RE: The Proof is in the Pudding (Part Two)
I've used Steemit as gas for my creativity gas tank. When I first arrived on this platform I used my wordpress articles and art and now I have a body of work from Steemit I'm going to publish on Wordpress, I have two accounts that are several years old, one on gardening and organic food recipes and the other one is all about my paintings.
Interacting with the amazing members of Steemit has given me an idea on a book using my illustrations and family recipes. I find my relationship with Steemit very beneficial and this has been the first time I've made money blogging (if I want cash out).
I will take some of your suggestions and start using them immediately, like keep my personal and political views to myself. Publish only what I want to sell...although I do want to share my health recovery process for free. I think I have something to share from my personal stories and experiences.
We're allowed to talk about whatever we want. I just know my Facebook status updates don't go viral for a reason. This is all about the business end of things. People need to know the difference between business life and personal life when it comes to publishing. If the user doesn't want to take their work to new heights, that's up to them. They do need to be honest with themselves though. I can look back on some of my stuff and shake my head, "What the hell was I thinking?"
There's a difference between the blogger and the person. It's the same as an actor and the person. No different than the doctor and the person. We all put our work face on. The stuff I'll share to my personal friends on facebook, compared to the personality here, quite different. Yes, I'm still the person behind the blog, but I'm sure you get what I mean. We can still say whatever we want. If you're exploring other avenues though, not everything needs to be shared.
There is such a thing as a true story, they do well. If your life is interesting, talk about it. If that's what you want part of you business to be about, go for it.
I'm new to all of this, but I'm not new to business. I'm learning much as I go. I'm only sharing what I've learned because it seems a lot are missing the point. Writers who finally get their books out here are stalled once they are finished. I'd call it "early access". Write it, the rewards help along the way, then publish the book. In that case, I wouldn't necessarily want my early access copy going viral because it could hurt sales down the road. Business. People can't stop here just because they were given a few dollars.
This is the best message for me. And I do not follow the trends here, or really anywhere. I follow my heart and share what I like and maybe others will like what I like.
The other part of your message is basically business, get organized, find your target audience, and stay focused on what works!
I totally get Facebook and left because my friends got really weird politically and that was really scary to me and all the personal shit I had to wade through. I had to buy barn boots...omg!!!
This message isn't for everyone either. People will set different goals. I'm not knocking anyone down. If their goals are to sit on here and talk about their day, good on them. If they're finding success doing that, even better. For those of us, like myself, who have set goals to take their work to increasingly higher levels, so far this is the advice I have to offer.
As for Facebook, I still use it, I still bug my friends there. You won't see my name beside a rant under a news story though... not because I think it's wrong or a waste of time. It's simply not my style. I like to joke around and make an ass outta myself. I like moving colors around and making fresh looking images. Dumb cartoons that don't make any damn sense at all. I'm rarely ever serious about anything, so I'll take that and try to find a way to make a living. I don't require fame and a Ferrari. If I'm making people think, "wtf", I'm happy. If I'm not outside in the cold working my ass off to make ends meet, even better.
Yeah, that makes sense, friends are friends, and not freezing ones ass off is an important goal in my life too! I've done that growing up on a hill farm in Oregon, layering is important!
And Steemit has published itself as a social media site even though voices in this community speak out for or against content quality. Some want a Steemit Facebook without the censorship and the ability to monetize their own data instead of the platform using their data for its own profits.
I will leave this site if I have to constantly mute porn like postings, nudity isn't an issue, it's context. I find sexual explicit content next to a how to care for a child article unsettling. That's my bottom line when working on social media sites in the past. I've been on a lot of new platforms in the past.
But anywho...you message got through to me, I can use it to clarify my goals, thank you for your well thought out articles and ideas and your helpful comments.
My main issues with the platform involve the automated voting process and how those using it are are only looking out for themselves. Setting the bot to vote for the easy curation rewards and damaging the future of the platform. People are not here to read or be entertained, for the most part. I was sold on the idea that I could perform in front of an audience, an audience that barely exists now. So I must look further and hope for the best. I can't keep doing this for free though. I'll use the platform that allows to me to be free, proudly, and there's no need to lash out.
I set my goals when things were different here. People who want to ruin things for the rest of us will not hold me back. I'll be more than happy to be a member who actually draws people to the platform. If they see the efforts I put in and the rewards I get out and decided this isn't for them, that's not my fault.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, it was a good talk, I wish you the best of luck and hope you have yourself a very good day.
I was a against bots from the beginning and I don't know if curation guilds will grow a healthy community and free market. But these issues won't drive me away from Steemit, I am a curious cat and I want to see what happens next! See you on your next post my new friend ;-)