After some ten months on Steemit, I have decided to resume an updated version of a "Community Engagement Initiative" I used to moderate/curate on one of my Xanga blogs, back around 2004.
Back then (before Facebook) a lot of people participated in what we might call "social blogging," which is basically what many of the more consistent content creators on Steemit are currently doing.
This also is partly inspired by the recent Steemit Growth Forum, and a number of discussions I have seen on the topic of what we each can do to help Steemit/Steem thrive and grow.
What IS "Daily Discussion?"
Here's how it works:
Brightly colored fall leaves
Once a day, I plan to post a topic for discussion... it can be pretty much anything; sometimes it will be frivolous, sometimes it might be controversial; maybe drawn from current events, maybe philosophical, maybe personal experience. I might include a few of my own thoughts... and then invite readers to share their experiences and opinions.
Every time I post one of these "discussion" posts, I will be using the tag #dailydiscussion as well as the existing #discussion tag created by @timcliff a while back.
Responses can either in be in the comments, below... OR (if you have a lot to add!) you can write your own post as a response and then post a link to it in the comment section.
The purpose of this initiative is to increase engagement and interaction on Steemit.
I have been following @penguinpablo's Steemit stats and have been noticing that the "number of comments per post" has been dropping steadily for months now, and it concerns me from the perspective of building Steemit as a vibrant social content community.
Some Guidelines and General Information:
I will actively curate and upvote comments left on Daily Discussion posts, to the best of my ability. At the start, it shouldn't be so hard... but on my old blog there would sometimes be 200-300 responses, which could make it tricky to keep up.
Young seagull on the beach
Right now, this is an experiment... if sufficient interest develops, I might add daily prizes in SBD for the best replies, as an added incentive.
IF you are going to write your own post as a reply, please:
1. Use the tag #dailydiscussion as your primary tag
2. Include "Daily Discussion No. __ " in your title
3. Link to this post in your post to help promote "Daily Discussion." Doesn't matter if this post is long past it's payout time... it's not about rewards, its about promoting interactive posts on Steemit.
4. Link to your post in comments below the discussion your responding to.
That way your posts will be easier for me and other participants to find and follow.
Please be courteous and respectful, especially if/when a discussion touches on controversial topics-- religion, politics, society, health, parenting, etc. Keep in mind one of the old fundamental aspects of web message board netiquette: "Attack the TOPIC, not the POSTER."
These posts are designed specifically to encourage community engagement and discussion. However, DO NOT spam irrelevant comments and follow requests-- that is NOT "engagement!" You WILL be flagged!
Support Your Fellow Participants! Since this is an ongoing community engagement exercise, please DO upvote the comments of others you feel add to the quality of the discussion! And please DO visit the posts of those who create responses and thoughts as separate posts!
If you think this initiative is a good idea for creating more interaction on Steemit, please consider resteeming this post!
So, without further ado, let's get started!
Daily Discussion No. 1: What Are You Thankful For?
Autumn blackberry leaves
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the USA -- Happy Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating it!
Of course, this holiday is not celebrated in many parts of the world, so let's make this a broader discussion of thankfulness, and what it means to you.
What are you TRULY thankful for, in your life? On the surface, it's easy to say things like "food, friends, family, shelter," but what else? What are the things-- if any-- that repeatedly show up in your life that make you pause and think "Wow... it sure is a great thing that ____ exists/is possible/is in my life?"
It doesn't have to to be something major like "my husband survived cancer," it can be as simple as "I freakin' love fresh bread!" Or it can be both... or a whole list of things.
Share your thoughts and experiences below!
And remember... the purpose of the Daily Discussion initiative is to interact, and however little or large your contribution, it does matter!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 171123 12:30 PDT