I can walk now! - Tribute to 500+ followers and mentors

The Milestones

In a little less than 3 months old since joining, I have registered a number of milestones along the way. As it is, I have 500+ followers. My reputation is a staggering 54. And I am only a little more than a hundred posts shy of hitting a landmark 2000 posts (including comments).
by Kloxkloxcreative commons

Others have obviously been able to achieve a higher reputation (for all it means), but I bet you, if they have, it is not with as many organic and well appreciated posts and comments such as I have!

Okay, I am somewhat blowing my own trumpet here, but it is true. And I am proud of my ‘reputation’ in the true sense of what is supposed to mean…

A person’s reputation is the estimate in which he or she is held by the public in the place where he or she is known. It encapsulates that public’s collective opinion of him or her, established over time.

I am proud of it because it is well earned…you only have to look through my blog to confirm that for yourself. For me, it is a true reflection of how I am held/esteemed by the Steemit public not bidbots; it is a result of the consenting and conscious steemit ‘public opinion’ of me, established over the last near 3 months I have been around.

I have seen some people rise from the default Reputation of 25 to a high reputation of 60+ in only a matter of days. To understand how they do that, you only have to look up their blog. In all cases (I say all, and I dare you to point for me an exception), you will find that they used bidbots. And by that, managed to lift their reputation…just one of the reasons I hate bidbots and why I am adamant again and over, that the Reputation score algorithm needs to be changed…more about this, in my next post/plan!!!

So reputation wise, I can lift my head high up and say, I deserve it, something many higher up reputation claimants can’t say…anyway, enough of that. I will be talking more about reputation in a latter post - following up, you can say, on my earlier dismissal of it as it is, and call for a revision of its algorithm.

Overall, I have done well for myself by many standards. And it is on this note that I can’t be grateful enough for the support and guidance some members so freely and selflessly gave me …and without which, I might still be languishing somewhere way below, or maybe even just quit a long time ago….

And speaking of that help, I am one testimony of how help rendered to newbies is requisite to retaining them in the platform.

One of the problems steemit is suffering from, and that many are writing about, and disagreeing on I might add, is the problem of retention. Why do some people, hundreds, I think even thousands – I don’t have the exact statistics-sign up and a few days or weeks later, their accounts go inactive, or turn to spamming?

There is an array of reasons, I will not delve into right now, except to mention, as fits in the context of this post, that extending a helping and encouraging hand to newbies in their early days, you know - those first days when they are still in that polarized place between expectations for whatever quick and easy rewards and actual experience of the difficulty of the same, is one very fundamental way of retaining newbies. It worked for me.

This is how, and why I am insufficiently grateful to @simplymike for her ‘helping’ hand that I can proudly say, wrenched me back and kept me on the platform after difficult first days. The encouragement of her words kept my hopes kindled; the delegation she shortly gave, made sure I had a free reign of activity uninterrupted by bandwidth and her promotion led me to new paths and places and people.

From her came along the wonderful @insideoutlet and @lynncoyle1 and the rest I will sadly not mention for want of space and context, and then of course groups such as @newbieresteemday, @greetersguild but especially @asapers, in which I am now making my name, and through which, I am gladly doing whatever I can in my small way, to reciprocate her good first push…besides, of course, my personal curation trail – 7-Mirrored where I feature 7 posts that meet the criteria of originality, relevance and depth (7-Mirrored has been on a break but will shortly resume).

Meanwhile I suggest you follow the @asapers if you are already not, so that your quality works get to be curated.

Such was the value of one single meet…..the blockchain proper came into play as one accidental meet led to several other meets, I could say the 500+ followers I now boast of, started from @simplymike. I am, forever in her debt (she doesn’t think so, and doesn’t like to hear this! But I will say it anyway…save her against her selflessness!).

My evolution

That said. I am now well at home here on steemit. I have to say, it has been a growing experience for me. I have matured in a sense; changed – evolved, maybe is the correct wording.
By geraltCreative commons

What do I mean? Just look at my posts and you will see for yourself. You will notice that I write on a wide range of subjects, and lately mostly on science related stuff. It is afar shift from my earliest/joining time hopes. I remember when I first joined, I said I would post more on poetry, stories wild life, photography, and all those sort of stuff…and I sure did. I wrote quite a number of short stories at the start, and just so you know, I don’t plan on not doing the same, although it has been some while since I last wrote ‘a story’.

With time, however, I ventured into writing on other genres, including psychology and science. It must have, and probably still does surprise most people who have known me from way back three months ago. What happened to the story teller, to the hero of ‘Mirrors's refelctions”…speaking of ‘Mirrors's reflection, it was a short story I posted in chapters, and the first of my works to go ‘mainstream’, the first of my works to get ‘recognized’ and curried by @curie….

It gave me my first record reward and shot up my reputation in such a manner as dispelled the discouraging early belief that quality work does not guarantee rewards here on steemit. The @curie vote opened up my eyes to the reality that so long as you stick to quality, somebody out there is watching, and ready to reward.

I am not speaking this because I have made it, no. Personally I am still struggling, and several, in fact, majority of my posts go unrewarded or not to the tune to which I personally rate them as deserving. But I am speaking because it is true… and groups such as @curie are the reason many a person like me keeps faith in the goodness, in the fairness despite some incident to the contrary, and potential of this platform. More than the monetary reward, the @curie vote gave me some much needed inertia and increased my faith...and it all started with a short story.

So I can understand if some people, those who were there at the beginning, and who saw my personal story start to unfold or like @simplymike, were actually part of the cast, are surprised with my posts’ genre shift of recent weeks from stories to psychology and science and lately some venture into the social dynamic and metrics of steemit community as aired in my last post on reputation…

I have not changed. I cann still write short storis, and biy I am good at it! Lol…So what has happened, you ask? In a word, I have evolved. And you too better! We all must at some point, I reckon, even in real life. We all start off with some dreams, always driven by our passions. But if I have learnt anything on steemit, and I bet you, it is the same even in real life, success is about adapting, it’s about reading and responding to interests, and circumstances, about evolving.

Many a time we live inside prisons of our passions, and as a consequence, never get to explore our talents. I am a good reader. A good writer. And now with education, exposure and learning, a good researcher. I can basically write on any subject. Here on steemit, I found some ready audience under the umbrella of @steemstem, for some genres such as Science, and I thought, why not?

I have since ventured into routinely writing about science subjects, albeit by marrying them or rather from the angle– a style you should have noticed, if you have followed many of my science posts – to/of everyday community issues.

With more exposure, a little more knowing the hidden corners and community dynamics of steemit, I have also taken to addressing; giving my thoughts on some contentious community contentions we face as a platform. You have to forgive me, I am highly opinionated, and don’t like to stay in the gray area! I know that today, as a platform, we have all these squabbles and flag wars and circle voting and …basically everything that is bad for the platform….and from either side, we have actors fiercely standing up.

I believe that if you love and hope for the perpetuation of steemit as a platform, then you shouldn’t be afraid to give sincere non provocative thoughts on matters pertaining is welfare…..

Of course that comes with some experience, some learning, some evolution…

Survival for the fittest

That said, I am happy to be part of this awesome steemit community. As it is, things are not really going well. With the value of SBD for weeks now dwindling below $2 and dangerously looking as though it might drop a record below $1 from the record $7+ of December last year, it is a trying time for all of us.
by pixel2013creative commons

In terms of its value, I trust that steemit, as in deed, the crypto currency, is undergoing self-correction, before it can embark on sustained growth. Above else, I trust that this particular time is a ‘testing time’, and when it shall come to pass, we shall remain with the fittest, those who genuinely believe in the future of steemit and are here for the sense and good of community rather than just rewards. I am looking forward to being among those select. I hope I will see more of the 500+ friends/followers I have now.

To everyone whom I have had the honor to meet, to engage either in the commentary of my posts or of their own blogs, just know I am grateful for your friendship, followership and fellowship. You helped guide me from start, and now i can walk! I am in your debt.

Any other business.

A few days ago, I wrote and gave my thoughts on the contentious ad polarizing subject of the Reputation.

By Unknown. Public Domain, Link

I am of the unrepentant position that it is high time they change/revise the Reputation Algorithm to reflect the true meaning and purpose for which it is premised on, namely the rating of individuals from the eyes of the steemit public. As it is however, it is being gamed in such a manner that is bad for steemit’s image and publicity.

I know many people share the same thoughts and have written on the same, just as I did. Unlike them however, I wish to take a further step, and advocate persistently for that change to be effected, or for now, like the views counter, hidden until a better solution is found.

I am talking up a few members for alternatives on how to have the Algorithm modified - factors on which it should depend. I will, in the next few days write a post on that, including a populist strategy/campaign for promoting it, and against all possibilities hoping somebody (whoever it may concern) will listen and take heed. Will my quest succeed? Well, we can't found out until we have tried, can we? But lets hope for best.

Follow @asapers and get to be curated. You may also join the discord channel at https://discord.gg/Skmt5q