My first rant - WTF did you think you were getting into when you joined?

in #blog7 years ago

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So I see lots of people complaining about all sorts of things more and more recently, vote buying/quality/trending page/spam, you pretty much name it. Many of their points I often agree with. The thing is, WTF did you think you were joining? Did you really think this was some bastion of fairly rewarded high quality content? Let me pause to laugh.....

Did you see how this place was started and where the initial mining went and how it was distributed? it takes just a few minutes to google and look into the stake distribution. Now if any of that seemed "fair" and about "quality" to you, I almost feel bad. When I saw you could upvote yourself the first thing I thought was well people can just solely upvote themselves so that will happen a ton. The next thing I thought was oh you can set up an offsite vote selling service not even linked or talked about on steemit. The already powerful players from early days have ridiculous sway and can make people popular/"wealthy" with no regard for quality or even popularity just simply who you know. That is not a recipe for "quality" or "fairness" or some grand sense of "community". When the game starts out rigged its not going to change away from a rigged game because it is rigged by definition.

The seeds were already planted, so if you thought steemit was something different "back then" you were mistaken because you didn't see what the seeds were growing into. Did you join and think self voting and vote buying and spam wouldn't flare up into a huge issue? I think that would mean you misjudged human nature by a long shot. So did you know WTF you were getting into? and if not and you don't like it, why not just leave and spare us the melodrama? when someone says "oh I hate x about steemit" I think, ok bye! I encourage everyone who is not happy to leave. Why would you stay somewhere you are not happy?

Now if you are here and didn't buy in at all and just posted to make steem/sbd and you are complaining I simply don't care. You are posting and making "money" from it and only contributing the time you want to spend on it, whats not to like, if you don't like it....bye!

If you bought in and you are complaining I simply don't care. Why would you invest in something that a quick google search and a quick browse through the platform would reveal all the problems you are now complaining about? Seems kind of haphazard to do that and I have no sympathy simply cause you put money in.

Now why am I here if I agree with many of the seen "problems" with steem/steemit? because crypto is still the wild west and its fun as hell to be involved in! I made some what I would consider to be friends and met people I want to help support in their work/writing/art/life and this platform gives me a chance to do that. I can post and make some extra "money" and learn new things while having fun, that's just awesome to me. I can watch drama and be involved in what feels like a reality show? count me in! such excitement!

I cant even think of anyone I dislike on this platform, its a grand game where everyone is free to do what is in their power to do, with money involved that makes it so much fun. You throw a bunch of people with different ideals, desires, social and wealth standings together in a game where money is rewarded and you get an exciting hot mess! whats not to love. But if you got involved thinking this is something its not you may not enjoy that side of it but I suppose that is on you.

I just do my little part to support those I particularly enjoy reading and those who are taking steps to what I see as improve the system and even those who just run around complaining at this point I enjoy that as well, all good shows need drama.

I am not going to spell check or worry about proper grammar or punctuation or even go back and read what I just wrote because that would sort of go against the spirit of a rant! It just seemed they were really popular at the moment and I figured I should write one to get in on the action :)

Love you all and thanks for the good times because this place is one of a kind!

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I'm glad that you can still have a positive outlook on the platform regardless of the problems that are present. I get kinda cranky over them myself sometimes, but I'm in the same boat where I think this is a fun time to be active on here and in the crypto community in general.

Though, I can think of one or two people I dislike on the platform, sadly, lol. Where have you been, by the way, dood? Been wondering why you haven't been posting much over the past few weeks. Did real life just kinda take you away for a bit?

I was out of town for a bit so wasn't posting much while relaxing but I have to admit I missed it. I can totally understand getting cranky and even posting some of your own rants about things like spam etc, I think it just gets to me a little when the person ranting puts no time or effort into making things "different".

Agreed ! If some people would use all the energy they use for whining to focus on how to improve the situation instead, surely that would be much more beneficial for both the platform and the individuals themselves

This I think is the heart of it. I have no problem when some sees a issue or potential issue but its best when coupled with positive action.

Yes - and in the same breath you gotta take the complainers along with the spam and vote buying and all the rest. Every single platform has their share of complainers. Complainers are usually the ones that annoy people enough that small amounts of change happens. If everybody was satisfied we would not work for something better. So please don't throw the complainers completely under the bus too quickly. It just takes one complainer that knows the right people to watch a whole platform shift it's attitude towards something perhaps better.

I devil's advocate for complainers... But ha ha spammers can fuck right off. That being said I aint going anywhere even if they grind me down.

Completely agree and I may have to make another post to address what I consider useful critique even if "complaining". I think there needs to be critique and noise made to get some sort of change implemented but I find its best done when thought about for awhile and coupled with effort. I find some just are new here and complain for sake of complaining. More power to em because it is their platform too and all this post really was was a complaint in of itself :)

If someone really wants some change, they need to become one of the big guys :D Through blood, sweat and tears! Just half kidding, but what half? :P

Did you really think this was some bastion of fairly rewarded high quality content? Let me pause to laugh.....

This is excellent.

Great rant post, spot on. Aside from people even knowing/realizing that before the rewards matrix leaned even more towards self circle of jerk the 1%, why would anybody even think that any money based is fair and doesn’t follow the principles of money talks and rewardingly those who have more exponentially better.

Also, the usual quality debate is tiresome. When I go to a bookstore I see 98% trash and if I search long enough and visit the furthest corners of the shelves I may actually find some quality too. Quality to me.

But one’s trash is the other’s quality. And while we may not like that, we have to respect that. And trash easygoing content just sells better because most people prefer not to think.

Ever since the internet started to go more mainstream it has been the floodgates of content. Which, of course, means that the more people joined, the more lower quality content was shared and popularized. Not merely statistically.

lol you know great points that I agree with, things like books and internet itself. How in the world was I not following you? ugh well I am now. Appreciate you taking the time.

I think there can be positive change on a platform here that some sort of "complaining" is needed to change but some things will never change and it just becomes tiresome to see focus on those.

... here that some sort of "complaining" is needed to change

A certain degree of “complaining” is needed. There are issues which need be raised and awareness about those needs to be spread.

But there’s complaining and complaining. The first would be the endless, tiresome whining. The latter would also include seeking for or even suggesting possible solutions.

I like to “complain” but if I don’t think I can bring anything constructive to the table while doing so I prefer to STFU.

We'll just keep doing what we're doing. Creating original posts, interact on Steemit (like we are now) and on Discord with the groups we are in. We see how the platform is being played and hey, some people want to rape the reward pool and that's their choice. We want to grow organically with the help of some support groups. We might try, just to try, an vote bot on one of our post in the future, just to see (or will we end up going to the Dark Side?). We're sure like a few other Steemians, we put time and effort into our posts, so seeing less than $0.50 is a bit degrading. However, we came on this platform as we always wanted to blog, so getting 'money' is just a bonus. Some Steemians that have become popular probably were in the same mindset as us, but attitudes can change as one becomes more popular. Appreciate the rant and one shouldn't expect a 'free lunch' on this platform.

Appreciate you stopping at my blog! I think I had read a post or two of yours now and will go take a look again now.

I think that this platform and concept is so new that things should be spoken about and thought about etc but I think my rant post was mostly aimed at some newer type of accounts that don't often look into things but then complain with no actionable solution.

No problems at all @steemitadventure! Thank you for stopping by and reading our posts a few times. It really depends if you are interested in our content or not. Not everybody is into travel, nature and food-related post.

As we said in our comment above that we would try out a vote bot. We did it with our post from yesterday and yes, we can say it's very appealing. Yet, it's not the true spirit of getting a deserved portion of the reward pool. We're tossed up about doing it again. Maybe keep it to one blog a week and at the minimum bid. This way, you reward yourself for all those (we do 6 original posts a week) posts, hours and creativity spent with a small token of gratitude to ourselves. The other posts that we do during the week can get a couple of cents and maybe even $1-2, but to have one that reaches almost $5-10 is satisfying. Still....we aren't sure yet if we will do this as it still feels 'wrong'. But are there any clear ethical behaviors and rules? We're relatively new (almost two months' old) and figuring out what is the best approach. It will be interesting to hear your take on voting bots.

I thought I would become a millionaire in 7 days with Steemit. Just kidding.

I can't believe you didnt't.... haha

Nicely written. Good points! So many people I tell about Steemit just think it's a scam anyway. OK, so, don;t bother joining. Better that than making 3 posts, not commenting on anyone else's posts, then complaining to me that Steemit is a "waste of time".... The community thing IS getting to know people and making connections and friends. That's what I love about it.

I think you hit the nail on the head with the type of accounts my rant was directed at. I think its a different ballgame if you "complain" about something when you have a solid grasp of the problem and also try to come up with some positive steps to take to remedy it.

I've realized how few people actually want what they say they want. They only want it if it's given to them, not if they have to do even a minimum amount of "work" for it.

Ah, excuse me sirs, but my friend told me I could make money on steemit, and I see lots of people making lots of money and I would also like to make money. Please upvote me.

Hahahaha, I love the grammer of this rant, it's easily my favourite part!
It's so much easier to make money on Steem than to say... go to university for 5 years, then do an apprenticeship, then get paid terribly for years until eventually you can get paid well... imagine how rich would could be after a decade of Steem. I don't know what anyone has to complain about really... I wonder if people think the very act of complaining will get them somewhere...

Working on your card! I was out of town for a few days but I'm back into it now :)

You touch on a point that is a great one when its just a complaint to complain or when someone keeps going to different posts etc and voicing the same "rant". I wish that effort was put to use instead of just complaining.

Absolutely no hurry on that one... I really love all your art, so as long as you keep sharing I'm super super happy!

I think complaining can be important to help people vent and maybe even bond over things that aren't working... but you've got to back that up with discussions on resolution and action. Continually complaining is bad for everyone!

Yup, this place indeed is "one of a kind."

I've gone on a few minor rants of my own, although mine usually involve the insistence that whiners MUST show me where Steemit hired them and guaranteed them some kind of income that seems to fit "a job."

Maybe it's just part of the human condition that people all have stars of unreality in their eyes. I signed up here expecting... exactly NOTHING. And I have to say that things turned out WAY better than that!

Keep on keepin' on!

Yea that's sort of the point too, like who is deciding "fairness" or what deserves rewards etc. Often times its like they are ranting to the wind since its POS and built in.

Same. I came here to post and was pleasantly surprised when one of my posts earned me some money. I was just as happy to post when I didn't make anything (or made a penny's worth of SBD) on my posts. The happier you are being engaged with people and building things up, the more successful you ultimately end up being in the long run.

I'm with you on it. I'll admit to initially being a little more rosy-eyed about the whole project, but ultimately, the gaming of the system by certain players isn't a bother to me. I'd rather it not happen, but at the end of the day, I have great friends like you to cut up with and interact with. For me, it's about the spirit of community that this place has, and it has it in spades. Some of the best people I know I've met on Steemit. :D

Glad to see you again! hope all the edumucation is going well :)

I see lots of potential in this platform itself but I think it will take time and effort to get there. The one thing I think many will take away from this platform and should often focus on is the friendships and information gained. Many of us here are forward thinkers of a sort so relationships can pay off in all sorts of ways.

I've said it before: reputation is the real currency on a decentralized network. And reputation does go a long way to popularity here.

Love this rant. Can’t find a single thing that you wrote to complain about. Experience and fun. What more can you ask for?

Why don't you tell us how you really feel?... 😂

The gaming of he system should come as no surprise, because at the heart of it this is nothing more than the gamification of social media. With money. So, a blogging casino if you will.

And along with that it is the most fun I've ever had on a blogging platform. Maybe the tagline should be "Come for the money, stay for the drama."

The fact that the censorship is provided by the participants rather than by some overseeing corporation just adds to the fun and unpredictability.

I'm not sure what I expected when I came here, but I sure got a whole lot more!

Lol I like that tagline and the concept of a blogging casino! very fitting.

I don’t know it has a time traveling cat. What more could you ever ask for in life?

In all seriousness though I do love the wild west aspect. Sometimes I just look at a post someone wasted $400 worth of sbd on and just shake my head and laugh a little bit at how ridicules it is.

While finical rewards are great I’ve found far better within this platform. So many people are off willing to murder each other over a few steem or sbd here or there. They are missing the real treasure. They will never see the beauty as their eyes have glazed over with greed and dollar signs.

Hope you feel better after that rant, it's not good to hold things in. A good rant clears the mind lol

I do lol I see the need to voice objections etc so I am not opposed to "complaining" I think I just saw a bit much of it lately and not coupled with anything constructive.

Its good to get it out, hopefully people will be more constructive on here :)

Here, take some pocporn! :D
And yeah, don't get people complaining about trending, if you don't like it don't check it. I am relatively new to steemit, but after first week I haven't been searching on trending anything.
Just like you said, everyone has a choice to do whatever they want but just in life you'll always have whiners(with money involved - boosted whiners).
Cheers!

Thanks for stopping by! and if I recall correctly we have chatted on steemitchat. I rarely scroll trending and I find my feed is what I use the most.

Exactly :) I went to visit Star Wars exhibition two days ago, and stumbled upon a nice "post" - perfectly fitting here. :)
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You are so socially unjust! OMG! How can you say such things? Shouldn't there be a universal basic income for everyone who signs up? Personal responsibilty? You've got to be kidding? And isn't it the standard of society to bitch, complain and agitate to demand things that one has not earned or even has the capacity to earn?

Ah, yes. Life ain't easy and neither is Steemit. Thank god!

LOL!!!!!!! I am dying here!!!! 😆

God damn, this post is long overdue! It's mostly the curators who complain about the voting bots because the curators think we are either stupid or desperate for their votes. Calling yourself a curator doesn't magically make you smarter or your taste in good content better. And I think it's unbecoming of an artist to kiss their asses hoping for an upvote, which makes bots the better option if you have something that you want to see on the trending page.

I like Steemit, but EOS and whatever social network platform is created by @dantheman will be the future. I look at Steemit now as more or less a trial run for whatever social network @dantheman creates on EOS.

When Ned (51% total stakeholder) downvoted Dan's EOS post a couple weeks ago the writing was on the wall. That's bad business, and not the kind of move you want to see from the "marketing guy" (Dan is the brains behind Steemit).

To me it's obvious that SMTs are desperate hail mary to solve Steemit's short comings and there are just too many better options out there if you want to launch an ICO. I know Gab.ai for example is going to choose EOS or Ethereum to launch their coin.

Right now what makes Steemit great is the creative community. I keep coming back because I like interacting and supporting artists like yourself, but I'm not sold on it as long term solution for the reasons you stated.

IMO it will be the "MySpace" and EOS will be the "Facebook" of this genre of social media. But I do think learning the ins-and-outs of Steemit will be beneficial to the EOS site bc a lot if will probably translate.

That's the thing too, I am more into the fellow members than the platform itself. I think competition will be healthy and still see huge potential in steemit but that depends on what people will work towards etc.

Bahahah this rant was excellent! Not often i read a post and giggle to myself while doing so! :P I completely agree why stay on steemit if you aren't going to get involved with some communities and bring nothing but positive things to steem. The spammers and bots stay because some people are silly enough to upvote them without doing any research on the bots profile. You can quickly see the spam and the same posts 100X a day but if they make $1 on each spam post why not abuse the sh*t out of it that's $100 a day the bots are beating ignorant people haha.

Excellent rap!
penderis line break rainbow.gif

Mic Drop :)

Hahaha some days we just need to let it out - I do not understand the inner workings of Steemit, I just know here are some great posts and people on this platform

People definitely do love to complain about the platform not being fair but face it, steemit is populated by humans, not angels. Have humans ever been fair. There are good people, no doubt and there are bad people. But in the end you'll see everyone is just trying to make some money here and anyone who has a problem with the way things are being run could easily leave.

I agree with you!!


@ajremy(the teen with steam for steem)

Now, let this post be a lesson in how to rant effectively, on Steemit (or anywhere else in life for that matter).

Obvious truth revealed (not that it needed revealing), nobody was dissed, and a valid point was made well.

Thank you @steemitadventure

I was the one with a lot of complainings. I think every single minnow will have a lot of questions and will complain saying the system is working bad.
.
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After some time I realised I was an idiot.

Steemit is still the best way to earn "for free". Well it is not for free, you have to invest a lot of time here.

Of course whales are controling everything. They invested their own money in Steem and we should be grateful.

Stop complaining people, be realistic.

Yeah, it's still a grand, messy, cantankerous experiment. And blatantly unfair. Just like life!

It's still paid me more than I ever made on Facebook. Or on my own blogs, for that matter. And I haven't even had to pay hosting costs.

The best thing about all this rant are the tags...
A magnificent way to end the post

At first, when I joined Steemit, I thought, nice a place where I can finally post my own content, and share it nu locking it up in the blockchain. I got introduced to a nice group where I've met you as well. In my perspective, Steemit is indeed a nice place where you can do whatever you want. But what goes against my principles, is the injustice I see, and I'm not talking about self-voting/vote-bidding or whatever. If you wanna buy a vote to boost your post, sure why not. If you wanna self-vote your own shit, sure why not, by powering up, you have invested about 4000 100% self up-votes worth right back into the platform. People seem to forget that, or either not see that stuff, it doesn't matter if you have bought 100 SP or 1.000 SP.

By all means, injustice in my eyes is that people are deliberately trying to abuse the system to get the most profit out of it for only themselves by -any- means. This is what the community makes its users more self-centered and more self-focused. Voting for someone's content right after 30 minutes is not a real problem, it's even beneficial, but it sets the focus wrong in my opinion. You're voting someone because you might think that person is getting more up-votes and you want to grab the most curation rewards as you can. I've put some users on Autovote simply because I want to support them with -all- the content they provide, not because I want to make the most curation rewards possible. I manually curate posts that interest me right on sight without spending time by looking at the timer. This slightly disturbs me, and I see it as a problem to the lack of engagement people are getting on their posts. 30 minutes? Boom, up-vote, next. People who comment on my posts, even if they are spammers, I try to connect with them and I try to respond to every one of them, while I find it difficult to reply sometimes.

But yeah, it is what it is right? And complaining about shit is a no-go, I could not refrain myself from shitpost earlier today and complain about some pure ego-centric fuck that only cares for rewards and is toxic to new users as well. It's not @Haejin. Just take some popcorn, turn on some music and enjoy the show. I enjoy Steemit so far and gonna try to invest more in it after the shows over.

Hell yeah bruh.

Hmm, what just pops up, maybe you can get some inspiration out of these bullshit wars and make fucking art out of it. Would be massive.

I definitely agree with you, Steemit is a very valuable platform for those of us who intend to learn and grow, where people lacking initiative and interest are left behind, sitting on the bench of the losers ... Let's have many brave people that we want to be great ...

Welcome to everyone who wants to and even to those who do not want to stay.