I am running a session at work this week on content creation, which is interesting because the majority of people I work with, don't know that I write daily, so they don't know that I might actually know a thing or two about their challenges. Today was the first session with one of my target groups and I was glad to see that they were invested and open to some ideas, which is half the challenge. The other half for them is getting over that hurdle of actually creating.
The long-term goal is to help them become established thought leaders in their region for their particular area, which is essentially taking what they do daily with their customers, making it a bit more systematic and opening their minds up to the public, albeit a targeted public. They are in a specialized area and their audience is similarly specialized in their own industry, so it isn't about teaching the customer about their business, it is about helping the customer improve their business practices in areas that aren't a core part of their business, but are a core part of their processes.
Through the session, I started with some best practice dos and don'ts to warm up, which I used as discussion topics to engage them into the conversation and prime them to reflect on their own experiences as both creators and consumers of content. These were pretty basic things, like structure, length and authenticity.
Creating content is incredibly easy these days, but creating good content is not. A lot of people seem to think that the content they post doesn't really matter much, so they use some content creation AI or don't put effort in. However, what they aren't realizing is that it does matter to the audience that they are producing the content for. For instance, ChatGPT creates a whole lot of generic "filler" content that might sound good enough to the inexperienced, but for those who are specialized, it just doesn't engage them and if they read it, they recognize it for what it is, trash.
True Thought Leadership can't be built on that kind of content, because the lack of industry-specific experience shines through.
It only fools the fools.
And as I brought this up, it became apparent that some people didn't fully understand who their target audience actually is, as though they know "who", they weren't necessarily writing for that group. They weren't being specific enough, because they were chasing the numbers.
Aren't views and impressions good?
Yes!
But if those views are coming from the wrong segment of the audience, they are valueless. The platforms condition us to chase the view numbers to help them hit their targets, but this doesn't mean that high levels of views help us hit our targets. For instance, if we are selling a product that requires the eyes of C-level decision makers, but we are getting a lot of views from lower level employees, we are unlikely to get into the eyeline of the right market segment.
Views mean almost nothing.
They are a metric that are used by centralized social media that is powered by an advertising model to generate revenue for them by attracting masses of people who can be sold specific products. This works because they can segment the audience based on millions of data points they are generating, and sell them thousands of products from their advertising partners. However, the majority of those selling B2B don't have thousands of products, they have a handful at most, each with a specific usecase and target market. Being generic might get views, but it doesn't hit the sweet spot.
A thought leader can't be generic, they have to be focused and clear in what they are delivering and the value it brings to the audience. For specific usecase needs, generic doesn't cut it and therefore, if one of the target market does stumble upon the content, it will unlikely clear the bar of specificity to pique their interest, engage them, and have them dig further. When a business buyer is looking for a new piece of software to do a certain thing, they do some research beforehand and become knowledgeable about the market, meaning that they can identify who knows what they are talking about, and who is faking it.
Fake it til you make it doesn't cut it for a thought leader, because that is built on experience and expertise.
One of the content creation challenges people seem to face online, is that they think they need to reinvent the wheel every time they produce something, which means that they can start ranging well outside of their expertise, relying on Google support to be their knowledge base. It is obvious through their content that they don't actually know much, even though they are detailed, in the same way as a child lying is apparent to an adult. It is inauthentic and devoid of real human experience - a book report of a highschooler, not the deep understanding of an industry expert. They think they are getting away with it, because they are fooling their audience, but they aren't fooling a knowledgeable audience - their target.
And this is why for targeted content like my colleagues need to produce, they need to know their audience. They need to understand what they are looking for and, what values drive them. This depends on their role and experience, as whilst some might be looking for ROI values, others might be looking for functionality and process impact return.
What was interesting to note in the session was that through the discussions, they realized that who they were producing for wasn't actually their target at all. Instead, they were looking to engage their follower base, rather than draw in new prospects. They were judging their content by the "likes" it gets, not who likes it.
On Hive, a lot of us write for ourselves, but if we want engagement and consistent support, we also have to understand who we are writing for. The fact is that while a guide on "how to be successful" on Hive might be useful, it isn't actually useful for those who have a lot of stake. They might support it because they think it may help newbies, but does it? If a person doesn't have experience and skills that are in demand and are also able to present it in a way that people engage with, can they be successful as a content creator?
Yes.
But they have to bring something of worth to the table. If you look at Instagram, there are people with millions of followers, just because they are pretty and the algorithms support them because they are able to differentiate the audience based on their viewing by more than just looking at a single account. If the same kind of person came to Hive and started posting selfies, unless they brought millions of people with them, they'd likely get downvoted, because they aren't bringing anything useful to the table.
Hive is a different ballgame, because it requires content creators to build themselves into the community, to engage, to be "industry experts" even if the industry is Hive itself. A painter or photographer can't just drop their images and assume support, a writer can't just dump text - there has to be more to it, there has to be value for the audience and to get vote value, that audience either has to be staked, or be of the kind that staked users feel it is worth using their vote value to support the content that serves them.
This is a more honest approach to content curation than the centralized platforms, because while they make content creators feel like their content matters, it actually doesn't, it is just a coat hanger to attract views of any sort so that they can better differentiate the market and sell what they are actually selling, advertising space.
Content creators who are looking for a specific target market need to stop playing for the algorithms and instead, perform for their target audience. This helps them create what we do here on Hive, build relationships between each other, with people who value what we have to say, and we value what they have to say also. It is a dialogue between community members, not an advertisement for the masses.
It isn't about going viral, it is about providing value.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Posted Using LeoFinance Alpha
"Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one."
—Neil Gaiman
"AI can write you 100,000 blog posts. A creator can write you the right one."
—me, just now
:)
I like it.
It is interesting to think that information actually has very little value as it stands alone. It has to be in combination and, it has to be usable in some way.
Do you remember when people who were good at Trivial Pursuit were considered smart? Google killed that idea. However, being able to use information in a value-adding way is a rare skill these days.
I have a habit of pulling obscure bits of information out of my mind at useful times, but when people congratulate me for being "smart" as a result, it definitely doesn't feel right. Being able to take information, filter out noise, and then connect facts into a coherent narrative is real smarts. Like you say, spewing trivia is something Google has been able to do for a couple decades now.
Even when trivia was seen as smart, it didn't impress me. MacGyver is impressive :D
I remember the anecdote of an engineer who was called to repair a certain machine that was out of order, arrived at site, touched his chin and tightened a screw with a spanner. When asked the cost of the service, he said: — “a thousand dollars”.
— A thousand dollars to tighten a screw,” replied the customer?
— Yes, my friend, a thousand dollars, a dollar for tightening the screw and 999 dollars for knowing which screw to tighten...
That's the way it is with AI.
practical knowledge has value, especially if it can be translated into helping other people use it to generate value for themselves too.
It's good that you were able to help them. Even if they weren't able to absorb it all at the moment. My sister reached out to me the other day because she was tasked with writing a blog post for her work newsletter. It was hard to help her. What works for me might not work for her. Likewise, I write for fun (for the most part) she would be writing for work, so the audience is totally different. Plus, we are just very different people. It was hard to give her guidance.
There are lots of little tricks a newbie could use to get started, and stay consistent, which is one of the hardest parts. Was she able to write it in the end?
Yeah, I think so. I never really heard back from her after that.
I was thinking about starting to write a book - but don't know where to start :)
"Content creation" in the WEB2 space is just way too easy and common nowadays.
Anyone who has a phone with a decent camera can go ahead and start "vlogging" and claim that they're content creators. These days you don't even have to add value, you can go on with recording your "boring" life and day, yet you'll still get "views", likes and shares. Soon enough when the page is monetized, you'll then have a decent source of income. No wonder everyone's getting into the content creation game in the WEB2 space, it's just that easy.
I blame the audience for this, the people who just have way too much time on their hands. The so called "creators" will adopt whatever cheap tactic they have to get views, but it's the viewers who really should start filtering the type of content they consume. There's just way too much cheap content floating around the WEB2 space these days, and sadly, cheap content gets the most views.
And of course, as always there's bonus points if you're pretty. The content creation game becomes way easier then.
What percentage is monetized I wonder?
This is true, because the audience doesn't seem to care what they scroll, as long as they scroll. The algorithms that push them advertisements know exactly what engages them, as they are measuring every little pause they make, every time they look at a particular type of content a fraction longer than another.
A lot, you'd be surprised to see how easy it has become, especially on Facebook; the algorithm does wonders, just to keep the viewers hooked. But it mostly applies to videos, the vlog style content, people just love these types of content nowadays. Those shorts and reels are quite popular too.
It's funny, because from what I've been seeing around me, it seems that the algorithm's favorite prey these days are the people who are aged at around 50 and above. The much younger people are actually a bit picky when it comes to consuming content. But that's just my surroundings, who knows what's up with the average metrics and foreign countries.
Remember that they are getting data from multiple sources, thousands of sites, and compiling them all into a profile of an individual. It doesn't matter what or where you consume, they have a way to monetize it somewhere.
They always make sure they're getting the moolah, no way around it, that's how WEB2 works now.
But my concern is mainly with the type of content we consume and promote. Even though some people choose the type of content they consume and maintain some control over themselves. There are many others who will just watch, promote and spend all their day consuming shit content, absolute 0 value garbage.
Providing value is the key to the content you offer as otherwise there is no point. Interesting task for them to try and take on and are they international or all Finn's as I watched some documentaries on Nokia and was a little stunned at how the Finn's were thinking back then. Maybe in the 90's they were not worldly wise and that has all changed now ,but that was the impression I got.
Finns back in the day were far from worldly, since they barely travelled at that point. It is different now. The team today however was a mix of people, no Finns. Tomorrow it is a different story though :)
Interesting as you must have seen them change in the time you have been in Finland. The classes you used to teach back then would obviously have been way different to what you would be doing now.
Yes. Even when I started here twenty years ago, what I was "told to teach" was outdated. They were doing what they had always done. I tried to get them to support me to start doing what I do now, but they wouldn't, whish is what drove me to start my own business.
What about organised and automated mass voting trailers and communities that ask you for HP for those mass votes? There you lose the sense of talking about “objective followers”. I insist I know a multitude of users who have automated their votes to users who, as you have been, exceeding the famous little number of «reputation» >75. How to evade the mental algorithm of the third-world user?, who don't even deign to read the contents…
Votes aren't followers - they are votes. Most of the trails are also relatively worthless - they have very long tails, possibly following a larger voter. I don't know anyone who would pay in HP to get votes. However, some of those curation projects are valuable, because they find content most might not, so healthy ones spread voting value to those who might deserve it. But, I am a staunch believer that there is a "deserve" somewhere in there too, since a lot of people feel that they should get value regardless of what they post.
I also don't think anyone with any real stake gives a toss about the reputation number and haven't for many years.
Can't speak for third-world users - they do what they do, get the results they get. I know some who have changed their ways to better suit their content to the audience, but many don't seem to get out of their mindset. We are products of our environment.
Who Is my audience, i written yo one person AND this Is me, i have the most undervaluable resourse here about scientific bame of plants Bear here, AND people asking.
Did you know this plants?
I said yes here Is it AND open the planta AND i am edicated people, i am happy for this.
Some times i written about Coffee to this comunnity specific AND try yo Let they a place here where they come to drink a coffee.
It Is to dificult know tour audience with value, i see people that publish selfies of her, AND get great upvotes for it AND i said guau she Is so beautiful but i do not know how it happens, i do not see the value, but i said ok i am not good face to get great upvotes for it, i know about my planta AND continúed in this.
This let me grown slowly but grow great AND
The importance Is you know tour audience ir buildimg this with tour knowledge
I always said to people make post good, one times two three four, five ....times
Some day one day some one see you AND you get the recompences, until this day Is mecesary hold on.
Best regard
Sr, by the way thanks for read me some times.
It is hard to build vote support in a niche, unless there are people with vote value who are highly interested in the niche too. A lot of the people who have done well in things like "offgrid living" however, have tended to take everything they have earned "off platform" too, rather than using it to support others in their and similar communities.
I don't think that there is an objective way to be succesful on HIVE such as writing content everyday. The whole HP of HIVE community should be expanded to the base to see success stories, which I mean supporting undervalued posts.
writing content every day shows dedication and commitment, but it doesn't necessarily add value. There are a lot of undervalued posts, but that is always going to be the case by necessity, because there is content competition. Look at it in the job market, there are a lot of underpaid people, while the companies they work for overpay a few.
But I wonder, if there was a "perfect" distribution mechanism that could put the precise amount of value on each post based on its worth, what would the distribution look like?
I loved your post about content creation, I really agree with you. I also decide or this and daily I create written and audiovisual content. I am still training myself to respond to the demands of my audience, but it is a long work that demands commitment. As you say, creating content is one thing and creating quality content is another.
Also, tools like ChatGPT take away the authenticity of the work. The tone, the personal words that make it original, the ideas that can make you really reach the audience, do not exist with such a tool.
I think it is the responsibility of each content creator to understand that there is a great responsibility when it comes to providing something to the audience, therefore, searching on Google and that's it, cannot be the only resource you use. Study, which can be formal or self-taught, and experience have to be part of the content.
I hope there are many of us creators with this idea, I think it is crucial, since content crosses all spheres in all corners of the world. This means that millions and millions of people can consume something.
No soul, no journey - lame.
It is a minority, but that is generally the way it goes - minorities create the majority of work. A minority earn the majority of income.
Always an audience.
Creating valuable content is really a hurdle I’m trying to cross. I hope I find my voice soon.
Work out what you are good at, have experience in and what you really want to say about yourself through your content.
Thank you for the advice, I’ll do what I’m good at more.
Thank you for talking about the problems that content makers face and giving helpful advice on how to deal with them. When you compared Hive to centralized platforms, you showed how there are big differences in how material is made. I really liked your point about how many people think that the only way to be successful is to get a lot of views and comments. In reality, these measures don't mean much if they come from the wrong group of people.
Am i valuable for you ?
Does this comment add value to the discussion?
since it's the first comment i guess it do more than the other
Being first doesn't add a value by default, even if it was the only.
depends how you evaluate value can it have a negative value ? anyway i was just joking wasn't a real analysis of what you said i haven't the brain for this i can only read not react
of course things can have a negative value - like wasting time on something that could be spent on something useful :)
sorry for wasting your time mate, its the maximum i can do
🤩
great.
All thanks to a wonderful platform like Hive, giving content creators the Opportunity to do what they know how to do best.Great post @tarazkp.
Content creation shouldn't be just to get attention from audience, but to pass a message to them. The most common content of today contains entertainment, which doesn't enlighten people more on the basics of life, though i am not against entertainment contents, but the most important thing is the message we are passing across.
I think another issue is that unless we create content on regular basis, you don't know where we would be ending up. Like you have to keep throwing and see what sticks. I have experienced this. One content out of 100 tend to get some traction. It's a lot of hit and miss I suppose. And even with AI we can't get right what people may find useful.
Honestly I don't know most times what the audience wants to read. Except for the coin topics maybe and I need to improve on that in presentation and content. I just write what comes to mind in my life and memories for everything else. I am out of the "business" world now so not looking to sell anything. Just want to be regular knuckle-dragging me and maybe make a friend or a few.
Great stuff! For me, the most important lesson I learned with content creation is to just get started. You don't have to be perfect or as you said 'reinvent the wheel'. Find your comfort zone and just start creating. Continue to push yourself and the quality of your output and you will naturally grow into the kind of content creator you want to be.
I have always thought that knowing our target audience is essential to create valuable content for them. Once we detect the interest of our audience, developing in our niche will be a piece of cake, and we will only have to focus on quality.
And I agree with you that the narrative in Hive is different from what happens in other social networks (like Instagram, for example). Because here, as you said, it's not about going viral, but about adding value. And that is achieved only by knowing the interests of our audience and adequately satisfying them through quality content, but also by genuinely interacting with our target audience.
I really like that Hive has built-in rewards and incentives for people to create GOOD content!
This is an essential "content" market fit and it makes such a huge difference. And while this message is very pertinent for content creation, it is also something that weighed heavily on my mind as a teacher too.
Students have many different learning types and varied interests, so I would constantly challenge myself to make sure my lessons offered opportunities for the students to engage in my lessons (content) in different ways to appeal to their different learning styles and life experiences. It was by far the most challenging part of my teaching tasks.