Minnows - Will they be left behind
I received a comment today from @simplymike. It hit on something I have been thinking about for awhile. Her comment brought it to the forefront of my thinking and a reminder to do something about it. full coment here
All us 50-60 people are supporting the little guys - which is the right and a noble thing to do, of course.
But the potential Middle class everyone wants so badly, is us, not them (yet). So we really need to get our heads together and find a way to set up a similar support system for the people that aren’t the newbies anymore.
If you sit back and look at the statement it's a true one right down to the core. If Vegas was to give odds on the success rate on achieving a middle class goal here for either group. The odds would be overwhelming in favor of the ones who have proven their commitment the Minnows.
Minnows (above 500SP) have put the time in. It takes between five to nine months to achieve the minnow level. No matter what the price of steem is they are here putting the work in day after day. Building their foundation with little to no return. Investing in steem to power up ever chance they get. In the process they help the Redfish with the little support that they have.
We talk about supporting the minnows. What we are really saying is supporting the Redfish. We search the #intro tages for new people to join our discords or use them for features in our support posts. We have places for them to place their posts for additional support. We have contest geared directly for them
We should support the Redfish. It's the right thing to do. I am not saying that it should stop or change in in way because I believe in supporting Redfish. What I don't believe in is leaving a class behind. If growing a middle class is our general goal on this platform building Minnow III to the middle class is through the middle class and above. The bigger that the middle class is the easier it is to increase its numbers.
I could be off but I view the lower middle class as a Minnow I. I could be wrong there or off some, but I feel that that is close.
Maybe some thought from @abh12345 and @paulag. A League in the manner of the redfish league or similar might help.
I am opened to any and all suggestion. I have opened a room #discussion and debate
in the @pifc discord for open discussion and debate to further the discussion. Just tag me in main chat letting me know you are there for the discussion for access to the room
wolfhart
Minnow III
There are supply problems all the way up the food chain.
If you are a 200k SP Orca then you can support yourself, everyone below needs help from others.
Orcas support Dolphins who've worked hard for a year or two, and at a guess I would say the ratio is 1/20, although many of these orcas don't vote/spread their vote.
Dolphins have a tougher task, they want to grow into middle class but so many of them try to support minnows and redfish with initiatives and contests - and there are 1 million accounts smaller than a dolphin 😞
Finding the balance between looking down to lift people, and looking up for your own support is key I think. Spend too much time looking down and it may impede your growth.
Thanks for this it really helped with some of my understanding.
With what I can see through my limited visibility is that Dolphins are picking up the majority of the slack / support.
What exactly is middle class. I assumed it was Minnow I - Dolphin. Your still struggling but better control of your situation. A balance has to be accomplished for sustainability
Based on the numbers, 100 SP or more puts you in the top 2-5% - so does the middle class start there?
I would use @tarazkp's 30-60k SP as a guide, at that level it's possible to support a few (but not many) minnows on their way to becoming Dolphins.
We will just keep pushing forward.
The reality is that some will never reach even the minnow level as a result one has to find balance not only in who to support but selfgrowth also. Selfgrowth is one of the hardest things to understand on how to accomplish.
Steem is just like a big ocean where plankton and minnows hardly can grow to orcas or whales. Most of them born as plankton and die as plankton. This is very unfair society where the gap between the top and the bottom is unfathomable. Persons who joined this platform, earlier had a great chance to grow but with the passing of time, struggle for success will also increase.
Yeah, it's hard regardless of the rank :(
It sure is - just keep going 😁
I know that my growth has been slowed by giving away 90-98% of my votes each week and spending more of my time engaging with redfish. But long term these are the people that will be our little community. We have all grown together, supported each other, and so forth. As we all grow our votes grow together and our rewards are all increasing.
Long term I hope that my strategy pays off as the growth allows me to help more people each week.
That's the plan. I don't think that will ever change. That's why we work so hard in helping the redfish. I find it rewarding now, so why would my attitude change latter.
It is really frustrating for those with 100SP and below. It is really good to see you bringing this up so that we can see how we can help each other. I am really kind of trying to build my SP so badly.
That's the thing, you have to keep building. The more you have the more you can support
Its hard @100 sp or lower and with the price low makes it even harder because it gives you the impression on standing still.
Yep, I definitely get that - when I first hit my 0.02 vote, that was at 80SP - at the time, the threshold for 0.03 was about 120SP.
Right now, I'm at 155SP with a 50SP delegation bonus (so, 205SP total) and I'm barely getting 0.02 again! (I currently need about 240SP to hit 0.03!)
The nice thing though - is that I know that once Steem goes up again (and it sure keeps trying) I will be voting higher. I'm looking forward to that.
I know I've hit "middle class" when I can start adjusting how much I vote without requiring some remote application to do so.
I am of the opinion that the middle class is Minnow I and Dolphins
You just said it all. It's been quite tough man and i can't really wait for that day that i finally hit it on my SP.
I thought the comment by @simplymike was a good one. I feel like I am an oddity in the group because, I haven't had the means to add and grow my SP by anything other than working at it. I have had numerous people ask why I am not of a higher reputation, simply put I don't have the money. However, I am by no means a newbie anymore.
We are all in different levels as far as being able to power up. I would not worry about it. I know who and what you are and so do many others. It cannot be measured by one's balance. Those who do are the one with the problem.
If they want to compare what one contributes to the platform lets do so because I would be standing right there in front of you to take the heat and any other stupid thing that falls out of their mouth.
I am definitely honored :) I love the work. I don't mind I'm not an 'instant' anything. I am proof of perseverance and dedication. I definitely have a great group of friends here :)
I see that you were #27 %7.76 gain on the redfish league. that's a good percentage. @lynncoyle1 made #25 so your doing good
I'm one happy little plankton LOL ...I just don't want to be caught up by baleen ewww whale slobber
Support is very important, of course... but we can't all support everyone. The most viable thing I have read so far was in a post I read shortly after joining where someone suggested the best path forward was to have a little "pod" of about 100 posters with similar ideas and ambitions... and mutually grow with those who are of about the same "seniority" as you are.
And I must confess that the majority of the people who follow me all the time, and I follow them are at "about the same level" as I am.
The point being that the only truly reciprocal relationships we can build-- leading to lasting cooperation-- is likely to be with those on about our level.
Does that mean we should not support plankton, or redfish, or minnows? Not at all! But perhaps it shouldn't be the backbone of the strategy, just part of it.
An occasional dolphin/orca vote on a post is definitely nice, but I think I've had FOUR out of 1200 posts/comments.
I'm only a minnow by virtue of a couple of donated delegations...
I agree that the majority of association is among peers. When you only have 50 or so SP it is almost impossible to grow. The growth ability is also on a scale dependent on one's level.
Selfgrowth should be the backbone and helping a small part.
I guess I have been lucky in my approach. While it would be great to get large votes and such, and this is certainly a business I treat it more as a place to learn and socialize. I figure if I make real connections and invest a little here and there on top, that I will end up where I need to be. It helps viewing the interactions as valuable first, then extra grateful for whatever monetary votes come from that.
The interaction between and with people I have always felt was the most important and that everything else would follow in good time.
Agreed. It's hard to feel sympathy when plankton complain, I wrote thousands of posts and invested money when i could, and stuck it out for a year with lots of 2 cent blogs. No one gets instant success here.
Someone else mentioned in another blog that voting for that new guy you like will likely mean you are upvoting someone who just quits the platform, odds are they will. I prefer to vote for people who are sticking around and have invested in the platform too. If you were serious you would have 500 SP......
I draw the line most of the time with those who take out SBD or power down on a constant basis. I rather give it to people who will stick around. I do look at the individual the best I can.
I do not look at the payout of any post I have made. Of course I see it but I do not consider it in any matrix. Post payout will fluctuate depending on many factors. What matters is the engagement from the post. At my level or time here on steemit I am still trying to build a foundation, base of support. Which is a direct result of the engagement that I also do.
I do not understand those who think that in a month or so they can live on the profits of of steam. That makes no sense to me.
Lovely topic for discussion.
I was wondering how you would define suitable growth? And what that would be in real terms?
One of the problems is that generic terms are used to include ,middle class. I'm am still trying to figure out what the terms mean or defined
Until then I think you should have a simpler metric to guide you in terms of who to assist and who isn't "making" sufficient progress... Something like he/she is growing at 1 SP on average a day and is participating well - ok looks healthy to me - etc. Then assist with grooming for a role to direct traffic to the group activities like the curation project. Eventually integrating the new recruits as well.
At the moment I actually think things are working fine...
Because "you/we" are putting in work to build a community with a certain ethic and that process is best not rushed. When I look at the how strong and robust this group is becoming ( not too mention influential ) I wouldn't be concerned.
But a strong community grows from the inside out doing precisely what you / we are doing right now. As our credibility grows and become more visible other affiliations will form. This is a strong potential growth point.
I would caution against forcing this type of organic growth... remember it's a fractal. it's going to get exponentially bigger along it's structures and supports lines.
So, for me it's not about how much we are growing at the moment, but rather how many people are we impacting in the right way. The formula to "overnight" success.
More importantly, are we creating people in key positions to carry on the work we are currently doing when we move onto the next level? The real secret is to grow our "market". If I have a million followers that truly believe in what I am doing. Then all their dust votes will add up. Ultimately we a network that drives traffic to our community posts, and in return we give back to the community... that supports us. I truly think we have this with @thedarkhorse at the helm - we simply have to keep doing that as we are. The effort will payoff. This why I joined this group these afilliate groups because i can see the growth potential right here.
I hope all this makes sense?
It does make sense !
Part of my growth is to learn as much as possible about the platform. That also means hitting subjects to see and gauge the information received from feedback to not only improve but increase my knowledge. The more I know the better position I am in to assist others.
The fact of the matter is that the platform needs more Dolphins who give support. Getting there is a hurdle without having the funds to increase your account.
Ican see the growth here and the fact that it will change lives economically. This is a good time to be here.
I think we should just keep doing what we are, but do it at a sustained level for a year or two more (which isn't a long time) - plough in some cash if you can and when you can... It will all add up.
Real Leadership draws the following and that requires a bit of time to establish, but from what I can see you and others like you - @thedarkhorse, even @simplymike - I can't mention everyone, it's impossible, are doing a great job. Focus on growth of followers for the group and affiliates groups.
I do suggest that everyone finds their personal balance between giving and growth - but that comes of the risk of being perceived as a leader or not. The true leaders will benefit when the volume of followers picks up.
Everyone involved in this group (and affiliate groups) has a responsibility for it's continued and sustained growth. - and it's happening before our very eyes. just a little time and more effort.
Things are getting better every day . Balance and time is what is needed
Yeah, for sure, exactly that. On the hunt for the secret formula - Hha!
I wrote a whole long comment and then accidentally clicked to the side in busy... comment gone.
It's tough to be at any stage as you seek to help those below you while seeking support from those above and around. I'll just leave it at that.
"It's a long way to the top if you want to whack a mole."
-themanwithnoname
I agree at all stages its tuff. And the lower the stage the more there are
Done that before on comments and posts. Last week accidently upvoted myself 10 times instead of the comment. Had to go through Gina and correct it all
What a time waster
I think it's more important to focus on the experience and the relationships than the money at this point. I'm certainly not "in the money" so it's not really a concern to me. I'm just enjoying getting to post about things I enjoy and talk with people I like. If I make a little money off it, that's cool too!
Now you guys are thinking the right way. If we can't grow how can we help everyone smaller than us.
My thoughts exactly :0)
We have always thought this way but never in a position to make a statement or look further into the future than redfish
I am not complaining just looking for answers or how-to's