My Humble Advice to Those New to the Steemit Platform
The "Steemit" of today is very different from the one I signed up to back in July of 2016. I envision a specific time in this place when it was considered a brand new experimental shift in the social networking paradigm. Sure, there were a few political views hurled around even then, but the general consensus was one of awe and delight at the potential on offer here. As with anything "brand" new in life, those feeling of euphoria inevitably erode over time. People settle in and get used to the underlying environment and culture, with many various demographics "for" and "opposed" to issues pertaining to the overall running of the system. In our context, that was Steemit. And over time, political rhetoric has managed to rear it's ugly head in full effect, with several groups up in here citing their own strong systemic beliefs and ideologies. To those joining the platform as a newbie, one can easily get swallowed up by the vast oceans of opinions and heated debates. So, do you simply give in and leave, like so many in the past have? Or do you focus on the one aspect that can actually make a difference between being a failure or success on the Steem blockchain.
That being, yourself.
Firstly, it's important to have a firm understanding of the fundamental mechanics of the system itself. And one rule seems to override all others. Like it or not, the Steem token equates to power and influence. Once acceptance of that crucial fact has sunk in, all proceeding actions should fall into place. You see, I believe this was the creator's ideal scenario when the platform was being developed. Having numerous pockets of power, evenly distributed throughout the Steem eco-system (or as close as possible to) as a means to allow everyone a fair shot at "making it" here. Of course, this was all easier said than done as the human element within any context, always proves the most unpredictable and worrisome variable. Especially in regards to what is being built here. Now, as with any society, be in the digital world or the physical one, there was undoubtedly be some that end up being richer than others. In our case, the whales of the platform. And again, acceptance of this fact makes way for logical forward-thinking. Just let their own personal journey guide them to where ever their final destination may be. That's pretty much of no consequence to you, especially right at the start.
Steemit is still new and evolving. Voices will cry, holler, scream and shout. It's this middle ground "interference" that causes the biggest damage to the mindset of newbies. But it doesn't have to pre-determine your own path. Only if you let it. I reckon if you simply adhere to the strategy and vision @ned and @dan presumably had right from the start, there is a winning formula to be had somewhere in there. And, I feel, it begins with hoarding that precious Steem and networking with the right people. And when I say right people, I'm not referring to the whales of the platform. I mean Steemians in a similar position to yourself and with the same desire and dedication to establish a name for themselves. That's the approach I adopted when I first started out here on Steemit. Let others do as they may, whilst setting realistic goals and expectations for myself to be accomplished within certain time periods. A major problem is that many people look at other bigger accounts on here and instantly begin the "comparision" game. "How did they acquire so much? Why are they not voting for me? It's an unfair system!" All that adds up to is a demotivated state of mind that leaves you bitter and angry. I mean, you tell me how that helps "you" out? Remember this and always try to bear it in mind:
It's as simple as that. No one is stopping you buying more SP and gaining more influence here. No one is stopping you from voting or supporting any other Steemian out there. Which leads to my second and again, most crucial understanding, to success here. This is a "free market" system. People can do as they please and that is just the crux of it. Countless individuals have innumerable issues with what widespread rules should or should not be implemented into the system to save it from extinction. But at the end of the day, nobody knows what the future holds. Just reasoned and "free-thinking" arguments put forward for the beneficial improvement of the platform as a whole. Which is great, but detracts from the main objective as someone starting from scratch. Building and "not powering down" should be your sole focus. Even investing some funds to buy some Steem (if you absolutely believe in the heights this project can reach) makes a lot of sense. And consistently pushing until a time where you feel your "influence" or vote is worth enough to justify taking your foot off the pedal somewhat, is a great initial accomplishment. Don't listen to all the BS about bigger accounts getting a free ride to the top. I started with zero and knew nobody on the platform. All I had was a hell of a lot of belief and motivation to get as far up the ladder as I could. You think there weren't differing political views back then? Or it was a peaceful, serene utopia were everyone pleased everyone? suffice to say, I've pretty much seen and heard it all... And then some.
So, keep building your stake and network like crazy. If you need a jump start, seriously consider buying some Steem. After all, it's an investment into a coin at the end of the day, just like BTC, ETH or any of the other multitude of options out there. Except this one actually has a defined use-case. Help yourself in the begin and don't wait on others to provide that handout. In the long run, you'll feel all the better for it. Keeping your attention on the long-term objective is critical to you succeeding, either here on Steemit or any external project you pursue in life. And ask yourself this:
This is a great well informative and helpful post. Take for me as an example, i started steemit January this year and like you said sometimes comparision may set in. I started but when i was taking at look of others whales who have a lot of steem power in their account i was like how come they achieve that, what did they do, i was thinking that those whales must be rich to have money to invest in their steem power and immediately when thinking that, discourage begins to set in and i begin to talk to myself that can i also make it like those whales, i was thinking that yes i must be rich to invest in steem power to have much like these whales, i was thinking that i must then spend at least two or three years and at first i was thinking of quitting steemit because whenever i write some quality and well informed post, i have no steem or steem dollars to promote it to the trending page or hot page like many of whales will do. I was asking myself this question that when will my post be noticed but someone encourage me and told me that i should stop seeing steemit as a way of making money but that i should see it as a platform to interact, share ideas and grab some new knowledge and since then my passion and love for steemit has grown more.
I guess what many steemit users should do is to stop the comparison of others people account to your own because that can also bring you down and make you feel discouraged and also they should stop seeing steemit as a platform that they join to make money. Actually you can make a little penny from it but that should not be your main aim of joining steemit. Your main aim of joining steemit is that you should see steemit as a platform where you can interact, share ideas together and also learn new things from others people culture different from yours . and lastly they should try to be determined and be never be easlily let down or discouraged looking at others whales account. I guess this will also help and this is my own contribution, i hope it is okay.
Thanks for sharing this great well informative and helpful article as this post will surely helps some steemit user
Awesome anaysis and one I agree with 100%. Many on here tend to look at the amount of SP in a wallet rather than the actual journey it took to get there. I myself was posting for months on end for literally cents until things changed for the better. If I had simply given up, my own journey would have turned out very differently. It's all a case of "sliding doors". Which version of yourselves to you want to set about creating for tomorrow. One thing I know for sure, is that anybody who threw in the towel and never gave it their all, may never know what they could have achieved.
Thank you once again and I absolutely wish you the very, very best. :)
Great post! Like everything else in life, people tend to loose focus on the overall goal and journey after some time!
Thanks, buddy. And yeah, losing sight of said goal can lead to major bumps in the road. Wishing you the best, man. :)
I'm just saying.. I'm not sure if Man United is really united.
Not as united as when they got the treble, no. :)
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Wow Nice
Totally agreed with you !