For crying out loud. Finally a post that bucks the trends, is openly critical and is getting some votes from whales. Color me surprised.
Hopefully this isn't a token post and we'll see dissenting views getting noticed by whales and others on the trending page as appropriate. I don't even necessarily agree with everything that is said, it's just the damn principle of the matter!
Reward people for spilling their heart sometimes, even if it isn't 100% what you agree with, it's healthy for Steemit for everyone to know they are heard and appreciated.
It's great that @steve-walschot has brought up this topic and that the community members like @anduweb can discuss things with him and give his perspective. This is the sort of discussion we need more of. We all don't have to agree, just don't be afraid to give an upvote to your "opponent" for a "good game"!
I also like that people are able to disagree with one another without shouting profanities or belittling one another. It's really a platform that encourages debate. Not only about steemit, but multiple controversial issues.
While I tend to be more laid back and see things from both sides, I respect people that will speak their mind and be blunt and have a dialogue and that both @dollarvigilante and @steve-walschot can have their voices heard.
I think both users have the best interests of steemit in mind, but are approaching from differing viewpoints. If we were all unanimous in our beliefs, steemit would be an incredibly dull place.
I enjoy debating not just for the sake of arguing, but because someone respectfully bringing something to my attention has me actually seriously consider what they are saying instead of insulting me and making me immediately tune out what they wish to say and write them off.
Can we get a woot woot?!
This is the community I desperately want to cultivate! Reduce the trolls, reduce the divisive rhetoric and hate. I know that is idealistic, but we have an opportunity to shape something that can at least be civil due to the incentives of being civil.
If we can strike a balance of being respectful of others while still being able to voice our opinions without censorship. My goodness, I think I just shed a tear!
We need diversity of opinion and the thick skin to let that diversity of opinion do its damage. The community will be the better for it as it tempers the culture here.
Guys, this Steemit idea can be huge if we cultivate the roots properly at the earliest stages.
Let's keep this moving in the right direction!! Following you three @bendjmiller222 , @steve-walschot and @anduweb . Excellent comments all of you!
Amen! Woot woot!
First let me say a sincere thank you for your kind words and thoughtful response. I will certainly be following you.
We are 100% on the same page. The other important piece of moderating that needs to be addressed is the current flagging system.
There is no reason this post should have 3 flags. I'm proposing an idea that would force users to say why content was flagged and easily have a dialogue about it New Flagging Content Feedback System
I don't like that right now people can flag out of jealousy or disagreement.
That's the dream. A censorship free network that can still self moderate.
If the comment-section can keep this level of quality even with ever increasing number of accounts, steemit might be on to something.
Nailed it.
I made the exact same comment on another thread. So far I haven't seen a lot of trolls or trollish behavior. That alone is solid gold. For me, at any rate. Really didn't come here for an immediate payout, it just seemed like an interesting community just getting started, and that excited me.
Exactly! To be honest, those who only come to make a quick buck are not really that valuable to steemit long-term. That is the entire reason that half of the awards are placed into steem power that can only be given out in weekly payment. People would gladly withdraw $1,000 if it was liquid, but may think about investing in the platform further if they only get weekly payments of $9.64 and it affects their voting power. It's an absolutely brilliant design.
And the reputation system aka "troll control" (I'll take credit for that name if nobody else used it yet) has silenced many users that were harming the user experience.
While only in beta, the minds and developers working in the background are leaps and bounds ahead of what we currently think of as a really great system that need a few tweaks.
There have been numerous critical posts that have gotten votes from whales. It mostly depends on them being well-written and thoughtful.
The idea that critical posts don't get votes is dead wrong. A well-written and thoughtful critical post will get far more votes than a positive post that is of poor quality.
@smooth is one of the whales I respect most. Always finding good content and making meaningful comments.
I do feel that positive comments get more upvotes, but that may simply be due to the fact that there are more positive comments than critical opposing comments.
With the reputation system in place I think people are being more careful not to offend do to the fact that you can flag content without giving reasons why you flagged it.
I think there would be more constructive criticism and respectful disagreements in the comments if people don't fear being flagged for their opinion.
I have proposed a flagging system with feedback that would force users to say why they have flagged content. New Flagging System With Feedback
I'd love to have some of the whales and dolphins comment, regradless of whether or not they wish to upvote it. I think the feature will add so much long-term value, that short term upvotes and dollars while appreciated and helpful will pale in comparison to the what is in store down the road.
I respectfully disagree. For the time I've been here which is merely a month, I have scanned the trending page every day desperately looking for others, like myself, that, unlike myself, had the influence to break in to the trending levels. While surely there are some posts that will get some votes from some whales, until recently, it is rare to see something critical make a significant reward. Numerous is an exaggeration.
And as far as well-written and thoughtful, I dare say that the recent posts with critical commentary are barely more than rants that hit the right nerve because many users are simply fed up with being ignored, insulted and marginalized for daring to have different opinions.
I do agree that a well-written and thoughtful critical post can get far more votes than a positive one that is poor quality. It is far more likely that a post that is positive, of the same quality as a critical post, will get rewarded by more whales.
Getting merely the votes of 100 non-whales isn't the difficulty, because they don't dictate the direction of the platform nearly to the same level of the whales. It's getting enough whales to upvote so that it gets to trend and get seen by more users.
Anyway, we can agree to disagree on this matter. What we can agree upon, I assume, and applaud is that there is vibrant discussion going on in the comments and it's been overwhelmingly civil. This bodes well for the platform and gives those of us that are not here to earn a living some hope for the future of Steemit.
We are sailing in the right direction.
And thanks for having these discussions over the last few weeks. I value your opinion on these matters whether we agree or disagree in whole or in part.
Cheers
I make sure I always surround myself with good, down to earth, fun, real people, who always keep me grounded.
I can't get along with narcissists, men who think they are better than others. Bright red colour enters my brain and boils up when I meet " Show-Off's ". I had to learn how to calm down and shut up, knowing it is not my duty to confront them. Let them find out alone where life will take them with a repulsive attitude.
https://steemit.com/money/@mammasitta/why-did-i-stop-following-trends-on-steemit-and-rather-focus-on-topics-i-am-interested-in-looking-for-real-people
that's what the world should be all about
I agree with this post (though I am likely considered a baby beluga). It is an important point to be made. I do not disagree with @dollarvigilante deserving his first few k on here for posting that he is here, but making 3 meta versions of the same thing does take it a bit far.
In his defense though...this platform is ADDICTING. If you earn anything above the average on here you will be kind of foaming at the mouth hoping it happens again. So when he earned 15k like that it was likely kind of heroine-like. :P
Excellent points fuzzy.
And if others were to make even 20 dollars on a post, that is motivating as well. Very motivating. So instead of people piling on and padding his payout, they should be limiting that and voting for their fellow 2 and 5 dollar payout users.
If out of 15k , 5k went to dollarvigilante and 10k was spread to 500 users, that would have done much more good overall for the system. Dolla' gets more than enough motivation to keep doing what he's doing, and a lot of the base users get some reward for their time. Of course this is only if their content is upvote worthy. Not at all suggesting that people should get rewarded for crap.
I've been on Steemit for just a little bit now, but it sure seems like discussion is open. Maybe I'm just so late to the party that I'm noticing the end of the trend you're talking about, like when I show up to a party just as everyone is leaving... QQ