Growth or Community?

Greetings Steemian's

Let's confront the elephant in the room.

If you opened the link to this post, then you are probably expecting some talk in regards to the price of Steem.

Correct you would be in this assumption. We're going to talk about the value of Steem, and what this means to you as a stake holder on the Steem blockchain.

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If this isn't something that has been on your mind in some capacity, I'm a bit perplexed, but that doesn't mean you are any less important to the Steem ecosystem. In fact, a system where users don't need to worry about the intricacies of the blockchain would be ideal IMO.

The important thing, is you are still here, and you are very valuable to myself, as well as to every other stake holder on the blockchain, so thank you for sticking around. Now it's time to discuss what we can do, as a means of securing the integrity of what we value.

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Now, in conceptualizing value, there are two ways to look at this. In terms of the value of Steem, one might assess:

• Monetary value
• Intrinsic value

Intrinsic is a pretty snazzy word right? What does it mean?

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Even after reading the definition, it could be unclear exactly what this means. By intrinsic, I am referring to what makes Steem valuable for a specific use, not, "the current market value". And to add onto this a bit, the context is more or less, "what will preserve this intrinsic value, or enhance it?"

Maybe you have thought about this, maybe you have not. It's not a poor cognition to have, and it's certainly not a waste of mental thought power when you have a position here. I would say, we all have a valuable position here, even if your position is not clear to you. It's important nonetheless. The intrinsic value in Steem, is of course community.

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I'm sure by now, you not only have a good understanding of the conceptual differences, but also, a picture in your mind of what might be more important. It's not up to me to suggest what is of the highest importance, it's only my opinion that intrinsic value is what will make or break Steem. That is, whether or not true intrinsic value is obtained or lost. This is a heavy weight that is cast upon the shoulders of each and every one of us. How you interpret this, and the choices you make for the future of Steem, may play a heavier role than you even realize.

This extreme plunge in the market was foreseen in my mind. I didn't talk about it or tell anyone, because I don't believe that I have a true "futuremind". The idea of seeing events unfold in the future is a fleeting concept, that is subliminally driven as an impossibility on television, but I did see this coming, and whether you believe me or not is irrelevant, and I truly don't care either way. The two numbers I saw in my mind were $0.40 Cents USD, and $0.10 Cents USD. The first number has already been met, and I hope I am wrong about the second number. I suppose I should state, there is no basis for this vision in my mind, it's completely lacking in any evidence to suggest, it's merely numbers that do no leave me alone. I don't know how else to put it.

The idea of Steem plummeting to this low came with a mixture of feelings and emotions. The first idea is that this is not good for Steem, and not good for user retention. As a stake holder, and someone who takes curation seriously, this thought was a major bummer. The other thought that was equally present during my thought process can be summed up in one word: Opportunity.

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If you believe in the intrinsic value of Steem, and have adopted a long term mindset, you will undoubtedly adopt an opportunistic mindset, and there is nothing wrong with this, as long as you don't fill the role of opportunist to a capacity which negates everyone else.

Yes, this is very important in my humble opinion, to focus on the growth of the pack, and not just stuff your own belly to max capacity. I've seen some awesome Steemian's discussing the topic of a thriving middle class. Steemian's like @meno, discussing the redistribution of stake that is occurring.

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This is hugely important for so many reasons. I will do my best to cover everything here, but I write in a style where my thoughts free flow, and I definitely miss key points that were prevalent in my mind before writing. I'm thankful for the comments, and I appreciate when you guys remind me of key points I forget to talk about. Don't be shy, this is a rather complex topic we should be discussing.

Why is a thriving middle class better than a few big willy's?

Well, I don't know about you, but I would rather have 3 square meals a day, instead of a fat meal once every couple of days. Sure I can survive on a fat meal every couple of days, but it's not a healthy way to live, and I am less likely to thrive. This concept is simple enough to understand, but omitting the metaphor, simply put, It's easier to have a healthy Steem economy when there is a definitive middle class of "dolphins" to offer support to the new users. When the masses are relying on a few, we all become suckerfish, and no one wants to be a suckerfish, right?

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So what are we even talking about here? What is the purpose of this post?

Mindset.

It's all about the mindset you adopt during this stressful time. If the mindset is adopted correctly, this will not be as stressful, because a bigger picture becomes evident.

I see two different mindsets currently, and a 3rd that's jumbled in between the two.

• Personal growth
• Community growth

These are the two prevalent mindsets I see right now. The one's like me who say "This is a great opportunity to obtain large stake", and begin thinking of ways to accumulate more, while maybe even stepping up the game a bit.

The community mindset entails a bit of both, where Steemian's see not only the value in personal growth, but also the value in community growth.

Many are capitalizing on the intrinsic value of community growth, and I think this is awesome, but many are not.

It's arguable that the current mindset, collectively is focused on the communal aspect.

There are certain behaviors that lead me to believe this. Such as, you are talking with someone on discord, yet they are expressing they would rather talk with you on the blockchain because they can earn more Steem and UA points this way. Yes, this has totally happened to me in the past, and it makes me feel less valued as a person. The thought that you would rather talk to me on the blockchain because of what I am worth to you in a monetary sense is very sad to me, and resonates a "problem" with the current mindset. I try to reserve judgement for such a person, but I find it to be a profiteering, narcissistic trait that is very much existent here. This is only opinion, if you are a profiteering narcissist, you are still valuable to the Steem economy, just less valuable to me personally.

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I see a gray area in this mindset, where some talk a certain talk, but deviate from their convictions in one way or another. This can be observed in the discordian that "doesn't have time for you". Or the type that has "little time for conversation in discord , or on post comments". We have more of these types than can be imagined if you are in the comfy discordian community. Just a little keen observation will verify what I am referencing. I understand some people are very busy as well, and have a life outside of Steem, I totally get it, and I would suggest that you probably should have a life outside of the blockchain, or at least something that will help maintain balance in your life, because spending copious amounts of time here, can definitely mess with your head from time to time. Breaks are a must. If you are part of the Steem community, you might want to allot some time to discord communities, I promise, this is sound advice for the new Steemian, and even the not so new. Community is everything when it comes to Steem, IMO.

If you, or anyone else here would like to underestimate the social power of a live chat environment, I won't try to convince you otherwise, but don't be surprised when you are left behind by the one's who get the value of community.

This probably seems like I have a preconceived notion of how things are supposed to work around here, and perhaps I do, but it's mostly opinion based, deduced from what I believe to be a sound mindset for growth. I see the value in diverse opinions, and I welcome them.

That being said, I see that I've fallen into the "gray area" I've described.

I want to know what I can do better, I want to serve other Steemian's as an asset to this community, and not a liability, or detriment. I think daily about what I can do to add more value to the blockchain with my limited stake, and I do my very best to manage it according to what I feel adds value to the community, but I am not perfect, and I still see error in my ways.

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I've effectively managed my voting power to obtain a mixture of automation, for continual support for Steemian's I deem to add valuable content to our blockchain, with a little free VP for manual curation. I feel I've managed to employ a pretty manageable, and efficient system, which allows me to vote with about 200-500 percent manually per day. I take the manual aspect pretty seriously, as I feel it's critical to use my stake to contribute to the lower SP accounts. I've not been perfect with this system, and some selfish curation has been a factor.

I intend to utilize 200 percent of my vote for small accounts today. Specifically for accounts with a reputation of 35 or lower. Active SP will not be a strong influence in my decision. I am looking for quality content, and communal mindset. (I know rep can be gamed, but it's easy enough to discern gamer's)

So this is my (somewhat random) endeavor today.

In the comments:

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Tell me why you believe in Steem. What "value" do you see in Steem, and what you intend to do to add value to Steem, as well as the community behind Steem. There is no requirement for upvote or resteem. Simply state what I have asked, with a post link in the comment, and I will choose two accounts with a reputation of 35 or below to vote 100%. My vote between this account, and my trail account will add a combined total of about $0.06 Cents USD, which isn't a ton, but the market is low, and this could be worth way more one day!

As a bonus, the two accounts I choose for upvote will also receive 2 Steem worth of @incinboost shares each, unless implicitly stated otherwise. If you don't want the shares, please state in the comment.

Get some good karma into your life, vote @good-karma for witness!

Steem witnesses

Please consider voting helpie for witness

Our hope is that those who decide to support @helpie's efforts do so because they see the value in people too.

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Much love,
@futuremind

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