Introduction
This is the completed version of the Steemit Etiquette guide.
As I have said multiple times before (and sorry for repeating it but some people don't seem to get it) these ARE guidelines not RULES.
They are meant to make everybody's community experience better and especially help those who are NEW to Steemit. Nobody is perfect and I suspect most of us have fallen in to the trap of making some of these mistakes.
As the saying goes : - "to err is human."
Further there is nothing to stop you from routinely breaking all of these suggestions. You will likely get flagged and ruin your reputation but nobody will stop you from doing it.
Nobody can stop you.
That is the nature of a decentralised platform.
Changes and thanks
Compared to the previous versions of the guide I have changed the order of some of the points as well as made further additions, changes and omissions based on previous feedback.
I have also used smaller resized versions of the main images to enable faster loading as well as replacing some of the images with ones I thought that were more suitable.
I would like to eventually get a version of this done with some new art by @klye as I had in the original guide but I thought it best to get at the very least some kind of finalised version out before paying to do that.
Recently @timcliff reached out to me in relation to including an updated etiquette guide in the landing page for newcomers as proposed here. So I thought it best to get a final modified version out so that there is at least something complete for new users.
With that in mind please let me know of any further additions or changes you would like. Also let me know of any typographical errors.
This has taken a considerable amount of time to refine, check and rewrite. I do hope you find it useful.
Finally special thanks to the following users for their additions and amendments: @englishtchrivy, @jasonstaggers, @timcliff, @dgiors, @cathi-xx and @stellabelle - apologies if I have left anyone out (please let me know and I will add you).
The Guide
A quick definition from the Cambridge Dictionary
The Customs/Guidelines
01) Don't post and run
We are all pressed for time but it but it just looks plain bad if all you ever do is post and never curate or comment on other work. In a way this could be seen as simply taking from the system without giving.
02) Don't over-post
As I said most people don't have much time. Take some pity on your followers and don't post 10 times per day. Not only will less people actually take the time to read your work but you may end up annoying and losing followers. It will also reduce your payouts if you post more than 4 times a day.
03) Don't post nudity or graphic imagery unless you tag it with NSFW
This is important. It may be acceptable in your nation to be showing bare breasts on your work computer but it might not be the case where your reader is located.
Also your reader could be a child. Please keep this in mind. Graphic images without this tag are likely to be flagged.
04) Don't be a fake, plagiarise or pass off others' work as your own
This is important. It relates to people trying to make money by impersonating others, making false claims, or stealing other people's work to claim it as their own. There is a whole community of people watching you here and you will eventually be found out. Just don't do it.
No matter how much you earn it is not worth it for the damage to your reputation.
05) Don't engage in tag spamming
If your post does not directly relate to a particular tag you shouldn't be using it. A post about trumpets that just happens to have a photo of a trumpet in it should not be tagged with "photography", similarly a post discussing DASH is fine in "cryptocurrency" but should not be tagged with "ethereum". Tag spamming annoys people and rather than getting you extra upvotes is likely to get you a flag.
06) Don't re-steem everything you see
This goes hand in hand with overposting. The re-steem feature is great. It's new and shiny and a different way to share but please be conscious of your followers. Unless they are only following you, you have to assume that their feed has other re-steemed material in it. Further just because YOU like a subject DOESN'T mean that they do. Just be polite and only re-steem limited numbers of posts that you are sure others will like.
07) Don't post unrelated links in comments
This is considered link spamming. We all understand that you took great pride in your post but if your link is not related to the direct conversation and seems to be there purely to promote your own work then it looks bad. You are at risk of getting flagged and it is unlikely people will appreciate what you are doing. There is a great chat channel for promoting your links as well as a forum section - put it there.
08) Don't directly ask for votes
This is similar to posting unrelated links. Asking for votes is fine if it is in the post promotion channel but it should be done indirectly by posting a link i.e. it is bad form to ask someone directly for a vote. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking if people have seen your post but directly asking them to vote for it is rather unfair and goes against the spirit of proper curation. It may also make some people feel uncomfortable for this very reason.
09) Don't expect reciprocal votes
If you are voting purely for the purposes of getting more votes then you are doing it wrong. You should only vote for content you like and should not expect people to vote for you just because you voted for them - it removes the whole point of curation. Further people may take offense to your expectation as it indirectly implies you did not like their content but only voted for reciprocation.
10) Don't bribe people for votes, re-steems, follows or ask directly for money
This is fairly easy to understand. It is likely to get you flagged as well as potentially annoying others. Plus once people have followed you there is no guarantee they will keep doing it. So you will just be wasting your money AND ruining your reputation. I have also heard of people asking directly for cash - this may be OK in the case of charitable causes but NOT when the charitable cause is your own wallet. It looks bad and will also damage your reputation.
11) Don't use the wallet to get attention
The Steem wallet allows people to send messages. Unfortunately people have recently been using it to send out tiny amounts of Steem as a means of advertising themselves or their posts. Don't do it you will waste your money and annoy a lot of people.
12) Don't ever use @all in the chat
This pings everyone and is very annoying. There does seem to be a solution in the works that will remove the ability to do this so hopefully this will not be a problem for long.
13) Don't direct message people you don't know in the chat
I have seen lots of people doing this particularly to whales and people with higher SP. It is understandable but it is also an intrusion on people's privacy and hardly polite. Don't do it unless someone has explicitly said they are OK with it (e.g. reporting abuse to Steemcleaners etc.) or you have another really good reason - just sharing your post is not good enough.
14) Don't flag content just because you disagree or don't like it
This is a big issue and I'm sure some people will disagree with it but I think the majority of the community agrees that the flag issue is for posts which are harmful or abusive and should not be used as a dislike or downvote button. Don't like something? Post a comment explaining why or if you can't be bothered to do that or don't have the time move on.
15) Don't be a stalker or a troll
Some time ago there was a particular user who was deliberately going after female members of the community in a distinctly unsavoury way. People may think this is acceptable online but I personally think it is disgusting and reprehensible behaviour. Luckily the reputation system can help by silencing these people but we also need to make it clear that we won't accept it as a community. Further any activity bordering on criminality is particularly stupid since it is recorded in the blockchain. It should also go without saying that general trolling behaviour will not help your reputation either.
16) Keep the adolescent remarks to yourself
I have noticed a few users making the kind of remarks on images of women that are quite immature and frankly I would expect from a 13 year old boy. I know these aren't necessarily done with any malice but we as a community need to be a friendly and inviting place for women and I don't think it is particularly helpful. You as a man may find it funny but I'm not sure a woman would - imagine if it was your mother reading your comments.
17) Don't be a drama queen
We all have bad days and we have all been complete arseholes from time to time but the best thing to do is deal with it in an adult way. There have been a number of people who have instead proceeded to have a complete meltdown and create all kinds of unnecessary drama. This never looks good and you will only embarass yourself in the long run - particularly since it is stored in the blockchain to remind you forever.
18) Don't go on witch-hunts
This is not new but seems to be happening more lately. People are ganging up on each other in a way which I don't think is really helpful. I think it is fine to point out problems or inequalities when you see them but unless someone is specifically doing something malicious I think this can only serve to make Steemit less friendly and inviting to people. It is particularly striking when multiple people seem to go on the offensive against a single person:
18) Don't make it personal/Don't make argumentative posts
Maybe it is because I'm English but I don't think it is polite to do an entire post focussing on a single person without first discussing it with them and trying to resolve the situation person to person. If you want to call out certain kinds of behaviours it might be more productive to do so in a more general manner so people don't feel that they are being singled out. If you go after a particular person all that will ensue is an argument that will continue to escalate and make everyone look bad.
19) Don't critique people's work unless they have asked you to
I normally ask for people's opinions on my work and I am fine with criticism (although even I have feelings) but just because someone has posted their work up does not mean that you should start critiquing it if you don't like it. Not all people are thick skinned about things and I have seen a few cases of people demolishing another person's work in a distinctly unpleasant way. Also if someone has asked for a critique keep it polite and constructive. If you are not able to do that move on.
20) Do admit when you are wrong /Do apologise
I had an old teacher at school who used to say that it takes both honesty and bravery to admit you are wrong. We tend to like to pretend we are always right even when we are not. People are generally forgiving and if you have been an idiot just own up to it and apologise. People will respect you more for it.
21) Do forgive people
This is the other side of apologising. We all screw up and we all make mistakes. If someone has apologised and is trying to make amends please give them another chance. Holding grudges not only harms the other party, but it harms you and the community as a whole. It can also make you look petty and immature. Part of being an adult is accepting the failings of others as well as our own. As I said earlier "to err is human".
22) Do take a step back
In keeping with the previous few points sometimes it helps to take a step away from your computer and do something different to help you regain perspective. If you are getting into a lot of arguments and conflict give yourself some time away and reflect on things.
23) Do answer your comments
If people have taken the time to make a comment on your post you should at least take the time to read them and in appropriate cases reply to them. It is understood that if you have a lot of comments you can't always answer them all, however, ignoring your comments could be considered being ungrateful.
24) Do help others out and do thank people
A lot of us know cryptocurrencies and are familiar with the concepts. That does not apply to everyone on Steemit. Everyone has to start somewhere and if you find someone who needs help or has a question don't wait for someone else to act - help them out yourself if you can. That is a fundamental of a good community. Also don't forget to thank people and pass on the good will.
25) Do share great posts.
There are links at the bottom of every post that allowing sharing on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Be a good citizen and help to spread good content by sharing it on other social networks and also posting links in the "postpromotion-other-only" chat channel. This not only helps out the poster but helps to spread the word about Steemit by showing people what great content is available. Steemit should not just be "every person for himself/herself".
26) Do check out new posts and curate
There are many new people joining Steemit every day. Unfortunately it is hard to get noticed. Please try to spend at least some of your time looking at new posts rather than just being on your own feed or the trending page. Not only do you have the prospect of discovering a new hidden gem and making a new user feel appreciated, but you could also be rewarded much more handsomely for the curation. This also applies to the chat, if you are expecting other people to look at and curate the links you post it makes sense that you should take a look at other people's posts too.
27) Do always comment when you flag a post and go back and check it
I think simple courtesy dictates that if you flag a post you should tell the poster why.Obviously if the reason has already been posted by other people this becomes less necessary. You should also go back and check to see if the content has been verified or the poster has complied with the reasons for the flag and if so remove your flag. Simply flagging and vanishing is not really fair.
28) Do provide verification
This is relevant to point 4 but I have placed it here because I wanted to put all the "do" suggestions together. Unfortunately as often happens in life dishonest people have made it harder to trust those who are posting on Steemit. You don't HAVE TO verify but it may help people trust you more and get you more up-votes.
There are even secure ways to do it now that allow you to maintain your anonymity. Please read this excellent post by @reneenouveau for a detailed explanation.
29) Do always read the rules for the chat channel you are posting in
This goes without saying. Read the rules of the channel before you post. I think mistakes are bound to happen, when they do, apologise and delete your post. If you persistently break the rules you will likely end up permanently muted and unable to post.
Reward for Reading: The Obligatory Kitten Photo
Due to the excessive length of this post here are 2 photos and due to popular demand we have a puppy too:
If you like my work and aren't already, please follow me and check out my blog (I mainly discuss photography but I do other topics like this too) - @thecryptofiend
Photo Credits: The definition of Etiquette at the top of the post is a screenshot taken from the Cambridge English Dictionary here. All photos are taken from my own personal Istockphoto.com and Thinkstockphotos UK account. Further information can be provided on request.
Some of my other recent posts
- Steemit Markdown Basics for Beginners
- Portrait experiments with stock photo type processing (free for you to use)
- Are governments deliberately poisoning the cryptographic/cryptocurrency well?
- Bamburgh Castle at Sunset: IR Photos (free for you to use on Steemit)
- Does your urine look like COCA COLA? - GO STRAIGHT TO HOSPITAL - Rhabdomyolysis
This was really amazing material! Thank you so much for educating me and anybody else who reads this. I think this might be a good guideline on any social media. I think people forget that there is someone on the other side of the screen that they are typing on. This etiquette post might make trolls think twice. Or at least we hope. I used to work in service, and earned money off of Tips, and people didn't always know the etiquette on tipping. Sometimes I wish I had a little description to sit down in front of me for those that don't know. So, once again thank you very much for posting!
I hope it makes some trolls think twice but you never know! Thank you for your kind words!
I think most trolls unfortunately are trolls because they don't read the rules, or don't care about them.
Great post thank you. And thanks @shawnamawna for highlighting this post.
This post and these comments have given me a new hope for the future of social media. Glad I made this my first stop out of the Welcome/Quick Start section. Looking forward to helping reshape the internet. Cheers!
Great Post, I am new to SteemIt and I love the whole idea. I like the way it focuses on creating quality content and preserving good manners. Very well written. This is my first upvote =D !!
Exactly! This is the first tab I clicked on in Steemit because I participate in other forums and don't want to make newbie mistakes. I am confused by the Verification section as this is not on other sites. Can anyone discuss?
Link to verification article: For other new people like me just reading this: https://steemit.com/steemit/@reneenouveau/verification-and-you-how-why-how-to-ask-and-how-not-be-a-usd-about-it
Thanks for the link! much appreciated!
I'm also looking forward to hearing from Daniel Larimer (Steemit Co-Founder). I was reading one of his posts
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@dantheman/daniel-larimer--co-founder-of-bitshares-steemit
and this jumped out: "...the premise that everyone who brings value deserves a share"
Based on that I'm guessing that the verification (however long it takes --- mine was three days) is to prevent the flood users intended to abuse the system.
This is one incident that comes to mind:
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/13/tech/social-media/zelda-williams-twitter/index.html
Interestingly...the verification process was put to the test by @devi1714 (he created 15 accounts which all took a week to get approved)
https://steemit.com/spaminator/@devi1714/the-ease-of-bypassing-steemit-s-account-approval
I like your moniker, theobromine. I love good quality chocolate. Sorry, I can't answer your question though. I'm trying to learn also.
Thanks very much for this. I was a bit confused about a few things and this well organized treatise definitely helps this Steemit Newbie a lot! Cowabungah!
Hello, I read your article and found it very helpful as a newbie here. I'd like to translate this to my native language Korean, if you give me a permission.
Have a nice day! :)
Certainly - let me know when it is done and I will try to help share it for you:)
Thank you for both your permission and quick response. I'll start right away and let you know when I finish. :)
Cool:)
Thank God I anticipated that half of the scroll bar would only contain comments and the Guide itself is shorter than it might seem. Excellent guide. Happy to have read it and glad to be following most of it already. Thank you to the author for putting this up.
Phew indeed! :)
I had that 'oh no' thought too! (Not so good compounded with the overwhelm that goes with being a newbie in such a unique platform).
I know you already have so many comments, but I just wanted to also add that this was really great content. I'm looking for great people to follow and.. you made the cut! :). I'm brand new here - a singer-songwriter and poet (even got a couple of videos up already), so I'm grateful for the information. Have a great day and thanks again!
Thank you:)
You bet! xx, Kay
Well done Man. I thoroughly had fun reading this, not just because it is informative; mostly it is your expression. I am going to check out your blog. God speed :)
Thanks!
Hi, I just finished posting Korean version of your post. You can find the post here. https://steemit.com/kr/@bree1042/2-0-the-complete-steemit-etiquette-guide-revision-2-0. Thank you again for your permission. :)
This is great! Exactly what I needed to read in order to hit the ground running. Thanks so much for taking the time to put this together!
You're welcome:)
Thank you for it! As a new Steemer I find it extremly helpful! xx
You're welcome!
Thanks for your really helpful work!
You're welcome!
one day I would like to be a great photographer like you
Thanks! The photos in this post are from my stock photography account though. My photography posts are way back in my feed.
I know every single post you have created :) following you ;)
OK thanks:)
no no thank you :)
Thank you for providing those guidelines; It's nice to have them all in one place :) There is one thing I was hoping to read about here that was not addressed, maybe you could help me. I noticed (I am new to Steemit) that it is possible to upvote my own posts and comments; is that something that is frowned upon or is it common practice?
Thanks in advance!
That is a difficult one. It is common for people to upvote their posts but not their comments. However if you have made a comment that took a lot of effort I can understand how you may want to highlight it and give it a boost by upvoting. I think people get upset if you upvote every comment you make yourself.
That makes sense. Thanks for the quick reply :)
I'm brand new to steemit (as of today) so I thought this article would be a good read to get my bearings on this site. Thanks for taking the time to write it! If people truly follow these guidelines, this place sounds much more friendly than any other community I've ever been apart of (cough YouTube).
Thank you for making it smoother for me to join this community)
..and for kittens)
You're welcome.
Thanks for the very informative post. Etiquette seems like a behavior that should be self-explanatory, but as a total newcomer there were several guidelines that I might not have even thought about. I feel better prepared to be a positive member of the community.
Glad you found it useful:)
Thank you :)
Splendid post. Can I ask you about that: If I want to translate your tutorials on my native language Bulgarian so my nation mates can understand it better, of course I will link to the source. Is this a plagiarism?
No I think that is fine as long as you have permission which I am happy for you to do:)
Thank you very much! If I have more free time I have this holly mission in mind
Hi,
I think you may have a typo in
"We are all pressed for time but it but it just looks plain bad..." repetition of "but it".
Thanks unfortunately I can't change it now!
Very well written guide, especially helpful for newbies like me. I like the fact that each of your point is polite and to the point. I got many things cleared and will try to follow these guidelines as often as possible. Thanks!
Cool, glad you like it!
This is the first piece I took time for reading after signing up for Steemit today, to check what it was all about -- I have been disillusioned with most other social networks in the past and don't use any currently, but I really think this could be something else entirely. I think I might write about it.
That aside, I really feel the points you have made here are timeless and apply irrespective of the platform, a sort of general life wisdom, so I will keep those in mind as I interact here. I also checked out your profile and see that you have resteemed worthwhile content, so I followed you. Hoping to make the best out of this community and contribute something of my own!
Fellow Medic, from Nepal . :)
From this minnow, thanks for the information! I'm slowing making my way around, learning how to be a contributing member of this community.
You're welcome:)
I'm new here and thank you for the guidelines. Bless you
You're welcome!
Excellent orientation material!
Thank you @thecryptofiend.
Thanks glad you like it.
Thank you for all the tips sir! :)
You're welcome!
Thanks for the info. Love this new community.
Welcome!
Very Helpful, Thanks!
You're welcome:)
@thecryptofiend thanks great post
This is a great orientation. Definitely could have fallen in a trap or two. Every thought of. Doing a quick 2 min video that covers all the basis?
No but someone else could do one.
If it is ok with you, I would like to make a video. it will just be a illustration of what you wrote.
Sure that would be awesome. Let me know when you do it.
Thanks for the etiquette overview, these are good principles to live by, both on steemit and for life in general. Had to chuckle over the kittens and puppies, cool idea!
You're welcome:)
Yes! If only we would follow these guidelines in our relations with each other in the real world. We would all be in a much happier place.
This is extremely helpful. It makes me feel a lot better about joining the community knowing little to nothing about it. I look forward to what the future will bring.
Glad it helped!
This was a really, really good article, thank you! I think a lot of what you said can be applied not just to all social media, but really to all of life, and I'll do my best to follow it here, too. :)
Gracias por la información, aunque soy nueva toda esta guía me sirve!
great post thank you very much!
Very helpful guide! thanks:)
It's great that I read this as a newbie...it gives me more information what to do and not.
@thecryptofiend, such a useful post. surely this is a complete steemit etiquette guide.
Earlier today, I was a bit rude with one of my comment as I had a different opinion on the subject. But then I realized that everyone has a right to speak his mind and express his own opinion and as long as they don't breach the general code of conduct, the morals and ethics of blogging they are free to express their views. And then this is what I commented for the second time to him. He was a gentleman though and was polite with my brashness.
I am sure politeness and asking for forgiveness helps :)
Excellent! I think we all have a tendency to be mean or appear so online. There is no harm and only good karma to be gained from apologising. We are all human so can be bastards at time (I do it everyday) but we can also be good!
Thank you for taking the time to post this, I joined close to a year ago, and came back to a changed platform, so this certainly helped me get started again in the right way.
You're welcome!
Thanks for that! It was very informative. I was getting a little worked up about the images until I read your credits at the end. LOL! I have been shooting stock for over 20 years, so knew these were great stock shots! I'm making it a point now to put my copyright on each image I post. Definitely following you! Also resteeming. Every newcomer needs to read this! OOPS! No resteem button! What's that about? So much to figure out! LOL!
Thanks for the very useful information. I have a question. Am I allowed to mention referral links when I write a review/opinion/promotion about a website or something in my post/article I write.
Please let me know about this.
Best Regards
Personally I don't see the problem with that as long as you are honest and up front about it.
Thank you so much.. Now I am happy would like to proceed with posts soon..
Just what I was looking for, didn't know what can and shouldn't be done here. Great!
Glad you found it useful!
This is my very first post. Thank you for the information. I am looking forward to learning how to use Steemit. I created most of my following on other platforms through joining networking groups. Can we create groups like that on Steemit?
Not yet but that functionality is coming.
gj! Most of the points you make, translate to me as "Be a normal human being". Still it's good that you took the time to type it all out and with images as well! :)
Lol being a good human being is the no. 1 rule for life I think! It is sad it needs to be spelled out for some.
Word :)
Thank you so much for this post! I am new here on Steemit and I will be needing all the information and guide there is to get started! Very excited to be joining this community. 👍🏻
Cool!
An excellent and timeless post, straight forward, easily read, and yes, liked the kittens. Thanks!
thanks, but i can't see kittens lol,
im new here and really like the way it is set up so far, (bit confusing at times) but i like the idea of community supporting each other, on a world wide scale no less.
go steemit
Thank you for this amazing post! As someone new here on Steemit it's very beneficial to read through our guidelines. Thank you for making it easier for me to join this community
thanks for this mate! Now I know what to do. :-)
This guidelines really makes an online community great again. I suggest to add the following " Do not post a fake news! Or a false information!"
I've learned a lot as a newbie here...