Dog walk diaries: the social chill

It is getting pretty chilly here now, it is close to zero and is dropping into the minuses overnight. I think I am going to have to start wearing a jacket when walking the dog and gloves which will make it harder to write.

Lately, there have been quite a few posts about Steem not being social and I wonder if that is a common experience caused by the design or, if it is due to the way various people use it.

From the very start, I think I have been far more active here than on other platforms and my depth off engagement has been greater. There is almost no way I would be posting such lengthy articles even on Medium and, there is even less chance I would put as much effort into replies.

The rewards are one thing but the sense of being part of the development of the platform provides a very compelling environment in my opinion. It also seems that others feel much the same and those who care somewhat about the future here take a lot of time discussing it on chain and off.

I wonder how much of the 'anti-social' experiences people have here is in the approach to and expectations of the platform. If someone wants to be part of a community, especially one that is in its infancy, time and effort are required to engage and build.

One could say that due to my level here, it is different for me and perhaps it is now but, if people haven't noticed I do my best to engage with everyone and get to know quite a few. What I notice is that the ones who consistently comment and post also begin to build strong conversations under their posts in time also if they have found their niche and joined various communities.

People forget that social medias like Facebook are built primarily by leveraging real-world networks. This will happen here more once RCs are able to be used to on-board and delegate for bandwidth. When hivemind communities are implemented, this should see that personal network leveraging happen.

I had a friend who used to dance but she would complain every night about not being asked by men to the dance floor. She would sit in the corner with a sour look on her face and when she was asked, would never look like she was enjoying herself. She would then spend her time complaining about the quality of the dancers, to their face. She was cold and no one would ever live up to her level of expectation. She was also lonely.

If one approach this place in the same way and rather than build relationships all that passes the lips are complaints about what it is not, whether right or wrong, people get tired of asking for a dance. This effect is even greater when the content and topics have no personal aspects to them which is often the case for anonymous accounts. It is hard to be continually social with strangers one feels no connection with which is why the chat conversations are such important aspects here.

Of course, engaging doesn't guarantee support and who one engages with is also important. Some spend their time on whales pages and wonder why they don't make connections. Unless you are bringing something valuable to the conversation at hand, the chances are it will be ignored. With the volume of comments, the chances are it will be ignored anyway. Part of the lack of social interaction here is because people target their comments for reward, not or of interest for the content.

There are many sides to this discussion but my hand is freezing already so I will continue it later in the comments section of anyone is interested. For those that do comment, read other people's comments and discuss with them also and check out their blogs. I don't think people understand the value of the space under the posts, it is where networks are built.

And where friends are found.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
_{(posted from phone)}