Achievement Unlocked! 8,000 Followers!
Damn, that took much longer than it did to go from 6,000 to 7,000. Things are slowing down somewhat. I attribute this mainly to the crypto slump, but also the banning of Steemit in China. Still, further growth is possible even in the US if it receives more media attention.
I've really been struggling with the low price of STEEM and the cessation of SBD payments. I'm having to spend loads out of my savings to stay afloat, never an encouraging sign. But I have taken many steps to diversify my income sources, such as writing for Medium.com, taking freelance ghostwriting gigs and reaching out to more publishers.
Most recently, Arthur Grafo clued me in to the existence of Fibreread, a site where a team of Chinese translators will translate English books. They handle all of the marketing and distribution. In exchange, you get a third of the sales revenue. I've put Little Robot up there, and will put All the Little People up as well, hopefully something comes of that.
I know you're all struggling too, but I've been glad to see many people who have been on this site nearly as long as I have doing much better than I am. @deadspace is one example, he works hard, posts alot and deserves his mounting successes. @canadianrenegade is also making a good deal more now than I am, yet I remember watching his profile grow way back when. He and I disagree on some things but I admire his homesteading lifestyle and determined spirit.
@malloryblythe and @snowmachine are two stellar, talented women who have been bringing their elegant and thought provoking writing to Steemit for some time. Snowmachine has been here longer and Mallory hasn't posted in two months, not sure what that's about.
Last week was the anniversary of Laura's suicide. I deliberated over whether to mark the occasion with a post, but it seemed too theatrical to me. Steemit is less without her, and I feel the lack of her energy on here every day. I feel the gap in my life she used to occupy, every day. I wish she were still around.
She missed the December surge by three months. Had she powered down, held it, then cashed out during the surge, all her money problems would have been solved. Her illness however, and the wound in her heart from Bethany's suicide would not have been so easily fixed.
It still feels wrong to go on without her. She's the one who turned me on to Steemit in the first place. But we have to keep going, inching forward with our lives whenever possible, struggling against hardship and sorrow. Trusting that there are better days yet to come, and that a new, more glorious dawn awaits us if we can make it through the night.
Stay Cozy!
@alexbeyman,
Congratz and you are making followers speeder than most of us! This is pretty amazing!
Cheers~
Hey, congratulations, @alexbeyman! I'm one of your new followers, but the little I've read about you fascinates me. I think you are a very talented, intelligent and creative writer! I don't know the people you mention, but I'm sure I'll check their blogs, because if you talk about them, it's probably because their stories are worth it. Like you, we're all waiting for a new wave. Let the successes follow. Hugs.
An achievement that I hope to reach some day, but I see that goal so far away.
Congratulations friend, enjoy!
You are nearly to your first 1,000 followers. That will be an important milestone.
Yes, slowly but surely. =)
Congrats dude! Well deserved on account of your excellent narratives.
Here's to 9,000!
~ Mako
Congrats on the follower milestone. As far as the price of STEEM goes, we're all there with you man... Just hang on.
Well done making more than I do with 209 followers. Just goes to show follower count has nothing to do with earnings. Not sure if that's good or bad. Oh well, you have my support all the same.
Well, I'm trying out a promotional bot to see if I can reach more people. You spend some STEEM and get it back on your post. It's more or less break even but the hope is you actually reach some real followers. Either way, thanks for the support. Obviously you have my support as well! ;)
Congratulations on 8000 followers and thanks for the shout out! Nothing wrong with disagreeing on a few things. The world would be a pretty boring place if we all thought alike.
It is unfortunate that activity on Steemit has slowed to the degree it has. I also think it is mainly due to the overall crypto price drop. Interest in this space and prices will likely come back but it could take awhile.
Hey man, first of all congrats. And I'm glad you've found some other sites to make up for the slump going on here. Also, just wanted to extend my condolences about your friend. Very sorry to hear. Stay strong man, and keep writing :)
I congratulate you @alexbeyman for your achievements despite the time that has been taken to achieve it, but perseverance is the best friend of all and there are 8000 followers and those who are missing is cordial that your stories are very good and you deserve to have a good reward . I hope that the Chinese give you a good slice of your writing and stories.
Thanks for the mention, bro! I think most of my success on here is mostly due to luck, but I do try to work hard for it and appreciate that some people notice :) Congratulations on 8k followers, man. I am glad to have met you on here and hope both you and I continue to grind away, grow and actually get back to some semblance of where we were in December/January. At the very least I am thankful for all the solid friendships I have made here and I feel really lucky to have met some rad people on here. But, yeah. Again, congrats, my dude!
Hey that is great. There is something about seeing those round numbers. I just wen't over 1000 a few weeks ago, myself and I certainly got that little rush of pleasure that comes along with marking some achievement. You are right about things slowing down though. There was a time where I was picking up five or ten followers every day and now I am lucky if I get that in a week.
I feel you about times being rough here. I showed up right before the prices started falling fast so I have seen my blog grow pretty well but It feels like spinning my wheels in terms of making money here. That being said, I like the communities that I am a part of and there is good content to consume here (if one is willing to seek it out). For what it's worth, I plan to stick around and keep upvoting the stuff that I like and keep hoping that people come by and take a look at what I produce. Plus, in my mind, Steemit is still better than Facebook and that is enough to keep me coming back.
I am sorry to hear about your friend, man. Losing people is never easy and when it is something sudden like that makes it even harder.