How Engagement has helped me so far (Challenge)

"I love the interaction with different kinds of people. I like to shake things up, make a difference".

Alan Siegel

This would be my entry to Jane's contest as she is using it to celebrate her almost two-year journey on Readcash. Isn't that amazing? Jane is an oldie on the platform 😅😅 Congratulations in advance dear friend. And to whom the post may concern, you can sit back and keep reading and I promise you it's gonna be interesting and not a boring one. So would you mind reading to the end?

Here is the link for instructions if you need to join (Writing Challenge by Jane)

The question for this contest reads thus;

"Why is community engagement important in blogging and how would you define quality content?"

I can remember writing something about engagement some weeks ago and here is the link (Engagement is my priority on any blogging platform)

I explained how engagement has been my priority and tips to engage more on others' posts. I said that engagement is the key as you gain more followers, build a name etc.

Alright, let's start this way to fully understand how long I have been blogging and making a name for myself.

MY BLOGGING EXPERIENCE

Do you know it's easy to make a name for yourself anywhere you go or wherever you are? This is not to brag or be proud since I am talking about my blogging experience and I may be talking to someone who has taken blogging as a passion. I started blogging in 2016 on Steemit (Oh, that isn't new) yea, I have said it many times here and I would keep on saying it. I started with Steemit, left after a year or so, met with QunQun (a Chinese platform) then Uptrennd which isn't functioning again. I spent a year plus before it finally crashed. I was introduced to different platforms like Bearshares, Weku and other platforms I can't remember. I was later introduced to Readcash and Noisecash, then Hive and finally Blurt.

I have always known the importance of engagement and that alone built my name on all platforms. Whenever I join any group and introduce myself as Princessbusayo, people would hail me, scream and treat me like a princess but I would smile and appreciate them. I built a name on all blogging platforms through my engagement and I gained a lot of friends.

MY STRUGGLES

I know it's always hard for a newbie to start building a name on any platform. I was once a newbie too one day like that and I never gave up. There were times I would deprive myself of sleep till 4 am just so I could interact and build my account. I remembered on Uptrennd, every Tuesday is known to be 2Up day. The token name is 1up but because we get double what we earn on Tuesdays, it becomes 2Up and it lasts for 24 hours. Everyone wants to make use of the opportunity to earn more, same with me.

I would be up from Tuesday morning and always active throughout the day. Then, I was staying with my Aunt and you know how stressful it would be? But I never allowed that to stop me on that particular day in the week. I would engage till 4-5 am and by Wednesday, I know I would have to sacrifice that day by being inactive so I could rest well. By then, I was earning and at the same time building a name which is Princessbusayo. I joined many groups on WhatsApp, Telegram and Discord and participated in different quizzes, challenges etc

Because of my activeness, many users took me to be one of the guardians on the platform. Many suggested I become one because according to a source, the owner pays them a salary since they are in charge of the system and how it is being run. I rejected the offer but I became a secret superstar with a few friends who would always chase out spammers and reward quality content.

Till today, I am still enjoying that name and respect from people even on this platform. When I first started here, it wasn't easy starting all over in another platform when you have built a name elsewhere but I didn't allow that to stop me. When I comment on some posts here, some would be like "Wow, I am so happy you visited my article" I just smile and be like "I am just an ordinary person like you"

MY STRATEGIES?

Yes, I believe in engagement. With engagement, you aren't only building your account or subscribers, but you are making and bonding with some people, plus making a name too. I have come across people on this platform and we have bonded so well. Olasquare, George_Dee, HappyBoy, Maryjacy, Mcyusuf etc as these are people we gist and talk to every moment on WhatsApp. Then, I have many friends who I keep interacting with daily on this platform too.

One of the ways I keep up with engaging with people's posts is that once they come around to my post, I visit them too and I have a book where I write all the usernames of a few of my close subscribers so that I won't miss their posts whenever I come online. I also go round searching for new people I haven't met and start interacting on their posts consistently so that my name would keep ringing a bell to them. I appreciate my sponsors too as I keep visiting them when I am online. Let me stop here and move to another section of the contest.

WHAT DOES QUALITY CONTENT MEAN?

This made me remember the post I made 11 months ago. Quality Vs Engagement.

I must say this post gave me $33.98 and that was my first biggest earnings on this platform.

I defined quality content just this way when a user (Cryptomax) made a post then about what quality content comprises of (a screenshot of his explanation in the image below) and it inspired me too to write this post. If you need to know what quality content entails, then I would implore you to read the post. Though it's been a long while, you will still get some things from it.

Quality doesn't determine how long or short a post is, but all those keywords above, make it quality.

DOES BLOGGING HELP YOU FINANCIALLY?

Smiles! This is me trying to go back to how I started and see how much I have earned. I must say I didn't earn as much as I did on Readcash as on other platforms. Bch changed my life in some ways I couldn't imagine. Bch made my family think I was scamming other people. I remembered when I supported my younger brother last year with $160+ when he first gained admission into the University. When I told my sisters how much I would be supporting my brother, they both exclaimed and thought it was a lie until I did it.

When my grandma heard of it, she was shouting I have started sleeping with men in school. Bch turned everything around for me when I started buying a few things for myself.

I made a beautiful cabinet where I store my foodstuffs with bch money ($60). Those in my compound thought I am a big girl, yea, am I right? I earned respect from people because I became a giver. That's what life should be. When you have, give to others and you keep having more.

Lack of engagement wouldn't have made all these possible. I wouldn't have achieved all these things if I didn't engage. Engagement plus quality content will earn you a name. You will gain friends through your interaction and I want to conclude with this.

Don't be scared to start from the beginning. Keep going and engage with people. Gradually, you are building a name and also earning. Don't think it is too late. I could look back to where I started from and thank God for grace and the ability to engage as a blogger.

Thanks for reading

@Jane this is my bch address

bitcoincash:qr28ejx9p2sxwpdr7xnd3m4mgpfsvnx8gspq67u55a

SMARTBCH address

0xF797e925197305575eaFee17EbC201A8D3bA9461

Lead image created on Canva

[June 14, 2022] (No 165 articles for the year)