Let Me Tell You a Little Story About a Social Media Platform Called Google Plus.
Over the last five years I built an online marketing company on the back of social media. What many of my recent followers don't know is that I built my company on the much maligned social media platform known as Google Plus. My profile on Google Plus.
I want you as Steemit users to see the parallels. We as Steemit users need to be keep in mind that we are still in Beta and this platform can either fly high or sink like the Titanic. It is really up to us the users.
The Good Old Days on Google Plus.
I first began on Google Plus by asking a friend for an invite to the Beta. Similar to Steemit I sat on my ass for a few months before I really got going. I began networking on the platform and engaging like a wild man. I was making new internet friends on a daily basis, it was exhilarating!
Then one day I was sitting at my desk and someone was calling me on Google Hangouts. I had only used the tool once before so I was really taken off guard. I answered and it was one of my friends who worked at Google Chile the Google Headquarters for Central and South America. We exchanged pleasantries and he asked me, "Randy what are you doing? You are the fastest growing user in Central America!" I told him I was spending all of my free time on the platform and engaging. He gave me a virtual High Five and sent me a book and gift card to my home.
I continued this trajectory for my first year. I just kept making friends and having the time of my life. I slowly began to leverage the platform to showcase my marketing talents but I was very conservative.
Staking Our Claim on Google Plus.
Then in December of 2012 Google Plus released Communities (Groups). I stayed up all night setting up communities that mattered to my brand. Imagine starting the internet from scratch and having every url available again! It was a literal GOLD RUSH. I set up the Gold and Silver Investing Community, Panama, Aquaponics and a few others.
It was fun at first as we watched our communities grow but something was not the same. People began to spend some of their time in these fenced off communities instead of participating on the general platform. I did not mind since my engagement numbers were still climbing quickly but it was an ominous sign.
Then something odd happened, which I now know is typical in this scenario. People began to act authoritarian in their communities. They set up rules upon rules that many folks found to be divisive. Feelings were being hurt and dirt was thrown. At the time I was quite amused.
The Google Hangout Elitists Rise.
In 2013 a few of the prominent SEO and Marketing folks got together and started Live Google Hangout Shows that people attended in mass. I participated with my friend Mia Voss a Sassy Promoter who made the live shows worthwhile she did her best to counter the authoritarian types with humor.
The problem I saw was that many of these shows turned into an Elitist, "We Know How Google Plus Should Run, Not You!" They got together like lynch mobs and started telling the community how Google Plus should operate and how the users should post, engage, follow and use every aspect of the platform. It was nauseating for an AnCap like myself to watch. All I could think was that these are the same type of ass holes who vote and make sure ridiculous laws take away our rights.
The peak of Google Plus for me was Christmas 2013 when we held our Google Plus Hangout Christmas Show. We had the some of the funnest people on the platform join us as we gave away all kinds of gifts like a ChromeBook. For me it would never be the same after this.
Take Your Ego and Shove It.
2014 was the year when the Ego of the Google Plus Elitists became toxic. For me it was sad as I saw many of my friends I had made over the years disappear from the platform. The Google Plus lynch mobs grew in size and the authoritarians continued unabated.
The platform stagnated and became a place for people to just drop links. For many the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) benefit was the only benefit of the platform worth using. Stubbornly Anabell and I continued to stand by the platform and built a little empire for ourselves.
Watching my favorite platform sink like the Titanic over the course of 2014 was quite heart wrenching. We had put so much time and effort into our personas on the platform that watching a small group spoil something that could have been awesome really bugged us.
The Dark Times.
In 2015-2016 Google decided to drop some great features of the platform but also took Google Plus comments off Youtube which was a welcome change. The changes were great for one reason, many of the elitists who torched the Google Plus Community were largely silent. They had left the platform and moved back to Fascistbook, good riddance!
The platform continued to move along at a pace akin to a Sloth.
Not much was happening. Communities were thriving and the new Collections feature was pretty cool. Then the Google geniuses decided to revamp the platform and make it easier to use. They failed miserably! It is so complicated that I have no idea how a new person will understand it without spending hours on the platform. I can go on Instagram and understand the basics in a few minutes.
Now it is almost 2017 and Google Plus still exists but is a disappointment. The platform held so much promise. I hope it still can be salvaged but the damage has been done.
The Google Plus and Steemit Parallel.
Steemit is attracting a ton of attention. I guarantee you that there are folks at the big social media giants who are watching this Beta launch closely. We can avoid a slow destruction like Google Plus if we don't let a small group of Elitist users dictate how we are going to use the platform.
As many of you know I with the approval of Ned and Dan launched the @Steem-Meme Project. This initiative can be a great way for us to attract more users to the platform. The memes are already rocking on Twitter, thank you for everyone participating!
I have noticed that there are people who do not approve of the project. These purists want the platform to focus on the blogging niche. What everyone needs to remember is that we are building a social media platform here. Blogging was just the first piece. The simple answer to the complaints is, "if you don't like memes don't participate". Memes are part of social media culture and will help the Steemit community attract some amazing talent.
The biggest danger for Steemit is how much authority people are given to drive the direction of the platform. It is easy to go either way. The Steemit Upvote system takes care of most of the problems. If we are not careful authoritarians will try to dictate how things are done. Please do not give these types of folks attention. Let's have fun on Steemit and make it a place where content creators can come and be rewarded for what they do.
