One important lesson I learned being on Steemit
Photo by Sadeq Mousavi on Unsplash
Never be Complacent.
When I first joined Steemit, I knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Of course, if you compare yourselves to other socialite means such as Facebook, Instagram, it is 'easier' to start earning an income from the Steem you collect. Either way, I told myself that I was going to grind on this platform, get genuine followers, upvotes and support, even if it means getting 0.01$ or nothing every day.
And I did.
Some may think that I have had it easy on Steemit, reaching to where I am now (which is not much tbh), but many do not know the efforts and hustle I've done behind the scenes especially during the early days. I went on streaks without getting any upvotes at all (that 0.00$ payout). My days were also without that huge @curie upvote because somehow I have always managed to miss a criteria and soon enough, I was beyond the reputation they were voting authors on. I planned and strategized my way, worked and entered contests, started mingling A LOT on discord and thus found a few friends (who sadly, have left Steemit last year).
I'm not here to boast about where I am now (because honestly, I missed my goal last year), but I'm here to hopefully 'advice' you all, the same advice that I've received from a fellow Steemian here. He told me to 'never be complacent', and that means from the support/upvotes/comments you were getting. He showed me a few examples of my own friends who were so complacent about getting the constant upvotes they were receiving and when it was cut off, true enough, they left. As though it was their only lifeline on Steemit.
I know that it can be hard and sometimes I even wonder why am I wasting so much time on Steemit when I'm getting only a few cents out of my few hours crafted post.
And because of the recent withdrawal of delegation situation involving a few initiatives, a few of my friends are starting to think twice about this platform and whether to continue posting a 'non-profitable' post.
I also learned one very important thing when you start any business/initiatives on Steemit. NEVER EVER make getting a delegation for your initiative a means to fund your whole project. We should always plan for the initiative with or without delegation. Delegations are only a plus. It shouldn't even be a 'backup plan' and you should treat it like a gift/bonus. If it comes, it comes, if not, we can make do without it. Though I can't deny that having delegations WILL boost/accelerate the project, but what I'm saying is that IF there are no delegations today in whatever project you're in or the upvotes you receive are less, what then?
You keep building
Yes, you keep on building/giving back because Steem and its communities are still the same when I first got in. I fell in love with this platform because of how much potential it holds giving you side income(as little it may be), how many businesses can be built on it, and the community of amazing people here. There are still countless ways to profit for your blog and I don't think I can name them all here but I'm sure that if there is a will, there is a way. For me, I am definitely here to STAY till it breathes it's last breath because I SO BELIEVE in the Steem Blockchain and most importantly the many Steemians who are fighting this battle with me and are believing in what I do too.
The question now is, with the steem rates low and major delegations being pulled back, are u still willing to start from scratch again?
Thank You
If you like what I do, check out my other posts on meetups, animation, and designs.
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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://zord189.vornix.blog/2019/01/14/one-important-lesson-i-learned-being-on-steemit/
It wouldn’t be from scratch it’s just the price that changes still the account built with followers, if your here only for the current price of Steem then your here for the wrong reasons is what I say.
Great post my friend I have first hand experiences the troubles of delegation to find a project!
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Well said! There has been so much negativity here and there, I opt to find solutions rather than blab about it.
I combine the two blab about finding the solutions 😅
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Well said @zord189. There is no such thing as a free lunch, if ever there was. I totally agree with you: starting initiatives on @steemit are the same as starting any business. Hope for the best and plan for the worst. Then it's commitment and tenacity.
I think I may have mentioned before, in a post or a comment, that I initially started blogging on WordPress for 2 reasons - to showcase/cultivate a different writing voice and in the hope that I could monetise my writing/blog. It didn't happen on that platform. I perservered for about 4 years and then @jaynie introduced me to Steemit. I have yet to draw anything from this platform, but what I have made, with advice from folk like you and @jaynie, is to stay and it looks like my account is growing. I have also been able to pay for the odd very big little thing to make my account look nicer - like your awsome signature. I have also been able to delegate/donate a little something to the odd project or contest.
Conversely, I have been on the receiving end of overwhelming generosity from folk I've never met, like @raymondspeaks when my account was hacked and what little I had was taken, and from @lynncoyle1 after Hardfork20 when I ran out of Mana.
That's not to say there aren't naysayers and trolls. There are. This community is a microcosm of the real world and we have all sorts. How we choose to deal with them (or not) is what makes life here good or better.
Lots of folk can learn from you. That you've never had a @curie vote is not a reflection on your value to the community. As I think we've discussed before, the criteria for quality (generally) not just for this, are so hard to explain. The technical defiintion of quality (Demming) is "fit for purpose". What's fit for your purpose may not be fit for mine. So, where does that leave one? As I have also mentioned before (I seem to be saying that a lot!) I have been amazed at my posts that have been selected by that team: they have been posts I would not have considered "quality". Others, that I have considered better, have just disappeared into cyberspace, never to emerge again. Except where I find them useful.
So, keep on doing what you're doing. You add so much to Steemit and the communities of which you are such an important part.
Sending love and strength from McGregor, South Africa ;)
Agree! Steemit is THE real world. Thank you for the encouraging words and support all these while. :) It's gem like you that gives me hope to see the brighter day. much LOVE!
It was my pleasure @fionasfavourites :)
Well for what it's worth @zord189, you're pretty important to me :) Keep on keeping on!
<3 <3 ngawwww
I discovered Steemit only a few days ago, signed up an account, got approved and here I am. I have no clue how things work around here neither do I know anything about anything crypto, but I truly see a future in this blogging platform. I think this article is an encouragement to newbies like me. :)
@liyinyeo first welcome, and second you've arrived during a tough transitioning period that is lacking in the cornerstone of blockchain and that is transparency..
My advice is to not focus on anything except what u enjoy doing here, you've stumbled upon one of the most solid, humble, and legitimate members of this community here. Best wishes to you.
Great write up mate...
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Agree, and thank you for the kind words man. It is indeed tough times but then again, there is no smooth road to a beautiful destination.
Thank you!
Welcome to Steem btw! It is quite a learning curve for steemit and crypto but u will get there! My advice is write lengthy post and specialize in a specific niche like your illustrations because they're awesome! :) I won't promise u it'll be easy because it still takes effort for your posts/content to be seen but the potential of this revolutionary system is there and it will be worth it if it all works out.
Appreciate the tips. I get kinda overwhelmed by all the technical / crypto jargon, yet excited at the same time to be able to share what I know or love. Looks like there's going to be lots of homework to do! Terima kasih @zord189 :)
No worries, if u have any problem or questions, don't be afraid to find me on discord. :)
Such great advice here my friend! On here and for life in general. You get out of something what you put into it, so you gotta do the work to get the rewards. In my experience there are definitely phases to the building process, as well. Even once you've hit a good level, sometimes you have to go back to basics and grind some more to hit the next one!
I suppose I'm lucky in that I never thought I could actually make money on here anyway, so from the start it has been all about growing in my own creativity and meeting some amazing people from all over the world. In all the ups and downs in the market I have stayed more active on here than in all the other sites I'm on because here is where I have found my people. There have definitely been some of my favorites who had to jump ship for numerous reasons that I absolutely respect, but I'm happy that many of my best pals are still around grinding away. And because of #powerhousecreatives, that circle of people continues to grow!
Exactly! Sometimes you have to reset, refresh and realign your mindset to keep grinding again. I've fell in love the people I met here too! It's amazing that we've never met each other in real life but can still be so close. I'm sure that one day when we meet, we'll go crazy. :D
You have achieved a lot, because you are talented ) I think that talented people here notice :) But you're right. Too many people leave Steemit when they start receiving payments less than they used to.
Thank you so much @veta-less! We gotta keep building
Well said. But we don't need to start from scratch. We had scratched quite abit here. If steem down to nothing, then I treat it as my hobby micro blogging.. Now we have so many other Dapps. Or daily journal. Or daily freewrite so that my brain won't rust.
And also many friends here..
Yes, many have left indeed. Because they need to spend time elsewhere for a living.
And now I have another family account for @spunkeemonkee so play treasure hunt soon with Jayden. @jaysmasterpiece.
Or play steemmonsters lo...
Here actually is quite fun. Won't leave as long as it still exist. And now we in LinkSeven77...
So yup. Stay put. Buttock stick there. Lol
Haha right! It's always evolving which makes everything so exciting. :)
I'm doing the gring. When you don't pay for votes, don't upvote youself, and just take your chances, hoping someone FINDS your precious post, every upvote is meaningful. I may only get a few votes and a few cents payout---but DAMN IT! I earned that 20 cents!!! And I feel pretty good about receiving it! Grind on!!!
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I like your persistence! It's rare these days to find people who don't easily break. :)
So many people left one group I was in after a delegation was pulled. It affected @naturalmedicine too but we just picked ourselves right up and are better than ever. Steem on!
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Oh, so sad to hear that... I am glad you didn't bail but instead pick yourself up together with the others. This is a rare character these days and many would have picked bailing because its just so easy to do.
@jaynie posted an article about this that speaks prfectly about this situation as well : https://steemit.com/powerhousecreatives/@jaynie/jaynie-1547414894418-so-much-unrest, go check it out!
That's how I got here!
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<3
Great post and you are such an inspiration to us all - I was going through my followers the other day and was saddened to see how many are no longer posting and have disappeared off the platform - so sad.
Thank you for the encouraging words! I'm glad that you are still posting! Different pace or not, as long u still post! :D
"Inch by inch - life's a sinch"