Go Local to Go Big : Four Stages in Building Steem Backed Local Community Networks
The potential of steem based local community networks to significantly increase recruitment to steemit and to create thousands of jobs is massive.
The inbuilt rewards system for both content creation and content curation makes the steem blockchain the ideal vehicle to build highly active and content rich local community networks.
However in its current form the steemit platform is still very limiting and limited in terms of trying to fulfill the needs of a good local community network.
The much antipated Communities feature will go a long way towards overcoming these limitations, but the arrival time of that feature is still unknown.
Likewise Social Media Tokens (SMTs) could revolutionise how community networks might happen but there is no set date for these yet.
These developments will come for sure but for the here and now progress will need to be made with the tools at hand.
I see a 4 stage development process for steem based local community networks over the next couple of years.
Stage 1 : Basic Networks on steemit using localised tags and curation accounts
This will be the first stage incarnation of a local community network on steemit.
It would be based on tagging posts with local specific tags, and a central locally named curation account.
The curation account would be able to resteem the best local content. It would also publish regular agreggation posts for example listing what's on events or local news - with links to other more detailed posts as available.
The network would be publicised to the outside world as steemit.com/@localtownnetwork.
Lead time to implementation : technology available now, only needs set-up of central curation account for each community.
Costs for implementation : only the cost of the curation accounts if using an instant account registration service.
The effectiveness of the network could be greatly enhanced if the central curation account has some delegated steempower for upvoting support of the best local content creators.
Stage 2 : Steemit based networks interlinked with off-block Wordpress websites
One of the key limitations for local community networks is the 7 day editing rule for posts on the steem blockchain.
This means posts would need to be reissued purely to update content. Some more 'evergreen' content likes list of local councillors might get lost in a continual flow of new material.
A way round this will be to combine or embed the local steem network (steemit.com/@localtownnetwork) within an offchain website.
This would allow the 'pinning' of the long term / 'evergreen' posts in a structured webpage format. The information would still be on the steem blockchain posts but they would be found through standard organised webpage links.
As well as giving significant advantages for content organisation having a standard web frontend to the network will make it more accessible to the general public. This will also be a useful conduit for steem recruitment.
The network would be publicised to the outside world as steemit.com/@localtownnetwork or more likely as localtownnetwork.com (or appropriate localised top level domain)
Lead time to implementation : steemit technology available now, only needs set-up of central curation account for each community. Wordpress site setup is simple. However depending on the degree of integration desired some development time might be needed.
Costs for implementation : The cost of the curation accounts if using an instant account registration service. For the website the costs of hosting and a domain for each network. Additionally there may be a cost for the integration development.
Stage 3 : Local Community Networks on the blockchain using the steemit Communities feature
Full details of the steemit Communities feature have not yet been released. From the information already made available it does look as if Communities will add significant new functiionality that might well be useful for local community networks.
This will need to be reviewed when full details of the Communities feature becomes available.
Lead time to implementation : not available until steemit.inc releases the Communities feature. This should be sometime in 2018.
Costs for implementation : unknown, until more is known about how the Communities feature in steemit will work.
Stage 4 : Bespoke external applications utilising SMTs
Social Media Tokens (SMTs) are now very close to release by steemit inc.
SMTs will allow any network to reward its creators and content consumers through its own token.
SMTs are based on the steem blockchain.
SMTs open the door for the development of autonomous, bespoke community network applications that provide exactly the required features and functionality and allow for the reward and incentivisation of content creators and consumers.
Lead time to implementation : SMTs are due in the early part of 2018. Once they are available there would be a lead time while the bespoke applications with SMT integration are developed.
Costs for implementation : unknown, until SMTs are released. There are likely to be significant development costs for the bespoke community applications.
This is still very much a work in progress.
Could local community networks catapult steem and steemit into the big time?
I would welcome feedback, and a much needed reality check, on these ideas.
I would particularly welcome the thoughts of the likes of @timcliff, @lukestokes and @aggroed who might cast their experienced eyes over the concepts, of @transisto who I believe looks keenly for ideas that bring new users to the platform, and of @taskmaster4450 who has a future vision that seems to pinpoint quite clearly where steem could be heading.
This is just my big picture overview of the idea.
If people think these ideas merit I will continue to expand further with more details of how I envisage taking this forward.
You might also be interested in some of my other posts :
SteemRadio - schedule of all the steemit radio shows - week beginning 15 January 2018
Homesteaders & Preppers on steemit - the We are Sparta edition - 300 reached - v12 [12 Jan '18]
Delivering a 5 week steemit course to promote the platform in Wales - anyone done anything similar?
A Challenge for 2018 - can I sign up 100 new people to steemit in one year? #signup100
Steemit in Wales - heading for 100% growth - first meetup on 10 February
SteemCommerce - Businesses accepting payment in steem (v 2 @ 3 January 2018)
That was amazing! After last night I believe the steemit community can do anything...
Yesterday I became a Dolphin. Now it is time to set my steemit targets for 2018
[ flag image from pixabay - Creative Commons CC0 // graphics by @pennsif ]
This has the potential to be so big! Can you point me in direction of where I could read some more about the planned steemit communities feature?
From my previous experience I do think steem based local community networks could have a very significant impact on the whole steem ecosystem.
I have just been hunting around for info on the new steemit Communities feature. I believe @timcliff or @lukestokes might have posted on it, but I can't find it at the moment.
Nothing that I can see in @steemitblog unfortunately, but I have found these articles that tell a bit more :
https://steemit.com/steemit/@surfyogi/top-secret-steemit-2017-roadmap-steemit-communities
https://steemit.com/roadmap2018/@timcliff/steemit-roadmap-2018-timcliff-s-top-picks-and-recommendations
And page 9 of the 2017 Roadmap :
Hi there... I am doing what I can to help with this.. Just held 2 classes last week to give people an introduction to Crypto... AND hosted a social event on Tuesday night where 40 people attended here in Victoria BC.. https://steemit.com/steemit/@somena/victoria-bc-canada-steemit-bitcoin-and-other-cryptocurrency-meetup-january-14th-2018
That is great. Are you getting many people interested in steemit?
Yes... I got about 8 people at the Social meetup to apply for Steemit accounts :) -- also I have been working for 6 years to build a community around local currency here in Victoria.. https://steemit.com/steemit/@somena/09hp7v8a see my video detailing some of that experience.
Very interesting video. I left a comment there with more questions.
I am just getting started here. I am pretty much comfortable with WordPress. I wonder if they can make something that integrates with WordPress. So working around dashboard side becomes easier. I am not complaining just saying if they add steem to existing wordpress that would be good :)
With SMTs coming out sometime in 2018 I can imagine there might even be a Wordpress Coin. Site integration will be great for all sites :)
Take a look at this : https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-steem/
I am not sure if it is still being developed.
I am not well versed in some of the details, but I am definitely in support of the concept. I am brainstorming ways of bringing my college students into steam, on a voluntary basis, of course, but in a way that might gamify the completion of certain assignments, peer feedback, etc. Following.
I will be interested to hear how this goes with your students.
What subject do you teach?
I teach course in Communication Studies/Human Communication, like public speaking, interpersonal communication, group and team, intercultural, film studies. Any idea how much steem I would I have to have in my wallet to increase my upvote power? Or is that even how it works? Total newb here :)
I know offering 1 free Pint for signing up will bring students in! :)
A virtual pint perhaps :)
We hope your predictions can do a reality because some of diferents countries need fount of employess and steem is right now change the lives of a lot of us which read, post and share our passion here, steemit let us development the best of our talent and effort.
Thanks to you for be our inspiration and help every day with amazing contents , specially the homesteading community which give and produce food for every world and sometimes in our countries this great work do not receiving the support and value that this hard activities in the homestead people are doing.
We hope your prediction doing changed the employees and grow up and development and help a lot of people.
Best regard @galberto
Yes I hope these ideas can move forward and develop well.
Thank you very much !!! Thank you again and again for sharing this post because you did not just share this post. This post has been written in a beautiful manner by writing everything well.
Good post! Thanks for sharing helpful information
Thank you.
I have been recruiting many people to STEEMIT. I called upon an array of people, the majority of folks in my community (small town) are military who are mostly deployed at the moment in Ukraine, and Nuclear Facility employed so I engaged a couple of scientist, and a biologist. Not a bunch of Mathematics based categories or communities, other than science based. Keep being you my friend it;s awsome.
Tough sell in a small town full of older farmers and trades men, who still use a flip phone. LOL
I think it's an idea with a lot of potential. I agree, there are limitations on Steemit itself, so a separate website would probably have to come in for easier access of certain information and, like you say, updating. Also maybe for collating things. I'm still a bit unsure how the SMTs will work so I'm looking forward to seeing them in action.