And you've already made $250 in one week just from a couple of hundred followers, that's not counting all the unvested rewards that have not paid out yet. Plus you didn't buy a big pile of STEEM to self promote your initial posts and bootstrap your community here.
I would also say that political content is general not that popular here so your individual posts are actually doing pretty well to make as much as they do. But if you manage to bring some of your followers to Steemit that could change all that.
Good luck and glad to have you on Steemit! Remember this platform only has a few hundred thousand active monthly users - there is so much room for growth it is crazy. Even if you're here a year after it started you are still an early adopter and blockchain pioneer!
Political content has not been that popular but it also has not had anyone present it in this fashion. I think the video format works well here.
and I know I said it before, but welcome to steemit @davidpakman ;-)
Exactly. People who base the content they create based on the content they see as "popular" are shooting themselves in the foot. Make awesome content and you will be rewarded. David proves that
That's laughable.
Names with an already established reputation/fan base get noticed and rewarded as incentive to spread the gospel. Just in the same way that @dolarvigilante was able to receive impressive rewards early on. Thus make multiple videos proclaiming how great steemit was. He has not made a video promoting steemit for nearly 6 months though.
I do wonder if his now capped earnings despite having a massive fan base here no longer gives him an incentive to promote. It could also explain why there was that slight disgruntled undertone to his steemfest presentation.
David would have found success here even if he posted an image of him on the toilet. The rest have to pay to get rewarded or just wallow in their stink until they can finally realize how to toe the line.
The positives that David may bring to steemit however, I am not disputing or against. The platform needs people like him. This is what I have voiced in many comment chains on posts that are discussing the state of steemit. Posts which evidently, I have not seen you so active on - Mr Community Liaison.
One thing is definite though. Content is NOT king. You know that.
Creating awesome content that lots of people like on other platforms counts. David has clearly put in the time for years and yes, steem stakeholders do reward that. David's content is "awesome" IMO because 1. the video is high production value, 2. he is leveraging his existing platform to promote Steemit, and 3. he actually did a great job of giving a brief explanation that lay-people can understand. It's obviously not true that if David had simply posted an image of himself on the toilet he would have earned the same amount ... unless the humor of the photo was sufficiently high (which it might have been ;) ). I stick by my statement, we simply have different definitions of what makes content "awesome." Even you agree that David is going to add a ton of value to the platform, and he demonstrated that with this video. Had he just posted an image of himself, Steemians would have seen through it as just a shameless attempt to make some extra cash. The very fact that you appreciate his potential value after watching his content disproves your point.
I was never disputing that there was no 'awesome content' from David (though I can't rate politics high on everyone's awesome radar - no matter how simplified). I was pointing out that the same does not apply if you DON'T already have the name.
There are countless posters here who are walking away because their awesome content just isn't recognized. @erh.germany for instance. She wrote a powerful piece on her perspective of steemit which only made a few dollars. (There is 2 days remaining if you care to read it.. and, as a stakeholder.. reward it).
It's subjective what awesome content is - so it's not king - plus it's not automatically recognized. Also to be realistic, I do agree with your 3rd rule: 'explanation that lay-people can understand', does get processed easier. Thus a reader feels compelled to reward. The level of @erh.germany's word usage is probably way higher than most would comprehend. Many may find it overwhelming. It's conforms to your rule 1 though: High production value.
This is also why elsewhere I suggested that steemit and users would benefit from a section for: Intellectuals and Professionals. Rather than just the tag method. Obviously like how Reddit does it. The option for communities to exists within the greater community. This grows niches and overall the entire platform.
I disagree with this though:
@dollarvigilante himself admitted that his intro here was lacking substance. Yet it blew up. I actually don't care for David's content after watching a few videos. They are much too simplified and he has a clear bias. I still see him as positive though, for his ability to attract more users to the platform.
@o1o1o1o Great to hear that $250 in one week just from a couple of hundred followers.
Keep it up