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| comment | | "parent_author":"",<br>"parent_permlink":"steemtrail",<br>"author":"ats-david",<br>"permlink":"steemtrail-my-role-as-a-curator",<br>"title":"SteemTrail: My Role as a Curator",<br>"body":"### Announcing My Participation in the SteemTrail Project\n\n[![Steem-trail-final-04.png (https:\/\/s6.postimg.org\/ec60ixuox\/Steem_trail_final_04.png) (https:\/\/postimg.org\/image\/ask2t4rz1\/)\n\nIf you haven\u2019t heard about the SteemTrail project,<br> then I would encourage you to read [the introductory post (https:\/\/steemit.com\/steemtrail\/@instructor2121\/intructor2121-steemtrail-an-introduction) from @instructor2121 and the two follow-up posts from @steemtrail this week. Please familiarize yourself with this project,<br> as I believe it will be a bit of a game changer here on Steemit in a variety of ways.\n\n### Why I\u2019m excited about this particular project\n\nWhen I first saw @instructor2121\u2019s post about this,<br> I immediately knew that it was something right up my alley. Anyone who knows me understands that I\u2019m a detail-oriented guy and that I continually try to find ways to organize such details,<br> no matter the type or topic. Some people would say that I\u2019m even obsessive-compulsive. What they don\u2019t understand is that *disorganization drives me crazy* \u2013 and that I can\u2019t focus my energy on anything else until I can find some sort of order amongst the chaos. So,<br> what do they know anyway? Perhaps more than I thought,<br> as it turns out.\n\nRegardless,<br> since my first days on this platform,<br> I\u2019ve felt that the tag structure and complete lack of any categorization or organization of posts really does a disservice to the users here. So,<br> when I heard about SteemTrail\u2019s goals about curation \u2013 and organization \u2013 I knew that this was the project for me. What I particularly find exciting about it is that it\u2019s a ground-up approach that can truly encompass users of all levels. The curation will be carried out by category-specific groups of users that not only upvote quality content,<br> but also encourage and advise users about how to improve their posts for those related categories and tags. \n\nThe influence that curators in these groups will have will also be based on the merits of their work within the categories. Each curator will be responsible for not only evaluating and recommending posts,<br> but also evaluating the other curators in their groups. Each group is essentially a decentralized meritocracy. If you don\u2019t recommend good content,<br> help advise other users,<br> contribute to the established goals of your group,<br> or simply fail to perform at all,<br> then other curators can step up and take over and your role will likely be diminished. The project should inspire the participants to up their curation game and to encourage,<br> advise,<br> and promote new users in order to attract and retain them.\n\nUsers that have been here for a longer period of time can also benefit by participating themselves,<br> or by taking cues from the curating groups where they currently post content. Combined with new user interface features still to come,<br> there can be an extremely beneficial outcome for all Steemit members. At a time when the platform appears to be struggling on a few different fronts,<br> this could be a welcomed shift from the current path \u2013 especially on the user attraction and retention side.\n\n### My role with SteemTrail\n\nI\u2019m an entrepreneur who works in the food and beverage industry and I also travel internationally for business. In addition,<br> I have been a life-long writer and an avid reader of everything from classical literature and world history to modern political philosophy,<br> economics,<br> and science-fiction. Since those topics are my real-life interests,<br> I have decided to curate for the **food and beverage,<br> business,<br> travel,<br> and writing** categories. I encourage everyone to read these \u2013 my \u201ccredentials\u201d \u2013 to get an idea of my work and what I present to the Steemit community in these areas:\n\n[Make Your Coffee Great Again! (https:\/\/steemit.com\/coffee\/@ats-david\/make-your-coffee-great-again) (A six-part series into my world of coffee)\n[Make Your Coffee Great Again: Finding the Perfect Cup (https:\/\/steemit.com\/coffee\/@ats-david\/make-your-coffee-great-again-finding-the-perfect-cup) (The sixth and final post \u2013 previous five are linked in it)\n\n[How to Set Your Rental Car on Fire \u2013 The Prologue (https:\/\/steemit.com\/travel\/@ats-david\/how-to-set-your-rental-car-on-fire-the-prologue)\n[How to Set Your Rental Car on Fire \u2013 The Conclusion (https:\/\/steemit.com\/travel\/@ats-david\/how-to-set-your-rental-car-on-fire-the-conclusion)\n[Living with Regret: Thoughts I Should Have Spoken (https:\/\/steemit.com\/life\/@ats-david\/living-with-regret-thoughts-i-should-have-spoken)\n\n### My statistics and plans as a curator\n\nI joined Steemit on August 7th. Since that time,<br> I have recorded over 820 posts and over 1450 votes at the time of writing this. Over the past month I have tried to hit an average of 40 votes per day. Other than a few days where we experienced some bad weather here on the east coast of the United States,<br> I have mostly hit my targets for curating and have stayed on track for achieving that average. As a SteemTrail curator,<br> my goal will be to maintain that daily 40-vote average going forward. \n\nFor my role with SteemTrail,<br> I plan to dedicate at least 25-50% of my daily votes specifically for posts in my categories. I mostly give 100% voting power to all of my upvotes,<br> but if my voting power gets too low or if I\u2019m finding a lot of good content,<br> I may lower the percentage. *However,<br> I do not intend to vote on any blog post with less than 50% voting power.* I have recently started upvoting comments with 10% VP or less so that my votes on blog posts will carry more weight,<br> relatively. I don\u2019t have enough Steem Power to give rewards for comments,<br> so it\u2019s better for me to save that voting power for the blog posts instead.\n\nTo receive an upvote and my recommendation for SteemTrail,<br> I will be looking for posts that meet the following criteria:\n\n**1 \u2013 Original Content:** Run-of-the-mill fluff that can be found pretty much anywhere else on the internet will not be my priority. I want to see creative work or unique content. I like to be intrigued,<br> so intrigue me! Of course,<br> anything plagiarized will be referred to the appropriate groups and will certainly not be upvoted,<br> if detected.\n\n**2 \u2013 Proper Categories and Tagging:** Posts that are properly tagged will be considered above those that are not. However,<br> curators will be assisting with this,<br> as this is part of the SteemTrail project \u2013 to help better organize content and improve user experience. If I feel that you could use better tags for your posts,<br> please don\u2019t take offense if I leave a comment about it. It\u2019s for your own benefit to be recognized by SteemTrail and to be a better-equipped and knowledgeable user.\n\n**3 \u2013 Aesthetically Appealing Content:** No,<br> you don\u2019t need to find ten pictures from Pixabay for every post or overuse headers and italics. But if you can find ways to dress up your posts based on the topic,<br> I would encourage you to do so,<br> even if it\u2019s minimal. A single content-appropriate image can go a long way to help your readers visualize the message you\u2019re trying to convey. A header,<br> block quotes,<br> or dividers can also help with organizing content within your post. A few simple Markdown or HTML codes can make a huge difference in your presentation. I will also give suggestions for this,<br> or you can head over to the #steemprentice channel in RocketChat,<br> where @sykochica and others can assist you with a variety of visual aids.\n\n**4 \u2013 Links and Citations:** If you\u2019re using images,<br> even if they\u2019re free from Pixabay or Wikimedia Commons,<br> just mention that at the bottom of your post. If they aren\u2019t public domain or otherwise free-use,<br> cite the source as the original creator has requested. We don\u2019t want Steemit to have a reputation for ripping off other creators and getting paid for it,<br> even if you disagree with intellectual property laws. If you\u2019re quoting someone else\u2019s work in your post,<br> provide the link to it so that your readers can dive deeper into the subject if they want to do so. It\u2019s a good practice to provide additional information and the added links can help with SEO and bring more potential value to your post.\n\n**5 \u2013 Low Payouts:** This isn\u2019t part of the SteemTrail guidelines,<br> but finding lower-payout posts is something that I want to focus on as an individual curator. There are already other curation guilds doing a lot of curating,<br> so I don\u2019t want to double-up on posts if it can be avoided. I won\u2019t purposely avoid these posts if I believe they are worthy of upvoting,<br> but if I have to choose between a post that has already been upvoted by @curie or @robinhoodwhale,<br> I will likely go with the post that has not received their votes. Again,<br> this is just a preference \u2013 it\u2019s not a rule.\n\nUsers who already meet this criteria will have a leg up on everyone else. If you\u2019re looking for ways to improve your posts and be recognized,<br> then let this be a guideline for anyone who may find themselves in my curating categories. As stated,<br> I\u2019ll be sure to leave comments if I think you can benefit from advice on any of these topics. \n\n**If you find any of this to your liking and want to lend a hand with your own voting power,<br> I have set up a trail on Streemian.com that you can join. _Please be advised that I will still be curating other content outside of these categories with my personal account._** \n\nAs things stand right now,<br> each curating group will be planning on posting a weekly update for their respective categories. The details are still being worked out,<br> but updates on this process will be posted as the project unfolds and more information is gathered.\n\n### My call to the \u201cdolphins\u201d\n\n[![GlassDolphin.jpg (https:\/\/s6.postimg.org\/f2yqopx29\/Glass_Dolphin.jpg) (https:\/\/postimg.org\/image\/4swbph76l\/)\n\nI have read a few posts lately where users in the mid-level range of Steem Power have become a bit disillusioned with curating and payouts \u2013 that their votes don\u2019t really matter. I\u2019m here to tell you that **_they absolutely do!_** No,<br> you may not be able to click a button and add $40 to a post,<br> but if five,<br> ten,<br> or twenty of you can upvote a post and add $0.20 to $0.30 each,<br> it certainly does make a difference to the authors of those posts. If you\u2019re not sure where to vote or don\u2019t have the time to search through hundreds of posts,<br> then join a curation trail for the categories that you like \u2013 or follow @steemtrail itself.\n\nA group of dolphins can be just as good as a whale vote. You worked for your influence,<br> so don\u2019t let it go to waste. If you\u2019re voting power isn\u2019t being used on a daily basis,<br> then figure out a way to put it to work \u2013 for other users *and for you.* Don\u2019t forget that you\u2019ll be receiving curation rewards. That\u2019s no small thing when you\u2019re joining forces with other dolphins and minnows...and possibly whales who follow behind. \n\nThe same goes for minnows. You may not feel like your 200 Steem Power makes a difference,<br> but in large numbers,<br> it helps. Just getting the votes is encouraging for many users. Make sure you\u2019re engaging with those users as well. People want to know that their content is being read and enjoyed. A few words of encouragement can mean the difference between a user wanting to post another story or simply giving up. Time is valuable. Let them know that you appreciated *their* time which made *your* time more enjoyable. Dolphins and whales should be doing the same.\n\n### Time to wrap things up\n\nI know this was a bit lengthy,<br> but I wanted to be sure to give everyone a clear picture of what I envision for this project and how I will be using my time,<br> expertise,<br> and my voting power. Let me know if you think there is anything else that should be considered. Feedback is always welcome. I fully expect that the other curators and the Steemit community in general will be evaluating me. I encourage it. We need to keep each other honest here,<br> give constructive criticism,<br> and strive to make this platform what we had hoped it would become when we joined. \n\nSo,<br> with that \u2013 you may now upvote and share this with everyone. I look forward to the comments and discussion. If you\u2019re a curator for SteemTrail in any of the categories in which I am involved,<br> please let me know in the comments or find me on RocketChat \u2013 **ats.david** \u2013 and send me a message. \n\n<hr>\n\n*SteemTrail logo courtesy of @instructor2121. Dolphin image is mine.\n\n# This is a 100% SP post.",<br>"json_metadata":" \"tags\":[\"steemtrail\",<br>\"steemit\",<br>\"curation\",<br>\"streemian\",<br>\"steemprentice\" ,<br>\"users\":[\"instructor2121\",<br>\"steemtrail\",<br>\"sykochica\",<br>\"curie\",<br>\"robinhoodwhale\" ,<br>\"image\":[\"https:\/\/s6.postimg.org\/ec60ixuox\/Steem_trail_final_04.png\",<br>\"https:\/\/s6.postimg.org\/f2yqopx29\/Glass_Dolphin.jpg\" ,<br>\"links\":[\"https:\/\/postimg.org\/image\/ask2t4rz1\/\",<br>\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/steemtrail\/@instructor2121\/intructor2121-steemtrail-an-introduction\",<br>\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/coffee\/@ats-david\/make-your-coffee-great-again\",<br>\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/coffee\/@ats-david\/make-your-coffee-great-again-finding-the-perfect-cup\",<br>\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/travel\/@ats-david\/how-to-set-your-rental-car-on-fire-the-prologue\",<br>\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/travel\/@ats-david\/how-to-set-your-rental-car-on-fire-the-conclusion\",<br>\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/life\/@ats-david\/living-with-regret-thoughts-i-should-have-spoken\",<br>\"https:\/\/postimg.org\/image\/4swbph76l\/\" " | | vote | "voter":"ats-david",
"author":"ats-david",
"permlink":"steemtrail-my-role-as-a-curator",
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