Although I am generally not big on self-congratulatory "milestone posts," I felt like this one — on account of this being my 1000th "top level" post here in SteemLand — warranted being recorded.
It's one of the things I really like about being on a blockchain based venue... the ability to "record" moments, as part of a longer term history. Sometimes (like this time) we do this just for ourselves, as much as for the greater world.
Looking back at where I've been....
Not Bad, for a Skeptic!
I have to admit that I was very skeptical about what was then known as "Steemit," when I joined at the end of January 2017. Given what I saw of the constant ways people seemed intent on draining every last cent from the much talked about "Rewards Pool," I figured we'd be lucky if Steem was worth much more than maybe a penny, by the end of that year. And so I was not in the slightest bit surprised when Steem gradually declined to the 6-7c level in the spring of 2017...
My previous experience has been that "rip-off artists" and "money-for-nothing seekers" can destroy ANYTHING that involves rewards and money... in a matter of months.
Clearly, I was wrong about that.
So I just kept posting, and posting, and posting... while in the back of my mind, still waiting to check in one morning to find a "Temporary offline for maintenance" page that would simply never go away, blockchain notwithstanding...
Seen it... several dozen times.
But here we are. Still...
Geranium from our yard...
All Those Myriad Words!
I am not a developer or a numbers geek, but I am pretty sure — as an educated guesstimate — that my 1000 posts amount to somewhere in excess of 500,000 words; probably more.
That's not counting the 13,400+ comments...
For my own purposes of record keeping, that means this has now become my third most prolific blog in the 20-odd years I've been doing this!
And I'm kinda impressed with myself for sticking to it, this well... I have a history of "getting interested" in things, and then abandoning them because... meh...
Or because because "promises made" turned out to be a big fat f!ucking lie, from the start...
Although our community here isn't exactly what it might have set out to become, according to its original incarnation... there's still something here. It's far from perfect... but we're creating something...
Leaves in the sun
Times of Change: An Auspicious Day
Other than a generic "more of the above," I'm not entirely sure what I'll be doing with the next 1000 posts, but I do know that it is my intention to keep posting towards another 1000, and beyond...
That said, I have no idea what will happen to Steem, in the long run. I've barely gotten used to calling it "Steem," rather than "Steemit..."
In the meantime...
In that odd way of "cosmic coincidences," this milestone also happens to come on the same day as another major change in my way of doing things: Today, we formally "gave notice" to the landlord where we have had our small art and gift gallery for the past few years, to let them know that we will not be continuing the business.
There's another "change" happening behind the scenes, but that one is not "public" yet. Stay tuned...
Not sure where this ship will take us, but I'm onboard...
In Closing: the Value of ENGAGEMENT
The primary reason I stuck with this community is because the early Steemit reminded me of "Social Blogging" venues I was part of in the late 1990s to mid 2000's.
In those days, blogging wasn't just about "telling a story;" it was also about the "follow-up conversation" surrounding that story. Even at a time when the web was much smaller, it was not unusual to get 20-30 "nested" comments on a good blog post... and this was in a day before there was Facebook and MySpace.
What made it worthwhile sticking to — back then as well as now — was the interaction. And so, to anyone considering the eternal question of "what it takes" to make your mark and be "seen," here... my answer is "interact with people!"
Maybe that doesn't work as well as you think it should... but if you are the one to extend a hand first, at least you'll discover who the other interacting people in the community are... and then you can choose to direct your efforts at them.
Thanks for reading... and to those brave souls who are still here reading this, after 1000 posts... a heartfelt thanks for hanging in there!
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
(As always, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 190430 09:57 PST
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