Hey everyone!
It's been almost a full year since I posted my Steemiquettes post and I thought I'd brush up a bit on it again. Another great relevant post about this was recently posted by @krystle which I re-steemed and can be found here.
Even though a lot of time has passed, the steemiquettes have not changed all too much, feel free to read my old post and @krystle's if online interacting is something new to you and you might not be aware what's frowned upon.
In this post I wanted to share how I use Steemit myself and give a few thoughts to each point. Feel free to discuss them in the comment section below.
As a Steemit user, I
- like to interact a lot, a big reason to why my stats look like this
I find interactions being one of the best ways to engage with users and build a following and connect with them. The different chats are also a great way to get to know users better. Remember that its a social media platform after all and just like Nokia's slogan "connecting people" it's a big part of the platform here as well.
One thing that grinds my gears is seeing authors post away and never interact with the commenters or other authors on their posts, it feels a lot like they either don't care much for others or are in it just for the posting rewards and see the interactions as their "fanbase" who don't deserve their time. Of course everything has its limits, I don't expect authors that receive 100+ comments each post to be able to answer to all of them, but what I do expect is for them to at least acknowledge they've read them when they do and reward the time those users have spent on their post with a small vote. Its the least they can do since followers and comments is what make their posts whole. As the platform has taught us also that attention = money, time = money, those users who interact with authors and leave comments could very well have spent the time writing posts instead or doing something else if they never see any rewards come out of it which leads to interactivity dropping and some authors never see much comments on their post because of that.
- never vote on my own comments, unless its important for them to be visible on top of a post
My psychology behind this is a bit mixed since I run a curation trail and I feel that voting on my own comments wastes voting power that could be spent on countless other users posts. But even if I weren't to have a curation trail I think of it this way - my votes going to someone else's comment might brighten their day up and feel appreciated, same way when I wake up and first thing I do is check my Steemit account, the feeling of having received votes from others on my comments is a lot better than just having voted on them myself. This is of course a bit controversial since many users see it as "its my comment, I should vote and reward myself for being active on the platform" - to those users, the only thing I can think of is "isn't being rewarded for making posts and comments from others more than enough? Which other site rewards you for interacting on them? Do you like your own facebook statuses and comments on other users there too?
- if you don't have anything positive to say about someone's post, it might be better not to say anything at all
We all have our bad days, and I am not one who never abides by this rule. I might write sarcastic comments to other people's posts depending on how I view them, but we have to remember that all of us are unique, have unique experiences and see things from a different perspective. What we might see in one way, many other users might not. This does not mean you aren't free to express your opinions but keep in mind to do it in a civil manner. This brings me to my next point:
- don't flag comments based on your opinion
If you have to flag to show how much you are against it, at least make sure your flag is not so big that it hides the comment from view. Everyone has opinions and "silencing" these comments is not the best way to go forward as it might be viewed as censorship. The flags are merely there to bring balance to rewards and to counter abuse, not to make it possible for you to hide them from other readers. Of course this is just my opinion, but think of it this way; you flagging someone's comment so the other readers have to click "show hidden comment" could cause unnecessary drama and curiosity of other readers as to why you handled it this way. I see many authors who flag any negative comments on their posts which in the end makes the authors themselves look bad as they can't take any criticism or feedback. Even on the @matttrainer post I tried to warn people in the chats not to flag all his comments, it just makes it harder for the readers to view and can be seen as censorship. Although I understand that was a sensitive issue its better to reply your opinion and just add a tiny flag making sure others know about it but still leaving the comment visible. This is of course just an issue to the front-end and all posts and comments can be viewed on the blockchain unrelated to the amount of flags they have received. I'm sure we will figure out better ways how to deal with this in the future as the site is growing and evolving constantly.
Thanks for reading, feel free to discuss the points in the comment section and which etiquettes you feel are important to you.
I like this. Its valuable to learn about steem etiquette in a post like this because .... how else would we know? Eitquiette is not neccearily natural or intrinsic. In fact its completely social. So this is perfect:)
very concise - i would think these are common sense actions but sometimes common sense isn't that common 😉. although i'm not a big timer (yet😒) i reply to every comment or reply to my comment that someone leaves to acknowledge that i appreciate the time they've taken - it's the least i can do and i've been able to strike up some interesting conversations that way which is really why i'm here in the first place. keep on steeming!
My first action is always to check the comments: then I reply to everyone and give them a vote, for newbies and small accounts it is a great way to get something out of their effort to interact and for me it is fun and knowing my followers better.
Some other exceptions for me: If I'm being flagged without a clear justification or my comment is pointing something out and likely to be flagged in retaliation.
I see it like raising your voice or shouting. There are times where it's appropriate or even necessary, but generally it's a faux pas.
Yeah, good points! The worst is when I see small-time users get flagged by bigger accounts cause they wrote criticizing comments on their posts - thankfully with more and more readers these will be countered over time. Although I can understand a little bit the thought behind "its my blog and my steempower - I can flag whichever comment I don't like" it still makes you come off in a bad light. Its kinda like comparing youtube videos that have comments/likes disabled, you know that most of the time the content of it is not good/true.
Great points @acidyo!
if they want more @thecrytptofiend wrote a lot here - Complete Steemit Etiquette Guide Revised Edition
I agree..some people dont like to accept opposing positions or opinions and then tend to punish those who disagree with them with a downvote. This is unethical and should not go unpunished. Good point
I'm new to Steemit and to blogging in general, but I've already been impressed that some more established online personalities (for lack of a more accurate term) like @theywillkillyou take time to personally check out the profiles and posts of those who comment on their posts, and give an upvote. It feels good when that happens to us, and I support that we should all do that as a common courtesy as well. I am certainly doing my part to make that a habit now. :)
Then again, there's also that mild disappointment I feel when I see that someone copied and pasted their comment on multiple posts. Somehow feels like the solid support and sincere camaraderie of this platform is somehow slightly smudged by that action. Hope that the community will rally around and each make a personal stance not to do stuff like that, so that we can maintain the authenticity of our community activity.
Btw, thanks for your guide creation and update. It's really useful for us new users to understand and assimilate into the culture here.
Cheers!
Great post, your point makes a lot of sense. I used to vote on my own comments at (1-3days old) in steemit, but soon realized there isn't any point doing that!
Another opinion of mine added to the next point is asking/begging for follows and acting like there is an any opinion about the content that the steemian posted :(
Good read! Strong values that all if not most steemians should have!
Have a good weekend!
That is a good point . Some members just copy and paste posts: follow me and I follow you which is very annoying and counter productive.
Thanks, you too!
welcome, always. Keep up the good posts and lets stay in touch.
Nicely written.
As a small author I respond to almost all the comment( excluding only stuff like "Nice post" ) and I believe everyone should do that.
But if you receive too many comments, it is indeed tough to respond to all of them.
All in all I just want to say is 'Nice post'.
(P.S.- How did you separate the number of posts and the number of comments?)
I agree. It takes a lot of time to respond to loads of comments and some are just copy and paste comments looking for upvote. However most are very good and should be rewarded. Thanks for your comment
Thank you mate!
you are welcome , always
Steemitboard.com
Thank you
And yeah - wish the spammy users would learn that automated comments won't get you far. Seems like lately its mostly from non-english speakers though and most understand that originality is the way to go - guess this will be improved a lot later when we have people posting in all sorts of languages in their own communities.
Hope so. Just recieved one such comment on my blog lol
Yeah, they appear now and then - a lot less frequently than they used to, though!
Yes. It is probably because of the huge influx of new users here.
They probably think it is how steemit works.
I agree with pretty much everything you say here especially about interaction. I feel that the comments are where the magic happens, often I won't follow somebody unless I've had a good interaction with them in the comments. As for flags, not that my vote matters yet, but I believe flagging should only be used in cases of severe abuse, at least that's what I would use it for. And abuse seems pretty much nonexistent on steemit right now.
Yes!<3
I'm happy you agree.
I am agreeing with you in every single aspect, @acidyo!
Although we should take all of these things as a common sense, I think sometimes our wanting to earn value gets the better of ourselves.
Although that makes it a nice way to distinguish sharks from investors, but I think from time to time every single one of us just forgets to check even the most basic things. I think question comes of the frequence of flagging, leaving negative/downgrading comments and voting for your own comments.
Still checking our behaviour is extremely important.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the comment!
You're welcome! Always up for supporting quality content!
I do agree with you on this one , it is always nice to see the person who writes the post engage with people commenting on their post. Regarding flagging when people copy and past i do agree to it some how, if they don't give credit to the person who has written the original post or when they go on a ramp page about another Steemian. I am sure there is another platform where people can sort out their differences then in the public.Great post !!
Hehe, guess you posted your comment by accident a bit too early earlier. :P
Thanks for your thoughts!
BIG SMILE !!! yes that is the edited version :)
Thanks for the update and links to the previous/additional posts.
I'm also adding this to my "steem guide" folder in my browser as it seems the best way to try and keep some kind of a handle on the helpful info that floods my feed.
Upvoted and resteemed.
Yeah - wish we were able to "sticky" our own posts so newcomers would more easily find them. Maybe soon we will be able to!
So far, the "steem guide" folder in my browser has worked pretty well, but it's becoming clear I'm going to need to start creating sub-folders and categorizing.
Not a bad problem to have, i.e an overabundance of accurate info on how to succeed.
Now if I can just get my teenage son to read and apply what's in there.
I'm thinking of telling him he's "absolutely forbidden" to look in those folders.
Hehe, #firstworldproblems. :D
This post is filled with gold-dust, every Steemit user should read this post! I feel like upvoting users who comment on your posts is very important. Not only did they take the time and the effort to comment on your post but by upvoting it gives them the incentive to return and comment on more of your posts. You have now earned an active, genuine follower. Great post!
Very well put! Thanks for your comment!
Great points. These also transfer to real life conversations as well. I particularly appreciate the one about not saying anything if you don't have anything positive to say. With just a few exceptions such as knowing when to respectfully "speak the truth in love", this is huge in maintaining great relationships! Etiquette is so helpful. It keeps us in line.
Hey that was an useful blog for a newbie like me. I understood and appreciate your views, except for the flagging point. I am not aware of that. Still learning you see :). Btw @firepower is my mentor who introduced me to steem. His friends are my friends. So following you. I have not yet started blogging yet, but will post soon and hope you visit my blog too and leave a word of encouragement to me. :)
firepower is awesome! welcome!
@acidyo, from this comment list, I happen to go to @playfulfoodie's blog on the follower - follower idea played out by newbies and that was quite educational & eyeopener to me. I think I will do well in not rushing into that trap. I shall try to put in quality blogs over quantity following / follower stuff. Good learning for the day. Hope to see you more around. Ciao
Thanks! This was the best outcome I could've hoped for!
Is flagging a thing that happens a lot? I'm fairly new, and I'm drawn to people who write in their own voices (thank you). I didn't even realise that you could down vote at first, and provided it's not an obvious shitpost bot or some really heinous rhetoric, what is the reasoning behind it? What do you an individual have to gain?
I like the idea of building a network of people who lift each other up. It seems to be about 50/50 in terms of people I've run into so far — those who hoard their votes and resteems jealously, and those who have some influence who are pushing others to be better. ...I think we know who is going to do better for themselves and the community in the long run.
The biggest reasoning is if its abuse/inappropriate content that shouldn't be viewed on the front-end. Although many like to use it as a way to hide comments/posts or censor users, although everything is still visible on the blockchain.
Yup, there are all kinds of users on a decentralized platform...
Interesting. So you mostly have to surround yourself with good, put out the content you believe in, and hope you don't run into a bag of dicks. Truly, a metaphor for real life.
Haha, well said.
100% agreed! Great advice for newbies to the Steem culture!
Like this post, easy read, makes lots of sense.
Excellent point! I never posted anything so don’t know the game yet, but what's written in this article makes a lot of sense. Care for me to care for you (just not I follow you follow me scheme haha). On the self-voting subject I don’t really care if someone votes for himself, I'm wondering is it on the same level as "paying" for promotion, votes and other gimmicks? (liking your own Facebook posts Is lame in my opinion, I smile every time I see someone does it and there are particular personas that do it! lol
Jag håller till 100%. Det tror jag också. Och det värsta av inlägget, jag också bara inte har rätt att skriva, eftersom det kan skada en människa, och att jag inte vill göra. Det är bättre att läsa och föra vidare, vad stänker ut sin dåligt humör på personen. Här slags fortfarande för ung kille, men dina inlägg är så många saker rätt och användbar. Jag tror att du är en mycket god människa som har livserfarenhet.)) Tack! För min kommentar kan inte rösta, det är inte nödvändigt. Jag är inte upprörd, ärligt))
Thanks for the nice comment @lil4a! :)
"- if you don't have anything positive to say about someone's post, it might be better not to say anything at all " I'm sooo guilty of this in the same way you described, my sarcasm is quite strong and not everyone gets it .. I didnt know you can flag a comment.. I do most of what you described so I guess I'm good .
Great points! Though sometimes writing something a little negative on a post (explaining your disagreement) might spark up an interesting conversation. The most important thing is to stay respectful!
Exactly. Also a good thing is to leave a comment or reason after flagging, I've noticed many do that but not doing it causes so much unnecessary drama.
Yeah, atleast give someone a chance to better themselves (or defend themselves). It's why I don't always flag when I feel like I want to, because I don't have the time to explain it, or because I just really don't want to open the post.
A good post indeed and tips that are useful to new and old members. My attutude is to respond to all comments on my post and at last reward people for commenting.This is a show of appreciation and adds value to the platform..Thanks for sharing
Your comments and suggestions on the comments are very useful. Thank you . I'll try to figure it out.
Thanks for sharing your ideas. The point I completely agree with you is:
"we have to remember that all of us are unique, have unique experiences and see things from a different perspective". People like to raise holy wars with those whose views and opinions they don't like. But this is not a сonstructive approach...
Nice work. Interaction is key. Even if it's against your own opinion. Flagging is for little children who feel offended by everything (It's the internet, everyone has an opinion). Agree with everything you say.
Cheers
This is why I followed you! You are fair and gracious. I love that you interact with people. The ones that are just here to "harvest" followers and ask for follows for a follow probably wont be here long. I actually just posted about that this morning. Up'd and resteemed!
Thanks for putting this post together.... I am a newbie here on Steemit and it's quite a daunting place to navigate/explore/figure out at first.... so really nice to be able to read a little guide on how to be a good steemian :)
I am newish here still. and still trying to learn. I agree with the not flagging ,and just not upvoting a post.
I have been told to go ahead and upvote your own post,and had not considered the point of how it affects voting on other post more worthy...nice point!
thanks for the tips,and points of view!
namaste
Upvoting your own posts is alright, you usually spend a lot of time on those. Although some times when I post quick ones or memes I like to vote on them with a smaller %.
Excellent position, I fully support it!
Great post. I am newbie and i have to be honest, that i do not respond always on other comments, but i always give a vote, even if someone criticized me, for something that i wrote.
Engage, keep it positive and focus on others not on self!
Great advice as always.
I am trying to expand the virtual to real life. Your post seemed a good addition to mine so I sent people your way and mentioned you in my last. Cheers!
Wouldn't it be better if it is no longer possible to vote on your own posts?
Especially after Hard Fork 19. The rewards on comments will be a lot higher after the upcoming HF as most comments receive only a few upvotes.
This is an experiment I wouldn't mind trying out - even not being able to vote on your own comments. I think many users would try to post a lot higher quality both posts and comments - but then again we have those that would just find ways to abuse it like they probably already do by voting on themselves with other accounts they own.
Yeah, that's true. I'm a bit concerned that self-voting will be misused after the upcoming hard fork as it will be rewarded much more. We'll see...
I really liked your post, the section on interaction and your stats, really intrigues me as it via kind of mirroring what I. Yong to do.
Thank you for some valuable tips. It's hard understanding some of the things we should and shouldn't do as newbies. I have found some very nice people here..
Yeah, even though we have some bad apples here and there its nothing compared to other sites. I think the system of being able to give through votes is what makes people a bit more "giving" and nice in general.
I totally agree. I have been off one of the main social media sites for about a year. I find this platform more uplifting and positive.
I agree with everything except voting on my own comments. I never used to, but now with more users if I comment on a post that is a day or two old, my comment will be lost at the bottom.
I agree that comments are actually where the fun of Steemit is and what having an actual community really hinges on. I tend to do much more commenting than posting too and I don't view it as a bad thing.
Also, I never vote on my own comments.
Here is a great tip, also something you can use in your "live" day to day interactions/communication with "live" people; just think of the phrase "Just because it's in your head, it doesn't need to be said!"
This short pause as you become mindful, could prevent you from telling your spouse, "Yes those pants really make your ass look HUGE!", instead of maybe a more thoughtful answer such as, "They don't look as good as your red pants" (I know this can potentially lead to other problems, more questions etc) and you might even think of something brilliant like, "I think your 'no pants' look best."
SDG
always good to go down the memory lane and brush up #steemitquettes every now and then...thanks for highlighting it again....must read for #minnows like me.
God job men you are really got a posting and design your logo and post i really like steemit and i'm new here
Haha, I was trying out the new MS paint. :D
Thanks for this post. Interaction is often underrated. I personally love the conversation.
Resteeming man. Important points!!
<3
As a newbie here this one is helpful! Thanks 😊🙌🏻
Warm welcome! :)
Great post! Thanks for sharing this info!
You're welcome!
This post received a 13% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @decentralizd! For more information, click here!
Excellent ideas, great post
Followed & Upvoted
Follow back please :) and upvote one of my blogs thankyou ;)
@thecrytotrader
Funny, I was just reading a relevant post about this "followed - please follow back" issue.
You might want to give it a read:
https://steemit.com/steemit/@playfulfoodie/follower-for-follower-why-i-think-this-is-a-bad-idea
Excuse me but I have to laugh.
This is also something positive, right?
Thank you for posting this again. I just joined Steemit (in fact, this is my very first comment) so being able to see this as one of the first stories for me to read was very helpful.
Welcome to the platform! :)
It seems that you have every day bad! Because you do not answer me at all! Can you put a flag on me if I annoyed you
I log in to steemit.chat every day with 50+ new messages, I am sorry I can't answer everyone.
very sorry :(
I do not want to blame you for acidyo
I find time to read your articles. Because I like it. Sorry if something's wrong. You answer 50 messages, but not mine?
Useful post ... thank you
Very well said @acidyo. If you are the author it is nice to someone like or upvote ir comment in your post to say thanks or acknowledge them, maybe not all the comment but if you have a time to acknowledge them just say thanks.
I am new to steemit, so thank you very much for your post~