My dog Sophie
Progress, Or The Lack Thereof?
It’s been about 6 months since I started this territory, so I think it’s about time (well past, actually) that I started putting some thought into its future prospects, if any.
I have always hoped that this space would evolve on its own, and, to some extent that has happened. My impression is that new stackers find their way here for a few obvious reasons, including the following:
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It’s cheap. It is probably one of the least expensive ways to post on Stacker News. The bar is low for people who don’t yet have many sats to play around with. I plan to keep it that way.
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It’s easy. It may be a little intimidating for new stackers to come up with content that other people find interesting. It’s a pretty low bar to just upload a photo of your pet.
I almost always zap posts, so clever observers of the territory realize they can make a few sats by the simple act of posting a photo, since my minimum zap is higher than the cost to post. I am aware of this, and I frankly don’t mind subsidizing the territory a little bit. However, it is obvious that I am doing most of the zapping, and I frankly don’t see a mutually supporting community evolving here. That’s a shame, because the beautiful thing about Stacker News is that you can earn sats by zapping. You can build your own community, learn from each other, benefit the animals you love, and help to make the world a better place with bitcoin. If you aren’t aware of how zaps are incentivized, check out this reply crafted by @ch0k1 that he sends to each new Stacker News account:
Welcome to the platform! It's full of quality content so read and learn, try to contribute by adding good content. Here are some intro articles that you need to go through in order to get familiar with the platform and its ideology: • The official SN FAQ • The official SN Guide • The Zen of Stacking Sats On Stacker News by @siggy47 • The Art of Using Stacker News & The Art of Using Stacker News II by @Natalia
Building A Community
I have not given up hope yet, because there are a few of you out there who repeatedly post photos to the site. Unfortunately, you just seem content with receiving a few sats, mostly from me, and not reciprocating by zapping other posts. Not only are you preventing this community from growing, but you are also limiting your ability to earn sats here.
I am aware that this territory is, and probably always will be, primarily a place to post photos of our beloved pets. That’s the way it should be, but there is room here for other types of posts. A weekly meme contest would probably do well. I don’t have the time to organize something like that myself, but I would be willing to help with the awards. I also can imagine that this territory could become the perfect place to promote charity fundraisers for shelters, rescue organizations, educational programs and the like. Maybe my vision is unrealistic, but I hope there’s someone here willing to step up to do the leg work. You would be doing some good for animals in need, and you can earn some bitcoin at the same time.
Another disappointment is the lack of stories. Our pets are important to us. Including a few words about your pet along with the photo would seem to me to be the bare minimum. Better would be to tell the story of you and your pet. I would be willing to bet that a heartfelt story would also garner the poster many more sats.
Anyway, these are my thoughts. I welcome any ideas and suggestions other than “just forget it and shut the territory down.”