As we have all heard, over and over, steemit is going through a bad-patch and I have seen many folk starting to jump ship. I'd rather not have to bring this up, as it may encourage others to do the same, but we can't let everyone think it's all doom and gloom. I've heard about folks sailing away to lands offering bounties of sustenance, all for the promise of being noticed and, more importantly for some, being paid well for their efforts.

I can't really fault folks for this, steemit has appeared to be a little stagnant in parts and the whole D-tube issue seemed to really disappoint some people, me included. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, this is technology way above my pay-grade. I just thought that it was done with too much haste and not enough disclosure about the downsides. On the whole though, we have very little to grumble about and folk really do need to gain some perspective on how lucky we all are to be getting any kind of monetary rewards at all.

We started this shit

Well... Not me, but I was here near to the start, under my old profile, @dogtanian and back then things were very basic indeed. At this point the foundations of steemit were being set and there wasn't a discord or any of the wonderful projects, like @adollaraday, that have exploded onto the scenes in the last year. Steemit was simply a place to write and post your thoughts and ideas, much like it still is.

I'm not sure what it is about steemit that makes me want to stay here, but when I lost my password to my old account, I didn't waste much time creating a new profile. At this point steemit had began to pick up pace and then we hit pay-dirt...

"Sell! Sell! Sell!!!"... The moment the price of SBD shot up to double-figures this is all I heard. By now I had just about cottoned on to the fact I was now earning a nice amount for posting on steemit and due to there being a "steemchat" service, I was able to find out how to trade, power up and cash out. These were very exciting times and I was assured by plenty of steemians that it wouldn't last. I even remember two hardcore steemians going at it in the chat, one defending steemit and the other berating it. To me it all seemed a bit too serious, but I suppose some folks have invested a lot more than me in this website. All I did was "power-up" and cash out!! I even managed to pay 2 months rent from my steemit income supply and like many others, got carried away and declared a status of "full-time Steemian".

It was never meant to last

Turns out those folks in the chat were right and no sooner had SBD hit its all time high, it then began to correct itself and begin its decent back down the mountain. $12 to $10, then $10 down to $8 and from $8 it crashed to $4. It was quite entertaining and if it were money I had invested myself, then I would probably have had a nervous breakdown. It wasn't just SBD that was hemorrhaging, all crypto currencies were and this left very few places to invest positively with what remained.

That was then and this is now.

So here we are, halfway through 2018, the year that was hailed as being "The year of the crypto".... Hmmm Well, I suppose they didn't say which part of 2018 it was and I think 99.999% of us are praying to see cryptos rise back to fame by Christmas. At present, we sit at around 1$ for both SBD & Steem and this seems to be testing the patients of many. And as steemit begins to show some battle scars, a limp, and, maybe, a bit of gangrene, we all have to take a deep breath and suck-it up. Did you really think steemit was going to just sail past the likes of Facebook and twiiter, just because it offered some form of payment? Well, I have said this from the start and I will say it again; Steemit has stepped on the toes of giants and if you think they are going to ignore us and just hope for the best, then think again. It isn't that I doubt steemits ability to do this, it just that I know many stories of industrial espionage and when a new dog comes onto the park, they often get led astray by those who want the park for themselves.

You ain't nothin but a hound dog

Steemit is a site that has never claimed perfection and those who are here with the right intentions will understand, and also hold some affection for, the raw clunkiness of steemit and it's offspring. I don't want a sterile environment, monitored by the millisecond, and always trying to second guess what I am interested in. I am a human being and some days I enjoy reading long post and other days I enjoy listening to random genres of music. Put simply, I just don't want to be pigeon-holed, so Zuckerworld can go suck a fat-one, along with anyone thinking steemit should aspire to be anything like it.

It's time to put in, or get out.

So come on folks, it is time to show some loyalty here, a trait that is certainly lacking in today's world. Steemit is still thriving and with projects like @familyprotection lighting the way and then we have some awsome projects set to roll out, including steem monsters, @super8ballclub, poker leagues, open-mic events, and all of the amazing musicians here, I just can't see what all the fuss is about. I mean, where else can you find all this quality content and get rewarded for participating and supporting it? No where I know of and I not interested in looking either.

Anyone new to steemit has to accept that it takes a whole lot of effort and a whole lot of dedication to create a loyal following on here. This isn't YouTube either, where you can get away with posting hundreds of videos and not replying to a single comment. No Jack, you take that shit to the curb, this is a community of real people and we aren't here to be told what to think or what to look at.

(Pic created by @article61)