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It occurred to me one day that, while Steemit is great, I can't remove what I put into the blockchain. That's fine if it's just a post about what I've been doing, a short story here and there, or even an essay I can't stop myself from writing. The problem comes in when I decide there's some tiny part of a story that I want to publish or expand on. Yes, it's possible to make a few hundred dollars here and there with those short stories, BUT, try to publish them with the demon-god of book selling and you're going to find yourself in trouble.
Why? Well, let's say you want to put your work into a specific program, one where readers pay a certain amount to revel in the pool of books they've just opened themselves up to? To put your book into that program with the demon-god of book selling, your work CANNOT appear anywhere else. Around 10 percent of it can, but the rest? That's a big ole NOPE.
But, I can just delete it, you might tell yourself. Sure, you can delete it, but it's still in the blockchain, and the demon-god? It's an angry god, full of hate for those that make it a profit, because they might be CHEATING. They might try to make a profit from their goods that the demon-god won't get to snatch away.
There are alternatives to the demon-god, the lesser known Google-eyed god of fluffy bunnies, or even the gnarled hands of the old-fashioned book store that now wrings its roots as it sort of totters off to try to remember what it was doing with this e-book, but there is one demon-god, and it is the decider. Of everything.
So, if you think you might ever consider publishing with that demon-god, rather than have all of your work up on Steemit, where it's only going to make money for a certain amount of time, I'd suggest you leave that little gem on your harddrive. Eventually the demon-god WILL find your post in the blockchain, and they may just totally destroy your account without a question asked or chance given to prove you aren't a fraud-committing, click-farming fool bent on making $6 off of them. You will be destroyed for your impertinence, and that is the way of the demon-god. Be warned.
PS: I could also be totally wrong, but after some thinking, reading, and trying to figure out what actually happens when you delete a post, this is the conclusion I came to. And no, I'm not naming the demon-god, you know that old saying about speak of the devil as well as I do. You know who it is, if you've ever considered publishing a book by yourself, anyway.
This post has been voted on from MSP3K courtesy of @thinknzombie from the Minnow Support Project ( @minnowsupport ).
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We've put a lot of thought into this over at The Writers' Block on discord (https://discord.gg/d35yBR ) as well and reached the same conclusion. It's 10% or likely never publish it again anywhere else (and not just with the old demon god). It makes putting anything up on Steemit a big decision. Effectively, the block chain is forever. Still, some of us continue to write for Steemit. Great post.
That realization put a halt to a lot of things I was planning to do with Steemit. I'll still post things, when I have the time to, but anything I might plan to expand or publish elsewhere later? It's not going on here. It's something that should be thought about if Steemit ever wants to expand into that market. It's also something people should be aware of if they ever plan on publishing their projects. With everything else the demon-god throws at us, knowing what else might put a wrench in our endeavors is vital.
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Interesting.
It's definitely something to think about :)
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Well, when choosing to publish on steemit, you're commiting yourself to that. One has to consider their options and find the one that brings in the most profit in regards to one's objectives.
For me, an aspiring artist, Steemit works as a sort of workshop/trial ground where I endeavor to perfect my skills. The truly great pieces will come with time, then I'll consider the consequences again.
Good post! Upvoted and followed. Steem on!
It's always a choice, I just know there are a lot of aspiring writers out there that don't know the rules of the demon-god(s), and how what you do now can make a difference on the choices you make when it comes times to publish. My partner was putting his book on Steemit, in chapter forms, until it occurred to me that he wouldn't be able to put it on a subscription program if he put more of it up. Then I really had to look at my options and what I wanted in the future. It's good to know little things that can totally ruin your plans, that you weren't even aware of, so I hope it helps somebody that I posted this. Good luck with your endeavors! :)
I have had a similar thought here. It's really weird to think that I couldn't delete what I post even if I wanted to. There has to be a certain level of self censorship because there is no take backs here. Maybe block chain social media is the cure for the cancer that is the comments section of Facebook or YouTube. You really have to be your best self here.
That would be lovely wouldn't it? To stop some of the venomous spew that leaves peoples' fingers as they type whatever thought that comes into their head, just to troll others with. Our words are throwaway now, no more important than a paper plate, it would seem. I disagree, and reserve my words for what I feel serves a purpose, even if it's only a single sentence. I still see the irrelevant, often silly attempts at grabbing a few cents with some replies, those "hey, like me and read my stuff" posts, but it's still better than some of the things you see on social media. Thanks for checking me out! :)