There's A Darkness On SteemIt That Needs to Be Expelled
The last 24 hours have been intense, especially for those of us who survived the Reputation Purge on Steemit
Do you know why we SteemIt?
I woke up this morning, grabbed my morning coffee and came on here to check out what posts were trending today. The first thing I saw was a post from last night written by @rok-sivante which beautifully broke down some of the things that Curators are trying to do behind the scenes, including what we as Curators should be doing.
In his article he went on to state the reasons as to why larger Curators within SteemIt are diligently deciding who should and who shouldn't be a large Curator too. One of the key things they're looking for is contribution. Do you curate as much as you post? Do you share links to other posts? Do you contribute factual knowledge to SteemIt? Do you put SteemIt's needs before your own?
This is where I got sad
I scrolled down to the comment section to leave a nice thank you post for rok-sivante and his latest work when I saw that a lot of the comments were filled with heated debate about how this is unfair. Their main argument stemmed around why early adopters of the SteemIt Platform get such large benefits and newer users do not. This got my blood boiling.
After trying to humanize dehumanized Curators, rok-sivante's words had gone over some users heads. Some of these users had the same reputation as I. It felt as if I was looking at my own ignorant posts from a month ago. As if these users hadn't spent anytime at all sieving through posts. As if these guys still hadn't figured these things out for themselves.
If you haven't figured it out yet then let me explain
SteemIt is rewarding people for helping SteemIt grow
If you haven't realized it yet, you start with nothing here and come out with something. Hell, you get a bonus just for signing up. As soon as we each realize this simple fact the sooner we each can move on and be happy.
Sure, some people are getting huge payouts whilst others are not but that's not the fault of Curators, nor is it a bad thing. If you take the time to look you'll see that these posts getting gnarly payouts are actually good. These posts are always the best content here at the time they're trending and deserve the rewards. That means that Curators are doing their job.
If you're feeling butt-hurt because you thought your post was better than a post that's trending, who cares. Be happy that someone else is about to have a really good day.
There's no need to start hating
Seriously, there's no need to spread hatred. We're new. This whole platform is new. Everything's going to keep changing. Your reputation will fluctuate along with everything else.
I've got a friend who was sending me a lot of messages last night. I stopped replying to him because the hate he was spewing was ruining my evening. He was really upset that the reason his account had been flagged was because he'd posted a somewhat mediocre post containing a link but bugger all else. This had been flagged by @dan himself. I told my friend, "not to sound dickish but you made a shit post", fair enough that it was flagged for being bad. If you're reading this @shredlord I'm sorry but you're the perfect example of how people aren't getting it. Quality Content is what makes SteemIt a High Quality Platform.
I understand that you're still learning
It took me a month to figure this site out properly for myself. Now, I feel like I'm starting to master my posts and content, provide good curation to quality posts that deserve it, and have started to create a standard for myself to live up too. Others are still trying to figure this out.
If this is you then I understand your predicament. I do feel sorry for those who felt the burn of the new reputation system but at the same time a lot of them deserved it. Out of the many friends I've invited to SteemIt, only @shredlord received a negative reputation. And for one post (It saddens me because the majority of his content wasn't too bad, including original music that he'd made himself. If you're reading this @dan could you please help the lad out. He's not a bad bloke). This could have happened to anyone. It's the reason all of us here should be learning how to create stunning write ups. Do it for both yourself and SteemIt.
If you're not taking the time to learn these things then you deserve a negative rep
A lot of people aren't taking the time to actually study how blogging on SteemIt works. This isn't Facebook. You can't just post a quote and hope for 150 likes. You can't just post a funny video and expect it to start trending. You can't post a crappy meme. You have to provide something that's original, eye popping, thoughtful. Something that makes SteemIt stand out, not just you. something that helps describe SteemIt, how you're using it, and how it makes you feel. SteemIt needs these kind of posts to help boost appeal and bring others to its shores. It needs these kind of mind-melding creations because without them we'd have a million memes on the front page and a bunch of brain dead zombies running the show. If you're being a zombie then you deserve to be flagged. Straight up.
Lets remember why we're here
We're not just here to make a quick buck. Well, some are. But, you're not going to make anything if you forget the ideals that help SteemIt thrive. Community is key here. We're trying to create a mass adoption of Blockchain technology through a wonderful Social Media Hub. That won't work if we don't make it appealing to popular figures outside of SteemIt. We need to attract the more socially savvy people out there because that's how SteemIt will grow. If we don't keep growing then we stand still and no one will benefit. We all need to remember each time we write a post that we're a community and not just individuals. We're a team!
Well articulated! Though I think most are here to make that quick buck, the recent changes introducing reputation might change expectations for them.
Its much like Medium in that way.
I would love your opinion on my latest post
I'll check it out now. Cheers for the upvote.
i like it ! upvote my dear friend !
Wonderful post! I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. It's meaningful and interesting content that will promote Steemit growth over the longterm and gradually benefit all of us.
Why were you surprised? Most people are here for the money, so if the reputation system spoils their chances to make money, they'll see it as "unfair" and an "enemy" to their interests.
I'm not surprised, just disappointed.
If you don't put anything into the site you can't expect to take anything out. Im still learning, taking advice and learning by my mistakes
Beautifully said! Sometimes I wish there were a little violin icon I could click whenever a post complains or sulks. But really, posts like this do a much better job of making those attitudes forgettable and helping noobs like myself to feel confidence in the character and intentions of those powering this community. I love the citizenship ethic here! Yes!
Exactly. Developers are working around the clock to create the perfect platform. Users that think it's going to happen overnight need a reality check. I hope this post gives it to them.
You raise great points. The reality is every social platform is like this. It takes a lot of time and hard work to reach the top. It isn't easy getting tons of followers on any platform. You put the work in, don't give up, you'll see a reward.
I agree with a lot of points you have to make. There are problems and I can sympathise with people making the criticisms. I think these problems will slowly be tackled as the platform grows. The reputation system is just one example.
Steemit is new and whilst it has problems it is at least working on them. People can't expect it to cure the ills of the world.
I love what is happening here. Even though Steemit is a work in progress, with many thing yet to be improved. It has already begun to shape the type and the quality of much of what is being written. I often find myself reading more and more well written pieces with lots of relevant info that would be hard to gather and find elsewhere. I read so much I barely have time to write..lol I am really enjoying it........