Steemit started as a blogging site with the intent of developing a system where the highest quality content, as decided by the community, was sent to the trending page. Obviously, this is not what happened.
Before going any further, we should not hold this as a mark against Steemit or the original developers. This is very common. Projects often evolve in ways different from what they were originally intended. This is usually neither good nor bad, just different. What occurred on STEEM follows that same path. Things are just different than was initially imagined.
I posted earlier in the week about it being time to drop the idea of quality in the name of success. This stance was taken essentially because I do not view STEEM as a blogging blockchain. While that might have been the original intent, the newer applications are now moving things away from that end. This means that there will be a lot of people joining this blockchain via the applications that have nothing to do with quality posting. Instead, people will be engaging in things that interest them.
One thing that caught my attention was this:
But the real bugbear for me is the claiming that writing and reading high quality articles is elitist. Immediately this accusation smacks of the kind of anti-intellectualism that has gained currency in a world of highly processed media.
I am not sure if this was aimed at what I wrote but nowhere did I claim that writing and reading quality articles is elitist. What is elitist is expecting people to post quality articles. In fact, it is elitist to believe people should post articles to begin with.
This was in my post:
Does this mean serious bloggers/vloggers should drop their standards? Of course not. Nor does it mean that people who are looking for serious content on particular subject should abandon those who are posting content that meets their standards.
Contrary to the idea of claiming quality is elitist, I support the idea of people holding their standards. People who are interested in certain topics, whether it is writing or reading, should be free to pursue that. Of course, the flip side is also true.
Here is the crux of the problem. STEEM is not about blogging. The reward system is based upon content which takes on many forms. Certainly, blogs/vlogs are a part of that. Yet the blockchain is open to any application that one wants to put on here.
So does that mean blogging is dead? I certainly hope not since that is my primary preference on here. The difference is blogging is going to be relegated to blogging apps. Over time, we will most likely see specific applications designed for that purpose. I guess we could say that Steemit was designed for that purpose. However, the fact that every application posted on Steemit means that it took on more than that.
That said, I figure there will be blogging-only applications.
I'm currently developing a project called Gleeming. I'm not sure exactly what it's going to be yet, but some kind of magazine. My focus is on:
- Bold and attractive presentation
- Externally facing (i.e. not the Steem in-crowd) packaging
- Archiving the best older posts of Steem
- Soliciting great writing
- Renewed support for authors (evergreen) without hacks
I strongly believe that casual high quality blogging on Steem is coming to an end in it's current formation, it's time to do something about that ourselves.
I agree with this 1000%. In fact, I not only agree with the sentiment but the project. I do believe that STEEM needs an application that provides bloggers a place to do some top-notch blogging. It is still a rather large market that should not be overlooked.
Once again, we come to the place of Steemit versus STEEM. Steemit is not STEEM. Being the flagship application, it was the first one on here. Sadly, it is also woefully out of date and overlooked. Perhaps it can be revived to produce the blogging content on this blockchain. Or, just maybe, it will be another application that emerges which focuses upon filling this void for Steemians.
STEEM, on the other hand, is home for whatever people want to place on here. We see a variety of applications appearing with more to come. Many of these will not focus upon content that many will claim is quality. In fact, the point of my other post, is that most of the content that will appear would never thought of in the mindset of quality. Most of what is done on the Internet is not undertaken with that in mind.
Therefore, I do not believe that accepting the fact that most of the activity on the Internet is based upon interest and fun as opposed to quality is detrimental or degrading in any way. I also do not believe this view elitist. Simply look at the numbers. The blogging sites are seriously outnumbered in terms of users by the likes of Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Value is fundamental to the Steem blockchain, whereas Quality is a function of the interface.
Everyone should bring value to the STEEM blockchain. Content is the currency that will add value. Whatever is posted will enhance the blockchain. Whether it is quality or not, that depends upon what the applications bring to the table AND what the users prefer. For some, it will be high-end photography while others like links ala Reddit.
Be sure to check out the entire
https://steemit.com/steem/@personz/in-defense-of-finding-value-on-steem
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