A few days ago, I promised I would share my experience if any of my posts ever made good money, instead of cashing out and running for the hills. I had never expected it would be a comment! So here I am, as promised, sharing my personal story about this comment and what we can all learn from it. I apologise for the length of this post, but I promise you the details will be worth it.
But first, a bit about me.
I never formally introduced myself, so I'll take this chance to do so. :) If you couldn't care to know more about me, skip this bit and head to "The Comment". I won't mind, I promise!
I'm a Redditor. I'm so entrenched into the system that I have 3 different accounts discussing 3 different worldviews. Before Reddit, I have been a blogger and an active forum (bulletin board) member on various forums. I have many varied interests. I'm not able to get deep into some of these penchants with my friends and colleagues in real life, which is what first led me to try the internet over 15 years ago. Since then, I have stayed, met many extremely intelligent and fun people who have made my life brighter.
My modus operandi is very simple - I speak my mind. I seek out topics and posts that are interesting to me, and reply to them honestly and sincerely. My goal is to forward the discussion, and learn something from it.
One of my many interests is blockchain and cryptocurrency. Of course, as you might expect, I first heard about Steemit on Reddit. Like many active Redditors, I have been apprehensive about Reddit's management. So I have been on the look out for an alternate community. But what was more interesting is this is an absolutely killer app for blockchain technology. Finally, the possibility of getting rewarded for your contributions was an icing on the cake.
I saw the potential and jumped in a couple of weeks back. Since then, I have been among the top 30 most active Steemers. I have engaged in active discussion - admittedly some of it being small talk. But I have also posted several blog posts, some of which I personally found very interesting and am very proud of.
Alas, all of them were lost into obscurity, never noticed or upvoted by powerful Steemers. Sure, I got an upvote here and an upvote there, and it was earning a few dollars daily, but nothing special. As you can see - other Steemers around the #30 spot are far, far more valuable.
The Comment
I was chilling yesterday, listening to some Queen, when a notification popped up from SteemStats about a new blog post. I follow @masteryoda and was very surprised to see that he was tired of Steemit, was removing his posts and quitting Steemit.
I felt very upset at this, and had to reply, like I always do. So I let out a heartfelt response, trying my best to calm @masteryoda and see things in perspective. I was tough as well, and pointed out how ragequitting is not the right option, and we needed potent contributors like him if we wanted to see Steemit grow to be a vibrant community.
But that was it. I have made hundreds of posts like that before. I thought nothing of it, and moved on.
A perfectly regular comment.
The Upvote Explosion
I returned an few minutes later to see an explosion of upvotes. An outpouring of support came in for @masteryoda, and for whatever reason, chose my comment as an example. It was soon noticed by dolphins and whales - IIRC, @summon was the first to it.
Within a couple of hours, it was #2 on the Trending page. An entire sub-discussion started under my comment.
The Upvote Attraction
From there, the upvotes kept streaming in - from whales, dolphins and minnows alike. Several upvotes a minute. Everyone was voting on @masteryoda's post, and many of them were also voting for my comment and the sub-chain under it.
This is just how it works, once you get in, you get it all.
The Controversy
But it wouldn't end there. @masteryoda's post was now #1 on Trending, by far. A contrarian position was building, angered at his actions. Soon, whales started flagging the post, and many others followed. Many started unvoting my comment too, and a couple even flagged it! Just for supporting @masteryoda!
In the end, @masteryoda's post boiled down from $6,000 to $1,500, while my comment fell from $1,600 to $1,200. It ended up being the most controversial blog we have ever seen on Steemit's Trending page. It is still #2 Trending. I'm delighted to say that at the end of this ordeal, @masteryoda is back and I hope will continue to post those breathtaking pictures and videos!
What I Learned
The most obvious observation is how everyone flocks to what is popular, while many, many high quality posts are barely noticed. It made me think, and I hit up a fun new analogy - Steemit is like a Solar System. What works is gravity. The heaviest objects attract more and more mass, and gets bigger and bigger.
We all knew this would happen, but it was still surreal to see the Steemd.com feed.
So, Now Then
Nothing has changed for me. I admit I'm disappointed that some of my best posts have gone completely unnoticed, while this random post has accidentally become popular. But I completely accept it - this is just how Steemit works.
So, I'll continue posting on Steemit as I have been for the last 15 years. It's the only way I know how. At the end of the day, it's really very simple. You will only enjoy Steemit if you're having fun. Money has little to do with it.
I may never see such numbers again, and I'm completely OK with that.
Come to Steemit because you care about sharing with a community. You care about expressing your opinions, and engage in interesting discussions. Through every post you share and every reply you read, you'll always learn something more.
Be true to yourself, be honest and sincere. Be kind to other steemers.
I'm not saying this means you'll make good money, maybe you will, maybe you won't. I'm sure though, in the long term, you'll gain respect. But let me be very clear - if you chase money, you will never, ever, be a good blogger.
PS: I won't cash out a single penny of this, I'm investing it all back into Steem Power. I'll be on the "New" page, checking out as many blog posts as possible, and diligently upvote awesome but niche content which may be overlooked. My upvote is still only worth a cent, but every little bit counts, right? In addition, I'm pledging to keep a 50 STEEM fund separate to donate to brilliants posts which were never upvoted.
This mindset right here:
So, I'll continue posting on Steemit as I have been for the last 15 years. It's the only way I know how. At the end of the day, it's really very simple. You will only enjoy Steemit if you're having fun. Money has little to do with it.
Is, I feel, completely spot on when it comes to what will make Steemit successful - people whom genuinely have a good time and enjoy doing what they do whilst having fun. The opportunity of being rewarded for quality content extremely generously compared to other platforms should moreover add further incentive for content creators to give Steemit an honest shot.
Thanks @zly. Glad you agree. As I see it, it's just an unexpected bonus. But one that never should factor in while you are writing the post.
did whales voted yoda's post down ? what was the reason ?
Yes, they did, en masse. The reason - I think they were just angered by his ragequit. While others accused him of plagiarism. Just like with upvoting, the flagging becomes a trend. I do hope @masteryoda starts posting again. He did show up today, but it was mostly to thank the people who supported him.
Steemit is a combination of both skill and luck. It takes skill to write a quality post that enough people find interesting to up vote. And it takes luck to post something stupid that goes viral and get votes. So it takes both to succeed. However it takes neither to enjoy the platform if you are here for the right reasons.
Absolutely. The key is always to enjoy the platform.
I agree, Steemit is still young and finding itself. Give it time to mature. I believe that with time those who are in it purely for cash will get frustrated and eventually leave room for quality content to be noticed. Have fun, read to learn something new and write because you want to. Things will shake out in the long run.
You are absolutely right! Those who are in it for the cash have no long term plan. They just want a quick buck. Their writing will be shoddy, they will get frustrated and leave in short order.
My only fear is Steemit will gain infamy for harboring such users. I'm optimistic that won't come to pass. The curators are doing a good job, and I can see the quality of content improving steadily. It's already much more varied than just last week when it was all makeup articles, travel photographs (particularly women) and nothing else. The current Trending page is pretty damn interesting.
I think the "quick-cash" folks are starting to fade away, If I didn't think steem ahd a future i probably would too. But I tend to look further out than the next payout, hell I'm still Staking ORB, may never payoff , but there is that chance!
Your're right about the shift away from the makeup tutorials and travel posts that started ringing up the cash, you could almost predict that the next 100 posts would be travel, makeup and boobs, because that's what the new folks saw with the dollar signs attached.
Anyway, nice to hear a voice in the wilderness !
keep on posting
I don't know, there's a lot of quick-buck style clickbait posts yet. Just have a look at the "New" section, it's 90% junk. But you're probably right that even that has decreased in recent time. It'll take a while for all to stabilize, of course. But it's happening, surely but slowly.
lol the quick cash folks haven't even started to arrive. and to be honest what's wrong with that anyway?
i just spoke to a woman who has an instagram account of 13000+ and blog yadda yadda yadda... about steemit and the sales point was that she could make the same effort here and get some cash instead of Mark Zukerberg and some fat VC cats getting cash off her back.
facebook was "quick cash" so when it comes to the internets if you ain't making quick cash off your content... chances are someone else is!!
(love playing devil's advocate ;)
Congratulations! I read many of your posts during my first week here and often gave you my 0.01$ upvote ;-) Your success is well deserved. Will keep following you for sure.
Thank you! I don't mind the amount - I'm just happy to reach out to people. There's hardly any money on this post, but I'm happy 50 people liked it. :)
Nice, thanks for sharing your story. It's giving me some confidence, as my comments also tend to make more money than my blogposts do.
Glad you got something from it. :) Keep at it. Just enjoy yourself!
In steemit you dont know what gonna happen that i always greeting and talks to peopel isnt this social media peoplehave to talks more , i get around 550+ SD from just comments on others steemian post . i withdrew 150 SD for sell treat , my first strike should be good to enjoy i left 70% of my earning to grow bigger in this community . dont be so stress out just enjoy whatever you do here . :D
Very good post and mindset Liberosist
Such a great feeling
I really like this post because I have been on Steemit for a long weekend and so far have 5 posts (all made $0) and a comment approaching a dollar. I'm glad to go through the gamut of emotions early on because now I am approaching not really caring about what I COULD make but more concerned about what I could write. If I ever do make a thousand bucks, I will definitely look back on your posts because they helped me to realize that everyone is in the same boat. Well, at least the new minnows!
Thanks! All the best to you too. :)
Stop spamming with your shit !