I agree with your assessment, but I think I'm a little more hopeful (naive?) for the long run. I lurked for about a month, reading articles here and there, and it took me a while to see the long term value. Yes, there is a LOT of "circle jerking" (as you call it), and so many times I see people getting paid $1000+ for a single, poorly written post that does nothing more than reinforce a desire for more money.
However, I joined because the more I got involved, the more potential I saw. I also began to see the smaller communities that have formed, that may not get paid as much as the fanboy posts, but have quality content that is actually curated well (not just by upvotes). I'm thinking right now of the SteemTrail movement.
What I envision is a site where people write about the things they care about, and are passionate about. Things they want to share with others. And I like that you can get paid for it, because it really does take a lot of time to write well and craft something that is valuable and meaningful. I think we're headed that direction, but it sure is messy along the way. (Just watch what comes out in the "New" feed.)
But I'm here for the long term, for what this might become. It might not ever come to fruition, but it's worth the risk to me.
I read your post....and frankly Steemit could fail
I am new to steemit...I posted several stories....see my blog...and 6 days later I suddenly cannot post a story anymore.....why....I did go into live chat and ask several questions about steemit and all and two people were very rude and reported me to abuse where there was no abuse at all I asked 2-3 questions and they went nuts....is there some sort of cult like group in steemit where they know how to shut your account down through computer programs using abuse? Is so then there is no free speech in steemit and it is noting more that crazies who are hurting steemit where fewer quality people come to steemit...please let me know about this so I do not waist my time....I was never rude or a jerk to anyone...
Also, many people commented that I actually used my real name and I have my Linkedin page in my profile....so it is like there is some sort of group of people in steemit who do not want people like me in steemit...they want there little bitcoin hype platform and nothing more...they do not want people using their real names in here...they want more of a AOL thing where nobody really knows who the other person is.....
if steemit wants to be nothing more than bitcoin stories then it will fail....
Michael, did you ever find out the answer to your questions, b/c I wouldn't put up with that shit.
Are you able to post now?
I read an article that says you can't post if you don't have enough steem or something.
Another guy had the same issue & people gave him steem (how I have no clue) & he was able to post again, but like me (see my reply to this article below), he doesn't know how long before it stops him from posting again : (
That's why I wanted to join, to write about things that matter to me, but I already do that on my site & wanted to know if I can just post the link here just like people do in FB groups.
How do you find a community?
Do you get an e-mail when someone responds to your comment?
I commented on one person's article & when I went back to it, I couldn't find my comment :frowning:
Thanks