I'll Try to Keep it Short and Sweet
I have not been a writer/artist/entertainer for very long. I started out here on Steemit. Anyone can have a look and see the difference between now and day one. I did not bring a following to help me. I started from the bottom and I'm working my way up.
I hear the plans, I read the gossip. For the most part, I'm well informed about what's going on in our neck of the woods. I remember the part about how important and beneficial it would be to this platform if our work managed to go viral. I'm sure some has been passed around. It's wise to use other platforms as they promote our work for free, while we get paid for producing it here.
Having an indicator that tells us how many views our articles receive was a very wise move. Have a look at your blogs. Go back a few weeks, a month, or more. Are any of your articles still alive?
I had a quick glance around the place, pulled up a few random articles from a few of the heavy hitters. I didn't dive very deep. I didn't see any views accumulating on anything I pulled up. There are so many out there though, you'd have to look for yourselves to get a better idea. I'm sure someone out there is still getting hits on their old stuff, I can't be the only one.
I had a look at my blog. I pulled up every single article and had a glance at the views. It's my understanding, these views must have occurred after the view feature was programmed and put into play. How long has that been? One week?
Here are a few examples of what is occurring on my blog. Pardon the crudeness of these images. I don't want anyone to think they've been doctored up. I've provided links as well. These were the views as of this writing. They will only increase.
Places: An Adventurous Journey to Places ~~ Episode One ~~ The First Place
Attention! My Balls Have Finally Dropped! (Mature Reader Discretion Advised)
Shelf Life
Have a look at the trending page on any given day. There are some very deserving bloggers doing well here. What they are offering to us and the rest of the world will stand the test of time. Then, we have a few that don't stand a chance. Fly by night style, only there for one day. By tomorrow, it's worthless, yet they do well.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not discrediting anyone for their efforts. What is there still takes time and energy to produce and I acknowledge that. Some of the typical posts seen on the trending page are also there for a good cause. You can view my wallet and see I take part in the sports bets as well. If I see a quarter on the ground, I'm the type to pick it up... and I'm not afraid to admit that.
At the same time though, I acknowledge the others. The hundreds of people who's rewards combined won't even come close to the top 20 for the day. I'm not complaining about what I'm given because I know people have my back. I also know I work hard for it and the proof is in the pudding.
If you're new here and wondering why your Facebook status update style posts or shared meme's that you did not create won't even earn a dime, have a look at my blog. I made that myself, everything including the art and I write my own jokes to boot. Look at the rewards. Now you know what to expect. I started here on September 20, 2016. You will not become rich overnight.
I'm Going Viral
There's no doubt about it. Look at the tags in those screenshots. What I produce here will stand the test of time. If I was going to offer advice to anyone, I would tell them to create something unique that will be just as relevant in ten years as it is today. Getting one million views takes time unless you have ten million followers.
I often hear people repeating something like, "All we need are a few famous people, and they will bring their following."
Their following isn't required to be a Steemit member to view the famous person's work here. That's something many people seem to overlook. A famous person comes along, the masses become star struck, vote heavily in favor of them... me, you, the famous person's following, what do we get? Many of the established types are exactly that, established. The top guns already make the money. Many have sponsorship commitments as well. They can't simply cut and run. Their followers are just that as well, they won't necessarily be your followers just because they are here.
We all have an opportunity to make each other the famous blogger, yet it seems some become envious over another members success. This is very common human behavior though. Just go to work and look around. Someone is always bitching about someone else. I used to be in management. I worked my way up the hard way. When I finally got what I worked so hard to achieve, people complained. I know why they're complaining though, so I shrug it off.
Would you hand over your success to someone who complained about you having it? If you find yourself complaining a lot, let that one sink in a bit.
We'll find success working as a team. We all have a vote. Whether the vote is manual or robotic, it's still a vote. The favoritism isn't teamwork though. We help ourselves in the short term by voting for the sure hits. More people follow the short term thought process, a few become successful, many fail and give up... and with that, all Steemit will have are a few bloggers and nobody to vote for them. Then, nothing.
The solution to our success is teamwork and forward thinking. Never mind right now. Invest in the future.
When you have a moment, have a look at the image where I received twelve cents. I'm not bothered by that. I'm happy these articles are getting passed around one month later. I will say, it takes time to go viral, but once it picks up steam there's no stopping it. All of those people will be entertained... all of them will see the value.
Use your votes wisely.
