Getting Back to Basics: Quality vs Value and What Do You Like to Write About?

To be honest, I have grown rather bored with social media... and pretty much all kinds of media... because it seems like the only thing anyone talks about anymore is "Covid-19 and what thereof follows."

I am not diminishing the seriousness of the situation, but even though we may be mired down in various forms of quarantines, there are other things going on in people's lives.

We still have kids, and dogs, and cats that do ridiculous and cute things. We still have hobbies, interests and creative endeavors we like to get involved with.

Presumably...?

Building Community

One of the things I have come to understand — a long time ago, long before Steem was even an idea — is that communities are built because the participants are authentically interested in participating in maintaining the momentum of the community.

In other words, they are there to participate, not to exploit. And they are there to participate, rather than just to sit around and wait for someone else to carry the load.

I remember this well, going back to my days of being a Sysop in newsgroups, and later an Admin in various message board communities.

Communities Thrive on Participation

This is where being your authentic self comes into play.

You might — and I am sure many DO — argue that you're only here because you want to make money."

Well, let's say "fair enough," and then put that thought in your back pocket. Wouldn't you prefer to accomplish that goal by doing something you that interests you and that you feel good about, as opposed to robotically clicking buttons?

Who are YOU? What are YOU interested in? What do YOU have to share? Not what's "popular," or what "sells," but YOU...

Why It Matters...

Remember, everything you add to a community becomes part of that community. Which turn because the "picture" that community shares with the world.

Do you join a community that is nothing but random noise? Would you be interested in that?

Probably not. So when you contribute here, consider whether or not YOU would be part of a community that is filled with what you just shared?

If you can't sincerely say "yes," think again about what you're contributing.

Content: Quality vs. Value

One of the discussions that have often raged in this community — going back to its very earliest days — is that of whether it's important to have "quality" content.

I believe that's perhaps the wrong question to be asking.

Quality or not, perhaps a better question to ask is whether your contributions add VALUE to the community. Quality and value are not the same thing.

We can't all be Shakespeare. Or write White Papers or dissertations. Or software manuals.

But getting back to what I said above, would you want to join a community that's nothing but a pile of plagiarized arbitrary garbage and robot posts? Probably not.

Thanks for reading!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for this platform.)
Created at 20200424 15:37 PDT
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