[BuddyUP] : Buckle up, it's a long one!
It’s that time of the week again!
This week has been amazing! We have had a lot going on in the community and there has been a couple of new features introduced. I’ll get into the features a little bit later in the post. If you have just stumbled onto our community and you’re interested, stick around!
First off though, I’d like to brush up on some thoughts I’ve had over the past couple of days.
What are we all about?
Over at BuddyUP, the aim for me has been to set up different features that focus on improving ourselves. The newer and smaller users of Steemit need the right guidance and support to get over the initial learning curve.
The community is a collective of us all and what one of us understands, someone else might not. As a group, we can help each other and grow together.
Since we started the community a few weeks ago, the only promotion that I’ve been doing has been in the [BuddyUP] posts, PYPT, TheSteemEngine and also @mitneb and her community have supported and promoted us from day one.
Organically growing has made me realize how many of you support the messages shared by us and it’s always great to hear your input.
Our growth has been incredible so far and it’s been wonderful meeting you guys. I don’t want to be promoting the community until we have the kinks worked out and we have a solid team watching over the server. This is to prevent things getting out of hand and to allow me the chance to work on BOT’s, features and most importantly, learning about the first loyal people in the community!
Votes, votes and more votes
If you were in the PYPT morning-after chat yesterday, you would remember the talks about the state of Steemit and what concerns people have about moving forward.
The main point that I took away from the chat was how voting bots are being misused more and how it's potentially going to affect the future of Steemit.
This is old news to members who’ve been here for at least a few months and it’s always a heated debate on the platform. Now I admit, I have used smartsteem and sometimes minnowbooster in the past week. I’ve found the initial boost of votes helpful and it gives some of my posts slightly more exposure than I’ve had in the past.
Yes, I may be part of the problem then.
I stand by my decision to use it. Until I have got a following that supports my posts consistently, for my continued investment in SP, I'll continue giving my votes a 0.5 STEEM boost after 30 minutes. The problem that was brought up in the chat and the problem that always seems to be brought up, is how the BOT’s are misused by people who:
A- Buy votes for spam - multiple posts across a short period
B- Buy votes for below average content
C- Sell SP and get paid SBD on a weekly basis for ridiculous returns
D- Sell their Upvotes
As you can see from above, these actions don’t support the growth of the platform very well. Not if we want a platform that is full of excellent content and genuine connections.
Using voting bots is a decision you make, look past the temporary gain you may make from giving your bland post 100 upvotes and consider what would happen if everybody did that.
Why do you use it? At what point do you stop? Do you understand what is happening?
If you want to see a user who has demonstrated the use, and abandonment, of BOT’s in an ethical and respectful way, look at @spiritualmax and his post here.
Money, money, money, it's so funny
Another statement brought up yesterday in the PYPT chat was about influential figures of the current social media world and figures of the corporate world, migrating to the platform.
What if somebody like Logan Paul came to the platform? shudders
I’ve thought about this overnight and I spoke to an author this morning about what he thinks about big players, and corporations with large amounts of fiat, coming to the platform and buying a large amount of SP.
Here is his comment:
Sure there could be some big money players come in and do what you say. However, the price of STEEM is 4 times what it was from the low I bought it at. Hence, it will take 4 times the money.
Also, at present, over 60% of STEEM is in SP...that means there is less than 40% of the total on the open market. I imagine if big buyers came in, they would suddenly start moving the price higher, making it harder for them to power up.
We also have the numbers spreading out. 60K daily active users are growing their accounts each day. In another month, thesign-upp process should be improved meaning that number could jump rather quickly. I think we are starting to see the point reached where the few controlling accounts are starting to be overpowered by the sheer numbers.
Each time you power up, no matter what the amount, that strengthens your account. If that is multiplied across 100K accounts each day, that is a number too big to offset.
Just my 1.45 cents.
Very valid points made here and hopefully, like me, you can gain some slight peace from this for now.
What if Steemit isn’t the platform?
To bring up one last point from the talk, a couple of people had brought up the possibility that Steemit may not be the platform where we all can call home. This isn’t any major surprise. After all, we are in the infancy of this timeline and there is a long way to go.
That is not to say that Steemit isn't a brilliant platform, it’s just to say that it’s not going to be the only one.
We all have different communities that we are involved in now and I think I speak for the majority when I say that Discord is a great place for us to grow our groups.
No matter what happens with Steemit down the line, at the moment, it’s an amazing place for us to meet and connect with like-minded people.
There is a variety of incredible communities around the platform that focuses on bringing us together and helping us evolve. I’ll leave some links at the bottom of the post for you to check out. This is an open invitation for you guys to drop any communities below (as long as you give us a brief overview and can tell us what your communities focus is).
Rant over
Right! With that out of the way and off my chest, if you are still with me, I’m going to go over a few of the new features we have in the BuddyUP server.
Towards the end will be some exciting news and announcements.
Post-drop
Last weekend, myself and the guys discussed our thoughts about making a channel that was built for the thick-skinned individuals, who wanted to focus on improving themselves.
For this reason, I’ve restricted the permissions to this channel for our guppies and above.
Guppies are members who have been around for a while and have a good understanding of the platform.
We have already had some phenomenal responses in the channel and I can already see growth among the members involved.
Here is a little snippet of my favorite response so far:
@CoachJJ giving some great advice, helping me improve my Knowledge Blast!
Below is the set-up for the channel:
Before you can post your link to the channel, you have to read the post above and decent whether or not it deserves your upvote.
If you decide to upvote the post, you have to leave a comment on the post and leave the person a little bit of advice on how they can improve their content. The aim is to be considerate and positive in your response, to promote motivation and to steer away from being disheartening.
If you have read the post and decided that the content is not worthy of an upvote, you have to notify the person above with a tag and you are required to give a detailed response as to why you don’t think the content is upvote worthy (We keep criticism to the Discord server. Don't mistake criticism for flagging, we don't want to affect someones momentum. The focus is on improvement and evolution).
Criticism can be upsetting so it’s important that you consider the words you use when you are writing your response. Everybody is different and we have already discussed among ourselves how some members of the community may be a lot younger than others.
For this reason, it may be wise to send the person a quick message to ask if they want the advice to be made public.
It might be tough to see your feedback right there in the open, but if you are posting on this channel you need to be aware of this. Remember, the feedback given isn’t just for you, it’s also for the other members of the group. We all grow together.
We have a strict rule against abuse, anyone attacking users is met with a ban from the channel.
The-hook
Did someone say curation? Oh yes.
@svemirac approached me and asked if we can get a curation channel rolling so we can show off some of the brilliant content in our community.
How could I say no to that?
the hook is our go-to spot for anybody looking to put their vote to good use. The only users who can post on this channel are our Gourami roles and above. These members are our more invested Steemians who have been around the block for a while. This is so we can closely monitor what gets put into the channel and I know I can rely on these users for quality curation since they're brilliant content creators themselves.
Did I forget to mention our resident frog @lunaticpandora is on the curation hunt too?
Buddy-request
You’ll never guess what ... We have a functioning BOT!
While writing this post (if you’ve made it this far you’ll understand why…), my developer friend managed to get the Buddy Request system working. It’s taken a little bit longer than we hoped, but it’s looking pretty damn cool!
We are currently getting it set up onto another server and I’ll be adding the BOT over the weekend for you guys.
Oh, you’re new here?
The Buddy Request BOT is the first idea I had thought of for the server. I’ve always thought that it’s hard for some people to get to know each other over the general chats. Not everyone likes to post in them and I know myself it can be quite daunting.
The BOT lets you request a Buddy on the member's list every 48 hours.
It’s more of an incentive than anything else and it’s a way for you to approach somebody in the community without having to pop up out of the blue. Your new buddy may have just joined the Steemit or BuddyUP and you can help them on their way. Maybe you’re newer than them and your new found friend can help you get involved in different communities.
Maybe you’re just having a crappy day and you want someone to talk to!
We’ve got you covered.
Everyone loves a contest!
We’ve got a couple of BuddyUP members who are doing some great things right now and I’m going to tell you about their events and contests so you can get involved!
What if you had to leave?
First up, one of our very first members @WhiteWarLike is running a contest right now that is for anybody that wants to flex their writing muscles! The link is here.
I’d just like to say a special public thank you to you @WhiteWarLike. You inspired me to write the most personal story of my past with this contest. I learned a lot about myself through my writing and I have received some amazing comments about my post. I hope other people can see the significance of writing about the topic in the contest.
I’ve gained enough of a reward from the contest already so I’m going to be adding some more SBD to the prize pool to pull myself out of it.
Good luck to anyone getting involved and have fun with it!
Ahaarrr! Where's my booty!?
If you haven’t been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard the buzz from the Treasure Hunt. Capt’n @dreemsteem has been sailing the seven seas of Steemit and finding excellent content for you guys to visit and scan for clues!
I spoke about this last week and got you guys involved in the hunt, the aim is to get an even bigger crowd going this week! Buckle up pirates, it’s going to be a good one!
Eagerly following the hunt, I picked up my clues from each of the 5 Ports (post), and I wrote down my clues throughout the week.
On Thursday in the evening PYPT show, our Capt’n hosted an energized event which had everyone clambering for the gold! Hearts racing and fingers clicking, the responses came out and somehow…
I LOVE this event. It has an important purpose, it’s fun and it rewards the brilliant creators of the platform.
I’ve decided to add my prize back to the prize pool next week to build up that chest of dubloons for you all! Make sure you get along to the Ports and show some love. Us pirates stick together!
If you have a contest you’d like me to promote, drop me a message and we will spread the word!
Catch of the Week
As some of you may know, I decided to drop the catch-of-the-week channel last week because I want to focus on getting a correct voting system set up for you guys.
BUT….
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to feature somebody who has been getting stuck into the community and helping us all out in the process.
That’s right, I’m talking about you @NotConvinced!
He came along to the community last weekend and instantly started engaging with the community. Amazing comments, solid support and dishing out ideas left, right and center.
Once we created the post-drop channel I needed to find somebody who could watch over the channel and make sure everything ran smoothly.
Well forget about the channel, he’s watching over the whole server now!
I’m super grateful for his support and input across the board and I’d love for you guys to head over to his page and show him some support. I’ve got a feeling that you will all hear from him in the future one way or another.
I’m giving you some STEEM for your efforts buddy, keep up the great work!
What does the future hold?
If you know me by now, you’ll know that I like my ideas and I’m not afraid to give them a whirl.
So far, we’ve had some successes and I’m hoping once more people get involved, we will see a massive amount of positivity and good vibes being spread across the community.
I’ve been toying with a couple of new ideas for the channel which I’ll briefly get into below, as always… your input is valued!
Challenges
I’m going to set up some challenges for BuddyUP where you guys can receive certain prizes for completing tasks in channels.
It might be a little while to get this going but I will keep you all updated.
Helpers
We have a lot of people coming into the channel who are new and I don’t believe I can manage it all. Especially not when things move forward. My aim is to get a role set up for those of you who want to be ‘Helpers’ for the new Tetra’s.
This will help them get familiar with BuddyUP and will get them over the initial learning curve.
My true goal is to set up a BuddyUP token so that I can reward the helpers and community for the efforts. This will take some time but I am going to push closer to it everyday.
Finally
It’s been a very long post this week and if you’ve made it this far, YOU ROCK.
I always like to point out that I may work behind the scenes on the community but I am just an average guy who can see the potential in everyone who joins Steemit.
We are all the voice of this community, don’t forget that. Your words mean a lot so use them wisely.
I’d just like to say that I feel a great sense of purpose and I’m thoroughly enjoying spending time with you guys in the various communities we are involved in. I don’t plan to stop pushing for a platform that we can all strive on and I want you guys to support anyone you can while you are a part of this.
Discord Communities
BuddyUP : https://discord.gg/9b7FtHu
Mitneb's Curation Trail : https://discord.gg/RDaqzhk
The STEEM Engine : https://discordapp.com/invite/y58rgmY
Steemit Ramble : https://discordapp.com/invite/KYWQenB
Excellent update @calumam! Even though you say you're not the leader of this group, that it's a community effort (which it is), you are displaying great leadership qualities and I'm happy to be aboard this "ship".
I love watching this grow organically, with a team of people working together respectfully. I'm learning from you guys!
You have a way with words! Thank you very much, I try my best to stay open-minded and realistic with things.
It's great to have you on board! Especially from the very beginning :)
I think it''s been nice to watch the different characters come along. We have a good mix right now and it's always a pleasure to interact with everyone.
Are you ready to get hooked up lol! I'm glad I joined in as soon as I saw your post on the steem engine :-D I'll check out the writing contest later too, I want to start flexing my muscles even more on original content!
Haha! I knew you'd liked that one :D
I'm glad you are liking the community! Definitely get along to check out the contest, don't forget to drop it into the server so we can come and check it out.
Thanks for dropping by :)
Great ideas and your work to bring together Steemians and build community shows exceptional character. The community is unique and that's important.
Thank you for the mention. I am humbled and simply see the value in your efforts. Steemit is going to be a better place because of it. I have already met many great personalities I may not have, which is a bonus.
My only suggestion is for post-drop. All edit suggestions should be kept in post-drop and not in the comments on the blog. If a user is critiquing the post and decides to upvote and comment, the comment should be about how the content affected them. The critique can be kept strictly to the channel.
Great work, my friend!
Thank you very much @notconvinced. It's always refreshing to hear someone's thoughts about the community and I believe that over time the members of the group will make a lot of difference to people's lives.
Anytime buddy. It needed to be said and I'm very grateful for your continued support. Give me another couple characters like yourself and I could leave the community with pure confidence of its success! (You won't get rid of me that easy though ;))
Great point about post-spot, I thought I'd mentioned that. Thanks for bringing that up. Yes, please leave critiques to the Discord channel. Our criticism is not the same as flagging, we want to support and help people evolve, not hinder their momentum.
See you around fella, thanks for the input!
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by NotConvinced from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.
I really enjoy seeing everyone supporting one another, making suggestions, learning good Steemit practice. I was encouraged by seeing all the interactions you made with your fellow steemians. I predict that you will go far on this platform someday. We're all early adopters and believe it or not, this thing has not gone mainstream yet. That's when things get interesting. @ironshield
You get it. That's exactly what this place is all about :)
Thank you for the kind words bud! It's great motivation and encouragement for me.
You're right, early adopters all here right now and if we practice or skills and we continue to support and learn about each other we will all take off.
Bring on the trumpets!
Let's get this show on the road! @ironshield
Gotta love a big serving of bugles! My best friend would be dribbling at the mouth right now. He has a deep love for these haha!
Phenomenal post, @calumam! Things have moved along for you guys at a rapid pace when you consider all you have accomplished. Kudos to you and your team for the groundwork you have done. I'm so proud of you guys!
Cheers!
Thank you very much @mitneb :) I'm glad to have your support along the way, in the early beginnings you pushed us along and gave us avenues to grow. That won't be forgotten.
Here is to continued growth and support amongst all of us! Thanks for dropping by, I hope you have a great weekend :)
I'm an instant fan! I love what you are trying to do. I have already invited myself into the pond and would love to help out there.
I'm glad you like it mate, I'm very excited to have you involved! I'll see you around the place, I'm sure the group is going to appreciate having you about.
Thanks for dropping by mate!
This is a first class post @callumam I only had a chance to sit an read it now. I love your honesty its so refreshing to me it shows your dedication to the platform.
In regards to the people who think its get rich quick whilst i loathe these people also, I now see them a mile off. Your attention is better spent on what you think your contribution is to the platform and investing your time and steem if you need to in it. People will see that for themselves.
I laughed at the Logan Paul comment I actually did a post about that a few weeks ago, another person I loathe. But I am not sure if you seen the whole drama with KSI they want to have a match with him. I am finding it fascinating. I am on the bench about Logan coming onto the platform, in a sense yes its awful some of the recent things he has done, but can you imagine what a boost it would be to the platform. We may like it we may not but this is a decentralised platform, which means we have to right to information without it being hidden.... to an extent I believe some things should not be on the platform at all. Its a really fine line between them. Well done on your write up.
Not a problem pal! I'm glad you enjoyed it, it was quite a long write up haha!
I've learned over time that lying gets you nowhere and I just focus on truth and transparency with everyone on and off the platform. I feel a lot better about it too!
You're right, it's much better to focus on the people who are genuine and value your opinion and words, rather than the people who swing by and don't want to engage.
I noticed this on my last post where it was voted into the view of others and then the amount of people who voted without commenting really shocked me. What is the point?
I saw that the other day actually... Just a couple of idiots getting more publicity. They can knock themselves out!
I'm glad you see the importance of the platform and in time, those of us who have grown our communities and have found people that support what we do will be able to enjoy a life that is free from the typical constraints. I just hope those that engage and get involved can keep going and evolve alongside each other.
Thanks for the brilliant comment and stopping by! I really appreciate it.
Steemit is a fun experiment to watch develop. I'm with you on the bots also.
Whew, that's a lot of cool initiatives! Especially intrigued about treasure hunt events.
Server's shaping up to be something exciting!
It's a good thing to watch. You have to constantly stay in your toes for sure.
I'm glad you like them mate! Lots going on and some great things happening in the very near future.
I urge you to head over to the #update channel and check my last message. It's funny how things just seem to fit together!
grrrrrr.... i upvoted AND commented on this days ago and it's not showing up (i blame the ship hehehe -i was literally the 3rd comment! hahaha)
but the post was still open on my browser when i opened my computer this morning... glad that I checked! :)
THANK YOU for the shout out!!!! :) i am buying some pirate treasures in the Caribbean!!! so hopefully next hunt will be extra exciting hehehe
can't wait to "see" you all again when i'm back on land! Missing my BUDDIES :)