The Dolphin cocoon project! Input and help wanted!
The Dolphin Cocoon Project,
There is a lot of support for those who join steemit and are called Minnows but what happens when your reputation grows strong and you are no longer a minnow? You become a Dolphin with hopefully a nice list of followers behind your name.
All the wonderful projects like curie or OCD do a wonderful job in sharing hope and votes for those who create great content! I take my hat off for those wonderful souls who dedicate their time and voting power to create a wonderful welcome to all the new members this way! There is no better way to start your Steemit journey by feeling and knowing that you are really being seen. After the climb of your reputation, you become a wonderful Dolphin and you are about to dive into to deep and new pool of Steemit!
This is also where most projects stop... You are on your own and at this moment there are no projects who pick up where you left!
I am going to change that!
I want to change that. I want to create a curating guild who will aim to manually curate posts made by Dolphins.
The project!
You don't become a Dolphin by sitting back and watching things fly by. Most Dolphins have worked hard to get where they are now and feel sometimes lost because most projects aim at minnows, which is wonderful btw. It takes time and lots of effort to become a Dolphin. Weeks, months and sometimes even longer. Would it not be fantastic to get something like this going for Dolphins? To keep bringing hope to those who have been here for a while but are still far from being a whale? Would it not be fantastic to know that the effort put into great content will still give you a chance of a curator reading it and sending out a loving vote? Would it not feel amazing that after the long road you traveled there is still a guild aiming at you?
I believe the middle group of Steemit ( Dolphins) Are a huge group of people who have shown to be dedicated to the platform and are still with us all to create, share and spread the word. It does not stop after being a minnow and there is a long road ahead before truning into a whale.
We should not stop seeing them!
There will be no automatic voting, every post will be read, thought about and seriously scanned as good as possible before a vote is given. The Dolphin Cocoon will not be or become a BOT!
Every Dolphin vote will be posted and shared in a daily post so everyone can see what is happening and this will also create more visibility for those accounts shared in said post.
We won't SELL votes! If someone wants to donate some SBD or Steem they are more than welcome to do so.
Money made by the account will either be put back into steempower or send out to help with Charities on the Steemit platform. We aim to grow and to be able to share the Dolphin love among the platform.
What I need!
For this project, I am looking for investors who are willing to delegate steempower to a new account, specially made for this project. I am also looking for serious curators who enjoy reading good content and help me curate the posts shared. I am also looking for input and help!
Are you the person I am looking for?
Contact me on Discord chat under the name @poeticsnake.
You can also find me in the PAL group from the minnow support project.
https://discord.gg/m4etpK
Let's start the Cocoon!
Hi @poeticsnake, this post really strikes a tone with my experience on Steemit. From when I joined five months ago I set my goal to become a dolphin, thinking this would surely enable me to get to a point where I was making a decent enough amount to help me get to my ultimate destination, being fully self-employed. Needless to say, once the infatuation wore off and I learned about the more discouraging/dysfunctional aspects of how Steemit works (or doesn't) I quickly realized that dolphinhood was the "no man's land" of the platform.
I never had even a chance to get @curie 'd, since I put my money where my mouth was and quickly powered up, used @promoted, borrowed delegations, etc. in order to be able to get decent exposure and support other users more easily. It always struck me as odd that people were being rewarded for not investing in the platform (though of course I am aware it is simply unfeasible for many.)
Even though I had around 20K SP (borrowed) all I saw when I looked around was hungry mouths everywhere, and I didn't have the ability to fill them. So I kept getting more to experiment to see "how much is enough?" Turns out, not even 60K SP was really enough. There is such uneven distribution on the platform, and unless you are singled out by some elite clique of whales to get dogpiled on every post (something that I wouldn't even want for myself, think of seeing your every post on trending! For me, that's horrifying, simply because it's monotonous, lame, and stagnatory.)
Anyway, I think @clayboyn and @lexiconical both had really good points here. I'm not yet to the point of being fully jaded, since I have only been around since June. (Not planning on powering down anytime soon.) (Note: I'm not implying that you two are jaded, I just know I'd be a lot more to my wit's end if I'd been around these parts longer! I'm super grateful for the roles you both play in the Steemit community) Also, the idea of Steemit being pretty unprofitable for investors and more about being able to give to others doesn't bother me; it's the main reason why I keep buying STEEM. I see it as potentially paradigm-shifting and in line with the current "hyper-evolution" of the human species that I believe to be occurring. I can look for profit elsewhere. However, I also foresee STEEM being over $10 by the end of next year. It really doesn't matter what the cynics and emotionalists think, because the technical and fundamental analysis doesn't lie. STEEM is still one of the best, most convenient, and widely used blockchains today.
TL;DR
I am very interested in being involved in this project, though I can't offer support of a "whaleish" proportion. IMO dolphins need more support than minnows, who get plenty of "pity votes," often without putting much at risk, as do most dolphins. I like working pretty independently for the most part but perhaps I can be helpful; I'll reach out to you in discord. I can be very stubborn at times and I am willing to lose the $13,000 I've invested into Steemit. I'm not willing to power down.
Sorry for the miniature essay, but I tend to engage to the extreme when something that strikes a chord crosses my path!
No need to apologize. Your answer helps clarify the article. Especially for a newcomer, like myself, just checking out the platform. You know, the minnow without any resources besides my own writing and curation to chip in.:)
I agree entirely, but I think the issue is that steemit doesn't really do much to create and empower a "middle class." There's the rich whale accounts, there's the new users, and then there's the people that stick around long enough to not really be new users anymore. Most of my SP is actually used funding Minnow Support like many other dolphins. I actually powered down to be a minnow again because the illusion that dolphin status changed anything in the past was kind of a joke. Then again the same people making the same generic posts are getting tripple digit payouts every day because whale's are only voting the same accounts etc. I believe it's a great idea, I just don't know how much funding you'll be able to get for it since it's mostly dolphins funding the minnow support projects currently. The whales are mostly just selling votes and renting their SP.
And that is why it's time to change that! :D
I am going to try my up most best to get funding and the help I need because I think it's long overdue for the middle class support! I delegated power to minnow support as well because I think it's amazing to help nem members this way. And I will NOT take that back. When I set my mind to something I am going to work my ass off to get it done.
The funding/power might not be what I have in mind but at least I am creating a spot where the Dolphins will be seen. I am a firm believer that there MUST be at least one amazing whale who reads this and taps his or hers chin and takes the time to think about it for a while.... Then.... Magic happens.
I won't give up until I find that person.
And many smaller delegated powers also make a bigger stake. :D
Thank you so much for your input @clayboyn. Most appreciated <3
"I actually powered down to be a minnow again because the illusion that dolphin status changed anything in the past was kind of a joke."
You're better off being a minnow and rewarded with minnowcommunism (your posts are over-rewarded because minnow).
Attempt to move up and the cartel of whales keeps you out. Dolphins work way, way harder than minnows for lower compensation. I used to write daily posts far better than what get's Curied, and made a routine 10-14$, more than half of which was my and my girlfriend's votes.
There is no reason to hold Steem except to lose money or give money away. I too am powering down.
"The whales are mostly just selling votes and renting their SP."
Yes, and try doing this as a non-whale, you get witch-hunted. Don't vote the way people like? Witch-hunted. Vote for only a few authors? Witch-hunted.
Steem is full of SJW Robber Barons telling you what to do with what is yours:
https://steemit.com/steem/@lexiconical/code-is-law-only-when-i-want-otherwise-it-s-abuse-the-shaming-syndicate-of-steemit-our-own-brand-of-sjws-and-social-repression
This comment is exactly what I mean, but you disagreed with mine?
TLDR: Not disagreeing, having some sort of context confusion here.
No, I wasn't trying to disagree. I thought you were highlighting " who was running the show around Steemit".
It's Whales (the robber barons that run the culture) and minnows (agitating for and receiving minnow communism). Dolphins are the slave labor putting enough content onto the site to keep it from being tossed into the Buzzfeed bin. I totally see the desert Snekky is referring to above.
I'm thinking you may have meant who was running the show at MSP, maybe, but I'm still having trouble sussing out the context. If that's what you meant, yeah, most whales aren't doing a damn thing. Aside from Aggroed, Eturnerx, Ausbitbank, V4Vapid, and myself delegating I don't really see any whales in the delegation list, and lord knows all the DJs, mods, and behind the scenes types (not just at MSP, but SFT, Ramble, etc) are pretty much all...not whales:
https://mspdelegator.herokuapp.com/mspdelegators
Yes, now you got it. MSP, not steemit.
Right, sorry about that, I think I misinterpreted the context a little there. (In my defense, I was focusing on "that show" being Steemit, because I'm pretty fed up with "that show" at the moment. I see your context correctly places MSP in the article "that", and it was my focus being elsewhere that caused me to misinterpret.)
Heh, no need for defense, we are on the same side :)
It's always been dolphins and minnows running that show. You nailed it.
I think you mean whales and minnows!
I spent 4 months helping build minnow support and know all the people involved who do stuff and who don't do a thing except benefit from the stuff others do. I know exactly who does the work and who doesn't.
We're (I?) having some communication confusion here. I was referring to who "runs the show" around Steemit, with a sort of negative context (robber barons and the plebs begging for scraps).
I think you were talking about who puts in the actual work at places like MSP, SFT, Waves radio, Ramble, other communities. We are in agreement that that work is decidedly not done by the well-known whales.
Yep, now you got it.
I get confused when talking fish. I am a Minnow now. But before that I was a Plankton. The Plankton is where I see all these wonderful projects aimed. And I don't think that's a bad thing--I think it's good. Some of those programs helped me as I got started out.
But I don't see many projects aimed at those officially recognized as Minnows. I see folks saying they're for minnows, but it seems to me they just don't want to use the 'Plankton' word.
This isn't to take away from your proposal. I'm certain it will be well-received especially among Dolphins. It's just that, as a Minnow, I get tired of seeing references to Minnow support projects that actually are there to help until one becomes a Minnow. They are in fact Plankton support projects.
I wonder what the subtle inferences would be over time within the Dolphin group. It would, I think, set a sort of precedent: A fish group with support projects only for that fish group. As I understand it now, the groups above have support groups for the ones below. (Maybe the Whales should support the Dolphins?)
I'd worry some about the increased view that those in the upper echelons of steemit care only for themselves. Just look on any given day and find articles about Whale-for-Whale upvotes and you'll see what I mean.
My personal opinion is that we are adults, or try to be. Yes, support groups for fresh Plankton are a great idea. But once one has reached Minnow, True Minnow status, one should be taking responsibility for one's progress and fortune.
We know by now what it takes to succeed here. At some point we take off the training wheels, and this is that point. Every level above is just as responsible for themselves, and doing what they can to help the Plankton, Minnows, and Dolphins swimming in their wake.
The best way to help ourselves is to help the platform, and the best way to do that is to give. We don't need to be coddled. We don't need guarantees. We know that's not the way the world works.
Apologies for such a long post. I perhaps should have created a post on my blog.
A lot of people are getting tired of this. You nailed it also.
May I suggest you start a purpose built discord for this? It's a different game than redfish/plankton and minnows with different needs and a different level of users, and I'd vet entrants to make sure they meet something that identifies them as dolphins, perhaps rep/sp and or time served here maybe?
Good call to get on this snekkybabee - I'll see what I can pull from YouAreHOPE and my account to toss a tiny bit into your delegation hat. It will be trivial, but it all adds up.
I just made the discord channel for it! Like 15 minutes ago I think! Trying to figure it all out atm. All the help is more than welcome for sure! All bits and pieces will help and will make it possible to keep voting for this group. I like all the groups btw, all the helpers etc. I just felt like this group was or I should say is being seen enough. It's not about getting super high votes it about making them feel they still matter and their content is appriciated. Thank you so much for your input!
Well, if you aren't afraid of my "reputation" lol, I'll help in any way I can that you ever need. Also, I'm dropping this post on someone who may be able to lend a bigger hand, but no promises, I'm just going to make sure the person sees it. They would be the kind of delegator you seek. ;)
I am not scared of rep. We all are who we are. Good for one, bad for someone else... We might not all see the same way at certain projects or subjects but might be able to see eye to eye on other fronts. I always say I am Switerland in a way. Working together is what matters and makes things possible. If I can get help for this project I am not going to say no :D
I am at your service. Call on me as you see fit, my dear.
This right here...this is the way to start. Fully endorse this suggestion, particularly the VETTING (and WILLINGNESS TO KICK OUT MALCONTENTS).
Great idea. I'd like to help with this where I can. Not a dolphin yet but would appreciate the help once I am.
Based on the work you put in, you are an honorary dolphin in my book.
Thank you.
Thank you @gmuxx. I would sure love your help in this!
See here, @gmuxx!
I always thought of you as a whale, your persona precedes you LOL!!!
Everything I see about you is POSITIVE! Thanks for being a Great STEEMER...
I Must FOLLOW ;)
Wow, what a compliment. Thank you.
Me, a whale? I wish lol.
Followed you too.
I'm on discord a good bit too, lots of positivity there that you are a big part of...
Inspires me to see ACTIVE mid level members, as we will make Steemit what it has the potential to become. Snek-Momma is a great one too ;)
I have an awful lot of love for Snekky.
I frequent MSP and help run my own Discord for writers. Communities are key to Steemit.
<3 my full agreement here @gmuxx
@underground you are an amazing steemian.
LOVE Dat Rose! :*
Big hugs!
Being a dolphin I agree. I will still post my art no matter what happen though. I like the community on Steemit.
I love the community just as much and I would never stop sharing my work here. This platform is amazing on its own already. I just feel the need to step up for the middle class and try to create a new level of hope and fun for those who have been here longer.
This sounds like a wonderful project and I would like to see it succeed. I'm still a minnow but I see the need, and have over 400 sp so don't qualify for the helper boosts, either.
I will work hard to get it done. It's something that has been bugging my brain for a while now. If I can make it half as big as I have in my head I will already be super happy!
Thank you so much for your reply!
If you need any help, you know where to find me dear.
Everyone should support great content and talent on Steemit regardless of status or level in SP, and yes I agree that people with higher reps and SP sometimes get looked over by certain curation groups. It'll be good for those people who have put in the time to get to dolphin status to still get some support from the community for the content and support they give to the platform. Nice idea @poeticsnake!
I could not agree more with you! All great content should be supported no matter status or level in SP. The middle class is overlooked, at least that is how I see it. I love the different projects who support the new members and now I feel it's time to create a new level for the Dolphins in a way. If we all keep supporting each other this will always be an amazing place.
I really do think this is a great idea, I am nowhere near a dolphin but my rep went too high for curie and other projects like that ages ago so there is definitely a market gap to fill there.
Sorry for my late response!
This is the reason I want to create a good place for those who are dolphins or high in rank!
No matter how long or short you have been here, we all need a purpose, a reason and hope. I want to create this with many new things!
The discord channel is now open as well!
Feel free to join us there!
https://discord.gg/unKuvWm
This is a WONDERFUL Initiative, Miss SNEK-Momma!
I have activated @ninjawhale for a vote-swarm to promote this post!
50+ votes and a few ¢, INCOMING! lol
I am interested in delegating or donating to the Dolphin Cocoon, I have acted as a Dolphin for quite a while even though I am just a Big Minnow LOL!!!
Thank you ever so kindly! Really really appreciated!
Wonderful to hear that you are willing to help out!
Would be great if we could connect on Discord for a chat!
I am just a small Dolphin so.... We might make good friends lol
Always wonderful to make an acquaintance into a Friend! :D
PS: I cannot find you under @poeticsnake on discord :'(
Try snekky lol lol
U found Me, thanx Babe!
Once I am a Dolphin, I will live as a Jr. WHALE ;)