Want to be Successful on Steemit? Be a Farmer, not a Hunter
Hello Friends!
One of the things that I feel like we spend a lot of time explaining as a community - is that Steemit is not a "Get rich quick" scheme and that people cannot expect to start earning thousands of dollars right off the bat. People can often get frustrated when their posts don't earn much right away... or even in the first few months.
I think one of the most powerful ways to make a point stand out is through story and analogy. I hope this analogy helps this concept to sink in a little deeper, and may be something we can use when explaining it to newer users.
The Hunter vs. The Farmer Mindset
In this vlog, I dig into the details on each mindset - but here is a high level overview.
The Hunter expects to go out and kill it right away. Some days they may get lucky and be able to feast...but there will also be a lot of famine. On Steemit, I would equate this to those who throw up content and hope and pray someone discovers them and gives them a vote. Yes, this happens sometimes, but it is not the most sustainable approach.
The Farmer takes the time to sow his seeds, water and care for the plants and take the time to watch it grow. On Steemit, this is people who consistently post good content and take the time to cultivate a community around them. They take the time to invest in others. It will take longer for them to feast on the fruits of their labor, but they will have built something that is sustainable and has roots.
I hope you guys found this video helpful in someway. Maybe next time you are explaining the concept of slow, but steady progress - this analogy may help drive the point home.
Thanks so much for listening! <3
xo, Lea
▶️ DTube
▶️ IPFS
Great ideas. @coruscate
You sound like Ivan Misner.
Are you a member of BNI?
Oh cool! I have never heard of him before, but glancing at the topics in his videos, I think I would enjoy channel! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome. @coruscate
A local Washington BNI chapter would be useful for you to farm.
I’m totally the farmer. Mostly because I have the farmers tan already perfected. Okay who am I kidding, a farmers tan would actually be an improvement!
Hahaha you and me both! Don’t you live in California? Haha This Washington girl hasn’t seen the sun in ages. I’ve got a couple trips planned to see the sunshine soon though! Vegas for the creators conference then Palm Springs with some friends. Can’t wait for waaaarm weather!
Ha ha I do live in CA but I never leave home!! Especially when there is Door Dash:)
I'm not big on watching videos so I'll assume it's good. I appreciate the fact that you always give at least a synopsis is of your video as part of your post so I don't actually have to go watch them.
It's kind of fun to watch the Hunters scurrying around trying desperately to get attention.
YES! Your comment actually means a lot to me. I always do a written synopsis because I work on the assumption that there are plenty of people who would prefer not to watch a video. Your the first person to really confirm that for me though - so thank you!
I rarely watch videos either. If someone can't take a minute to tell me what is in the video first there is zero chance I'll give them the time of day. With a quick overview I can at least decide if it's worth my time...most of the time it isn't. Sorry but nobody talking is interesting enough to keep my attention for 5-15 minutes. I can read everything they want to convey in way less time and never have to deal with the showmanship that so many vloggers get into. Want info, not entertainment.
BTW, great post! Couldn't agree more on the analogy used.
Thanks for your input @thedarkhorse! That is super helpful. Even though I am personally someone who does like to watch videos - I couldn’t agree more about them needing some kind of overview. Like you said... how are you supposed to know if you even want to watch it??
I figure we are all busy, and we don’t all have time to stop and watch a video... so giving people the opportunity to skim the main points from the vlog won’t hurt.
Thanks again for your two cents! It really is helpful for me.
Videos are great if there is a purpose. So is there something that can't easily be shared in text or something that just is easier to comprehend if you see it. So a video on a cooking technique or a video about a resort are ones I'm likely to watch vs one that is just info that could have been written and the video serves no purpose in enhancing my experience.
Hope that makes sense and only sharing as maybe it will spark an idea or two for you. If not worst case you spent 20 seconds reading my thoughts.
Anyways thanks for taking the time to respond to my comment. Always like to see that out of posters. Engagement with your audience is always a smart thing.
You are welcome! I almost never watch a video, they take too much bandwidth/data and the noise is rude when there are other people in the room. :) Glad I could confirm your suspicions!
Most people don't know they're hunters, however the ones that are farmers never get to tell a hunter that he needs to be a farmer, rather he hangs out with farmer friends instead
That’s a good point! Us farmers tend to stick together. 😜
Indeed. In the long run it doesnt pay to just care about the currently big voters. And that includes people which are not neccessarily content creators - if ones audience leaves constructive comments and grows in voting power, that is your benefit - not only becouse there are constructive comments but also becouse these people gaing voting power.
And dtube espacialy runs better the more people run IPFS nodes, content creators or not.
Oh interesting! I don’t know a lot about how IPFS nodes work - but that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the info!
Well, its short for InterPlanetary File System becouse it would be a sensible way of how you could share files on the internet such as the videos via Dtube even with lets say a mars colony (assuming there are some people with IPFS nodes on Mars). I dont have a big upload rate to mars (well, none at the moment but in a situation in which we would), so if 5 people on mars (simutaniously or not) accessed a file i have, nodes local to Mars would get it and distribute it quicker.
The same principle applies on earth, the storage and upload rate of one system are not infinate (but, vice versa, often not fully used) and even on those comparativly small distances, if you are in australia and want a file, it will still be more efficient to get it from a node in sydney rather than new york.
I've join in Steemit with a hunter mindset, i'm trying to be a farmer everyday.
I think a lot of people start with that kind of mindset, but those who are able to shift their perspective are the ones you do well in long-term. I’m so glad you found this post helpful!
You are absolutely right about Steemit. Slow and steady wins this race. You have to be in it for the long haul if you really want to find success and make solid connections here.
It is true that many of our perception of steemit when we first joined could be different from what is actually happening after joining. Stories of people getting thousands of dollars by posting are real but rare in fact. When such stories were being promoted our of proportion, new members joined the platform thinking they can start a quick-to-get-rich program easily. The analogy of hunter and farmer is really a good illustration. As we are farmers, we need to sow seeds of relationship so that friendships can develop and grow. Thanks for sharing something that brings new members down to earth and approach steemit in a practical and realistic way.
I’m so glad you connected with the analogy!
This was a FANTASTIC analogy @coruscate. I think your video was articulate and to the point.
This is such a perfect analogy for steemit and life altogether. In history farmers built early civilizations. Thank you @coruscate for sharing.
I’m so glad you found the analogy helpful!