Thank you very much my friend, @creatr. Now that I've committed myself to increasing my steemit output and writing more, it will become more apparent exactly how confused I am in my thinking in relation to certain issues or related issues but I am losing the fear of being wrong and am more concerned with assessing what I believe to be true and I hope you will play a part in the learning process I am about to undergo.
I'm also pleased with my Message In A Bottle post because of the rewards it receieved but more so for the comments I got from yourself and others. As you know, my writing has been somewhat angry in the past and confrontational at times, so I was really pleased to see a different style of writing having more success and while I obviously don't intend to try and just replicate this,it has shown me that there are other ways for me to express my thoughts that I can have more success with in future.
I definitely want to try and get more involved in the community but being so technically backward, I don't think it will be in any of the progressive areas in building on the blockchain etc but I'm sure there's a place out there for me somewhere where I can do my part and curating new members and older members alike should be a good place to start. :)
In terms of quality of posts, my own have remained the same over time, hit and miss. I am more the kind to post what I like and see who else likes it regardless of the rewards but I'm trying to improve the overall quality and cut out some. I have noticed some who were making excellent posts at the beginning of their time here who are now throwing up a photo and getting well rewarded by buying votes, which is sad.
Thanks again for all of the support and your time mate. I hope everything is going well on your end and that you have good surfing conditions wherever you are now. :)
Hi Tony,
I always enjoy our discussions. I've also been very frustrated to see crap and laziness rewarded on Steemit by gaming the system. And somewhat like you, I have also always tended to post what I feel is important or interesting to me rather than catering to powerful interests. When those things happen to coincide, and I get better rewarded, I don't complain. However, I am frustrated at times comparing the progress and rewards of other Steemians with my own.
I have also been thinking about trying to learn the Steem blockchain programming environment and developing some tools that would help my own account and maybe those of others. I struggle with decisions about "which way to go."
BTW, I've been greatly helped by the kind people at The Writers' Block. You spoke of being encouraged by feedback? Well, I've found some tremendous feedback and editing help there, and I'd recommend that you look into it. There is also what appears to be a splinter group called, I think, "The Isle of Write." In any case, as you start to ramp up your writing, I'd encourage you to look into one or more support groups for positive feedback and encouragement. I've increased my output of fiction with the help of The Writers' Block and various contests.
Thanks for your good wishes. I would like to move closer to the ocean so that I could surf more often, but I'm still waiting for my "ship to come in" before I'll be able to do that.
I wish you and yours a very happy and prosperous New Year, my friend, and look forward to seeing your new efforts here on Steemit.