Yesterday, I outlined a system that would, I believe, prove beneficial to growing the Homesteader Community.

Thanks Pixabay
Today, we'll explore the second part of the equation, which is the underlying platform the Co-Op will use to build their own economic engine. That platform is under construction as we speak and already has several things operational.

The platform I'm referring to is the VIVAconomy.

Full disclosure time: I am a VIVA Crown Holder.

What does that mean? Well, basically, it gives me certain rights in the VIVAconomy. The pertinent ones for our project would be:

{snip}
What is a VIVA Crown? And Why do I Want One?

THE RIGHT TO MINT VIVA COINS

Every quarter each VIVA Crown Holder receives a Treasury Right to mint an agreed upon number of VIVA Coins (the base currency in the VIVAconomy). These rights can be sold to a mint if you so desire.

THE PRIVILEGE OF GRANTING AWARDS RIGHTS

Every quarter an amount of VIVA Coins generated by transactions in the VIVAconomy is set aside for worthy causes. As a Crown Holder you have the right and privilege of naming a recipient.
{snip}

Having the right to mint VIVA Coins gives the ability to print cryptocurrency. That currency can then be invested and circulated just like other cryptocurrencies (including STEEM and SBD) and fiat on the Tradeqwik Exchange.

The Grant Awards target specific people or projects by giving them a source of funds to kick-start an operation or be a bridge over a rough spot. This option could have some far-reaching possibilities for folks at critical stages of development.

Okay, so now that's out of the way, what new things would a VIVAconomy offer over other crypto-centric models?

This article gives an excellent overview of the entire platform. I'm going to pull out a few items that have obvious benefits in real life circumstances:

Worker Program: A software that allows you to earn VIVA Coins by leveraging the wasted computer resources of your computer when you aren’t using it.

VIVA VIP Retirement accounts: – Each Vivo (ed: someone who owns VIVA Coins) has a long-term retirement account that compounds regularly based on the total number of transactions processed in the VIVAconomy. When in retirement mode, Vivos can withdraw a maximum of 24 VIVA coins per day from this account.

The Worker Program is currently in development and expected to be launched soon. Your computer will be quietly running a program when not being actively used. Earnings will automatically be deposited in your wallet.

The VIP Retirement Accounts are active and can be accessed on the Tradeqwik Exchange. (The mechanism has recently been revised, so I need to review that process when time permits.) I believe it's through the VTR (VIVA Treasury Rights), but will double check.

Tradeqwik also generates regular dividends for Tradeqwik Shareholders (TQS) based on the transaction fees collected. You can see how that is going by following @Tradeqwik's account.

Oh, by the way, the article mentioned VIVA was expecting to set the peg at $5.50. That was increased recently and is on it's way to $10.00 in next few weeks.

Those are passive ways a VIVA-based platform produces income. There are active options, as well.

Peer-to-Peer Payment

VIVA.cash is a peer to peer payment system that utilizes SMS text messaging instead of apps. With funding from the ICO, we will be getting money transfer licenses in place allowing our Network to take a slice of the trillion dollar remittance industry without over complicating it for new users. This solution is based on the fact that many people throughout the world do not have smart phones or reliable internet but they do have cellular service.

This system is very close to launch and, if I'm not mistaken, is being beta-tested now.

Education

POETS, an acronym for Proof of Educational Transcript System, is an exciting application for higher education. What differentiates POETS from other proposed blockchain-backed open course-ware initiatives is that all courses will be from accredited institutions. A condition of institutional participation requires that credits be considered fungible between participating institutions. In short this means that students are allowed to cherry pick courses and instructors from a myriad of institutions taking only the very best, and most rigorous courses, then banking these credits over a lifetime. The student may “cash them in” when they feel they are degree ready and the issuing institution agrees.

Continuing higher education is usually not feasible due to the demands of life in general. This offers an avenue to shoe-horn classes into your schedule, instead of the reverse.

Medical Records

MedicAxess is an application that will be a game changer in the medical industry. Our initiative is to have all medical records tied to the individual rather than scattered between medical clinics, hospitals, labs, and care providers. Individuals will be empowered to control who has access to their records when they seek medical care. The unique thing about MedicAxess is that all medical providers will be allowed to store medical records safely on the network for free. There is a small fee charged when retrieving records and this fee must be paid in VIVA, thereby setting up a way for people to offset their medical bills with VIVA earned by donating their computing resources to help others.

Healthcare in the U.S. is haphazard, confusing, and made up of a patchwork of providers. This is a tool to make sure your health history and records are complete and easily accessible when required.

I'm not sure of the status of this tool, but I think it's being tested in small markets. Another research to-do for me.

Open Source Voting

Votabit is a proposed standard for eVoting systems that harnesses the power of the Ultraledger blockchain technology. It allows for individuals to verify that their vote has been counted while at the same time it ensuring strict voter anonymity.
As democracies become more and more dependent on technology it is essential that voting systems be reliable and tamperproof. This is what Votabit brings to the table.

This system is under development. VIVA envisions using this system for political elections, which is admirable, but I don't see any reason why it couldn't be used in any situation where a vote count is required.

As you can see, VIVAconomy is a massively ambitious endeavor. Steemit's own @williambanks is the architect of this new approach to banking and finance. He deserves a huge round of thanks for coming up with this platform and following through to make it a reality. (The White Paper is downloadable for review.)

In the days since the ICO, developers are coming onboard and projects are moving forward as planned. The direction this effort is taking is very promising and has the potential to be a stand alone system when fully functional.

Tomorrow, I hope to show how these two systems are compatible, plus the benefits both could derive from mutual self-interest. Hang in there, the really good stuff is coming up...

Upvote, ReSteem,

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!