How Communities Will Make Steemit Awesome!
With SteemFest around the corner, I looked back on all that has improved and one pending issue stood out. I share my thoughts on the new Steemit UI/UX we are waiting for and how I think it will change things for the better.
Right now, content discovery on Steemit is very limited. So many good posts go unnoticed and interaction levels are not at par with how a social platform should be. And Steemit Inc knows this, that's why six months ago, they shared a growth plan for this year that emphasized communities as the only reason why people would use Steemit in numbers.
Why do we need communities?
One good example for why communities are needed is my blog. I write in various genres that I enjoy and my work doesn't fall into just one category or tag. If someone reads one of my posts about Steemit or Steem and decides to follow me for more of the same, they will feel spammed when I write fiction or poetry or something else other than about Steem. And then they will probably unfollow or even mute me.
This will give me few options to work with as an author. Do I stop writing about everything else and focus on one thing? That's not right. What about the readers? What if they like poetry but don't like having to follow the blogs of ten different poets who will sometimes write about other things and fill their feed with stuff they didn't sign up for?
How can they find a feed to follow that will just give them what they want and only that? If it's poetry then it should be that and only that. If it's travel then the same applies.
There are some serious fundamental problems with content discovery and user experience on Steemit right now because of the current tag-based organizational structure for posts.
How communities will change the platform
With the upgrade to a community based organizational structure for posts, content on Steemit will be a whole lot more organized. People who share the same interests or mindsets, or even language, can come together and interact in a protected environment where they will see content they can relate to.
Interaction levels and activity will skyrocket and the platform will be busier than ever before. You will see many posts being made, many being read and upvoted and commented on. We all know that for a social network to thrive, activity must be high. This will be good for Steemit and Steem as a whole.
1) A better experience for readers
As a reader, you will have the chance to get access to a wider variety of content that is easy to find and subscribe to. It will be a reader's paradise! All you'll have to do is think of a certain type of content you like, search for communities offering that and pick which ones to follow.
Communities will mean a much cleaner feed. A much more organized reading experience and the chance to binge on whatever content you like without being interrupted by spam. Content will be curated by curators and the case we see today of viewing a tag namespace and being flooded by content that shouldn't be mixed together will be no more.
Imagine it: there will be communities for every kind of niche content you can think of and you will be able to follow these communities, and the best part is that you will get the right content in your feed.
2) More support for new authors
One of the most powerful effect that communities will have for authors is about audience. A new writer can write something and share it in a community with thousands or even millions of followers without having to build that following themselves. That is important because a lot time and energy is wasted when every author writing about roses for example has to build an audience for roses. That's the job of the community. A public roses community with good and efficient curators will build up a following of millions in no time and that will create an everlasting stream of demand for content pertaining to roses, in this example. A demand that authors will be glad to satisfy.
So now, instead of spending time marketing, the writers just have to write and create their best content to share with the community. And they can can start getting attention and start earning sooner than ever before. All they have to do is to create great content and keep improving their craft.
3) Powerful tools for all writers/authors
There will also be another opportunity for all authors when communities arrive: creating restricted communities in which only selected people will post into, but which anyone can read and comment on. This will enable people to create communities of special or exclusive content that can be offered to readers with the promise of consistency and no noise.
Posts will be made by one or more people who were involved in the creation of the community or were given the right to write posts for it. This feature will lead to the development of high quality, focused and exclusive content being offered in a quiet environment free from other posts that may disturb the reading experience. It's an opportunity of a lifetime!
The bigger picture
People will follow communities for the focused and specific types of content they produce and they will follow personal blogs only to hear personal stories from the author or owner of that blog. One such an example would be the Steemit blog. People will still follow the Steemit blog because they want to hear what Steemit Inc is doing and other upgrades and changes to the platform.
But there will also be communities that are Steemit related. People will start gathering to discuss Steemit issues in different communities. Some will talk about suggested improvements and some will share amazing stats for the fast growing ecosystem. Some will form marketing communities in which posts will discuss and organize marketing initiatives.
The possibilities are endless and only our imaginations will bring them into existence. What's important is to have the tools to socialize and to do so freely and effectively, and that is what the communities feature will bring.
Thanks for reading
Yes this is what makes all platform great and grow, always the communities. I have been trying to build one of my own here. Let me know if you want to help each other in any way!
Yes, communities are so important. Thanks for reading
Great article, @imwatsi! I'm a newbie here and still learning about how this stuff works. I haven't been real active yet, simply because of the difficulty in finding the content or communitiy that interests me. However, I do look forward to the changes and growth of this expanding social network, and hope to add some value to it in the process! Thanks again!