I think the idea of a social network that will pay you for your time and content is great, but it's also what causes these problems. People will post things on any other site and make $0.00 on it, and that never bothers them or causes them to slow their output. They just want likes, which are worthless. On Steemit, if you got 100 likes that were all for $.001, you'd be bummed out because you didn't make any money, but you got more "likes" than you would've gotten on any other site.
I do hope they can address some of the issues so that new people will not be so discouraged, but without making things unappealing to existing users at the same time.
Only time will tell!
We need a middle class. Societies with more equality is much more effective.
Hey @marksheppard, thanks so much for reading and commenting first of all, it really means a lot.
I think you're right there, this "facebook/twitter" mentality is definitely an issue. I think different people have different motivators though, and I can only really speak for myself, but I want an audience for my content above the money (don't get me wrong, every penny helps!). I'm quite happy with 100 low-value upvotes, if I know it's been read and enjoyed. I'm going off on a tangent though.
There's definitely a balance to be had to keep everyone happy, I just hope they do something. Like you say, only time will tell.
One thing I always remind myself of is the word "beta" next to the Steemit logo. It's still a work in progress, and I enjoy it a lot how it is, even with the flaws that I see. It's not like Facebook, Twitter, and all of the others don't have downsides as well. One thing I still really like about Steemit is how people are more civil around here, and I think that's partially because of the payout thing. No one wants to get flagged, and everyone wants to get upvotes. I don't see that as a bad thing, though.
Absolutely, although I must admit some slight frustration with the Steemit UI, as I've only seen features removed and slightly cosmetic changes made, compared to busy.org who have made some real progress. But like you say, it's beta!
I really like the emphasis on genuine sincere interactions, it's a real breath of fresh air. I realise I come across as particularly wingey in this post, but there really are many plus sides to Steemit, and it's only because I believe in the project that I care.
I totally understand where you're coming from. I believe in the project, too, and have invested a lot of my time and money. So I get concerned about certain spammy aspects of it, all the while remaining hopeful and optimistic for the future of Steem and Steemit.
If you're hopeful, then I'm hopeful!