"Don't check the teeth of a gifted horse".
I've never considered this to be a wise saying. If I am gifted a horse, wouldn't I want to keep it healthy and know its proverbial value?
To me, Steemit is a kind of a gifted horse. My little experiments here last year gained me a nice sum of BTC in my wallet. But it is my belief that if we do not check the teeth on this horse, and give it a thorough dental treatment, so to speak, it won't be winning any races, especially against well-funded and well-marketed social networks and content hubs. Which makes for very sad marine life in the Steemit ocean.
Having given this a lot of thought in the past few days (as I return to my experiments with Steemit as it is today), I believe I've found the most "rotten teeth" in the mouth of the Steemit horse.
Reason 1: It's complicated
Registering, understanding one's Steemit wallet, figuring out boosters and bots, cryptocoin markets and the ways to get noticed on Steemit is NOT SIMPLE. I am lucky to have background in tech journalism and some understanding of blockchain technology, but most authors, photographers and other content creators simply do not have the skills. All that learning and skill acquisition take time. Which brings me to our next rotten incisor - time consumption.
Reason 2: It takes too long
Assuming you've waited out the period to get your account approved, and began uploading content, you're still a long long way from seeing ANY kind of money from it. Promotion, commenting on other content to get followers and engaging the community on the chat and Discord take a lot of time and energy. It's a long term investment.
And even if you do get lucky and loved by a whale, you won't receive the payout for a week. My guess? A significant percentage of users simply give up too soon. And it's not only their fault. Steemit requires too much patience for the Instagram generation.
Reason 3: Technical Instability
Do I really need to elaborate? Since my return earlier this week, Steemit.com has been about as stable as my mood during that time of the month; it can crash at any time. Sure, there's busy.org and eSteem, but a platform with so much downtime is simply not one that can retain a user-base.
Reason 4: Lack of Engagement
One of the main sources of large payouts I got last year was a novel I started writing and publishing to Steemit. My hope was that other authors, readers and artists would comment and respond, encouraging me to continue writing. That did not happen. I got one or two loyal readers that had no way of "bugging" me to write. So I lost the passion and vanished for a year, taking my voting power and Steem Dollars with me. I am sure I am not the only one.
Reason 5: The Game of Whales
In the Game of Whales, you earn or you basically waste your time. I was hoping it would change in the past year, but it hasn't. Getting paid is still about getting lucky rather than having genuinely good content. You get curated by a strong bot, upvoted by a whale or referenced in a whale's post and watch that payout soar. Or you can spend hours writing something well thought-out, and get paid single cents.
Such success or failure of content is in no way indication of its quality. In fact, I am quite certain most people don't bother reading or viewing most posts they upvote. So instead of a content platform that rewards authors and artists, Steemit is becoming a kind of bizarre stock market of upvotes and cliques of well connected sharks.
That's one seriously problematic tooth that should not be in the mouth of a horse we want to race.
I might come off pessimistic, but I am not. I am here, after all. Still steeming along. I see projects like @appics taking form, and I do believe it's possible to steer this community in the right direction, turning it into a real hub for original content that doesn't only have to do with the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain IPOs. Srsly, where did all the cat memes go?
Follow, upvote, comment... you know the drill. All images are CC0 via Pixabay, not including memes which are memes.
Contrary to what many people think: Steemit is not a platform for everyone. For all the reasons you mentioned above and also the issue that there is no money for everyone, whales will not vote for everyone. So we'll never be a facebook and that's great.
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Of course, but the goal is not a Facebook, but rather a hub for high quality content that can serve as an alternative to other publishing methods. I mean, imagine if news outlets had steem. You'd literally never have to leave Steemit's website. And that's how you create a "sticky" product.
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All very good points and its something that does worry me about trying to get some of my younger more erratic friends to join up. Time wil ltell, we are only in beta still so lets hope some good Web Devs come on boards and make this place a bit more friendly.
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Agreed. I've already offered my services to the team, but I am not a Web Dev. At best, I can do micro-copy and contribute to feature request analysis.
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I agree in the most part.
It's extremely frustrating to see shit posts being well rewarded and quality work ignored. Many clearly work very hard for little reward which is a shame but does change if you persevere.
As far as the 'Instagram' generation not having the patience to wait a week, I must say I don't care as all jobs make you wait a week or a month to get paid, if people don't get that they're not living in the real world. The tech issues of late are becoming an embarrassment for the platform owners and need sorting out quickly before serious reputational damage is done and the Steem price tanks.
Great post babe 😉
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I totally agree. And recommend you read my post about defining quality content. Which is not easy. I am working with the wonderful people behind @minnowbooster to help define an anti-abuse policy to prevent shitposts from getting boosted. I don't only complain! I try to make a change. :)
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That's great. I spend hours on my posts ensuring the info is correct and formatting so they look quality. It's professional pride, I won't post shit and won't vote for shit either. I would like to see more leadership from those who have been here a long time with high reputation scores who post one or two lines and get paid big amounts. I think it sends the wrong message. I know it's a free market however the platform is still in its infancy and the early years are the formative ones.
Thanks for the work you're doing to make this a better quality place.
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Optimize everything. It's kinda what I do. Well, that and writing. Optimization is a word that appears a lot in my CV. Gimme something, and I will come up with a dozen ideas to make it better, and processes to improve its long-term functionality.
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Hi @techslut! I definitely agree with every point you made, just as I was beginning to think of writing a post of the most critical things that need improvement here on Steemit.
Our overlapping points were the performance of the Steemit platform itself.
I find myself spending arduous amounts of time either waiting for something to load.
My other point was the improvement of the algorithm to how people find new posts, which as summed up by you, is more a "get lucky" system right now. It is maybe a tad ironic that the idea of the a closed-off gated community is siphoning up all of the profits and the rest are left with nothing on a decentralization based platform? This has been close to what my own experience has been when it comes to writing quality content.
But then it begs the questions of what should be done and is anything getting done? I would find it extremely troubling if none of these issues are addressed in the very near future.
Nonetheless, here we are, in an early stage of what is to be the future of social media, so maybe we should strive harder ourselves to make this platform better.
I'm all in with Steemit, so this is what I've got to do.
I definitely be keeping up with you. Followed and 100% upvoted.
God Speed Brethren.
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I'm new to Steemit and the biggest thing that I had been hearing before I started was about the click bait. It's all about up-voting funny pictures instead of genuine content.
Because of this I make sure to skip straight to new articles and not entertain whats 'hot' or 'trending'. I hope that if enough people do the same, we can steer steem back towards upvoting genuine content, as I'm sure it was intended.
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Speed is an issue that I hope will improve. Finding posts, loading pages, etc. do take longer to load than what people are used to on other sites. MySpace had the unique factor of creating your own page, Facebook was exclusive in the beginning and the "like" button made things interesting. Twitter has its speed and simplicity, & Instagram has the photo filters. Steemit pays you in cryptocurrency. I think that makes it sound a little too good to be true for some people, and like you said, they give up before they see any rewards. It has really made a difference for some people though and even a few comments here and there can sometimes lead to rewards that simply do not exist on other sites. I think this place is fantastic and we are just waiting for that spark in popularity that will move us to the next level.
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I think this spark needs lighting. A lot of it.
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I can see that
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I agree. My friend and I were talking about the Steemit mentality. We have only been here a few weeks, and we are already thinking we should be getting paid for everything we do on the internet! Being on another site, is just a waste of potential earnings.
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Here here and well said, @techslut. This was an insightful, truthful post. Truth be told, it takes real guts to be honest on this platform. There's always fear of upsetting the 'whales that be' on their mountains high.
For that reason I'm betting this post won't get a high payout relative to your others.
Still, these things need to be said and I'm glad you've chosen to say so. I want to talk a bit about all of the things you've pointed out.
1.) You're totally correct about the barriers toward Steemit adoption. I did some research recently and found that in it's first year both Instagram and Facebook broke a million users. Why is Steemit just over a third of that in its first year? Well, it's because of the issues you pointed out.
2.) Your second point is so obvious that I can't believe I didn't realize it before. You're right, it takes WAY too fucking long for most people. This is the main problem when I finally convince people to sign up for Steemit. It takes so long to sign up, then once they get on they're so confused about what to do next that they wait. I had one person lose their password and have to sign up again. Totally unacceptable for any site that hopes to get wide adoption.
3.) Strangely enough, I feel that this is actually is among the easiest issues to fix. This is a tech problem. The main issue is that the company of Steemit Inc is trying to grow while improving upon experimental tech. Not an easy task, but one that I think will inevitably reach the 'good enough' category.
4.)Ugh. This is a REAL issue on the platform. Engagement is so difficult in part because there's simply so much shit (stuff) on Steemit and discovery of said shit is so hard. @techslut, I currently have two of your posts still open on my phone, waiting for me to read them.... eventually. But here I am commenting on this post, instead. This is a real dilemma on Steemit and, frankly, I'm not sure what the solution is.
5.) This is another excellent point. Also very humorously put. Yeah, this may be amongst the biggest problems on Steemit. It's made worse still by the fact that there's a real fear of passive punishment if it's mentioned. This one is so fucking bad... That I'm not even sure what to do about it. At the end of it, it may be such an unforgivable issue that it kills the platform. However I've chosen to have faith for personal reasons. In fact, this is such a good point that I may have to make my own post dedicated to it.
Again, well said @techslut. You're viewpoint is clear-sighted, lucid, and intelligent. So much so that if I wasn't an incredibly loyal follower before, I am now. Anyway, let's keep this discussion going. If not through this post, then others like it.
But who knows? The upcoming changes to the platform interface may solve some of these things.
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First of all, I am happy to inspire new posts and have no fear of said "passive punishment". I write my thoughts and am not surprised to see this post get as much attention as my other ones. Since I came back earlier this week, my highest payout post is around $8. I hope it'll rise.
As for saving posts to read: I think busy.org has a save feature to save posts for later reading. That might help.
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A save feature is sort of the last things I need. I just need a way to spend less time browsing through posts. Better filter and browse options would be awesome.
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Oooh multiple custom feeds! For example: #story posts only from people I follow. For example. That would rock.
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I know right?! And yeah, that would be a fantastic implementation. Steemit Inc should so hire us.
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I've already offered my services as an experienced social media, online communities, mobile marketing and all things content expert. Offer still stands. And I do love to show off my client list, including Google and Reddit.
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good shout @techslut. all valid points. It's really tricky to navigate the steemit ocean. I've fallen into the deadzone myself. very elegantly professional posts go to waste (even with 1000+) followers, hardly anyone reads my feed other than a few hardy fools and when I see a single line entry post with $40 it makes my face eat lemons.. but like you, I'm still here. Appics may be a different animal but I'm not sure it will have the intelligence that steemit has.. and by that I mean the userbase :) keep going >>> nice verified badge !
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My verified badge? That ol thang? :)
My hope is that appics will be more like Instagram (and lower the shitpost quantity here), while Steemit somehow grows into a kind of publishing platform for authors. Next step is a video platform to compete with YouTube by paying creators for views and upvotes with Steem or some other coin. It'll come. And I am here to hear about it before most. :)
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yeah that's the idea, keep yourself in the loop for when the next breakout phenomenon occurs.
appics could be the next iteration.. it won't be long before the whole internet is tokenised... it's been a long time coming. wouldn't be surprised if instacoin and facecoin follow suit. belacam has tried to instragam the chain.. it's belacoin is currently $0.11 the site has a long way to go, both with content and mechanics..
who knows. I had big hopes for LBRY, not sure if it's too esoteric. while viewly and dtube here might provide more solid competition.
One of the rotten teeth in relation to video is payout.. youtube payout forever and the more hits you build over time, the more you earn. I think steemit will eventually *have to *move to a similar model..
for authors, the promise of ATS tokens from authorship, aiming to provide an income for 100,000 writers..
There's a storm of tokens coming, picking the right ones will be the next few years hard work !! :P
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I am too exhausted to fully understand (using Google) what you commented just now, so I am going to say: "You smart, me follow" and go crash in bed.
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sorry didn't mean to infoblast your head off.. anyway, when you have the time / google the words in bold again. except instacoin and facecoin ! obvs..
they all relate to possible movements in tokenisation of different versions of media
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Glad to see you back,, I remember your work from way back then. Nice article and well thought out. Point 4 resonates for me, I value comments that show the commenter is interested in more than getting me to follow them.
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You remember me?! Yay! I am glad I am memorable. ;)
And yes, I do wish people commented more. It's why I insist on upvoting comments. Even if it's just 1%.
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Good points. I agree that Steemit takes too long to be approved, and is too complicated for those who are not tech savvy.
I also agree that it is a game of whales. Trying to find articles of new people is getting harder. I have also noticed that the votes on my posts do not match the views. I can have 46 votes and only 8 views.
Although I am not complaining, it is disheartening to write for hours, and then no one reads the posts. I do see potential for growth on Steemit, as you said, because there are more regular people moving on to the platform which will add the diversity in content.
I do not know anything about crypto currency, so it is nice to learn, but I must weed through these high-paying, crypto articles to get to a good post.
There is also a lot of bots....
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Steemit has changed a lot. It is not the same anymore but we still believe in the system and that is why we are still here. We had so much fun earlier but most of that is gone now...but we adapted and changed with the system as it grows. I do think it is going to take off into a different direction once the communities are formed properly. It would be more organized. Perhaps...we would just have to wait it out and see. Glad to see you came back.
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I hope I'll stay this time, too. And yes. Communities. Steemit is not very community-oriented. At best, you have tags that group posts within the network.
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I quit posting a month ago. Waiting for communities, I got SMTs...
Money for me, is sorta boring; and meeting new people, making new friends, sharing in various common interests, I find this the real power of Steemit.
It's possible to meet people from all over the earth and make new friends; actually go visit them, and that to me, is a real mind-f*ck since I've only done that previously on forums like USENET and AOL style venus.
So communities, if it does happen, has no delivery date and no firm commitment as far as I can tell. What up @ned?
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Coming along. See Hivemind development in GitHub.
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OMG @ned is real!!! But seriously - if there's any way I can help you guys with my non-technical skills (writing marketing etc) - please let me know. I still want steemit to be a global hit, and I want to help however I can.
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Oh I am with you all the way. I get paid more writing elsewhere. The community is what I lack. Sure, it's a great platform. But it was designed with tech in mind, not users. People behave in ways that are very hard to predict when designing a product. So now @ned should have a better idea of what the audience wants and needs in this platform. I left for a year because it wasn't getting any better. I am back, but it's still not what it should be. I wish there was some way I could join the discussion and offer my skills to help.
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Well said. Its all well said in the responses... what more can I say, other than hoping that deficiencies get noticed and techies fix ....
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I really enjoyed this. Very honest, and extremely witty. ❤❤❤
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Very honest, and extremely witty.
That should be my tagline. :)
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img credz: pixabay.com
Nice, you got a 68.0% @welcomebot upgoat, thanks to @techslut
Want a boost? Minnowbooster's got your back!
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There's promise here, but work needs to be done for sure. Great points.
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I think part of what will help with this is a better way to find content. Either through an improved content search or just better organization, but all your points are very valid as well.
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Great poet, I couldn't agree more. I think this platform has the potential to grow more and become global, and if it will we will have the advantage over the new users..
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That's what I said last year. So far? Not enough of a change.
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Steemit feels like a scammy pyramid scheme posing as a social media platform. It was created to make money for the creators and early adopters. That's how it looks to me.
There is no relationship between the quality of the posts and the reward structure. The rich get richer and a few crumbs drop on the floor for the hustlers and hopeful new posters.
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Wow, you're even more pessimistic than I! Impressive!!!
But seriously? The creators of anything get rich on it. Facebook didn't need tokens for Zuck to be filthy rich. But I can see why it would look like that. I hope that the big fish are listening, and the platform will develop to reward quality and not just luck or good marketing or bots.
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It isn't pessimism. It is just the reality that I have observed. I don't even bother posting anymore without doing a selfgoat, since I know that my post will essentially sink into the memory hole almost instantly with only one or two people reading it. On the other hand, every whale has a built-in mega advantage. Their every word is treated as pure gold as people instantly up-vote and try to suck-up to them. That is the nature of this website.
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I try and make connections. On Discord, in comments, wherever. Sure, I might not get high upvotes without a selfgoat, but that's not what I am here for.
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@minnowpond1 has voted on behalf of @minnowpond. If you would like to recieve upvotes from minnowponds team on all your posts, simply FOLLOW @minnowpond.
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It look to me that the main reason you are on steemit, is to earn money.(from this post alone)
And with that as the basic reason to be here, you are doomed to think it is a failure, unless you have 50 000 followers that will upvote every single post you post.
It is a marketing trix to lure many to start to use it.
And i also see that this will make many dissapointed and then leave it.
But many of us are not here for the money, and then the picture become something completely different. ;)
I did pretty much the same as i do here for free on facebook for almost 15 years.
The only difference is that because of the potential for making money here, in the long run.(and not much money) i now try to write better quality posts then i cared to do on facebook.
That alone make it better for me, the quality posts i make here, and that i get use to put more work in to what i post.
I still use facebook fore pure "bullshit" just for fun.
But when i come up with ideas for more interesting things to write about, i use steemit, also just for fun.
But it become even more fun, because i actually are more pleased with my posts here, compare to my posts on facebook. :)
Forget about the money, and just try to write about things you find interesting and things you have a passion for, and i believe you will start to like it more. :)
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I don't care as much about the money as I do about FEEDBACK and engagement. I want comments. I want people to follow and READ, not just upvote for the curation payouts.
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I agree. :)
In the start i kind of saw it as a game where everything was about upvoting and money and to get as many followers as possible.
But i soon discovered how "emty" it felt when i discovered that many of those that gave a upvote had not even read the posts i had put so much work in to.
(I also write posts i dont put so much work in to, simply because i think it is about interesting things)
But i believe most people will start to experience the same in time, and then we will have more people who look for posts that actually interest them. (at least i hope so..) ;)
I even started a group where the only mission was to upvote each others post, but i am not active there anymore, i still keep my eye on it, in case some of them actually write something that interest me thou..
Lets hope that quality posts and looking for interesting things will be the main activity here in the future. :)
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I created an Israeli Facebook group for Steemians. I only upvote stuff I deem worthy. Anything else? At best, gets the 1% for the sake of supporting noobs.
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nope.. nothing else
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I give most comments I agree with the 1%.
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Thanks ; I am a photographer who is looking at bringing my following across to a new platform. Steem while promising does seem too complicated for most of the followers on a platform like Instagram. I am keenly watching Appics however.
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What about @bescouted ? @steepshot ?
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