IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a post explaining what quality content should be. This is more of a rhetorical topic that I hope will foster healthy conversation about content here on the Steem blockchain.
Typical Definition of Quality Content
First we need to define what quality content really is. Try Googling it and see what you find. Most often, quality content is defined as lengthy posts that use proper grammar, has exciting visual graphics (or video), is formatted in a way to make the reading/viewing experience exceptional, and provides value to the community reading it. Moreover, it should not be offensive, include swear words, or be controversial in nature.
While I agree with most of the key elements described here about quality posts, I find that this traditional definition might need to be adjusted for the Steemit community. Steemit is unlike any other posting platform on the internet and therefore we need to gain a deeper understanding of Steemit's utility.
Let's Look At Who Uses Steemit
While Steemit is used worldwide by a variety of different people (varying races, religions, social backgrounds, income levels, etc.), it's no secret that the majority of our platform is being utilized by those who are sick and tired of traditional video, blogging, and social media websites. After years and years of oppression from Google and Facebook's censorship-enforcing algorithms, these people have made a mass exodus towards the future. That future is Steemit.
They come here in hopes of finding a home for their content which might be otherwise censored or unrewarded. Whether it be a short poem, a meme, a few photographs, a recipe, a technical trading analysis, a 20-second video clip, or even a long-form article about a controversial topic, surely the decentralized web would be the perfect place for them to make a name for themselves, right?
But how do they get noticed here? There must be some mechanism for gaining recognition (and a following) here on the blockchain...
Steem's Algorithm for "Quality Content"
From the outside, Steemit's algorithm for determining a quality (or popular) post seems pretty simple. This is the basic, dumbed-down version of how it works...
New posts that get a high amount of upvotes (from high rep users) get placed in the Hot Section. If that post continues to get a lot of upvotes and comments then it will end up in the Trending Section for more to see and vote on.
Or if you prefer Steemit's definition of these sections...
New - Posts are sorted by the time posted, with newest first.
Hot - Popular posts at the moment.
Trending - Posts with the most amount of votes, stake-weighted, recently.
What Can We Take From This?
In order to rank well on Steemit, your posts don't have to be long-form, contain breathtaking images, or be formatted a certain way. They don't need to be politically correct, lack controversy, or refrain from colorful language. That's right, there is no censorship whatsoever... unless it comes directly from the community.
This brings me to my next point...
Flagging Posts
As I've already pointed out, there's a built-in mechanism for gaining recognition, money, and fame here on Steemit. But there's also a function to completely ruin somebody's day. That's right; somebody can spend all day writing a post or producing a video, and have somebody who disagrees come along and wipe out all of their earnings, remove their post from the Trending or Hot Sections, and even diminish the reputation of the author. This is what we call a flag or a downvote. And although you would assume that a downvote and flag bring different consequences, they don't.
With the current implementation, there is no difference between a downvote and a flag. They are treated the same at the blockchain level.
Now, I must say that the downvote/flag wasn't wasn't created to ruin a person's day. The entire Steem blockchain was setup to be self-governed in this way. The community as a whole polices the platform and ultimately decides what should, and shouldn't, be here. Then, we reward users for creating posts that we want to see.
Unlike Google or Facebook, the users have full control and are able to decide how they want posts to rank. And although it might sting to have your post flagged, that's the beauty of a decentralized, blockchain-based, social media site. There's no Big Brother making decisions for us.
And I must point out that those who can inflict the most damage from their downvotes (or flags) are those with the highest amount of Steem Power and Reputation. Which is good because these users are typically more careful about how they use their downvotes. In other words, they have a higher stake here on Steemit and want to see new users prosper and the entire platform grow.
So.. Is Steemit Broken?
Many people think that there's something wrong with the Steem blockchain. Most notable arguments are...
- There are too many crappy/spammy posts in the Trending Section
- It's hard for a new person to make it here
- Whales have full control over the platform
- I'm afraid that I'll get flagged
- Upvote bots are controlling the platform
While I don't have all the answers, my opinion is that most of these "issues" don't seem to really be issues at all. These arguments appear to be nothing more than personal opinions and have no ill affect on the Steem blockchain as a whole. This is how it was created.
Let's look deeper into each of these "issues"...
There are too many crappy/spammy posts in the Trending Section
If you feel that a post is spammy or contains no value, let the author know. And give good reasons why you feel that way. But chances are, if it made it into the Trending section then others on the blockchain have found value in said post.
It's hard for a new person to make it here
I personally don't feel that it's hard for a new person to make it on Steemit. And by make it, I mean start to gain a following and earn some rewards. I started just over 4 months ago and have done very well. But I've put in a lot of effort, built a following, and continue to deliver what they want.
Whales have full control over the platform
Whales should have most of the control over the platform. They either invested early because they believed in the platform (which without them it wouldn't exist), or they have put in a lot of their hard-earned money to become a whale. Money is the main driving factor for power (or control) on the Steem blockchain.
I'm afraid that I'll get flagged
You shouldn't be afraid of getting flagged unless you're doing something you know isn't right, including plagiarism, spamming posts, etc. People typically don't get flagged for no reason. If you've gotten flagged in the past, look at what happened and figure out how to prevent it in the future.
Upvote bots are controlling the platform
As I've mentioned, money controls the platform. Those with more money have more control. This is the way it was built. And it costs money to use upvote bots. Also it should be noted that some people use upvote bots to upvote posts that aren't their posts. This allows them to reward authors more than they could with their own Steem Power.
In Summary
These are just my opinions and certainly shouldn't be taken as fact. But after having a thorough look at how Steemit functions, the people we cater to, and how the platform continues to grow, I have to wonder if anything really is wrong. Does anything really need to change or be fixed?
Maybe we should redefine what quality content means in this new decentralized world of content sharing. Steemit wasn't created to mold everyone to a certain standard when it comes to publishing content. And honestly, we should all be very happy about this. Have we forgotten why we came to Steemit in the first place? Do we really want Steemit to end up like Facebook, Google, or YouTube and have all the "good content" look the same?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below as I would love to get your take on all of this. I feel that we could use some healthy dialogue on this topic.
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Great post man. And you hit on many topics that I agree with. The biggest being....What's the alternative?
Facebook? Google?
You think they care about your content at all? Of course not, they want returns for their stock holders.
Is Steemit perfect? Not at all, but to be it's the best way to build your content and actually be part of something that can change the world.
I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
I agree with you @jongolson. Love Steemit, it's boogers and all. Just wish I could get eSteem to work on my phone.
Try the @Steepshot app. It's pretty much flawless. Not the entire blockchain like eSteem but at least it works for Steepshot / pic postings.
Thanks. I read a real positive review regarding the @Steepshot app the other day and need to download it.
Hi Brandon. This is the first post I have seen from you which is not in vlog format and to your credit, your scribing skills are quite exceptional.
I agree with you that the term "Quality Content" should not be used as a cookie-cutter to force everything to conform to one shape. The beauty of Steemit is it's diversity and I think some modicum of individualism should be allowed space rather than outright suffocation.
I think over time people will learn and adopt the best policy. Of course some of things will go and a lot will come in. Whales will stay , no matter what . May be they will only use their power for the best interest of the community, at least thats what we hope. Being whale is an incentive for an ordinary user too. Thats not a bad motivation.
You write "After years and years of oppression from Google and Facebook's censorship-enforcing algorithms, these people have made a mass exodus towards the future. That future is Steemit.
They come here in hopes of finding a home for their content which might be otherwise censored or unrewarded".
I am wondering what's the difference to a user who spent time and effort writing a post between being censored by Google / FB or being censored by @grumpycat / @heimindanger or any other vigilante that suddenly thinks their post is not worth the rewards it got ? There is currently a controversy about @suesa's April's Fool post that got to nearly $900 mainly through voting bots. Is that post worth such a reward ? I personally don't think so but who am I ? I believe the question itself is misguided - who among us has authority to say whether it's worth $5 or $50 or $500 or even $5000 ?
Then you write "But chances are, if it made it into the Trending section then others on the blockchain have found value in said post."
Or not. Again, using the same post as example, it's in the Trending section because @reggaemuffin (who might as well control the @suesa account for all I know) has massively bought upvotes from the bots ... With all the vote-farming and the reflexive effect spawned by seeing a post with a $800 reward, I can't even say how many people have found value in that post (I did like it, although not to the tune of $800 ... but I wouldn't have taken time to read it if it wasn't for the astronomic reward posted next to it)
Then you write "I personally don't feel that it's hard for a new person to make it on Steemit. " You certainly realize that you are rather the exception than the rule
I share @guyfawkes4-20 (and others') opinion that upvote bots are a cancer. And the fact that, as you note, money controls the platform is in itself a problem that needs fixed. The manifesto says "Come for the rewards. Stay for the community" - that's the best part of Steemit, the communities. There should be a balance between money and community spirit.
I believe most people who think that Steemit should be fixed somehow feel that currently the balance is too stacked in favor of money and too little in favor of community spirit. Should the balance be at least a bit restored ? What do you think ? Or should it be all about money only ?
Before weird conspiracy theories pop up: reggaemuffin and I are two people who know each other but have separate accounts. There are people on Steemit that have met both of us (at the steemSTEM meetup).
The rest ... well I'm mostly just tired of the discussion, so I won't comment on the rest. ^^
Great points. @suesa's post is a perfect example. He was simply using bid bots to make an April Fool's joke and it worked. Now, the community is deciding whether they think it should earn as much as it did and are downvoting it. This proves my point exactly: at the end of the day, the community will decide the value of a post and upvote/downvote accordingly.
I don't feel that bid bots pose any threat to Steem/Steemit. The fact of the matter is that only about 1-1.5% of all votes are from bid bots. The other 99% are from human users. What's funny is the people on Steemit complaining about the Trending page and using bots to boost their complaints lol. The real problem is the inability to separate out content based on what we want to see.. which is where communities come in. @steemitblog just announced that this new feature is coming soon. This is actually the topic of today's video that I'm about to post.
And money has always controlled this platform. That's just part of it. Not sure why people are bent out of shape about that. It's nothing new and doesn't really need to be changed. The more money (or SP) you have, the more control you have. I knew that from day one coming here. And it didn't stop me from coming here, putting in the work to get noticed, and investing in myself and my account. But I agree with you that there should be more focus on communities which is what I'm posting about today. Should be up very soon if you want to check it out.
And FYI - I've always been told that I'm the exception to the rule in every business venture I ever set out on. The truth is, I put in the work and make things happen... never complaining, never faulting others, never letting anything stop me. I just keep putting in the footwork and finding ways to be creative. I see this very much the same.
Why does everyone think I'm a guy ^^
Lol, sorry about that.. just a bad assumption and shows that I skimmed through your article. Great article by the way, which I'm now reading through again. And I can actually appreciate the joke.
I actually didn't expect it to get as much attention as it did, the bot votes were a gift. One that.. Brought more stress onto me than the gifter intended.
you admitted to that yourself in your post "The Truth" ! :-D
Damn, played myself here
"the community will decide the value of a post and upvote/downvote accordingly" - but that is wrong and contrary to both the Steem philosophy as explained in the whitepaper and to basic principles of social growth !
The community should decide whether to upvote or not to upvote. That is VERY, extremly, fundamentally different from downvoting. Downvoting is dangerous, socially corrosive and is akin to censorship.
Downvoting was intended as a tool to protect the blockchain from obvious, clear abuse, not as a means to rank the value of two normal posts
Bid bots: you are fooling yourself. 1,5% of votes in number, but how much in VP and rewards ? That's the number that counts ! I can use buildawhale and other bots that offer front-running services and get 1000 votes worth $0.000 followed by 1 vote from buildawhale, worth $100.000 ...
And even those 1000 that you assume are "human users" actually you have no way to say how many are not fake and duplicate accounts ...
And no, it's not funny that users complaining use bots to boost their complaints. Haven't you heard the saying "never bring a sword to a gun fight" ? If you want a complaint about a weapon heard you need to use at least the same weapon (or more powerful), otherwise your complaint will simply be ignored because "might makes right" - especially in a world ruled by money and money only ...
Finally, the "bouquet final" is extremly ironic - especially since you don't even realize how ironic it is !
Ok, let me run it past you slowly ... you've always been told that you are the exception to the rule ... which tends to indicate that it's probably true ... you are very likely a uniquely gifted and skilled individual ... which means that you cannot be the standard by which to judge the average user of this platform. Your example should be discounted as a "statistical aberation"
You are like Hercules saying "I don't see why all the fuss about those 12 tasks, they seemed very doable for me, I just came in and put in the work and made things happen ! I just kept putting in the footwork and finding ways to be creative with that stupid lion and with the Hydra and when cleaning those stables ... everybody else should just stop whining and simply put in the footwork like I did, what's so difficult ???"
If Steemit is a platform where one has to be Brandon Frye (or Hercules) to succeed, then Steemit has a problem. I'm sure you can understand that.
I agree completely. I just posted a video today on dtube talking about somewhat the same thing and overall my viewpoint is exactly this!
Thanks for the feedback, @aperterikk. I'll have to check out your video. I feel that there is some confusion around this topic and some healthy discussion may be the only remedy.
You're today's comment winner!! 😎🥂
Each day I pick a random comment on my post to upvote and today was your lucky day 🙌🏻
On a more practical level, steemit can be quite complex and there is a steep learning curve.
A bit like having to learn to drive a manual (or stick shift if you're American) after having an automatic gearbox for years.
I agree that those who have invested early or invested large sums should get a bigger say, however, there needs to be some sort of balance to that. Whales, who are less than 1% of users control more than 80% of the steem power.
Now this is not as bad as Facebook, but wasn't steem meant to be different?
day by day many people join in steemit , and there are many type of post we see. To make a successful steemit blockchain it need make some rule for everyone.
i just discovered you in youtube really your strategy is awsome i like what you have done
This comment has received a 0.22 % upvote from @speedvoter thanks to: @kath1.
A rank of 61 in 4 months is quite impressive; but, curiosity makes me wonder if you invested upfront. You've already noted that you are a fan of bots for earning. I'm of the organic crowd. I can say that with all its 'flaws' Steem has put more pennies in my Wallet than any other social media platform I've spent time on.
Best regards.
Peace.
Thanks, I worked my butt off to get to a 61 reputation but it's been totally worth it. Unfortunately I wasn't around when Steemit first launched so I wasn't able to get in early, but I have invested around $10,000 on Steemit since I've been here. That was just for buying SBD and Steem Power. I feel that Steem is a safe place to store/invest my money. And seeing as I use the platform on a daily basis, it only makes sense to build my wallet here so that I have more influence.
And I agree with you completely, Steemit is probably the easiest platform to get started on and earn a little bit of money. I used to blog on a traditional website where I had to learn SEO, how to write articles that the search engines liked, how to craft the perfect posts, etc. And I never made any money from it lol.
I believe Steemit should be the new home for
disenchanted webmasters (like me)
and bloggers (like you).
So, here I am and enjoying the heck out of it...
Agreed @wizardave! It's perfect for us who have not found a healthy home elsewhere for our content. I personally love the way Steemit is and wouldn't change a thing at the moment. :)
I have some slightly different views on the effectiveness of the existing Steemit model and think there a lot of things in the model that still need fixing. I've already written a post on this and think you will find the points I raised interesting. I'd be happy to hear what you think after you have a read of my previous post here: https://steemit.com/steemit/@newsandviews/why-and-how-steemit-needs-to-improve-or-face-future-competition-that-will-come-in-to-replace-it
Lol!...This explains a whole lot! I'm not hatin' by any stretch of the imagination; but, unless someone comes to this platform with a serious expertise beyond blogging, Steem is mostly an excellent opportunity for learning everything crypto.
And yes, it definitely is a safe place to 'invest/store' funds. I totally agree with you on that one. Since it's secure dollar for dollar it's a win/win situation.
The Steemit, busy et al platforms are also a lot of fun for the most part; and even, more so when the STEEM 'value' increases...lol...
Best regards!
Peace.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and this one in particular @brandonfrye
your content of the post is so informative for us...
thanks a lot for sharing your valuable post with us...
@upvote & @resteem has done..
Thanks @rubel24, much appreciated!
welcome...
keep me with you...
I want to present you...
I really love this content ! but It has something I couldn't get it because I am not as good in English but I try the best I can. I really appreciate your hard work! I am follow you also.
Thanks @nattytsteemit, I'm glad you enjoyed it. And hope you were able to understand most of it.
Thank you @brandonfrye, I also watched your youtube video, Its great video.
thats informative, thanks
You're welcome. Just want to get some dialogue going around this topic. :)
What quality content means is very subjective. So if for one it represents memes, for another exceptional videos, and for a different guy a long but eloquent post, it's nothing but a matter of opinion.
As for the whales controlling the platform, the facts tell the contrary. The more people join, the less influential whales become. But by comparison to a new unfunded account in a tide of small accounts, a whale is... well... a whale, and it will always be so.
True.. it's all opinions at the end of the day. At least that's how I feel. And you bring up some good points about the whales. As more users come on board their stake becomes somewhat diluted. And we have an opportunity to catchup with them. :)
Excellent post @brandonfrye for those who started in Steemit, and we can better every day. A community that must know how to get ahead and compete with the best.
Thanks @evesweetpassion, I appreciate your feedback and comments. :)
Great post as I have found myself wondering the same at times! From my perspective, I expect quality post to provide not only up to date news but also perspectives on what it means for the community. Therefore, I don’t mind seeing the same article link posted various times as long as it comes with the opinions and perspectives of those who post. I do think that some quality content does not get properly rewarded because of the upvote system however I know that there are projects (i.e. Curie I think) that reward the community for finding these posts. However, the community probably does not know that it exists for that reason.
Yeah, there are some great initiatives out there for rewarding people who find good content and I'll have to look into those for a future post. That would be a great topic to discuss. Ultimately, I think that good content is only relative to the community that said content is geared towards. And there are so many different people here on Steemit. Therefore, there are a lot of opinions about what a quality post looks like.
I suppose one issue that could be addressed is people using the wrong tags for their articles/videos. If they used the proper tags, then people who were searching for posts would get more of what they're looking for.
It is hard to tell if they thought in the whitepaper than bots could have such a big influence on Steem.
I even had for a moment the idea that reputation was the only thing which couldn't be bought on the Steem blockchain but this was a mis perception. If you do invest enough into high ranked bots, you can even buy the reputation, which for sure was not the idea in the whitepaper.
While we all do understand how it is played, that we should also not object in the fact that somebody like Trump could buy in to Steemit and would be capable a controlling a lot of the blockchain. It is like you wrote money controles the system!
Good points, @fullcoverbetting. Reputation can be gained by purchasing upvotes from high rep bots. The good thing is that I don't think one person buying in would have as much control as multiple big fish with the same agenda. The good thing is that if somebody like Trump (with that kind of money) bought in then we would all end up with more influence on the platform as the value of Steem would rise. But it would still be relative to the Big Whale who just bought in.
I feel like 50% of this post born off of my yesterdays comment :D actually the things that you said in the "Is Steemit Broken?" section are like wave, what I mean by that is we can't ride against the wave, actually we can but it's worthless so the thing is to learn how to ride with the wave, not against it so yes quality content is important but still when I find spammy posts in trending section my conclusion today is that they might be spammy for me but actually for someone they can be valuable (of course it does not apply to plagiarism)
and ps. @brandonfrye check the yesterdays post I put there a question today :)
Agreed, gotta learn to ride with the wave instead of against it. The blockchain will be modified over time and things will certainly change. It's up to us to adapt with it and push for the things we really believe in and want to see on the platform.
I'll have to check out your comment again from yesterday.
Great post, really nice reading but.... About new users. It is hard and sometimes "unfair" especially if you make some good post but they doesn't get views. It is different from your point of view because you have big following on youtube already. But rest of new users... From one side of view I agree with you, but from other side I disagree. :) But great post.
Hey @cryptoinvestsvk, you bring up some great points. I do have a marketing and blogging background. But I had to learn somewhere. I simply got started and learned some ways to bring attention to my posts. And now I try my best to share that with everyone here on Steemit for free.
As far as my following on Youtube goes, it's only 3,500 people and I can assure you that very few of them are interested in Steemit. I built my following on YouTube from the network marketing niche, and unfortunately, many of them simply disregard my Steemit videos lol. I wish they would come over here! They would probably love it here. :)
Yes I know thats why i see both side of coins. I have youtube channel as well for people from my country with 1400 people and many of them still prefer Facebook :). But I think when people will come here and just want share they stories will be more happy and eventually following will come. But some days are frustrating :). And I know what I am saying about your youtube because I need say to YOU - THANK YOU, because thanks to you I start on steemit :)
Let me first of all thank you very much for taking out time to do videos for minnows like myself to watch and be more enlightened. I downloaded one of your videos and ever since I started putting those things you shared to work, I've made some progress on steemit. Now concerning this post of yours, I came across a familiar post this afternoon from one @nairadaddy and reading these now have just assisted me again in understanding what steemit is. Truely this is the future but the right mindset about it will help a great while. Thank you sir @brandonfrye for this post
Thanks for your comments, @edwin. I'm so glad that my videos have been helpful. I really appreciate you taking the time to go through those and take what you can from them. :)
where my head was when I found Steemit.
I tend to look past the "problems" of Steemit, simply because it's so much better than the other platforms out there.
You made some interesting points, Brandon. And I agree with many of them. But if one can pay to be considered quality content ... regardless of the actual thought and effort put into the content ... that makes us a lot like facebook and youtube. They are a pay for play systems. The problem is ... but it is less of problem, I suppose ... is that many soon realize that the trending page is paid-for placement and pay little attention to it. I found you because I had a question about the platform and I searched the question; you gave the most cogent answer and so I followed you. I did not find you on the trending page.
In the end upvotes received from individuals who did not even visit the blog, or in some cases have never visited the blog, is misleading and says nothing about the quality of the post. To be clear there are a lot of people who have fabulous blogs and also use bots to gain upvotes but the bid bots don't read the post and are incapable of opinion and give no indication of quality, only the size of the wallet of the person who paid for the upvote.
My thought ... leave the bid bots, but think of them more as a stock market kind of thing. Maybe even employ more editorial bit bots, something akin to @curie to seek out really good content. But lets be democratic about the trending page and not mercantile ... a vote is a vote, regardless of the wealth of the voter. And the voter needs to have truly visited the post to count as a vote ... it can still count as an investment.
In the end it about what one values ... money or people and ideas. I understand that it is not black and white and attention needs to be given to both sides of the continuum. People need money. But maybe we can find a healthier balance for the longterm health of the platform. With a healthy platform, we all gain monetarily, especially the whales. We need to attract more people to the platform and right now the state for newbies is unbelievably dismal, unless they pay for bid-bots. Most people aren't going to bother with that. Newbies are deserting left and right or just flopping around the place with little positive effect on the system. This is a wasted resource.
At this point, we swing in the wind with the price of bitcoin. If we could get out from under its shadow, we would be a lot less vulnerable to crypto fluctuations. If newbies had a better time at the beginning, they might be more likely to invest in the platform. I had some good people helping me out in the beginning and I did. When the platform thrives, we all do ... like I said, especially the whales.
Wishing you continued success on here and a great day:)
Steemit is broken. I love this post.
"Whales have full control over the platform" this is the main reason i some time to think leave Steemit. and now bot are coming every one delegating SPs and buying vote so newbies like have no stairs to reach at the top i made a quailty content many time many hours i spend but in result no one see because i am not Whale just a newbiess so who can upvote me to get best curation rewards? Sorry to say even you can't reply me many actually most of the time . when you were new to steem i was in you first 100 followers. and in the last another greate post by you .. Thanks ..added if you have any contact with any witness so you can give them idea if its a social site so message/chat option is also would be give so many people make new friends here
I did read that whales are slowly losing their power. I also think that if you are serious about Steemit people need to at least buy some STEEM to power up. I am buying as much as I can afford, it makes me feel like I have a stake here. Its also why they call steempower "vests". 90% of people wont spend a cent on Steem and then complain that they arent making anything. Hopefully the crypto market will rebound soon and then we will start to see some more positivity around here. Its hard right now all around :)
I would put something into it if I knew how this works. To me its obscured and complicated and overwhelming, and almost feels like I'm gambling at a casino with those penny machines, where it's complicated but somehow you put a twenty dollar bill in the slot and one push of a button on a penny bet, all the money is gone. Too little too late before figuring out that the bet you just made was betting 5 pennies on twenty lines each...
Then I see Brandon started a few months ago and put in ten thousand. Unfortunately, I definitely do not have that kind of money to invest. How much would it take to make a difference? 20 dollars a week? 100 dollars?
Way too complicated for newbies... almost seems like it is meant to be that way, so newbies will throw in a bunch of money thinking it will help them, but then they lose it all in one push of the button?
I hope not. Im planning on staying awhile to see if it gets easier in time, and hopefully I will catch on- but to describe steemit for newbies in one word?
Overwhelming.
You got a 59.29% upvote from @brandonfrye courtesy of @travelpreneur!
Want to promote your posts too? Send a minimum of .10 SBD or Steem to @brandonfrye with link in the memo for an upvote on your post. You can also delegate to the bot for daily passive earnings. Learn more here
This post has been upvoted and picked by Daily Picked #19! Thank you for the cool and quality content. Keep going!
Don’t forget I’m not a robot. I explore, read, upvote and share manually :)
One of the issues when it comes down to quality is that this platform highly rewards multiple daily posts (quantity) over one really solid weekly post (quality) with a result that most of the posts are made for the primary reason to get post earnings above anything else.
It is hard for new members to make it on this platform, but only when they come with the wrong intentions (most cases). Anyone who starts here to make a blog they would otherwise also make on another platform and aims for the long run should be able to pull it off by putting time and effort into it.
To me the problems is not that the whales control the platform, but that the platform itself highly encourages sellout behavior. Curation is really broken at the moment since it does not earn any SBD. Selling upvotes is far more profitable and less time consuming compared to actually curating which leaves this platform with very few 'free upvotes' that are actually worth something.
I got inspired by your background banner to create my own in a similar style by the way. I hope you don't mind.
Good Luck!
Quality is in the eye of the beholder and I don't want a definition carved in stone. The whole point of Steemit is to let us decide what we want to see or read and not have a platform filter the content. Find the content creators you like and follow them and then your feed will be filled with quality content by your definition. You can't please everyone so you got to please yourself.
You addressed a few good points there. But I got also once flagged from a new user who didn't know what a flag really means with the result that the picture was not visible on steepshot any more and I didn't get any upvotes any more for that picture, even if it was a perfectly good picture I shot with my phone. I didn't do anything wrong there. I think the algorithm, when a flagged picture disappears should be calculated differently, so that a user with a beginners reputation can't make anything disappear, but instead when a few people flag a post and maybe only with a higher reputation, then it disappears. Just my thoughts about flagging.
Thank for your latest post @brondonfrye, my education about the platform continues so thanks for keeping it honest.
Is it possible to mess up your account? For example starting wrong from beginning upvoting and resteeming wrong posts or following wrong people, writing posts on different topic's , posting posts that are bad quality or one liners, or posting one video from facebook? If I have done all that, is my account screwed. Do I better make a new account and start from beginning? Because everything in steemit is transparent everyone who visits my page sees my mistakes and sees that I have used bots to upvote my posts. And some don't like that people use bots, think that it is useless, that better usage of sbd is to power up and grow your account the natural way. So what should I do, what is you'r advice @brandonfrye?
Im still new to this platform. I intend to make regular posts and actively engage with the community.
im confused though on the claim that a good article would be non controversial, but controversial content is the reason why people are being censored at all the other sites?
Is steemit a place where you can speak your mind, or is it like a job or college where you only want to say what you think others want to hear, rather than say what you really think?
honest content- is it possible to grow and become successful in time, and be controversial, or is it more of a risk or less likely to be able to grow?
For me the quality when people try to write at least one paragraph and use a legit picture, a free one or made by them, that's why I accept only that kind of posts in my facebook group. It's good also if people use the proper tags and add the sources.
@brandonfrye Your post was not only uplifting to read, but reassures me that I am doing what I need to do in the community.