Meet Our Steemit Witness—Episode 5

As a steemian who want to see this platform continue to grow and flourish, we all have 30 votes to cast for any steemit witness of our choice and I will say this is the most important 30 votes you will ever cast on this platform.

Meet our steemit witness is a program put in place to know more about our steemit witness, there roles and obligations. We need them as much as they needs us. Our witness are the leaders on the platform and thus it is our paramount importance that we due our due diligence before casting our votes.

In the episode 5 of this interview I would like to introduce you to Luke. Luke goes by the name @lukestokes here on steemit and has been on this platform for over a year and a half. @lukestokes helps to do a weekly exchange transfer report and a monthly witness engagement report. He has been a programmer for over two decades and a business owner, co-founding of Foxycart.com which he later sold this year to focus fully on cryptocurrency projects. He is a man of understanding who uses his knowledge to explain complicated things in simple terms, if you go through his blog you will understand better what am saying. Luke is not only a witness, he is a father and a voluntary who wants to help create a world we all want to live in, is that not awesome? Haha!

Join me as I welcome @lukestokes to the show...

@dhavey~It's a great honor conversing with a hardworking witness like you on meet our steemit witness interview episode 5 @lukestokes

• Thanks @dhavey

@dhavey~For steemians who don't know much about witnesses, can you give a layman explanation of what it is that witnesses do?

• The STEEM blockchain uses a Delegated Proof of Stake (DPOS) system to figure out who gets to add new data as a block producer. Witnesses run software on servers which validate transactions and add them to the blockchain. Every time you vote, post, comment, make a change to your account, or anything else which touches the blockchain, the code a witness runs on a server somewhere is adding that information so everyone can see it. Witnesses get rewarded with Steem Power for doing this job to secure the network, much like bitcoin miners are rewarded with new Bitcoin.

@dhavey~How did you first hear about steemit and what made you decide to join?

• I first learned about Steemit in June of 2016 when my friends @sean-king and @billbutler told me about. I've been involved in cryptocurrency since the beginning of 2013, and I knew this was the killer app for cryptocurrency mass-adoption. A site anyone could use and earn cryptocurrency. I signed up, started posting, and have been hooked ever since.

@dhavey~Being a witness takes a lot of time and energy, how do you keep a balance between this and other commitments?

• I sold my business earlier this year to focus on cryptocurrency projects full-time, including my responsibilities as a witness. We all get 24 hours a day and not everyone spends them effectively.

@dhavey~Where do you see steem and steemit in 5 years?

• Within web developer circles, I see STEEM as a well-known protocol such as SMTP, TCP/IP, HTML, etc. I think it could be the solution media companies go to when they want to do something online that incentivzes community engagement. I see Steemit as hopefully one of many fantastic, professional interfaces to the STEEM blockchain.

@dhavey~When you are not in front of your computer helping the Steem community, what other hobbies do you have?

• I have three kids and a beautiful wife, so I spent plenty of time with them as well playing board games, watching movies, and skating/skating outside, and more recently with my son, playing basketball. I also enjoy getting outdoors to go camping, kyacking, or just hanging with good friends for a meal to talk philosophy or futurism.

@dhavey~What is one thing that most people don't know about you and tell us more about yourself?

• I used to be in Christian ministry for 6 years but now have a different perspective on eternity.

@dhavey~With some of the current problems Steem faces, what, if any solutions do you see?

• Well, that's a very broad question with many different directions we can go. I think Steemit, inc has greatly improved their communication, which I'm very happy about, and that they are working on appbase and hivemind which should allow for more blockchain innovation and improve our communities. There are also a lot of discussions going on about how to improve the economic incentives to cut down on spam, self-voting at the expense of the community, and more.

@dhavey~With so many other tools and sites having been created for the Steemit user, if you had to pick one, which would be the most useful for a new Steemian to use?

• I'd say to start with steemprojects.com and find something that you personally find most interesting. As you said, there are so many different tools out there, I couldn't possibly come up with a one-size-fits-all answer. It depends.

@dhavey~Is there any project you have at hand now or you already have one?

• I don't currently run a specific website, but I do a weekly exchange transfer report and a monthly witness engagement report. My goal as a witness is to explain complicated things in simple terms using my experience as an entrepreneur, cryptocurrency advocate, and programmer.

@dhavey~What is the biggest mistake new users make when joining Steemit?

• Not having healthy expectations. At first, they think it's all about the money, but it's so much more than that. I often send people this post to help them get started: #SteemitIsToMe: Relationships, Reputation, and Rewards

@dhavey~Are you a fan of cryptocurrency?

• Absolutely! I paid off my house with cryptocurrency.

@dhavey~Besides being heavily invested in steem, which other cryptocurrency do you fancy?

• I like BitShares, EOS, SmartCash, and many others.

@dhavey~What do you think is the future of cryptocurrency?

• I really like DPOS over POW because on-chain governance is really important and I think cooperation over competition is much more efficient.

@dhavey~What will be the implications of government having a say in crypto world?

• We'll soon find out. :) No one really knows and this is something which has been discussed non-stop since I got into the space more than 5 years ago.

@dhavey~If there was a worldwide internet and cellular blackout for a week, what would you do for those 7 days?

• Good question. Maybe go camping with my friends and family? Hopefully some place with a lake to go swimming too. Actually, if I had the option, make that a trip to the beach. Yeah, I'd probably want to go do some surfing. :)

@dhavey~If you could only vote for one witness (not yourself) who would it be and why?

• @Jesta because he has built more useful tools (like Vessel) than anyone else and really gets many aspects of STEEM from the technical, to the economic, to the social.

@dhavey~In 5 sentences or less, tell steemians why you deserve their vote?

• I've been a programmer for over two decades and a business owner, co-founding FoxyCart.com which I sold this year to focus full-time on cryptocurrency projects. I've been blogging for over 14 years, I bought my first bitcoin in January of 2013, and I use all that combined experience to explain complicated things in simple terms. It's important to me that witnesses are technically proficient, economically minded, and understand blockchains, but also that they stay social to better understand the social needs of the system they are supporting.

@dhavey~If you could give advice to new steem(it) user's just starting out on steemit, what would it be?

• Read the three posts I wrote here and don't focus on the money: #SteemitIsToMe: Relationships, Reputation, and Rewards

@dhavey~If you could have one super power, what would it be?

• I'm not good at these "what if" games, but if I had to pick one, I guess it would be super-intelligence and wisdom.

@dhavey~It is awesome finally having you on the show @lukestokes. Thanks so much for creating time for meet our steemit witness.
Do have a wonderful day 🤝🏻

• Thanks for having me

As steemit users we need to do everything in our power to choose witnesses that will represent the community well. Before voting make sure you do some research on the people you are voting for and be informed. Head over to https://steemit.com/~witnesses and click on some of the witnesses names, get to know them a bit better and do your part to make sure this community thrives.

Now that you have read something about @lukestokes.mhth, It will be good and kind of you to show them some love by going to the witness page, search the box and type @lukestokes.mhth to cast your vote for them as your witness

^{please vote for @lukestokes.mhth today!}

Thanks for reading. Till next time

You can check and read my previous interview with
reggaemuffin exyle adsactly-witness felixxx and you can make sure you follow along with this series.

Help a soul today so that the world will be a better place for you and for me.

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I remain my humble self @dhavey

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VOTE @lukestokes.mhth @blockbrothers @adsactly-witness @timcliff @drakos @reggaemuffin @felixxx as witness.

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