Post. Comment. Curate. Repeat.

Easy As 1, 2, 3

I'm starting to wonder if being on Steemit follows some kind of pattern where we all go through different stages of emotions so that we eventually end up posting about similar things, just at different times and probably from several different perspectives.

So, whatever stage I'm in now along the Steem spacetime continuum, I'm ready to complete the post for it.

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There I am, on the road less traveled, hoping to find others along the way. Because it's lonely, dude. And kind of scary. What if there's bears, or mountain lions, or something?

No Time To Play 'The Game'

While it might actually spell my downfall, seal my doom or severely hamper my success here on Steemit, et al, I've made up my mind. I'm not going to play the game. Those who want to play the game should go on playing it. At least I hope there's room here for both the players and those who don't want to play, like me.

Say What? Are You In Or Not?

Oh, I'm in. I'm just not playing the Steemit Open World Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. I'm going to stick to Steemit: The Disruptive Social Media Platform and take my chances.

Steemit's An OWMMORPG?

Well, that's what I'm calling it, but I suppose someone will take umbrage with the comparison. I think Steemit has all the earmarks, and for me, it's better than calling it a grand social experiment. That makes me feel like a rat in the cage while some lab technician monitors my every move. At least calling it a game, I feel like I can walk away from it anytime I want.

Okay, How About Getting To The Point?

Of course. Here it is.

Upvotes

I'm the smallest of minnows right now, so most of what I'm going to say is moot. But since I have a slider on both blog platforms and a little more juice, I'm going to keep doling it out in relatively larger portions to all the posts and comments that I see and feel are deserving of my end of the reward pool.

Self-Upvotes

Haven't done it yet (not intentionally anyway), and I don't plan to for at least the immediate future. I understand all the reasoning behind it, I sympathize with it, and I may change my mind at some point. For my first six weeks on Steemit, and into the foreseeable future, I will continue to refrain.

Reasons?

Main one—it's a workaround, and not necessarily a good one. The platform UI isn't doing a good enough job, so people are taking matters into their own hands. Nothing wrong with doing what you can to fix things. I just don't want to take the time and effort to go about researching which bots to use, when to use them, and then do it all over again the next time. Bots will come and go. Some will be well intended, others not.

For me, I get tired just thinking about it. It may be the easiest thing ever. But it's one more step that shouldn't be needed.

Any Other Reasons?

I have a friend who is helping me out for the time being. I've mentioned him many times. At some point, I will be able to swim a little more on my own into the deep water, and even then, I suspect he will still be there for me. Because for some reason, he likes my stuff, and because, of course, when I have more oomph, I'll be able to help him out more. I think that's the way this is all supposed to work, right?

What About Others?

The same rule applies. Engage with me through comments, you'll get a portion of my upvote. Ask me to follow, like your post, or only manage a few words thanking me for my post or sharing my pearls of wisdom, I probably won't upvote or say anything back.

Catching The Eye Of The Whales And The Orcas

Well, look. I'm not going to discourage anyone from upvoting my posts and comments. Why would I do that? I'd prefer they did it because they liked what I wrote, even if they disagree with what I said. I would hope they are doing their jobs as curators and not just making a calculated investment.

Is there even a way to gauge someone's intent? Regardless, everyone's supposed to be grown up enough here to make their own decisions with their own piece of the pie.

That doesn't mean, however, I'm going to go out of my way to court anyone's favor. I wouldn't want anyone to feel obligated to do that with me. That feels wrong and more than a little sad.

I'm going to engage with those who engage with me (and probably with some who won't). If that results in an upvote, great. If it doesn't I will probably still leave one of my own and move onto the next interaction. I won't avoid conversations about topics I find interesting just because a reward won't be forthcoming. I feel that's the way I want to be treated so I'm going to do it in kind.

Resteemers/Paid Curators

I've used one, and if offered, I may use one again. I was contacted by a human curator who nominated my post to a daily list of nominated content. I didn't have to pay anything, other than my time and effort, which I was already doing to produce the post. The curator, as far as I know, received something for their time, and my post got out to some more eyes.

I turned another down because I didn't quite feel right about it. I might change my mind if the offer is extended again. I find post lists and resteeming to be much more a natural way of going about this, even if their is money involved with the curator. There would be anyway, though. I guess if that makes me a hypocrite, or amounts to six of one, half a dozen of another, so be it. I don't see it that way, but to each their own.

Alliances/Groups

I haven't joined one yet, and for the time being, I probably won't. There's a lot of work that goes into setting something like that up, with the potential of some hard feelings, especially for the person doing it all. Even so, banding together for a common cause is a good thing. I'd rather be a free agent and help out as I can rather than have some kind of commitment that I don't know I could keep. I wish these kinds of organizations well and I hope their members find the success they seek.

Mentors/Adopt-A-Minnow

While a little formal for me, I'm all for this. Isn't this the way it should be? I've had my own mentor and it's made Steemit a worthwhile place, even with all the unwanted gamification. It's more personal, more fulfilling, and can lead to greater associations than subscribing to a bot or some other automated process. Downside, there's going to be more newbies than big fish. Still, more could be done in this regard if people chose to do it.

Delegation

Just like everything else here, if people want to delegate or receive delegation, that's their decision. I haven't delegated yet (I haven't been asked nor have I offered), nor have I received delegation (no offers, no asking). I'm not inclined to do it, unless I can be reasonably sure about expectations, both mine and the delegator/delegatee. I think I'd rather help out in upvotes and resteeming, though. It just seems like the simplest way to go.

I know people are here to earn STEEM in more ways than just posting, commenting and curating. Good for them. I wish them all the best.

Following/Followers

I don't follow to be followed back, or vice versa. I learned that lesson several years ago on Twitter. Unfortunately, they forced you to do it. Here, we're left to think and choose for ourselves, so I'm choosing who I'm going to follow. Others can choose to follow me or not.

If I could choose my followers, of course I'd choose those who consistently like my work and who engage with it. But I can't choose my followers. And I'm not going to take the time to go around asking them to stop following me if they're not going to read my stuff. So, when someone follows, I take it with a grain of salt until I see a comment, upvote or something else.

Contests

I've entered one so far and I won 100 whaleshares. I will probably do it again. I like to write, and the contests give me another outlet, which means more eyes on my work, regardless of whether or not I win. I want to win, but it's also fun, so I do it for both reasons.

Investing

I've done that, so I'm okay with it. I did it to get me to Minnow status so I have a little more voting power, and because I believe in STEEM. It gives me more incentive to keep posting, commenting and curating, too, knowing I have proof of brain and my own money in the pot.

Flagging/downvoting

I haven't done it yet, and I'm not likely to. I withhold my upvote if I don't think something deserves more than what it has. I also want to use my upvotes to help those who are providing value more than I want to penalize those who aren't. If I see someone using a bunch of bots to get their post out there, I probably won't upvote it then, either.

Curating

If I like it, I upvote it. If I like it more, I resteem it, as well. I don't really care when either of that happens. If I get some vote dust for it, cool. I'm not going to intentionally wait a period of time in order to maximize my microscopic portion of the reward from $.001 to $.002. If there's other people with greater stake ahead of me, then I understand I might not get anything anyway. All of that changes as I get more of my own SP, but I don't see myself changing, even if I leave curation rewards on the table.

Starting A Movement

Not for me. I've been a leader. It's not all glamour and glory. I'll follow a cause if it's right, and I'll provide whatever help I feel I can as long as I am free to come and go. I'm here to post, comment and curate. That's what I want to do.

I Will Die Poor

So be it. I know I can be more of an idealist than what's in my best interest. In some ways, it's liberating. I keep being told I'm supposed to be in it for the long haul, anyway. If I can start taking some kind of monthly compensation at some point, it will at least make my wife happy and justify to her all the time she thinks I'm spending here.

Steemit doesn't have to be the only answer out there on the blockchains. If a competitor doesn't already exist, it will. That's the nature of free markets and enterprise. There's always someone who can do it better. Busy already does some things better and it's not necessarily a competitor.

I want to write, comment and curate. I'd love it if others would do the same, and let the Steemit OWMMORPG die a short, but natural death. I know, though, that there are people who enjoy playing the game and will continue to do it for as long as they can. If that's all Steemit and STEEM is to them, then that's all it is to them.

All I can do is try to be true to my own ideas and self-imposed standards and live with the consequences and hope there's enough likeminded folk around so I keep on posting, commenting and curating. I feel this way I can also contribute in some small way to bring about the big dream, the big picture goal—a decentralized and freer world.

As I said, I guess that means I'm in it for as long as STEEM is a thing.