RE: The Evolution and Diversity of the Steemit Whale - Past, Present, and Future.
No minnow has "[grown ]up to join the whale ranks".
Mostly incorrect, though I don't know where exactly you draw the "whale ranks" line.
And that alone would imply earning over $100k+
@stellabelle started in this system with absolutely nothing, and knew literally nothing about Steem or crytpocurrencies when she joined. I know this because I and other early adopters had to help her get up to speed and learn how to do the simplest things like open a cryptocurrency exchange account.
By now, she has even taken out some funds if I'm not mistaken, has invested nothing, and her account is currently worth $200K and was worth more like $500K when the price of STEEM was a bit higher. That was all built by her using her talent as a writer, along with a willingness to learn and grow, to work hard, and to focus on her own positive contributions rather than engaging in sniping, negativity and jealousy.
There are several other bloggers who have done extremely well. In fact they probably outnumber the original whales at this point and while as a group their stake doesn't exceed the whales' stake yet, it probably will in time.
Your negative-mindset trolling is exactly that. Hopefully not too many are dragged down by your miserable attitude and approach to life.
@stellabelle is a fine example of success @smooth. Thanks for bringing that up.
Also I think people forget that steemit is still brand new. It's not even steemit, it's steemit beta. It is going to take awhile for things to begin to balance out.
Totally agree. On the other hand, the way any investment goes, there is a time when "easy money" is gone. The early adopters (like presell ETH buyers), made nice profits for their efforts. Later investors made out nicely, but not the 1000x that they could have.
We can't expect to be where those who arrived at the beginning are. And as the project grows, so will the competition. Except for those who already have large followings and can really hit the ground running, becoming a whale will become more and more difficult.
That's just life. I sure wish I had arrived a lot earlier. But, on the other hand, I am really glad I'm here on the beta, and am looking forward to a nice ride. I don't think I can ever be a whale at this point, both because it's harder now and because the bar will be raised over time. But, if Steemit continues to be successful, I do expect to reap a decent reward for my efforts and investment of time, energy and a little BTC.
Addendum - if Steem goes up in value nicely, folks who arrived now and did poorly are going to be super grateful that they were here.
Not sure where the negativity is. Just being realistic. They've made a lot of money, sure. They won't have the same influence individually as whales. Full stop