One thing I really love about the Steem platform is that you don’t need to have many followers in order to feel appreciated and be rewarded for the effort you have put in into creating a post. Sure like any other social sites, if you are just starting out then chances are you’d probably go unnoticed for a day, a week or even a month. But if we are to compare Steem to other blogging platforms like WordPress, then with just the right amount of social interaction (added with some luck) it is far more easier to gain a follower base here compared to other platforms.
The hardest thing for a newbie blogger is gaining an audience. No matter how interesting you think your topic is or how good you think you are at writing and capturing an audience attention, it all wouldn’t matter if no one will be reading it, even more so if you don’t have that much friends who knows the link to your blog and people who just happens to have some free time to visit and read your blog posts.
What I am trying to say here is that for a newbie blogger like me, Steem is the perfect platform to start, try things out and improve your writing without fear of being scrutinized that much. My initial plan (and currently is still what I’m doing) is to only write posts as a way of passing some time while sharing some things I am passionate about. Never did I expect that by doing so I would be earning some cash in return. Right now even with the disappointing price of Steem/SBD lately, I am still averaging at $2-$5 per post and in some lucky days even $10-$15+. I think this is much much more than what my blogger friends are earning on their blogs.
As much as I love the Steem platform I also have some issues about it, one of which is how blog posts are being displayed. Right now, most if not all Steem related platforms (steemit, busy, esteem) display posts in a single-line style. There is just no way to properly organize and categorize posts.
As someone who writes on a variety of topics (Steemtools, Anime, Television, Gaming, Technology) this is more or less an issue. Most of my Steemtool reviews have been proven to have helped new and even experienced Steemians and I think most of the people following me are because of those posts. However lately since I have been busy, some of my blog posts now have turned into personal ones (rants). I honestly want people to know me as someone who writes helpful posts and not just an opinionated someone on the platform. In short, what I want is a somewhat way to organize posts so that people know where to look for helpful posts they would expect from an author.
Introducing SteemPress!
The above issue can easily be solved by using WordPress. WordPress have so much flexibility on how you organize and categorize your blog posts. But as I’ve said, if you are a newbie blogger who wants to immediately have an audience or earn some little cash fast, then the Steem platform is much much better for you. SteemPress is a plugin that closes the gap between Steem and WordPress and was created by @howo and @fredrikaa. The basic idea is that whenever you write a blog post on WordPress, it will also be automatically be posted on the Steem blockchain. Pretty cool right?!
Another issue I have with the Steem platform is the 7day reward system. On Steem, you are only given 7days for your post to earn, no matter how many people upvote/like your post after 7 days, you will no longer be rewarded monetarily. This seems kind of unfair if you are doing “tutorials” that might not be too trendy right now but will probably be popular in the future. With SteemPress, since you basically have two blogs now (WordPress and Steem), you can still potentially earn in the long run since that is what the blogging platform WordPress is designed for.
What is Vornix?
I’ve first heard about SteemPress weeks ago after it got a 1Million Steem Power delegation. I’m not gonna lie and go ahead say that I was immediately tempted to try it because of its current Steem Power. What exactly does it feel to be upvoted by an account with a 1Million Steem Power? But the moment I signed up for a WordPress account and tried to install the said plugin, this was what I saw:
In order to install a plugin, one must first upgrade to the Business plan. While the prices are quite affordable (I mean I am usually getting $2(P100)-$5(P250) or even more per day here) I am just not too comfortable purchasing things like this with real money.
Where does Vornix fit into all these? Vornix is a new initiative with the aim to support minnows by providing an affordable WordPress hosting plan. Created by @jrvacation, @fr3eze and @seandeanayao. It is a hassle-free solution for WordPress hosting service.
If you are like me who doesn’t have a WordPress account or is someone who have a WordPress account but do not have the ability to install new plugins. Then for a fee of only 3SBD, you can now have your own subdomain under vornix.blog if you just want to try things out. It is also worth to note that you can always migrate the contents to your main domain later if you do wish so.
If all things go well after this post is successfully published both on my WordPress and on the Steem blockchain (I scheduled this one to be posted on Steem 30minutes after WordPress, let’s see how that one goes). I would be doing a separate tutorial from the top as to how I did everything from payment to @vornix(If they don’t have a wordpress business account) upto the successful publication of this post both on Steem and in WordPress for my blogger friends to see and try. I am just that kind of person who needs to try something first before recommending a certain tool or platform to someone. That way if they have questions, I can be more of help to them than more theoretical solutions. XD
Also I would be migrating some of my Steemtools review on my WordPress blog for an easy viewing. So you guys check that out if you have some time. Right now, my blog is all dark solid colors because I’m just too lazy to design it atm. Cheers!
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://jlordc.vornix.blog/2018/06/27/trying-wordpress-steempress-and-vornix-all-for-the-first-time/