Most of the major social media platforms have their "thing" that makes them unique/interesting/different. There is a reason that people sign up for a Facebook account, and a Twitter account, and an Instagram account, etc. Each one of the platforms offers something unique that makes their users want to join.
I have been trying to think about what is Steem's "thing"?
There is the obvious theme that we often use to recruit new users - this is a place where users can "post content" and "(potentially) earn money". There are many other sub-themes as well, such as "joining a great community", and "becoming part of a revolution", etc. All of these are great, but are they going to be the reason the masses join?
I think one of the really interesting things that makes our platform and community unique is our ability to debate topics. Having money involved of course makes it more interesting.
Usually our debates are about Steem topics (such as the acceptance of a new hardfork feature, or how the community should handle flagging and various forms of abuse, etc.). Even though these debates may not be super interesting for non-Steemians, we are pretty good at debating.
If we could find a way to expand this mode of engaged dialogue into a wider variety of topics, we may have our "thing".
Our ability to engage in conversation on controversial topics along with a rewards mechanism built in for those who contribute could draw a lot of new users in.
After all, who doesn't have an opinion on things?
I'd like to experiment with a new concept - Join the discussion
How to grow the #discussion tag
- Tag posts that are intended to spark an engaging conversation with #discussion.
- Browse the #discussion tag to find topics you are interested in discussing.
- Engage in the conversations within the #discussion posts.
- Spend time to upvote users that are engaging thoughtful discussion within the #discussion posts.
Tips for starting a good #discussion post
- Find a good thumbnail image that catches the viewer's attention.
(You can use Pixabay if you are looking for CCO images.) - Create an interesting title that draws the reader in.
- Provide any necessary background info about the topic.
- Make it clear what is being discussed / what input is needed.
- Let people know that you are looking for thoughtful responses/comments.
- Take the time to engage with the discussion.
- Possibly create a regular (daily or weekly) series.
- Foster good responses by giving strong upvotes proportional to quality.
Closing Notes
- This is a grassroots effort. We will start small, and will hopefully draw in more people.
- I will be spending a lot of my time and voting power browsing the #discussion tag to try and incentivize more participation. I encourage others to do the same.
- Thanks to @pfunk for helping to brainstorm!
- Please everyone help spread the word so we can get more people involved :)
If you have any suggestions on how we can grow the #discussion tag, please share in the comments below.