Would you like to read this blog post and see how I feel having just been promoted from Minnow to Dolphin in Steemit because you might be happier just being Plankton?
Today I am writing my first post after being off for 10 days in Steemit because I was overwhelmed with work and also lost some of my motivation to post daily. We are the first of August and I though this might be a good opportunity to restart again with this new "Dolphin" rank.
I'm Now a Dolphin, so What?
When you start on Steemit you are plankton and it is not the best thing to be when you look at the definition in the dictionary.
Definition of plankton, noun
Zoology – (uncountable) : any small or microscopic organism that drifts through a body of water and serves as a source of food for many sea creatures — whales that feed on plankton.
This basically means that on Steemit like in the sea you can be eaten by all the other fish, including dolphins and whales.
Then, after gaining some more Steem Power, you become a minnow.
Let's see what the dictionary says.
Definitions of minnow, noun
Zoology – a small freshwater and saltwater fish that is commonly used as fishing bait for larger fish
This is better than being plankton because at least there are a great percentage of Steemit users or plankton that can't eat you anymore.
You can still be used as bait for larger fish and it's amazing how it relates to Steemit.
So, it's here where I have been the past year, going from Minnow III, Minnow II, and then Minnow I, for quite a long time.
If you are wondering how this badge is showing on Steemit, I am using the app SteemPlus.
You may want to read this post: A Better Way to Browse Steemit!
Today, I became a "Dolphin III."
Let's see what the dictionary says.
Definitions of dolphin, noun
Zoology - also oceanic dolphin: a carnivorous marine mammal of the family Delphinidae, known for being highly intelligent
Well, this made my day.
It is re-assuring to see that I am now an intelligent animal and there is no mention of being eaten by any other fish in the ocean.
If that is true, I might be pretty safe from being eaten alive by a whale on Steemit.
But, how did I become a dolphin?
Don't be mistaken, it's not because I am a highly intelligent author on Steemit, but because I have reached 4,935 Steem Power.
From that 4,935 Steem Power, I have bought 2,157 Steem Power and I have earned 2,778 Steem Power.
I put this number so I can get some motivation back again to continue writing on Steemit.
As you can see below, I have written 287 posts on Steemit and if I do a bit of calculation, I have earned 9.67 Steem Power per post in average.
Steem is worth $1.25 today so 9.67 x 1.25 is $12.
So, my earning is $12 per post today, which is very low considering the time I spend on each article. It definitely pays better to take writing assignments.
The question is, will Steem go back to say $4?
If that is the case, I would have earned $38 per post, which makes it more acceptable.
Anyway, there is no merit for being a dolphin because you just can by the Steem Power and voila!
I have achieved a reputation of 65.63 today and I have 2,660 followers, which I'd like to say a big thank you.
Without my followers I would have probably quit a long time ago.
So, now, what do I feel being a dolphin on Steemit?
Not so different than being a minnow or plankton, in fact.
Because I was much more motivated when being a minnow than I am now.
I am still glad for the achievement and can see that as a new start.
Thank you @arcange for showing dolphins on SteemitBoard at http://steemitboard.com/board.html?user=gmichelbkk
I have only written 14 or 15 posts this July, which is one of my lowest month since I started.
Seeing that @jerrybanfield and many others were slaughtered on Steemit this month pushed me to think hard if I was going to continue or stop writing here. Not really the kind of ocean I want to be in and it certainly was a blow on my motivation.
Because let's be clear, Steemit is just like the ocean, except that even dolphins and whales can be eaten by other whales here, regardless if the content they write is good or bad. In fact, most whales that eat other whales, dolphins and plankton, don't even contribute writing posts.
Steemit should add another category, "Sharks."
So, as I was saying, I considered just quitting, and in the mean time I have not made Steemit my priority this last month. I thought about un-delegating the Steem Power from the communities because not writing anymore doesn't give me anything, and just delegating to bots so I can passively earn Steem without contributing.
I am now a dolphin, so what?
I am still on the fence.
A part of me says, "You should continue writing because you still enjoy it," and another part says, "Why bother when the maximum upvote you got by a single person in a year might have been $2 or $3?"
Should I stay or should I go?
Let me know in the comments below.
Would you upvote this post and follow me for more because this will encourage me to write more posts like this one?
I have categorized my posts on Steemit for easy access:
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You may prefer to go to my Steemit Posts Directory.
The most important votes you can make on Steem are for Witnesses. The top 20 witnesses can influence the addition or removal of features in future Steem hard forks. Read my post: What is a Steem Witness, How to Vote and Why?
Michel Gerard
great work
Thank you.
Congratulations!
I'm curious how you made the pic?
You did a really good job on it.
Thank you @mysearchisover. I use Acorn on Mac to make all my images and use different layers.
Congratulations on your achievements.
I would say that you should really think about it. I read some of your posts and I enjoyed them. Indeed here on Steemit not everythinf is good or great. But I see it like a child which have to learn during his path how to walk properly.
Also, I think that this Blockchain can be one of the most sustainable blockchains out there which makes it to a lifetime opportunity for some people. I would throw it away completely. If you have the desire to take a break do it until you have again the energy you need. But leaving completely I wouldn't recommend.
Thank you @modernpastor for your upvote and actually reading the post and giving feedback. I do believe that the Steem blockchain is great and as I said in a previous post, it's all in the motivation!
So, you should be happy. :-)
I've not see an unhappy dolphin.
Signing off... @happydolphin
Yes, I should. Thank you @happydolphin for commenting!
You're welcome.
how can you even ask the question should you stay or should you go. Dont go. I too am a new dolphin and with it came the realization that its a long why to become an orca when the majority of my votes come from redfish. Steemit needs more big dolphins to succeed and we have the opportunity to get their. in another 2-3 years it will be impossible to earn their way to big dolphin because with dapps and communities on the way and steemit becomes more mainstreem, there will be too many users sharing the same rewards pool.
@paulag, thank you very much for your feedback. Congratulations for also being a dolphin, we can swim together.
I sense some tiny baby dolphins coming around ? lol kidding...
Great! Another Dolphin ready to help the minnows reach their goals...
oh, maybe not.
Ready to help or to eat the minnows! Thank you @abh12345 for commenting.
@abh12345 why do you think any dolphins owe minnows anything ? if they ninja mined it in the begining maybe your comment would make more sense but @gmichelbkk partially earned and partially paid up for the dolphin status , at what point does his responsibility changes from an investor to supporter of minnows?
As long as he is not abusing the system he doesn't owe anyone anything....
I didn't say anything about anyone 'owing' anything.
People can do and act however they like.
From the status of both your accounts, i see how you guys are Steeming. Enjoy the ride.
Maybe you are too rich that you don't want a ROI on your investment , maybe you didn't have to do 2 jobs to put money into STEEM ,maybe you bought STEEM too cheap that you don't care , maybe you have moral objection to delegating to bid bots .....
You do what you want to do , have a good day Steeming...
Only the last statement somewhat true.
Cheers!
it's all good...
Congratulations your achievement @gmichelbkk
Thank you @anujkumar, I appreciate your comment.
Best of luck, for the journey ahead.
But we aren't the ones to tell you to go or stay. At the end of the day, whatever you decide to do, has an impact on almost only you.
Thank you @solcross for reading the post and sharing your thoughts here.
Congratulation on being dolphin..
Thanks a lot @rahulkoshti.
you are warm welcome @gmichelbkk
You are willi brother
Congratulations
Thank you for commenting @julian.alejandro.
Thank you, Michel!
I hope your efforts will pay out as you wish. And if you really like bloging, don't quit, for now I don't think there is a better alternative to be payed for your writings, that helpes the steem community to grow. In the end if steem is not heading in the right way, other platforms will appear that will take steem "place". Steem on my friend!
@zenolxis, thank you for reading the post and your feedback.
Congratulations!!:)
Thank you @sweettais.
@gmichelbkk
Congrats
Thanks a lot @anishag.
To get a fair per post earning you should consider splitting the comments from the blog posts.
@itstime, thank you for your comment. No GIF today?
Auto Translation from leet speak :
You should stay, as lots will like the way you're thinking and might motivate others.
Adding SHARKS is a nice idea, i love it, sarcasm and humor is something I like. Could maybe calm down some downvote abusers :)
About delegating to bots, it is up to you to decide, many blame the bots in public and use them one way or another as soon as no ones look anymore. I myself consider building a bot from scratch...
Congrats for beeing a dolphin, next step Orca ... Good luck with it.
Entity - @itharagaian.net
Thank you very much @itharagaian.net for this comment and the others. I will stay on Steem for now, but will be looking other options...
Welcome back! I was wondering where you went. Missed your daily posts. I think the lower STEEM price these days have impacted lots of people's motivation to write on this platform. It's hard to convince yourself to write for the sake of writing when at the back of your mind you clearly know you're making less...
Yes @zhuwa, that's one factor for sure, because we still need enough money to pay our bills each month.
You received my upvote cos i have learned some vital lessons from your post.
And again i'm almost discouraged as well from your calculations i never thought of or put into considerations.
Not withstanding Steemit among others is more reliable and mostly transparent.
As a dolphin you have other options as you enumerate in your post, you can relax in posting and invest your steem power to bots for passive income as you take your break, that you should put into consideration.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for commenting @criptokingkoand your upvote.
How did Jerry banfield got slaughtered?? I missed that one....or were you referring to drop in steem price? This impacts all of us right...
I mean he was massively downvoted even though he produced good contents and helped thousands of people on Steem. Thank you @maurice1975 for your comment.
Congratulations! dolphin ...🐬 @gmichelbkk ：）
That's nice, thank you @kikima.
Thank you very much @yeninsfer for your good words.
@gmichelbkk Congratulations! The effort is worth it! They are stories that motivate one who is just starting out in this Wonderful Ocean. Greetings from Venezuela!
Thank you for your good words @betzy
Congratulations you deserve it!
Thanks a lot @rhyscn.
Congrats on hitting dolphin-hood! It's a wet dream of mine so please tell me more about he it felt lol!
And talking about what you wanna do with your SP.. Here's what I have to say (I realised it might be a tad bit long but it's just my 2 cents)
It's your steem power. Whatever you do with it is entirely up to you. But I'll say this, would you rather have millions of a coin that worths nothing or thousands of a coin that worths hundreds? (well, maybe not hundred but significantly higher than what it is now).
Sure you can get "passive income" by delegating to vote sellers but be mindful that you are participating in one of the very act that strips Steem off its value. I mean, what's the value of something if you can buy two of it with one of it?
Or..... You play the long game. Support Dapps or User adoption communities by way of delegation or by participating (you said you were busy with irl work so maybe the former is better). Give value into what gives steem value. Sure It doesn't pay as much and sometimes it looks like it doesn't pay anything at all. But you can think about what outside investors would look about Steem before they dump in their millions. Does a growing userbase and Dapp community sounds like a good blockchain to put their money into? Or a blockchain that's basically a faucet gamed by thousands of click farmers in Bangladesh. (I dare to say that because I can't believe the amount of shitposts enabled by vote sellers)
It's very lofty stuff. And it takes a different kind of self serving people to understand my point.
Look, I'm very much about making money in Steem too. But the fast way is the fastest way to make our steem worth nothing. Then maybe a new steem type blockchain comes up and I'll play my game over there once more.
At least, that's what I think about when it comes to the "bidbot / no bidbot" issue.
Thank you @egbujorvictor for sharing your thoughts here with us in a comment that would be worth being a post on its own.
hahaha, thanks for alluding me to that fact. Maybe I should. hmmm... I will...
This is a good achievement ,and so you should be happier ,have not seen a dolphin that is not happy ,why will you be unhappy when you can do any thing you want in the ocean ,because you have less fear and can eat every Plankton's and minnows ,so why unhappy.
But this calls for more heard work so as to still migrate to next level.
Congratulations brother .
@egbujorvictor, thank you very much for your kind comment.
I Appriciated Mr.#gmichelbkk
@gmichelbkk Congratulation and well done, I trust being a dolphin will be some plain sailing and may you look forward to having a Whales of a time, soon!
Thank you very much @marcrossmann for your kind words.
I follow you, please follow me, sir. I'm totally new to Steemit. Hope you will follow me and help me get filled up by Upvoting. Thank you so much.
Thanks for commenting. I don't do follow/follow back, but I upvote every comment on my posts.
Thank you sir.
So you were thinking of quitting because of what happened to Jerry, I'd say look at the way that YOU are being treaded on this platform, are YOU being mistreated? You seem to be a big fanboy of Jerry (you even write in his unique style) and that's fine but it might be blinding you by not looking at all angles of the JB story thinking that your idol can do no wrong.
@mikefriedman, maybe I am the driving force on Steemit for someone else, Jerry was mine and without him, it seems like empty. Being a fan or not is not what's important. This event showed that people can be bullied out from Steemit from people who use their SP to do that instead of supporting authors and encourage them to stay, it showed that the platform is not immune to censorship, and worse than Facebook in that regard, and it showed that you like me can be put out in a blink of an eye.
@gmichelbkk Jerry was a lot more than a content creator LOL he was a damn witness, don't you think he should be held to a higher standard? C'mon man... and for every high SP holder that flags you there's another whale that can upvote you and I think you saw that on Jerrys posts as well, he was also getting big upvotes on the flagged posts. Saying that steem is more censored than facebook is being a bit dramatic.
@mikefriedman, it's not dramatic until you are the victim... Being upvoted by whales is something I have not seen yet in a year on Steem and don't expect for it o happen.
So darn true ... Like if whales were having their own ocean to play with... and sometimes they come here to drop a downvote or two
Jerry was bullied by Berny Sanders, so was I, I produced an album and posted it first on steemit, I had also said something that disagreed with Bernie sanders, So because he didn't like my point of view on his page he went through all my recent to be paid out posts and wiped them out. Bernie is a steem dictator and He targeted Jerry. Who btw was the reason I got into steem, i had watched a few of jerry banfields videos on youtube and he kept talking about this steem thing, thats how I came to check it out. In my opinion Jerry did a lot of good for steem. Bernie Saners is a bully and dictator
regarding jerry , you should read this post by @meno
https://steemit.com/steem/@meno/why-i-won-t-support-jerry-banfield-anymore-jerrycoin
I cannot agree more @thesimpson.
That's so cool Congrats, I hope one day I can say that. You are Awesome!
That's so cool Congrats,
I hope one day I can say
That. You are Awesome!
- chalito35
I'm a bot. I detect haiku.
Thanks a lot!
Thank you @surikowstepanuk.