What is a STEEM Witness? - Introducing the Basics
For Steemit newcomers there are a lot of terms and technical language that can be hard to keep up with. One term that gets tossed around a lot is “Witness”. Today, we’ll talk a little bit about “Witnesses” - who they are, what they do, and how to vote for them.
What is a STEEM Witness and what do they do?
In short, witnesses maintain the STEEM economy. They work hard behind the scenes to ensure that when you blog, comment or upvote that all the internal gears churn smoothly. A team of witnesses create blocks for the STEEM blockchain using super powerful computers that are located all over the world.
This block-making routine happens quickly and frequently. Since Steemit is a social media website there are a lot of bits and pieces of communication to keep track of. Literally speaking; new blocks are made every 3 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The STEEM blockchain is a comprehensive and continuous log of posts, comments votes and fund transfers.
Who are they?
Witnesses carry diverse roles - they're community leaders, programmers, and all-around ambassadors for the platform. These individuals are elected by the general Steemit public on a rolling basis and are rewarded with STEEM Power to conduct their work. Witnesses are typically those who have a strong understanding of the STEEM blockchain and the community surrounding it. These people can apply to become witnesses by authoring a blog post that outlines their expertise, hardware capabilities and community goals.
Before voting on someone to be or remain a Witness - consider what kind of value this Witness is bringing to the STEEM network. Everyone's vote is equal when it comes to selecting a Witness so take some time to learn about what each do. Is he/she actively contributing to the value of STEEM? What sorts of projects is this Witness involved in? Witnesses often give reports on their personal accounts and you can explore some of the applications they've created here. The ways in which different witnesses contribute are very diverse and we encourage each Steemian to conduct some research and vote responsibly.
How to vote!
Voting on witnesses is pretty simple. Click here. (Located under the drop-down menu). You’ll see a list of STEEM Witnesses ranked according to popularity (number of overall votes). To the right of their name, you’ll see a link to their “application” to be a Witness. Make sure to read through these applications prior to voting. Vote responsibly!
Simply vote by clicking the “upvote” carrot next to the name of the Witness you’d like to support. You can vote on up to 30 witnesses. (You can also remove and change your witness vote at any time.)
Resources to learn more
For more on Witnesses within the STEEM blockchain and Steemit community, take a look at these posts :
Well this is a great one . I don't think half of the users know about witnesses and importance of voting for them.
We've been getting a lot of questions about this one, so figured it was time to write a post about it! Thanks @steeminator3000 :)
Be sure to educate yourself on which witnesses are actively maintaining their stuff: https://steemit.com/witness/@bayareacoins/update-2-list-of-top-100-ranked-witnesses-that-have-broken-price-tools-this-is-an-important-part-of-a-witnesses-duty-and-these
This effects the STEEM ecosystem in a big way!
Hi @sndbox, I have translated this post into Indonesian. Here the link:
https://steemit.com/toolkit/@isaideureka/apa-itu-saksi-steem-pengenalan-dasar
Hope you like it
Thanks for this helpful information. I was trying to learn more about witnesses but found outdated information. Now I can make a more informed choice. Is there a limit to the number you can vote for per day or week until you get to the maximum of 30. I mean can you vote for more than one on same day if you choose more than one?
Congratulations @sndbox , we r much excited to know about it, wonderful job you have done.
Thank you!
Good to know. Thank you.
You bet, thanks @cipas!
@sndbox, nice explanation of the topic. Like your visuals. Perhaps it is possible to reduce the text to a minimum and do more visuals and flowcharts. Really like your style. Great work. Upvoted and resteemed. Cheers.
good post
Thanks!
Before it, I voted many people as steemit witness but never knew what they do. Now I have learned and realized their importance here.
Great post. It's just what I need to know about. It's my first day here and i'm learning a lot. Hugs!
Glad you found it useful, thanks @kouba01!