Show me your flame

@nonameslefttouse (which is ironic on Steem since there are plenty left to use but I had to go with @nonameslefttouse69) posted this morning asking if what we are posting we think is interesting and I have to answer honestly:

No, I do not think my posts are interesting (to everyone).

 
I strongly believe that they are interesting to some people though based on observations and, I definitely am interested in what I am posting because, it would be quite ridiculous in my opinion to posts for no reason other than earning some magic beans coins.

Obviously a lot of my content is Steem related and inward facing, something that might not be great for attracting or keeping newbies to Steem interested in social media. But, if those newbies are interested in social media, and then discover they might also be interested in economic development, financial consideration, ownership, freedom of speech, investing, crypto and a number of other things - they might find my content interesting - eventually.

People often talk about Steem related content as if it should be tagged NSFW without realizing, that is exactly what i is, work. I am an investor here in more ways than one and am looking for a brighter future for a platform that has mammoth potential. Can you imagine people turning up to work at Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft or any business on earth and, not talking about their company, the direction, the model, the potentials, the risk?

I get paid by my company to think about and act in ways that I believe will improve their model - how long do you think they will employee me if I decided work wasn't the place for those discussions? On Steem, the blockchain is the boardroom, it is the shareholder meeting location, it is the place where conversations take place that drive development - even if that development takes place behind the scenes.

Learning motherfucker, do you speak it?

 
Does everyone have to be interested in these things? No. I would however argue that those who are looking to learn should be interested in the way things work here, just as they would be interested in the way things work with any of the things they turn their hand to. If the want to earn is present, even more the reason.

For those who find a hobby they thoroughly enjoy, it would be ludicrous not to take an interest in all the things that surround it. An enthusiastic salsa dancer will learn about the steps, the music, the lead, follow and all of the little body movements associated. An enthusiastic gamer will learn the ins and outs of a game, the shortcuts, the techniques, the gaming rig specs and all of the things that surround their experience, to improve their game. You got game?

The artist that can't hang himself

 
As I see it, it is hard to take someone seriously when they speak of issues they face that they have not been interested enough in to learn about. I am a content creator on Steem and always have been and since I set out to earn something for my creation, that means learning how the platform I create on works. It isn't easy, it is always changing and, it often doesn't support me so, I have to adjust.

If an artist went into a gallery and said "hang my fucking paintings motherfucker, and pay me for the privilege to view them", they'd likely not have many paintings in galleries (some would like the ballsiness of the move - the second artist that tries it?). For most artists who are successful within their lifetime it is about relationship building, not the art. The relationships give access to the platforms where their work can hang and, the people who will view it. There are a lot of starving artists out there, there are also a lot of introverted, difficult, emotionally unstable and reclusive artists too.

For me, Steem is a platform I get to express myself in a multitude of ways and most likely because financially things have been what could eloquently stated as "fucked" for a long time, I am interested in the economic aspects of Steem and learning how I could potentially use my skills better by increasing my skillset.

Steem is a skillset.

 
One of the skills is being able to keep an audience reading, a skill that is made more challenging the more text it contains in a world where 140 characters is classed a short novel. The length isn't the problem most of the time though, the style and content is. Write even the most interesting content like a textbook, people will fall asleep just like they did at school.

What is interesting? Listen to someone speak about something they love and take some notes. You can't do similar with your own content? Are you sure you actually find it interesting at all? Because, you definitely don't love it.

This is often the difference between what is interesting content and not in my opinion, as it shows when people don't actually give a toss about what they write and it has very little attractive power. this is even more repellent when one doesn't know the author as there is no relationship to explain the behavior, the coldness, or the nuance. I have known a few asshole artists that are successful, they still understood people well enough to build relationships where their assholeness is a feature, not a bug.

What are your features and what are your bugs?

 
I find a lot of people trip over themselves as there is a conflict between what they want, and what they are capable of having given their skills and behaviors. They spend their life tripping over themselves and blame everyone else for not recognizing their brilliance, while other "lesser" humans out perform them and accomplish that of which they dream.

It doesn't matter how smart you are, but if you want people to listen to you - you have to present for them. If you don't know your audience, you are just speaking to yourself. Of course, that satisfies some people's desires too because they can sit in their personal echo chamber and listen to the reverberation of their own voice always being "right".

I like to write (now) but I also know that this is a bug, not a feature for most people who like to consume soundbites of information and feel that they know enough to act on. But, I also tend to include enough "valuable content" that people will be annoyed, but continue reading through to see if there is something that they can use.

Generate more than extract

 
@taskmaster4450 asked a question the other day in a post about being a generative or extractive Steemian and I would say that I am far more generative than extractive on Steem and have contributed to many people having a better understanding of the platform to the point that they are willing to spiral out and become generators of value themselves in many ways.

The more generators of value Steem has, the more valuable Steem becomes and when it comes to what has value on a social network, it is the network itself; the connections, the conversations, the engagement, the shares, the help, advice and willingness to put in, not just take out. The network is the energy. But, putting anything in doesn't have value even if it has energy, just like putting sugar into a car tank instead of fuel doesn't make it run better.

Can you generate value on you?

 
Game theory surrounds people acting in "self-interest" yet, when it comes to actually knowing the self, knowing the bugs, the features and the conditions that influence personal behavior - *most people aren't interested enough to learn what works for them, and what doesn't. Most just take the lazy path and do what they want and blame everything else on why they don't get to where they want to be.

Even with all of the problems on the platform with bots and distribution, economics and behavior - people still need to understand there is an audience they must cater for and if that audience isn't interested, it isn't up to the audience to change because, they are obviously interested in something else.

I like thinking, talking, writing and engaging in Steem.
You think it shows?

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]