What do you do first on Steem? It's important!
When you first login to Steem, in the morning, in the evening, 20 times a day. What is the first action you take?
We all have some routine we go through. And the order you do things in say something about you.
Many of us are doing it WRONG!
Is the first thing you check your own Blog? Checking to see how much reward you have earned since your last login? Worried about getting top dollar for your post that you worked so hard on? Getting angry and agitated when your post is only bringing in $0.04?
The fact of Steem is, you can write the best Blog Post ever created, but if there aren't eyes on your post, it won't earn anything. No one saw it, so no one upvoted it.
What works for one person won't necessarily work for everyone. But what I strongly recommend is starting with your REPLIES Tab!
Comments are the best way to engage with other Steemians. Comments on your posts, comments on other people's posts, comments on comments.
So every time I log in, I am going to replies. I check Replies constantly. I want to be able to respond to people in a timely fashion. The more you respond, the more you build the relationship. Relationships lead to followers, followers lead to upvotes. upvotes lead to financial success.
That's okay! Not everyone will engage with you. Some of your target audience gets so many comments, there is no way they are going to read them all. There just aren't enough hours in the day.
There's also some people who just don't care about you. It's sad, but it's true. Some people are here for their own reward and can't be bothered to get to know you, to help you grow.
A fisherman doesn't catch a big fish with every line he casts.
It may be you only get responses to one in twenty comments you put out there. Maybe even less. But if you keep putting yourself out there, with engaging intelligent comments, that show you can relate to what the poster is trying to convey, the more chance you have of making a connection.
Steem is all about the connections. Some people have even suggested that comments are more important than what's on your blog. I think it is about 50/50, but either way comments are important. Period. Full Stop.
You decide how much effort you are going to put into your comments. But take a moment as you are reading a post to think "Can I add something of value to this conversation?" If the answer is yes, then don't hesitate to make a comment on any post out there. It could be a two day old minnow, or @dan, it doesn't matter. Steem is about engagement, and no one posts just to have their post sit there with no comments.
Add your thoughts, respond when someone comments to you, and make a connection with other people on this Platform. Relationships are what define your level of financial success. Shouldn't you put as much effort into them as you do into your posts?
So stop. Think about what you can add to this post. And hit me with a comment. This is an open discussion... let's discuss!
If you like this post, please visit my blog. I write about a bunch of different things, you might be surprised at what you find. And of course, I appreciate any follows, resteems and upvotes. I'd love to grow on Steem with all of you.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Image sources:
http://klejonka.info/2017pimage-person-at-computer.awp
http://cbsnews.com
Comment if you have something to add, or would like clarification of something. I get tired of seeing comment like; good information, nice post or I agree, which are immediately followed by: Check out my blog.
It's nice to see more and more people making posts like this that put the emphasis on adding to the conversation.
Absolutely @johncalvin. So many people (or bots) are out there just posting "Good information, nice post" that adds nothing to the conversation.
Comments like that don't get noticed, don't get upvoted, and don't make new relationships.
Hopefully the Steem community is becoming more savvy to what it takes to be successful here. Or maybe there are just a few of us who will rise to the top. Either way, I am ready to engage in a good conversation. And to share the rewards!
Thanks for reading! Appreciate you checking in!
My least favorite is "pls upvote me". Upvote for upvote is near the bottom of my list too. Yeah. That ain't how it works...
That's a good way to get nothing in terms of upvotes from me lol.
Engagement is definitely the most important aspect of steemit, especially if you aren't a public figure and don't have a following. Good things come to those who wait and even better things come to those who go out and interact.
Good stuff mike
Thanks @jasonshick! The great thing about Steem is that we are all public figures. Some of us just haven't hit the big time yet. But we're working on it.
Everyone starts somewhere. Even the biggest whale was once a minnow. Do some people have an advantage? Absolutely. A Year ago the rewards system was vastly different than it is now. But the playing field is never level, and we can only play with the cards we are dealt. We are in no position to hold it against people for finding Steem before we did. We just have to do our best to work harder to make our own success happen.
And we make friends along the way and lift each other up! This is a point that cannot be stressed enough. It costs us nothing to help each other. So let's give people a boost and climb the ladder together!
beautifully worded
I agree 100%. I like getting comments and knowing what people think of the things I post and when I notice someone comments regularly I want to know what they post too. I see a lot of people amass followers but lack post engagement, they haven't made the proper connections.
#unmentionables
Precisely @lordmok! I don't want to be disrespectful of the Steem tools that are out there that help you get followers for following other people, but such a random tool doesn't get you ENGAGED followers. It just makes a pretty number.
You hit on another great point. Seeing people's name appear in your comments REGULARLY catches the eye and makes you curious about what they are posting. Consistently visiting the post of someone you would like to have follow you, and making meaningful comments on those posts is a good way to get eyes. And not just the author's, but other people who are reading their blog too.
We can't always comment on every post that author makes. Sometimes we just won't have anything to contribute! For example, Last night I read @abitrarykitten's post about the Ego. It was a terrific article, but the best comment I could come up with was a snarky sarcastic comment about how my Ego was barking at her for outing it. I didn't feel like that sort of comment on such a in depth subject really added to the conversation, so I left my upvote and refrained from commenting. That doesn't mean I am just upvoting for curation credit. Just that I am not comfortable with my ability to add to this conversation, but I will get her comments next time around.
No one could have said it better, you are completely right. Adding value is the primary objective.
True, very true.
It's a community and earning is a just part of it not the whole thing about. So interacting with other members also contribute towards it.
Good point @vishal09! I think so many people come to Steem and see the earning potential and get sucked in by dollar signs. So that is their goal. But they don't see how much work goes into reaching that goal.
Contribute Contribute Contribute! You get more bees with honey than vinegar. On Steem you just have to go outside of your own blog to find the bees. But they are out there!
Great post!
I try to be as active as I can in comments. But, only if I have something to add.
I am finding tons of very interesting people here. They all seem to be so helpful, enthusiastic and industrious.
Amazing things are happening here, everyone should go out there and explore their interests and hobbies, you are bound to find some like minded souls!
Exactly @hashclouds! Find what connects you and talk about it!!!
People want to be engaged. People want to find other souls who are passionate about the same things they are. It is what makes Steem such a great platform!
Like @johnnyray says below, ask open ended questions that invite the poster to engage in a conversation. You never know where that will lead!
I have been here for 3 weeks. I don't know everything, I never will. But for some crazy reason I got my reputation boosted to 53 in that time. I am going to assume that means I'm doing something decent out here!
Keep your effort and your spirits high. Great things are bound to happen!
Indeed comment is one of the important element in building relationship with other Steemians... I am trying my best to reply every comment I get... So, yes, visiting the REPLY tab frequently is a great HABIT that all of us Steemian should have... Scroll up and down even though we may have read through... coz it happens to me sometimes I do miss out some replies... :D
I think it is important for every Steemian to realize that we are all human, and we are not perfect. This is a good point @elizacheng! Scroll up and down through your comments to make sure you have hit all the pertinent commentors.
We are going to miss some. Especially once we become popular enough that there are 200 replies to our posts! Wow, I can't imagine trying to respond to 200 comments and keep up my posting habbits. That would take a lot of time. But people do it successfully! The first name that comes to mind for this is @stellabelle. She has great lengthy posts, and still manages to interact with the people in her replies in a way that is engaging and worth reading.
Not only do comments keep the conversation going, but by replying to people who comment on your posts adds a reply to the little box on the post, which pushes you up the HOT list. And that is what leads to the trending page, and success!
Thank you for the contribution Eliza! Much appreciated!!!
You are most welcome. I will check out on stellabelle... :)
comments are everything, and almost no one does it right. no one! It is all about asking open ended questions, I am now following you, if i can help you, please let me know.
Thanks @johnnyray! And you are right. Something I have mentioned in comments elsewhere and failed to note in my own post! Ask questions. Leave the conversation with something for the original poster to post back to. So much good can come from that!
Thanks for pointing out my omission! I'll be checking out your blog as well!
Thanks for the follow!
thank you, hope we can work together
Nice tip Mike. It makes sense, real communication is a two way street isn't it? So starting at the replies tab is an easy way to focus on the your connections, thanks.
Thank you for reading @bitsplitter!
It is definitely a two way street, no question! We show others our value in how we interact with them.
Focusing on connections and building relationships makes all the difference.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!!
I have another tab opened up to the replies page as I type this.
I wrote a similar post about upvoting replies to your posts and comments. Even it it's a small upvote. Spread the love. Don't expect reciprocation. Be a good example. Steem on! @ironshield
https://steemit.com/steemit/@ironshield/steemit-why-i-upvote-quality-comments
Good ideab@ironshield! I have so many tabs open sometimes that I don't think I could keep up with having a tab just for replies, but it certainly can't hurt!
I'll come by and check out your post! Thanks!!
By keeping "tabs" on the replies I can answer quickly and make a more favorable first impression. I'm not always so transparent, but I think this is an important concept, especially for the new Steemians out there. Thanks for checking out my post and for the upvote on the comment! I see you already practice comment upvoting. Awesome! @ironshield
Totally with you @mikepm74. Have a confession to make here. $$ were at the top of my list when I joined steemit. However, once I got here, I saw the wonderful posts that people were were writing, the great community that is in place and the bunch of supportive people encouraging each other.
I realized the wealth of knowledge that this place is. Like a child in a candy shop, i read and kept reading all that I could. From that day onward, I reconsider my value proposition here.
I now see Steemit as a place where I can make a mark, be part of the wonderful community, and contribute my bit to the treasure trove. We have wonderful people here and am proud to be a part .
Cheers and thank you all for everything!! - @guynextdoor
Thank You @guynextdoor! This could be my story too, as well as many others I am sure.
I didn't KNOW about the money part when I first found Steem. I was looking for information on Crypto, and I came mainly as a source for the people who were tracking the different coins and trying to get insight on buying and selling. But then I found so much more.
I would stay even if I didn't get a dime out of it. I might be a little less inclined to put as much into it as I do. But I would likely still be here.
Enjoy the journey! Sounds like you are doing good!