Content Discovery Pains

One of the things that was broken on this supposed "proof-of-brain" platform is content discovery. The 50/50 + free downvotes hardforks brought some kind of improvement to this, but it's really not totally fixed yet.

As things stand, If I create a brand new account today and post the same exact article on this account and the new one, the post on this adetorrent account will more than likely get a lot more attention and upvotes than the new one, which it should. However, in a true POB system, some of the reasons why it will get more upvotes shouldn't exist.

First of all, in the above scenario, one of the votes could possibly be chastised for plagiarism. It should, in theory, being the exact same content. If not for plagiarism, then at least for spam, seeing that it's posting the same content within the same payment window. Some entities on here frown on that.

Let's say somehow, these two posts are able to exist simultaneously, while not being spam nor plagiarism. Let's live in that mental world for the purpose of this article.

Given that, here are some of the reasons why the adetorrent post will earn more, and get more engagement.

1. More followers: The older account has been around for nearly two years and has been very actively posting daily, sometimes twice or three times a day. As a result, it has accumulated many followers over the years.

2. Networking: This is the big one. It's not just the number of followers that matters here on Steem, unlike on other platforms. It's *who" is following you. If you're being followed by larger accounts with a higher voting power, you're more likely to get higher votes as they are more likely to actually see your posts. This is not to be confused with "circle jerking".
In this case, there's no quid pro quo.

This is one advice I always give to new Steemians. Networking is even more important here on Steem than creating quality content, especially when you're new. If you ever get a chance to attend a meetup, or even SteemFest, I highly recommend it. If for anything, go for the networking opportunities.

At times the Steem community might seem like a group of circle-jerkers to those that haven't made networking connections on the platform. While cj groups exist, many of the supposed 'clicks' are just folk that have met each other in real life and have spent some time together and become friends. So, rather than cry about it, you can make friends of your own. It surely helps.

3. Curation rewards: This is a result of the design of the platform. The higher the upvotes, the more curation reports are there for other curators to partake in. If a whale votes highly on a post, it is likely to draw more upvotes from others due to the prospect of higher curation rewards. It was that way before the last hardforks, and it's even more significant now with the non-linear system.

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The exception.

With #newSteem, an incentive has been created for very large accounts, whales and former bidbots alike, to go out and seek out quality content to upvote. There are two benefits of doing this from their point of view.

The first is that if the content is of a high quality, it is more likely to be upvoted by other high stake accounts too, creating more income. It is also less likely to be downvoted by other larger stake accounts.

The second benefit is that quality content gets a better chance at the trending page, which is our out-facing side to the world. This will go to not only improve the first impressions of our platform, but also help draw in high quality content creators from outside - new and returnees alike.

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The resistance.

Unfortunately we're not all on the same page in terms of #newSteem. There are people who object or disagree with this path, and think it will lead to the demise of the platform. They're not necessarily malicious, they also want the best for Steem, they just don't agree that this is the way. They are understandably putting up a bit of a fight either passively by apathy, or actively by going against the grain. If you ask me, I think this is a healthy and necessary balance.

There is, however, a more cynical bunch too. I think for many of these actors, #newSteem has hit them directly where it hurts - in the pocket. One could understand the negative reaction to someone taking away a sweet system of mostly passive income you had set up. Nobody would like that. However if the betterment of the entire platform, or even its actual survival is what is at stake, then I think these actors need to grow up and stop being infantile.

It's not a war. What's the point of that? It's an attempt to improve the platform so that everyone (and not just your small group) wins.

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Peace and Love ✌🏿
Adé

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