RE: We are promoting Steemit the wrong way. Here is what you need to know...
I guess I missed all the ads for Steemit, so I arrived thinking it was a blogging platform that would allow me to get paid for my articles. I know I'm a good writer, and at that time expected I'd have to work hard to grow a following to get my articles seen, because I've already blogged on Medium and Huffington Post, and had to there. Even when I guest blog for a publication I have to promote my own articles, so that was assumed by me when I came. Hence, I've started promoting myself with bots from the start and am about to also buy some delegated SP.
I've also started inviting other spiritual writers I know to come join me here. I've been teaching them the ropes so they can get off to a strong start the way I have. I'm a total newbie, not even a minnow, on here just 2 weeks, yet I have dolphins and even whales following me! So I know from experience there is a way to succeed on here even if you arriving knowing no one and have very little money you can invest. (I traded $200 of other crypto I had to buy STEEM to powerup and SBD to pay bots.)
I've got a couple really long articles on all of this, so I won't try to rewrite 5000 words in this comment. Long story short, it is good to attract serious writers to this platform, but show them the ropes if you do. But we must definitely not be telling people they can come and just click for cash!
Yeah, you are living the life of an elite content creator! 😀
Seriously, as you said it, you were already used to create content. Most people aren't.
I don't want to say, that special people like @gillianpearce above are not able to create good content or not eager to learn more about the marketing part - there are these people for sure - it's just that most consumers won't bother and won't have this motivation. I don't think, that we should automatically assume, that then we need more education for them. I propose to question, how we see Steemit as a platform and what our goals are.
Maybe Steemit was never made as a consumer platform like Facebook?
When this is clear, our take on marketing becomes a different one...
I agree. I guess I've just never come across the "click for cash" marketing angle that tells people to make money here curating. As you said, the only way that works is if you're a whale and are always upvoting only your own comments and ample posts! That's just gaming the platform.
This is a place where good content creators can get paid for creating. I think that's the selling angle that's true. But it still requires doing that well for the way the platform works. And I think it also requires a little upfront investment of your own cash, like any business would.