I feel like slapping myself across this face for even thinking it! How dare I compare Steemit to TSU?
But at the same time, Steemit is an investment for many of us, Whether it's time Or money. We have something invested. And it's scary.
What WAS Tsu?
Tsu was a social media platform, VERY Similar to Facebook. That had ads. Except Tsu would pay the ad revenue to the posters, Not keep it for themselves as Facebook does.
People swarmed Tsu hoping to make lots and lots of money; Many people did NOT contribute to the platform, They spammed Facebook with links, To the point, Facebook banned all TSU links. Which then people made the assumption that Facebook is "scared" of Tsu.
But the reality Facebook was sick of the spam.
Many people were disappointed with the small payouts. I found TSU long before Steemit. I was also disappointed, After all, the time posting I only made 0.01.
What was Tsu lacking?
When I compare Steemit and TSU. I see clear differences.
The TSU Community
I feel like a jerk dissing on TSU. Because of The whole idea, was smart! And they tried. But the community on TSU didn't seem very good.
You felt like everyone was on there for the money. There was a ton of random meaningless content on there. ( What do you expect for short, Facebook-like posts).
People didn't want to connect. I went on there looking for Art groups and other artists I could interact. A place where I could advertise my coloring books. It didn't have that social media feel. It felt more like a race to make money.
Steemit's Community
Steemit has a strong community, We meet up and share parties together. We add each other on Facebook. We talk And leave meaningful comments. There seems to be more discussion on Steemit overall. We are addicted, Not only for the money but because Steemit is fun!
Of course, we have people plagiarizing, Trolling and doing other crappy stuff. (I don't get why It's pointless.) But everyone has their fare share of those.
TSU Encouraged "Spamming."
TSU was spammed on Facebook so bad; Facebook banned links from them! It was funny because people started assuming that it was because "Facebook is scared of TSU." Which I don't believe that.
I'm sure Facebook is scared about their future replacement. But not of TSU.
I am starting to see more and more Steemit posts promoted on Twitter, Facebook, And I've been trying to post more on Pinterest!
No one has blocked us yet. Because the content we share, Is high quality. I've been sharing stuff on my Facebook, And gradually people are warming up to the idea of Steemit. I'm starting to get a nice amount of likes, Whereas before, People avoided my Steemit posts on Facebook All together. When we promote high-quality content, some social media sites might appreciate it. Because we are adding VALUE to the users day. The TSU Posts weren't as valuable. If we constantly post and post good stuff from Steemit, We'll get more organic growth. Of curators, Investors, and writers!
You Can Add me on Facebook If You Want
Steemit Allows You To Be "Invested"
When you earn something, and when you invest in something.... What happens?
You "value" it more. As I've gotten bigger and bigger on this platform. I feel more and more pressure to post quality content and to ensure that my followers feel appreciated. Whether it's with me replying to as many comments as I possibly can, Or if it's with my upvote.
Steemit allows you to power up, Which gives you a stake in the platform. Many of us, If Steemit grows as big as Facebook, Will be millionaires. That alone makes us change our mindset on the whole platform.
TSU didn't seem to have this same setup. You just got paid, Kind of like Youtube set up, based on ads. With TSU that may have worked, If they started the platform without payment. To get people hooked, Then added the financial benefit later.
Steemit also pays better than TSU.
I hate to talk about the financial aspect, but it's important. Because STeemit pays well, People are willing to spend hours drawing pictures, Buy custom made products with Steemit logos and host parties for Steemit.
TSU paid based on ads, Which can be small. Sure, It ads up as you get bigger and bigger. But many people are short term thinkers. So Steemit has a cool way of appealing to Short term, And longer term planners.
There Wasn't a Product For TSU
With lots of low-quality content, And people not caring, There wasn't a lot of reasons to be on TSU other than for the money.
This is why the community is so important.
The nice thing about Steemit, Is we have so many options on what we could do to keep the platform up and running if necessary.
These are just ideas, I don't necessarily agree with any of these, And I do understand that some people may leave if these things are added.
- Steemit could sell our posts, To someone else. Where they would own the rights. People could re-post these posts on their blogs, turn them into ebooks, etc. There is a ton of high-quality content on it. The point is, Steemit has products in a way! Great content and blog posts that can entertain, teach and inspire.
- We could get ads on Steemit.
Yeah, I hate the thought of it. I love the clean interface of Steemit, But worst case scenario, We could get ads. This may never be needed, Especially because other businesses could always join Steemit and "Promote" their posts. They also could invest a lot into their account and "Power" it up to give themselves voting power.
Which would allow them to directly reward their loyal customers? With money, Which they may later spend on that companies product.
For example, If Your favorite pizza place made an account, had a team upvoting and writing to you. Wouldn't you be more likely to order some pizza? Hell yeah, you would! Besides seeing "_____ Pizza" in your feed constantly would put it in your subconscious and you would think of them everytime you want pizza. It's brilliant.
We Have An Influence On Steemit
Steemit is still in beta! We can some what dictate where Steemit is going! It's a beautiful thing. Steemit can make changes that WE like! Sure, They may not make all the changes you want. But for the most part, I feel listened to on Steemit!
I came to Steemit in June 2016, and there have been quite a few changes in the payouts, The layout, and other things.
I wanted to follow people... I got it.
I wanted to see a feed of my follower's posts... I got it!
I wanted payout to be quick... I got it!
Now add the ability to schedule posts, and "Albums" where I can sort my posts by subject.
I heard people on TSU were messaging them with ideas, And they did not listen.
It's very important for businesses to listen to their Customers/users. To keep going! Maybe I wasn't around for it, But I never heard of TSU having a beta State. They also have so many similarities with Facebook. It seems like many people who were on Facebook would also join TSU. And all the Facebook haters would also avoid TSU. Because of their similarities. So people are supposed to have two facebooks "Like" accounts. That seems overwhelming to manage for a "hobby."
Steemit Isn't A "CopyCat"
If you saw TSU, While the colors were slightly different from Facebook. It looked a lot like Facebook. The setup and everything.
Facebook seems to be going downhill, and I feel like we are going to see a shift in whats going to be the most popular social media site, (hopefully Steemit)
While I liked that TSU copied Facebooks set up, I mean I could figure out how to use it immediately. There was no learning curve. It was also kind of boring; It didn't feel new.
Steemit is still a bit complicated for new users, but they are gradually simplifying it. Which gives Steemit more potential.
Conclusion
Steemit seems to have a great shot at growing very large. While there are some roadblocks we need to get through, I have high hopes for Steemit.
We have the community that we need to make this place a massive success!
While TSU didn't quite have that.
We can learn from TSU. So we can make Steemit more successful!
Great topic! Your posts are always the quality I think almost all we expect, with good content, great topics, and they're even funny! This is the part I like the most about steemit. It's about people CREATING good content (mostly). In the other socials I see a lot of "this is my today's pasta"; "this is a funny video"; "this is me with a pimple this morning" and so on. This is ok, nothing against it, but I don't think you should get payd for post things like that. This is what I personally like the most, as the strong comunity. If steemit will open to ads, I'll totally undestrand.
Thank you heheh :) I agree our content beats other places! Instead of Food posts we have recipes. Instead of ranting, We have indepth blog posts. It's an amazing thing.
Facebook is already treating steemit links as spam @kaylinart for reference here is the link to the post. and the 2nd thing, here on this platform all the people are registering to earn money as well. But i am also very positive about the success of the steemit community at the same time as well.
Why Is Facebook Treating Steemit URLs as Spam? (UPDATE: It's Deleting My Post In 30 Days Now!)
https://steemit.com/steemit/@firepower/let-s-talk-why-is-facebook-treating-steemit-urls-as-spam
WOW! I Had no idea. Thats bull.
Thanks for bringing light to this.
You made some great points here. From what I have heard TSU was supper spammy and had poor value propositions and no competitive advantage. FutureNet is basically the new TSU.
The world has never seen anything like Steemit before. The average person can now easily post information to a blockchain, making the info immutable.
Additionally, the STEEM cryptocurrency alongside Bitcoin and others has the potential to usher in a more free world and bring about the collapse of government controlled fiat currencies. This is why I'm here.👍
Great point. Fiat currency is just so inefficient. I wonder how it has survived for so long! Personally, I lost faith in fiat currencies a long time ago (think Zimbabwe Hyperinflation), and with cryptocurrencies on the rise, I see freedom of economic involvement and trade, and value creation... Steemit is a genius invention, and Steem is a currency with so much potential. It has the potential to become a popular peer-to-peer currency as well as one people use commercially because it is social. I like to call it a social currency, and that trait will make it go viral soon. ☺
@imwatsi ~ I write poems
I'm so far out of the loop. This is the first I'm hearing of TSU and it's already gone. I have been blogging for a dozen years or so but it keeps getting more difficult. Maybe it's age, but typing long content just isn't as appealing as short comments on Facebook. Nice post!
Aww Yeah! @thefrugalfatguy I feel like TSU wasn't well known. it wasnt' very popular. and it lost "Steam" really quickly.
Really? I haven't heard to Future net Thanks for your insight on this.
So true! Steemit is different, Which I feel will help it get to the top.
Although I'm not really good at English, I've read the whole paragraph. It's good say. I agree with the good points of Steemit. I think it's a comfortable place. At least I never feel bad here. I support it and spend time on it everyday. I understand it will be something big.
P.S. I always invite people to Steemit...but always fail.
Right?
Sometimes it can be hard to get people to join! We just need to keep at it! We will eventually get them.
Yes, time will prove the value of Steemit.
Unfortunately, my invitations failed too. The major reason is language barrier - my native language is not English, the same as for all my friends.
So until Steem would implement translation feature, we wouldn't get massive spreading around the World
The people around me also can handle at least simple English.
But I don't know why they ignore my invitation.
Maybe the concept is too great.
It seems like a scheme.
But for me it's a big chance.
Just like I could find bitcoin years ago.
(The fact is I couldn't.LOL)
the problem is: if you have only simple English -you cannot write long beautiful and understandable posts in English.
Else, no one would read you
Yes, you're right.
It's my situation.
I can reply but it's hard for me to write a long and understandable post.
I'm in the same boat
I was a tsu member for years. They had an awesome idea but it was broken by spammy economics. If we implimented a multi-level marketing system here where it pays more to be at the top of a tree than to actually produce the content then I think we'd be dragged through the mud. That was tsu's failing.
I dropped it like a hot rock when they set up their group system, promised us all a fair share, but when my turn eventually came I was last. It was heartbreaking because it should have all been rolled out at once. Equal share and all.
yeh how dare u lol. hahah steemit is definitely not a copycat never seen such great platform on the world wide web.
LOL!! Right? But I think TSU gives us some points we need to think about.
I think TSU didnt work because it was based on one currency, the us dollar and advertising.
Steemit works because of the value created and the value of a Steem token changes. The value of a dollar is more static. In other words the value of a dollar wasn't going to up, no matter how many people came to the site.
The more people that come to Steemit the more valuable Steem becomes. That's the difference.
More people on Steemit = less curator rewards though right? However more people also means more demand with a fixed amount of Supply therefore the value should increase so the rewards could normalise.
That's a good way to think of it. Yes. The fix rate of Steem per day is fixed, but the value of Steem is not. Therefore if one time you earn 1 Steem, and on that day 1 Steem is worth $2, on another day you again earn 1 Steem, but on that 1 Steem is worth $5. That's a big difference.
Gotcha!
Wow way smart! I didn't think of it that way! There is definitely more investment potential here.
I love this and strongly agree! I often believe that the first generation of anything that breaks ground will fail, and the second generation will succeed, for example myspace was social media! but it failed and facebook took over..
tsu was paid social media!... it failed and now here we are on round two of new tech..
there are definitely other examples like google glasses.. then snapchat glasses were a hit.. etc etc
I think steem will make it, especially when celebrities realize they can say 3 words on here and make 100s of thousands because of their fan base vs saying 3 words on twitter and making zilpo
Ah I remember the days of TSU was sad to see it go belly up but with many social sites that attempt to give people money spamming becomes a major issue. I have a strong feeling Steemit will see this and already has however spammers honestly hardly make nothing compared to those who really contribute value to the community and they are rewarded by other members that care about the success and growth of the community.
The first thing I noticed when I joined here a few short weeks ago was how positive and amazing the community here is. I expect this to continue and those spammers to be shunned and kicked out. I also love how there is a bit of a review process for any new sign ups I believe that is the first step to keeping this community golden!
Great insight. I've never heard of TSU, but I agree a success of a platform is the ability to listen to the users needs and adapt! I love all of your quality posts and I think you are doing a great job! You were one of the first people I happen to stumble upon, and you really inspired me to write posts that would inspire others! Keep up the awesome work.
Exactly! Thank you heheh :)
Wow, had never heard of TSU but sounds like they forgot to focus on their members and community, which is the worst thing you can do because that is the exact thing that grows it!
It will be interesting how steemit evolves over the next year. This year has been one heck of a ride so far! Steem on!
Right? Hahaha! I can't wait to see what additions they add next.
Steemit has a lot of quality content, but it is becoming harder to find within the faster and faster flow of posts. Some days, it does seem that people are just posting for money, especially when I see them taking out every bit, rather than building an investment.
With new apps that favor shorter and shorter content, like SteepShot and Zapple, it's going to keep trending that way, because all of it shows up here on Steemit.com. And the memes just keep coming, too.
I expect we will see ads, first by individual authors. We already see affiliate links. If we get some folks here that can manage their own ad accounts, we will be seeing ads from them within their posts.
Im still thinking we will be more than 5 000 000 to use it in 2 years or less. We will see massive growth, more and more youtubers speak about it and share it, and more and more people use it. Its like the crypto market its getting known by the public and users.
I plan on telling people about it in a few days, its been great so far
I hope you are right on that one!
Never heard of TSU, although i had facebook, twitter, etc. accounts..
Guess it never showed the growth we're experiencing on steemit since last update.
But we cannot predict the future i guess, let's see what happens.
So true!! We will see!
I really think Steemit is nothing like Facebook ... In that it's a completely different social experience. Similar to Reddit maybe but not Facebook.
I presume TSU was just another company tring to make a buck and that's the main difference between Steemit and all the rest ... It doesn't pretend to empower the people ... it merely provides the platform for people to connect and proves that there is actual monitory value in social interaction.
Very nice post though ... food for thought
meep
So true!!
MEEP
Great points! I also think that by design, Steemit encourages people to be invested. We are all shareholders and all want to take care of our investment, and not just get what we can and run away... There's no motivation to run away but to invest even more. And it's just so conducive to intelligent discussion and collaboration. I actually learn a lot on Steemit now and I research less nowadays. The people here are just awesome and so knowledgeable.
I can't get what I get here anywhere else. 😀 I'm here to stay!!!
@imwatsi ~ I write poems
What do you mean 'steemit could sell our posts'? I'm not sure how appealing that sounds! :-O
Well like WE COULD decide to sell them to other bloggers and stuff. I know steemit wouldn't do it without our permission. But if it ever came down to it, Where Steemit was struggling to survive. That could be a last case scenario.
I've seen a few people really open up on Steemit - talk about very difficult times in the life and have (in most cases) a very supportive community to share in. If steemit were going to sell off the content I'd hope they did it in a way that respected these people.
WOW.. TSU! I build a team of 100,000+ people on the TSU Platform 2 years ago myself! I just started, let me see what I can do on Steemit... I must get the power hahaha
I also need to do an article about this haha
YOU SHOULD ! Dang. it looks like you were much more experienced with TSu than I was.
I spent like 10 minutes on it 😂
WOw really? Did you like it on there?
Not really, I have lots of social media friends and when I posted about it, everyone went viral lol
Spamming was the main reason for the downfall of tsu. Its tree system was also a big shit because those who were at the top were only being benefitted by it.
Right?
I only made 1 penny when I was on there. Thats why we need to be careful with steemit.
Great Post, Been on steemit for a while, and it doesnot seems it has same fate as TSU ... :)
Right? But TSU was around for a while before they shut down. So It's still scary. But I feel that Steemit has the potential to survive.
Yup ... :)
Great post you made ! very interesting ! didn't know TSU exsisted :) totally agree and think steemit is a strong community. I think steemit can grow a lot and will eventually be a huge program we are just at the start :) thanks for sharing ! I will follow you for sure !
So true! Heheh :) I have high hopes for steemit.
If there is good content, like you do, you will be payed well on steemit. The steemit community is priceless =)
Heheh right? We have the best people here.
I think there is an element of spammyness to steem, but as the site develops I think curation will keep it at bay. Overall I think there is a lot of great quality content on here for how early it is in steem's lifespan.
I agree! Every site has it's spammers but once they start to realize this isn't a "get rich quick scheme. " they may try and start providing value.
I hold high hopes for Steemit, and the thought of ads on here scare me too lol
Happy Wednesday!
Never heard of TSU, either i'm old, or it was pants, perhaps both!
LOL! It wasn't very well known. I found it about 6 months before it shut down lol.
hopefully Steem will do a better job!!
Interesante tu post
Thanks
Good post. I've never heard of tsu. One other differentiating factor could be - was this a traded currency in any exchange?
Tsu.....is it a wave?
Tsu is the sound we all make at the end of a sneeze
Very good article @kaylinart
Since using steemit, I have actually become bored with facebook and only check it when there is a notification on the phone, which is mostly just birthday notifications.
What I like about Steemit it almost forces you to become more creative. I still have much to learn, since I am not a very creative person as such, but it's actually very fun to try something new and seeing people's reaction to it.
Then trying something if it fails.
This is good to read as a newbie! It's good to have faith in the platform your investing time into!
Very good and complete article! Can I keep the cat? I like it very much!
It's a shame Tsu closed. I got bored of the site quite a while ago and didn't realise it had died until I decided to see what's happening on there.
Another great site was Cryptobucket, another social media platform that paid for actions using Bitcoin, well only small amounts of Satoshi, but it was a nice site. That also closed down. People need to realise that concentrating on the financial rewards only harms the overall platform as content needs to be added to make it worth it for the platform management to be paying out to members.
Wow... $0.01. That's more than I made! Good post and I seriously don't think Steemit will share the same fate. One reason is that Steemit is a community- there was no feeling of belonging on TSU... at least not for me.
Wow! Yeah it was after weeks of posting. It wasn't worth it LOL
Right?
I felt the exact same way you did! I don't think Steemit will end up the same way.
I don't believe Steemit could ever sell or monetize our posts in another way, unless via an agreement where individuals would give them the rights to do so. This applies just to physical publications and merchandise.
In regards to our actual online content, we all need to accept and understand that it's fair game. The Steem blockchain is open source. People can make a site about a given topic, pull all the related tags from Steem as their content, monetize it with ads and not pay us a penny. But it does expose us further and wider and provide opportunity for more users, followers, voters, and fans.
Everyone serious needs to do what you do, run your blog like a business and develop multiple revenue streams.
Of course! They would have us agree on stuff. I figured that could be a worst case scenario option.
I love that you bring up multiple revenue streams! So true! I don't know why some people are so crazy that they only have the one.
I think on steemit the greatest thing is there are alot of nice people on here. They are highly supportive and highly responsive. People appreciate each other alot more over here. And you said correctly, One feels heard on this platform.
Great post.
Exactly! I love it hehe :) people are much nicer here than other social media platform.s
Everyone hate Spam
Of course! Its annoying.
there's nothing like steemit...
Exactly!
Good comparison, Steem has so many things different from TSU that the fate of Steem should be different from TSU's fate. Steem on!
Thank you! I agree! I can see Steemit growing HUGE.
I can see a lot of the problems with TSU is that their system was bad. 45% to the maker of the post and the rest for his family encourages spam content for all. Not fun at all
And that is the secret ingredient for anything social fun!
Yes, we are 100%
#invested!
Let's build this community @kaylinart . We got this!
I think the actual TRUE potential of steemit cant be realized ....yet
I think its still too new and hasnt had much room to grow at the moment. I mean, there are thousands of new people joining the platform everyday, BUT, there are so many people joining who keep spamming music videos or articles that arent theirs
I think it will take a bit more time to see what...steemit can actually be, Instagram has for images and videos, facebook is to keep in touch with family... its just a matter of Steemit finding its legs between the two
Great well organized post!
I have used Tsu as well when it came out. It was utter shit and the community was the worst thing. Aint no way steemit has the same fate as Tsu. We have a wonderful community and people are actually making good money.
Never ever heard of TSU until today. I will blame that on level overseas for the last 12 years.
Apparently TSU is for sale. Check out this link! http://www.tsu.co
Great points, there are so many reasons to think Steemit is better - the lack of encouraging spam is a big one like you said, the community here is my favorite thing about the site.
Tsu's business model just feels too pyramid-scheme-ish... not saying it was, I don't have enough info, but the "you get a cut of the people you invite, AND the people they invite" model is always gonna have me skeptical. Steemit's methods are much cleaner.
Tsu was total crap because they did not allow people to post what they wanted to. They kicked me off of there and I didn't mind one bit. Steemit is better because of that fact you can post whatever you want. Plus more people willing to talk and interact with your post. Plus the steem coin has a way larger backing then Tsu ever had so that means steemit is here to stay.
Man I worked TSU so hard and received very little in return it was so not worth my time. Steemit is the way of the future. I love this place. The community is awesome everyone is amazing.
TSU was one big advertisement... I was on there a week and grew tired of it for that reason. Steem seems alot more helpful in driving value than opportunity swapping. Enjoying it so far. I agree with your post 100% Steemit is the future.
Great post!
Steemit is addictive! I believe many of us give to the community rather than tell people about our lives.