A quick blog post on the death of blog posts
I was reading a post today from @taskmaster4450 on earning from blogging coming to an end on Steem. It is quite an important post for me considering all of my earning are from blogging (trading a little here and there also) so far. As he rightly pointed out and the doomsdayers (me) ahve been saying for a long time is that Steem is going to get very difficult to come by. Another post by @kevinwong looked at how much it was costing him in earning SBD per month to support others. Another post a few minutes ago by @krnel was talking about not voting on those who use bidbots as they harm the system.
All have valid points and raise various concerns as well as opportunities. Have a read.
Okay, but now there is a problem as all three of them are community leaders/thinkers of one sort or another but reading through leaves people quite confused. Do we grow while Steem is 'easy'to get by any means, bidbot, vote trading etc or, do we take a healthier community approach that is going to cost large amounts of future potential? Is it grow now at the short-term cost of community so that in the long term, more can be supported? Is it take the highroad but have limited ability in the future to help the community later?
I just don't know at the moment. I know that I do not hold enough Steem Power to be a part of the community in the ways I would like in the future but, I am a long-term holder. Should I put community on hold for now and gather and Power Up Steem for later? Do i keep trying to do what I have been doing at the cost of personal growth? Do I do what I have suggested to many others and just go 50/50 where at times I grow as fast as I can and other times help all I can or mix and match it?
At the moment, as harmful as the bidbots are I am thinking that those thinking long have to grow however they can so they have a place here in the future The idea is distasteful but, if people think that can get a profit and power it up on content that is worthy of whatever they vote it to, I can't really expect them not to take the opportunity to earn Steem.
This all pisses me off as if the community actually worked as a community, none of these kinds of questions would be necessary as a free market would dictate, not the code. The code is not supportive of a free market system where people decide value, it incentivizes protection and self-subsidizing.
It doesn't look like it is going to change soon but, if Steem is going to be so hard to get, why should the community thinkers be the ones to suffer while the assholes are stacking? In that future when Steem is extremely difficult, the assholes will be the ones who hold the most and therefore, dictate terms. Even if the code changes and takes the bidbots out of the pool, they have stake and stake is all that seems to matter here.
The community actors will be squeezed from the system or forced to bend knee and grovel for survival. That is the world we live in now, I don't want that for myself or anyone else in a future that has the current possibility to break that authoritarian cycle or at least, make it a lot healthier for many.
This is the problem with too much high stake in a narrow band because it becomes authoritarian and unfortunately, many of those who do hold it aren't willing to share it unless one is in their circle. That means large parts of the community now and in the future won't be but will be forced to try if they want to earn perhaps.
This is a quick stream of thoughts that I will get back to later after the baby is asleep but there is a lot of things to think about but no matter what way one chooses, there are going to be polarized views and costs either to the community now, the individual now, or both in the future if the individual is community orientated. Not having community supporters of considerable size later is going to become a massive problem. Another of many to arrive no doubt.
... I wonder what my last blog post will be about?
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
A lot of people on “top” piss me off because they seem to dominate the system by upvoting themselves and their friends and it’s like a circle that’s unbreakable . What about us ? What about people who put in a lot of work. Those top dogs may even psot a picture of their day and BAM $345
Exactly how I feel dear. If you don't want me to behave a certain way, don't force me to.
It bothers me a lot more than it does you. It pisses me off because the underserving ass****s who create no meaningful content and don't give back will be the ones dominating the platform in the near future.
I'm just so frustrated because it'll pursue a lot of new users and probably make people like me who value content eventuality quit. All because people got greedy.
@tarazkp am still hoping a radical change happens, if not, we may be facing a bleak future
Not bleak. We just have to change the game a little. The future is there you just got to choose the path.
Quite the predicament, really. I could be having much more SP (& I am more than grateful for the SP I have) if I used bid bots more often. I feel torn between growth and community as you articulated so well in this post. I usually power up most of my rewards and it always feels good to grow. One thing this post highlights and a topic that I would like to get y'all's thoughts on would be the use of upvote bots.
I use upvote bots from time to time. Generally, I use them on my friends or posts that NEED support. I can take some of my "rewards" and pay them forward to get more return than the support I can offer to those posts or accounts from my own upvotes. I am also very selective about the bots I use. Generally, I only use minnowbooster, qurator's bot (which grows that community but also caused a rift withing that community,) treeplanter, and tipu. I used randowhale a couple of times in the beginning too.
Every now and then I have upvoted a post or two of my own that I put hard work into that kind of went under the radar or I had posted multiple times that day and had exhausted my logistical upvote support! ( I hate when I am low on VP to support good posts)
I don't value the abuse of anything... and I understand the reward pool implications of voting bots. However, it's hard to sit idly by whilst watching shit posts get botted up exponentially more than my posts of original content of priceless value, in my humble opinion.
Part of me feels like, "If you can't beat 'em... Join 'em!" and the other part is feeling like zero-tolerance, hold the line. That paradox has me perturbed. I try to comprimise in a most minimal of ways by justifying the once in a while for myself or here and there for my homies that could use some love.
Then I think to myself... It's my damn rewards. I should be justified in doing what I want, within reason of my own morals and values, with my own damn rewards. How I use my reward is really nobody's business but my own. I think we forget at times that just because the blockchain is transparent, doesn't mean we are entitled to know the information available... just privileged. Privacy is still something to be somewhat respected.
I could go on and on... but I would like to know where I stand in the spectrum of right and wrong within the general consensus of those that would engage the community here. What would any advice be for me moving forward in order to not rock the boat?
I've been thinking of using upvote bots to support a 'good cause', but that really seems like the thin end of the wedge in a couple of ways. Maybe that is how it starts for people, but the bots do end up making some posts hilariously over-valued.
I think Taraz kind of said it when he mentioned that the ones abusing now will be the ones with all the power when/if a change comes or Steem gets more difficult to come by. So, on one hand, you have the good guy finishing last as usual... or you can hold the moral high ground and become the fodder one commenter mentioned. I do see how it can become intoxicating to put a small amount (or even more so with a large sum) of SBD to a bot for a post and get a giant return. It's the hilariously over-valued posts that really make you scratch your head on.
It wouldn't be so bad if people voted at an acceptable level but 400 dollars on a photo taken on a cell phone is bullshit. if 10 different authors voted themselves 40 though, that is the same money with 10 times the distribution.
I am not the best at math... but I feel guilty sometimes using the DAP Steepshot... because it's just one shot and you really can't structure a post. It makes me feel like I am cheating by not putting in enough work.
I know photography is a kind of work... and it's not a skill that is distributed equally amongst those that attempt photography. The phones and technology really closes the gap... but you can still tell a photographer from an Instagramer.
The fact as you mentioned about distribution is the shit stackers stacking up with shit posts. It's crazy that some feel no shame...
No one can tell you what is right or wrong here mate, they will have an opinion though. I would say, do what you think is a good balance of what helps you and the community. Keep evaluating and questioning yourself to make sure you are still happy with the path you are choosing. That way, you can grow and are less likely to be an ass later.
I think you misunderstand - I'm already an ass . No avoiding it :)
I kust don't understand how the different types affect my vote. I learned how to decline rewards on comments (Thanks!) which makes me feel better about commenting somehow. I don't want to sell any steem for awhile, but don't know where to leave it so it builds those around me.
power up (if you can/choose), vote on what you like. It will help build the communities you enjoy. Sure, slowly for now but one day, it will matter.
I've been putting everything into powering up, and vote for those I like/support. Probably will serve me until the next benchmark.
Thanks, and one day, I hope we can run together, @tarazkp. :)
Why do you decline payouts? That is a flaw in thinking. That means you ruin the ecosystem of give and receive.
The reason I do it is that I don't want my comments to be guided by the potential for earnings.
I don't understand, @phoneinf. My declining payouts in comments does not stop you from doing anything...?
Made a DTube video about it
@tarazkp Thanks for the advice and/or words of encouragement. It was right in line with my attitude and approach.
The irony is I woke up and the SBD was much closer to the Steem price... so it's been one of the best times to power up in a few weeks.
The problem is that you don't see the real value which is relationships you can build up on the Blockchain with other accounts. If you think it's the silly Tokens that are the real value then you are greatly mistaken.
If those gathering steem through bidbots on shitposts are the ones who would be at the top in this dystopian future you just described @tarazkp, it is definitely an incentive for more persons with quality content to use the bidbots so they can be some healthy competition when steem becomes a myth. Except there is an alternative way now to gather large amounts of steem that does not involve bidbots?
Everyone seem to have a reason why they use bidbots and sometimes you get the feeling that this issue is neither black nor white, it has so many gray areas bit then again, i would not consider the reason behind every man's actions because if I do that, there are enough reasons for evil to be perpetrated. Rather I am concerned about the results of the said action. If the resultant effect of the action is harmful to others then the excuse is worthless.
Yet again, how does one grow steem now before doomsday if not through the use of bidbots?
In this post I linked to in the above mentioned post, I talked about a possible test to determine if bidbots were positive or negative for the platform, and that is for everyone to use bidbots. There is also where everyone delegates, no one votes for free, and prove the shithole that Steem can be when everyone does a behavior that is allegedly "positive" or "neutral" for some to do, denying the negatives in the behavior.
This would't work though, as people would lose money, and the rich would just get richer. I don't want to support a system like that, even if there are only a few people using it to get richer, even if I gaining from it. Making the rich richer is not conducive int he end no matter how you want to justify gaining now in order to be a power player in the long term. They will always be more powerful. Playing their game is not the answer, it only plays into their game where they win. It also makes us corrupted from the position, way and path we want to walk to no longer walk it.
I agree yet what is there to do, do you have a solution? The issue is that this is happening anyway and it is fine for those who are planning on jumping ship to EOS, ONO or whatever else comes next but for those that want to try to fix something first before giving up, there is not much option available other than to play the code also.
I am under no illusion that it probably won' work but for over nine months now i have taken a community approach and been able to convince only a handful of people to also. So, other than abandonment or slow suicide, you have a solution?
People don't care, prefer to maximize self-interest. Age old problem in humanity. That's why there is centralized authority to control when lack of self-control. Solution is evolving consciousness, to care and learn what is better to do
I've been thinking about starting back up the Steemit Community Discussions discord talks and podcast that I had started in January 2017. Trying to spread awareness of issues and mobilize people who do care. My cohost turned on me at the time, and that's when I left Steem for 3 months in the spring of 2017.
For people to change their actions, they need understanding of the change, and that requires understanding he problem, and that requires knowledge of the problem first. I used to care a lot about Steem when I started, started that podcast to try to discuss community issues and make this place better. What do you think about joining in that?
Organized grassroots level movement to change is the only option I see, because otherwise it's just the rich SP holders who decide as the rulers, and the code changers at Steemit Inc... I think they would listen up if the majority of the community was united on a front. What change... we would have to figure that out with discussions.
I don't see a grassroots movement happening here tbh because of the anonymity of most users. Without social repercussions for behaving poorly, not enough will ever make a stand. So many movements have come and gone but at the end of the day, to be a part of one or to try for better is to limit ones earning potentials and that is what matters to most users here. The only way to really affect the system at this point is monetary incentives and unfortunately, the future is to uncertain for most to invest into it so the incentives must be now. So should the disincentives.
OK, true people just care about the money, so use that to make them change. What incentives and disincentives are you thinking about that would change things?
I don't know for sure but I think that there should be possibilities for those looking to outperform those looking short. at the moment that is not the case. Normally the sistuation is reversed thinking that if you want your money now, you pay a premium for it meaning less. If you are willing to wait, you pay less. Perhaps while riding so high, curation should be paid in SBD. Perhaps undercutting the bot profits somehow or incentivizing those who don't powerdown rather than those who do. The people looking long term should essentially be the ones who have benefits but it is just not happening.
I for one am very frustrated. I need to power up and get my wallet up in order to build up others in the community, but get very little help getting into a position from where I can do so. Sure some people will say anything to get ahead, but I would just like to get into a position from where my votes will be worth something and I can be benefiting people by doing what I do now. I spread my votes around to as many people as possible. I write more informatively and accurately than when I started and yet still have to almost beg for valuable upvotes, positive feedback and will probably not get any delegation from anyone.
Fact is that there are very few who truly play the community game and hence those who would actually use that power up for good by getting everyone up to a good level, will either not get there or have to struggle their asses off to do so.
I understand that lots of the bigger fish have worked at it for a long time and put in lots of work, but then why would they keep bleating about the community if they're not prepared to do something about it?
yrah, it is very difficult but this is also a good thing because if it was easy at this point, everyone would be doing it. However, considering the potential future, the work is worth it in my opinion.
There are whole worlds here that most don't see because they only stay on steemit. there are discord and steem.chat communities, dev communities, art communities, science etc... the system is not complete, it even has decentralized functions ;)
Morning, I reply long after sometimes, but I do work very long hours and am knackered when I get home. Back at work again. Okay so like I'm an idiot, what does that mean for me? Are these other systems that work like steemit? Am I missing something?
There are chats. Discord and Steem.chat and there are communities within them. you can sign up to both and connect with various people off-chain.
Going to give it a look thanks mate
This is a dilemma . which road to take .
I feel that the road we are on is the correct one . The other leads to a shutdown . with the few holding the most where the rest will just leave and then their circle jerk will collapse
The current one leads to a shutout though. The code will change eventually to change what is happening but not much will change as the same people will be the highest invested.
That is true
I have seen a shift in the last 2 months . I don't know if it is because my circle has increased or it is a true shift . Time will bear that out .
I have made a commitment and will see it through to the end . I know there will be hard times before any real good come forth and time is not on our side .
I hope that the highest invested get comfortable and complacent and feel secure in their position that they currently hold in this current times. (life is good)
while all these discussions circulate in the upper echelons, there are the 100s of thousands that come to visit the site, can't make heads or tails of it really, and leave
i really wish steem would keep reaching out to the developing world to expand. i've always been a champion of the underdog, so that works for me. maybe there are too many competing visions of what steem should or could be about... but maybe it's just too early to tell
Steem needs buy in also and the developing world aren't doing that in significant amounts and are unlikely to ever as most are taking what they earn to live off. That is great for them but, shortsighted in the foundational phase of the platform and might cost them that ability in a year or two if community people don't start powering up. it is a game of give and take and there are way too many takers at the expense of the givers.
good points... i take for granted that for many people in general, investing is either too difficult or too much temptation/need to spend
I wanted to tell you again that I'm glad you write this. I would rather folks voted at you instead of this post (please and thanks) but there is no denying that some of my posts are directed by the potential to 'earn'.
This with amounts in my account so small as to be non-significant.
I can understand people getting VERY invested in this subject once it is a meaningful chunk of treasure.
I'll be interested to keep reading your thoughts on this.
You should be trying to earn of course and I wish more were.. but powering up also. That way in the future there is a wide range of vests to curate a wide range of content.
Lately, I have started to debate buying votes and such, again, because it really seems like right now it's the easiest way to succeed. Right now. We need people to come up with solutions and alternatives.
working on it. The bots aren't going anywhere for the time being though. It seems code is law for a bit longer at least.
There is nothing wrong with buy votes. Take advantage of capitalism.
Yes, there is. There is a social contract of being here. It is all of our responsibility to seek out quality content and upvote it. Buying votes is not only allowing the owners of these bots to completely ignore their responsibility to the platform but actually, make a HUGE profit from it.
By ignoring the social contract they are ensuring that crap content is heavily rewarded, and as a result, the price of steem suffers.
How do you think it looks when people come here and they see all this shit, and then they learn that they got this insane reward by bribing someone for their upvote?
We are all losing out due to the bid bots, as it is lowering and keeping down the price of Steem