Today I will begin a little side series to help those new to the Steemit game and those just looking for random tips to enhance their usage in the Steemit community. I am still very young in this myself but I figured I should pass along what I have learned so far because it could benefit others. The door is always open here if you have any questions and feel free to toss them at me in the comment section here, I always respond time permitting.
Gaining those Ride or Die followers and how to keep them
Today a few of you may have noticed I dropped down my FOLLOWING list and now only FOLLOWING those that are actually FOLLOWING my profile. This isn't to be an asshole or close minded to the rest of the community, I still run around and comment on strangers posts and try to get to know people. I did this today actually for the reasons I am about to toss down here today in this as a tip.
Lately I have gained a lot of followers and I have had a double amount of those I followed. This issue I found with over extending my following list is a bit of noise in the FEED section and hard to hook up my actual followers with support via upvotes and comments. It got to the point I was seeking people out in my feeds and never seeing their new posts so to support my close nit Followers I decided to upgrade to a policy of only adding those that mutually follow back. The idea is to grow a more Ride or Die crew in my profile, help those that support back and limit the crowd in my feed section. Of course I am still open to meeting more people and adding those willing to become apart of my crew here.
This led me to ponder why it is I have grown so fast here, and what avenues I could pass along to help others in the FOLLOWER area to engage more people. I have come to a key conclusion what maybe going on with my profile that could help other users. The main thing is this, look out for those who look out for you. That concept seems common sense but you may notice people sometimes just follow to gain a follow back and then a little while later disappear from your list, this happens much more often than you may realize.
In order to grow you need to focus on the followers you already have, show them support, build true friendships and never use them as a number to make yourself look good so you can make more money. These are human beings, well minus a few bots out there lol...so I tend to do what I can for my following crew by swinging by as often as I can to see how they are doing, upvote them when the voting power is up and just focus on them as individuals all wanting exactly what I want, to be successful.
Creating a community within this great community can get you far as well. Spreading and promoting each other, helping each other when someone needs help is a big human factor you should implement in your tactics here to grow yourself because no one can do it truly alone in Steemit, it works way better when you are with friends and you are all working on common goals together.
Be open to meet more people of course but make sure you take care of those who are there for you from the bottom to the top always. If you do that, not only will you gain more followers but you will have an army behind you making sure you and them are rising to the moon in Steemit as a unit.
Marketing is important here
I run Steemit Blogger Central so I have different avenues to help my followers due to the nature of promoting people here full time on my Facebook, Twitter, and Slack for SBC. I am already doing that full time so my followers get that extra benefit of RESTEEMS on my pages but I suggest to everyone to market each other as well. Promotion of yourself and your friends is going to be a needed gift here when this grows. Just like mainstream social media we will have to put ourselves out there more and more to get our articles seen when the masses of people pile into Steemit. Building a support group for helping each other in that area is a great thing to consider right now before that increases. RESTEEM each other, write articles about other Steemians you admire, or simply share your friends articles on your other social media will go a long way for them and for yourself.
Lets face it, we are still young in here and we still have a bit of an upper hand at the moment to get ahead before this grows even more, but I do think we need to be proactive to do all we can to get ahead while the opportunities are still there. If you plan to be a Steemian for long term its always a benefit to keep Steem Powering Up, and make sure you upvote content you truly believe in, I get we need money but sometimes keeping the content gods happy will benefit us better by keeping those in here working hard going. I hate to see good content creators move on because they were not with a lot of positioning here yet and no one upvoted them for their efforts so they had to find other avenues to share their work. Upvoting is seriously a privilege we were given here, so I tend to view it as a key to pushing the best of the best up to the top so outsiders can see how amazing we are here. Highlight the guys you think speak volumes for us by their professionalism, and help the little guys with amazing talents so they can also highlight how beneficial Steemit can be.
Well thats the basics I believe, just look out for your followers, cast those upvotes to the content you want everyone to see, and make sure you promote yourself and your friends if you have the time. LETS MAKE THIS SITE GREAT TOGETHER!!!
Great insight. Thanks
Just a few things I noticed that works so far, remembering that community spirit to those that back you is huge here. I still have a lot to learn but so far these things have gone a long way for me so far. Hope that helps...try to make more of these along the way
I admire your efforts to grow the community not only just for your particular account but for the whole platform as well.
I just know how hard it is for some of these guys, they got day jobs, less time to do the promotional stuff and I figure being between jobs I got the time and might help every one out. I love to keep at it, do this completely full time and help even more. Its all about everyone pulling together, that could do a huge thing not only for myself but for everyone involved
That's simply awesome!
I am a bit of a work a holic so I guess you say I went full on with Steemit lol
There are plenty of good reasons why we should go full on steemit...
I agree, we are here so we might as well make very good use of it.
Really, really enjoyed this article! I super needed this advice! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this, I'm doing it as soon as I have the time today, just solved a huge problem for me with keeping up on feeds! Hope your day is lovely!
It gets really crowded on your feeds if your following everyone lol. I hated to do it but I can find the guys that don't follow back with their average updates but rather keep my feeds for you guys that support me so I can help you out better. I miss a lot of your articles due to the extra non followers I followed so had to clean house to just keep up with those that mutually follow. Think its fair...may not be a popular decision but I always follow those that follow me anyways so it just takes an add lol. Hope this helps, I will try to write more of these in the future.
It really did help allot I just did the same. I've been banging my head against a wall trying to keep up with my feed, this helped a ton and now I feel like I can see people again! :-)
Glad that helped, hopefully when the site gets out of BETA we will have more options with organization here, that is the key reason I actually created my pages for Steemit Blogger Central on Facebook, Twitter, and now our chat site so users can easily share their work between each other and we highlight the good stuff every day. Its hard with all the noise to find everything you need. We all have to remember this is not the final product yet, still a beta lol
For sure! And honestly who could complain this place is awesome!:-)
Very true, this place is with nothing but endless possibilities, I am myself so glad to have found this place
Great Stephen, I might do the same with my own following list.
I am super grateful that I already have close to 130 followers in less than 2 weeks, but in some ways it is a false metric.
Now that I am running my commenter reward experiment, I am going to clean up my feed too.
Some people I cut out of my following list might in turn take me off their list, that is fine, if "follow for follow" was the only reason. I don't really think they add value to my blog here.
After I filtered it, I will start adding back the people that have engaged with me through upvotes or are commenting on my stuff.
Those are the people I want to hear from.
It took me an hour to clean up mine. Basically I figure its best to follow those following you and supporting you but keep tabs and clean house if they dip out. Make your profile an exclusive club of people you want to help and are supportive of you as well...follow for follow is okay, that isn't a bad thing but when they do that but drop their follow and eat up your feed area its kind of pointless to keep them if your trying to help those in your list.
You can still look on the old trend area for new people and upvote strangers but I realized I need to focus most on those being supportive, its only fair to them right? Just how I view it, all are welcome but I rather keep a policy of mutual follows from now on. Keeps it cleaner
The way I am doing it now is to first unfollow all.
Then go through the replies I received and follow them again
this way I will be following people who at least had a constructive interaction with me. Might kill my follower list but hey at least those that stick around will be willing to engage with me hehe.
EDIT: pfew done, feel better already, the feed was getting out of hand, lots of crap I did not want to look at, almost became Facebook ish gasp
I really hope the other Steem blockchain interfaces start to take off or that Steemit.com comes out of BETA. It has been great so far but I am feeling the limitations now...
would love to be able to follow a tag and upvote that
I just unfollowed my FOLLOWING LIST then went back into my FOLLOWER list and added them all back, mutual follows I respect its the ones I had that don't follow back and hang on that bugged me...a bunch of them were spamming lol...and eating up my feed so didn't see the point in keeping them as my follows, they don't even come to my profile anyways. I though believe you should hold the mutual follows of those following you, its kind of a respect thing because they are putting you in their feeds
I went hardcore, only followed those that replied to my posts , I will talk to the people in the slack group my reasons but I think I need to be strict to keep the metrics valuable.
I might also start to add people that upvoted, but that might get out of hand again...
lol...hey its user choice in this area, just make sure you do it as you want and keeps you organized here. Its a bit messy in some ways on that but I am sure as they get the ALPHA site done it will be easier to maintain, i hope lol
Thanks for the advice, when you grow your followers it can be easy to neglect them. Take care of each follower like it was your brother :)
Thats what I try to do, but easier for me because I am always randomly resteeming everyone that follows me on my social pages lol...I run a few out there to help users reach other users. You may miss people but at least make the effort is what I am getting at, for those that take so much time to be supportive of you as well.
Really enjoyed reading your post. I think cutting out people who are not following you could actually help you identify those who are sincerely following you (not just for the return follow). On one hand, that's positive for you. But I do think that if you enjoy the content of a user who is not following back, it's not really so bad to still follow him so long as he remains active (i.e. you make an exception to be just a consumer). Nevertheless, I do see lots of deeper value and bonding in everyone doing their part to create a supportive community so that we grow as a unit. Excellent point :)
I've been here less than a week, and am still finding my style, which is currently to check out the profiles and posts of people who follow, upvote, resteem, or comment on my posts. And if I find resonance in their profiles and posts, or if I simply like them, I follow, upvote, comment back.
@htliao wrote a post suggesting a 'favourite feature' earlier today that could potentially help us out with navigating through the noise in the feed. I linked his post here, in case you missed it in all the noise: https://steemit.com/chainbb-suggestions/@htliao/instant-messager-function-and-friends-list-2017618t18565402z#@htliao/re-foodiewarrior-re-htliao-instant-messager-function-and-friends-list-2017618t18565402z-20170618t110229078z-2017618t191334830z
I totally get following your followers or mutually following someone you meet or you say hey I followed to as a nudge towards friendship. What I seen though is a case of people asking for a follow but dip off your list, I rather keep my feed clean for those that support me so I cleaned it up a bit so I can compare the numbers of FOLLOWERS and FOLLOWING so I don't waste up my feed with less active users not really being apart of things. I also run Steemit Blogger Central on FB, Twiter, and we just opened a SLACK so community memebers can share posts in that chat area. I RESTEEM all the time and it be way easier for me to just randomly help my followers list and be more beneficial to know they are with me here lol. Hate to help someone and neglect those truly involved here more. Its all in personal preference though, its kind of messy still on Steemit to weed out what you want in content so you have to kind of keep a clean house. I figure a follow for follow mentality for now might keep it cleaner, I boomed a lot in a month and its getting hard to find my followers stuff in my feed, can go in my list but I am lazy lol.
Great article by the way, we need features like that actually, some private messenger services would be nice too.
I clicked on your profile to check more after making my comment and realized you have 641 followers..that's like 8 times the number I have, so at least that amount more noise :) and probably gets you dizzy when you go through your list to find the follower you want to check up on.. lolll Can't even begin to fathom what kind of noise the users with thousands and thousands of followers face!!
Interesting that you run Steemit Blogger Central. What is a SLACK, may I ask?
I had about a 1000 I was following on top of that, mainly from guys saying that wanted a follow for a follow but disappear a week later off my list, its a tactic I guess some use here to get the numbers up lol. Trust me I had a hard time knowing who was who in my feeds for a bit, why I cleaned house some.
The Slack is a chat room basically, a lot of crypto coins use them so I added that as an extension to our FB, and Twitter for Steemit Blogger Central. I share the posts users share with others in the SLACK on our pages and they meet and chat with each other making new friends and followers, kind of a way for people to chat, and form connections in real time vs just comments here. We don't have a ton of people in there right now but a very good core group and growing.
The follow for a follow leaves a really bad taste in my mouth actually. It's not genuine at all and those that disappear later on really are just making use of you..nobody likes to be made use of. sheesh...
Ahhh I see, cool initiative! I have to turn in now..brain is fuzzy..will check it out on FB tomorrow. :) Anw, I checked out your profile briefly and one of your posts, and I like what I've read so far (it's only one, plus this one, that equals 2)..so yes, you've got a new follower :)
Really great to meet you, I will add you as well. Hopefully you like the others when you find time to read them, I try to mix it up a bit, not all about crypto here lol. You have you a great night and sleep well. Here anytime you would like to chat. Glad to earn your follow, I promise I am active and don't hide out much lol
Thanks, I can see that you are living your word of posting everyday. Cool that you are so active, but it may take longer for me to catch up on your profile at this rate!! :) I'm also fairly active (at least so far, took a break yesterday).
If you will add me I will add you back lol...I don't mind adding people just wanna add those that plan to be around now and then....keep the page clean but your welcome to join us here, there is a great group of people under my following list
Hi @foodie.warrior! you left a great comment on my blog, of course I am still following you hehe!
and I, you @the-traveller :)
Look after your followers and your followers will look after you .. very true my friend. Great tips as always.
I just had a about a 60 or so that asked me to add them so I did and they dipped off lol...just noticed it today because my FOLLOWING list was 400 above my actually follower list and those guys were eating up my feed from seeing you here who actually support me. I figure if they want in show the respect and I got them all the help in the world...if not then its an exclusive club here lol. Big thing is I want to help my followers, with my resteems to the social pages I rather those benefit you guys more than anyone being non supportive of all the hours I put in a day for that...give you guys first dibs on it vs over feeding that and no one benefits. Its all in personal preference but I rather have a mutual tight followership group here
upvoted and enjoyed the read... keep up the great work.. Taking time to meet and greet is worth the effort..getting to know people and supporting each other is what it is all about... supporting by reading their posts and commenting..the way to go :)
Couldn't agree with you more, making real connections here in friendship and helping each other is the best way to help each other grow. That is why I went to a follow to follow and support group system way instead of just blindly trying to grow my numbers. I still go out and meet and add people but more or less think its wiser to help your followers vs outsiders just hoping you may help them without then being any way supportive. Hope it didn't come off that i want to shun the outside world from my follows lol...just meaning more to help the supportive crowd doing a more mutual followship
I totally know you are right.. I was in tsu a group that went out of business.. however I built a following of more than 17 K people.. I did it fast .. hustling to get it built up.. not this time.. I did enjoy and learn there.. this time I am building but enjoying and learning as I go. In here are many teachers .. I am soaking it up.. nice to meet you. :)
I carry a 20K page on FB, for a horror community, I know strange and did the same thing where I build it fast, here its a little different in that area, gotta really work it here but its worth it when you make great connections. I am here to help. I actually run Steemit Blogger Central on Facebook, Twitter, and we have a SLack now where users connect with users and we RESTEEM them on the pages. That is also why I needed to keep it on a follow to follow basis because man does it get noisy if you let everyone in all at once lol. Its really good to meet you as well...down to follow if you would like to keep in touch
Let's do it .. I just followed you :) I see you are in florida..great place to be..
Just got you followed in return. Yea I live right outside of Gainesville FL, grew up here but I am originally from Connecticut, came here when I was 10 so I guess you say I am pretty much a Floridian now lol
yes you are :) thanks for the follow
Very informative post. And I have definitely seen the followers on my list go up and down. I do enjoy speaking to my followers and try to talk to all of them. It's very hard to get everyone. Lol. But thank you for the info!!
Oh I agree, you can't get to them all all the time but they appreciate the effort when you can. I figured remind the community to keep your followers happy and pass along a little of what I learned lately. Hope that helps some
Sure helps me. I definitely appreciate any info I can get involving steemit. I'm still kind of new so it all helps! :)
Hard to believe but I just got active myself a little over a month ago lol. I worked in another coin called PIVX in their marketing so didn't have time to use my account much till recently lol. I will try to make more of these on subjects I can maybe help others with. Glad it helped
Sounds good brother! I appreciate it. I'll keep an eye out for you!
Another great article @sflaherty - upvoted
Thank you for that, hopefully that helps others.....its all about the community and building our own little communities to make the whole of this stronger
@leelektrik has just posted an amazing article on you @sflaherty
I just seen, man he did a great job at incorporating the conversation but still informed what I was trying to do with my music. Going to have to make a post about that post now lol
Haha - so cool - loving this
All in the dynamics of making all of us successful...do it together and then when we are rich we pass down that pay it forward to pull more little guys up with us...can't climb a mountain alone I believe lol
All very good points. However, I am also doing my best NOT to worry about who isn't following me. I promised to be genuine on my post, Hopes and Intentions), and it's kind of like my mission statement. Something I am trying to stick by. The reason I don't think I could just unfollow people who are not following me is because I generally followed them because I had already genuinely been interested in their content. That's not to say that I wont unfollow them in the future if I no longer find their content to my liking.
Well.. I forgot I was writing this cause I got distracted (a really long time ago???), and now I don't remember where I was going. But, I think this is a fine comment.
Moral of the story: We will be genuine. Haha.
Just upvoted your post, great one and that is how to be...genuine. I am the same way but here you do have to watch out for the ungenuine people..they are everywhere. My reasoning to clean mine up was due to my feeds were so cluttered with non decent content. I had hundreds of people hit me up early on wanting a follow for a follow but there is this little game here where they follow but bail out and disappear a lot. I came to the conclusion in order to help my supporters and the community under my SBC project it was wiser to limit to only those I find content interesting and those kind of showing honest and mutual respect. I don't hear from all my followers all the time but I rather kind of know I can seek those on my page without all the spam content I was getting. I had over 1000 follows lol...it was getting very messy. I have some favorites though I keep around that dont follow me, its not about the follows for me, I am just a stickler for organization I guess lol
I remember! I was going to say, "Whatever works for whoever is great!" Hahah.
I get it! I probably will have to dwindle mine down too. Getting follow button happy. Haha. I am not a fan of all the resteems clogging my feed either. But, I am happy to have found you all!!
I think that was my biggest issue, the constant resteems in my feed lol. I try to help out those supporting SBC kind of as a first in line then run around an pick content I like as well. I am a bit of a different Steemit user though, I started here originally because I worked for PIVX in their marketing but found a love for writing again so went full time here. So my mini mission is to help empower the little guys here, get them ahead. COntent matters most but I am down to help anyone that asks or needs it. I basically feel I am following everyone anyways lol..I am in the feeds hourly looking around for those in need of help and reading articles lol...I upvote where I can to spread some joy.
Absolutely! See that's why I like ya! Awesome!
Very mutual, you are a genuine person, rare quality and gathered that pretty quickly. Here is to a new found long friendship
Cheers, friend!