My Curie Curation Journal - Week 3 (Feb. 4 - Feb. 11) Guidelines are Guidelines for a Reason!

As part of my journey here on SteemIt and as a Curie Curator I want to keep a sort of journal of how things goes. My purpose in doing this is to not only keep track of everything I have done, but also to spotlight those that I submitted and had accepted, but also especially the ones that didn't get accepted so they might get a little exposure.

Also, for those out there who are part of the Newbie ReSteem Initiative #newbieresteemday, or anyone else who might want to send info on the exceptional posts they find, it might give you an idea of what to be on the lookout for. Of course, don't stay constrained inside a certain box, a certain type, just use these posts as a bit of a guideline.

Guidelines are Guidelines for a Reason!

My biggest problem with my submissions this week was walking too far outside of the guidelines. I had three posts that were not accepted, and I am pretty sure the reason is because they fell too far outside of the guidelines.

This first one not accepted had had a previous Curie upvote not too long ago. The next one was from an author's first post after his introduction post. Finally the third rejection was for an author whose reputation was too high. Now keep in mind there are exceptions to all three of those guidelines, but a post has to rise to an extra level of exceptionalism to overcome said guidelines.

This week I had 15 submissions open to me, a level I am not sure any curator has submitted to. By looking at recent Curie posts listing the results for each week of curating it is rare to see double digit submissions, with a few exceptions. As has been life, I am generally an exception to most standards. (Meant in a joking way!) My overall goal for the week was to take that next step and gain the title of a Top Curator. With each rejected post this becomes a harder task to achieve. In previous weeks you had to reach a curator score of 7 in order to be eligible as a Top Curator. With three failed submissions this would have meant that the only way to reach that number was to finish with 12 of 15 submissions accepted. Luckily the guidelines do change from time to time as needed, and this past week were changed to say that the top 4 curator scores for the week were the Top Curators for the week.

In the end I finished with 10 accepted posts out of my 13 submissions. After using the math put forth to calculate the curator score this left me with a respectable 5.92. That score was good enough for number three on the list for this week. So I DID indeed achieve my goal of becoming a Top Curator. The "perks" of that title now mean I have an unlimited number of submissions this week as long as I maintain good acceptance percentage throughout the week. It also means that I can now submit a post after just 45 minutes rather than the normal 2 hours and 30 minutes.

EDIT: There are a few lines struck out above. I did it that way rather than pulling it out completely. I misunderstood one of the things and actually fell short of becoming a Top Curator for the week. To do so you have to have an acceptance rate of 90% while being one of the top four in curator score. While I was third in curator score for the week, I fell short of the 90% . I was at 77%. Anyway, it just makes me want to work harder to hit that goal now.

I really do love being a curator. Having been lucky enough to have one of my posts upvoted by Curie a couple weeks ago and seeing the extra exposure that came with it, and feeling the joy of it all, I am very happy to be able to give that feeling to someone else. I also love being able to get the exposure to some great "causes" or "movements" and to incredible artists who just aren't getting enough attention.

Now let's get to the list of my submissions.

NOTE: Please remember that all but one of these posts are all still open. Why not head on over and check them out, upvote them, comment on them, and resteem them?

Submission #1

Since I had a submission open up on Sunday at 6PM I went looking to see if I could spot anything good out there. the previous Sunday I didn't bother to look since I wouldn't be able to submit one anyway. While I was looking through posts I came across this first post. For some reason the title just caught my eye so I went to read it. Honestly, I don't personally like granola. As I read through the post it was much more than just a recipe for making granola. It included steps that lead to making it much healthier, many photos from each step of the process, and even add in a little personalization with a photo of the author's little helper.

It was a very well put together post that was informative and interesting... even for someone who doesn't like granola! It is also a Homesteading tagged post. I never thought I was interested in homesteading. Turns out I might not have realized it, but I am interested in a lot of things that are done within homesteading. In this list you will find at least three of them using the tag, and I came very close to submitting another 3-5 using it. It just goes to show you that within your reading habits, perhaps you should branch out a bit into other tags that you might not usually read and see what you discover.

Submission

What's in Mama's Kitchen? Gourmet Granola. My Original Recipe. Unlike Any Other! Sugar Free!
by @schoonercreek


Curie Status: Accepted - Paid out: $91.05, Upvotes: 123, Comments: 25

My Pitch:

This author had an upvote more than three weeks ago, and has had four smaller upvotes as well. In the three weeks since the big vote she has had more than 25 quality posts. the majority of which close under $10. This post is a great healthier recipe for her gourmet granola, which is also made to be flexible for a reader's own personal tastes. She has lots of great photos accompanying each step of the process, and even gets personal with one of her grandchild who joins in the fun of making the granola for the whole family. This post appeals to the masses rather than just homesteaders as her last Curied post did as people who just want a healthier option for granola will love it.

Submission #2

Here comes homesteading submission number two! This one is all about building a natural well for a farm/homestead in India. It takes us through the different steps of the process right through completion of the amazing looking and functional well. I love how they were able to use stones natural and abundant to the location and that they were able to find such a talented mason to do the stone work. I also love how in this day and age that actual water diviners using nothing more than a stick are still being used in some areas of the world.

I wish them the best of luck and hope the payout from this post might help to pay for their planned swales and water collection systems!

Submission

How we Built our Stone Well on the Homestead
by @soulturtle



Curie Status: Accepted - Pending Payout: $67.67, Upvotes: 100, Comments: 18

My Pitch:

This author has had three previous upvotes, but the last one was a month ago and was about music. He has had about ten good posts since then and other than two exceptions ($16, $19) they have all closed out at under $10. This post however should transcend all of that. It is a great post chronicling the step by step process of building not only a fully functional natural well, but one lined in stones resulting in a beautiful structure. I think many readers will enjoy reading this one and seeing the process, not just homesteaders. This could easily be tweaked to build a pond for fish, for livestock to drink from, or just for decoration.

Submission #3

This next submission was not accepted. As I have stated in previous journal posts, there is no way to know the exact reasons a reviewer turns down a post, so I am left to guess. I think it was a mixture of reasons for this one - the author had gotten a Curie vote not too long ago (another post I had tried to submit but someone had beaten me to it!), and the post tells a bit of a secondhand story rather than the author's first hand account of the situation. Even thought it wasn't accepted it truly is a great cautionary tale that people need to hear.

Of course, not knowing the reasons why this post was not accepted lead to me being afraid to submit @appiepearl 's next post Addiction; My Story. Luckily another curator submitted it and it was approved. Even though I missed out on it, I am happy to see it got the attention it deserved.

Submission

Uber Near Miss - SAFETY REMINDER!!
by @appiepearl



Curie Status: Not Accepted - Pending Payout: $0.77, Upvotes: 11, Comments: 12

My Pitch:

This author has had one big Curie vote 9 days ago. This is her tenth post since then all but one have been under $3, and the other broke $20 due to a big voter or the Minnow Support group. She still remains mostly unnoticed. She is a part of a number of growing communities and continues to create quality content. This post is important for a lot of people to read in this world where so many use an app for a ride and then trust they will be safe. This story here is one that you might expect to see in a TV episode of a show like Criminal Minds or Law & Order: SVU. Something you hope never happens to people in real life, but the harsh reality is that it can and does. I think it is a great cautionary tale for all to see.

Submission #4

I loved being able to share the art in this next submission. Artist Peter Wink aka The Torso Man (which btw would be a great title for a horror flick or an episode of the aforementioned Criminal Minds) is a very talented sculptor and painter. It is amazing what he can do with wood, metal, and paint.

I think my favorites are the Tambootie Wood Torso, the Little Surfer, and the elephant painting. Which ones are your favorites? Go let him and his wife know.

Submission

Walk with me - Sculpture and paintings by Peter Wink
by @artywink


Curie Status: Accepted - Pending Payout: $76.71, Upvotes: 142, Comments: 24

My Pitch:

Wow, this mans sculptures are very impressive! His wife shares many of his great works in this post. Just from this post we can see why he is nicknamed The Torso Man, and you have to reach a certain level of success for others to give you a nickname based on your work. He is not just a sculptor either, his paintings are exceptionally nice as well. To finish the post off with a nice touch is a sculpture of a Whale, the thing that all Steemians wish to become. They have had very little success here with one post at about $6, a few in the $2 range, and the rest next to nothing. I realize the text supporting the post could be a little better, but this post is ALL about the images of the sculptures and paintings. That is what everyone will remember about this post.

Submission #5

I found this next submission unique. I mean sure magic is great and all, but this author not only walks about magic, but the psychology behind learning the tricks. Totally love the idea!

Submission

HOW TO LEARN MAGIC TRICKS - Mastering Skill Of Learning
by @kurtgrey


Curie Status: Accepted - Pending Payout: $92.48, Upvotes: 128, Comments: 10

My Pitch:

This author is new to the site and he has had three previous posts topping out at $3.48. He is a magician but doesn't talk about just magic. Instead he focuses on the psychological and physiological side of things. This post is about how we learn and how he uses the way he learns to master his magic. He also includes many outside resources for people to check out, including videos of other magicians practicing their craft. At the end though is a new dtube video of him showing a sampling of some of the "fanning" tricks he has learned over the years. I really do think people will be interested in the psychology side of things explained in a concise ane more easily understood way than normal. I also think he will be a great member of the community as he continues to get involved and share more.

Submission #6

This submission was just plain fun to read. I had to have another curator read it to see if I was right or if I was just finding it so funny because we had a similar situation with the same type of double oven. He agreed that it was very funny, so it was submitted. Hopefully many of you might find the humor in it as well.

Submission

Adventure in Home Repair - The Double Wall Oven
by @handofzara


Curie Status: Accepted - Pending Payout: $107.42, Upvotes: 41, Comments: 13

My Pitch:

This might be the most hilarious post I have read since joining SteemIt! I actually went through the same thing with one of these ancient double ovens. Our outcome was much more annoying and involved removing cabinets and a new stove. Anyway, I don't see how anyone will walk away from this post without a smile on their face. This author had a little success at first with a few dollars here and there, but in his 7 or so months on the site he has had virtually no reward. You will notice his blog filled with posts about crypto currency, and a handful normal posts like this sprinkled in. I think it would be great to reward THIS type of post and maybe it will move him away from the same old everyday crypto posts and into more engaging, storytelling posts like this. Either way you look at it I think this post definitely deserves our vote and some attention.

Submission #7

I was very happy to be able to finally be the direct cause of this next author getting the vote and attention. He was the first post I found while "practicing" my curation skills the week before @carlgnash could nominate me to become a curator. Since I couldn't at the time, Carl submitted his post about his day at work on the set of Judge Judy. I had planned to attempt to get him another vote at some point, but was unsure of how soon is too soon, so I waited. Then another curator along the way submitted one of his posts about his Socrates comic. So the waiting continued.

Then this week I saw this post which was something entirely different from the other posts of his that we accepted. It was a much deeper conversation about reason and emotion. I loved reading the post and was happy to see this was just part one! You can go check this one out as well as parts two and three (which was just posted today). While you are there be sure to check out his different comics as well.

Submission

Reason and Emotion: The Children of Desire - Part I
by @jpgaltmiller


Curie Status: Accepted - Pending Payout: $128.13, Upvotes: 167, Comments: 12

My Pitch:

This author is one that I found for Carl while I was practicing. He got to propose it that time, then someone else grabbed his Socrates comic post a week later. It will be nice to be able to propose this one myself! His previous two big votes were for that comic, and a Judge Judy story. With this post he goes in an entirely different direction, and gets into a much deeper conversation about Reason and Emotion. He presents it in a very interesting and entertaining manner and will have more parts to follow this one so as not to make the post three or four times as long as it should be. He is an excellent writer and this is an exceptional post. His last upvote was now more than two weeks ago. Since then he has had 13 more quality posts with an average payout around $8.60, with most coming from his Socrates comic and Lesbian Zombies comic. Overall he remains an undervalued author for sure.

Submission #8

Here is the second of my submissions to be rejected. For this one I think the reason is pretty clear though, and is the first reason for the title of this post. This one fell too far outside of the submission guidelines. This was the author's first post after his introduction post. It needed to rise to a whole new level of exceptional in order to make it since it was so far outside the guidelines. Nonetheless it was a great post! Another homesteading post, this one all about beekeeping (another thing I never knew I had any interest in!).

Please go check out this author as he has, as I suspected, already become a regular poster of interesting stuff. At some point this week I will probably find something of his that fits all the guidelines and submit it. (Or briefly get annoyed when another curator discovers him right as I was about to submit, only to then be happy that that the author got the vote and the attention.)

Submission

How to Trap Feral Bees to Build Your Apiary
by @beekerst




Curie Status: Not Accepted - Pending Payout: $0.31, Upvotes: 12, Comments: 12

My Pitch:

I never thought I would find so many homesteading post so interesting. I am betting many other readers would never seek this post out, but once we help them see it they will be intrigued by beekeeping. This post gives a bunch of great tips and instruction that can help experienced bee enthusiasts as well as those who might be considering to get started in beekeeping. He's also has some amazing photos to go along with it all, and even a short video of his bees feeding. I realize this is just his second post here on SteemIt, but I really think he is going to be a great addition to the site and look forward to reading more from him in the future. I am sure if you read through his intro post you will agree. Here is a quote from that intro, "The platform draws me, because it seems to be an ideal place to write about the things I enjoy and perhaps help someone that may benefit from my peculiar knowledge base." This is the type of person we need here. He has even started finding some other posts he likes and resteeming them, including another homesteading post that I just mightbe submitting after I finish reading and checking it all out! I definitely think this is an exceptional post that should be able to overcome the few guidelines it doesn't fit into.

Submission #9

This was the third and final rejected submission of the week. It hit hard when they came back to back! I started doubting everything I was doing. I believe the reasons behind this one not being accepted are that the author has a reputation of 57, considerably higher than most Curie voted posts. Also, it does reference a number of other posts, making that info not quite new to this post. To overcome that high reputation it has to rise to another new level of exceptionalism.

It was shortly after this submission, while I was questioning the things I was doing that one of the main Curie reviewers made a comment in the Curator Lounge (yes that is a thing!). While most of the curators probably thought it just came out of nowhere, I was sitting there knowing it had to be directed at me, only indirectly. Basically it was something like if you have to write an essay to justify your submission perhaps you need to take another look at the submission itself. You know the guidelines, use them to benefit your curation process. While at first I thought the exact wording was a bit harsh, I stepped back and thought about it, and realized they are a long term curator and reviewer for a reason. Why not try to use this "smackdown" to learn and become better? So this is what I tried. You will notice some of my future pitches are shorter, while hopefully still getting my point across.

As for this post, I love how it talks about standing up against art censorship. Go check it out and show it some love since I couldn't get a vote for it.

Submission

About Art Censorship
by @thermoplastic





Curie Status: Not Accepted - Pending Payout: $2.77, Upvotes: 22, Comments: 19

My Pitch:

This artist is unbelievably talented! He has had two Curie votes in the past. The last was at the beginning of January. Since then he amazing has had just 2 posts go above $4 and they didn't reach $8. While his previous voted posts were just his amazing art, this one goes in an entirely different direction. It talks about censorship in art, a post he was inspired to write after seeing another post right here on SteemIt. He references a few of his own older blog posts on the subject of censorship, but it is not simply a rehash of anything. He also includes another of his amazing artworks, this one of the Statue of David. While his reputation may be getting higher he certainly isn't getting enough attention and is EXTREMELY undervalued.

Submission #10

As I said, I adjusted to the previously mentioned comment. The result was that I found some of my favorite posts, the ones that share a truly personal story and pulls the reader into the story.

This submission shares a new mother's brush with death and nearly leaving her family, newborn included, behind. It is another story about how the medical professionals may be trained and schooled in many things, but they need to realized we have been training with our own bodies for our whole lives (literally!), and perhaps they need to listen when we are concerned about something. Luckily she got help just in the nick of time.

Submission

The Hospital Left Me To Die...
by @magicalmoonlight





Curie Status: Accepted - Pending Payout: $93.31, Upvotes: 166, Comments: 22

My Pitch:

This author has had just two posts break $1 in her month on the site. She is currently working with #dolphinschool to better her skills. In this post she shares her gripping near death experience after childbirth. Many will identify with some part of her story and become engaged with the post.

Submission #11

My next submission, again was a deeply personal story about the author not being accepted by her own mother, or the community she was a part of even though they are striving to be accepted by the masses. The author pulls us in to watch her struggles from childhood till now.

Submission

My sexual Identity - or this box has many labels
by @tygertyger



Curie Status: Accepted - Pending Payout: $100.85, Upvotes: 174, Comments: 26

My Pitch:

This author has been extremely active in her few weeks here, posting more than regularly. She had one post hit $70 but that mainly came from a dtube vote. Other than that she has had almost no reward at all. She is also an active member of at least half a dozen communities on the site. This is a deeply personal story where she reveals, in-depth, some of the hardest times in her life. She touches on abuse from her mother and even being shunned by a community that fights to be accepted, but yet wouldn't accept her as she was. This is definitely a post and author who deserves our vote.

Submission #12

This next one drew me right in. I grew up in the 1980s during the Arcade Game Craze, the Pac-Man Fever if you will. My hometown had no less than six arcades at one time, and I am talking full-fledges arcades with games wall to wall. When I saw this post I was intrigued and drawn in. This author is actually an Indie game maker! This post talked about the whole process he went through from design to finished product to marketing.

I love the game itself too, if you read through the comments you will see how I compared it to Galaxian or Phoenix on steroids or crack with Robotron like movement capabilities. It really does look like an amazing game. Head on over and read all about it, and perhaps go purchase the app.

Submission

My Indie Game Post Mortem
by @brandonsadventur


Curie Status: Accepted - Pending Payout: $121.51, Upvotes: 179, Comments: 10

My Pitch:

It is great to see an Indie game maker as part of our community. He does have a vote from about 2 weeks ago for a short story. This post is much more monumental though. He shares the story of the game from its developmental stages through completion and is now assessing its performance. I think readers will love hearing the story and checking out the game. If they are like me they will be transported back to some classic arcade games of the 80s. Note: The videos are not new but used as part of the story of development and advertising and aren't really the core of the post.

Submission #13

My final submission goes back to the personal side of things. @steampunk-penny discusses some of the biggest issues she is faced with on a daily basis in part two of her series titled Transgender 101. A great post that lays out some typical issues, and offers up some, what should be obvious answers.

Submission

Transgender 101: Episode 2; The Big Three...
by @steampunk-penny


Curie Status: Accepted - Pending Payout: $88.48, Upvotes: 164, Comments: 9

My Pitch:

This author has had one past vote more than 3 weeks ago. Since then more than 25 posts with one breaking $3, and not much else. This post is the second in a series they are calling Transgender 101 in which they are trying to educate people in many ways while trying to break stereotypical behavior and cultural stigmas.

In Conclusion:

This week I finished with 13 submissions and 10 accepted posts. This coming week I will have unlimited submissions as long as I keep a high acceptance rate. I will get 100 Steem for those ten posts that were accepted, but again, more importantly they all got upvoted for much more than that!

This week I not only got to spread things out more, getting 10 posts accepted, but I realized I have to continue learning and evolving in my curation career. Something I think I have known all along, but perhaps lost sight of a little bit while trying to dance outside the guidelines a bit too much.

Now please go forth and create great content. And if you create it or find it somewhere feel free to alert me to it. You can find me on Discord @randomwanderings #9929 . Also let me know if you have any questions.

Once again, remember the submitted posts listed above are still open and can be upvoted. Go visit them, enjoy their posts, upvote, resteem, and maybe follow these great authors.

Please checkout the tags of some groups where some of these posts came from. They are doing great things in the community.
#newbieresteemday #womenspeakout #teamgirlpowa #dolphinschool

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
Mark Twain