HARDFORK 19 PLUS MINNOW SUPPORT GROUP EQUALS A LIFE-CHANGING EVENT

Around 11:00 this morning, the earth shifted on its axis.

Something happened at Steemit that has every Steemian buzzing and posting and commenting and twirling around like a human fidget spinner. Most are happy. Some may not be. I can’t even bring myself to think about any backlash right now from people who didn’t reap as much benefit from this hard fork as others. So please…if you have a merciful bone in your body, don’t spoil my high.

HEADY STUFF

Somewhere in me niggles a fear that this change to our voting power may not last. It’s that old “too good to be true” thing—usually if something seems that way, it eventually turns out to be. Someone will make an adjustment somewhere, and we’ll all level out on a voting power plane that’s better than before, but not quite as euphoria-inducing as where we sit right now.

It scared me a little, the first time I saw my upvote change a post’s value. I thought maybe it was a glitch. Then I realized—thanks to HF19, I now have a voice at Steemit. A real voice, one that has the ability to influence and encourage, and to inform. That’s why I came to Steemit in the first place. I need an audience. The physical community where I live is in the midst of heartbreaking social decay. Poverty rates are astronomical, unemployment rates are ridiculous, and kids are dropping out of high school at a rate of one in four. This is the U.S., folks. One of the most developed countries in the world. Yet Appalachia is circling the drain so fast it’s making us all dizzy—and trying to call attention to this on traditional social media is like shoveling snow in a blizzard.

Steemit feels like an oasis by comparison. HF19 or no HF19, the lack of overwhelming negativity has given me a new reason to get out of bed in the mornings. Sure, there are dustups here. I’ve seen some. But compared to the hostility and abuse I’ve taken as an animal rescuer in a region of the country where children are taught to “shoot them pups in the head” rather than spay or neuter the parent dogs—words can’t describe the meaning that Steemit’s positive energy gives to every word I write. The added bonus is that HF19 has put enough potential payout in my wallet to feed the dogs in my rescue for two weeks. Two weeks! If this isn’t a life-changing event, then apparently, I have no idea how to define one.

### ALMOST MISSED IT ALL

But let me stop right here and say I almost didn’t stick around to see this happen. As a new member of the community one week ago, I could see no benefit to my participation. My posts weren’t getting read, I had virtually no connections in this platform, and the whole thing seemed overwhelming and hopeless.

Then along came the @minnowsupport group, championed by @aggroed and other Steemit witnesses who’d noticed the uneven playing field and wanted to give minnows a chance to succeed. I credit PALnet and the @minnowsupportproject with my still being here at all, and with the enthusiasm I feel toward not only the Steemit platform, but the sense of community in the PALnet group.

Not only was I welcomed, I was embraced. As the Director of a 501c3 animal rescue who’s had every form of digital excrement flung at me on my organization’s Facebook page, this all happened just in time to prevent a very real personal meltdown. At the risk of sounding cliché, my faith in humanity is restored. I’m grateful, but I’m also committed to giving back to this cause. Count me in for the long haul, @minnowsupport. I look forward to thriving in a digital climate that is every bit as positive and productive as other forms of social media have been dysfunctional.

To check out what's happening at the @minnowsupport group, find us by clicking this link.