A social network walks a difficult line between selflessness and selfishness

[Cicatricks]

Selfishness is the key to content creation in any social network. You are there to talk about yourself. Your prefrences. Your problems. Your projects. Your baby. Your lunch. Your favorite beer. Your favorite game. I'm creating this content so you can read it. In return, I expect feedback. Why?

Because I've put effort into it. I took time from my day, made myself a cup of coffee, turned off the TV, and DEVOTED myself to creating something for you. I want to inspire you. I want to enrage you. I want to make you feel something so strong that you have no choice but to reply to me.

When we joined this community we commited to each other. We said "I have thoughts and ideas, and I want to share them with like minded people. I want to know what they think of me and my ideas."

But how many of us said "I want to tell like minded people what I think of them and their ideas." Were we really prepared to spend so much time listening to all these people?

Selflessness is important because social networks are also social contracts. Everyone wants to talk about themselves, but no one wants to talk about themselves to themselves. So I listen to you, and you listen to me. We both get heard, and a relationship is formed.

This community is great. This community is rebuilding, and what we need are strong workers with good backs who can, for a while, carry the needs of a great many.

This community is destined to find a better world, but first we must find ourselves. Gameful has always been a work in progress. But it is exactly that. Work. We must become community leaders and community shapers. We must build the world up around us.