The majority of new users to the Steem signup via Steemit and thus it is natural that they start by blogging. However, now dapps are offering signups, and there is much more to Steem than just blogging on Steemit. Although this might be great for some people, it comes with some downsides aswell. Lets look firstly at the benefits of traditional blogging on Steem

Pros of blogging on Steem

One of the major drawcards to blogging on Steem (for me anyway) is that it gives me an avenue to explore a wide range of ideas, and research new areas to share with my followers. Steem is censorship resistant, meaning you shouldnt be afraid to voice your opinion about a variety of topics. Unlike centralised options such as Youbtube, who can change their policy with little notice, and have been known to censor content sometimes without explanation. Sure you can get flagged on Steem, but it is down to the community as a whole to decide what value your content has.

Writing can be a powerful tool (some call it therapeutic), allowing people to freely express themselves, and share new ideas that others may not be aware of. Blogging is great for this, and can be a great way to become accountable if you are setting and trying to achieve goals.

Also blogs are a great way to build a following (and make some new friends). Writing honest blogs can be a great way to connect on a more human level with the many great people here on Steem. I do find myself feeling that I know some people I follow well just because of the content they share. Apps such as Steemhunt and Dmania often fall short on this human element (This isnt their point of difference or what they are trying to acheieve).

Cons of blogging on Steem

I see two main struggles and reasons that I have moved away from blogging on Steem (and more towards utilising the many great dapps).

1. Time - writing quality blogs takes ALOT of time. If you want to write about a specific topic and cover it well from all angles (like I do), this involves alot of reading and research. I have been lucky to have a fair bit of free time over the last year, but I am now spending that time in other areas.
2. Skill - not everyone has the skills to write blogs that people will actually want to write. There is nothing wrong with this, and infact the way Steem is developing means there are many different areas and options people can explore on Steem. Just because blogging (Steemit) was the first, and probably the most popular doesnt mean that it is for everyone! Steem involves many options such as games (@steemmonsters), fitness tracking (@actifit), memes (Dmania), sharing products and technology (@steemhunt), and many others.

The major dapps have delegation behind them, and support content posted on their platform often with their own token and generous upvotes. This is just something that is not happening often enough on regular blogs (in my opinion). There are a few whales, but not enough curation accounts out there just curating and generously rewarding good content.

Conclusion

Although blogging is the first activity that many Steemians produce, as the ecosystem evolves there are more and more ways to create content, engage and be rewarded. Some people love blogging (for a number of reasons), while others have navigated towards experimenting with the many different dapps.

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It can pay to evaluate how you spend your time on Steem, to ensure that you have the best user experience you can have!