Seems to me the dust has settle a little bit, in the wake of HF.21/22 and we might even be able to say that a *"new normal"* now exists.

Although I have been posting a bit, here and there, I haven't really taken much time to do an evaluation. But I'm slowly getting the impression that *something has definitely changed,* and it seems to be for the *better* more often than not.

Of course, this post is not pretending to be a *"scientific study,"* more a few quick *shots from the hip,* based on feelings and impressions.

![0794-Leaves1.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXb1qf85gBCtHgCTFQrSMTuhy9LEhFnvMnE8H79xiEFER/0794-Leaves1.jpg)
*Fall is coming!*

## *As a Content CREATOR...*

I had a fair amount of apprehension, based mostly on repeated allegations that whereas *curators* would end up doing better with **#NewSteem,** unless you were someone who created wildly successful $20.00+ posts, you most likely would experience a *decline* in your rewards. 

I consider myself a pretty middle-of-the-road blogger — in terms of rewards — and I was *not* looking forward to the distinct possibility that my typical $2-3 posts would end up earning 30-40% less. 

Well, two weeks in, that has *not* turned out to be true. My top level post rewards are pretty close to the same as they were *before* the hardfork.

So, I am pleased to say that I have (so far!) not seen any significant change. And that's a bit of a relief... *even though* I don't really count on the Worlds of Steem to provide much, in the way of ching. 

![0703-Lavender.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTQjyi31M21hh4VbTwCLqiHGsc3xvr7uMCSfAgE625uu4/0703-Lavender.jpg)
*Bee enjoying some lavender*

## *As a Content CURATOR...*

Am I seeing larger curation rewards? 

Maybe it's too early to tell, but since the value of my upvote seems smaller than it used to be, and the percentage/proportion of rewards to curators is *higher,* it's all coming out more or less a *"wash."*

Has the content discovery process changed at all? Well, I have to admit that I seem to be finding less "total crap" than I used to, so that's a positive. But — in all fairness — I'm not a 100% about how much of that is simply the result of spending 2 1/2+ years being *pretty particular* about whose work is allowed in my feed!

So I am going to give that somewhat of a *neutral,* so far. But I am certainly not *UN*happy.

![0754-RedLeaf.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmfXB6kteHW6Z9fCM8cNokHswmHh2iqWuEaP7GaRnT5AeF/0754-RedLeaf.jpg)
*Red leaf....*

## *As a Content CONSUMER...*

I think we tend to overlook the content *consumers,* that is, the people who genuinely enjoy reading and learning more about an assortment of news and topics.

As a content consumer (separate from curation) I'm surprised to say that it seems to be *"working!"* I am seeing fewer totally spammy and "thin" posts than I used to... some of which may be the result of the new downvoting rules. But there are just not as many (for example) empty Actifit posts... and people excessively upvoting Appics posts also seem to be taken to task pretty strongly.

Of course, we can always make the argument that *"there's room for all sorts of content,"* and I'm not disagreeing with that!

What I *am* disagreeing with is the notion that a zero effort candid party photo should have the same value as a well-written article-length informative post. 

![0816-Redwoods.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSCJL1KMPJocpGSh21Gfb2XrU6EPUjU2ZAJZsdPBZe5eb/0816-Redwoods.jpg)
*Treetop view...*

## *Tribes, Tokens and Tag Farming*

Although this is a topic large enough to warrant a post of its own, it seems inevitable that any and all systems include those who try to find ways to *exploit* those very systems.

The growing number of SCOT tribes are a good example.

There are some lovely and viable communities forming, while there are also tokens that seem to have been created for no purpose other than to fill the pockets of their creators.

But that's not my primary point here. My *POINT* is that a growing volume of content is floating into the ethers of *"non-categorization"* because tagging has gone from being a feature used to *characterize* the content and sort it... to a way to list as many *"tribes"* as possible in hopes of getting some reward.

A post *"categorized"* purely with tribal tags and nothing *"content related,"* actually makes the site harder to use. Because I can't find a post about *dogs* when that isn't one of the tags!

Maybe that's not *exactly* a **#NewSteem** issue... but it seems worth bringing up.

Well, stopping for now... just some late night thoughts, as they came up. More to come on tribes, in future installments!

Thanks for reading!

*(Another **#creativecoin** creative non-fiction post)*

***What do YOU think about "NewSteem," so far? Is your readership more, less, or about the same? How about your rewards? What are your thoughts on content quality, site-wide? Any other thoughts? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!***

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*(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for this platform.)
Created at 190919 00:13 PDT*
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