Building Character on Steemit: Six Pillars to Support Your Reputation

By Richard Kaplan, @steemship

Kids learn them in first grade now. A town I visited in Florida actually had a park named after them. Fortune 500 companies spend untold sums of money to train their executives and employees in these principles. And unlike a lot of “secrets to success”, you don’t have to buy some shiny new book or subscribe to some guy’s blog to understand them. (Though if you want to read our fancy new Steemit e-book or follow my Steemit blog, you’ll find links at the end - haha!) In fact, the Six Pillars of Character were created by a nonprofit organization and there’s nothing secret about them. They’ve spread all over the Internet.

Who needs character advice? The best advice on Steemit is to be yourself. There’s no trick to that. The platform rewards creativity. If you’re creative and you’re honest, then you have all the character in the world, and you’ll build more of it by continuing to write.

Yet a social media platform requires you not only to HAVE good character, but also to establish it, exhibit it, and maintain it publicly. When you get paid for posting, you can never have too much character. On that character, your reputation is built.

Building a legal profile in a legal desert
As Steemit grows and diversifies, each of us who posts regularly is creating a profile that fits us and the platform. For example, in addition to writing some articles on the Steemit opportunity (and some chapters in that slick new e-book!), I have decided to focus mainly on writing about law-related subjects. Isn’t this a strange choice, since Steemit is a law-free zone? There are no laws here about content, no laws about money and taxation, no laws about who can succeed and who can’t. That’s the way it should be, I believe, after wasting several years of my life trying to apply the laws of a corrupt government.

Nice picture, though I hope we won’t need guns here, either.

The lack of legal regulation on Steemit does not mean I won’t continue writing in the #law tag. You will find me there. Many of us still have to deal with the laws of the world, and it’s my mission to make that subject a little easier and more fun for everyone here. My background as a former lawyer qualifies me to share some of that knowledge. Richard has to trade on the skills he has.

Realizing that Steemit is a law-free zone got me thinking about Ethics. Are there principles that govern our behavior on Steemit, not actual laws, but guidelines/expectations for good behavior? Are there community standards, or should Steemit have them? And frankly, the more I thought about guidelines and standards, the more I got a bad taste in my mouth. I’ll ask those questions when they need an answer, but right now I’m having too much fun to throw any wet blankets around.

What I’ll do instead is explain how you can establish good character on Steemit.
If everyone behaves nicely, then who needs standards or guidelines for behavior? On a social media platform, your reputation is everything, and you forge that reputation with good character. Without those, you’ve got no trust, no credibility, and no game. Establishing good character is a key because that’s the foundation of your identity and reputation. When people believe in you, that reputation will pay huge dividends on a platform like Steemit.

So we go back to that source for all good tips on character: the storied Six Pillars of Good Character. They were created by the Josephson Institute on Ethics and its founder, Michael Josephson. Like me, Josephson is a former lawyer. Unlike me, he is known as a godfather of ethics and character-related matters. But Josephson didn’t just create these principles out of thin air. The Six Pillars were defined and explained over a period of time based on the opinions of a very large number of people. These are supposed to be six principles that almost everyone can agree on as being essential for good character.

These “pillars” provide structure and I’ll help you fill in the rest. They are not rules or laws. They’re elements that need to be present in order for good character to exist. There’s a big difference.

I don’t care if you agree with them or not. Character is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe you have a different subjective sense of this stuff. But unless you have a lot of Steem Power, you’re not the one paying yourself on Steemit. The voters are. And the voters reading your blog posts, as a group, are an objective audience, just like the large number of average people who came up with these principles. That means most or all of them not only agree with these Six Pillars of Character…

…They’ll also be looking for YOU to establish good character, exhibit these principles, and maintain that reputation on Steemit over time.

The Six Pillars of Good Character, Explained and Applied to Your Reputation on Steemit

Pillar 1: Trustworthiness
Definition: Trust is the name of the game. It means being honest, not deceiving others, and never cheating or stealing. You must be reliable, fulfilling your promises and doing what you say you’ll do. Trustworthiness also means having the courage to do the right thing, even when this may be uncomfortable or unpopular. Be intensely loyal, standing by your loved ones and those who need you.

Application: On Steemit, your reputation is your most important asset. And trustworthiness is the essence of establishing that good reputation. Be honest, stay true to your word, and show courage and loyalty to those who believe in you.

Pillar 2: Respect

Definition: Treat others with respect. Tolerate differences, use good manners and language, and take the high road whenever possible. Don’t threaten anyone with violence or lash out in anger. When you face disagreements or insults, keep your composure and address them as peacefully as possible.

Application: The blockchain never forgets, so don’t lose your cool on Steemit. Recognize that good people can disagree about things sometimes. Don’t hit the “Post” button when you’re making an emotional response. Think twice, cool down, and then if you still feel that way, write it as respectfully as possible before posting. But this doesn’t mean being silent, either. Balance Respect with Pillar 1’s (sometimes competing) mandate to do the right thing, which can mean standing up for what you believe in, even if it’s unpopular.

Pillar 3: Responsibility
Definition: Take ownership. Do what you are supposed to do and give it your best effort. Use self-control. Persevere until the job gets done. Be accountable for your actions, your words, and your attitude. Set a good example for others.

Application: Take ownership and be accountable for everything you do and say. Writing for Steemit is not just a solo venture; there are collaborations and side projects and third party apps that are being organized; get on the Slack Channel if you are interested, https://steem.slack.com. If you can take on a healthy amount of responsibility and get the job done well, then people will start looking at you as a good example. More than that, they’ll see you as a leader. Steemit has room at the top; it needs more leaders. Having lots of STEEM Power can make you a leader, whether you want to be or not. But it’s how you earn that power and how you exercise the responsibility that will matter. Even if you just write and vote on your own, try to follow the basic principle and it will help you in your work.

Pillar 4: Fairness

Definition: Keep an open mind and be a good listener. Treat other people fairly and do not blame others carelessly. Take turns and share. Do not take advantage of others.

Application: When you are open-minded and listen well, more people will like you and eventually trust you. The reply comments on Steemit will soon have monetary rewards attached to them. This is one of the places where you can most directly show that you are fair, kind, and open-minded to other peoples’ stories and opinions. If you want to see some examples of very sensitive, encouraging, and open-minded reply comments, look no further than @kenny-crane. Almost every blog post I read already has a comment on it from @kenny-crane and they’re all good, every single one that I’ve seen. It makes you feel like he’s read the post well, is responding to it with positive energy, and is supporting the person who wrote it. And if replying is not your thing, look for other ways to show fairness to others, even in your own blog posts.

Pillar 5: Caring

Definition: Show that you are kind, caring, and compassionate. Help others, especially those in need. Be thankful. Forgive others.

Application: A lot of the advice for Fairness applies here, too. Since helping those in need is a key part of Caring, it is worth mentioning newbies and under-appreciated content creators. When a new user posts a great introduction, that will be rewarded. But what about the new users who cannot write as well or as long? They still want to be part of the community and be recognized, maybe not to the tune of a thousand dollars, but still getting some support and encouragement. Commit to upvoting some posts that won’t necessarily make you money or become that popular. Post some reply comments welcoming and encouraging new users. For those who already have posted introductions and are trying to find a role or niche, they need our kindness, care, and compassion also.

Pillar 6: Citizenship

Definition: Do your part to make your community better. Cooperate and be a good neighbor. Become informed about the issues and get involved in community affairs. Respect authorities and protect the environment.

Application: Are these responsibilities or are they ‘extras’? A lazy person will ignore some of them. But Steemit is a community and we’ll win or lose together. Stay on top of any issues and when there is an important survey or poll, make sure you participate. Vote on witnesses, too. How are you going to engage with the community and help? Spread around your upvotes to those who really need them, welcome new users, and help moderate by occasionally using that downvote to remove spam and trash. Your community lies beyond Steemit also. How about volunteering with a local homeless shelter or with a beach cleanup in your area? It’s amazing who you might meet. What could they bring to Steemit? Could it help them?

The Six Pillars are all over the place now and they seem like a bag of clichés. But there’s a reason they have become so popular with a large audience. If you want to become trustworthy, reputable, and ultimately popular on Steemit, you would do well to consider the large audience who is looking to you for these signs of good character. They also provide a very good roadmap to building that character online.

-Peace, Richard, @steemship (you can click my screen name and then click "Follow" to follow my blog)