Phew, I’ve seen them all come and go, all those communities, from the wealthy to the struggling little ones with brilliant ideas. So many administrators were bossy and busy gathering all the SP from the members, a large proportion of whom never received the proper, promised upvote.
There were armies of paid moderators, and the large communities in particular received a great deal of support +! salary. The small, often creative communities had to do without. These were often groups of like-minded people from the same country, or who spoke the same language, or who shared the same interests.

There’s nothing quite like knowing that a community stands for something and knowing where to find which topics.

There are still communities where members always receive a generous upvote, even if their post leaves a lot to be desired, and it is nothing more than an upvote given by agreement or out of habit. So there is no reward for quality, because the post adds value to the community or makes Steemit look better.

A large proportion of the administrators, as well as moderators, have lined their pockets handsomely, and there are even those who have made off with the funds. All of this was done with forethought, and despite all the fraud, they were still supported, with many of these individuals being given high-ranking and recurring roles. This leaves little room for change or for tackling corruption.

Everyone is free to post wherever they like. You don’t have to post in a community, you don’t have to give your SP to a community, you don’t have to give a certain percentage of your upvotes to a community or individual, and you don’t have to let yourself be threatened, and yes, all this sort of behaviour did and does occur.
Fortunately, much of the pressure and control exerted by moderators telling others how to write has disappeared since last year. Part of the reason is that, to receive an upvote, Steemians no longer need to be part of a club and… the booming votes are no longer allocated to communities (a reason to disappear), although these are still in the hands of the same people.

The reason I started communities wasn’t because I wanted a large group of members, but because I was looking for a way to organise what I wrote. And indeed, I started this primarily for myself.

We are now seeing more and more communities disappear, sometimes because moderators bully the administrator out and then set up something new to seize ‘power’, sometimes because the administrator is unable to invest in the members, sometimes because members drift away or leave swallowed up by the cares of life, and more often because there is no clear focus that sets them apart from other communities making them losing their face.

The smaller communities seem to be weathering this storm. Particularly those that focus on a clear theme and also have time to engage with members. A number are adrift, and the posts are mainly standard reports with links, about gaming and… the diary game. The easy way of posting is what gets rewarded even though there's no improvement if it comes to posting after many years and the project ended longer ago.

Are communities a thing of the past,

just like writers and creative people who still come along to brighten up the lives of others, even though they’re usually forgotten?

What do you say? A community is a way to find like-minded, to connect and help you grow or "I do not want you back"?

Prize:
I’m offering a prize of 20 SP to the person with the best-reasoned comment alongside the vote!
Feel free to share your thoughts on the above or suggest a new idea to breathe new life into Steemit and raise its profile to the outside world.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a newcomer or have been here since day one.
Conditions: no AI replies or AI brainstorming, and there must be at least 6 participants.

_{Prompt: I don't want you back
19-8-2026}