Being part of this community where we seem to be eternally engaged in discussions about such things as "rewards" and "upvotes" and what "adds value" to the ecosystem, I have become increasingly tuned into the entire concept of value, on a broader scale.
What is it that adds "value" to our Steemit experience, to our overall web experience, even to our lives, in general?
Grassy stalks in the sun
Value... and Giving a Damn
The more I look at value — both from my personal perspective, as well as in the world — the more I come to the conclusion that creating and providing "value" is something that arises from giving a damn.
Conversely, as I find myself looking at web content or other "stuff of life" that seems worthless to me, it also seems like those things were created/offered by people (or organizations) with pretty much zero interest or investment in what they were doing.
In our little microcosm of Steemit, I find myself rewarding content that suggests that its creator cared about what they were doing. It might not be "War and Peace" or a Pulitzer worthy article, but there's a level of caring there.
And, somehow, that ends up being a part of what gives something value.
Value can be a very diverse thing. There might be value in instructions on how to assemble a swing set... but you can typically tell whether the person who put together the instructions actually wanted that to be a reasonably easy and intuitive experience for you... or they just "went through the motions" and created something out of a sense of obligation.
Our mint... in bloom
Value... and Originality
Originality — even as it relates to subject matter that might have been covered many times before — also adds value.
Do you prefer to read a camera review that just re-hashes exactly what has already been said in 20 magazines, or would you rather read a review created from scratch, based on an individual user's actual experience?
Which, of course, leads us right back to the issue of someone giving a damn enough to create something worthwhile, rather than merely regurgitating someone else's words, or taking other shortcuts. Or outright copying another person's work.
Originality matters to me because it says that someone cared enough to want others to have positive experience.
How about YOU? What do you think "value" is? What are the characteristics of "adding value," for you? Is "value" important to you? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 190105 23:31 PST