Nothing comes for free.

in #exyle5 years ago (edited)

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I met my first Anarchists on Steemfest 1.

I spoke to more than one but the most interesting thing I remember is one guy (who left steem along time ago) who said that he 'didn't believe in work and everything should be given to all the people for free'.

I will never forget that.

I also wanted to get out of the conversation really fast because...well...when people believe things that are so far off of what I believe (like a flat earth for instance) I don't even wan't to discuss it.

Nothing comes for free is my mindset.

So after Steemfest 1, I realised what an incredible opportunity I was presented with and I went to work.

Which was fucking hard.

We had the N^2 reward curve back then.

Which mend that even with the 10000 Steempower I had (and 40 votes a day back then) my vote was worth around $0.01.

Yet, some were making hundreds to thousands of STEEM a day. Thanks to N^2. (under this reward model rewards grow exponentially with more heavy votes).


sidenote

If you want to know who all you need to do is go here and sort the list on payouts.

It will show you who the biggest earners are in Steem history. Also compare the amount of posts they had to make to get it.

The most efficient guy is probably Charlieshrem who made 134405 STEEM with only 61 blogposts, thanks to the great N^2, he has 996 STEEM left now.

On that list I am number #66 with 1135 blogposts and 57263 STEEM earned. I have 151702 STEEM left now.

sidenote


But it did not discourage me or did I feel the need to complain.

I was on my own journey.

I started to invest. I realised early on that Steempower was key to all of it.

This is a post I wrote back then. It probably is one of my bests. It made $1.44.

I hope you want to read it is not long.

There are some similarities about things happening today.


https://steemit.com/steem-price/@exyle/a-little-bit-lower-please-on-steemprice


While the Steem blockchain was supposedly dying around that time I stayed and kept creating content.

I also started to buy more STEEM (with any bit of money I had left over in the month) while others that acquired it a lot easier dumped it for pennies.

It was very stressful and huge risk. The sentiment back then was so bad.

Luckily STEEM started to recover in April of 2017 and it only got better after that.

I have kept buying STEEM trough-out my journey till this day and everything I made on blogposts I still have.

The only time I sold what I earned was when we had that nutcase SBD pump to $10. But that was SBD not STEEM.

Fast forward to today.

The blockchain now is a completely different beast from what it used to be.

So many things have changed.

We went from N^2 to a linear reward curve, giving more power to everyone and less to the elite.

(Under the linear curve 2000Sp is twice as powerful as a 1000SP, anyone can understand this).

It's probably my favourite change out of all the changes made.

Linear rewards give a fair chance to everyone on here to make something of their account.

It makes it clear what you need to do and what you need to have to grow it.

End note:

This blockchain is proof of brain. Not proof of good content.

Anyone with a Brain is able to earn STEEM here.

But you have to use it.

It's been like this since the start.

Therefor I can't blame anyone that got on this blockchain early and earned a lot of STEEM cheap.

They used their Brain early, they were here at the right time.

Nowadays things are not so easy.

Nowadays you have to use your Brain in more ingenious ways.

Steem Monsters being my favourite example of this new type of proof of Brain.

This new type of thinking will only increase in the future.

Steem Monsters is setting a huge example for many.

And it coincides with what I always have claimed since I started talking about STEEM.

STEEM will be harder to earn in the future.

I already know my blog can never compete with Steem Monsters.

Let alone when there are more apps like that out there.

My blogposts about grilling a steak or my vlogs are no match vs Steem Monsters and if it wasn't for Steempower I would have been wiped out a long time ago.

Don't get me wrong. I like blogging but my content is (below) average and my rewards for them are solely based on my Steempower.

When people say that high lvl SP holder are voting on each other it's true.

We are all waiting for better places to allocate our SP.

When that opportunity arises this SP will be delegated to cool projects and the payouts from posts will decrease accordingly straight away.

But the ROI of the delegation will make up for it. Great! And it will make this blockchain grow faster and make it better.

We all care about STEEM and want to see it grow.

I believe 100% these delegation options are coming.

It's what I am waiting for and in the meantime I blog and have fun on the blockchain.

Especially with Steem Monsters right now.

I hope ppl don't get discouraged when reading this blogpost but it shouldn't be discouraging.

It should be uplifting and a realisation of how lucky you are to have discovered this Blockchain before so many others.

The fact that you can still acquire STEEM for 80 cents and it's still possible to earn STEEM as an individual is nuts!

Be grateful. I am.

In a couple of years this whole blockchain will be unrecognisable in my opinion. With hundreds of different projects and SMT's and Communities and all that.

And it will all be driven by the one token that can still be earned today. STEEM.

And if you believe that future will drive the price of STEEM up then you should know what an opportunity you are sitting on today.

You have to take risks and you have to believe in something.

But I can tell you one thing after being here for 2,5 years.

Nothing comes for free.



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what a sublime post matey.

This blockchain is proof of brain. Not proof of good content. Anyone with a Brain is able to earn STEEM here. But you have to use it.

i could not agree more with this statement, it's funny how we all have an idea of what 'good content' is -- it seems to mean something that is popular or show's depth or craftsmanship which i don't totally agree with, i believe content is good is if it moves you to a reaction in some way, good or bad, because in a world of AI and machine learning trust me, the subtle human overtones are gonna be important to see...

as for your vlogs being average, sorry, that's bullshit. your vlogs are great content, i have the upmost respect for your vlogs and it's not about contest or competition, sure steem monsters is new and getting traction but LEGACY is important too, you've been here a long while and have all the GANDALF style overtones someone looking for peers in this space needs.

never put a value or quality marker on what you put out, it's just part of the journey and a clear sign you want to improve anyway if you even debate it in your mind -- we can all get better, nobody was just awesome from the start, go back at look at episode one of wine library by gary vee, it was awful, he won because he kept going in what he trusted in.

... just like you, you always go on your instinct. keep doing you brother and just know you are a very well respected chap, from me to you!

I could totally see @exyle in full-on Gandalf apparel
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i think he would totally rock those robes! :)

When it comes to 'good content' the whole debate makes no sense I agree. It depends from person to person.

My experience is that you will never know what good content is until you create posts everyday and you will find out that different posts touch different humans in different ways and you will never know why this happens.

It's an interesting experience as a content creator and for that reason alone it's recommendable to just publish whatever you want and feel like on here and the other dapps without thinking too much about it.

Thanks for saying that about my vlogs. That's really cool.

I'll keep doing what I have been doing. My whole Steem journey is documented anyway and I am truly excited where this blockchain will take us next.

Let's have beer next month! Maybe two! :)

no doubt we will have BEER!

That doesn't sound like anarchism, though. I know a lot of people call themselves anarchists who are communism-leaning, but that's not very logical.

Anarchism means the lack of state. As in lack of government in this context. Lack of rulers, whatever.

The term "anarchism" comes from an meaning "without" and archos meaning "leader" or "ruler".

The logical fallacy of a socialist claiming to be an anarchist is that socialism always requires a state, completely negating the entire ideology.

And only a state can have the power to redistribute wealth, which requires force.

And the use of force obviously goes against not having anyone rule over you.

Now whether or not anarchocapitalism is a viable system, that's a different discussion entirely that go into a million branching rabbit holes.

As for the rest, I was reminded of a few discussions I've had with a friend about Mega Man X speedrunning.

He often talks about wanting to learn and being jealous of my skills, but he's never willing to put in the time and practice.

It's rather annoying. He sometimes acts a little bitter over the fact that I can do certain things, and then gets defensive when I tell him that it's all totally learnable, but you do need to put in the time.

But that's why I have a 32min 12s in X1, and he doesn't.

His own choice, I guess.

I don't know much about anarchism. Those guys were the only ones I ever met but your explanation makes sense. Anarchists on benefits I guess.

For me this blockchain is probably the closest to anarchy I ever got. Almost no rules, no guidelines and no central authority. Finding your way at the start is not easy.

I do like your speed running analogy. You need to put in the work and time to get what you want. But to add: and even then you will find that there is most likely always another person that is even better in it that you.

Alas, so is life :)

Thanks for you awesome reply. I learned new things.

Yeah, Steemit is anarchism pretty much. The closest thing to it. I've learned things about anarchism through Steemit. It's also challenged my trust in people's ability to organize without leaders. I've seen a lot of people crying for ned to help in different situations, even though the idea should be for the individuals to organize themselves. No one in Steemit INC should play leader. In my opinion anyway. And more influence is gained simply by buying STEEM Power.

And yeah, the world record is 31:07, and the gap between that guy and me is huge. :D

But hey, one day maybe. I think I can do it one day if I can maintain my interest.

But even if I can get a 31:06, someone is going to get that 31:05.

That's just how it goes.

Quality post!! Very refreshing compared to the usual dinner food pics or dinner selfies :)

Nothing wrong with food pictures. Or selfies or a girl showing her curves for upvotes. I just dream from time to time for a meaningful deep content. Especially on steemit.

Posted using Partiko Android

I am sure you can find meaningful deep content on Steemit. But it's hard to point it out because I don't know what you find meaningful.

For me the blockchain is mostly about having fun and investing my time and money in it. I also love the technology and thinking about it's future.

I think about STEEM every day.

It could be worth $8,88 next year.

Ya right notthing come from free.

Yeah right .

Excellent post, my friend. And one that makes a tonne of sense to me. It's crazy how much a select few earned back in the day, lol. One thing I'd like to add, if I may. All you hear these days is quality content "this" and "that". I'll give 100 Steem to anyone who can define what exactly so-called quality content really is. That's simply impossible to do, it's just plain too subjective. But that's the universal excuse being made right now.

And here's the joke of it. You're gonna love this one. "With" bidbots and linear rewards, the trending page is full of people who bought their way to the top. Doesn't really reflect quality or not, I suppose. "Without" bidbots and an n2 model, it's be the same hand full of people always at the top. "Just" like it was when we first signed up. We saw that first hand so both of us can vouch for it. I'll let everyone else decide on which "quality" model works better, lol.

This is a DPOS system. Nothing can ever make it a "fair" balanced model to please everybody. That's ridiculous nonsense. No matter how much you tweak the settings from behind the red curtain. I personally think the system is fine for what it is now.

Now, let's just get our heads down and all move in the direction of SMT's, shall we? We want two steps forward, not two steps back...

Thanks man and I agree. The trending page has never been about quality content just about people knowing how to get there and I'm fine with that or in other words it has never bothered me.

Everyone is on their own journey.

Neither did the blockchain care. It still keeps growing with a ton of development behind it.

I don't understand the talk about n^2 either.

Under n^2 the posts of high Steem power holders would do even better than they are right now. And the posts of minnows even worse but with the consequence that they will lose the voting power they enjoy today.

Linear makes the most sense for me and SMT's can be used to figure out hundreds of different economic models and people will gravitated to the ones they want.

Right on, man. Remember the days of having 10,000 Steem only to have your vote worth one cent? Jeez, I'd hate to go back there again. And imagine how those with way less SP would feel? Sounds like a dystopia to me. We saw what things were like back then and I'd hate to return to the "ice-age". Let's hope common sense prevails. :)

As more projects take the @steemmonsters route and create innovative ways to interact and engage using the Steem ecosystem, more value will be generated in different ways. While remaining social in nature, Steem has the potential to be much more. Seeing thia opportunity, I continue to post and engage daily to get as much Steem as I can in addition to my purchases for the long term.

Yes! Try to collect what you still can. It will only get tougher. We are in a limbo period between now and SMT's.

SMT's will take over STEEM's reward roll.

But STEEM will run it all.

As soon as I opened your post, it immediately gave me chills from seeing the time of post (usually we see hours, sometimes days), and in this case it shows 2 years.... wowowow that's a long time ago!

"Nothing comes for free"!!!
Indeed, that´s a universal true, it doesn't matter what we are talking about, in this case, your conversation with that "man" costed you time, and as we all know, time is money.

Yes, it's a long time indeed! This blockchain was so different back then. It has come a very long way since then and it will only grow from here.

Hi! @exyle

Yesterday I was down voted for @steemcleaners claiming that I translated without mentioning the source, which was not the case. But since then I´ve been "banned" and now the bot @cheetah is downvoting anything I do in the community, probably this comment too and you might not even see this.

My question is, what can I do to reverse this situation? Is there anything I can do?
Have you heard about it, and how can I defend myself, they have no justification....

I´m asking you for help because just like this post shows you have a lot of experience here, and you might know something to help me...

Very interesting! It would have been nice to be an early adopter and been active in the old days, but like you said, I don't think I would have been able to make it. I am a pretty humble guy, but I think my content is decent. I always enjoy reading yours, so don't sell yourself short! If you feel like throwing your vote around here and there before you delegate it all away, look me up :)

The window of opportunity to earn a lot of Steem with blogging was really small in hindsight.
Maybe only 6 months. Only a select few did it.

I wasn't one of them. But 2,5 years later I still have done ok and look forward to the future of this blockchain.

Thank you for saying that! Glad you enjoy it. I checked out your anniversary post! Congrats!

Thanks I appreciate it. Again, you sell yourself too short. You might not be hitting the trending page but you still make about $30 to $60 per post. On average that is $315 per week and $1260 per month. That could easily pay for the mortgage on my house each month. Sure you may or may not be able to live on it, but especially given the price of STEEM right now it is nothing to sneeze at. I know the rewards for posts get split between SP and SBD so my numbers may not be entirely accurate, but I think people get the idea :) Thanks again for the kind words!

The problem is that when you take STEEM out of your account your Steempower does not grow and it will slow down your ability to earn.

Especially when your realise that STEEM is a deflationary currency.

Every year there is less to go around. Growing your SP compensates for this.

Even worse is powering down. You literary sell the motor that generates STEEM.

I have never taken any STEEM out of my account in over 2,5 years.

My end game as you might have read is to at some point in time delegate my STEEM to projects that will make this blockchain grow for a nice ROI.

But that time is not here yet.

I get that, I power up pretty much everything I make. Occasionally I will donate some STEEM to Steembasicincome and every now and then I spend some SBD on Steem Monster booster packs, but pretty much everything else goes into my SP. Especially right now when the SBD to STEEM ratio is so beneficial for power up. I am all about the residual income too. I look forward to the day that I can sit back and let my SP work for me through delegations. I am really excited that I purchased some STEEM these past couple of months and converted it to SP so that I can start delegating to some of the groups that I am passionate about. Thanks for the well explained reply!

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