Fishing for attention!

I have been on Steemit long enough to realize that the comparison to the ocean and the aquatic creatures therein is an apt way to look at Steemit.

Every post is like throwing a baited hook out to see if some other fish or something larger takes the bait and gets reeled in to the point of actually upvoting a post or comment.

It's a mind/social/networking game that I'm not really all that good at playing so I have not made a lot of money or actual relationships, but I have made just enough money to know that it's similar to fishing in that most of the time it can be quite unrewarding and you catch almost nothing and only occasionally do you get surprised with a huge reward from your time fishing for attention and the money that usually goes along with it.

Yes, there are ways to "hack" the fishing experience but it's not an easy thing to figure out and I'm not smart enough to do it. I have started using some promotion bots and bid-bots, etc. to help earn higher rewards and it does kind of feel good to see larger numbers under my posts sometimes.

I'm willing to give full disclosure and total honesty by admitting that I'm not friendly enough or hard working enough or good looking enough to make much or quick money on Steemit but it's a fun sort of hobby and long term investment of my time and my curiosity to see where things may go.

I have built up my Steem Power to its current levels from scratch and haven't added any money from a bank account. (mine currently has 20 cents in it, hahaha)

I have earned or found some small sources of crypto on other websites (LBRY aka Library has a way to earn small amount of LBC every week, etc.) and converted small amounts of it into Steem but the majority of my Steem Power has been earned by my posts and interactions here.

Also, very few of my posts use other people's work or sources from the internet. I have shared, created, or written almost all of the artwork, writing and photos since I first started on Steemit. I'm not a fan of plagiarism in the least and I have always cited any copyrighted materials, whenever possible, that I have ever used.

I like following rules/etiquette guidelines usually and especially if I agree with them. Steemit has been an interesting addition to my time on the internet and I'm hopeful for the long term development of it. That being said, I'm also cleared eyed about its current flaws or limitations.

However, I still believe in it because I believe in the humans that want to make it succeed. A major thing I like also is that it can turn into a steady income or job for some people and they didn't have to sign over their firstborn, be interviewed by a million people or have drug or background checks or DNA/mental evaluations or even a steady work history of any kind before they can join Steemit and see if they have what it takes to make some money here.

The only thing limiting people is their ability to get along well enough with others on a basic level and then to actually create some things that other people enjoy.

Obviously there are a variety of (good, bad, ugly, funny, stupid, smart) motivations for everyone involved in Steemit. My personal opinion is that most people who stick with it are people who care about making a more distributed, transparent, fair, friendly, and open internet.

Also, most people want not only the original programmers of Steem/Steemit to get healthier and wealthier, but also the actual users sharing in the rewards they have rightly earned by creating, sharing or adding valuable advice, friendships, and smart or entertaining content like original blogs, videos, artwork, photos, memes, etc.

Too many super selfish people (Microsoft/Apple/Facebook/Google/Twitter/etc.) have taken over large parts of the internet and most people are fucking sick and tired of their invasive and pushy advertisements or religious/corporate-run censorship and general control-freak bullshit.

This post and my brain went off topic there for a bit. hahaha

My main point is that Steemit is a place to freely give or sometimes buy and sell attention and those are things that can be good for anyone who has time, money or talents to share with others. It does feel like fishing sometimes but it can also be much more for people who work hard at doing good or fun things for other people.

Thanks for reading this post that is longer than I tend to do usually and I hope it finds you in good health and with some joy in your day to day life.

Peace!

Blog post and photo created and shared by:

Nate @lundgreenman