Everyone's a Critic ... #ZapFic
For those who don't know, the legend that is @felt.buzz (Buzz), is the organizer of a long-running Steemit Contest called #ZapFic. The idea is to tell a story in less than 240 characters that utilizes a writing prompt supplied by Buzz. The current Contest's writing prompt is, "pest."
Well, that immediately got my attention.
Why?
Because it is a moniker that has often been applied to me. To wit, my never-ending haranguing of Whales and Witnesses to reform the blockchain before it implodes. Steemit was designed upon a Central Premise: Content Shall Be Compensated Commensurate With Its Quality.
If this were to occur, it would trigger a whole series of positive feedback loops about which I've written extensively. Unfortunately, the distribution of rewards has become subject to every manner of game-rigging one could imagine and this has completely castrated the Curation Process ... a process upon which the entire endeavor depends. And so ... a series of negative feedback loops has been established.
Not good. We need reforms.
At the bottom of this post are links to a Series of Articles I've written about the subject, including specific Reform Proposals. I encourage you to give them a read.
#ZapFic Entry
Enough digressing. My entry is precisely 240 characters long, and hence, there is no Title. However, if you are so inclined, I'd love to hear your suggestions for a Title in the Comments Section. Not that most of my regular Followers would need any encouragement, but feel free to be scandalous.
A man on a quest, QuillFire a pest,
For Whale and Witness alike,
He nags and cajoles and calls them assholes,
His head, they’d put on a pike.
He wants it, reform; to change it the norm,
For others, inclined they to cheat,
Call thing by its name and change it the game,
On Content alone we compete.
Quill
*****
A Series of Articles About Steemit Cheating, Bad Behavior & The Need For Reforms (Proposals Included). If you can read only one, read number 4.
- Jerry Banfield, Down-Voting & Freedom of Speech
- "Down-Voting as Censorship" - A Series About Fixing Steemit - Part 2
- "Derivatives" - A Series About Fixing Steemit - Part 3
- "Central Premise & Proposals" - A Series About Fixing Steemit - Part 4
- FOLLOW UP: "Central Premise & Proposals" - A Series About Fixing Steemit - Part 4
- The Bane of Bidbots ... An Intelligent & Civil Discourse
All images herein are QuillFire modifications of images in the public domain.
You guys know the QuillDrill. Be verbose ... but articulate.
And remember ...
Go Love a Starving Poet
For God's sake ... they're starving!
The se
quelquill to Everyone’s A Critic—Everyone’s A Solution. 👍🏿 How’s it going, Savage?^^ I did not mean to upvote myslef, that was an accident, I clicked the wrong arrow thingy before I clicked the right green arrow thingamajig.
@dandays,
Well, I just upvoted my comment as well. That way, we'll do our time together. Misery loves company.
Quill
Thanks for the vote sympathy, Quill. Eh, I gave it time before I asked this but what’s the deal?
After all of that pleading and all of the resteems for two weeks, tou were even writing love letters to Dan, they don’t even upvote your work? I don’t get it. 🤔
@dandays,
Hey Dan.
@theycallmedan gave me a few big hits during the Contest. And, since then, @mariusfebruary has given me some juice as well.
The Good Whales have got a lot of people they're trying to feed and, like everyone else, they have limited upvoting power. The problem is that there are very few whales even bothering to curate content at all.
Instead, they're generating Passive Income by delegating to bidbots, leasees of SP or their own pet projects (SMT-ICO dream-schemes).
Alas, as 85% of SP is owned by Whales and Orcas, this leaves precious little for the purpose of which SP was intended: Rewarding Quality Content.
It's frustrating ... and it's not sustainable.
Curation Awards were supposed to be the mechanism by which large stakeholders generated Passive Income. That fact that it's not is a fatal flaw that will destroy the blockchain unless it is quickly remedied.
There is, perhaps, a glimmer of hope. Over the past two months, there has been a huge Whale Power-Down. Many of the Old Guard Whales are Whales no longer. Of course, for them to sell, someone had to buy. Who are these new Whales and what will be their priorities?
If they have even a modicum of business sense, a lot of the side-projects will die and there will be a huge re-focusing on Steemit. We'll have to wait and see.
I'm writing a post about this very subject.
Arrgh ... I'd far rather be writing about something else. Indeed, almost anything else. This 'blockchain governance' stuff is soul-destroying. Why do people need to be convinced about the necessity of 'playing fairly?' Weren't we supposed to have learned these lessons in Kindergarten?
Quill
I’ve seen you write several articles on the topic, my wife and I both all about the same topic, what do you mean by “unsustainable?” Certainly you don’t mean that I’ll only see the same people on a daily basis and upvote the same people because I’m not getting new feeds and receive the exact same number of upvotes from the exact same people without attracting new followers when I post—naaah. That can’t be what you mean by unsustainable. Unsustainable, as in, one of my favorite initiative’s leaving the platform, @comedyopenmic, along with countless others?
Great! Now I’m depressed first thing in the am—danget, Quill!
Congrats on the @mariusfebruary tip, I’ve seen that name three times now, in the past week, all three times were good things like Dan. Maybe it’s a changing of the guard?? Or, like you say, maybe the few good whales out there are realizing their passive income is, here it comes again, Quill: “unsustainable.”
Happy Saturday, Mr. Savage, eh,
speakingtyping of being cool—have you heard about this contest? It’s the one @lynncoyle1 called both you and I out on last weekend—remember? I think it’s a good thing man and I’ll be curating two people today, actually, feel free to join me. 👍🏿However, back to the origin of this conversation, so.. Steemitbloggers /powerhousecreatives doesn’t even Upvote your work after that week long over load of “ooh! Pick me, pick, me... ooh! Look pretty please mister, please please pick me, sir, pretty pretty please!” -got it!
Hope to see you both become regulars in the contest. We have a good time and have had the opportunity to help more then a few struggling steemians find a good community to call home.
As for the topic of the whales, @quillfire I can't remember who posted it but the number of whales is pretty much the same as 3 months ago. But there has been an increase in minnows and dolphins which gives me a lot of hope of where things are going.
Honestly I'd love for the largest accounts to all dump 10% of their stake and drive prices down again. Let more of the minnows and dolphins increase their stakes at low prices. A more even distribution of stake will make for a better future of steem.
To me it was funny everyone was complaining about Steemit Inc selling off so many coins...IMO that was the best thing that could have been happening at that time for the blockchain. They owned and still own far to high of a percentage of the coins out there.
I’m famous for interrupting, don’t trip, I do it all the time—it’s just a little more difficult from behind the screen of an illuminated device. 😉
How’s it going @thedarkhorse?! I don’t believe we’ve met. About the first thing, I couldn’t help it, I went and found
twothree authors I’ll be curating for the competition—keep an eye out for me this afternoon! The second thing, yes’ir, $0.28 and $0.25 cents... back on the 6th and January 9th. Good timing. 👍🏿Now then, as you were, you two.
@thedarkhaorse.
In 100% agreement with your assessment re: broadening the ownership profile.
Respecting the Whale Power-Down, take a look at @hendrikdegrote ... the traditional power behind @curie. And, there are plenty of others.
While the number of Whales may be roughly the same ... they're NOT the same Whales. Many of the Old Guard are being replaced by ... who knows.
BTW ... I will definitely check out your contest as anything recommended by @lynncoyle1 or @dandays is automatically of interest.
Quill
@dandays,
@steemitbloggers (that's still the upvoting account for PHC ... not sure why) will hit it. But there are more than 100 members in PHC. So, to make the rounds, while maintaining an upvote of any significance, @jaynie has to limit the number of each day's votes and then allow for a VP recharge. Day 1 or Day 7 ... what do I care? Moreover, I am part of a team meaning that I must be as happy to see my teammates getting exposure, and rewards, as I am for myself.
Plus, my post that preceded this one was featured in PHC's "Rally Upvote," meaning all PHC's Members are to upvote it. Commentary is not obligatory but many chime in anyway ... and it's not just "nice post" stuff. It's honest engagement. @jaynie also hit it with her personal account and that of @theluvbug. She gave me all that she had to give.
https://steemit.com/powerhousecreatives/@quillfire/steemfest-4-the-whales-vs-the-minnows-chess-takedown-100-000-or-1-steem-prize
STEEM/Steemit has managed to get itself into a quagmire and extricating itself won't be easy. That said, there are many people engaged in the effort. And, the numbers are growing.
And, this includes some Whales and Witnesses. The Whales and Witnesses ARE NOT a homogeneous group. Indeed, some of them hate each others guts. But here's a reality: The Good Whales have to tread gently lest they set off endless stupid Whale Wars, none of which have ever accomplished anything beneficial.
One Last Note: No one has been more critical of self-serving (and blockchain destroying) Whale/Witness behavior than I. That said, we must be careful to distinguish the Good from the Bad. And, we must be willing to support those who dare to stray from the pack, making themselves targets in the process.
To be fair, one's pen must be as ready to write in tribute, as it is to write of tribulation. And, from what I've seen over the past few months, @theycallmedan, @nathanmars and @maruisfebruary are deserving of the former, not the latter.
Quill
Understood, @quillfire, each of your explanations—say no more. By the way, well said! 👍🏿
I only have one thing to add—about “stupid wars.” That’s what happens when a bunch of living things are stuck together in stagnant water for an extended period of time. They start to fight amongst themselves. Well, only with all walks of life since the beginning of time is all.
@dandays,
Sequel ... Sequill
I LOVE that. :-)
And "Everyone's A Solution" ... that's a damn fine idea for a sequill.
Brilliant! Thank you.
Quill
Well, this gets the "Quillington Seal of Approval".
Shout out to @wales and @fionasfavourites for concocting a beautiful badge.
As for the post, would have liked to have seen more "cat s__t in garden references", disappointed not to see the word "liken" but on the whole, another well written piece and worthy of the Seal.
Posted using Partiko Android
And to @nickyhavey for the appellation
Posted using Partiko Android
Grazi senorita
Posted using Partiko Android
@fionasfavourites,
Fiona, I thank you for "softening" my image. With an alpha-male $0.01 upvote, that's exactly what I needed. It's always amazing to see how a woman's influence can modify a man's reputation.
Before (Don't screw with me Whales):
After (Could someone give me a massage):
.
Quill
@quillfire
Always happy to oblige, Quillington ;)
And your chess post has been sitting open on my browser for two days while I find the time to comment in my usual manner. Hopefully tomorrow. At the moment I'm working on Zord's contest. And now
To do dinner.
Good evening to you, young Paul!
PPS you have no idea how much fun was had between @nickyhavey, @wales and I, conjuring up an appropriate image for Quillington.
Again, credit to @wales
@fionasfavourites,
Happy to oblige. :-) :-) :-)
I told Katie about Quillington and said, "Isn't there a real stuffed bear named something like that?" It took a bit of Googling: "Paddington." :-)
Quill
@quillfire and @savagekathryn
I so nearly sent @nickyhavey a message last evening when I saw your comment to opine that our Canadian-now-US friend did not know about Paddington Bear.
Who doesn't know about Paddington?
Katie, thanks for helping him out. Now Quillinton also knows about Paddington. Clearly he needs to learn a bit more....
– Winnie the Pooh
@fionasfavourites,
Deep. I need some honey. :-)
Quill
@quillfire
The best raw honey a bear could find is to be found in McGregor. Free to Quillington when he collects.
:D
@nickyhavey,
Nicky, I was saving up the cat shit/piss metaphor ... I'd liken it to holding your best troops back as a "strategic reserve." Who knows what stupid anarcho-arguments I'll have to counter with quick wit ... and by strategically positioning myself upwind from le fragrance du chat?
@wales and @fionafavourites came up with the Quillington Badge of Approval, huh. Well, thanks so much guys. That is a very handsome bear with a briefcase which, I would note, is the traditional symbol for poets that goes back to ... ancient ... well, let's just say antiquity.
Quill
Haha I don't think Hugo Boss will start development of "Eau de chat" any time soon 🙂
I see you managed to find out who the bear was, we were going to offer a marmalade sandwich as a clue but @wales was out of bread and @fionasfavourites was out of marmalade.
Posted using Partiko Android
Call him a pest?
Or Sir Seed?
Agreed?
@allyinspirit ,
Agreed.
Quill
@quillfire
The Quill some will indeed detest,
but this is just a test
of his bravery and courage
to bear the haters' rage.
You have my support, and the entire PHC.
-Gal of Lore
@joeylim,
Well Hello, The Gal of Lore from Singapore. I see your muse is still in fine fighting form!
You know, we all have to be careful not to over-generalize. There are actually some very good Whales and Witnesses on the blockchain and the future of Steemit will depend upon them. But, when you only have 240 characters to work with, you have to "write tight."
Quill
The Pest's Journey: an Abbreviated Lifestyle
You Jest - A Pest?
I can attest like so many others
there is no right when he is wronged
I don't care how you sing that song
Amen
@dswigle,
Nice. :-) :-) :-)
Quill
Hehehe... There is nothing sweeter to watch than a 'Quill that has been fed the wrong answer! LOL
He nags hahah😂😂😂😂 we loveyou nagging
Excellent! When I first saw you had entered the zapfic I wondered "how the hell is quill going to do a story with only 240 characters??" Now I see your ingenious way of using the introduction to the story to make up for the lack of verbosity in the story itself. And then the poem is perfect, as I've come to expect from you!
@blueeyes8960,
Sneaky, huh? I'm advertising ... what did you expect? Plus, I've had to deal with all this before. Indeed, I did a post on this very subject:
https://steemit.com/comedyopenmic/@quillfire/free-quilly-petition-entry-in-the-concoct-a-verb-contest-and-comedyopenmic-42
Quill
😂👍👍💖😉
Posted using Partiko Android