Can the "Steem Blockchain" Rise From the Ashes Once More?
Since the utter shock of discovering what happened to the finances of Steemit Inc. has subsided somewhat, steps to help resolve the damage done or at least mitigate it, has begun. It looks like a long road of challenges lie ahead but with the likes of @exyle on the case and his very "hands-on" approach to righting this ship, we many "just" about make it out in one piece. Still, there are many "if's" and "but's" at the moment. Here's my take on all this. And apologies if I repeat some information already out there in other various posts on the subject...
Steemit Inc. cannot fund everything. The heart of the problem. They managed to "FUBAR" beyond anything we could have imagined in this respect. Ironic also, that this should have happened to a company building a blockchain which actually "provides" for monetary creation. But still, we need them to maintain development for our blockchain so let's try to stay on their good side. Hence, the primary goals should be offloading the right operations from Steem Inc. as well as them being delivered into the right hands. So first and foremost, as far as I can see, is finding a way to assist the developers on Steem with their third party applications. Witnesses running a full node would be great for diverting traffic away from Steem Inc. and letting the core team get on with what they do best. Third party devs could rent and service available server space for a while, until these God forsaken markets turnaround and other options are on the table. But for now, the central focus is literally the "decentralisation" of Steemit. Inc..
An initiative started by @exyle, in which he is breaking down the top 20 witness list in terms of what their core role is and what they actually offer, is pure genius. Because the way I see it, there are a lot of complaints about cost of running servers and equipment, which I do understand. But "if" you're a top 20 witness, the money being generated by being a part of this coveted elite group, would more than finance these operations. I believe it's around $3,000 a month right now. So, it stands to reason that we need to get the "full node" witnesses and "cream-of-the-crop" developmental projects (@partiko and @steempress spring to mind) into that list to aid them with financing those bills. It makes perfect sense. This ain't time to simply "talk the talk" and use that as a justification for getting a top 20 witness spot. We need the absolute essential users of the Steem realm pushed up the ranks of that witness list and preferably into the top 20.
I mean, sure. I've been around long enough to know that the top levels of the witness list have "political agenda" written all over them, but then again, where does "stepping on peoples toes" even come into play when the ship is already well on it's way to sinking. Wounded egos and hurt feelings can take a backseat, given the brevity of the situation. After all, what's the use of a government when there's no country left to run. We're in an emergency of the highest order therefore swiftness of action and financial redistribution, are of the essence at this juncture. So yeah, I'm pleading with the community to "understand and acknowledge" which people in governance (the witnesses) you'd want to attempt to right this ship and use your witness votes to help them do so! Again, forget favouritism or even personable likeability. It's about the talents and quality of the people at the helm of the ship, that will make a difference at the end of the day.
Don't get me wrong. I know I'm of no use in all this. Just a simple bystander. Much as I'd love to jump in and get stuck in to fixing things, I'm not a developer or a witness. So, the current "community" as far as I'm concerned, are those with those abilities to repair and enhance this blockchain, to the point where we are self-functioning again. They are the ones that matter. Onboarding initiatives or "spreading the word" and all that PR stuff, are by the wayside, for the time being. It's all about repairing the infrastructure, that is currently in an absolute shambles. Prioritisation of operations is key, right now! And it should be fairly obvious what they might be.
Even with all the work that's being discussed and slowly implemented, we're far from in safe territory. It's gonna take hard work and lots of it. And make sure you remember the names of those people who did played a part in getting this ship righted and back on track, should we come out on the other side. I certainly will as simple gratitude towards them, will be the bare minimum. We much more action and much less frivolous talk. Check your witness list and compare if to their specific roles in our system aligned with yours. Because this is pretty much "do or die". Make no mistake about it.
Don't worry about repeating what's been written elsewhere.... You've nailed it here.
Decentralisation is paramount. We need to know that if the lights go out at steemit Inc tomorrow, that we can keep the ship afloat...
Posted using Partiko Android
Well said! "Decentralisation" is the only way forward, as well as coming up with properly channelled revenue streams and models, and in the right directions. For sure, a lot of work is to be done.
Let’s hope the Steem blockchain remains healthy long into the future, even if steemit.com slowly fades away (which btw I hope does not happen) 🤞🏽
Posted using Partiko iOS
Yes, buddy. "Steemit" acting as a portal to other third party apps might not be a bad idea either. Let's see. :)
Only time will tell 🙈
Posted using Partiko iOS
I just hope the call for "swiftness of action" does not lead to more disaster. I know a lot of the money people do not see the RC issue the same as I do, but I see it from the social aspect side. I feel and I believe a lot of witnesses felt that was a rushed/swiftness of action item during HF20. Sometimes instead of jumping up, it is time to duck and cover, look at how we got here, where we wanted to be, and how do we get back on track.
Well, let alone the hardfork, now the future of the blockchain is in jeopardy. We need a strategised and co-ordinated implemented plan of action. I'll be attempting to post up suggestions, hoping the Steemit Inc. team are listening to us all. Our fate is ultimately in their hands. :(
I think they are listening, and beginning to think more.@andrarchy had a post about the different users, so at least he sees some of the issues. We can hope that people will come together a bit more and look at as many issues as possible before masking rash decisions, there were many not happy with HF20, their concerns were just brushed aside for the "we need to try something" crowd. "We can always roll back" they said. People need to be able to look forward, and do it with clarity of sight, no the foggy foresight of we can always go back. I honestly think that Steemit Inc. will be listening to ideas from the trenches, and perhaps no so much from the people standing in the safety of the bunker mentality. There is at least one person trying to understand "who" the users are, and trying to not ignore them.
There are so many good dApps on Steem and the structure of how it operates is already better and fairer than the current social media giants. I know that this latest news and price drop is disheartening but this Steem journey is only a couple of years old and we’re up against the biggest players on Earth using brand new tech. We should take this on the chin and push harder. More publicity. Better publicity. Better choices for witnesses. So what if Steem isn’t perfect. We should ‘t get so down. We can recover. It’s up to the users.
Posted using Partiko iOS
I can only pray your words ring true, my friend.
I hope things will change, we all are working hard and concerns should think the win win situation for each of us.
I left to spend time at other social media long time ago due to this and will stick on it. Thanks for your concern about it.
:)
Man, I've already invested here as I said before!!! So, no way to be depressed!!! ;)
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I think the more that Steemit, Inc. isn't involved in, the more decentralized this platform and blockchain will become, which is the entire idea anyway, right?
Great summary! If Steemit cannot fund themselves in the long term the importance of decentralization increases for sure. However, we cannot write then off immediately either as they hold an important stake. Therefore they should be working to assist the community in these efforts as they know immediately where the gaps are. I also think they should be thinking about how to add revenue streams for the ecosystem (them and the those whi invest in infrastructure) to ensure a more sustainable business model since this is not meant to be a charity either.
Posted using Partiko iOS