This is who I am.
So I talked to @catweasel about his (reported and perhaps highly exaggerated claims of) membership in The Alliance. I have to say he was less than helpful. But suddenly, there was @enginewitty with a kind invitation into their applications channel. Thank heaven for people in my life besides @catweasel ... he's never any help. (This instance was no exception.)
So ... I need to answer three questions. How did I find The Alliance? Why do I want to be there? What qualities do I have that would make me a valued member of the family? Then post it in their channel. Here goes.
Seriously, I heard about The Alliance in passing several times before the reference stuck -- like having to hear a commercial several times before you remember what it's for. Then ... @catweasel and I began doing a curation project of our own. It's called The Magnificent Seven ... and it's kind of an offshoot of the work I do (and that he impedes) at The STEEM Engine -- another group on Steemit and in Discord.
One day very soon after we started ... @mariannewest showed up with The Alliance tagged in her comment ... telling us about some good but highly undervalued authors she thought we might want to have a look at. Her recommendations were always golden ... and frankly I'd like her to come back more often.
I asked @catweasel if he knew anything about The Alliance and to my astonishment, he claimed to be a member. This must have happened one afternoon when my back was turned. I swear I knew nothing about this. Please don't hold it against me.
So ... occasionally I would ask him about the group -- but, again, he's never any help. I try not to talk to him more than necessary. Then this evening he sent me an article from @enginewitty about The Alliance itself ... and that rekindled my interest. So ... forgetting my previous disappointments, I once again broached the topic of The Alliance with @catweasel ... and asked if he was still a member ... what the requirements were to participate ... if he could procure an invitation. Most of all I wanted to know if I needed to disavow all knowledge of him if they consented to let me in. (I'm still not sure about that one.)
Presto ... here comes an invitation from @enginewitty himself ... and I hadn't even had a chance to post my effusive complimentary comment on his blog. (The man may have missed out on some major ass-kissing. Maybe that was his whole point!)
Why do I want to be there? (I'm not entirely sure I do. My relationship with @catweasel has already been revealed, and I'm not sure that works in my favor. I'll have to soldier on, however.) Having read what @enginewitty wrote about The Alliance and how it came to be, it sounds like exactly the kind of philosophy I hold ... and live by ... and the kind of work I do that aims to improve the world ... and Steemit ... and humanity in general.
People helping people (as opposed to all the alternatives) is, in my mind, the only decent thing to do. Groups that operate from this foundation ... have my heart already. If I can lend my support to members here, I'd like the opportunity to do that. (Don't make me sit at the same lunch table as @catweasel though unless he promises to wear the new flea collar I bought him. There are reasons for this requirement!!)
Also ... the idea of a consortium of good content creators is like a magnet. I'm constantly on the prowl for good stuff. A concentrated collection of it would be like a goldmine ... a dream come true. It would also make my life a whole lot easier!! (Truth in advertising. I have ulterior motives for wanting to get a look at your creators. I need more quality people to follow ... and there are nights when I think if I have to look at one more sh*tpost I'm going to hang myself. Honestly.)
So ... that's why I want to be admitted ... as far as they'll let me go.
Now ... what qualities do I have that would make me a valued member of the family? Well, I'm a pretty good writer. I type fast. (as opposed to @catweasel whom you could time with a sundial.) I've been known to help people ... in life, in my profession (as a writer, teacher and astrologer). I'm the curator for The STEEM Engine group, for our joint project mentioned above, and I recently started a small private project of my own called The Inbox Runneth Over. (So I'm always looking for quality work!!) That last one is so new that it's only got one issue so far (hence my search for more content!!)
These three projects each have a slightly different underlying theme -- and can accommodate a wide range of styles, topics and talents. (Sometimes in there I also get a blog post of my own written.) I'm very busy, it's true. So I may not have a lot of time to just hang out and chat. But when I take up a project, I'm reliable, my work is good, and if I promise to accomplish something I will either succeed or die trying. I have learned that all these qualities are less common than one would hope ... but I'll keep holding to my standards, believing they make a difference ... somehow.
One of the best pieces of advice (cliché though it may be at this point) is Gandhi's directive that, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." Today's world needs a whole lot of change ... and course correction. This movement progresses ... one person at a time.
I hope you will give my application favorable consideration. Thank you for reading.
P.S. I can get other references if you need them. From people more reputable than a certain someone mentioned here ... repeatedly.