Politics on Steemit: Part 1 CLUBS, EXCLUSIVE MEMBERSHIPS, ALLIANCES
If you've been on steemit for long, you've probably noticed the deep political divides on here. Let's not even pretend they don't exist. It's so bad in fact, at times, you literally have to watch who you associate with or risk community backing.
It's been really interesting albeit disheartening at times to see these divides and the games people are playing to get ahead.
Getting ahead doesn't mean strictly adhering to one group, clique, club, alliance. I've noticed a lot of this. For example, there are actually some people on here who are so immersed in their little group that it's all they care about. You could attempt interaction with them all you want but you won't get anything. Their votes will go to prioritize those in their club regardless of the quality content you & others may be producing.
It's true! While there are certainly exceptions to the rule forming such deep cliques on here in the long run isn't great. It causes you to miss quality content too because all you're focused on are those in your group!
That being said I do run Steemit Dreamit on Facebook and @eastcoaststeem on Steemit but those aren't the only folks I interact with. In both my initiatives no one is forced to interact with or upvote anyone unless they want to.
To have a group and say upvoting isn't a requirement but then kick people out from "lack of engagement" we all know that ultimately just means they weren't upvoting you or your steemit besties.
Then there are the groups that have corrupt underbellies & nothing is done to correct it because it's money driven.
Sad but true. This will be my first post in a series I will be calling "Politics on Steemit." Please leave your comments below whether positive, neutral, or negative regarding your interactions with groups or clubs.
- Do you find you interact mainly just with those in your club?
- If so why?
The more exclusive you make something the more people you are EXCLUDING, ultimately. Outside of extreme gross misconduct like SPAM, HATE SPEECH to mention a couple, nobody should be subjected to public group ostricization, of which I have seen happen on here.
My initiatives do not fall into the club mentality problem. Do yourself a favor and drop the club mentality. There are more interesting people on steemit than just your club- mates.
Have a great day and thanks for reading!
These logos are courtesy of the talented @inthenow & @ilovedietcoke
Header graphic is my creation
I think far too many people on this platform join to many community they just can’t invest the time in. They seem to just use them as places to spam their link and then hey are off to next one to do the same.
I do like having a closer community that I can interact with off of Steemit. It just makes any extra time you wish to put into the site a bit easier and that really is a good place to start forming deeper friendships.
While on Steemit itself I do stay way to much inside of my own bubble of followers and what they are interesting in. At some point there just not enough effort to go around so you have to pick and choose. Once in a while I do try and push myself to go out and meet some new people or interact with a new community.
I’m just kind of person who puts sometimes too much effort into things. So I get rather limited by time.
You're so nice for commenting on this post. For that, I gave you a vote! I just ask for a Follow in return!
Clearly we are all going to be drawn towards certain genres and that is perfectly normal. I also like having a close community so therefore it's nice to have my "main people." Just when people exclude other people purposefully becayse of it is wrong imo. Thanks for weighing in
I think the incentive money wise, to be nice adds a dimension people don't know how to process yet. For me it's led to some genuine friendships and I like to look at most as alliances and like the cool chatty people you meet in the pub but aren't necessarily going to go netflix and chill with
What is netflix?
@battleaxe I hear you. It can be a good structural incentive to "be nice" & especially for newbies to learn. It certainly has its advantages
That is an interesting take. If I am really producing quality content it is in one of a few categories I am expert in. The one tag I dominate #freemasonry , refers to what has traditionally been viewed as an exclusive club. I interact better with these folks than anyone in the world. I often think maybe I should just try to bring the light to the world and, if approached later, state where the inspiration and teachings came from. Do I have an "exclusive club" mentality? I do, but I never considered the negative aspects of that. Food for thought...THANX!
I'm glad you could view this open minded. It certainly is NOT a crime to post about what you know best. All in balance! Thanks for your insight
Ganging up, for whatever reason, disadvantages everyone that doesnt join.
It also concentrates votes of followers to the leaders, thereby favoring popular speech over free speech.
Support your local dissenters.
True. It creates am artificial environment
Exactly, not organic, nor spontaneous, but planned with an intent.
Glad to see you understand it 👍😊
A 100% accurate assessment of the shadow of Steemit! I'm not in the shadow fixing business though so I generally just tend to ignore it and seek out posts and topics and individuals whom I find interesting.
I do appreciate your dealing with the issue though:)
Well, I don't know that I've dealt with the issue but I've exercised my free speech to raise awareness on it. ;)
Thanks for weighing in
I do see a lot of this, and your post almost makes me feel a certain way about @steemfreelancers, and the account itself will probably only vote on posts about freelancing, because that's what it was set up for, though not all those votes will go to people who have joined the group.
I do charge a one-time fee for membership into the Steem Freelancer's Guild, but I will never require members to vote any particular way, and I like to think I myself engage with a varied community. Best to network with all the little networks, right?
You sound like you have a good mindset here. Yes I agree that some measures have to be taken to ensure quality in your initiative . For example in steemit dreamit no one is allowed to beg for b upvotes or follows they have to answer these question correctly to get in
![Screenshot_20171230-171108.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNyEzp288tSZF7iENhKCaoSSY2gcxQfKukgS5dDuJzTyX/Screenshot_20171230-171108.png)
Nice 😁
i dont have problem with these, until they start bragging about community values and quality of content. circle jerking doesnt bother me, while its kept in their bedrooms
Yes exactly. Because there are many great Steemians Bringing value to the table that are not in the club exclusivity mindset
I think you are going to have a tribal mentality just about any time you get more people together for any length of time. It's just human nature. We can wish for a more open minded world, and work towards this in our own lives. But evolution is the only thing that will ultimately change the human condition.
I am not saying it's wrong to have "tribes" or families on steemit. It just becomes negative when those tribes only interact with "their own"
Only been here 33 days, and noticed it, a lot of little clubs of big guys and girls, even on chat, small clubs of big people, you have to tip toe around, hope not to offend, I never came here to be over looked just because my numbers were not high enough, or because I do not fit in a certain club, or think the same. society was built on differing views, with agreeing to disagree, though on here like elsewhere, it seems agree with me, as I have more power than you, or I am not going to give you my crumbs.
It definitely takes time to get places on steemit. Be patient you'll get there. We shouldn't have to tip toe around in order not to t off some whale though
Agreed, I just felt like venting a little, have a great day, and stay awesome.
Thanks and vent all you want!
It’s natural to join with people in common efforts, but I do feel resistant to the pressure to upvote exclusively based on alliances. This whole “I’ll upvote you if you upvote me” can seem a bit like buying a beer for your friend in exchange for receiving one later. But it also adds pressure to upvote content without the merit of the content itself. I only want to share and upvote content that I truly enjoy, not just game the system!
Right on! You get this and that's refreshing =)