Hello my friends and followers!
Yesterday was the 15th of May, 2017.
It was the single BEST day I've had on Steemit.
I'd like to share with you the metrics of my best day, as well as some ruminations I've had about the platform of Steemit and what its potential impact might be for average, unskilled people like me.
The posts
First, here's what I posted yesterday, with metrics:
| Title | Upvotes | Comments | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| "it's Too Volatile" | 41 | 4 | $5.16 |
| Weekly STEEMIT Progress Report | 69 | 17 | $47.45 |
| STEEMIT: The Only Place Where ... | 100 | 21 | $49.71 |
| Vote for STEEM In The BTCC ... | 93 | 13 | $72.86 |
| Why I Am A Peaceful Parent | 141 | 34 | $141.59 |
| When You Have A Good Day ... | 77 | 17 | $12.80 |
| Breaking: Seth Rich had ... | 96 | 12 | $40.57 |
| TOTAL | 617 | 118 | $370.14 |
| AVERAGE | 88 | 17 | $52.88 |
My thoughts about these numbers
I'll be honest, this is really good.
Of course the money looks good. If I worked a job that paid me $370 per day, that would be, what... $1,850 per week, $7,400 per month, $88,800 per year.
According to the US Census Bureau, the estimated real median household income in America, 2015 was $55,775.
Let that sink in for a second.
Now, I know that it's highly unlikely that I'll be able to sustain these sorts of numbers in the short-term. But over a period of time, it doesn't seem unfeasible depending on the strength of the Steem currency and prevalence of the Steemit platform, that I could reach these numbers on a regular basis if I really worked at it.
As far as the other metrics, I'm very impressed with the comments.
I love getting comments on my blog. You guys are great, and Steemit has a qualitatively better user-base than other social media platforms.
There are other blogs here on Steemit that do well with the $$$s, but when you look at their viewer numbers and engagement, it's not what you would expect. It's clear that there are some accounts that are targeted by whale aggregation programs and are voted up for passive curation rewards (if this is a real thing and you know more about it, please let me know below).
So what I'm saying is that I'm very happy that you guys are actually consuming what I'm producing here. I've never used another publishing platform that gave me such exposure and even rewarded me financially for working hard.
A proud and telling moment re: Steemit Circlejerk
There's a fear of the Steemit Circlejerk cannibalizing the platform.
However, as you can see in the table above, my best performing post on my best performing day had nothing to do with Steemit or Steem, and in fact was about a deeply personal view on parenting. And In the middle of that list there is another post about a breaking news event that did just about as well as other well-performing posts.
What I get out of this is that people are actually hungry for real views on Steemit. They appreciate the topics that discuss the nuances of the platform, yes, but they also want to hear your views on politics, art, music, technology, cooking, ecology, etc.
This is a good sign that, even in the middle of a Steemit bull-run, non-Steemit content holds a strong place in the general infrastructure of content creation.
What can Steemit do for regular people?
Well, before I get into this, I'd like you to keep in mind that I haven't invested any money into Steem or Steemit. Everything I have here is 100% earned and not bought. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with buying influence here on Steemit, but not everyone has money to invest (like me), and I think I can act as a case-study for how someone can lift themselves out of poverty using Steemit.
The reality is that there are places in the world where people have next to nothing. It's nearly impossible for them to make enough money to get by on a daily basis, let alone think about upward career mobility. I'm talking about places in the 3rd world, not just struggling Western cultures.
This is where Steemit comes in.
It is potentially possible for a single person in an impoverished place of the world, if they were able to get a hold of a laptop and a regular internet connection, to spend a month building up an account on Steemit and be making enough to feed their family -- just by posting stuff online.
It might be far-fetched, but it's possible. That might even be something that the Steemit community would want to look into: paying for "Steemit Stations" across the world that host technology oasis's where people can have regular access to a computer and an internet connection, and build up their Steemit accounts.
I don't know. I'm just spit-balling.
But what this could mean for the average Westerner in poverty is quite substantial.
What if, instead of "getting an entry level-job", young people just posted on Steemit? That would be a much better use of their time, energy, and talents. I know that not everyone is a writer, but that doesn't matter, because that's not what blogging is about any more. I'm not a writer by any stretch of the imagination and I'm still finding a way to make this thing work.
Managing a quality Steemit account would teach young people WAY more than an entry-level job flipping burgers or cleaning floors. You learn things like networking, customer satisfaction, income flow, resource management, investing, research, video production, editing, etc. And most importantly, entrepreneurship. These are skills that can be assembled into a set that actually makes you a marketable asset in an economy.
And for people struggling to get by, Steemit offers the BEST part-time "job" that anyone could ask for. Sure, you have to be of a certain personality type to do well on Steemit, but most people who don't like the idea of working a part-time job to supplement their income is probably the right fit for this place. Steemit could potentially help get thousands of people out of debt, simply by talking about things that interest them on a platform that values personal authenticity and effort.
So what's the real lesson of the day?
Well, probably that Steemit is a game-changer.
This is a platform that can completely disrupt the established systems in our economy. Just think about it. On Steemit you are beholden to no boss -- just your audience -- so you cannot be fired for arbitrary reasons. You also can't be demonetized simply because an ad network doesn't philosophically or politically agree with the nature of your content. Young people would no longer feel compelled to go into debt, because there would be publishing systems in place that could be used to establish a money-earning network for their intellectual or commercial efforts in a matter of months (as opposed to years of school, years of entry-level, and eventually...), so no more student loan debt.
This really is a disruptive innovation the likes of which we have never seen and do not fully understand.
This is an amazing time to be alive, and you in are an amazing place, here on Steemit, where you can watch the future unfold before your eyes.
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