I was reading a post by @farq a little while ago about how he has been on Steem Hiatus for the last few weeks as life has got in the way. I will pull one quote from the piece:
Truth be told, I probably have a "hiatus" from any service I use, be it Steem, Reddit, certainly Facebook - I've had a 2-3 year hiatus from Facebook.. So why does it matter to me on Steem? probably because I see Steem as an opportunity to earn and to hopefully create some sort of wealth, and especially at these times when the price is relatively low, the opportunity is ripe as ever.
This, "So why does it matter to me on Steem?" is a key question people should ask themselves and should be an indicator of what their mind is telling them of what is to come. Most people in this word can take a break from Facebook, Instagram or wherever and not feel like they are missing out but, those in Steem feel they are losing something from not being here. Even the ones who might not earn very much.
There is a reason for this and that is that there is not just earning potential here, there is the chance that it leads onto much, much more. No one joins up at a centralized social media platform with the intent and possibility that they could be part of changing the world in some way, even if only a small part of it.
Many people here realise that this is ground floor actions in a movement that will shift much more that a few coins. There are implications for finance yes, but there is also freedom of speech, thought, immutability, poverty, equality, education, healthcare, science... It is near endless what will possibly be affected.
@acidyo was in chat before talking about how there seems to be a convergence point approaching; communities, HF20, ease of signup process and several other factors that will likely see a drive in onboarding which will of course continue to put Steem in the eyes of public and investor alike. Investors currently love social movements to support as there is a massive amount of potential in motivated, attached members of a community. Whether they know it or not, they are not funding the latest app this time, they are backing a revolution. Well, that is if we can learn enough along the way too.
With the current waters being what they are, earning is very difficult for many people who are unwilling to use bidbots and don't have large supporters. This doesn't mean earning is impossible though, just very difficult. The competition is increasing but, the quality is not which means, those who consistently produce are likely to consistently garner support and grow.
What this means for me is that this is the groundwork phase, not the life of luxury phase where we can reap what we sow. Sure, some are already reaping a massive amount but, that doesn't stop many others collecting small amounts. They will add up.
Let's say that in 3 years from now Steem is worth 100 dollars. What do you have? What would it be if you were able to add 5 Steem a week to it? That is 750 extra Steem over the next 3 years. 75,000 dollars. Now, I am not saying that Steem will hit 100 in three years but, the potential is there. It might not be worth your time but, it might be too.
There are no guarantees to this though, this is based on risk and uncertainty and crypto is a risky and uncertain business at best. It will settle in time but, this is not that time and for me, I am very, very glad about it. Take out the volatility of the markets, take out the high risks of failures and you take out the potentials. Not just the potential to earn.
To be able to make the changes to the world that need to happen to create a more equitable and opportunity laden ecosystem for humanity, it isn't going to be done by doing what is easy and certain. It is going to take investment into what hasn't been invested in before.
Personally, my work (and I do consider this work) at Steemit is part of my investment into changing the world. Without Steem, I am one little voice lost in a sea of repetition and working like slaves. Here, I can help be part of a movement toward a hopefully better experience for all.
You might be looking at your earnings (or lack of) and be quite depressed, disillusioned as after all, some idiot on YouTube told you this was all easy money. For him it is because, you believed him. This is not easy and like anything of value, nor should it be. In time I hope people realise this and start their work in earnest, not just to earn now, but add their voice to the ripples until they make waves and perhaps, flood the known and break the banks.
For @farq, I recommended finding a way to post something once or twice a week, hopefully something of quality. This is not just to earn though, it is to stay engaged, to interact, add a comment or two, drop a vote and remind someone that there is a future to come and we are all a part of it. There is more at stake hear that money.
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
As a guy who has lost some steam in the past 2-3 days, I can attest to the fact that not coming on to the platform as much as I am used to is a little disconcerting. For me it was about commitment to being regular thus the feeling is not of a minor itch but disconcert.
Even then I understand the incentives of being present here on steemit are far more than any other social media platform. Not being here and loosing to make steem is one thing if we consider the dollars made but in my mind the loss becomes more apparent when I consider the the fact that we earn Steem and not Dollars. While the value of Dollar has historically depreciated the value of steem continues to rise. But I think this feeling is quite common to the people of crypto space.
Post or don't post, a few comments on some decent bloggers can be enough to tick a little earning over, learn something new or get inspired.
This is interesting I think. Humans aren't very good at feeling the future value of something.
Lost steam or lost steem? ;)
You guessed it - Both
:-)
Wow thanks for the shout out and advice, and the little "pick me up" you've given me here.
My mentality with steemit from day one has very much been that I have put in a lot of time into Reddit over the years (30000+ karma which is worth $0.00 least time I checked), and that if I did the same thing here, there's no reason I can't build up some SP organically.
I still haven't put any fiat into steem yet, but will one day soon.
My recent hiatus as I touched on was as a result of alot of distractions and not a lot of spare time, and as I went longer without posting it was getting harder to get back on.
But I'm back now :)
One of these days, kabooooomm! your 0 will be multiplied by 600%!! I read it in the elliot waves. ;)
I think it is kind of like going to the gym here. The longer away, the more painful to come back. The worst pain is likely to be in 2 years when people realise how much they could have earned for a relatively small amount of work. That is crypto though it seems.
A bit like how I cry that I never bought any bitcoin when i was first reading about it in 2010, or that when I finally did buy some in 2016 just to see how it worked, i had only put in $10 and never really looked at it again until Q3 2017....
I often wonder if there's any possibility of Reddit converting to a crypto model, and they airdrop tokens to people who already hold karma.. who knows maybe my 30,000 karma would be worth $3 some day...
After my 15yr revenue stream was cut last month without warning - I have has to take money out, to live.
...which I can actually do here in Asia. Just .Even with the relatively small amount I earn on here.
It avoided a crisis, until I get my other things up and running again.
I hope I see $100 in three years, I'm here for the long haul.
(although if it stayed above $4 for a month or two that would be very peachy for my situation! lol!)
Hopefully things ease up and you get a few streams incoming soon. I think this place has saved many people, for me it is my sanity.
This can never be said any better. I know exactly how I feel when I am so tied down with work and find it difficult to make posts on steemit or engage in comments. I know how I feel now. I just feel sad and feel like I am losing out on a lot. Steemit it home for me atvthe moment and I am not the only one in this as some of the persons i have succeeded in on boarding also feels same.
Saying that steem might hit $100 in 3 years time isn't just a statement out of the blues. You have a reason and that is coz of the potential you have seen with steem. Same potential I see from my own end so I also do believe that steem has the potential to hit $100 in or before 3 years too.
Steem is such a fast moving ecosystem. Even though I don't have time to post as often as I would like I am so caught up in the politics, economics and social aspect I check in several times a day to see what is going on. It is great to be here in these relatively early days.
I think if you come to Steem with only a view on the money aspect you will be very disappointed. I look on it as just a bonus for being part of this new community.
As a decentralised environment the most exciting thing is it can be whatever you want it to be so focus attention on that and if you build it they will come.
You know you're on the right path when things stop being easy. I forget that bit of advice when things seem to go to shit but then remember it seems like a struggle because I am doing it right. It's easy enough to cut corners but if you cut enough of them you are left with nothing. Thanks for these final thoughts before I go off to sleep.
Wise words. Sleep well mate.
Well steemit is what you define it, it's difficult when you're not earning, but quite easy, when you're earning, nevertheless it's been a revelation, I post twice at times thrice a day.
I thought I could take a break. I went off for a day and the next day I was commenting and upvoting. By the third day, I was tired of looking steemnow and went back to writing and posting.
It is good to take a break once in a while, to get fresh perspective but going off steemit completely, that will be difficult.
I find that consistency and quality has its own reward, though it might not be a fatter wallet. There is a world beyond steemit and steemit can be one's platform to show the world what one has to offer. I see people getting offline contacts and connections through steemit, connections that may mean project funding, job, support, anything at all.
So I take steemit serious. I believe in the platform and what I can achieve with it and I see it as a spring board to better things. So even if I don't make much, I know someone is enjoying my content and one day, the right person will come, see and the value of my effort will be rewarded.
In addition to being a platform to show what one has to offer, Steemit is also a platform where one can show who they are.
This is a place where you can say, "This is me! This is who I am/was, and this is how I lived my life; these are the things I saw that interested me and how I reacted to them."
Authors post their writing so it can be shared with others, so why not share with others who you think you are? The blockchain not only offers a free repository to contain information about ourselves, but also gives a way to meet others anywhere In the world and learn about their lives and learn to see them as real individuals.
Steemit can be a lot of things to a lot of people, and none of the uses infringe upon the others...except for the rewards pool-raiding bots, but even those will not squelch creativity.
this is one of the main draw cards I think as people start to realise the importance and (rarity) of uncensored expression.
I was going to write something about this one day, maybe in the next few days.
I know that you are in your content and push yourself. there is personal value in that.
Yes there is. I feel satisfaction when I create a piece of writing that I consider good. That ability to create something out of nothing is a thrill and it is one of the reasons I post as often as I can.
I like to believe that I am also growing as a writer and that my constant writing has a role in that feeling.
curation trail vote
I suspect that EVERY time you make a post you get a reward. Even if it's so small it can't be seen. It's still there.
Trust me...it's there.
I was on Steem for about a year...I had a tiny amount of SteemPower.
Then one night it's value increased a LOT.
Those invisible 'vests' that I couldn't even see...gained a hundred times value in just a few hours.
what a rush.
That was just from ten cents to to a dollar fifty.
then a while later from a dollar fifty to $4
then yet again...it went to $8.
I expect it to happen yet again..and again..and again.
BitCoin went from free..to$9,348.
Steem is more capable than BitCoin by any parameter you care to name.
Be patient and Steem On.
Pretty incredible how fast things can change in this space I think.
Not much of a yardstick but, point taken ;)
Not much of a yardstick
what yard stick would you use?
What I meant was, it isn't hard to outperform Bitcoin on capabilities :D
oh.....that.
well yeah...I agree.
If steem is worth $100, 5 years from now, I'll have $12 million worth, growing at $40,000 a week, (and that's only if I don't accumulate any more between now and then.)
I'm not even in the top 200 for account value, so there are a lot of guys bigger than me.
Until then, I'll be using my stake to attract and retain new users, and I imagine many of the others will be doing the same :)
I think the chances are pretty decent in 5 years, considering the reward potential.
It would be great to be able to attract them in and throw them to big fish on occasion too. Create a spiralling network to raise those who do the work.
Actually 8.5 mill. See, you can even suck at maths and still do well here :)
Don't I know it..
The I want it now mentality will not work in a groundwork phase
Steemit is a investment in the future . Like all investments it takes time and effort . We seem, especially the young, to put off investing for the future. Life always gets in the way . But as any investment goes just a little consinsistly over time pays off with large rewards .
I understand that most of us can only purchase $50 -$100 a month worth of Steem and some less than that . Which is OK if it is done consistently . Growth in a steady upward trend is what we seek.
I have not seen any waves , but I truly hope that I am making a couple ripples here and there that will in time with others make at least one rouge wave :)
Heard of the guy that was putting 10 dollars a week into bitcoin the last 2-3 years? That is a Starbucks couple coffees forgone, is it really a risk?
Groundswells take time to appear.
I understand why not being active for a week you feel as though you have missed out.Ii have been busy the whole day and what is the first thing I do? I open up Steemit. It takes so much time and effort to get anywhere to build and get a momentum going that you really can't afford to stop. not just the money side but the whole building the account thing.
I know this platform is going to grow and need to get ahead now. In 6 months we may not recognize this place with all the new things going on. If you are already established that won't matter as much as you are ahead of the game. Steem will reach $100 and it will be a KABOOM moment guaranteed. No use asking the resident T/A as he doesn't give time frames and by doing that is always correct.
When I started and learnt what was going on I have given myself 6 months to get to a point I can relax a little. I don't think I will as you get into such a routine and know what needs to be done. maybe I shouldn't have put targets in my head but I have.
Setting the goal is fine but also don't be bound by them because as things change, you might find that the goal shifts too. Would be great to have it shift so a little less work is required but, how often does that happen? :)
Never happens. When I start something I normally finish. There is no finish line here, so I guess it's the long haul. I actually enjoy it so I honestly don't mind. Goal will shift as changes happen but for now I will stick to it as it helps me stay more disciplined.
Enjoyed this article mate. I started out and battled, really battled. I gave up for three weeks before going back on and started paying enough attention to what I enjoy, photography and found a few people whose work got my attention enough to get me to do what I had not done in years, read.
The more I read the more I started enjoying the conversations and am ultimately really enjoying the people I choose to engage with and must say what I appreciate about the community thus far is that the people here allow each other have different opinions and to voice them into meaningful debate and or just some fun.
I am starting to earn a little here and there and it is exciting in more ways than one while I'm learning things from others on many levels.
Like I said, enjoyed this one very much, it struck home with me
It is funny I think how the reading helps the mind focus. I think it is because it takes a little more time and effort so makes the mind slow and think a bit.
I am glad that you enjoyed it. I know that I write across many areas so not all (or many) are suited or everyone.
Indeed, my father was a highly intelligent man, also someone who read a massive amount great books and believed in increases focus, vocabulary and thus widening one's scope of understanding. I enjoy most of your most a great deal and your input is surely appreciated, it helps the "learning from each other" process.
Great advice as always mate. Personally, I've been waiting all my life for an opportunity like this to come along and now that it has I find myself frozen in the headlights. You've followed me for long enough to know I have a lot of flaws and one thing my time here has taught me is that I can talk a good game but I'm not exactly great at seeing things through. In case you haven't worked it out already I suffer from what some people refer to as depression which to me means I never know how I'm going to feel tomorrow or in 10 mins time so I'm slowly learning to stop making promises I can't keep. One minute I'm the most optimistic guy in the world, the next I can't see the sun for the clouds.
I don't want to look at this as a job but for my own sake I think its the way things will have to be from now on. I've been here a year now and have 400 steem in my account. I have taken some out but not much and very little has actually been for myself. Ive also taken out some SBDs but a lot of what Ive earned in SBD has gone to others as prizes for contests etc. I'm not disappointed by what I have even though I know I could and probably should have done a lot better. I do think I've somewhat missed an opportunity but still see myself having a big opportunity given that, even though I know I've upset a few people wuth the things I've said and the way I've said them, I still feel I have good support if I get back on track and find my place.
I actually don't have a job. When I joined steemit my son had not long been born and I decided that I wanted to spend as much time as possible with him and not miss out on the things a lot of fathers do. When I found steemit, I thought it would be perfect for me but that hasn't proven to be the case so far and apart from your writing and quality of work, your ability to find a balance between work and life is one of the things I admire about you.
Sorry. Bit of a ramble. :)
I have realised but, it is not my area to speak about directly. (post about indirectly maybe ;) )
I just wrote another post that might be more directed toward your kind of future here that you might enjoy.
One thing that is pretty good here is despite the immutability, people have poor memories for such things. I think what it is, is that many people understand the frustrations of this place as we all feel them from time to time, some more than others. Very few people are 'write-offs' here and even someone like Haejin could likely be accepted again if he made fundamental shifts to his process. Unlikely.
For the last year has been all about balance. Lots of work, family, steem balanced by, no time, no energy, no sleep. The scales are even ;) It really isn't easy to keep these things up but, I see so much potential for me and those I support or will support in the future I am unwilling to rest yet.
I've noticed this myself and in my own case I'm quite glad of it yet it is another troubling similarity with the real world that in general I hope can be avoided in future. I'm all for second chances but I do think it's important for us to 'know where we've been' in order to avoid the mistakes of the past
You don't strike me as the resting type. :)
If you're suggesting I should have and should, stick to the art, you might well be right and that's something I've considered myself. :)
Thanks again mate. It's always a pleasure. :)
The proliferation of applications outside of the realm of social media will drive the price of STEEM to such heights as $100 if anything. It's possible. Time will tell.
It is an interesting ride to be a part of, for sure.
Great post, I personally have been taking things VERY slow and steady. I don't post very often but I feel that it's not necessary for me to at this time.
I enjoy reading other people's content, commenting occasionally and voting whenever I feel like. I'm not here to replace my income, yet, so everything I earn is staying here and being powered up. I joined in 2016 and my GF joined about 2 months after me and has grown her account from $2 to over $9k all organically from her posts, comments, etc., and usually just about art. The revolutionary POWER of STEEM is still HIGHLY undervalued, IMO...
I think the value will be seen from the outside before many of the people inside realse what they have got (or wasted) as many think it will always be 'like this'. It is going to change drastically over time.
Nailed it. The part you discussed about those who are not willing to use bidbots... Well, I'd bet that number changes over time. The longer someone is on here and perceives that they are being "slighted" or "cheated" or not getting enough exposure .. the more likely they are to change their minds about bidbots.
It comes down to a battle of internal will: Do I maintain my moral standing, or do I succumb to capitalism and take part in the bidbot machine?
It sounds pretty extreme in those terms, but generally speaking, that's the battle pro/anti- bidbots..
Yeah. The biggest problem for me is the lack of manual effort for the bidbots. They are voting anything and taking corrective action (occasionally and publicly) when called out. It is profitable but poor process.
It's definitely a reactive process as opposed to a proactive process. One of the "set it and forget it" techniques.
And that's simply because, as you said, it's profitable!
I am late to upvote, but just in time to resteem this jewel of a post!! :)
For some it may be difficult, for some it may be easy but It is really helping me finance my master degree program.
Steemit is more to me than just a way to explore world. Yes, it is a unfiltered stage where I can shout and scream and explain and sit quietly.
But there is money too. Actual money.
Actual in the sense - you spend them to get other things. This is a revolutionary thing.
You spend money and get value. You give value and you get money (Steem)
I hope for a brightful future. But yes you have to keep the risk in mind too.
I wish all of us - good luck!
You can only give with what is powered up but if there is not much ever powered up, it is only getting.
I couldn't agree more!
(p.s. I'm sorry for making this as a second comment, it's a completely different conversation topic so I decided to split it up.)
Amazing post love it deeply and appreciate your work. Hope to improve account soon. Follow and upvoted you
Great post sharing sir
Yes,I agree with u..
This is really possitive attitude post..
I also appreciate this post..