Why I'm Taking My Content Elsewhere
I've made the decision to temporarily stop contributing to this platform. This hiatus has been brought on by a few factors:
STEEM has been sitting at about $.50 for a while now, users are leaving in droves, and payouts have dropped significantly. @ned and @dan's answer to this? They tried (with much community outrage) to reduce the number of votes per day, while giving a vote slider that allows whales to save their voting power (for what, nobody knows). So while the currency continues to be devalued, fractions of votes can be given to further exasperate the situation. Additionally, if you look at the Trending section at the time of this posting, 8 out of 10 posts have to do with Steemit. Yes, 8 out of 10. Why is this the case? Because they keep being rewarded. This platform, a couple of months after launching, still can't get over itself. Content takes a back seat to the ongoing continual circle-jerk.
There were still a few ways for authors to get their content to a broader audience. Having posts featured was one of the ways. @ned and @dan killed that off with their new resteem feature, opting to censor (yes, censor, I hear you gasping at your computer, it is possible on Steemit) posts via downvote from those that feature other authors.
If that's not enough, now we have steem-memes (seriously, who the hell asked for that) and sports betting (which in my opinion is basically just a way for the author to buy votes).
There was a time when writing for Steemit was a worthwhile endeavor. A time when good content, while not rewarded as much as the garbage pile that is @dollarvigilante's blog, was rewarded enough to make it worth writing. This platform has lost its fun-factor, its luster and a majority of the community that made it worthwhile. And yes, a lot of the fun had to do with making money.
Some people (mainly users that have made a small fortune on this platform) like to pretend that they are here out of the goodness of their hearts, working to make the world a better place, to revolutionize social media and change people's daily lives; they are full of crap. They are here because they've made money. Users can post on Medium, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to get exposure for their content. They post(ed) here to make money. As much as the conspiracy nuts on here like to scream about censorship, they have never truly been censored by Facebook. The ability to generate income from your content is what made this platform so exciting, and as payouts have gone down and the currency has tanked, the users have left. Why? Because, the money is the ONLY thing that makes Steemit worth using.
The last month or so has been great. It's been a fun side-project and I've enjoyed creating the content.
It's all about opportunity cost. When the value (money) I receive from Steemit is not greater than that which I could receive doing something else, I will do something else. So, I am moving on to other projects. I'll check back in every now and then to see how things are going. If there's a major change, and things start to pick back up, I'll come back and start producing content again.
So why write this? What's the point?
I am not egotistical enough to think that my presence (or lack there of) will have a tremendous impact on this platform one way or the other. I am writing this, because I consider myself to be one of the average everyday users. The users that are leaving. I've written here why I am leaving and why I believe many of the users are leaving. It's not too late to fix it, but I have a feeling that @ned and @dan and all the other influential members of this community are going to keep doing what they have been doing and will keep getting the same result.
I can already anticipate the "we're in the beta stage" argument, or the "in 2 years that supply will stabilize" argument. One, I am truly not writing this to start an argument, I am just sharing with the community why I've made the decision I've made. Too many users have just left without leaving any feedback.
Two, you can put beta in the logo, but this thing is public. There are billboards, tv interviews, news articles, all kinds of publicity. Let's call a spade a spade.
Three, this platform doesn't have 2 years. In the age of the internet, the average person has an 8 second attention span. 2 years is not what it used to be and in projects like these, it's an eternity.
I hope I'm wrong.
That was a great post! Nice to read a non-infomercial post about Steemit. You obviously do not expect the "whales" to vote for this, you are doing it because you feel it is true. I have a question that pertains to whales and something you said:
"A time when good content, while not rewarded as much as the garbage pile that is @dollarvigilante's blog,
When that unfortunate addition to the community arrived did you not start to wonder why the Whales (insiders, founders, etc.....) started to upvote that person's post? They had the ability to guide the tone of this site and they chose to go in a braggadocio direction that rewarded what they shortsightedly thought would bring in more users. They did not seem to care about quality of content or users, but rather paying for marketing trough the platform. It backfired, but it was predictable based on the infomercial turn the site was taking at the time.
Oops, I posted a reply that wasn't directed at you on this post, so I deleted it.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@l0k1/steem-preferred-stocks-benefits-of-a-type-of-steem-power-that-does-not-confer-voting-power
I think that there is nothing wrong with you deciding not to participate in the blog side of Steem, I think that, being that this is a crypto-money system, with a futures-type instrument (SD) and stock type instrument (SP) that it is a good place to park your money, but currently everyone is still so focused on the blog, as though this is the be-all and end-all of Steem. It is not, and I know from having talked on skype with Ned, that at least in his opinion, the finance side of things needs to be elevated.
I also don't see any problem with people setting up various kinds of games of chance in steem, this brings in those who enjoy playing these games.
It is precisely because you are not looking at the bigger picture beyond the blog rolls, that you are disillusioned with Steem. I can surmise by reading what you write and how you present it, that you also have not learned about how to grab attention and win votes, either through the presentation, or by making efforts to engage with other users, following them back, and participating in discussions off the platform with other users, where there is a lot of good ideas bouncing around.
Not everyone has the capabilities, or interest, in the blog side of steem, nor do they even necessarily want to invest, but until everyone really understands the full scope of the system, being more than just a blog platform, it is going to take a while for the price to begin a new up-trend. I think, looking at the charts, we are now in a consolidation phase, and when the many improvements that are bubbling up to the surface of the attention of the developers and those involved in side projects, have brought them into play, you will see that there is a lot more to Steem than just blogging. Blogging is just the hook to get you to open an account and get used to having an easy to use cryptocurrency system. Enabling blockchain based business is the long term goal, in fact.
I have managed to find an angel/promoter who likes my ideas for how to move things forward, and I will be starting to work on this, and he is busy organising other investors to develop this project. Steem will eventually also have a marketplace system for both local and delivery based retail and service industries, its own internal stock market with people able to register company names and trade shares and fund investment, and there is several other things that I know are coming soon, aside from what I will also be seeing to getting added and added on to the system.
Ok, I'll bite. Though from the start, I'm not sure what purpose the link you shared does for your argument, other than to use my post as a place to promote it. Nevertheless, I clicked on it, knowing before I even read it what to expect. What I found was the kind of garbage I'm talking about. The grammar is hideous, the presentation is awful, and yet you still try to use big words.
Everyone is focused on the blog, because right now, it is the end-all-be-all. There is no other viable use of STEEM anywhere. Sure, every now and then you have some putz saying that they convinced some ambiguous craigslist knockoff with nothing but scam posts to implement STEEM, but there is not a single big player that has accepted STEEM as currency. The blog was the strategy to get creative people to use and interact with the currency, but it (so far) has been the only strategy and it is failing miserably.
I disagree. I've gained a good group of followers on this platform and my content has been well-liked (you can compare our payouts, since you seem to think you have the mojo). I have spent time on the chat (though funny enough, this is the first time I've interacted with you ever). I'm leaving because profits have gone down across the board. You wouldn't understand this, because your posts rarely earned more than $1.
The problem is that the hook has failed. The only people still here are the ones that have been familiar with cryptocurrency for a while.
and some who have now, because of it, learned more about it.
I would call your article an "Exit Interview". We used to do them with any users willing users who left our medical information website. They were deemed important from the Executive Level through Client Retention Experts. It was one of the ways we knew we were meeting the needs of the users who used our site.
I am sorry to see you go, and I understand what you are saying, many are saying it. I just don't get the impression the "Everyday User" is who those with voting power are trying to retain.
I hope improvements are made and you come back at some point. Good Luck, and thank you for leaving feedback.
It is a free world, what I cannot understand is why you expected a platform launched in April or May 2016 to be fully functional.
Any baby 6 months old is unlikely to be house-trained nor eating solid food that well, but for whatever reason you expect a brand new Social Media platform, literally a unique creation without any known prototype to be perfect . . .
I hope you make as much on your platform as you made herein ; )
But the nice thing is herein you are entitled to your open opinion at least unlike most of the other commercialized Social Media platforms your words will not be censored out : )
Who knows this could become your most profitable post ever ! ! !
P.S. any Steem you are not wishing to take, please feel free to transfer it to my account ; or if your so upset with Steemit you could transfer it to the NULL account...
I've already addressed this in my post, but since you would like to compare apples and oranges:
Your 6-month old baby has zero relevance or comparison to an online platform; however, when a baby is born, there has been significant growth (for 9 months in case you don't know) and improvement. After it is born it continues to grow and develop and mature.
I don't expect Steemit to be fully functional, but I do expect continued growth and maturing. When your 6-month-old stops growing and starts shrinking you take it to the hospital.
I do understand and even agree with what your saying, however Steemit was not just a website platform.
Steemit is a Social Media experiment, now of all the genre on the internet such as shopping, email, banking and some others few things are growing as fast or wide as Social Media. So Steemit is sure to not have any normal growth cycle; with our 6 month old baby, all Steemit has is Dan and Ned etc. And like every inexperienced new parent it is unlike they have the whole raising a baby thing nailed down with experience. Most parents sort of screw up their first kid and maybe have it a bit more organised by baby # 2 and usually for sure kid number 3 . . .
Herein we found tons of rubber-neckers, jerks, scammers, bots and others coming in the hopes of becoming instant millionaires. Once people raised this is not a scam and nor is it a get rich quick scheme many have left. Add to this some have tried to make Steemit pay and have been unable to break into a "living wage". So I expect Steemit to bleed off a bit more as true platform users and stakeholders mature and develop.
But who really cares; after all everyone on the internet are not real. Everyone I interact with online is a Bot in New Zealand. There are over one thousand cryptocurriences worldwide now, and over 100 Social Media platforms so feel free to do your thing and leave. Sure I understand you wanting to go elsewhere after all the internet is wide open, except for propaganda and censorship and scams of course ; )
bye bye.
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on all this and your concerns thanks for being honest opening new ways of seeing things and letting us know.
You have to do whatever is best for you.
I think things are getting better and the main problem that is making people less active is the low price of Steem.
That is beyond the control of those in charge.
On the other hand it does allow redistribution of Steem to happen more quickly.
I think you are wrong but it is a personal subjective judgement and you have to do what works for you.
Eye will go against the grain to sea what is going on here
But the price of Steem just shot back up.
If Steemit is to succeed as a social media platform it must become as diversified as possible . Some people enjoy meme some enjoy photography some long stories ect......