Is Steemit’s Learning Curve A Problem?
600k Accounts... Is Everybody here?
I remember someone posting recently that the number of steem accounts is now somewhere north of 600k. It's great to see such grown, but, according to [Steemit Post Statistics] (https://iworldpark.github.io/steemit/stat/post/), the number of accounts that submit a post a day hovers more around 21k. A number of the 600k are likely placeholders or bots, but how many of them are accounts from users that have veered away from the platform?? I fear that the community is losing a good number of contributors due the fact that the platform can be overwhelming and quite confusing. They should just reald the manual, right?
People don’t read user manuals
This user, who I blocked off their name for the sake of not calling them out directly, clearly did not know that voting power is expendable. In a very short amount of time since getting their account, this user has voted away most of their VP and apparently has done nothing else. Perhaps they carried the Facebook mentality that “like” is unlimited and added on the curation factor in mind. “The more I upvote, the more curation I’ll earn”
This led me to believe that Steemit’s learning curve is steep and there is not much easy access to help to tame it. I was lucky and had a fellow Steemian introduce the platform to me and gave me a good rundown of how it all works. For others, it’s hard to imagine that a new Steemian will read the welcome or FAQ pages. Users are more likely to use the trail and error method and, only if their early experience hasn’t confused or frustrated them into quitting, will eventually seek out more information and continue to use the platform.
I also read a post by @investingpennies (Found Here)asking about the where the convert SBD button went and found the comments interesting.
To @investingpennies’ point, most users will likely not take the effort to do their research. And if they do, it’s likely half-assed and they could be easily misdirected . Just think, how many users “researching” on Bitconnect ending up getting sucked in by CryptoNick or Chris Grant. Ugh.
Perhaps try this?
I’m no UI design/system design expert but here’s a few suggestions that I think would make the Steemit a bit easier for new users.
##Voting Power Guage on Steemit ##
Show voting power on steemit.com. Given how important voting power is, it should easily be tracked and hopefully users will realize that votes are to be spent willy nilly . The current method of having to navigate to use another site is just track voting power is just cumbersome.
Looks like @juanlibertad (and probably many others) have brought this idea up.
Have a Short Steemit 101 With Pictures or Visual Aids##
Cause who doesn't like pictures?
Source
The current Steemit welcome page is a giant wall of text with a welcome picture up top. Nowhere does it show the users were anything is. A quick reference guide, QRG, may help. Here's a quick and dirty mock up.
Sticky Posts?
@JerryBanfield recently posted a story on Top posts on Steemit Here. Since many of you have already written great articles on how to use Steemit, perhaps the witnesses can capture those best intro to Steemit posts together and somehow make it sticky. Maybe even a new menu alongside trending, new, hot, and promoted. Only a certain number of posts can be marked as sticky so that post does not get buried under new content like what currently happens to all posts.
Thank you @jigstrike I found this helpful. The challenge for new people is not to be overwhelmed and to just keep learning as you go. Blog post like this help others on there Steemit journey.
Glad you did @robryne. Definitely pays off for those who tough thru it, but I think many call it quits before they really learn the platform.
You hit onto some really good ideas at the end about how to help newcomers to the site. It is important that people understand how to use the platform without a doubt but it's also important that people seek out information for themselves. If somebody is realising that they are not flourishing on Steemit and they don't take the time to research how to change that, they are maybe just not ready to be contributing to the platform. There is a lot to be gained from Steemit without voting, gaining money from posting or investing solely in the platform. There is an awful lot to learn by reading posts and not getting consumed by the 'money' aspect of Steemint causing you to drop the platform. The growth mindset in people is what makes the platform worthwhile to come visit.
Don't get me wrong, I think making it easier for people to understand is very important. I just hope it doesn't stop people thinking for themselves and causing them to stop developing the right mindset.
My gibberish over :) Thank you for the post, it was a nice easy read and you kept me engaged rght to the end! It also prompted a lot to think about.
I couldn't agree more. Trust me, I would much prefer for all users exercise their brain and either do the research or figure it out. Steemit is definitely a powerful platform that is misunderstood by many.
Definitely, just a matter of trial and error for most. Hopefully they learn how to use it soon enough.
PS, just realised how many times I typed platform in the comment. smh.
I agree. There is a lot to learn from the people on this platform.
This was really inciteful. As a new user it pretty much hits the nail on the head. It was very overwhelming to understand and some parts still are!
I agree, there is a bit of a learning curve, especially when you’re so used to facebook and twitter. Whenever anyone checks out Steemit they all mention it reminds them when it comes to posting, MySpace. I too felt that way. @busy.org and esteem app have been easier to use but I agree from the main platform Steemit, it could use some simplification. If they want to take over the social media world, which I wholeheartedly support, it’ll behoove Steemit to make it brain dead easy to use. Good stuff, fixen to follow ya and look forward to more good ideas, Peace.
" If they want to take over the social media world, which I wholeheartedly support, it’ll behoove Steemit to make it brain-dead easy to use"- Exactly!
Thanks for the follow. I'm all out of good ideas now, but hopefully, something comes to mind soon.
Thank you for this! People need to know this shit specially with the VPs 😂
Yup. Turns out, you can't Oprah upvote everything.
It's true that most people new to steemit didn't get introduced to how it works here. I myself had no clue what I was doing till I stumbled upon some articles here on steemit and even after that perhaps I've still got no clue lol. Fantastic post @jigstrike
Exactly the same story I've heard many times. I received a lot of help from a fellow steemian to get me up and going, but even then, a lot is to be learned about this platform.
Some pretty good ideas! Also if there were some real tutorials on YouTube or dtube that would help a lot. People like watching short videos to learn instead of reading ive found
Or dtube. Either one, we need someone who's good with either platform to make a series.
I have been using steemit for a while and I still don't understand the relationship between Steem power, SBP, power up and all the vocabulary. I still like it a lot thought :)
Yikes! What exactly are you not sure about? Perhaps we can help you figure things out.
Wow loved your post...loved reading it....it's amazing....thank you for sharing have a good day.
Thank you. You too!