RE: Adding "Value:" How Your Actions and Contributions Today... Represent the Steemit of Tomorrow
Value
The issue here is there are so many different kinds of “value” to be added. Some people will view value as the amount your upvote adds to their blog. While others will see value in how many followers they have even if they spammed follow 4 follow and no one will ever see what they blog about. They then want to sell that “value” of how many people they resteem your blog too.
So I think the best way to go is to declare what I feel the value is to me. Value is creating a conversation. It's adding to others knowledge in things by exchanging thoughts and ideas on them and even debating about it. But even that is just the shallow end of things. I value friendship over money I have always and I always intend to. If talking with someone over time leads me to be friends with them then I value the time I spent gaining that friendship. I personally don’t see value as something happening just from a single interaction. Even if someone writes a really well written and educational blog if I’m not coming back for more than I must not have valued what that person had shared with me very much.
Rewards
Rewards I find often overlap with what I value. Rewards for me on this platform tend to be knowledge. Yes, the financial reward would allow me to keep spending every waking hour I have for years to come to remain on Steemit and not have to venture out and do other things for an income source. I just don’t see Steemit as the place to create a substantial income source for me and therefore It's not a focus of mine.
Reward for me using Steemit is what I can take away from it other than money. What can I learn and gain knowledge and a better understanding? Will this help make me a better and more understanding person? Can I gain a lasting friendship with people long after I stop being active on Steemit? Will I be able to have a positive impact on another person's life? Will people use Steemit to come up with ideas they can use in the real world to better enhance their own life and the community they live in? I find most rewards that are worth gaining in life take forever to earn. Sometimes a lifetime. Those really hard to earn rewards are almost always worth the investment of time, trust, and friendship to see it to the end.
"Value:" @enjar's epic comments.
"Rewards:" Very subjective... in this case, appreciation for your thoughts, and a stout upvote.
OK, so that's the quick and flip answer.
Both value and rewards strike me as pretty individual things. As you suggested, at best we can determine what those terms mean, to us.
Outside that, however, I'd like to think it would be a common thread for people to want Steemit to survive in the long run. Whether you are here for "a quick buck" or to gain from long term appreciation of the Steem you hold... it seems that the common thread most us would hold is that we'd still like to be DOING "this" in the future. I doubt there's anyone out there, "doing their thing," thinking "I hope this all goes away tomorrow!"
So-- with that as a common starting point... how do we each-- in our own way-- contribute to a common desire for there to still be a Steemit in 2025?
In a sense, that's a large part of what this post was inviting everyone to do.