I've broken up today's post into three separate videos. The first video explains why.
In this video I give what I believe to be the perfect Steemit pitch. Of course, it's more like the best I can do right now, but that doesn't sound nearly as interesting right? ;)
Finally this video contains what are effectively my "first principles" of succeeding on Steemit.
Article by @hisnameisollie: What's Important to Steemit’s Longevity? - Inspiried by @anyx ‘Tragedy of The Commons’
Great stuff. My only minor quibble would be with your claim that there's no possibility for censorship. It's true that nothing can be kept off of the blockchain, but it's very easy and common to censor content on the steemit platform... and I'll even say that it's a good thing. A truly uncensored alternative will likely come along soon and I expect it to be a disaster.
I think of that as "curated" not censored :)
I totally get your point though.
I asked this same question below. I've seen several people downvoted away because they were major trolls. Trolls need to be downvoted away.
Yup. It's just part of good curation.
So we're saying that there is some blurry line between censorship and curation, the posts, comments and content that is "pseudo-censored" is at the bottom at the barrel due to the process of curation. They are there but not on top as long as we do our jobs.
I think that this is a 100% valid argument, but I also think it is a largely semantic one that doesn't really belong in a pitch. A reasonable argument can also be made that this is NOT censorship but curation (as @clevecross pointed out). All speech remains publicly available on the blockchain. In addition, "real" censorship (it could be argued) is done by governments, and that too seems nearly impossible on Steemit. That being the case, telling people that "censorship is impossible" (which I still think is technically true) is a far more compelling pitch than, "well you can say whatever you want, but if it's so offensive that a majority of users or power users can hide your speech..." Normal humans (as well as legal institutions, though few of us are a fan of those ;) ) tolerate a certain degree of "puffery" in advertisements which I believe this falls well within. If when pitching people have questions about the censorship (which they almost always do) I use that as an opportunity to explain the way that speech is curated and hidden by the crowd so as to avoid spam and abusive speech and how crowdsourcing prevents the process from being corrupted. So I largely agree with you guys, I would just say that everyone understands that the rules are different in pitches. They understand that precision is sacrificed for brevity. Thanks for the thoughtful feedback, I'll certainly keep an eye on this, but currently I think that this is only an issue for people who prefer hyper-technical detail (like myself actually), as opposed to most people who just want the meat and potatoes of a point.
Right. What I meant is that because it's a complicated and controversial point, it might be best to just leave it out of the pitch entirely... I certainly don't go there when explaining it for the first time.
I think that's reasonable, but then you're eliminating from the pitch one of the most innovative and compelling aspects of the platform. Definitely think it comes down to personal choice and subjective determinations. But in my experience no one comes out of a pitch like this thinking that I've been deceptive about the censorship aspect. Either people don't care about the censorship issue at all in which case they don't think about it again, or they care about it and so ask for details and then appreciate the sophistication of the approach. The value of this cannot be underestimated. I promise you that no one will ever care about the censorship issue if you approach it by carefully explaining the mechanism. Telling them that it's impossible piques their interest and actually opens the conversation to talking about censorship and the sophisticated manner in which it is handled. No one has ever remotely indicated that they felt this was not a reasonably accurate description of the platform except people who are already part of the platform which is the precise demographic you do not want to pitch to. The probability of this pitch misleading people or turning them off to the platform is effectively zero, though that does not mean that it will turn them on to the platform. However, if anyone uses a pitch like this, talks about censorship being impossible and gets a different reaction with a high frequency, then I will consider revising the pitch. However, as someone who has used this pitch I know that is not the case. The biggest problem with this pitch IMO is that it is probably not as compelling as it could be. I think insights from someone with more experience in marketing and advertising could probably make it a much more compelling pitch. But fundamentally what this comes down to is whether you think the point of pitch is to be perfectly accurate or perfectly persuasive.
I guess I'm just an honesty freak. As far as I'm concerned, steemit sells itself just on the single point of it paying its contributors. No persuasion is necessary 'cause it's the only game in town.
@andrarchy, your videos are awesome. Can't wait to see more. I love your approach & attitude and the ease with which you explain the basics. I definitely agree that the main benefit for users isn't the money they can make, but the quality of the content they can enjoy by participating. Great content promotes user engagement and conversation. As people naturally interact on the platform, the Steem will come later. It's exciting to be involved at such an early stage, since no one knows where this project can go from here. Steemians are coming...
love it man. do some more videos @andrarchy
I ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TIME, haha :) JK. Thanks will do
waiting for it
Excellent pitch... I'll likely be sharing that quite a bit.
Driving home so was able to listen while I drove. Once again inspired, this time though, had a seed of an idea already planted. Thank you for helping it develop, and always for your content.
Thanks for your video. This is a completely new way of looking at steemit and I like it. IF I am thinking on what to give to the community instead of how many I would take away then the platform will be so much more successful.
I think the other social platforms are hearing foot steps. The pitter patter of Steemian foot steps!
"STEEM is a decentralized hack to a decentralized bank account
I agree with the expectations set for people being a problem, particularly with alternatives coming soon. There are many decentralized blockchain based social media sites on the horizon: DECENT, MAID, SYNEREO, LIBRARY, and other projects all have possibilities. If people come to steemit, make some well thought out, insightful posts that don't get enough love, they may jump ship to another site soon and try to get in on the ground floor.
Everyone here already is basically in on the ground floor, I mean shit the site is still in beta, but there is a large and difficult to cross gulf between people like you and minnows, and their frustration is understandable. Being first is a huge advantage for steemit, and retaining users who aren't succeeding is going to be a challenge when they can possibly succeed elsewhere, but the content I've seen in my 10-15 days on steemit has consistently improved, and I'm hopeful for the future.
Will watch the next two videos and comment on those separately
I like your point of view in the third video
Well done @andrarchy! Flywheel for Success on Steemit. I'd like to summarize it as Collaborate, Create, Grow.
I wouldn't say that censorship is impossible. @ntomaino has an insightful post on that. But that's a detail not relevant to prospective users.
BTW watching your head vibrate back and forth in the second video on 2x speed from 1:31 to about 1:45 is seriously cracking me up.
What do you say to those that are downvoted and then complain they are being censored?
I'd flag their complaining. lol
If I could I would upvote this twice.
These are all valid arguments. I would say that it's certainly a gray area which really stretches the definition of "censorship." I could certainly argue it both ways. And it's really a credit to steemit that it pushes people to think this intensely about censorship. I personally don't think it's censorship even after reading the definitions of censorship. Does that mean it isn't? No. Still could be. To me the final distinction would be whether the text is regulated fairly. But that's always going to be a subjective determination. As I've said in other comments, though this is an interesting intellectual exercise that is certainly important to have, it has no place in a PITCH. A good pitch ALWAYS sacrifices accuracy for brevity.
I just want say, nice video and advice :)
The social platforms that are censoring, pocketing all the profits, and resting on the trends of the past should be shaking in their boots. Steem roller is about to run over them
the videos are really useful! I'll watch them again
I enjoyed your post and it helped me to do better on the golden platform...thank you.
My Strategy:
-10 Votes and 10 Comments on Posts of Non-Followers
-Read/Watch at Least 2 Instructional/Informational Articles or Videos
-Comment on at Least 3 Follower Posts a Day (this will likely be more like 10)
-Enter 2 Contests a Day
-Publish a Unique and Valuable Post Every 2 Days (will try for every day though)
Andrew we need to make people understand that Steemit is a hybrid of Facebook and reddit, where you post your own stuff(you blog), socialize and get some money as a bonus.
P.S.
2nd video 0:56 you say "how much can you win" > how much can you earn.
Very nice article with good videos. Thank you
Nice. Its simple really though. Make sure you up-vote good posts, comment and curate, and power up as much as possible. I like to keep it simple and not too technical.
I appreciate all of your videos! I typically need to rewind and listen again but they are very informative. I thank you.
Very good videos with much inspiration. Thanks for all your efforts.
Valuable content @andrarchy ! Perfect for steemit dumbos like me :D
Indeed Steemit is not all about money.. After my first post I quickly found out how great community it is and I got really postive feedback. Even though I didn't cash out a it big money it still meant a lot, people complimenting my photography and content, which was my 1st blog post ever..I'm thrilled!
I would like to ping you on steem chat @andrarchy and have a talk about how to create good content and build up following..Let me know when I could steal some of your time.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
The pitch is what I liked the most, yet it sounds like you're being ironic in some moments of your Steemit-promo, like using those phrases from tv-shop:)
Interesting Pitch and managing expectations is always a good thing. I came here for privacy and lack of censorship. Which gets pretty fuzzy when you login via FB.
The UI and ability to create a social media feel and network still feel very young.
It will be interesting to see how this develops.
Love the videos @andrarchy!
I really like the way you set expectations in the beginning of each video. You are a great speaker (and writer) and I think your idea of the perfect Steemit Pitch is right "on the money", but not all about the money :) Your cycle of success video was particularly applicable: sharing value. Bravo...The first rule of sales is to show people what is in it for them and you have totally done that.
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Just started Steemit. Thanks for the info, man. Gives me a better understanding of the ecosystem. Looking forward to learning more from ya!
My pleasure, thanks for watching and reminding me of one these oldie-but-goodie posts. If you didn't know, since making this video I've joined the Steemit Team! Things change fast in the Steemiverse!