This is an unplanned post.
Seems like there may be a trend in the making, as this post was — in an unplanned fashion — inspired by a post by 
Anyway, I was inspired by these words:
The Content Evangelists can preach about Quality and how they hate memes and "low effort posts", that can be their thing. I want to seek engagement and connections instead.
So I wanted to take a look at "Quality" and what we think we're doing here.
The Whole "Quality Content" Issue
Spring flowers
The term "Quality Content" gets tossed around a lot on Steemit, as people lament the lack of same, or complain that expecting "quality content" isn't what Steemit was meant to be about.... and variations. Some assert that the entire future of Steemit hinges on "Quality Content;" some dismiss "Quality Content" as irrelevant in social media, pointing to twitter and Facebook; both cesspools of meaningless shitposts.
Half the time I'll watch someone go off in response to a post and it's clear that "Quality Content" is synonymous with what they like and "shitposts" are what they don't like. Pretty simple, really. Except, of course, one person's trash is another person's treasure. And so, the whole argument doesn't actually move us any closer to determining what best serves Steemit, in the long run.
Yes, I said "in the long run," because that does seem to be a common thread.
If you're concerned enough about the community to be worried about content, odds are you also care about what happens here, in a timeframe that extends beyond this coming weekend.
"Quality" vs. "Value"
Red Primroses
Although some might think I'm a "Quality Content Evangelist," actually I am not. Yes, I generally expect quality of MYSELF, but I don't pretend anyone else should adhere to my standards. We all have different backgrounds.
Rather than being concerned about what we mean — or don't mean — when we say "quality," why don't we instead look at whether or not any given piece of content adds "Value."
"Value" is a little different from "Quality."
Whereas most "quality" tends to also add "value;" it's not really a requirement. And there's lots of stuff that adds "value" without being of any great quality or genius.
So How Do We Determine "Value?"
When I consider my own patterns as I go through the content discovery process on Steemit, there are certain basic tenets that apply, for me (a non-exhaustive pair of lists):
Value can be ADDED by:
Originality — it may be short and simple, but you came up with it YOURSELF.
Poppies in the sun
Humor — I guffawed, or even snorted coffee-- great!
Novelty — Something was totally new to me.
Engagement — Can't overstate this enough! If your post makes me feel engaged in what you do and wanting to respond? That adds HUGE value!
Uniqueness — I'd never thought of that before.
Beauty — Often a core part of Photography posts.
Inspiration — In fact, this post is the result of inspiration from another post!
Making me think — No explanation needed
Informing — A relevant news item; new research.
Calls to Action — Getting people to DO something.
Contests/Challenges — Stimulate interaction and Engagement.
Questions/Debates — whether on hot topics or everyone ones.
On the other hand, value is usually DECREASED by:
Repetition — I've already seen this 6-month old meme 300 times on the web.
Sloppiness — At least take the time to spell check your Title and tags!
Plagiarism — DON'T present an article from Time Magazine, as your own.
Scotch broom
Spamming — Reposting because nobody reacted the first time? BAD idea.
Self-Upvoting — This is a "touchy" area for some, but I am mostly talking about the blatantly self-serving kind... like the other week I commented on someone's very nice post; then noticed the OP would give all her visitors a $0.03 upvote on their comments (nice!) and then an $0.87 upvote on all her own "thanks for your comment!" responses. WTF?
"Naked" Photos — No, I don't mean the NSFW kind, I mean a post that contains solely a photo, with the title "Cool picture of house," no description, no reason why you like, no indication of whether it's even your photo.
"Naked" Memes — See "naked photos."
"Naked" Videos — Pretty much a variation on "naked photos."
Non-caring — A variation of "sloppiness;" a post that's messy, unuoriginal and screams "I just need to put ANYthing here to create a post and earn rewards."
Unfocused Vlogs — "You talking" for seven minutes does not add value. Especially not when accompanied by "Cinema Verité" camera work! You talking about something you're interested in or passionate about CAN, especially if you're capable of staying on task.
No Reason for this post — Another one that pretty much speaks for itself. If you don't actually have an idea (or a CLUE, even!), don't post. Just don't!
As I said up top, these are not meant to be exhaustive lists, and you can probably add to them!
OK then, so why does VALUE Matter?
"Value" is a sort of nebulous term, if we try to actually describe it.
Spring flowers
For me, it is best understood as a somewhat intangible quality that makes us want to come back and check up on the content of a web site, blog or a content creator.
If you want to think about "adding value," sit down make a list of the top 20 people on Steemit you try to always keep up with. Chances are most of them are adding value to the community.
Value matters for the exact reason that it is "something" that makes you keeping coming back. So "adding value" matters on Steemit because it's what keeps people coming back, over and over. People who keep coming back to a venue are also the ones most likely to engage in peer-to-peer (or "word of mouth") advertising, which is how venues that don't formally advertise grow their follower, user or customer base.
When a venue doesn't add value, you end up with "one-time users," which means — on a membership site like Steemit — you can easily end up with lousy retention, which might eventually lead to the complete collapse of the community.
And that is not something to strive for!
How about YOU? What's your stance on the whole "Quality" and "Value" debate? Do you see the difference between "Quality" and "Value?" How would you characterize your approach to Steemit? Is it planned, or unplanned? Do you feel your posts "add value" here? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
created by @zord189
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180518 17:50 PDT