Don't Hate the Player Hate the Game | Response to @BernieSanders
Don't Hate the Player Hate the Game | Response to @BernieSanders
This post is in response to a post made by @BernieSanders today titled The Irresponsible Bot Owners Contributing to the Demise of Steem
In the post @berniesanders basically calls out Bot owners for being responsible for the demise of Steemit because they "irresponsibly" allow @jerrybanfield to make loads of money creating shitty content. Now personally I don't really care for @jerrybanfield and I don't really follow him so I don't really know what he's all about. But I can tell you there is much shittier content than @jerrybanfield 's content being upvoted by upvote bots and earning money so I don't know why we are singling out @jerrybanfield. And no I'm not just sucking @jerrybanfield 's dick hoping for an upvote. I spoke out in defense of @craig-grant a few months back when everyone was ganging up on him and downvoting his stuff.
I find it somewhat hypocritical that we all rail against and bitch and moan about Youtube censoring people and singling people out, yet we do the exact same thing. Does it make it better because we do it by mob rules as opposed to a corporation doing it? I personally think it makes us just as bad.
Now I totally get downvoting Trevon or Craig if they are posting scams and spam, but for a while @craig-grant was posting videos of him fucking baking cakes and stuff. That content if you don't like it don't vote for it, but IMHO it shouldn't be flagged to destroy him if it's real content and not a scam.
Don't Hate the Player Hate the Game
This brings me to my point of don't hate the player hate the game. If you think it's bad that bullshit content takes up the majority of the Trending and Hot pages, be mad at the system, not the people using the system to their advantage.
To give you an anlogy it reminds me of when the media and society as a whole get all mad at corporations and businesses. People complain that corporations don't pay their fair of taxes. Amazon doesn't pay taxes, Donald Trump doesn't pay taxes, etc, etc, etc. While I'm not a necessarily a fan of either of these people/entities they are acting within the current tax laws. It would actually be stupid to pay more taxes than you have to so if there is some tax workaround that allows Amazon to pay zero taxes and they don't take advantage of it not only are they just freely giving away and wasting money, they are actually doing a disservice to their shareholders.
This is why I say don't hate the player hate the game. If you don't think it's fair Amazon doesn't pay taxes then try to change the system, don't hate Amazon for following the rules and working within the rules and the system.
I would say the same of Steemit. If you think people are raping the reward pools or earning off shitty content speak out about it, try to do something to change the system but don't get mad at people who are making the system work for them.
I'll leave you with one last thought. If we do decide to get mad at people who earn well off shitty content using voting bots, ultimately who gets to decide which content is shitty and which is worthy of upvotes and money? For example if I was in charge content about things I like are going to be deemed "good" and content about topics or things that don't interest me are going to be deemed bad. Who gets to decide for the entire community what's worthy?
Anyhow, that's my thoughts motherfuckers. Let me know what you think...
Can’t be mad at people for following the rules. Now how follow then may be different but it’s still followed. I have no beef with them at all.
The majority got angry when Banfield promoted his own video about him sucking his own dick for 13 years, and the fact he is a witness, and with that some say comes responsibility to promote good behaviour and or steemit, I have no problem with his 2 hour video about sucking his own cock, and there is nothing I can do about him being a witness when he does not even know how to run a server, I also could not care less that he does not write his own posts.
And that is my point I guess, each to their own lol. (oh the irony of the ending)
I watched about 5 minutes of that video and aside from thinking it was very strange and he seemed very manic I didn't know what the hell the video was about and really didn't care enough to watch any further but that sheds a lot of light on things.
"To each their own" lol I love it
Great post and your last line seriously made me laugh out loud so hard I almost fell out of my chair. Hahahhahahahah
"Anyhow, that's my thoughts motherfuckers. Let me know what you think..."
Whatever that you mention here, it's pretty true!
Just 1 minute before reading this, I actually flagged one of his content just because many people are exposing him for his dirty deeds.
However, now that you mentioned these points. I can't help but to agree with you.
I have to applaud him for breaking the system instead of slamming him down.
This post changed my perspective!
Thanks for writing your thoughts out buddy :)
Yeah I'm not really a @jerrybanfield fan by any means and I don't enjoy his content. He comes across as kinda a creepy pewee herman slash mr rogers to me quite frankly, however this is a systematic problem not really a @jerrybanfield problem. if @jerrybanfield were to leave the platform and never come back this issue wouldn't get any better because everyone is upvoting crappy content, the rewards will just go to someone else or a group of other people besides him. im not sure anything can be done about this short of doing a groundsweeping hard fork that bans bots, redistributes steem, changes voting power, gets a better algorithm, i dont even know where to begin
Ya exactly, like to be honest... Currently what i am experiencing is the power of networking.
Like my current network on Steemit will automatically upvote my content regardless if it's just 1 beautiful photo or a 10 pages long article. It's going to be of the same value/reward.
So ultimately, i have to agree with you that it is a system issue not an individual issue.
Yeah that's interesting. In life I suppose it's the same way we help people in our network but at the same time that along with the bid bots and everything make Steemit seem like a big game. Can you make the right things, can you spend enough time mindlessly running around upvoting other peoples stuff hoping to get reciprical upvotes, can you find the right bid bots.
With a platform like Youtube no matter how many friends you have your not gonna get ahead gaming the system for the most part, ultimately what wins out is creating quality content people like. Here on steemit it seems more about playing the game right. That's not necessarily good or bad its just the reality
ya that's absolutely spot on. Youtube is about "Creating Quality Content" WHILE Steemit is just "figuring out".
But then again, i remember coming across this post made by NED. He mentioned that Steemit is at a crossroad whereby the initial intention is to become something similar to youtube. But now that people have different definition of "Good quality content" and they are using it to socialize.
He is wondering if Steemit is able to become a social media platform that pays people to network/communicate. As simple as that.
So I think if you are able to create a viral meme, that made many laughed. Great, you deserve some rewards for that.
Same thing, if you are a scientist and you created a fantastic cure. Simplify it for average joes like us to understand and I believe it will get high rewards as well.
Despite all these edges and complications, I still have high hopes for this platform :)
I agree, I find it very interesting how where as other social media platforms that have been around a few years are very clear on what they are. Instagram is a platform for sharing photos and short videos. Twitter is a platform for sharing random thoughts. Steemit is still kind of trying to figure out what it is and what goes along with that is kinda figuring out best practices, what we want on here, what is acceptible content. The "rules" or maybe better unwritten rules of Steemit seem to have laxed a bit. Before it was very frowned upon to share other peoples content where on a platform like reddit its perfectly acceptible to reshare something that someone else posted, reddit is about curation so you dont need to create something its cool to just share interesting stuff you find.
I think part of Steemits struggle is that there really is no algorthim like youtube. Youtube deliveres content I love to watch and I can literally sit for hours watching video after video, heck youtube knows me better than me they show me stuff i didn't even know i was interested in.
Here on steemit its just like a hodgepods. When I go to a chinese buffet I expect chinese food, steemit is like if I went to a buffet and they have chinese food and indian food and cheeseburgers it doesn't really have things well organized so it makes for a worse user experience because to find stuff i like i have to sort through a million things i dont like. I know you and I had commented we enjoyed finding each other because there's a lack of business and entreprenurship type stuff on here and the stuff that is on here is hard to find. If things were categorized or segmented better i think it would make the platform more enjoyable.
In terms of a networking site just for the sake of networking while I get it it also seems kinda silly. If I go to a networking event its normally to make busienss connections or find a job but going to a networking event just to go to a networking event to earn a quarter just seems kinda silly. Hopefully steemit can figure out exactly what it is and what its about or I think it will continue to declnie
wow i think you really hit it on the nail. Very well said Buddy!
The entire UX and UI is just poor.
Frankly speaking, when i first started out, i will look for entrepreneurship hashtags to find more entrepreneurs but after the poor content curation and seeing how the entrepreneurship space is so limited. I stopped.
I only read my following's content and post stuff on my own space.
This has to change man.... @ned
I have to agree with you here, the system does need some form of change too, though a lot has been brought to others attention, how much is really being done about it..
In the year i've been here, it seems like the site has declined rapidly due to amount of abusers ripping off the site in some way or another..
Said on anothers blog "they should have a system to block any outgoings, including any savings. it seems harsh, but users shouldn't take the mick!."the backlash would be harsh, just when others have been taking the mick, they should expect some form of backlash back.. if they added something like this, the abusers bank account could be put back into the system, or turned into something good..
I'm really torn about Steemit, I feel like one of the coolest qualities about it, getting paid, could also be it's downfall as people get greedy, it affects how we act, as opposed to creating quality content out of passion people create content to make money which leads to people trying to put the least amount of time and effort in to get the most return.
I know people earn money on Youtube but for whatever reaosn that seems to be a better system. First off the categorization of content and the algorithm makes it easy to find content you enjoy, here on Steemit 90% of the content is not stuff that interests me or is talking about Steemit itself. I really have to hunt for quality content.
I also tend to get the feeling steemit is a game. Not to say its easy to get ahead on other platforms but if your an artists doing awesome stuff and posting photos on Instagram people are gonna take notice, if you make amazing videos people on youtube are gonna take notice, if you write awesome articals people on medium are gonna take notice. Here on Steemit to me personally at least it seems like the people doing the best create some of the worst content yet people who have been creating great content for a year on a regular basis are earning $1 or $2 per post.
It sometimes feels like a busy work ame where you have to run around upvoting ohters hoping for reciprication, you have to join the right groups, know the right bots to pay and the right amount to pay to get upvotes. It's not about community, its not about creating content its about learning how to play the game and perosnally I'm not that interested in busy work and games. I stick around on here for some of the good friends I've made and the handful of people who's conent I like but I do question what is really the point sometimes.
i see where you're coming from, indeed theres little true reward for those who put time and effort into something. Sometimes i'd post a few longish blogs and see it un-noticed, but on occasion might post a meme or converse with others. truth is im not sure what content to bang up on here anymore, that hasnt been already created in a different way.. except i could do music production vids, on tracks ive been creating in logic studio.. then again someones likely done it..
Other topics are nice to engage in, seeing bloggers like @sweetssj who does great posts😁
because as you said about groups is a good thing, least you maybe lucky to help one another, and it works long as like minded people are into said choices.
The bot voting system seems alright for those un noticed but a fair few abuse it i guess "i maybe wrong"Personally haven't felt a need for it, great if others find it useful.
Something has to change with this site to make it more user friendly, but have a stern side regarding abusers, because it'll just keep happening, and their negativity will cause the downfall o here, like any other site that has it's good and bad things.
I am with on this in a big way,
However, there is something else we need to take into consideration... lobbyist… With Amazon. Facebook, Kroger's, Safeway, Albertsons, Oil companies, Pharmaceutical -dollars, they can pay for lobbyist who bribes our government and actually write our laws thus keeping tax laws in place that profit the rich no matter what we say...
The system is rigged against us so the best thing we can do is stop going to the Casino and create a system around the corruption.
They can't have a game if we decide not to be their game...
Things like Housing co ops, food co ops, gardens, auto shop cops, etc... can bring them to their knees. Why are we using an Amazon to buy and sell our products???? and a Jiffy Lube to change our oil?
We created the beast lets drive an arrow into it's heart …
Close your Amazon account and go directly to small business for your purchases... Stop playing the stock markets buy real assets , stop using credit. banks cannot survive without it.. Stop using banks for that matter, go to the credit unions,
start a garden with your hated neighbors and bake your own bread and watch how your grocery shopping will change dramatically, you will only need to go to market once month...
find your small farmers and purchase directly... Drive the beast into the ground with a thousand cuts to the ankles! Game Over!
you bring up an interesting point. So the whales are either the corporations or the politicians who write the laws, kind of a mix of both i guess. those of us who are minnows and even dolphins are all just kind of playing their game making them rich.
in regards to how you said we are all playing their game, i wonder if all of us stopped participating in steem period or at the very least stopped upvoting whales just pandering for reciprication which almost never happens anyways maybe we could shift the power a bit and encourage them to share some of their voting power and help the community instead of just helping themselves.
i mean at the end of the day many of them have enough SP to be able to just upvote themselves and earn $1,000 per day but us refusing to play their game could maybe help slant the power back to the people so to speak
@Rulesforrebels, why is everyone mad at @Jerrybanfield for using bots when every one is including the once calling him out?
I am sure you also did use some bots in this so if he is guilty so is everyone else.
Secondly, those screaming that he is raping the system the loudest i have seen them using multiple powerful proxy multiple fake accounts to upvote themselves. No one dares talk because if you do then they use your power to flag and downvote you to oblivion.
A guy like me with no power has no moutn in Steemit. We are just puppets of others. I have more commenting power on youtube than i do here where the wrong words about the wrong powerful person can crash my account in just seconds.
Hey @fabyflavour I completely agree with you that's really what this post is all about is that it's really dumb to single out @jerrybanfield because everyone else is using bots as well and even if jerry went away tomorrow this problem would still persist it would just be other people than jerry banfield doing it. He just happens to be more high profile and he just happens to be better at it than other people which is why he gets the hate. kinda how when people get pissed off at the fast food industry everyone goes after mcdonalds even though every other fast food place does the same stuff whether it be making unhealthy food, paying low wages, etc but mcdonalds gets all the hate because they are the biggest name.
You actually have power in a way you don't realize. People like you and me and many others really have nothing to lose. If we had powerful accounts there's nothing on the line, if someone decides to downvote me into oblivion big deal take my 0.50 cents i make per post so I think in a way that's our power.
I totally agree with you though, you really have to tow the line. People who are rah rah steemit and say the right things are gonna go far and people who are critical of steemit on issues or people who disagree with the wrong person well you better watch out
I actually made another video I posted on DTube basically saying all the things that people complain about Youtube for, Steemit is becomming and will continue to beome the exact same thing its just it will be your peers who are the ones demonetizing you as opposed to a corporation
https://steemit.com/steemit/@rulesforrebels/4y9xp2g8
This is really a lot of info me as a newbie to digest,will look out the two mentioned guys though!
I like the way you vividly explained it,dont hate the player,hate the system!
The system being changes can really stop all the other flagging or rwards rape or whatever.
If one of the parties is succesfully booted out by flagging...another new person will appear who will use the same system to their advantage.
The best solution is indeed to work on the bigger picture...the system
Thanks for this post.
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