FILTERING...
For the past two days I have been a bit disgusted by some of the things I have been seeing on here. But like Nath told me: unfollow, mute, and move on. I have been doing just that.
Yesterday I brought down the number of accounts I follow from 185 to about 143. Might still drop some more. Unfortunately for me when I first started on steem I followed just about everyone with a rep above 60. For me then, it was a sign that these said persons were influential and are most likely going to contribute to my growth in some way. However, that was not the case. Matter of fact I do not interact with more than 25% of the people I follow. Some may have been instrumental to growth but right now we are not on the same page on a lot of things, and quite frankly their opinion(s) do not matter that much to me. It's really quite easy to get stuck in this steem bubble and lose sight of what's actually happening. Like I have said before, having a lot of steem doesn't really matter as much as it once did, especially to someone like me, if you're not actively playing a role in the development of this platform. This is my opinion and the basis I use in weighing how valuable you're to my journey and the steem ecosystem. And yes I'm making this about me, but it really isn't. I care about people who care about other people/steem and it goes beyond posting every day. I post every day to earn a few dollars but for me, that's really of more value to me than it is to steem blockchain because basically, I'm just trying to maximize the autovotes I get. For me what really matters is the work I do outside the steem blockchain. When I get a message from someone asking me about steem I feel good inside; I feel like I'm actively contributing to the growth of this platform by promoting it and to be quite frank it has paid off really. All the support I have received so far has been as a result of this Twitter campaign.
Now back to the issue of filtering my timeline. During the process of unfollowing, I discovered some people I have actually created some kind bond with have unfollowed me. I don't know why and I do not really care that much to find out. I believe everything has its time and place. I believe relationships are transactional and when we do not have any business together it's only natural we grow further apart. I've not seen my best friends in about a year now. This is simply because our paths do not align at the moment, maybe it will sometime in the future but for now, I'm on a different path, forging my way further and building new relationships. That's life basically. I just hope they did not unfollow out of malice because like I have noticed on here, people actually become envious for very petty reasons. Or probably I have touched on issues they've been found the suspect. Whatever the case may be I wish them good luck.
Moving forward, I really do want to see some changes on my timeline content-wise. I haven't read alot blogs recently. I mostly consume video content now. I don't know if anyone has noticed but dtube is actually becoming the most important part of the steem blockchain. The most active steemians are on dtube. Yes, you can say it's the upvotes. I've heard someone say that dtube are wasteful for giving out huge upvotes to people who only just take from the reward pool, but I'm yet to find any other decentralized platform (well, asides steemmonster) that has contributed to the growth of the steem blockchain in the past 2months as dtube have. Its all talk and a bit of bickering here and there, but nothing substantial. The blogging communities are relatively dead, most of the whales/orcas are losing their influence, it's just painful to watch really. I think the one good thing steem has going forward is the fact no one dapp or individual can dictate it's future. The blockchain is not what it used to be six months ago and I'm grateful for that fact.
So in conclusion, I would like to say that everyone who is actively contributing to the growth of steem is important. You do not have to be on Twitter like me talking about steem every day. Even if you're not contributing in any way and you're basically just draining the reward pool, well...you're still playing some sort of role in the grand scheme of things, but unfortunately, I don't think that's what I want to see on my timeline. What I earn here helps pay my bills and it requires that I remain consistent. However, I try my best to put my best foot forward. Value what you do here. Do not post what you would not consume yourself all in the name of earning a few coins. Do better, be better.
©nonsowrites
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I sometimes wonder what you are coming across to need to mute and unfollow or be disgusted! Glad I don't really come across it. I guess the more time you spend on here, the more likely you are to come across it. You have done very well for yourself and in a short time too, so I guess you would get a bit of jealousy.
I sometimes feel a bit shut out of the dTube sure of things, because it just doesn't seem to work for me with regards uploading and doesn't always load for watching either. I'm hoping one day it will become as straight forward as YouTube. Until then I'll stay with the dying blogging. ;D
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Well, i have come across some very nasty people and really it can be pretty annoying but for now i just want to stay focused on my goal
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Yes, relationships are transactional indeed, especially on Steem, where often 'support' goes two ways since it's more important to know you'll 'receive in return' as well :-) Not always though, I support some users that don't necessarily support me, but most of the time it's the case :-) In any way I've been following more people lately, not less, because I feel like those who are active today deserve a bit of 'extra' support as these markets are not the best ever :-) Cheers!
Certainly, I support people who do not add anything to my growth, it is the other way round. I believe this platform is about building capacity and helping each other. I want to see stronger communities and genuine engagement. That will not happen if we are too bothered about ourselves.
Well for the sanity of my timeline I need to gauge what I consume. I made the early mistake of following people because of upvotes. Now my approach is different and I feel I should do better.
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You’re timeline is your control
Filtering what you see and what you hear on our Blockchain and Twitter is important
Filtering people in real life is 7 times more important
Roger that! Starting focused is key.
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People unfollow people for a number of reasons - some people probably still like you, but have no interest in what's on your feed at the moment. I somewhat fall into that. I followed you because you were part of the #freewrite community and were joining in, when you stopped I considered unfollowing you, it's nothing "personal" - it's that I like a certain topic on my feed. However, on occasion you bring up interesting thoughts, though I don't really watch dtube videos at all so only read the written blogs... so you're still on my follow list.
People have unfollowed me too, most notably during the month I tried branching out and joining the #monthlyauthorchallenge... at first I was offended, but then realised, "They followed me for my writing. Not because of random photos. They're not interested in that." ~ of course I appreciate the people who follow me and accept ALL the things I post. But it's just personal preference.
Also, I think it's all a matter of perspective when it comes to "active". You are very active in DTube, so naturally you see all the activity that DTube does. :)
Well, I try to diversify. That way I can reach out to different audiences with different taste. I'm quite versatile, I think. I don't do creative writing because for me I don't want to put out trash work and I really don't wright for sport. I must have some sort of inspiration.
I'm unfollowing people as well so it would be silly to make a big deal out of people unfollowing me. But it concerns me when the said persons are people I have created some bond with. If @minismallholdings or @newageinv unfollows me today I will certainly be worried because they are like my biggest supporters.
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Maybe I should try out DTube, too. I have a pretty good camera. I can and I probably should go out and shoot videos of stuff happening out there. Hey, that's a new world related to but different from photography.
It can be a unique way of sharing your journey as a photographer and gaining a new audience. But I must warn, a lot of people get frustrated after a few tries and they don't get dtube upvotes. I have been lucky. But like you say, you have a good camera and I'm betting you would provide superior audio quality for your audience. The last part would be content and I'm sure that would not be an issue for you because you're knowledgeable. It would be a nice experience depending on your approach. I still considered myself a better writer than vlogger but the videos pay the bills.
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I'm not so sure about the audio quality. The camera has no microphone jack and the internal microphone is told to be nothing to write home about. And I don't actually even own an external microphone.
Let's see if I can come up with something. Last year, I shot a few panoramas and one video of a freight train approaching. I shot those with my phone camera because I didn't have a DSLR back then.
The microphone should be that expensive. Here it is had to find cheap ones.
Well, it would be nice to hear your voice for a change and probably some personal touch to your vlogs. Tag me when you do.
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I believe people like the ones you mention they are here for contrast. We never think but is important to have good samples of do nots and not just from the perfect batch of humans. We should have more of us thinking about ways to enhance this platform, but the reality is we don't. We take it as it is kind of forget that in order to achieve something we need to aim damn high. We lack long term vision and because of that people are reluctant to engage as we need to resonate with the story behind. But we are here not just to bitch about it, but also as you say to make some difference. I am not here for the quick buck but I haven't done much either. I will ruminate more about it.
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Well there is no pressure to partake in the development of the steem. We all have different reasons for being here. Some have a more futuristic approach than other but notwithstanding its important to enjoy the process and not be distracted like I have been I must confess. However anyone who is contributing to the growth of this platform wins my respect. For me that's the only way these coins we keep stacking can have a better value and decouple from bitcoin in the future.
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This read is interesting and just reminds me I must do a cleanse myself, mostly because some of the accounts I follow are inactive or resteeming so much that when I check feed (and my time these months is so limited) I miss half of the people I truely interact with. I have been here a year and I like to think that what I share is of value... at least I hope it is for myself and the ones that care about what I do, have never denied it's a personal blog, and I am grateful to the platform because of having made so many friends. But yes, rep is indeed a number, in the "everybody bidbot like crazy era" most "bought" that rep with such selfvoting behaviour... So yes, value your interactions on your own criteria, who you wish to interact with has nothing to do with a number (wallet/rep) at all.
I know that I have had to take control of my timeline on both this account and the @heyhaveyamet account. I try very hard to only resteem what is relevant to New People on the HHYM account and travel on this one. It's hard to do for sure.
Ren
Thanks for the mention in these engaging comments! I love to see you provoking these conversations as they add perspective and value to the ecosystem! I too have recently dropped the amount of following as I am very committed to engaging with those that produce content in an appreciation of their effort. So when some stop posting or act differently, I prefer to give that attention to others. I continue to see the evolution of the ecosystem and am encouraged that it proves to be flexible and broad beyond what even what I had thought possible! Keep up the great work!
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