The Steem white paper lays out in considerable depth the complex considerations to make Steem work on a technical and economic level. Less attention is devoted to the perspective of content creators for whom Steem(it) is essentially a black box with incentives for certain behaviours. This is part 1 of a loose series of short posts from a content creator (or writer) perspective that are meant to inspire discussion.
So: Are writers encouraged to turn into "whale groupies"?
As a writer, I get a kick out of my work being read by an audience. If I did not want an audience, I would not post; it's that simple. In addition, I appreciate an income from my writing since it means I can spend less time in a paid day job, and more time with writing.
I therefore approach Steemit with two questions on my mind: How will my posts be seen by as many people as possible? And how will they be upvoted by influential people?
The answer to the second question is to be noticed and liked by one or more "whales". The answer to the first question is to become popular enough to appear in the trending list as the default view of Steemit - which again only works when my posts are noticed and liked by whales.
As a result, I see myself turn into a "whale groupie". Instead of considering my whole potential audience, I start wondering about the whales: Where do they hang out? What topics do they like? What style of writing do they appreciate? When are they online? etc.
What is your opinion: Does this matter? And if so, how can it be avoided?
