RE: SMT’s and steem-engine tokens - Why I think its a waste of time
I think you're looking at this from the wrong angle - i.e. how things are now vs what we're trying to build.
Ideally, the conversation will not start out with "What is Steem?". The end users shouldn't need to know about Steem just like users of Netflix don't need to know that it runs on Amazon Web Services.
Even if it does start out with the question "What is Steem?" then ultimately I think the goal is to have the conversation go something like this:
Friend: "What is Steem"?
Me: "Steem is a blockchain that powers decentralized applications which allow the users to earn rewards for activities they do online. What sort of things do you do online?"
Friend: "I'm a photographer and I post pictures on Instagram."
Me: "Awesome, why don't you give Appics a try? It's very similar to Instagram except that you can earn cryptocurrency tokens which have real monetary value based on the amount of upvotes (or likes) that you get on your photos."
Friend: "Sounds great, how do I join?"
Me: "Just go to the app store and download the Appics app, sign up with your email address, and start posting! You can also earn a bonus for referring your Instagram followers to try it too."
Friend: "What do I do with these APX tokens I'm earning?"
Me: "In the help section in the app it explains all the things you can do with them, or how to sell them for other cryptocurrencies or even dollars."
Obviously we're not there yet, but that's the goal that I am working towards.
Also, having different tokens for different apps shouldn't be confusing to people, or even much different than how things work right now. I have credit card points, airline miles, reward points for various businesses, in-game currencies, etc. The only real difference between all that and app-specific crypto tokens is that the crypto can be exchanged, bought and sold which gives the users a lot more options and control.
Hi @yabapmatt, im really delighted you stopped by. I had thought to my self if anyone can convince me otherwise it will be one of the devs.
"Ideally, the conversation will not start out with "What is Steem?". The end users shouldn't need to know about Steem just like users of Netflix don't need to know that it runs on Amazon Web Services."
Ideally, you are correct. but we are not in that ideal situation yet. to me, that means we are plowing ahead making tools that the technology is not ready to run. Why not make those tools first?
And for steem as a coin, why would there be a need or even a value? steem can be exchanged bought and sold and has much control as one could have over their own coins or tokens. So I dont see how it can give more control. More options often mean more confusion, more choice = more hassle.
I'm sorry but I am still not convinced but wish I was.
"Obviously we're not there yet, but that's the goal that I am working towards."
I am following with keen interest. I want you to succeed. I want to be wrong. And I want to you come back and say "told you so sucker" :-)
We're never going to get to ideally if we don't take the trip through the rapids. What is being done now is not a waste of time. We're navigating the rapids.
as someone who has no idea is this true :D STM is needed so apps can do that. as i got it, apps will be able to handle RC's for it's users. so users of the app would not have to have SP to be able to interact. and steem will have value because apps would need SP so they have enough RC for its users.
i could be off with this, it is just what i picked up from all this talk (have no coding nor blockchain xp)
That's exactly the way I dream of Steem over the next couple of years. Like an iPhone were you'll just run whatever application you need to use and the app itself will handle the rest of it.
I definitely agree with your vision. Steem just needs to remain "under the hood".