My interpretation of a "quality" post omits subjectivity and can be used across topic genres, interest, and preferences. I also believe this perspective will enhance our blogging skills and influence our way of curating responsibly.
As I meander through Steemit posts, I have noticed quite a bit of talk about the quality of posts. Most argue that it's a tough subject to tackle because "quality" is subjective. Everyone is on a different playing level, so how does one determine what is or is not "quality" without having a pissing contest?
Let's first understand the definition of quality.
According to Merriam-Webster - Definition of quality (plural qualities)
- a. peculiar and essential character : nature
b. an inherent feature : property
c. capacity, role- a. degree of excellence : grade
b. superiority in kind- a. social status : rank
b. aristocracy- a. a distinguishing attribute : characteristic
b. archaic : an acquired skill : accomplishment
My mind turns to @kevinwong's Honesty Post where he addresses three main issues in Steemit: accountability, complaints about earning, and assessing posts objectively when, as he mentioned, the common saying in Steemit is 'Value is subjective.'
The latter is the point I wish to address in this post - my interpretation of a quality post.
Follow me on my thinking path for a moment. Have you ever been house hunting or searched for an apartment?
Most houses do well with the "WOW factor" - that first impression when you walk in the door. It's why cleaning and staging a house is so important to the selling potential of a house.
But a smart consumer will look deeper than the cosmetics to investigate the structure itself. Are the bones of the house strong? Is the wiring and plumbing sound?
If the structure is sound but you outright reject a house solely because you didn't like the color of the walls, then perhaps you're not really looking for a QUALITY house, but rather a pretty house. Do you see the distinction?
What does this have to do with the quality of a post?
CONTENT of one's post is dependent on the creator and subjective to their audience. Members of Steemit have a variety of interests. We don't all follow all topics, genres, art forms. Your tech geeks may not follow the art tag, and vice versa. That's because our interests vary. What we, as individuals, consider as quality content is purely subjective.
FORMATTING one's post is NOT subjective. It is either quality or crap.
- Do you have a proper title?
- Is the first sentence of your post a short synopsis?
- Are you using headers to organize your thoughts for a decent reader's journey?
- Are your tags appropriate?
- Do you have a proper signature?
Notice this has nothing to do with CONTENT, but rather its presentation. FORMATTING is the BONES of your Steemit house.
Let me put it to you this way:
If you don't care what your post looks like,
why should I care to read it?
If you don't care what your post looks like,
why should I care to read it?
You can post a picture of your art and photographs. It's very creative. You've got a magnificent eye for things. It's pretty. But are there any other redeeming qualities to your post if the photos disappeared?
Let me add this:
If you are not implementing the fundamental techniques of formatting your posts, you are also missing out on an opportunity to showcase yourself in the mainstream. I'm talking Google searches!
This is basic SEO stuff, guys!
Wouldn't it be nice to be an authority on a subject with millions of potential eyeballs on your content?
Do you realize that your Steemit content is on a permanent blockchain for future generations to see?
Don't you want those people to look back and be impressed with your body of work?
Final Thoughts
CONTENT will always be subjective and vulnerable to the opinions of many. FORMATTING your content requires attention and care. It filters out the quality from crap regardless of your topic, genre, or proclivities.
I challenge you to look deeper into the bones of a post. Consider keeping an open mind about the content which you follow. Do your part to create quality posts. And finally, I hypothesize that this will also help you curate responsibly.
Think about it
and share your thoughts below!
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Thank you.
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