Happy Steem Birthday to me!!

It's hard to believe I have been on the Steem blockchain for a whole year already. Steemd.com even gave me a cake!!
The funny thing is, it is my real birthday in 2 days time! I hope I get some cake again (and some cool presents!!) on Saturday!!

This time last year

There are a whole bunch of us celebrating a year today as well. I think June 2017 was a big month for new accounts coming onboard. It was the start of a big wave of signups, and just before HF19 was implemented. Everything was abuzz with excitement over the potential of this great platform. The phrase on everyone's lips was "Steem to the Moon!!"

So where was Steem 365 Days ago? Price wise - pretty much exactly where it is today...

Look at June 10, 2018 in this list.... There's almost nothing in it.

What about SBD? Look at this time in 2017...

And look at the last 7 days here...

Again, not a lot of difference.

One thing I do notice is that the volume of trade in SBD has increased significantly, while trade volume in STEEM has stayed fairly even. That shows that SBD is the most liquid and accessible of the 2 on the platform, and most transactions are made using SBD. But that's a topic for another time....

The price may be back where it was last year, but so much more has happened...

It's not all about the SBD or STEEM

If you think it is, you're missing out on a whole lot!!

Being on the Steem platform has not all been about the rewards or the price of STEEM (although they have been a great addition to the experience). I have enjoyed meeting and interacting with people I would never have met anywhere else. I have learned a whole lot about a whole lot of different things, and have enjoyed being able to actually write a bunch of nonsense, which hopefully some of you have enjoyed reading.

I have learned that being an active part of a community gives you a far more rewarding experience than any SBD or STEEM post reward could give you, and therein lies the true value of being here. The amazing thing is that when you are giving into something that benefits your or another community, somehow the rewards flow back to in buckets, not necessarily in monetary value, but also in friendship and goodwill. That is what makes being here on the Steem blockchain better than anything else.

There are too many people to mention specifically, and the communities I have been welcomed into have made my experience here so much richer. So thank you to #teamaustralia, #teamsouthafrica, #thealliance, and #steemsilvergold, and all the many members therein whom I have learned so much from in this past year. One thing I have started doing is stacking silver, thanks to the knowledge I have gained right here!

Here's to many more years of making new, and strengthening existing friendships, and learning so much more about so many things. Oh yeah.. and hopefully by this time next year we'll all be crypto millionaires!!

P.S: you can all send me some birthday STEEM now ;)

^{Team Australia, Team South Africa, and The Alliance banners by @bearone
My Awesome Upboks by @ryivhnn}