@chriddi. My two cents worth reply to your post.
For the amount of work that you do, and the time you spend on here, you have every right to be frustrated at the ‘sub-standard’ material that you find. You certainly are entitled to a rant and a grunt every now and then to get it out of your system. However, maybe you should take a look at the situation with a different perspective.
The way I understand it, Steem is a decentralised platform. Although there are communities to keep a look out and maintain certain standards, there is no one to evaluate members and say who can join, who can’t. Hence, you will find tom, dick, harry and karen here. They are all here for their own reasons. Some to see if they can luck it, make a coin or two in the process. They don’t necessarily care about the outcome of their actions and some do not understand what they do is not right. And then there are some who genuinely want to see if they can add value to the platform, only to be disappointed with the dismayed results of their efforts.
A lot of the stuff that goes on here is quite beyond our control. What we can do is to contribute what we can and hope that there are more like minded people on here doing the same. And if that is not enough and Steem heads south, at least we can say we did what we could.
For a long time, I wasn’t confident enough to post, or comment. When I eventually built up the courage to do so, imagine my disappointment when I got only a couple of cents for a nicely crafted post. Still, I persevere. My confidence to write and post a personal opinion is my motivation. I was slowly building my confidence. The occasional dollar or two for the posts was a bonus.
And then you came along and pointed out what I shouldn’t have done or be doing. I am more hopeful of my prospects here now, thanks to you. I am sure there are people like me doing their best without realizing what they did was wrong. They are also hoping that one day some curator will discover them and give them a chance to shine.
I guess what I am trying to say is that since we do not have a lot of choice, we got to work with what we have. You will find that other social media platforms are also having the same problems. Steem is no better, no worse. We just need to understand the situation, accept the facts and be realistic in our expectations. The less expectations we have, the least disappointed there will be. Take it easy and don’t stress yourself out too much.
Best wishes to you and Team Europe!
Cheers!
Haha, if that were important to me, I'd actually communicate with very few people here. Hmm, am I an idealistic user, a dreamer (also arrogant if I imagine I can make a difference as an individual), or just a stupid idiot who enjoys wasting time?
Thank you so much for your detailed and very well-founded comment.
What you say is definitely true: Everyone is here for different reasons, each of these reasons is justified, and I won't judge them at all.
There are so many who have taken a break from the system of building and growing something "together," who have transformed the principle of "give and take" into "I take." That worked quite well once the first "jerk circles" and bots appeared and became lucrative. It's their business – I can get annoyed about it or leave it alone (for the sake of peace). But when these people try everything (sometimes even through deliberate fraud) to stay in the "system," it makes me sad and angry.
Whoever wants to do what they want here (a decentralized platform without "rules") should do so, as long as it's not criminal or harmful to others. But anyone who wants something from me/the curators/the Steemit team should contribute to making them feel good about what they're doing.
Phew, I could go on and on (including the disappointment you mentioned about being overlooked, even though I'm working my butt off), but that just makes me sad again and reminds me that I still have a lot more to do today... 😉
Aye, aye... 😘
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you look at it" - Maya Angelou.
I find this quote of Maya Angelou’s very helpful. It is applicable to a lot of situations in life. What is happening on Steem is also happening in all corners, in all walks of life.
Life is what it is and will be what it will be. Being sad, angry, indignant will not help a bit. Instead, we should accept things for the way they are and deal with it the best we can.
Steem has been around for some time now. Many people have come and gone. Many will still come and go. Some who did good jobs for this platform in the early days have moved on because they felt they were fighting a losing battle. It is sad because if they had stayed, the group of people adding value to the platform would be bigger now.
How the platform will eventually turn out is anyone’s guess. Until then, we do the best we can. Understanding and accepting things as they are, we don’t add unnecessary stress to our lives.
You are doing a great job here, curating, adding value to the platform. Keep at it!. I know, there will be days when you ask yourself if it is worth it. We all have days like that. Meanwhile, keep up the good work!
Cheers!
A very wise quote. Buddhism?
I've always stuck to ‘Love it, change it, or leave it!’. I've never succeeded in loving it, I've tried changing it over and over again (rather unsuccessfully), I didn't dare to leave it - so something must be holding me.
Yes, time to stick with Maya Angelou... 😊