[Guidance] : What does STEEM mean to you?
Steady as you go
If you are here, reading this post on Steemit, you are here on the STEEM blockchain. Steemit is our social blogging platform, it is on the STEEM blockchain. There are many other platforms on the STEEM blockchain and there is much more to come.
We have Dtube - The Youtube equivalent
We have Dsound - The Soundcloud equivalent
We have Zappl - The Twitter equivalent
All situated and presently growing right here on the STEEM blockchain. Amazing, right?
When you think about all the different applications that are cropping up in place of the existing social media alternatives, you have to wonder what the blockchain will look like in a few years time? It's nice to visualize what it could be, but for a minute, consider what you could create here. It doesn't need to be huge, it could be anything. Just think about what you could make in the existing internet space right now. Is that possible here?
What could you create on the STEEM network?
You could be a craftsman who already creates a furniture line with a team of people who are involved. You might create jewelry and you have the opportunity to sell some of your pieces on the network. You could be a fashion designer who likes to create clothes and the platform gives you the chance to set up shop.
Your imagination and your knowledge.
We are walking into a new space here. The fact that you are here and reading, means that you have an opportunity to make something right here on the platform. There are people already doing it, why not you?
Why STEEM?
I'm not going to try and sell you the idea of STEEM over any other network. It's your choice and there will be more platforms that crop up over time. The reasons why I like STEEM are listed below:
It's 11 days away from being 2 years old
It already has a wide range of applications and alternatives to existing platforms
We have communities that are working on the kinks in the armor
The technology
A bigger point to be made here is about the technology.
When you look at the top 10 list of cryptocurrencies, you are usually looking at them for their market cap (the amount of money currently invested into the token). When you consider some coins that are promising the world, they don't even have the potential to work in a major city.
If you take Ethereum for example, for a while now it has been the number two and it has created a massive amount of interest. This is because people were given the ability to create their own tokens on the network and a lot of business cropped up on Ethereum.
Obviously, this will increase the market cap of ETH, and with it, the exposure of the token. Great! This is brilliant for people invested in Ethereum and at least for now, with its quicker transaction times and capabilities, it will provide profits and opportunities for people who can find the right business model for the network.
First of all, some of you are probably thinking; "Woah! STEEM is at the top."
The reason being that this graph shows the activity of the tokens. STEEM is currently at the top, because yesterday, it made 1,688,424 transactions. Impressive...
Some of you may be saying... "Well... ETH is making 698,743 transactions. They aren't far away!" Also, correct.
The key piece of information in this graph, for you to grab and consider, is the little gauge on the far right-hand side. Let's make a little comparison between the ETH and STEEM gauges.
ETH is sitting at 100% currently with 10,819 unconfirmed transactions. Bottleneck potential level 9000.
STEEM is currently sitting at 0.14%. Lots of potential for adapting to the world.
Explainations
It all comes down to the technology. If we compare 3 different coins below, that you will hopefully be familiar with, I hope I can clear this up and we can get back on track to what you want to create on the STEEM blockchain.
BTC - Bitcoin is the very first generation of blockchain technology. When something is the first generation, it has its problems. Much like your old dial-up connection. It has slow transaction times, it's outdated and it doesn't have many real-world applications, other than stockpiling it away like it's your little gold stash. Heheheheheh.
ETH - Ethereum came next. With improved transactions, faster speeds, and as I said before, the ability to create your own token on the network. High fives all around, lots of opportunities, great advancements in the crypto space with exposure being a main one. With more minds contributing, you get good projects and unfortunately some bad ones. The comparison you could make from real-world technology to ETH, would be copper internet wiring. Faster, steady streams of memes and the potential for opportunity on our internet.
STEEM - Graphene technology. "Huh? What?" Think of the previous two, and think about what came next... Fibre optics. The graphene technology, that STEEM is built on, is comparable to our fibre optic advancements for internet distribution. With this, you get a ridiculous amount of power. There is more room for adaption, it has the potential to be globally used and it's working. It has been for 2 years.
STEEM actually transacts 10X faster than VISA. What does that mean?
Back to the original point
What could you create here? You have to remember that we are in a brand new space, it has opportunities, fresh perspectives and also, DANGER. Do your research, protect yourself as best you can and go for it. There is only yourself and your imagination holding you back.
Now, if we take Steemit for example, some of you may not be creators. You might not enjoy writing. You dislike writing posts but you love leaving comments for people.
Have you ever thought about getting yourself a little template set up, in the way of a post, so you can curate and share what you think about posts that matter to you? Writing posts may not be your thing, but sharing a post of your comments and thoughts is somewhat different than creating a detailed article about a certain topic.
You've obviously got to be aware of plagiarism and you can't go around personally attacking someone for their writing, otherwise you'll find yourself with some hefty downvotes, but you can leave positive encouraging feedback for people who have created great content.
Other communities do it, check out @curie or @ocd. Absorb what they do and curate yourself. Its not just for these guys to be picking out great content, you can do it too.
Yes the potential for Steem to grow in the coming wee while is great indeed IMO - the speed of transactions and the massive available capacity will increasingly become factors as more people come onboard (and Fiat takes a plunge).
It is interesting to see the extent to which the 'scarcity mindset' has been imported into Steemit to a greater or lesser extent from the 'physical' world. Inevitable to some extent, I guess! This mindset sees there as being not enough to go around - the fact of scarcity; it compares own stashes with others and feels insecure about itself; it grabs as much as possible for itself even if this be at the expense of one's preferences or personal integrity - accumulation is a goal; it is a version of the old kill or be killed perception of enslavement to a rat-race-world of pressure and stress and conformity.
I've read many convincing posts on the actuality of Abundance here on Steemit - ie counter-arguments to the above. I won't post links, but @taskmaster4450, for example, has a series of recent posts that explore this theme from various angles. I too, find myself coming back to this theme time and again in comments (and a post). What I wonder is that if Abundance does indeed exist, then why are people getting stressed about, and spending vast amounts of energy on issues like:
So, what I'm saying is, we're here, we're on Steemit as early adopters. It is going places, regardless of bullshit short-term market indications. Self-expression is utterly rewarding in its own right, and needn't take anything else into consideration (I write to express my thoughts/feelings/opinion etc and I can be aware of spaces where I am trying to please/appease others and where this energy is creeping into my writing). Of the other considerations (payouts, rep, followers, feedback, interaction blah blah), everything follows the self-expression (IMO), and, there being enough to go around, you will get what you get - perhaps slower, but it is there and doesn't need to be claimed....it will come and it will be as much as, or more than, what you require. If one is comfortable with the notion that what is needed will be available at the time of need, then, the perceived need to hoard and gather for rainy days will disappear, along with the many many fears associated with competitive living!
I think that exposure to the Abundance Mindset is potentially another attractive feature of coming onboard :D .....thanks @calumam, I like it!
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You have some magnificent points.
I've been an avid follower of @taskmaster4450 for the past few months and his beliefs and values have rubbed off on me as well. It is a shame that people are not realising the potential for growth here and with a 0.5B market cap, they really just have to focus on getting themselves 100SP right now!
I think with continued efforts in communities and guidance, we will be able to build up the people who are on the platform who see the potential. Those who bring the similar mindsets from the existing platforms over with them, will inevitably fail. This is due to ingenuine connections and interest from followers moving forward. What good is 1000 followers if they are all people who aren't willing to stick it out on the platform?
I created the BuddyUP project to bring these like-minded and engaging characters together. I don't care about the SP or the money right now, my SP has been at 130-150 for a couple of months. I see potential in people and I want to encourage them to greatness, that is all we should do.
As our motto quite rightly states; We all grow together
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a ridiculously good comment on this post. I'm glad we share similar beliefs and I think we owe it all too @taskmaster4450. I hope others will head over to his blog and bask in the infinite wisdom.
You're right, Steem is a wonderful and well thought out blockchain. But to make it attractive to investors and new users, we must take care of its quality filling and avoid abuse. Then Steem can grow in the long run.
I wholeheartedly agree. It's good that we have a variety of communities in place that are actively trying to help these situations along.
I really think the blockchain offers something for everyone. Steemit for the writers, Dtube for the vloggers, and Dmania for the graphic enthusiasts, just to name a few. I currently run an Etsy store and have been thinking of ways to promote my products here on the blockchain. Hopefully more apps and tools will pop up for ecommerce soon!
I hope they do so you can find your feet in the space. Hopefully, there will be further advancements in that area soon enough. I can imagine there is a lot of complications with addresses and real-world data right now. Nevertheless, it will come.
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TrufflePigI always appreciate perspectives like this. You're clearly optimistic about the platform, as most of us are, but you give a few small proofs of where your optimism is rooted.
I think STEEM's ability to process so many transactions in a small amount of time gives it a huge advantage moving forward. It's also been great to see the apps that are developed using the STEEM blockchain.
It's been fun to get involved with your new BuddyUP project as you help people get oriented with Steemit and the ecosystem that is developing. It's been a fun ride so far, and I expect we have much more to look forward to.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I'm glad you gained some insight from it. There are a few things people aren't aware of and I thought it would be beneficial to our communities to share it. It really helps with getting the engine going.
I totally agree with you. Fast transactions will make all the difference when the adopting world gets involved.
I'm happy you are involved, I am very much the same with The STEEM Engine. Looking forward to the months ahead with two communities so willing to engage with each other. Lots of ground to be covered, the seat belt is buckled up and ready for the bumps and sharp turns.
Thanks for dropping by mate.
Great read, thank you.
I'm hoping that as youtube continues to screw people over that they find sanctuary in DTube.
I'm sure they will but it will all happen over time. At this moment in time, we have a very small market compared to others. Youtube is a powerhouse and it will continue to draw in people until they see Dtube in the spotlight. This could be a year, two years or a decade. We can't be sure.
Very nice post, and all things I have come to find out too. I didn’t know about the platform being “fiber optic” but knowing Dans work I knew it had to be pretty good. Yes still open to danger bc of it so newwness. Thank you for this, & with the big drop from $10 to $2 in steem I needed to read something. before I jump off a bridge. Just kidding! LOL
Well, it isn't necessarily fiber optic, just it can be comparable to that level of tech :)
Ahhh it'll be up to $1000 in a few years time. Nothing to worry about :)
Makes sense and thank you for the great examples! 1k will be great! :)
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I've caught up with this post a bit late, but I totally agree with your way of thinking on this topic, and that Blocktivity report says it all really! Resteemed.
Misinformation and believing the media outlets will only instill doubt in people! Give them the correct sources of info and they'll benefit in the long run.