How I write a Steem poststeemCreated with Sketch.

in #innerblocks5 years ago (edited)
With the upcoming decrease in author rewards that are set to trigger in Hard Fork 21, I've been thinking about all the work that goes into my posts, and I am sure other authors are doing the same. There have been some people on the blockchain that have whined that authors are being paid too much as it is, and that those who merely upvote a post (which someone else has written) deserve more rewards. One of those people happens to be a developer on the blockchain — I wonder if he would feel the same if this discussion were about developer rewards, and that the profits of developers were being slashed so that more of the rewards could be given to the users of the dapps which he develops...? But, I digress... this post is about the brainpower that I put into every single post I make here.

GalaxyForming.png

All of my posts begin with ideas, with thoughts in my head that I want to get out, art or photos or poetry that I wish to share, etc. I do not use an app that basically writes posts for me based on my number-of-steps (like Actifit) or how well I scored in a game I played (like DrugWars). All of my posts are actually crafted by me, carefully and thoughtfully, in a front-end to the blockchain.


photograph by me
Even if I only have a photo to share, I write at least one paragraph about it, telling where the photo was taken, describing the subject of the photo, or divulging what it is about the shot that I like. The photo at left, for example, is a photo which I shared in a post recently. I talked about the history of the building, about its original purpose and what it is being used for today. I thought that was much more interesting that just dropping the photo and saying nothing about it. If the subject is a permanent feature of the landscape, I also like to include a link to its location on the @steemitworldmap project. It's disappointing to me when I find posts on the blockchain with nothing but a photo in them and wonder: where was this photo taken? what is that magnificent building /flower /statue...?  and discover that the photographer has left us hanging with questions that are unanswered. Even if they don't know anything about the building, they could state: "This shot was taken in Kraków, Poland" or something similar. That isn't too much to ask, is it? 😕


image by NeoxianAG, color-change by me
I recently nominated some communities for a contest, where a delegation was being awarded as a prize. The post, itself, took me an hour or so to write, typing-up a paragraph about each of the communities I was nominating and editing the wording a few times so it represented the community accurately. I double-checked the contest post to make sure I had satisfied all of the requirements. Then, instead of simply snagging the graphic for the contest and using it, I edited it to make it unique for me, by adding my name ("nominations by thekittygirl") and then applying a pretty color-change effect to it. Sure, that was a bit more work than was necessary, but I wanted my entry to stand-out and be attractive. 🙌

For a more routine post, however, I have to roll-up my "mental sleeves" and do some digging. If I am writing about a flower I photographed, then I want to know what kind of flower it is, whether it is native to this area or came from somewhere else, how it propagates, what colors one might see in other similar flowers, and so forth. I spend much time reading articles online, checking encyclopedias & dictionaries, looking at maps, and whatever is required to learn more. I then load the photo — or several photos — into my PaintShopPro™ software and process them so they will look their best.

Also, I usually take great care to ensure that "Registered" symbol ® and "Trademark" symbols ™ are in place and used appropriately, as well as diacritical marks in words that appear in, or are derived from, words or names in other languages (e.g., décor  and the aforementioned Kraków).

When all is said and done, several hours go into each of my posts, usually spread over numerous days. Of course, some posts are easier to write: my Old Barn Posts usually take from one-to-two hours each, but my post about the medical condition Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum took at least 8–10 hours of my time, perhaps more. Some of my posts about coins or flowers have taken 3–4 hours each, although I spent 5–6 hours researching the Republic of Minerva (which included information on the republic itself, the sailing vessel that discovered the reef, the coin that was minted for the republic, etc.)


screenshot from my PaintShopPro™ software

So, why do I spend so much time on my posts and include so much information in them? Because I care. And because I believe in quality content. And because I enjoy having people read my posts and feel like they have actually learned something or were entertained. Because of this, I will probably continue as I have been doing, even if my rewards are diminished. But, consider: if everyone stops writing posts so they can spend the most-lucrative-and-easier time simply upvoting others' content, after seven days there will be nothing new to upvote.

 😊


21-Aug-2019

Sort:  

I wonder how HF21 will affect people like you, @Quillfire, and me, who spend hours putting together a post. With the price of Steem today, I could expect a great post to earn about $2.00. So after HF21, I'd suspect half of that. If a post gets curated, maybe a little more. I hope you continue to do well @thekittygirl.

@blockurator,

At this point, it's time to accept reality. We all just need to be patient and wait for a viable alternative to Steemit. My hope is that Voice will pull off something satisfactory. We'll know in a little over a month (Sept. 23 or shortly thereafter). For now, focus on keeping your network in tact.

Quill

Want to have some fun? Bring your fighting spirit to Narrative. The gangs are forming.

@thekittygirl,

Late last night, I responded to @blockurator's comment without reading your post. This morning I read it and wanted to add a few insights.

You are a pro. So am I and so is Block. As such, we have standards to which we hold ourselves. We WILL NOT produce crap just because we are massively under-compensated for creating quality.

And we are not alone. There are many others who wish to do the same. We believe that Merit, not Manipulation, ought to be the metric that determines a post's success or failure and are willing to accept the collective judgement of our respective audiences as the arbiter of whether such standard has been achieved.

That is our Game.

To others, STEEM/Steemit is just a big cash cow to be milked in any way they can dream up. Quality of Content is of no relevance whatsoever. So long as people keep posting, a necessary facade is maintained and coins keep getting produced ... coins which accumulate in their pockets despite their having done nothing to earn them. So long as the enablers keep enabling, who cares if they're miserable?

This is their Game.

The two games cannot peaceably co-exist. Sooner or later, the former group will rebel. First will come contempt, then disgust. A some point they will reach a tipping point, a critical mass. And that's when the wheels will come off the bus.

I have written endlessly warning about the consequences of the endless cheating and self-dealing. I will write no more.

In the end, all this comes down to one simple dynamic: A bunch of self-aggrandizing Millennials refused to listen to old men about how to wage war, and to old woman about how to keep the peace. The sociability that underpins social networks is older than Man. It is subject to Rules and one of the most important among them is that salutes are not purchased, they're earned. What the kids could not, and cannot, grasp is that our collective endeavor was never about computer code ...it was about genetic code.

HardFork 21 will be STEEM/Steemit's Funeral Pyre, the final conflagration of the dead (or nearly so).

Perhaps poetically, the Whales will become Minnows. Us Minnows will lick our wounds ... and re-form somewhere else. Sooner or later, a Meritocracy will develop and the Rules than govern human conduct will re-assert themselves. And perhaps more poetically still, the children will take their rightful place in the pecking order ... working FOR those with gray hair.

Quill

It's going to be interesting for sure. Change is certain, but how it will really play out is still with the jury, in my humble opinion. I am not seeing doomsday as some are, but then again I'm a cockeyed optimist through and through. I feel like Steem is only just beginning and there is a giant playground here for developers and apps. I also believe (as I suggested in my long response to this post) that there's a distinct possibility that quality content will rise to the top when people are no longer motivated to write shit posts. When quality actually stands out because fewer people are writing crap content to game the system and get rewards, maybe good content actually will win. What do you think, @quillfire?

Loading...

I totally agree with you. Those who have made the major decisions on this 50/50 split are not being respectiful to the writers and would have a completely different view if it were on something that affect their work and wallets. However, it would have been 75/25 (curation/creation) if people would not have spoken out as they did, so I am appreciative of that.

The question for me now, being an advocate for the new and Redfish accounts, is how do we help those accounts who will be taken advantage of? I know we at @steemterminal and @heyhaveyamet are focusing on just that. I am so glad you are part of these teams and encouraging as much as @brittandjosie and I are.

Hang tight and stay positive dear feiend.
Ten

pixresteemer_incognito_angel_mini.png
Congratz, your post has been resteemed and, who knows, will maybe appear in the next edition of the #dailyspotlights (Click on my face if you want to know more about me...)
Check the rules of the Daily Spotlights if you want to nominate someone!
Pixresteemer is also listed as promoter on The Steemians Directory

Loading...

@kittygirl, i applaud you for the care you always take in your posts. It doesnt seem right that people get the same amount for photos or just for upvoting. Its absolutely NOT the same thing. 🧡🧡🧡

Posted using Partiko Android

I can totally relate and understand. The photographs I engineer take hours in the making. Not talking about the fact the time and money is spend to get to these places. That's part of the fun I guess and soon half the fun when posted here. Unless it creates more traffic. I agree that the actual creators like us have a hard time to get traction here. Expecting to live from Steem can't be the baseline assumption to start posting here. For me iam very greatful for ever suporter I get and hope to grow a follower base. Iam not sure about the hardfork21 what's going to happen. But I guess time will tell. Good luck for us creators.

Posted using Partiko Android

Good post. My rewards are so low that if they get lower I'll be paying to post. Most of my posts take around 3 to 4 hours from inception to getting them out so I don't feel rewarded for doing them, but it's what I do, and who knows, maybe one day I'll be another Van Gogh

You have given me so much to consider. Some days I painstakingly take so much time perfecting a post, while some days I post a smaller one.

Not sure how all this HF is going to work out. We shall see.

You’re absolutely correct. Thank you for putting quality over quantity. I would much rather have 1 well-thought-out post than upvoting 20 sh*t posts. I don’t understand how this is supposed to move SteemIt forward at all. Oh well. I will continue to post my best & appreciate those who do the same.B75795E1-A2B2-4647-98DB-8CC357084D15.png

It is a shame that others do not follow your example. To actually do the work necessary to be noticed on the blockchain and then receive very little interaction is a sad state of affairs. If it is any consolation, I do read many of your posts; and, without fail, I always learn something new!

Thank you so much @thekittygirl for your consistent quality contributions to the STEEM blockchain. We are all fortunate to have you!