What is content quality? //💭My thoughts💭//
I was trying to write another post today and it all turned into a mess, scrapped that, so i decided to try and tackle one of the most asked questions on the Steem blockchain. What is quality content???
This is really the question on a lot of minds. Its asked cynically by the spammers, its sincerely asked by those trying to find a way to grow on this platform, its asked by bot apologists, bot critics, bot users and bot abusers.
What i see now is a push for a somewhat alibi answer that explains everything without having to think about it much:
And in that regard i cant agree. I hold the position that its actually not that hard to discern objectively what quality content is to a very high degree of success.
Some people of course have a absolutist mind set. It makes it easier for them to view the world, and function in society in regards to everything, so when you present them the idea that it is quite possible to discern quality content from non-quality, they look for absolute answers. Your claim either works in all cases or it is completely invalid and has no merit .
So we have a lot of people just resorting to the: "Oh its all just subjective".
The important thing is to try to find what explains it best, not what explanation is the easiest to make.
This following statement is the most important one for me to make here and its the basis for my whole argument.
I have noticed that in life, all the conclusions we come to about anything is by contrasting prior core, basic experiences to new ones, contrasting what we "know", to new inputs we encounter.
The same line of thought can be applied here. If we talk about only one attribute of content, quality, that i think is a measurable attribute, we can quite easily determine what is quality, what is not and what is in between those values.
But when considering content "goodness" a huge number of variables pop up and the only way to make a distinction is through contrasting.
What kind of content increases retention, what kind of content brings in more users and with that more investment, what are the measurable attributes of quality in comparison to other same type of content.
We go into comparative mode and only there subjectivity starts, not before.
Its also important to state that quality is not what is liked most or what people are most interested in. Then we are talking enjoyment and preferences. Quality is something we can measure and its not the only aspect of what determines "content goodness".
Steem wont thrive based solely on quality content.
But I hold the belief that its a good starting point.
What im trying to say is that of course quality shouldnt be the only determinant when considering who and what to upvote, but it should be a major thing to consider when making that decision.
If we are talking music i can always quite easily tell you what musician is a quality musician from a pure aspect of singing technique or playing technique. Does she sing in tune?, does she miss a lot of chords?, intonation any good when playing?, hows her form?, control of her voice? All of these things are measurable attributes and just like they exist in this example i used, they exist in all other niches.
Of course that doesnt paint the whole picture, not even close, of the musician because some actual subjective aspects come into play like in everything in life. But i think that quality as i describe it here, is always an important attribute we take into account when determining a musicians "goodness".
All of this aside.... Looking at Steemit... Even if you can objectively tell that you hold quality or you think people will like you... Regardless of all that, i dont think any of us should be the ones deciding that we deserve to be on the top of the trending page. I think that decision should be made by the community. emerging as a popular trend. Maybe just use bots for promoting things like Steemfest, new blockchain projects, humanitarian projects,etc.
Anyways, just a few thoughts.
So do you guys agree with me that quality is an important measurable attribute to consider when trying to see what content is "good" for the Steem blockchain or is it all just subjective and quality is what "i" say it is? :D
Ill see you guys around....
Some of my music videos:
On my own: Les Miserables:
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/8y2igcgw
AC/DC-Thunderstruck/Beethoven-Moonlight Sonata instrumental
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/5sccew5m
Aretha Franklin: Natural Woman
https://steemit.com/dlive/@silentscreamer/5e6d8f00-7a54-11e8-827c-49f76fdbeab3
Steem Original: TO THE MOON
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/5pcpxakt
James Arthur: Impossible
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/7pw7ncob
Moving on (Original Song)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/a2nc4631
Frank Sinatra: My Way
https://steemit.com/music/@silentscreamer/4x49rtoa
Elton John: Can you feel the love tonight (Lion King soundtrack)
https://steemit.com/music/@silentscreamer/g1m7orxk
Enya: May it be (LOTR soundtrack)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/962n3z6d
Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack (Hoist the colors and Main theme)
https://steemit.com/music/@silentscreamer/231nc0ms
I dreamed a dream from Les Miserables
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/ggk5xq72
The Minnowsupport Lullaby
https://steemit.com/minnowsupportproject/@silentscreamer/yi7zsm7r
Schindlers List Theme
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/steemit-openmic-week-75-or-theme-from-schindler-s-list-or
Sam Smith: "Im not the only one"
https://steemit.com/blockmountain/@silentscreamer/block-mountain-submission-or-sma-smith-i-m-not-the-only-one-or
Meno/Pechichemena: "Wait" cover
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/3ht644ns
Whitney Houston: "I have nothing"
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/w7vcd5wc
Beyonce: "Listen"
https://steemit.com/openmic/@silentscreamer/znifwtme
Cee Lo Green: "Forget you"
https://steemit.com/onelovedtube/@silentscreamer/rdb4mn6h
Thanks for the good morning laugh with that embedded YouTube video XD
Tastes are subjective and personal... you can like or dislike everything and it's fine, but we all can discern what is a quality post from what is a shit posting... is it properly written, formatted, is it meaningful (despite the topic), does it look good, does it sound good, is it techinically good... does it show any PROOF OF EFFORT?
we can say we it's all subjective yet we all know most of the time.
I think that trending should be also by popularity, comments, engagement, not even the "number" of the reward... or does a feedback from a minnow has less value cos it only gives you cents (or just feedback becasue they cannot afford to vote).
Still we will see in due time.
If not content creators making effort will get discouraged and will leave eventually... Just my "two cents" literally as usual
Yes a minnow vote has less value if they are new. This is to incentivise people to invest in STEEM Power. Influence is something that needs to be earned. Any serious motivated content creator that makes original content on this place will have massive success no doubt. Since there is a demand for high quality content creators.
It's suppose to be hard. That is what makes the currency valuable. People that are lazy will always leave. With competition in life there is only a few that can take the top spots. But wealth is still trickling down to people that put in an effort. Perhaps they won't become super famous but at least they will get some value in return.
But the thing is phoneinf that sometimes that "Influence" is earned by "buying it" and there are many creators creating good content, engaging in healthy practise that are not that lucky. Other users have been long time and newbies are just well as the word says it, "plankton" I am not lazy and I'm still here, my vote is still cents. You can't deny I put my effort in it if you care to check. Reputation is based upon rewards and rewards can be "bought". So been here half a year, can't complaint really, have done better than many, have met lots of people, but am I motivated seeing how uneven is all? no... don't assume people just leave because they are "lazy". There are flaws and there is unfairness and it makes no sense to deny there are things where steemit still fail for content creators, starting with the fact here we are all wether content creators or investors (or both) but there is no an audience perse. So no, not any serious motivated content creator with original content will do well here because the system is rigged and there is no reason to deny that but to address it, or to accept it (which is another possibility). Not preaching and not being negative, still here trying my best.
I left facebook because I don't like to be a "slave" of any network, not steemit either as much as I love the way engagement allow you to connect with people differently here.
said this not intending to be negative, or harsh, just pointing it out
And I will keep trying my best...
but I cannot guarantee I will finally feel discouraged one day, when I spend days writing a post, engaging in discords, trying to be meaningful to others, neglecting other real life tasks cos of the time required and not even showing a solid linear growth.
pd. not complaining... just "observing" wether me or other creators do in the future is up to their choice, it's always a balance.
As long as I'm here I'll try my best.
I'm not of competitive nature, and I'm not here for the rewards only. I think I work hard, and I spend here more than I can afford... my biggest complaint on Steemit is that it requires more and more time without really offering a consistent growth unless you use bots or befriend big accounts. And that is sadly, discouraging.
I am a musician so I face also the "music is free on internet revolution" is it fair? well not really, but we adapt... so I'm not preaching this or that should be done. I just observe and understand why many leave. Some very good (and hard working people)
You do have promotion service so you can empower yourself. Every single day you have that opportunity. That is what you are suppose to be doing in the age of the Internet. If we do solid amazing content then we need to invest capital to push that out there.
There are three main things we should take advantage of: Capital Leverage, Connections Leverage and Work Leverage. Use all 3 to your best ability and you will make gains forward. Life is not "fair" life is competition. People have different skills.
Adrian content empowerment is one thing and i agree with your statements in the context of the broader picture where each service and aspect of the blockchain is in the place it was originally intended to be . But bots in the context they are used in right now completely take away the choice of the community as to what should represent the Steemit platform to the outside world. Not only that but it destroys an important social aspect of the Steem community. "We decided what we want to see".
If everything was in its place then empowerment i would wholeheartedly accept, maybe even use promotional service, but at this point Steemits trending page is an ad banner. And that i cant accept as a good thing.
They don't take away the choice of the community. This is the beauty of the free market. People compete and decide themselves what they want to invest. They put value behind something. The power is in the people. Responsibility is in the users.
The place regulates itself since low value stuff get's down votes. As competition grows the quality will also increase. Only the people that both create quality content can keep competing with lower ROI. Since high stake holders want their investment to grow so it's in their best interest that quality content get's high support.
Everyone can influence how Steemit interface looks by using their stake, their STEEM, STEEM Power and Steem Dollars daily. That is a choice everyone has. Everything is an ad in life. Even a comment is. We are always selling something. Every human is also a personal brand. You have talked about having 2 trending pages and yes that would be an interesting experiment for people that currently dislikes the main one how it works.
Well no... Steem is a platform with set ideals that doesnt act in any significant way to realize them.
What you are seeing here is not the beauty of the Free market. What you are seeing here is the complete opposite. There is no perfection in anything and that fact doesnt have "free market" as an exception.
The market should never be absolutely "free" or unregulated, as this has the potential to destroy competition, leads to monopolies, oligopolies, failure to acknowledge intrinsic values of projects and products where transactions are made to profit from short term fluctuations in price, like we are seeing happen in the crypto market.
"Free market" going by its most purest form is not a good thing. Like with everything in life a balance needs to exist.
Steem doesnt regulate itself. Far from it. Those with most money have the power to regulate Steem, but regulation comes at a cost even for them so many refuse to do it.
The incentives are broken here.
You might assume that high stake holders want that, but it has been shown even here, that many are concerned with only short term profits.
We are actually at a point where a platform that was supposed to not have a political system in place outside the witnesses that are chosen, is creating its own political system in the background. A system very reminiscent of Plutocracy. We arent there yet, nor do i think Ned will allow it. No witness, as long as the top 20 are community builders and developers will refuse positive change if it hurts the short term gains of the wealthy.
The first thing I think you are getting wrong is that there currently is a system to gain massive wealth easy and that's not the case. It's running on thin margins of profit. And it will only get more competitive.
Yes ideally I get what you say that those with power can influence Steem if they want. But I think most humans are kind hearted so when you empower humans they will strive to do amazing things. That is what I'm seeing. Also this place is run by people so if anything crazy happens it always get's called out fast. So it does regulate itself.
Is the system magical? Perhaps not but it's 10x better than the old system that was used in the world. And that is what people should be focusing on. The free market works better than other systems used in the world. May look at rough on the outside but it's way better than other systems. Risks always exist. Since life itself is risky.
I share many of your concerns and opinions..
I sometimes wonder... Could a musician in the real world say:
That would sound ludicrous in the real world of course. But here, with bots your actually doing that exact thing. The price of steem and SBD might be lower now but all in all you are basically doing that. You pay for the exposure and the platform to promote yourself and youre making money from doing that.
That just seems like insanity to me. You are making money from promoting yourself. Not from the positive effects of promotion, but rather from the act of promotion.
Pay for exposure is not something weird. Every company does it. Making money after you put work in is also not something weird. Work for free would be strange. Of course you also get positive effects from promotion since ideally the value you bring is useful for others. It motivates others. So you are helping others.
You are not buying up tickets. Promote yourself would be Booking the Stadium. It's also not a magical pill for make money it's a competitive market that regulates itself. It takes hard work for long term success just as a regular job. Doesn't mean a person have to think they are the best just that they think they are bringing value to other people's life.
Of course its not something weird. Thats why the promote tab burns the SBD you pay for exposure.
"Work for free would be strange". Exactly. Thats why the musician in my analogy bought up all his tickets so he could pay himself for working hard..
Of course they dont need to think they are the best. Nor is wanting to bring value to other peoples lives a bad thing.. But if you want to bring value to others lives, either do it for free or get payed to do it. I think its a silly thing that we are able to pay ourselves money to both promote ourselves and to make things that we "think" brings value to other people..
I dont deal with absolutes so there is a spectrum here as well.
What chbartist is doing i find really ugly and he also thinks he is bringing value to people, regardless of what hes doing to the otward perception of steem. Giving yourself 50$ upvote or promoting someone else is not near as bad as that.
The "Me" complete focus is really bad imo in a community like this.
"either do it for free or get payed to do it" But you do get payed to do it. From people that sell their votes. So it's just a market transaction by 2 parties that has found a deal that they enjoy. I don't attach an emotional label on making money it's just 1s and 0s. Energy changing hands.
The more people using these service, using their stake. The higher the quality of everything will be. Eventually content creators will completely take over and that will increase the quality of everything even more. And people that was only in it for short term money will quit. We are already starting to see it happen more and more. Capitalism works and has brought so much abundance and good to other people.
Sure, yeah thats a good point, i can concede to that argument that they are paying you to make what ever you want... The effects of that still arent positive in my view nor do i think they represent one of the positive aspects of the free market.
"Do what ever you want as long as i get payed."
Yeah, quality is objective. What's subjective is taste. However, and this is a biggie - marketing. There are plenty of YouTubers with huge audiences whose quality is questionable. That comes down to marketing. So you can be super talented and not get noticed at all, or mediocre at best and have a huge following.
What I enjoy about this platform is that it has me thinking of myself as a content creator through the support that I've found organically. It inspires me to improve my gear and my skills, but I still have to find my audience. My content might not even have an audience, but I try to ignore that and make content that pleases me.
That's because YouTube works on crowd thinking. McDonalds clickbait to attract as many people as possible.
I think thats a good way to go about it. All content has an audience, and i hardly think yours does not. The thing is that some people are content with what they do and they like it, and some are more flexible to the preferences of the audience that is present right now.
We are still so small that its really hard to find a place for any of us in which we could say: Ok i arrived...
Thats one of the reasons i started writing this last week. I want to be a musician, make music, sell songs, do concerts, whatever, but i noticed that maybe the "audience" (and im talking in the broadest sense of the word) might want me to start writing stuff like this. So i gave it a shot. Trying to be more flexible.
If we are talking marketing, I found it more effective to try and adjust to preferences rather then to completely focus on the most basic of the marketing tools.... ads and payed promotion and disregard everything else.
You won't hear any disagreements here. Quality of content should be a factor as you say. As should whether or not one finds a post engaging, even taking the time to spare discussion.
And of course I agree that trending sucks, just by virtue that it often does not actually contain trending articles. I do like that there are occasionally things that belong there though, and you can tell the difference, one that has genuinely insightful interactions vs one where people are begging for candy, and some in between...
Do you like fish? Cracks me up...