Steemit, #IMHO, may have a problem with gaining critical mass and topping the attention economy. We lack one critical feature that will allow us to suck the eyeballs off of Facebook and Twitter. Notwithstanding the cryptocurrency appeal, we may have a conundrum when it comes to reputation to the masses.
Let me start with how I arrived at this hypothesis. I've been on Steemit for just over a month and I am thoroughly enjoying myself. I've become involved with PALnet, delegate to minnowsupport and you can find me on Discord most days. I'm looking forward to the days that I can leverage what I learn, along with my experience, to help grow the platform.
###So, how did I arrive at this hypothesis (and that's all it is)
I recently read a good post from @walkingkeys around thoughts on getting Steemit noticed (have a read, but come back 😁)
@walkingkeys had some good thoughts around the idea of targeting a few different demographics. I added my 2 satoshi's with regards to targeting vertical segments that have a high potential engagement but are fragmented. Good example, specialized local hobby group posting about their hobby - would draw in other similar local hobby groups in different regions, and so on.
Fundamentally @walkingkeys is on the right path. Having organically grown several companies using this approach, it does work well. However, it also involves engaging the community and getting their buy-in to attain a critical mass of that particular community before you start to see dividends. Those dividends are the growth of Steemit within that community and the growth of Steemit as a whole.
All good and fine... skreeeech!
Just by a random encounter, I came across a comment from Buzzfeed.com. Now, I'm sure most people know Buzzfeed (if you've spent any time on the social media site that shall not be named -Facebook) you will have seen their posts. Yes, not the most appealing content, in my mind, however, never-the-less a legitimate player.
For all intents and purposes, the account looked legit at first glance... but going to their blog... wah, wahhhh. You can immediately see that it's not so legit.
The account was created by another user (you can check it out on Steemdb if you would like), for what purpose, I can not say. That might be a topic best suited for another post. I have my theories (not hard to deduce).
This is where I think that there may be a reputation or legitimacy issue that might, at the minimum cause frustration with new users as they hit post by users masquerading as legit organizations. It would most certainly cause those with larger followings, and that produce a ton of quality content, a pause when considering Steemit.
Verified accounts exist on most of the prominent social media sites. Twitter and Facebook use a little check mark and have a verified process to ensure the accounts are who they say they are as in the below image (Facebook and Twitter screen captures).
My thought
My thought is that if we had a "Verified" process it would open up Steemit to organizations that may not consider the platform. It would also deter fraudsters from creating fake accounts in an attempt to play to the fame or popularity. Yes, we have a mechanism to quickly vote the account down to oblivion (if you see one report it to steemitabuse or steamcleaners on steem.chat) but what if that account is legitimate? Can a legit user claim this account? Should they not be able to leverage their content from outside of Steemit? What if BuzzFeed wanted to use Steemit?
I would love to have a National Geographic, a large publisher or social media superstar - George Takei :-) on the platform.
And, that is my 2 satoshi's. What are your thoughts?
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