Angie's Way Too Longggg Comments Series - #0000001
Hi again, Steem Fam,
First of all, a confession.
I have a tendency to write long comments.
I haven't been blogging for years and now that I am starting to again here on Steemit, I've been wetting my blogging feet via comments.
But, before Steemit, if there was anything I wanted to share on a particular topic but didn't want to blog about it, I'd just open up my Facebook page.. the page, not my personal social thingy... and write what I had to say there.
This wasn't too often. I hardly go on Facebook. But sometimes I'd go in just to post a bit on that page.
So maybe that's where the Way Too Longggg commenting started? Those FB posts sometimes felt like 'comments' rather than formal blog posts.
And since that page is set-up to automatically share to my Twitter audience, I always did the first bit as a short, Twitter-length suited tweet, hash tags and all.
That made the FB post below the 'tweet' section feel even more like a 'comment'. Here's the one I did for the grand 7-Day Steemit Business Building Accountability Challenge starting Sunday, March 4, 2018:
Anyhoo, back to Steemit...
Before the end of my very first day, I got that spending my time learning about AND making friends here on Steemit was the best strategy for my first week's activities as one mere itsy bitsy plankter.
And I figured that SOME of those new Steemit friends I was being social with would be social back with me.
Those peeps may take a quick peek at my blog... well not a proper, regularly 'posting' blog yet... and maybe, just maybe mind you, like the quality resteems and first post enough to follow and then come back... to YES, COMMENT on MY blog posts... when I started creating them.
Oh, that first post?
It was the normal #IntroduceYourself post, published during Day 1 of my new Steemit adventure, entitled 'Pounded Steemit Doors With Open Sesame Mantra Until Y'all Let Me In!!!'
So that went on, my socializing and commenting, that is, for my entire first seven days here on Steemit.
By my seventh or eighth day, I'd have to check to be sure, I tried to upload a 19+ minute audio to DSound which would be my first guided meditation post.
I used to lead guided meditations here in Jamaica on my driveway and porch every week and in more formal settings.
And I'd facilitated them soon after I got back online in 2004 straight through to offering them on a monthly basis as a paid membership since 2008 up to 2014 after my father passed.
So posting short audio guided meditations here on Steemit would be an easy way to begin to get in to a regular, hopefully twice daily publishing rhythm.
But the uploading would not work.
[SIDEBAR] I'm still wondering if it's because that first audio was too long to start out with on DSound for the first time... but I will record then test with a shorter audio.
[END of SIDEBAR]
I'd seen my Kindle author bud, @GaryHarvey post a 'Help'-type entry when he got in trouble with passwords or some such.
Busy bees in head buzzing around, trying to figure how to get the audio posted, settled on the memory of seeing Gary's post and suggested a 'Help' post of my own.
My second post became a request for help to figure out what I was doing wrong on my two audio upload attempts. It was quite plain. No pic!
And again, purely by accident thanks to Gary's great example and because I couldn't figure out what to do to get the planned second, 'real' audio post up and out.
So out flew that plain 'Help' post.
And me?
I just went straight back to MORE commenting until my official third but second 'proper' post... let me do a quick check...ok, that was Happiness Quotation - Dalai Lama three days ago on February 28th. So that was my 18th day here.
So my entire first week I wrote ONLY one full blog post, my intro... but I wrote comments. Not as many as I wanted to, but it was an OK start.
But here is where all of this is leading to...
In the writing of those comments, especially on posts I found very interesting and thought provoking, I ended up writing some longggg comments. Long, with FOUR g's. ;)
Two wonderful Steemit adopted mentors who wrote posts on the power of commenting on Steemit agreed that my comments on their posts were worthy of their own space as posts. btw, these dear hearts will have posts dedicated to them so look out for them.
I do think they were trying their best to get me over what I admitted... that I was feeling a bit scared to start blogging regularly because I frankly felt out of my depths on Steemit.
Plus I'd gotten accustomed to writing and publishing via Kindle fiction and non-fiction books and didn't blog during that time.
Back then, writing was for publication as a Kindle ebook to be sold on Amazon.
Did you ask 'out of my depth' when I mentioned that above, btw?
Yes, because every day I was reading such amazing, well thought out and savvy posts.
How in heaven was I going to create and publish two even half decent posts... especially after not posting blogs in soooo long?
Commenting was MUCH safer!
Anyway, to recap:
My first week was about to end with only the one #IntroduceYourself post and many comments. This is my Steemit blog header on Friday, February 16, 2018 at 11:04am, my 6th day here.
It was time to bite the bullet and get my second post up. But techie details derailed that. So commenting during my first then second week was broken by that one 'Help' post around the 7th or 8th day.
After that second post and in between deciding whether to scrap the first audio and just do a second shorter one to see if that would work, I went along quite happily for a few more days just commenting.
Because I LOVE commenting! AND upvoting posts and comments to those posts!
It is such a social thing and I'm in a years-long hermit phase, so meeting and greeting online is a wonderful way to sneak out a bit from complete hermit mode.
BUT...
I've been sitting on two series ideas for the past week or so. And they've been bugging and calling to me to be 'let out'.
And we know that when it's time for something we've been creating to be expressed and shared, the opportunity must come along, especially if we've been waiting for a little push, right?
Today my other good fellow fiction author bud @peggyhazelwood wrote a great comment on my upcoming 7-Day Steemit Business Building Weekly Accountability Challenge Announcement post thread.
SO great that in responding to her feedback and query, I ended up writing TWO wayyyy toooooo longggg comments. ;)
Also wrote a third... but that's for another post to perhaps kick off the second series idea. ;)
But to get back to this Way Too Longggg Comments series.
First, here's the part of Peggy's comment that I responded to:
I am learning a lot about how Steemit works (I'm really new, too!) and know that I can't use up too many upvotes or they don't mean anything/don't do any good.
And here's what I wrote in the first of two comments on what I've been calling the 'heart value' of comments:
Hi Peggy! Thanks for stopping by!
Upvotes always mean something, it's just that with we plankton/minnows, it's sometimes more heart value than monetary value. Several more experienced, 'higher up' Steemians have told me that comments mean more to them. And post authors always notice who passes through and comments but leaves no 'thank you'. And that affects whether someone will even want to go visit your blog to see if they'd like to follow you. Upvotes are just 'Thank you's' for the privilege of having one more space in Steemit to reach out and make friends, right?
Minnows usually have about 10 or so upvotes that give monetary value per day. After that, it goes down. But I see that you have developed a great commenting habit already. Can you imagine the power of that combined with working with a group who are willing to also comment, upvote and encourage you as well? Building relationships of support will be a great investment now and for future Steem success.
What you could do if you'd like to participate is split your perfect 'ten' between your normal daily commenting that you do to earn curation rewards and this challenge.
To post links to two of your daily posts, you'd just need to upvote and comment on four posts. Then depending on how many comments you'd like to receive from this Challenge's community, you could invest more upvotes with other participants after you're done with your 'outside' Challenge upvotes.
Instead of hoping for the best that your posts get upvoted, other challenge participants would be making their own upvoting/commenting rounds so they can post their links too. I'm sure you'd benefit from that because your posts are always great. ;)
What do you think? How does that sound?
Hope we'll be steeming with you come Sunday, Peggy and thanks again for taking the time to comment.
SEEEE how longggg that comment was????
AND there was a SECOND one!
That I intended to add here but this post is longggg too and I need to go eat my din-din then write and publish today's End of Day Journal post... that will be late... again. ;)
SOOOO, I'll leave that second longggg comment on Sunday's Challenge Announcement for the second in this Angie's Way Too Longggg Comments series. ;)
Until then, take very good care, get with us for Sunday's Challenge...we'd be happyyyy to have you... and enjoy your weekend...
Angela xox
Before you forget...
Be sure to get front row seat access to all my new posts, be that:
- Inspirational morning centering via breathing meditations or galactic toning
sound healing
- Quotes with my personal insights
- End of Day Accountability Confessions
- Or any thing critical or just juicy here on Steemit. I resteem as many of the current cutting edge announcements that I find in addition to posts that float
my quirky boat.
The easiest way stay on top of all my new shares here on Steemit to set-up your own personal artificial intelligence GINABot tool to send you notifications of my new posts as they hit Steemit's news stand.
Here's how to add me:
And if you're not yet using the free GINAbot tool, here's how to get her on your team, tirelessly working for you 24/7/365.
Check out some of my recent posts:
End of Day Accountability Journal - Reflections On How My Day Went - Thursday, March 1, 2018
7-Day Build Your Steemit Profits Weekly Accountability Challenge
End of Day Accountability Journal - Reflections On How My Day Went - Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Happiness Quotation - Dalai Lama
Check out some of my older posts -
your comments are ALWAYS welcome but please don't waste your steem power upvoting... consider upvoting the newer ones above that you like:
Pounded Steemit Doors With Open Sesame Mantra Until Y'all Let Me In!!!
If you enjoyed this post, please upvote and resteem to help share it with others who may also enjoy reading it.
And remember to follow me so you can read and enjoy others... GINAbot (above) will send you personal notifications of each new post.
Thank you.
Hey there!
That is cool you are enjoying yourself and getting back into blogging/writing. I've been networking and making some friends too.
I must admit though, I have a short attention span. I find it hard to read long blogs/posts. It comes from my ADHD and growing up in the tv driven era.
I'm liking making videos, blogs about our family adventures, and really just whatever enters my head at the time.
I like to focus on the St. Louis aspect of my life. We have a unique town right in the middle of the USA. Lots of cool things to blog and do here.
I threw some love your way!
Have a good day.
Hey, so cool of you to stop by, @jgvinstl!
Me too. ;) Sorry it was so long. Going to be cutting way back.
The post before this one was for a Challenge that's starting in a few hours. Had to set things out fully in the main Challenge Announcement post so it can be used by future participants to see what it's about.
That sounds perfect. I prefer to be in the moment too although I'll have to be structuring things better for better time management on my part. Now that I've re-found you, will visit much more often. And Thanks for the love. ;)
Hey, Angela! I appreciate the shout out and your great (and long! hahaha!) explanation. I am all for teaming up to connect and help each other out. Upvoting just 4 makes a lot more sense to me than being required or expected to upvote ALL.
So, I'm in! Keep me posted!
Just my opinion here - I don't think that upvoting just four is the way to go at all - this whole system works on the upvote and personally I upvote probably 50 posts a day to help others progress - I upvote at 20%. The more established people here flag you if you comment and don't vote.
Andy, thanks so much for dropping by and chiming in.
As I said in above (or below ;)) response to Peggy, I wanted to keep Challenge stuff on the Challenge post page. I just finished re-posting her above comment there and my response. You can find the latter here:
I'm also now going to post your comment over there too. ;)
XOX
Hey Peggy, you're Welcome! And Yes, it was wayyy too long. Will be cutting way back. ;)
I think your other comment was meant for the Challenge post, Peggy, so I'll just re-post your comment and respond there.
Thanks for stopping by on this one.
Oh you're not kidding about the long comments. I enjoyed this post of yours and it hit some real points with me. I love building a community here, being a hermit-type person.
The end of day journal is helping me 1) sleep better as my mind is cleared and 2) keep focused.
I'm also glad to find the Challenges you mention and I'll be there as soon as I finish this post.
I'm using GINABot and will pop over and add you to my follow list there.
Hey, Joanne! Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and Yes, let's us hermits stick together! ;)
Happy you're enjoying journaling. It's been a mainstay in my life from early teenage years in one form or another.
And it will be great to have your company in the Challenge too. Will be posting the Week 1 kickoff in a few hours. Isn't GINA wonderful??? :)
Anxiously awaiting Week 1 and yes, GINA is great -- lets me know what someone has replied. I am glad to be here.
I'm with you. I thought that more people would be keen to team up and support each other but there seem a lot that don't want to do that. To me it seems the best way to go, make friends and upvote their posts, comment etc.
Hey, Andy!
Thanks so much for popping over!
JUST as I read your post, I realized that one of the reasons I've been finding Steemit SOOOO obsessive is the going around... anywhere... and meeting such way kewl people.
We can literally shut our eyes, finger on the mouse and just scroll and click on whatever comes up in the feed for one of our fav tags and find something RIGHT THERE or a bit up or down from the post we blindly hit... and time just passes reading/watching/listening and commenting.
It's a kind of madness, me thinks! ;) But fun and jokes aside, Andy, I truthfully cannot think of a better, more effective way to meet new peeps in areas we are interested in, build an audience and hopefully work together in some form of collaborative group.
btw, I don't think we're to edit posts... but this one was so long and looked it that I had to go fix up some pics to add. Hope it looks a little less bare Sahara desert now. ;)
Thanks again for being First Commenter, Andy and hope you'll join us in the kick-off to the weekly challenges this Sunday. xox
This is an extraordinary post, @angelacs.
Not only very loooooong, but also intriguing to me. And I'll tell you why.
You're relatively new to Steemit but you already have an enviable reputation of 35. How do you (or other readers here -- you're invited too) account for that?
-- is it mostly a result of resteeeming?
-- is it mostly a result of posting long comments where the legends of this business will see and respond positively?
In other words.... what is the secret of your success here?
And is resteeming = reblogging? I see that latter term on many other posts on your blog.
Let's EXPLORE THIS TOGETHER SOME MORE, please.
And yes, I'll be in with you in the long comments game if that is as powerful as it appears to be from your story.
Gary
PS: Thanks for the happy mention of our early connections here on Steemit.
Or...
-- is it mostly a result of the large number (266) of people you're following here?
I definitely think that's a part of it. Big wigs don't need to follow many.
But we're minnows. When someone you'd LOVE to follow you takes the time to cover over to visit and peeps to see if you follow them, AND sees that you do, that's a plus.
That let's them know you appreciated them enough from before their visit to be already following them.
ALSO, when you're out and about and don't feel like checking your bookmarks, posts from those peeps will be in your timeline all waiting for you to scroll through, pick and start your upvoting/commenting rounds.
IF wanting to get notifications from special peeps is one reason to NOT follow lots of interesting authors, I'd suggest using GINAbot or that other thingy to get notifications. Don't remember name right now.
Your 'following' stats is the only thing I'd suggest you up, Gary. You're doing fabulously in every other area, especially quality of your posts and comments. ;)
This just popped into my mind and I've said it before in another comment. But it's so important, it's quickly becoming my Steemit mantra/core message... so I'll repeat innumerable times: authors posting and upvoting visitors comments and peeps visiting and commenting/upvoting authors posts is WIN/WIN for everyone.
The author needs an audience that's at least interested in seeing what craziness they're coming out with next.
The audience also mostly needs to build their audience AND wants good, interesting content too. Upvotes of the blog say 'Thank You' to the authors, upvotes by authors of post for interesting comments made on their posts say 'Thank You' to those taking the time to grace their blog.
WIN/WIN, Gary.