Since joining here, I have written about many things and when it comes to the platform, a lot of it early on was about content quality and engagement. These still hold true today as I think the quality of content and the way you interact has a large part to play in the success here but, it is not all there is.
There are three parts to creation and that is thought, word and action. Content is obviously the thoughts and words.
Last night I got this comment which 'inspired' this post:
Hello! I will be direct, what should I do to receive a favorable vote from you in my publications?
Well, asking is not the way to go and when I go to your comments section to find the same thing cut and paste a hundred times, that doesn't help either but, there are some things that will help from my perspective.
Instead of asking for votes or how to get them on someone's post, engage with the post itself, comment well, engage with others who comment and, if I do happen to visit your blog based on your engagement which is common, try to make sure that it is the kind of thing I can read. This particular blogger writes only in Spanish which from the get go destroys his chances of my vote unless he gets resteemed by one of the curation services I follow. Si?
But, it is not enough for most people to get a vote, it is not even enough for many if 
Now, this is the key phrase of this entire post, ready?
If you want support from the community, you have to be a part of the community.
Who would have thought?
Now, some people take this to mean the engagement of the audience, reading, commenting and the like but, that is interaction. Inter being between. I said there are three parts remember, thought word and action. Not interaction.
Action is: the process of doing something to achieve an aim.
Now, your aim is to get votes? Is it to get comments? Is it to what? What are your expectations, what are you willing to do to have them met, what sacrifices will you make, what roles will you play, what compromises will you make? There are many questions to consider here.
Many people post good content in niche areas with niche styles expecting wide community support. Others post content that only some people are comfortable in supporting at all like NSFW or the outer ends of the political spectrum. Some of these things get a lot of support but, if you look at the authors of them and how the act on and off the platform, you will find that they are members of the community in many different ways.
I love producing content, I love writing and if given the opportunity, I could sit here hour upon hour writing 5 or 10 full articles a day on a very broad range of topics. But, what will the result be? Well, if you look from a vote perspective, not much. This is what I did for about my first six months here.
Do you know what else this meant? I did not learn a lot about how the platform worked, I dismissed curation completely and I never really got to know anyone outside of a couple authors in the comments section. I thought that my content would make me part of the community but, was wrong. I make me part of the community.
Honestly, it doesn't really matter what your content is (within reason) if you are able to become a part of the community in other ways. You will find that your support base will organically grow and develop and no matter how weird and niche your topic or style, you will have a group of loyal supporters engaging with you. Supporters is the wrong word though isn't it? Followers is not any better.
When you go into your real-life community, do you have supporters and followers? No, you have friends and colleagues, some may have clients and patrons but supporters? You are not a football team or a political party most likely.
Now, what does being part of the community look like? That is for you to decide as if you haven't noticed, it is your community. It is all of ours, so we get to build, develop and grow it in the ways that we choose. But, what happens when a community is filled with people who are only looking to gain without putting anything in?
Well, it starts to resemble the current real world more and more does it not? Growing class and knowledge gaps. People begging while others get educated, people complaining while others are developing. Do you not see this here?
We have a very, very large opportunity to break the system and change the modus operandi but to do so we have to do differently to what we do in the real world itself. But are we? Do you think that what you do here adds more value than what you take away? If more value is being extracted than put in, what happens to the thousands and hopefully millions of users who are to come? Are you going to be able to practically help support them in some way?
Producing content is only a fraction of what goes on here although it is the visible fraction. Lately, I have brought a number of people into the platform and I am doing my best to support them but, I and my paid for vote only stretch so far and there will come a time when I will be unable to vote each of their posts up or at the same percentage, what then?
Will they be disappointed in me for not being able to continue the support? Not if they have become a part of the community they won't, as they will have spread their interests and influences across a wider network and both be helping others and enjoying the rewards of service. If they haven't? They are likely to get frustrated and think that I and the platform has failed. Is it the platform, or them?
You know, while SBD skyrocketed and Steem was still low, many took the opportunity to 'finally' take some value out. Others bought Steem. I mostly bought Steem too (took some SBD to trade, bought more steem) as I realised that as prices of Steem go up, Steem distribution goes down. What is the SP portion of your payouts now worth in Steem? well, 7 times less than a month ago. Are you going to post 7 times more to make up for it? In the future if Steem hits 20 or 50, what then? How long to gather 1000 SP? When there are a couple million posts a day? When SMTs want a piece of the action?
At this point in a potential future, I am sure there are many that will say, 'Damn, wish I had powered up a little'.
The reason I bought Steem was that in the future, I am hoping to be able to support people here and become a growing member of the community. It is not just about paying off a mortgage or going on a nice holiday though they are indeed goals, it is about being a part of something in an attempt to break the shit-cycle the world currently is by working with those who are working to break it too.
Yes, I have more goals than a Lambo! They may be idealistic, it may all fall in a heap and those who bought two pizzas with their SBD will say 'Ha!, told you so!' but, to be direct I don't give a damn. The possibility of change of mine, those I care for and other's lives is worth it and to increase the chances of success, I have to work toward it and invest into it, not only draw from it.
Yes, not everyone has this 'luxury' to work and invest for the future as their circumstances mean they must take care of their immediate life itself but, everyone has an ability to become a part of the community and add values in other ways.
It is up to us as individuals though to work out what that means, I cannot give you a definitive list or formula as what works for me, may not work for you or and quite likely, you may be less than willing to do the work in the areas I am more than willing or better suited for. I am open to help and guide but, if one is not open to learn and discover for themselves, what does it make them when they still want support from the community?
But, before this turns into an even longer and more massive rant from a tired mind and body, I will end it here with the title: Your word is not enough.
'Promises, Promises' as they say. These are thoughts and words. Where's your action?
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]