![78B254C8-F261-4484-A28E-5238C5764B78.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbD5M2UMdvuUThEFwnxb4LsbGbEaBisWjBwCgHicvJAKb/78B254C8-F261-4484-A28E-5238C5764B78.jpeg)
<sub>[Source](https://quotefancy.com/quote/1506182/Larry-Winget-Reward-the-behavior-you-want-repeated)</sub>

Many times a week in discussions about Steem and how to improve aspects here, we say ***We need to reward the behavior we want to see.***

**It’s a simple idea, but one we seem to miss here.**

Now I’m a parent, and part of raising a tiny human is to teach them what is appropriate and what is not. Now sure, each parent might have different idea of what things are *appropriate* and what things are not.

For example, some parents may think it’s totally acceptable to allow their children to act like complete and utter assholes. 

They may think it’s appropriate for their child to throw fits in public, scream and yell in a restaurant or generally be disrespectful of others. Those same parents are normally the ones who call their children brats and say *I just can’t control them.* 

Then you have other parents who find that behavior unacceptable, and therefore they ensure it does not happen, by you know.. being a parent and teaching their children what is and what is not acceptable. 

**One simple way of doing this, is rewarding the behavior you want to see.**

Now using the word “rewarding” may be confusing, as it’s also means showing negative *consequences* to the behavior you do not want to see. 

Children learn from a young age what is wrong and right, by the example their parents set. 

 **Act INAPPROPRIATELY  -** NEGATIVE consequence

**Act APPROPRIATELY -** POSTIVE consequence
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It’s really that simple.. 

**set an example of what you want to see and have consequences.** 

This is used not only in parenting of course, but throughout the workforce, with animals, etc. It’s a tried and true method of getting an end result you want. 

<br>
### So why is that so lost here?
Many discuss and complain about the way people behave here, but we reward that behavior constantly. Why would they not act that way?

**We reward the behavior we want to see.**

Clearly this is a diverse community and just like with parenting, we all may have different ideas of what is acceptable. 

The beauty is that we each have a choice in that and can use our stake how we wish.
<br>
### Common ground
But we seem to generally agree on some of the negative behavior we see as “inappropriate” or at least we agree on the overall negative impacts some of the behavior has on the ecosystem. 

And we can all agree that we want the value of  STEEM to increase, right?


### The truth is, we have set a bad example. 
We reward people with our upvotes, comments, etc for minimal effort (whether through content or other contributions) and then it could be argued that we aren’t actively rewarding those who are truly adding value. 

**We have set the example for ourselves.** 

It is not beneficial for individuals to work hard here, it is not beneficial for individuals to contribute positively to the ecosystem. As they could receive the same reward for doing minimal contribution .. so why would they work harder or contribute more?

If we upvote an individual for one photo and a few sentences, an individual who’s only contribution to the ecosystem is that photo.. and a person who has a history of jumping ship to whatever new project looks shiny and new (then coming back and getting upvoted again). Can we really be surprised when they do it again?

If we see large stakeholders shitting all over this place with no consequences whatsoever, can we be surprised that this becomes the new norm?

The smaller accounts now follow that lead and guess what, we reward them for it. 

While we have individuals actively contributing through many aspects, that we are not rewarded. 

*For the record, contributing to the ecosystem does not just mean making content btw. Just so we are very clear on that.*
<br>
### We are rewarding the behavior we want to see, and that’s why it is the way it is. 

We have now evolved into a community where we have “contributors” that have “dumbed down” what they do, as they realized that the reward did not match the effort. 

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe anyone is entitled to anything here.. and quite frankly many here have somehow decided that they very much deserve those rewards whether they contribute or not, and they act accordingly. 

But at the end of the day, we reward the behavior we want to see. And we have rewarded them for their negative behavior, we have set examples of what behavior we want to see, simply by what we reward.. and what we let go unchecked. 

There is a reason some kids always act like jerks, it’s because they are allowed to. They get the reward they want by acting like that, whether it is attention or just the fact that there has never been a negative consequence to those actions. How could they possibly be expected to act any differently? 

Same goes for the community here ... 

**We reward the behavior we want to see.**

Only when we change that, will the behaviors change. 
<br>
### What do we want to see?
So, what behavior do we want to see here? Behavior that contributes positively to the ecosystem, therefore improving all of our investments? Or behavior that constantly contributes to the value decreasing? 

We have upvotes and downvotes for a reason ... and they are suppose to show the “mind of the crowd.” 

The mind of the crowd should essentially be focused on longevity of the ecosystem, and improvements that will result in positive changes. 

**Is that reflected in the current “mind of the crowd?”**

If not, maybe we should change that. 
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What do you think?
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Much Love,

Justine