A tale of two platforms...
Having posted a few hundred articles on Steemit over the past few months (I try to write at least two a day), mostly focusing on the cryptocurrency market and finances, I have found some interesting contrasts in experience between the Steemit and Reddit platforms.
Each time I post an article on Steemit, I also post it on Reddit to draw in a broader range of readers. This means that I will often have a large number of "views" and "likes" of my article on Reddit (often "views" in the thousands on Reddit), but relatively fewer views and votes on Steemit - a significantly smaller platform, for now, anyway. My goal in posting to Reddit is two-fold - there's the selfish motivation of having more readers, and the... slightly less selfish motivation of promoting the Steemit platform (it's still kinda selfish since I benefit, along with all other Steemians, if we have more participants on the platform).
The interactions on the two platforms are strikingly different. Firstly, up-votes and down-votes on Reddit are plentiful, whereas on Steemit, votes are part of the economy and therefore tend to be more scarce. Steemians tend to be a great deal more discerning in deciding where they will spend their Steem power - there is no such limit on Reddit. I really have to earn my votes on Steemit, which can sometimes be discouraging when I go through a bit of a drought while observing others earning tens or even hundreds of votes on relatively low-effort or even copy-pasted articles.
Secondly, I have noticed that Reddit readers will often merely read the title of my article and then throw in their two cents on the topic. There is no motivation to actually read the article before sounding off. However, on Steemit, readers tend to consume the article and then comment in a relevant manner as they can be rewarded for making relevant comments. This is far more rewarding as a writer - I find it terribly frustrating to read comments that clearly show no effort to read the actual article.
Encouraging comments and genuine discussion questions are far more plentiful on Steemit than they are on Reddit. Steemians, incentivized by the community element of Steemit's structure and networking economy, tend to make a greater effort to be encouraging and positive. There really isn't any reward, other than a karma score on Reddit (which is something, I suppose), to encourage positive interactions. It opens up the readers to be more honest (and possibly harshly critical) on Reddit.
Having said that, I do see more phoney vote-bait, "Great article! Follow and vote for me!" sorts of comments on Steemit than I see on Reddit. Steemit does provide flagging tools for these sorts of comments to discourage vote-baiting. But if I want someone's honest (maybe not so nice) opinion, I'm more likely to find it on Reddit.
I do find Steemit's community to be tremendously refreshing and positive compared to Reddit's. Having said that, there is something to being held to a greater degree of scrutiny on a platform that does not reward encouragement as much. It would be nice to somehow work towards more authenticity in the comment section on Steemit... rewarding constructive criticism, as opposed to the flaming and trolling experienced on Reddit, or, on the opposite pole - empty, inauthentic praise that is sometimes experienced on Steemit.
I do want to be clear that I greatly appreciate the encouragement of my followers on Steemit - you are the reason I keep writing articles and I hope you enjoy reading them (I wouldn't bother at all if it was just to get karma points on Reddit). I just wonder if there is a way to develop the critical elements of the platform with a positive, constructive angle.
I'm curious what Redditors and Steemians think! Please share your (honest) opinions! Don't worry, I can handle a little criticism! I might even up-vote your criticisms if they're constructive. Just be prepared for my honest opinion in return!
image source:
http://www.altfg.com/film/a-tale-of-two-cities-ronald-colman/
Hey there, nice thoughts. I think we're still in the wait and see phase of Steemit- it's likely that a content driven self sustained economy will have a net positive effect of the quality of content and engagement with the audiences.
However when a network is small the cliques inside it are powerful. That's why I've been working to build up a stockpile of articles before I start posting. For now, clickbaity content is doing better but I see a few people working to build their brand and message and that gives me hope for the future.
Good luck to you, I will be following.
Thanks for your relevant and thoughtful words!
"This is far more rewarding as a writer - I find it terribly frustrating to read comments that clearly show no effort to read the actual article." Attention spans are shorter these days and the title gets more upvotes than the content, that is 100x longer. Finding a balance betwern reddit and steemit is a long ways away. As long as the click bait is still profitable here, users will exploit that. I actively try to be part of the change I want to see, like you. While a few cents here and there is nicer than karma, envy is certainly present on both platforms. Ignore the successes you do not support and highlight the little triumphs. Eventually steemit will shift to a more user friendly platform without the wave of greed it is experiencing right now.
Prime example here: https://steemit.com/cryptocurrency/@xsid/best-binance-buys-for-january-28
This article has over 1.2k views on Reddit at this point, but has only been viewed 670 times. So, about half the readers actually click on the article to read it. It has one vote on Steemit (One!). Oh well... C'est la vie!