A lot of new Steemians seem to think it is okay to randomly DM (direct message) other people soliciting upvotes and follows. I suspect the problem is even worse for whales, orcas and dolphins. It is not cool people, there are ways of getting upvotes and follows without pissing other people off.

I’ve noticed this seems to be a bigger problem with steemit.chat than with discord but that will likely change over time.

Today I’ve twice come across posts warning people of an emerging scam using DM. The scammer gets a name very close to the name of a whale, then DMs unsuspecting Steemians offering to give them a huge upvote in return for sending them payment.

The two posts I’ve come across are here and here. Don’t forget to give them an upvote for their public service of warning the rest of us.

As for those who DM me asking for upvotes and follows. I have a policy I share with them. IF I look at their post, I will downvote them and not follow them. For some reason, most people I share that offer with decline having me look at their post.

If you wish to share a post with me for consideration for the Ramble, visit my discord server found at the bottom of this post. I prefer you nominate someone else’s post before you nominate yourself. It’s the polite thing to do.

Onward to today’s rambling

Steemit Blogger Central's New Steemian of the Week Contest

This is an interesting post from the Steemit Bloger Central discord server. Just by participating and using the steemitbc tag you can gain points towards becoming the Steemian of the Week. Could be a bit of fun.

What If Dreams Are A Dimension To Our Other Life?

I don’t know about you, but dreamlife is an interesting subject. What triggers our dreams is the subject of many a study. @suicidalviral explores the nature of dreams.

The other night, I became aware of what I thought was a dream, I could hear the voice of a friend I’ve made on Steemit. My mind asked why would I be hearing this person in my dreams? How odd that seemed to me.

Turned out, I wasn’t dreaming, I was hearing him talking on discord. When I closed my laptop it didn’t go into sleep mode as it was supposed to. Now, that was a ‘dream’ I understood the source of.

Zappl Open Beta Postponed Till Sept 18th

This is a project I have been watching to start. It was supposed to be out in Beta today but they apparently ran into some problems so, it has been delayed until next Monday. If you’re wondering what Zappl is, think of the blockchain version of Twitter built on the STEEM blockchain.

Where does the money come from - Investors

I love the way @whatsup breaks the technical down to the common denominator that the average person can wrap their head around. She’s applied that ability to explaining where the crypto money comes from.

My eldest brother, who does a lot of investing in stocks and commodities, has asked me a few times about where the money comes from. The last time he asked, I turned it around and asked where the money for the dollar comes from and how it can have value. When he finished explaining about currency trading, I nodded and told him he pretty much answered his own question.

Cryptos with Coin Cashflow Part 1

This post was nominated by @enginewitty. Thank you for the nomination

If you are on Steemit, active and haven’t become curious about how to make money through cryptocurrencies, I’d be surprised. I had barely heard about cryptocurrency when I first found Steemit. I sort of vaguely remembered something about bitcoin but the concept of other coins even existing was unheard of for me.

It took me a couple of weeks to even jump into writing on Steemit and a few months before I ventured into playing around with the crypto markets. I still don’t do much in them yet but I really enjoy spending time playing there.

@cryptoandzen writes about his explorations in the cryptoworld and some of the ways to earn passive income from them. Interesting reading and always lots to learn.

If You Don’t Like Your Dreams — Change Them. Journey of a Lucid Dreamer #2 (Dream With Me)

This post was nominated by @enginewitty. Thank you for the nomination

@avesa shares her efforts to experience Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming (WILD). She explains what it is, how to trigger it and talks about her experiences along with sharing some of her dream journals. Interesting post.

Steemit Core Value - Kindness is as Important as Greatness

This post was nominated by @inquiringtimes. Thank you for the nomination

@steemitph writes an interesting discussion on the goodness of people and if that forms a core value here on Steemit. There is a 5 minutes video which you should pause long enough to watch as it does inform the discussion.

For all the complaining I see about some perceived as gaming the system, there are way more people here on Steemit who are working to do good things for the platform in their own way.

Your Values might be what's holding you back from Success on Steemit

While we’re on the subject of values here on Steemit, @inquiringtimes seems to have the subject on his mind in his own post. Sadly we often see the green eyed monster of jealousy of other people’s success here on Steemit.

Don’t let it convince you that it is normal here on Steemit. The vast majority of those who get even moderate success here on the platform, give value. Value can come in many forms. Value is not just what has a dollar sign attached to. @inquiringtimes talks about this and the importance of embracing the giving of value, not expecting to received.

What is that Zig Ziglar quote? Something along the line of “If you give people what they want, you will get what you want”. It might not be today, tomorrow or next week, but it will come if you give without expectation.

FACE your MONSTERS!

We all have fears and insecurities. Most people shy away from admitting them even to their self let alone talking to someone else about them. @jaynie talks about tackling and facing the fears, insecurities and monsters in our lives.

Seablue Journal: The Lesson of the Falcon

While @seablue has nominated some other writers recently, he missed nominating himself for this post. I found it anyways.

He writes his thoughts as he watched a falcon circling as he (@seablue that is) enjoyed a cigar in his yard. There is a lovely connection with the actions of the falcon and what we need to do in our lives. Nicely done.

MSP 2.0- We're Steemit Official!

This is an announcement post from @minnowsupport that their work has been recognized by Steemit Inc through being added to the Steemit welcome page as a place for newbies to come and get help on learning how to use Steemit.

Mike's Writing Challenge Week #2 - The First 34 Days Of Steem

@lordmok explores 34 days on Steemit from the heady enthusiasm of day 1 through to the realization of the coming addiction at day 34.

Steemit Gems - Interview with @papa-pepper

I’ve followed the adventures of @papa-pepper since my earliest days on the platform. I still learned some new things about him from @jasonshick’s interview with him.

Super Awesome Friends Time (with bonus poem!)

@battleaxe has been keeping us aware in Steemspeak of the impending arrival of Irma this past week or so. She is in the Florida area. She didn’t leave, she not only hunkered down but she opened her home for people coming from more threatened areas. This post is a bit of a wrap up letting us know she’s come through the storm and lived to tell about it.

Ribs on the smoker!!

I love ribs, smoked, bbq, braised.. You name it. I love ribs,so, @holbein81 hit it right with this post. I have seen those smokers in action, they do produce some wonderful food dishes.

Buildawhale Curation Digest 9/12/17

There is a certain humour when the curator becomes the curated. @buildawhale very kindly included the Steemit Ramble in their curation digest today. Thank you @buildawhale.

Wrap-up on Day 120

It has been an interesting day around Steemit today. Explored lots of posts, was locked out of Discord for a bit. Apparently I managed to trigger some automatic security features. Their customer service was great, I was back on within a few hours.

Supporting and Upvoting

Let’s not forget folks. I’m sharing these posts not only because I like them. I’d really like to see them get support and upvoting.

Nominate Your Favourite Post

With all the chaff that I end up trying to sift through each time I sit down to do the Steemit Ramble, I think it is time to give you dear reader an opportunity to nominate your favourite reads.

Just visit the Steemit Ramble Discord and post the link in the Nominate-A-Post Channel.

This is NOT an invite to SPAM!

As much as you may love your own post, I am really looking for someone else to say, “Hey, I like this post, have a look”. When I post a Steemit Ramble, that is what I’m telling my readers.

Once you’ve shared someone else’s post, you’ll be given access to a channel where you can share your own posts for me to consider them. It’s only fair for you to have the chance.

Still Pending Posts

I hope you enjoyed reading my post. Below are the posts still pending payout as of the time of the writing. I invite you to visit the posts and upvote them if you like them:

September 5 -- Steemit Ramble #117 -- Curating Great Posts for You
I Promise I'm Not A Crazy Cat Lady -- Crazy Maybe :)
September 7 -- Steemit Ramble #118 -- Curating Great Posts for You
Suicide is a Truly Dark Dark Place
September 10 -- Steemit Ramble #119 -- Curating Great Posts for You

Please Join the Curation Trail

If you’d like to support the posts I find and upvote while searching for the Ramble shares, please join my Curation Trail on Streemian

September 12 -- Steemit Ramble #120 -- Curating Great Posts for You