RE: Success On Steemit - Is It Really All About Who I Know?
"I had hoped that posting original and quality content would be at the heart of making me and Steemit a success, but I think I'm right in saying that it really is more about who you know than posting good quality posts."
I reckon it depends on your definition of success. If you wanna make money, well, there are ways to do that, but your content isn't necessarily the key to it. If you wanna learn and embrace a community of like minded folks, again, that's very doable but not necessarily dependent on your content.
I am very successful on Steem, but I don't give money much thought, and I don't mean financially. I like to speak my mind and get my ideas shredded - which a lot of folks are happy to do. Being criticized is the best way I know to learn I am wrong, so I can stop being wrong as quickly as possible, in as many ways as possible.
Nifty thing about Steem is that it is so many things to so many people.
Figger out what you want, and design your interactions accordingly.
I certainly have joined the Steemit community to make money but I am also here to contribute, build constructive relationships and share content that I hope has wide appeal. It's interesting that my content might not be the way to making money as you outline, and I think this is what I am trying to figure out most. I do completely agree with you in the sense that being honest, no matter what that looks like, will ensure you come across as sincere and with that sincerity your unique pathway is opened up in the community. Hopefully travelling down that path is the way to success on this platform, in every meaning of the word success.
Something I neglected to mention is that diffusion takes time. Your good content will not be seen by everyone on Steem the minute you post it. As you gain followers, and attract attention to your account by reaching out and commenting on other's posts you find interesting or have valuable information to share regarding, you'll gain eyeballs on your content.
You won't get rich off it if no one sees it, and when you first post here almost no one sees it. You probably know this by now, but it'll take time to reach your audience here, just as it does everywhere else.
Here's hoping for your success, however you define it.