As I scroll through the "New Posts" Section of steemit, I noticed a pattern that seems quite concerning. What is this pattern? Many posts with little or no votes. Why is this happening? Because, like I said in my first paragraph here, the awesome rewards that we are seeing after HF 19 is, well awesome, but also a silver lining in a dark cloud for many.
Oh sure, the popular Ducks and Ducklings that were here before will still have their bread buttered through having experience and a strong following, however, the average new user, will not. Why is this? Two reasons, there is an assload of new users to create enough fluff content to obscure any rising potential and two, new users, who probably make up the bulk of the platform in numbers right now, have fewer votes to toss than we did before HF19.
So while HF 19 did a great job at rewarding users for their work and attracting new people to the platform, it also created a lot of white noise on the platform, making it harder to browse, interact and make connections. This is made even more difficult by the fact that, well, new users are noobs, they don't know anything about the platform, how it works and the culture here.
Don't get me wrong, I don't believe that some benevolent whale or dolphin SHOULD be charitably tossing votes around the new posts pages so noobs can have votes on their stuff and feel happy. Not at all. I'm just observing the stark difference in voting habits, posting habits and rate of posting. The "New posts" Section simply cannot handle it and as a result, many new posts from authors with small followings get even less of a chance to be noticed than before.
This isn't a problem so much as it is an opportunity for expansion. Maybe the devs didn't think the site would be such a big hit, or maybe they have something up their sleeves to deal with all of this. However, steemit is now tougher for new users in two ways and I hope the noobs can recognize this and adapt.
How can they adapt?
Well, interaction and proper promotion, like the experienced users are always parroting. Though I admit, when you first join a site, expecting to rake in some serious cash by just writing a few words and posting a couple cat pics, only to be hit with a situation that needs to be strategized carefully, your motivation can take a hit. I hope this does not happen to new users here. I believe Steemit needs a larger user base to grow more so something needs to be done about this current situation.
For now, I'm trying to grab as many noobs as I can by the collar and put them on a ledge a little bit removed from drowning in confusion and I know many other steemians are too :) Let's show the noobs that we are a community and we are here to support each other. There are many Support Groups trying to assist new users and doing an awesome job at it, though I think they can be overstressed too since they have limited number of votes to toss around as well.
To new users, slow down and give the site a chance before you start spam begging for votes, we understand your position, however, the solution for you is not a randomly gifted vote. We want the site to grow and you along with it so we ALL can benefit more value from it.
Have a little patience and READ,READ,READ!!! One thing I can say about steemit is that the Devs really ARE dedicated to making this a success for us all and they are working hard at it! So don't give up and don't be afraid to ask questions, we are here for you!
