"Hard Times" Part Two: Taking Advantage of the Crisis, Finding Friends, and Another Steemit Rant

I have heard a saying that is attributed to the ancient Chinese (although I don't know if that bit is true or not) about there being opportunity in a crisis. True it is a little too pithy and, perhaps, a bit cliche, given how frequently it is used as a motivational "mantra." However, I see wisdom in the statement in regards to the current state of this site. With the low price of Steem (and most other cryptocurrencies) we are seeing less activity here, fewer new followers, and lower payouts. In that sense, we are very much in a the middle of a crisis, but I have also seen a fresh opportunity that was not available to small accounts like mine and many others before this downturn. For one who is willing to stick around through these "hard times" and "gamble" with his or her free time, there may be a new path to success on this site.

To be specific about what I am getting at here, I will say that with fewer fish in this ocean, there is more food for us plankton and minnows who continue to swim through this bad weather. Without the larger mass of people posting, it is far more likely that our posts will be noticed. I came here not only with the hope of creating content but also to be a content consumer and I think the same is true for most of us. I don't believe that this has changed either, which means that, right now, there is a demand for content and also a shortage of content. If one takes advantage of the moment and continues producing, the intrinsic value of his or her content is much higher than it would have been when prices were better even if the payout is not.

There is further benefit in taking advantage of these "hard times." That is to say, there is currently a greatly increased ease of networking for those who are willing to spend some time meeting other people in the community. I have noticed that, as the price has fallen, it has become easier to get to know individuals on this site because one's comment only needs to stand out among, let's say, ten others where, in times past, there would have been forty. This makes meaningful interactions with other users much simpler to pursue and community engagement is one of the most important thing a person can do here. A stranger may drop an upvote on one of your posts and walk away but your friends will come back around just to see how you are doing and they are likely to give you an upvote while they are at it. With the reduction in usage due to the low price of Steem, there are a lot of us who have seen some of our friends disappear and while that is sad, it also means that there are a lot of people who are looking for new friends. If you are willing to make an effort to find people you can relate with, it is definitely worth your time to talk to them and if everything works out, you may find that you get along and a mutually beneficial relationship, that may never have existed before the price of Steem went down, is born.

Dedication recognizes deduction. I have noticed three types of people who seem to be trying to stick it out during this slump. There are enthusiastic small accounts, big accounts who have a large stake here and an interest in this site continuing to be successful, and total "noobs" who don't yet have the frame of reference to compare the current state of things to. For the purpose here, I will ignore the third category but I am certainly happy to have those people around and I hope that they decide to stay long enough to make it into one of the other categories. At any rate, since times are tough and there is uncertainty in the air, there is more incentive on the part of the bigger accounts to support content that adds value to the site because it serves their own interest and because they can identify with a similar work ethic to their own in these highly active up-and-comers who are currently showing their dedication here. This is not true of everyone, of course, but I have noticed that people who may not have given my content or comment a second glance in the past are a little looser with the vote button and that is a good thing for everyone, I think. It helps small creators stay motivated and it helps to protect the investment of the big stake holders who want or need this site to do well. That is certainly a "win-win" scenario if I have ever seen one and it has developed out of a crisis. The irony is beautiful, really.

As with my last Steemit rant, it is worth noting that this principal extends beyond this site. I point to issues here because they are things that we are all familiar with but the idea holds true in other parts of life too. If one is able to see the bigger picture, "hard times" can be used to his or her advantage. If all the stores suddenly shut down, the poor farmers may become extremely wealthy. If the old systems of power begin to crumble, then new systems have an opportunity to take their place. If all the young, healthy, attractive men get sent off to war, the fat guys with bad knees (like me, sadly) have a much more interesting love life. I could list about thirty-seven more of these but they would get weirder and weirder and you would get board so I will stop there. The point is, that it is to our advantage to look for the fresh opportunities that often emerge from crises no matter what they are. That being said, one's motivations and goals can be either ethical or highly unethical, so use your best judgment and please don't exploit anyone in the process because, at that point, you stop being clever and start being douche.

Peace.

All the images in this post are sourced from the free image website, unsplash.com