blogging is the only thing here.

hunterisgreat (56) · 8 years ago

Suggestion for minnows... just make me laugh :-)

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jrcornel (84) · 8 years ago

What do you call a cow with no legs?

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hunterisgreat (56) · 8 years ago

Hi! I am a content-detection robot. This post is to help manual curators; I have NOT flagged you.
Here is similar content:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/32d4tq/what_do_you_call_a_cow_with_no_legs/

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hunterisgreat (56) · 8 years ago

I keed :-)

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jrcornel (84) · 8 years ago

Ha! You got me...

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hunterisgreat (56) · 8 years ago

And now I've made you laugh. It wasn't supposed to work this way.

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lesliestarrohara (64) · 8 years ago (edited)

Challenge accepted.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@lesliestarrohara/i-m-living-large-after-making-almost-usd0-50-from-only-10-posts-on-steemit

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lukeofkondor (61) · 8 years ago

Maybe ... just maybe ...
https://steemit.com/writing/@lukeofkondor/writing-hacks-to-help-you-write-like-a-hack

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moneymaker (47) · 8 years ago (edited)

If you see the statistics of the same whales and dolphins are paid))) It is necessary to cultivate new and whales do not feed old.

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xvickx (53) · 8 years ago (edited)

The whales who are genuinely interested in this platform are absolutely critical to creating new whales. They have the leverage to guide people in the right direction. This will help ensure that future whales are ones who create great content, vote in a sound & productive fashion, and pass their knowledge down the line to create a better steemit that's more valuable and useful for all of us.

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

Actually the whales vote on more than just good content. They also find others who have Steemit in their best interest. Those are the ones they focus on, from what I can tell.

xvickx (53) · 8 years ago

And that's a serious responsibility in my opinion, for all whales - whether they realize it or not. I follow you and can see by your posts, comments & habits that you put just as much focus on the plaftform itself as you do on your own creative projects. Props for that!

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moneymaker (47) · 8 years ago (edited)

I'm talking about it.And so on,get the money the same people.
Look at even the author of this post he has already collected 47$. And look at the history of his posts then you will understand everything.

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moneymaker (47) · 8 years ago (edited)

Possible without a whale to do to make bots whales which will track relevant,quality content and vote then the allocation will be fair and live whales are not for each other to vote and earn the coins rate will be increased.
Whales are real people and that's the problem,everyone can make mistakes,to pursue their goals. And this affects 90% of the community members.

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xvickx (53) · 8 years ago

I understand your point, and I'm not being critical of your opinion as much as I'm trying to state the facts. Automated bots, realitsically, cannot live up to the expectation of choosing what's valuable and what's not - not on a platform like steemit. Bots are emotionless, have no insight, and only have an ability to compare data. They cannot reason, and therefore it's unreasonable to expect the system to manage itself in that fashion.

Again, I'm not trying to be negative or overly critical, but I think you're missing the point on what makes steemit so uniqe. If your only goal is to create revenue on steemit, you either need to invest or begin pumping out quality content. Again, there is work involved. The platform isn't here to create handouts. If you have good content and are persistent, your efforts will pay off.

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moneymaker (47) · 8 years ago

People whales, sensory,materialistic, vote only for their benefit(for each other Earning SP).Are not experts in characteristic content of the assessment content.
Bots would analyze the content according to the algorithm without emotion. You say quality posts? If simple people will write high quality article and the same article will be written by Whales, who do you think earns more?

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tjpezlo (61) · 8 years ago

Its good to see that the plights of of the minnows are taken into consideration. The platform has a long way to go and i think it will only get better for all of us. Thanks

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https://steemit.com/steemit/@lesliestarrohara/i-m-living-large-after-making-almost-usd0-50-from-only-10-posts-on-steemit

lesliestarrohara (64) · 8 years ago

I'm a minnow who's happy just to be here. I was so ecstatic about making 50 cents on Steemit in the past week that I did a photo shoot to celebrate!

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davidbrogan (57) · 8 years ago

@lesliestarrohara Loved reading your Gratitude Put a smile on my face. Thank you for that.
happy just to be here Touché!
Let's not forget how much Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, or even YouTube payout creators for providing content.
IMO, Steemit is a game changer. There's a lot more right going on than wrong. Sure, it needs refinement, but don't we all? :)

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dennygalindo (59) · 8 years ago

Me too had my first $8 Post yesterday but braking the buck was awesome!

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michaellamden68 (69) · 8 years ago

Great ideas, although the practicalities may not be attainable; I can summise that any implementation of these ideas would require an element of support, which I think we have yet to witness?!?

Nevertheless great post and good luck!!

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jrcornel (84) · 8 years ago

There could be a "how to section" where people contribute their specialties for the benefit of the readers. How to cook, how to swing a golf club, how to build a website... etc.

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pulpably (45) · 8 years ago

I would pay for illustration services on my posts. I just don't care enough about finding good stock photos with no copyright issues to do this well and that may not change. Others excel at this. I want to be able to hire them. I would consider offering editing and proof-reading services.

I'd love a way to automatically pay a percentage of post earnings to collaborators.

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

You can always pay people to collaborate. It's just finding those who you work well with that is the trick.

pulpably (45) · 8 years ago

That's cool! I'm still figuring some things out, but I suppose the next step is to make some proposals to people I think I'd like to work with. Hurdle gone. Yes! Thank you!

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mark-waser (56) · 8 years ago

pulpably said "I'd love a way to automatically pay a percentage of post earnings to collaborators."

I say "SMART CONTRACTS do precisely that!" See my blog post (https://steemit.com/steemit/@mark-waser/less-than-hack-ether-camp-greater-than-a-4-week-virtual-hackathon-to-build-out-steem-tools-1st-prize-usd50-000) where my idea for the hackathon was to "Crush Ethereum with Smart Contracts on Steem".

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thecryptofiend (74) · 8 years ago (edited)

@klye is offering paid illustration. Check out his post here. I have already commissioned him to do some of his hilarious cartoons for a post I'm going to be doing and he takes payment directly in SBD - he's quick too.

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pulpably (45) · 8 years ago

Thank you, @cryptofiend! I'll definitely get in touch with @klye. Sweet!

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ltndd1 (49) · 8 years ago

I was thinking a mentor type program. Small fee for 1 on 1 time with a knowledged user who can help a person make better sense. Someone they can contact directly with that person. I know steemit.chat is there but some of the questions are never answered. Walk through of the interior if you will and an explaination of payouts and payments. Just an idea

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

I took on a writing mentee during the first week I was on Steemit. He's doing great, and I think encouragement goes a long way.....

vegascomic (66) · 8 years ago

Would being a mentee turn me into a manatee, or is there no such classification yet?

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jsteck (53) · 8 years ago

Manatees are dolphins that haven't yet earned their flippers

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ltndd1 (49) · 8 years ago

You hear in life people are going to motivational professionals. This would help give motivation to the bigger guys ro ahare some knowledge without giving aways any secres of course but yes a more personable interaction is priceless.

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phoenixmaid (62) · 8 years ago

this might be difficult for new users to pay for, but if steemit was to have a mentor programme that allocated new members a mentor who had been vetted to ensure they know the system well enough to help new members.

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

Mentors and mentees find each other organically actually after forming bonds. Forming bonds is a necessary step for further development.

ltndd1 (49) · 8 years ago

My whole base to my concept would be an attempt to bring members to a more personal level. I think to thrive we need to embrace the social media concept and not go on the typical employer employee type relationship. You get paid for content but from more or less friends not whales or minnows. My name is Tony its nice ti meet you.

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phoenixmaid (62) · 8 years ago

@stellabelle I agree but for users who have found the site on their own, feeling overwhelmed and posts aren't getting answers the option to join a mentoring program might be the difference between them staying or leaving.

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mark-waser (56) · 8 years ago

You've missed part of the beauty of the economic system . . . . just get them to agree to send you all of the SBD from their writing for X weeks (max $Y). People are generally pretty honest when dealing with such small amounts -- and, if we implement smart contracts, they can actually auto-enforce deals of this type.

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jrcornel (84) · 8 years ago (edited)

The content of a post must be more important than the author's posting handle... This site needs to be based on rewarding the best content if it wants to survive and thrive.

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xvickx (53) · 8 years ago (edited)

The site is based on rewarding the best content. If you pay attention, you'll see that the author's posting handle - in this very post - is critical to the exposure of this subject matter. Why? Because the author is creating a forum for positive discussion. Whales aren't going to read this post or take it nearly as serious if it were posted by you or I. The author is utilizing their reputation here to ensure the platform will survive and thrive.

Don't expect that by writing the best steemit post in the world it will be seen. If you wrote the best, most valuable book in the world, it's not worth a thing unless you can get it in front of an audience. There's no special team who reviews every book that's ever written and decides which books are a best-seller before they go to publishing.. Why? Because everyone thinks their content is the best and the job would be neverending and often more futile than productive. There is a lot of leg work involved in proving the value of your content - this is true for the internet or any other medium.

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jrcornel (84) · 8 years ago

True... so how does one rectify this? Build an audience... but how?

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

You build bonds with others. It's crucial. You also employ persistence, passion and hard work. You do what is calling you. And you do it often, and you engage with others in a meaningful way that is not selfish.

davidbrogan (57) · 8 years ago

You do not fight the 'market'(your potential audience) , you produce services/products/content that it determines. Observe, study, learn: - you will discover patterns, which you can eventually "predict". My experience is you do not have to "figure things out" and guess what to write/produce etc. Simply observe. Listen.
What is Hot/Trending/Active/upvoted/Commented on? Provide THIS. That is what the market/your audience wants.
Secondly, cultivate and grow relationships with your audience. Treat them like family/your best friend/your dog/a plant that needs watered every day. Your first 10 audience are your primary 'sales-team'. Follow everyone who follows you. Upvote their posts, comment, say hello. Watch what happens :)
Third, invest in yourself. Doesn't need to be money. Read, study, learn, get a mentor or two.

I suggest this question, which I ask myself on a regular basis. If you are not willing to invest in yourself, why should anyone else invest in you?

The hard work/road to getting there is an Investment in our future selves , not a Cost.

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jrcornel (84) · 8 years ago

What a great post! Thank you for very good advice! I wish I could upvote it more than once

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serejandmyself (70) · 8 years ago

I think you forgot collaborations. its simple and easy to do. I guess thoigh translation and smart contracts, both fall into the category of collaboration

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

OH, yes, I meant to add collaboration. Actually, I collaborate every single day with the Secret Writer.

sykochica (70) · 8 years ago

I've been thinking on this for a few days. I tried keeping up with all the comments, so apologies if it's already been mentioned.

1.consulting/ consoling/ teaching sessions through a video chat like Skype. Even just having someone to listen for a while can be helpful. (I wouldn't expect this to need new code, especially with steemswap.com being up now. )

Provide newbies with special tokens worth say a dollar, that they can only give away, specifically to those that help them at the beginning. More experienced minnows/users can keep eye out for posts asking for help, chat room, or a help wanted listing. Ideally this motivates existing users to seek out, welcome and help newbies. (Unfortunately this would require code development)

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ntomaino (63) · 8 years ago

I disagree that there needs to be other business ideas beyond blogging. That is the core of the platform. Minnows can't reasonably expect to lots of money right away. Work at it, find a niche, and work at it some more. That's it.

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coloured-content (65) · 8 years ago

Maybe there doesn't need to be, but no doubt there will be some form of evolution

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onetree (68) · 8 years ago

I sell online and often have amazing collectibles and am willing to post anywhere. I will accept Steem payments. I'm from South Africa, so the exchange rate works out really well for most developed countries. Don't really want to see an ebay here though. What do others think?

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blockchainbilly (51) · 8 years ago

Thank you Stella!

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denha (42) · 8 years ago (edited)

To vote for a new user is too risky and many times wasting the strength of it. So nobody has no motivation to upvote new content of a new user if he/she is not a famous person or someone from bitcoin society or photographer (photos don’t waste too much time to be seen). Nobody Won’t Read Your Content Still You’re New User, Not Famous Person, Nor From Bitcoin Society. §CATCH - 22
https://steemit.com/steemit/@denha/nobody-won-t-read-your-content-still-you-re-new-user-not-famous-person-nor-from-bitcoin-society-catch-22
The end result is you see the same authors, the same subjects, the same tags on the Trending page day after day. The system / society is closing itself this way. If the concept of Steemit is evaluation the "content" not more (the author for example), all articles, upvote and downvote have to be anonymous for some period of time.

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saywatt (25) · 8 years ago

How about the minnows shoaling to create a whale or whales, that can be used by the shoal for the good of the shoal and in turn the whole community.
Just a thought

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davidbrogan (57) · 8 years ago

@saywatt To my mind, this idea has great merit! I absolutely agree. If you have a niche sub-category where you have a tribe ; I see no reason a collective co-operative voting system should not be utilized for the good of that whole community, much in the same way, for example, The Amish community will collectively help each other to build a house.

I would love to hear your ideas on expanding this thought and how it would work in real terms. Upvoted and Followed. Welcome to Steemit :)

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deviedev (66) · 8 years ago

What about designing/selling layout templates for posts?

I know a lot of people here are tech/design savvy, but there must be some who are not. I think templates could make Steemit more accessible to the masses, both in terms of saving time and making up for lack of skill.

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joele (55) · 8 years ago

Steem is only profitable mostly to english writers.
I'm looking someday that Steemit will add features more social network Facebook like that you can post your personal photos, videos, etc and your followers/friends can upvote it, post message on it and get a rewards out of it.

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kdugar (50) · 8 years ago

@stellabelle Good thoughts..We could even monetize steem with ads!

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

I really dislike ads, actually. I believe sponsored content, in its own section might be a possibility though in the future.

alexgr (66) · 8 years ago

They could be deployed only for users who choose to see them as a means to increase their earnings.

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hoopatang (52) · 8 years ago

This would work well, as long as there was a way for people like @stellabelle, who don't want to see any type of ad at all (not even the "we'll pay you to look!" banner), to opt out of anything and everything having to do with it.

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magdalenaruth (42) · 8 years ago

i really like this post! Am currently brainstorming as how to best present what i've been learning in lawful vs. legal; it is a very big subject and will free a lot of people!

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fingolfin (61) · 8 years ago

I think that people need to decide what they want Steemit to be. I feel like some people are promoting it as the place to be for all social media, replacing facebook, reddit, instagram, etc..

The problem with that is that the majority of people on those platforms aren't interested in producing long form, detailed content, they just want to share the mundane day to day things, funny videos, meme's, pictures of their kids and so on. They try to post those same things here and are ignored because that is not the content that people are upvoting at the moment. They get discouraged after a few posts and go back to something more familiar.

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jeremyfromwi (54) · 8 years ago

I am a minnow, no doubt about that. But I am not discouraged. I have actually been encouraged by a whale to keep posting quality comments, and in one day I went from 4 followers to 13. That's because I applied myself, and didn't worry about the results. As more and more people join Steemit, the content is going to be "watered down". It will be harder and harder to gain followers with any kind of voting power, that's just the natural progression of things. I look to the future with a hope that maybe people will be happy to use this platform for what it is, a new and exciting way to share your thoughts and ideas with the world!!!

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

I think the development of larger interest tribes will happen also. People with certain passions will be finding themselves more and more together. This should eventually result in commerce, as people begin to trust each other. This is, I think the natural result of people being social in nature, so this will become a digital version of the old tribe model of the past.

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vegascomic (66) · 8 years ago

Attrition should eliminate those that are not serious about being part of the platform and contributing quality. Anywhere there's the opportunity for money, there's going to be those in for the fast buck. Sometimes the reality sucks on Steemit, but if you're not contributing, innovating of encouraging others that do, you might need to be encouraged to move on.

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alexgr (66) · 8 years ago

It's not something that is going away, and in fact, as more and more people arrive in Steemit, this trend will only increase. There are just not enough spots for the amount of blog posts that are being generated. That is a fact.

If a 3k or 5k post got a 1k reduction, that 1k could be used for 100 writers getting 10$ each. It would be better than zero (discouragement). There's a lot of votes piling upon the multi-hundred dollar pieces and the game theory behind it doesn't make much sense because the curation rewards for this are not that much.

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denha (42) · 8 years ago

@stellabelle, thanks for the ideas, but worthless. The problem is not of a lack of content that is created from minions. But a lack of public for them. Nobody reads even our titles, inluding I. There is no motivation to do. The chain is broken at the first level. And that problem is already sreaming.

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davidbrogan (57) · 8 years ago

@denha Thanks for identifying and elaborating on what you see as the problem. What do you believe is the solution?

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fishborne (57) · 8 years ago

Organizing on categories, not tags. When a newcomer will arrive he will choose his categories as points of interests and areas of expertise. Aso a comment from such a user can be valued appropriate.
The quality of comments (through the votes) shiuld create a profile of the user: hus comments will have a certain weight in an specific area.
Grouping tags in some categories will organuze the community content. And the calculation for a comment weight.
The relevancy of a comment should be the most important aspect of it.
The argumentation, narrative skills and coerent style should be weighted carefully.
Providing source of arguments should be also important.....

Etc

I think the quality of steemit should be based in this stage on the wuality of comments. We are flooded by posts. Nobody can dig into them....categorize them all. Tags are insuficient. Related tags are insuficient. Categories, subcategories, areas of unterest for any human should be more practical. Use some psychology: what a human wants ? How ? In what relation with what area ?

Cheers.

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phoenixmaid (62) · 8 years ago

After deciding against selling my crochet work here opting instead to work with my sister focusing mainly on crochet tutorials. I have also been considering offering extra help via skyp/messenger video chat for a small steem fee.

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funkywanderer (48) · 8 years ago (edited)

Thanks, it's nice to know that the whales are here to help. They can't help everyone all at one, but every click helps :) Cheers to you @stellabelle! Leadership in community building is what we need from the whales and you're doing your part!

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meteor78 (45) · 8 years ago

Great post, I agree.... support u..,
I hope steemit give the opportunity to the minnows to earn income other than writing. and 9 ur ideas it's really good

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https://steemit.com/steemit/@amartinezque/message-for-whales-dolphins-fish-squids-and-other-species-of-the-sea-of-steemit

amartinezque (62) · 8 years ago

2 weeks ago I did this post that is very similar to your one, doing questions to know the tastes of the people and to be able to improve like the results .... the result was that alone a person answered. I think that the only solution is to continue trying it until thankfully one of your post falls down in hands of a "whale" and vote for it...

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merej99 (70) · 8 years ago

I'm about three weeks old on the platform, and while I haven't made a lot, I am celebrating the fact that I've reached 40+ followers today! I create content because that's what I do. Of course I'd love to see a payday. I can't help the bit of envy when I see someone garner $1000 on an intro post when mine only did...zero. LOL
I can't care about that because I am, at the core, a content creator. It's why I don't write about niche topics. I just write what comes to mind. It's not all quality, but it's the best I can do to create consistency
I see a future in Steemit and I want to grow with it. Will I ever get beyond minnow? Certainly! It may take me longer than most but that's okay because I am not discouraged... at least not yet.
The support and community that I'm beginning to discover is far more important than making a quick buck.

The problem I might see with being a service provider (beyond creating content) is then becoming the Steemit billboard of bullshit services. 'Scuze the language - but that would really suck. Just my opinion. :)

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luisucv34 (69) · 8 years ago

somehow to users, like me, we lose heart a bit because we do not receive supported, and especially if it is in Spanish.

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nathanbrown (54) · 8 years ago

@stellabelle I think the only way for minnows to be happy on here is for them to be on here because they enjoy the content and the discussion, not because they hope to make money. The white paper clearly explains that only a tiny fraction of content producers are going to make any significant money at all and yet many people will publish content in the hopes of making money. They even talk about it as the "lottery effect," which essentially fools people into thinking they have a chance of striking it big when the reality is they probably won't make anything.

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dennygalindo (59) · 8 years ago (edited)

The allure of this platform is to earn crypto without knowing coding. The writers have a nice platform here but the masses need a way to earn by making platform better.

Synereo is going to pay users to read see my post here.

They will easily get more readers and then that will get the authors. Users needed riders to make it worthwhile to be a driver. Steem is trying too hard to get drivers and ignoring its riders.

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nathanbrown (54) · 8 years ago

I know the allure is to earn crypto currency, but the vast majority of people will earn little to know currency posting content on here. It is just a fact of how the math works for how they distribute rewards.

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https://steemit.com/steemit/@omfedor/solutions-for-frustrated-minnows-and-realization-of-social-justice-in-steemit-response-to-stellabelle-s-post

omfedor (63) · 8 years ago

My respect, @stellabelle, and hallo all initiative Steemians!
Thank you, guys! Your voices sound very inspiring!

I've just written my response to this post and to some of the comments that caused resonance. Thanks for your attention! I appreciate it a lot.

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

yes and your response is very good, and made me realize some things that I forgot to mention, namely the mentorship aspect.

svamiva (60) · 8 years ago

I think the problem lies a bit deeper, that it seems to be.
Let's assume we've found a magical solution to make a dolfin from a minnow in no time. Happy End? - No!
No, because how you'll get them to know about this solution ? - They will not read this post. They will nor read any FAQ. Because they are here to Write and not to Read!
And for those who have "to read" somewhere on the priority list, how is it possible to remain unhappy here anyway? There's so much great staff to read! There's so many hidden gems! The only problem would be - how to find time to write something.

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jaggs (47) · 8 years ago

I would personally like to see something which used the power of the blockchain to encourage more real and direct action on climate issues. Whether this could be a part of the marketplace or not, it could be a powerful way to move things on from our current stalemate. There are two things that people mainly seek in life, security and respect. Steemit is unlikely to provide complete security (as in financial), but it could definitely serve as a platform to offer respect and validation. Real, tangible ideas for helping humanity are so much more valuable than monetary rewards in the long run. I know you can't eat respect, but it can definitely help your emotional, and psychological well-being when times are tough.

One of the great ideas from Cory Doctorow was the concept of 'wuffie', which was a form of reputation currency which was earned for deeds and actions. As he later said it would make a terrible currency, but maybe allied with the blockchain it could actually prove very powerful?

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judyd100 (48) · 8 years ago

I definitely agree with your ideas on expansion. Here's the point: does Steemit believe it can be the greatest cryptocurrency in the world? Then there must be millions more content creators/alternate income streams for non-writers in order to make the BIGGER PICTURE happen.
Thanks for thinking ahead!

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

well the marketplace is already coming, at least that is what i heard some weeks ago. And there is talk about mutual aid societies as well.

freddy008 (53) · 8 years ago

Translation, writing, programming, investing. All good business ideas that can make good money and get started in crypto.

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coloured-content (65) · 8 years ago

@stellabelle
With great steem-power, comes great responsibility

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cryptoeasy (55) · 8 years ago

Write in steemit platform generates many sensations. When the surprise of a post generate some dollars makes us feel happy, on the other hand many posts that are not worth anything make us feel sad.

For some it is well and some do not. And for many they do not feel anything because already jumped ship early.

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soulsistashakti (62) · 8 years ago

Thanks for this. I'm working on something to help people ride the wave...but meanwhile I am looking for new minnows to comment on and encourage, those whose work speaks to me. I've had a couple find my work and ask me to read their article and of course I said yes and commented. James Altucher was also my mentor and @stellabelle has been instrumental in helping me stick with it at the beginning, over year or more, and it took me that long to make traction, so yes, encouragement and mentorship very important. I just had an idea :)

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givemeyoursteem (58) · 8 years ago

Nice post! Would you mind telling me more about your Mind Deprogramming Kit? :) Sounds very interesting! As you maybe remember from my introduction post I fled the 9-5 race :)

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stellabelle (75) · 8 years ago

It's a long-term commitment but it goes like this, as these are the stages that helped with overcome fear and constant anxiety:

Identify what is not working in life. For me, that was working in a corporation, in a hierarchy where I had zero control.
Identify a job that does not contain a hierarchy, so that I am in control of my day and time. For me, I became a delivery driver, where I could work alone without a boss.
Identify toxic people in your life and remove them if possible.
Identify books and subjects you've always wanted to learn, but never had time for. Get books on audio, podcasts, and begin to learn. I did this because I had about 7 hours per day free, while driving.
Through this study and learning process, identify what is exciting to you. Begin to plan your energies around projects, events, and ideas that are exciting to you. For me, that was writing and creating art.
Begin to do more things every day that are exciting to you. Add more things as time goes by.
Let things that are filled with drudgery fall away. Begin to do less of those things.
As a final stage, think of how your unique talents can benefit others while still benefitting you. The more people you touch, the more value you will have.

l0k1 (69) · 8 years ago

Somehow we need to extend the crab in the bucket to the external use of the Steem currency system, to encourage people to buy in, hold their Steem, and use it to do business. This is of course the perennial issue with cryptocurrencies so far. The volatility puts off people using it as a store of value even though in the long run most have performed extremely well in this way, easily far outpacing even the most pessimistic estimations of inflation.

I have several ideas for business that I have posted about, but I seem to have been for some reason getting tangled up in stuff that is a bit murky and dangerous, like bounty markets for leaked and damaging information from dodgy people. This is perhaps not helpful :)

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libertarianarts (45) · 8 years ago

Reading through lots and lots of Steemit posts I see one huge need: editing & proofreading services! My friend @bitbutter has a cool idea doing posts called "Copy Clinic" where he seeks feedback on content and persuasion. But an editing service couldn't really work that way... you'd want an editor/proofreader to give it eyes before it posts.

My first question would be: can we directly "pay" others with Steem? Is there a way to do that?

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phoenixmaid (62) · 8 years ago

I've been mulling this post over all week, And finally have belated response it's a bit long for a comment so i made a post https://steemit.com/steemit/@phoenixmaid/a-response-to-stellabelle-s-steemit-questionnaire

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