Portland Steemit Meetup Report!

^{The 'Gaming' tag was an error on my part, disregard.}

I'm the fellow who appears to be wearing a hanging lantern on his head. I only wish I'd thought to bring such fashionable headwear. I arrived about an hour after it started, though the organizer (@natureofbeing) had shown up early to hold the table. She seemed all around a very sharp and "with it" person, and thanks in no small part to her efforts, the meetup went off without a hitch.

I will say it was a strange, new feeling to be recognized. A few of the people knew my name without me telling them. Then again I suppose I do dress...distinctively. I do not actually like attention and prefer to fly under the radar, but I suppose it will become unavoidable going forward.

I got to meet and speak with some really interesting characters. Besides @natureofbeing and her tiny, adorable dog which she brought along in a carrier, I spoke at length with @doctorcrypto (who is interested in setting up an interview with me in the near term) and @ganjafarmer whose name leaves little question about his primary passion in life.

Also in attendance: @fronttowardenemy, @greyhawk, @haphazard-hstead, @ddschteinn, and @nick725

The lovely lady I'm dating at the moment (@amandarichards, profile not approved yet) was also in attendance, as I've talked her into signing up for Steemit. No doubt you'll see some of her articles resteemed on my page when at last she is approved. The process just seems to take longer and longer, though I have it on good authority that an upcoming hard fork will resolve that problem.

I was surprised to discover that I was the biggest fish in attendance at 5,300 followers and 73 rep. The next biggest were ~2,500 or so. I got a lot out of meeting these ambitious up and comers mainly because to me, the notion of a "Steemit community" is real and important.

The more we can identify and coordinate with fellow producers of quality content, the better Steemit will fare. It helps none of us if Steemit is flooded with unreadable crap, as it turns new users off to the site. It's up to us, then, to drown out the crap with useful, interesting, meaningful content.

Meeting in person added a human dimension to my Steemit experience which was very welcome, and filled in something I didn't know I was missing. Now I have faces to put to the names, and I know who in my area to keep an eye on for information about any of the topics they specialize in.

It's easy to forget when all we usually see of one another are words on a screen, but there's a living, breathing human behind every profile, and their content is a reflection of who they are as a person. Their accumulated experiences, quirks, fears and hopes.

I'm pleased to have met some of those humans, even if parking was a bitch. I won't say much about the venue as it wasn't the point of the meetup, the point was connecting on a personal level with some of the precious few pouring themselves out and busting their asses to counterbalance the crap on Steemit with worthwhile art, writing, music and so forth.

We broke double digits this time. Who knows what the turnout will be like next year? Maybe eventually we'll need to rent the convention center or something. If so I will be sure to establish my own booth where, for the paltry sum of 1SBD, I will grimly stare at you with a lantern on my head.

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^{Stay Cozy!}