Go Local to Go Big - will this take Steem to the Moon?
Until very recently I knew no one on steemit in real life.
When I started organising the first Wales steemit meetup I discovered how few steemians there are in the whole of Wales.
In a country with a population of 3 million there were only around 70 steemit users identified as being in Wales. Of these only 15 were currently active.
That is an active steemit population density of only 0.0005%.
After making contact with all the active steemians I realised there were none in the same area as me.
I was truly the only steemian in the village...
The obvious answer to this 'dilemma' of course is to recruit more people to steemit in the local area.
I have set about that with alacrity. As part of my #signup100 campaign I have already got 6 more local people on steemit.
In fact now almost half of the active steemians in Wales are in a 30 mile radius in west Wales.
Wales Meetup
By chance because of the wide spread across the country of the active steemians Lampeter in the middle of Wales was chosen for the first Wales steemit meetup on 10 February.
The planned 5 week Introduction to Steemit course will also be held in Lampeter.
So there is something of a steemit hub developing here - heading in the direction of the SteemAcceleratorHub (@stach) in Nigeria.
Once you begin to get significant accumulations of steemians all in one area steemit can begin to take on a whole new purpose.
Local Community Networks
In my past life I established one of the first and one of the largest local community online networks in Britain. At its peak before the arrival of Facebook it had over 300,000 visitors a month.
From that I learnt how powerful local networks could be. Online and offline merged and overlapped. Businesses used the site for advertising jobs, job seekers used the site to find jobs. It was the go-to site for local people to find out what was on at the local cinemas, who their councillors were, or how the local basketball team did in their last game.
Local users demanded local content. Local content attracted local users.
The network grew and grew and grew. It then took on real journalists to write local news.
Local news attracted more local users, and expatriates that wanted to keep in touch with their home city.
The network grew and grew and grew some more. It innovated.
We linked the local football team with its fans around the world live on the web. We live broadcast a major basketball game taking place in the city. We arranged marriages and broadcast weddings - even making it to page 3 of the national Sun newspaper.
The local newspaper, part of one of the major newspaper groups, hated us. We were way ahead of their curve.
They tried to ban us. We poached their journalists.
They tried to buy us. We turned them down.
But I was young, idealistic and naive.
The site did not generate money. This was before the word monetisation had even been invented.
We did it for the thrillz. We did it for the lulz.
Then life changed. Facebook happened. I moved 200 miles away. Interest waned.
They were the best days of our lives.
That was Internet 1.0
I skipped over Internet 2.0. I was busy just making money to catch up.
Now with the Blockchain we have Internet 3.0.
How much better could local community networks be with steem?
Imagine local people being rewarded with steem for generating local content. Businesses earning rewards for posting jobs. Local charities raising funds through posting on the blockchain.
Local content attracts more local users. Local users earn steem to generate more local content.
Rinse and repeat. And multiply by every village, every town, every city across the world.
And every outpost to the moon...
Is this all a fanciful dream? Or could local community networks catapult steem and steemit into the big time?
I would welcome feedback, and a much needed reality check, on this idea.
Please don't do the numbers on this until it has been considered in more depth. They are scary!
I would particularly welcome the thoughts of the likes of @timcliff and @lukestokes who might cast their experienced eyes over the concept, of @transisto who I believe looks keenly for ideas that bring new users to the platform, and of @taskmaster4450 who has future eyes that seem to pinpoint quite clearly where steem could be heading.
This is just my big picture overview of the idea.
If people think it has merit I will expand further with the four stage model I have been developing for 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
My Childhood Days in the Home Counties of England, c1967 - Wicksteed Park and London Zoo
Homesteaders & Preppers on steemit - the We are Sparta edition - 300 reached - v12 [12 Jan '18]
The Muscovy Brothers say farewell to one of their own - RIP Mr Muscovy
This is where it started... Walk with me as I take the puppies on their first trip to the lake
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
[ image and graphics by @pennsif ]
I think you have the right idea about targeting the local scene, and addressing Steemit growth at that level. You've shown an ability to grow communities via that method in the past, judging by what you have describe in your post here. And those are skills that can and probably should be put to good use.
You've given me something to think about to, as your explanation of addressing matters at a local level makes sense. Good luck with your classes, and attempts to expand in a direct and meaningful way like that.
Thank you. Glad it all makes sense. I will be interested to see how much support there is to develop this.
I'd be interested in that too. But it all has to start somewhere, and perhaps you found an ideal spot - locally. All the best.
You are going to be a big part of revolutionizing Steemit in the UK. You have identified all the potential and more that it could be in people helping themselves, business and charity. You are truly a visionary @pennsif and you have my support in all that I can help with too.
Thank you very much for those kind and inspiring words @hopehuggs.
It is sort of completing the circle for me - from where I started as a community / environmental activist through a period of straightforward commercial web enterprise back to seeing how steem can be utilised for empowering and bettering local communities.
The potential I believe is massive. It truly excites me of what we might be able to achieve here...
"I was truly the only steemian in the village..."
Haha! Love that.
You're doing a great job flying the flag for Wales and the UK more generally.
Thanks for that Steve.
Would you by chance be remembering a certain Little Britain sketch...?
Absolutely!
I was going to include the clip, but thought it might offend.
But it so wonderfully appropriate for 3 particular reasons.
Likewise, I was going to add a clip to my comment but thought better of it!
I am so pleased to have been part of the 6 new users in the local area! Thanks to your help of course. The idea of using stem for local communities could be one of the greatest revolutions, the amount of doors it could open (and of course bad ones it could close) would be incredible. The challenge is to now get it more mainstream and widely accepted. But that is going to only get faster the more people who join in. Snowball Steemit Effect perhaps?
Steemit Snowballs are go...
I am fascinated to see what will happen if I manage to recruit even only half of my target 100 new steemians in our little part of Wales.
If we do achieve that we might well have the highest steem population density on the planet!!!
Are you up for the challenge @huwsnursery ?
Going local can only help Steem!
Different strategies will need to be used in different areas, which is to be expected.
After crunching the numbers, it looks like Wales has a population density of around 375 people per square mile.
My area of Oklahoma has a population density of about 15 people per square mile. We have more cattle than people :)
The primary growth of Steem utilization will have to be in population dense areas.
Yes very much so. It will present some interesting challenges for taking steem local.
But with the fantastic hive-mind that we have here on the steem blockchain anything and everything is achievable...
I think the biggest misconception is that you must understand cryptocurrencies, bitcoin, candle charts in order to get into Steemit & Steem. It's the total opposite and I think your right about local communities first then helping them with the difficult stuff later :D
I'm excited to see how 2018 turns out for Wales! :D
I try to avoid talking about the crypto stuff when first telling people about steemit.
I think Wales will be going large in the steem universe this year. And I think @Ned should make us all honorary Whales... 😊
Great work man. How many local users have you got there now? If there's a nice sized gathering, I might consider making it down there.
Hi Dylan. We are hoping for about 10 so far but it continues to grow. I have an article in a local newspaper the week before so I am interested to see what interest that will generate.
I will keep you posted nearer the time. You would be most welcome. I will order more cakes.
Cool. Well I cant promise, but I will do my best. im very keen to speak at any events that may be happening, whether they be campuses or business events or anything really, so please do keep me updated also if you do any of that stuff.
Will do.
Nice post. In my area there is only 1 other person who is using steemit, it's really hard to find people like that here:) I believe steemit community will continue growing since it's definitely the best social media. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for that. Gradually more people on steemit will pop up everywhere.
We are just beginning to grow in my area with some great new steemians coming on board like @huwsnursery, @cryptocariad and @timmartin.
I take my hat off to you @pennsif
This can only be a good thing :)
I'm toying with doing a promo steem type video/post for my old YouTube subscribers. It'll have to be funny and engaging, as the last video I did last Spring seemed to fall on deaf ears.
BTW... Nice place you got there.