A Review of What Has Been and An Anticipation of What Is to Be

Hello Steemians!

Two nights ago, @legendarryll, @thegaillery, and I decided to convene to discuss steemit matters. Matters that could potentially make or break our steemit career (Wow! We now have a steemit a career!?). It's exactly what you thought it was. We just sit down and talk. It was very informal, but a productive one. At the end of this post, I hope that you will get something or you will be inspired to continue with what you are doing.

_{OUR STUFF. Nevermind that. Please focus on the content from now on. I hope you'll get something from this.}
Four months ago, we were all struggling with our presence here. We felt that we were undervalued. While @thegaillery and I continued with our presence by commenting and occasionally posting, @legendarryll was really on hiatus. If you have read his Kawah Ijen post, you might have a slight idea of what he was going through in life. Before, we did all means just to earn meager cents. I would be dishonest if I say that I was not affected by the payouts of others. I tend to compare mine with them and even concluded that I have better quality posts than them. I guess we all have gone through that phase.

In my case, I did everything just to earn upvotes. I joined contests and challenges. That time, the contests of @steemph.cebu has been my temporary escape from my own self pity. For that, I will always be grateful for @steemph.cebu's presence and contribution to my steemit career. When @steemph.cebu made a year-end wrap up review, Part 2 of that 4-part post is on rewards distribution. My name was mentioned in all 3 initiatives (Contests, Community Questions, and Weekly Feature). It means two things: (1) I was really desperate and (2) @steemph.cebu has been so generous to me.

That time, I would be very happy when I get featured. My twitter account is my proof because one milestone in steemit will surely be shared on twitter. For that, I will always be grateful to @themanualbot and @jassennessaj for the encouragement and recognition.

I guess it's a different case for these two: @thegaillery and @legendarryll. They have their own struggles, too! I cannot make claims for them, so I guess I'll just leave it as their story to tell.

Note-worthy Insights

The meeting was more of recounting our journey and speculating of what might be the future waiting for us. Though the meeting was very crude (It's not really a meeting.), I would like to share some of my insights after the meeting. Here are some note-worthy and I hope it will inspire you:

We should never compromise our content.

We all agreed that we should not compromise the quality of our content with the quantity of our posts. Our drive to build our presence here on steemit will always be on quality content. We have decided that no matter what happens, we will not sacrifice what we have started to build just for the sake of capitalizing the system. I guess I can say that right now, monetary rewards are our secondary motivation.

Now, we are the people we looked up months ago and we have a lot of people thank for that.

In behalf of my core group, I would like to thank @themanualbot for his insurmountable effort in helping us achieve what we have right now. You have been the silent force that drives us to be the best version of our steemit selves. We will not be what we are without your relentless endeavors to help us to the best of what you can do.

I would also like to thank @wandergirl for introducing steemit to us. You became an integral part of our steemit journey. I will never forget the time when you were our teacher and mentor. For that, I will always be grateful.

When I wrote about Tips and Tricks on How to Get that Most Coveted Curie Upvote, I realized what @legendarryll told me when he got his first curie upvote. He said that we never thought we would reach this far and that we are now what we looked up before.

To be curied is both a blessing and a challenge for us. A blessing because we were recognized by an esteemed curation community with a renowned reputation. And a challenge because we were compelled to continue with the level of quality we started and continue to hone our craft. Also, a challenge to maintain or surpass what we have accomplished so far. Just a thought of it brings a shiver to my spine. A sensation caused by both excitement and apprehension.

We have different areas of expertise and we bring those expertise in the table.

We made careful assessments of the things we're good at and we bring those things to the table. We share all our experiences, learnings, apprehensions, and dreams here on steemit. This is our way of enriching our personal knowledge and skills. Abby, @thegaillery, is more adept in behavioral characteristics and she never failed to share her insights about that. One testament is The Confidence Project which was still up and running, with @jsmalila as the in-charge of the takeaway for February.

Darryll, @legendarryll, is more on creative pursuits and easthetics. He never failed to share his ideas when it comes to what's aesthetically pleasing and what's not. His background in Advertising Arts made him an excellent resource when it comes to creativity.

I, @ybanezkim26, am more on technicalities. I'm more into data and statistical analysis. Due to the nature of my work, I dig deeper to draw meaningful inferences out of large data sets.

Together, we form a core group that shares a common resource when it comes to steemit. We never fail to share what we have and learn from each other along the way.

Steemit has paved a way for communities to grow, both online and offline.

Perhaps one of the best things that happened in steemit is the formation and growth of communities. May it be online or offline, it's undeniable that connections and networks were forged by like-minded people. My emphasis is more on the communities offline. I can say that if the steemit community is dynamic online, what happened behind the scenes were more exciting.

Through meet ups and community-sponsored activities, friendships were forged. Many can attest to that. With the efforts of the core leaders of @steemph.cebu, I was able to meet people and make new friends. I am proud to be part of this community because it has been so active in organizing activities for the welfare of the members and of the communities that the members belong.

Future Activities

While we are bracing ourselves for the future, we never failed to discuss matters that could potentially add value to the community. Here are some interesting activities that we planned or continue to support.

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THE CONFIDENCE PROJECT_{@thegaillery and @jsmalila}

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This project has kicked-off 26 days ago, with an astounding response from the community. I have been promoting it everytime because I believed that the project will bring something to the community. I never hesitated to support it because it's one and first of its kind. The likes of @thegaillery deserved a much needed support because I think she has a lot to offer.

I will continue to support this project by making conjunction posts. As @thegaillery claimed that she would fight for this project until the end, I was inspired to support her all the time. Please watch out for the second takeaway to be initiated by @jsmalila. It will be on the first week of February.

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PROJECT L.I.B.R.O_{@legendarryll, @thegaillery, and @ybanezkim26}

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I did an introduction about Project L.I.B.R.O last October and I apologize for not updating it. For those who didn't know, Project L.I.B.R.O is an initiative of USC ChES (University of San Carlos Chemical Engineering Society); an organization that the three of us belong. It was launched when I was in third year college and it aims to help a school from far-flung barangays in Cebu. So far, we have adopted 3 schools. In this project, logistics is not a problem because the student members of USC ChES are more than willing to devote some of their time to help. What we lack is funding. Since the conception of the project, we relied on the donation of our foundation and on the donation of other institutions.

We wish to continue this project and give back to our chosen communities. With Project L.I.B.R.O.'s unwritten mandate, we will go to places where help is scarce because of distance and logistics issues. The last barangay in a rural town would always fit that criterion and in fact, the 3 beneficiaries qualified in that aspect. Tabla Elementary School is in Brgy. Tabla, Liloan, Cebu; the last barangay of Liloan and located near the border of Danao, Cebu. Amancion Primary School is in Brgy. Amancion, Catmon, Cebu; the last barangay of Catmon and located near the border of Tuburan, Cebu. Calbasaan Elementary School is in Brgy. Calbasaan, an outskirt barangay of Minglanilla, Cebu.

In the coming days, @legendarryll might post his take about the project. I pledge to fully support the project all the way from preparations to event proper.

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES OF @steemph.cebu_{Cebu Steemit Community}

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_{Photo courtesy of @purepinay}
We pledge to continue to support @steemph.cebu's initiatives for growth and connectivity of its members, as well as activities that unite individuals from all walks of life. We also give our 100% support to charity events, community outreach programs, and promotional stints. One way or another, rest assured that our presence will always be felt in the community.

With @steemph.cebu's initiative to Enrich More Filipino Lives in the region, I'm sure that Cebu's full potential will be maximized in the near future.

Cebu's community has been growing exponentially, so majority of the members are newbies. With this in mind, I will always make a way to create contents that could help the newbies make their presence be felt here on steemit. I will give back and pay it forward for I was helped and nurtured by the community when I was still struggling.

With all these in mind, we have faith that 2018 will be a year breakthrough for us here on steemit. With the help of everyone, growth for everyone is surely possible in a projected timeline.

Let's support each other and grow together!

Keep on steeming!

Hanggang sa muli,
Kim, @ybanezkim26