Lost Top 19 Spot by Showing Support for HF17 & Falling Victim to "Old Boy" Mentality... UPDATE
( recent shot of witness list.. Back to #21 I guess.. FML - steemdb.com )
REVISION: Rolling back to v0.16.x
Holy f**king sh!t! Massive thank you to @ebryans for breaking down the comment reward pool info into KLYE sized pieces I could digest. Retracting my support for HF17. I was trying to be supportive of progress... But after reading more into it HF17 is actually seemingly a terrible idea on more than a few fronts. My apologies for attempting to rally the troops so to speak into trying this stuff. I no longer support the HF17 attempt.
I made a mistake in trying to convince myself and others it was a good idea. I am sorry for accidentally leading anyone astray in this matter. HF17 needs a serious revisit before being deployed onto out network.. I'm human, seemingly one that makes lots of mistakes.
Original Post Below
Yesterday was one of the happiest days I've had in a long time. After months of trying to achieve the goal I'd set to secure a top 19 witness spot I'd finally hit my goal and spent the day strengthening my witness server infrastructure in order to provide dependable block creation for our STEEM network. I've deployed a dedicated 32GB server for my main block producer and thought I'd test out STEEM v0.17.0. This was a terrible mistake it seems.
Realizing that my old witness server running on an OVH VM was unsuitable for the task of producing blocks at a rate needed by a top 19 witness spot I pulled the trigger and got a dedicated server, tripling my operating costs to run a witness server for our network.
Roughly an hour or two ago I was expelled from my #15 position by loss of support from @abit and dunked all the way down to #21. Now personally I hold no grudge against @abit. Never had an issue with the guy and respect the work he does here. Not bad people really.
While I'm somewhat sad about this I feel the need to explain why I chose to run 0.17.0..
I Don't 100% Support The Changes in HF17...
However, I DO support Progress & Experimentation
Standing in the way of progress isn't something I can knowingly do, no matter how small or large the progress is. Yes, there are some things included in v0.17.0 that I do not support at all, but what it boils down to is that while it may not be exactly what everyone wants, it is progress and to stifle it because "the rewards curve isn't what you want exactly" or "you don't agree with the new payout schema" is actually taking steps backwards in direction.
Agree With it Or Not.. We Need to Have Change
People get comfortable in routine and very rarely accept changes well. This is a fact.
But to deny progress because it's not exactly what one may want is nothing short of silly.
Let hardfork 17 come. Let us at the very least try it out, see if the community can adapt and accept the changes. If they hate it we can always make changes in a month while collecting feedback on exactly what needs tweaked and adjusted in order to make the majority of users happy. One thing to keep in mind is that it is impossible to please everyone at the end of the day and trying to do so will only slow down progress.. And frankly after hearing people complain about the slow progress Steemit Inc has made development wise but then to see the witnesses basically denying any form of evolution or progress seems short sighted and hypocritical. This isn't meant as a direct attack on anyone, their thoughts or beliefs.
Admittedly the v0.17.0 offering isn't "perfect", It's not likely the answer to all the perceived problems STEEM has... But you know what? It's progress! Is all of it the way I would like it? Absolutely not. But it's a starting point. Nothing stopping the progress of this network at this point other than people trying to have things exactly how they would choose to have them.. While I understand this is a democracy of sorts with people having the choice to elect whom they want representing the changes they want I can't help but think the way the HF17 rejection is being handled is anything less than a degeneration of the fundamentals of progress.
Without Progress, STEEM Will Slowly Die
We, as witnesses need to not be so critical and weary of change. After all, the general consensus I seem to hear is that the way the system is running many are unhappy with.
Are the proposed changes in 0.17.0 the exact thing that every STEEM user wants?
Absolutely not. But is it the step in the right direction? Could be! Let's find out shall we?
"Old Boy" Mentality and Witness List Collusion
It's been common knowledge for a while that Steemit Inc has the power between all the developer accounts to basically hand pick who ends up in the Top 19. While I can see the want to maintain loose control over the STEEM network as it is their best interest believe it or not it's not been Steemit Inc that has shown itself to me to be in collusion in keeping certain individuals on the top 19 list but early whale witnesses keeping each other on the list at the expense of up and coming witnesses like myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of human nature and that most individuals will prefer to support a friend over a stranger but what this leaves our DPOS of system basically becoming a circlejerk for lack of a better term.
Seems the old boy mentality is still very much alive and well here in regards to STEEM's DPOS system which relies on votes of peers to propel witnesses up the list. The guys who got into witnessing on the network early will knowingly manipulate the list to include their allies and friends over up and comers like myself. Even at rank #15 I still fell victim to this, with my top 19 position stripped from me in order for @smooth to remain included in the top 19. Now I have no problem with smooth either. He's done a great job providing witness services for our network and while I'd never wish ill on the man it does kind of feel that there is very little room for newer witnesses to be granted access into the elusive top 19 club when majority of the time favour is given to those who already have massive SP holdings.
I guess I'll ask this one question: Do we want to be seen as a network that takes care of the early whales over the young aspiring developers? Surely the projected ~$800 CAD a month I would have made in the Top 19 spot means nothing more than piss in a bucket to some of these extremely STEEM laden accounts we see inhabiting the Top 19 list currently.. But to me that was a HUGE boost of income as well as morale.. Most of my living expenses would have been covered running a successful top 19 witness allowing me freedom to finish developing the STEEM services I've started building without fear of being homeless or starving.
TL:DR
I lost my Top 19 Position because I support trying out different things and the whales at be would much rather have their friends with +$200,000 net worth accounts be in the top 19 over a guy who struggles to survive while trying to develop web apps to increase the overall value of the STEEM network. Trying to stay positive but frankly this situation is absolute bullshit.
I'm tired of falling victim to collusion and having my morale and psyche devastated by people trying to line their friends already fattened pockets. As a community we must be weary.
Truth be told, now that this has happened a second time I'm debating pulling the plug on everything. It's clear to me I will be thrown under the bus to make the rich richer at anytime.
Note: I'm not shit talking anyone here nor calling anyone down. These are observations.
UPDATE
In an absolutely selfless act @abit has deactivated his witness and put my witness in to replace his..! This was entirely unexpected and took me completely off guard.
I'm not sure if I even know the words to properly express the gratitude I feel at this moment. Thank you @abit for the amazing display of compassion, caring and love.
Few people on this planet would put another in front of themselves, @abit is good people.
Vote @klye for Witness!
( Currently Holding Down Rank #21 )https://steemit.com/~witnesses
A Proud STEEMbassador of Canada
Thank you for your votes, the opportunity and support!
Maybe you just misjudged the sentiment of the community and other whales about the hard fork. There are some very unpopular changes being proposed and one very important change that was stripped. I know you haven't been around much lately, but keeping up with these things is important, obviously.
Nah man..
Second time I've hit top 19 and been forced out to keep a fattened whale in..
Don't get me wrong. I like smooth and think he's not a bad guy really. But what it boils down to is that I'd make far better use of a witness spot (you know, to pay bills while developing STEEM stuff) rather than having whale accounts fattened more.
If this is what the agenda is.. To keep the good old boys fat and starve out people that are actually trying to build this network beyond some battlegrounds blog site I'm not sure if I want to keep getting thrashed around and made a casualty because of it.
Smooth isn't at a risk of being homeless or starving anytime soon.. I wish I could say the same about myself. :/
@klye - I fully support you for witness and would love to see you in top 19, but @smooth does a lot for the platform. He is really someone I want to see in there. It sucks that every time a top 19 goes in, it means someone else has to go out. Hoping that there is someone else in the list that can go so you can join the ranks again.
Don't take it personally though. There are a lot of witnesses near the top that cycle in and out. The fact that you are even contending for the spot is pretty cool!
I'm grateful for how highly I am ranked. Do not get me wrong Tim. There is no bitterness towards the people who have supported my campaign on here. But the fact of the matter is this is the second time I've been lifted up and dropped flat on my face in favour of the rich getting richer. :/
I'm not going to be able to support half the projects I planned to build development time or operating cost wise at this point. I'm running dangerously close to not being able to even afford to pay my own bills at this point in time let alone run a dedicated witness server and a small fleet of other servers for my STEEM projects.
I don't know what to do. Part of me is ready to fight tooth and nail to prove I'm worthy of the top 19 spot through the projects I've got underway.. Another part of me is ready just to shut it all down and move on to something where I am less likely to be tossed to the side in favour of buddies scratching buddies backs.. :/
I love the STEEM network, It's been good to me. But at this point in time I'm closely considering my options here. I've had enough upset the past little while in my life.. Don't really have it in me to get promotions and have them ripped away because someone else lost popularity and one of his buddies decides to throw me under the bus to help him keep his spot. fml
Well, if that's abit's agenda, it wouldn't be the first time that he's made a dick move this week. I'm not supporting either of them as witness right now. You currently have my witness vote, but I certainly don't support this hard fork. Just keep that in mind. :)
I don't fully support all the changes of the hardfork either.. But we all want change it seems but a bunch of witnesses holding out because they think it should be this way or that way is counterproductive.
Roll it out.. If it sucks ass we change it. That is how progress is made. The current stalemate situation we've got going on isn't accomplishing anything but hurt the development of the network in my opinion. :/
I think you jinxed it by posting about it.
Not at all. It wasn't an issue until smooth fell out of top 19 and the easiest way to get him back in was to skid me across the asphalt. :/
People needed an underdog story and I certainly fit the bill.. Sadly underdogs get run over by whales at the drop of a hat around here it seems. lol
And really.. Would me not have posting about finally hitting my top 19 goal changed anything? Nah.
"You build me up, you build me up
To watch me fall, and turn to dust
Is this the place, I used to love?
Can't take no more, I've had enough"
You need to chill a little. I was the one who voted you in (you still have my vote) and at the time I gave you a heads up that the bottom of the list cycles in and out a lot and not to be surprised if you bumped out again (this includes, a little while ago, myself being out). It happens. I'm not happy about how the dev team essentially packs the witness list, nor about some of the 'old boy' voting, but this particular case had nothing to do with that.
Oh I know dude. I'm not pointing fingers at you for this at all. End of the day you still have my respect and vote.
Thank you for taking the time to reply and sharing you are also aware of the "old boy" voting stuff going on! It's not just the seasoned whales but also the developers too as you've mentioned above.
It is kind of a kick in the teeth though. I don't wish you voted out of a top 19 spot in any way shape or form, however it would be nice if guys like myself were allowed to be in such positions as at the end of the day it benefits me far more to have that extra push of morale and income than it does someone already financially secured and stable like yourself.
While you did get honourable mentions here I'm not really mad at you nor abit. Both of you guys have been a massive help to my witness campaign at times and our network, I didn't mean to come off as disenchanted or ungrateful for the support you two have shown me.. If it appears that way I'm sorry. It was not intended as such.
The truth of the matter is though, is that unless you are a good old boy, BTS legacy guy, Steemit Inc developer or wizard chances are slim to nil a top 19 position will become available. And when they do.. For instance for my yesterday hitting #15 it's an incredibly joyous occasion.. However that joy can be quickly turned into sadness with the simple click of a button by a whale keeping his buddy in the list.
You are still ok in my book smooth. Same with abit. You DID cast foreshadowing on this but I figured at rank #15 I was far enough away from the bottom to not get sacrificed over politics.. lol. Silly me for thinking I'd finally made it.
Not sure what the answer to all of this is really.. All that I know is that clearly I'm first under the chopping block and certainly have been left a bit wounded after yesterdays triumph. Kind of like giving a dog a bone and then letting him chew it for a few minutes before taking it away and giving it to another dog I guess. lol
Anyways man. I don't hate you, nor abit. I do however dislike having my hopes built up and then smashed repeatedly. :/
Don't 🙏
Eh, I'm starting to lose faith in the way the whole DPOS system is set up and the ability for it to actually be fair in any way man.. You can only get built up and shot down so many times before you realize it's not worth the hurt. :/
You should still get paid at #21 or #30, for being a back up, even if not producing blocks, that would make it better if it could not be gamed.
You do. But it's not enough for me to afford to run and develop the things I am for the STEEM network sadly.
Unfortunately I've first hand witnessed and become a victim to this sort of thing twice now.. The lack of support of small time STEEM developers in favour of already prosperously STEEM stuffed accounts is something I'd feared.. And it's happened, again.
@klye, I hear you. What I hear most of all though which is a seriously huge concern is what I suspected for a long time but now know to be a fairly sinister aspect of the whole steemit platform. Witnesses.
The witness programme is, at its heart, a situation of conflicted interest, carried out by the Old Boy Network. HF17 is the most toxic report it could possibly be. Blockchain technology promises decentralisation and zero censorship. HF17 makes censorship official and ensures further centralisation. I may not be a techno whizz but I can read a spreadsheet (which I am adding to constantly) - why would you even consider adopting HF17 if you are an aspiring witness? Read this:
Hardfork 17
Witnessing really is a hybrid job. Firstly it is performing the key task of blockchain interfacing which is purely functional. Secondly it is shaping the protocols of the platform.
The first part could be outsourced for less than it costs the community. The second part is a Policy Consensus function. HF17 demonstrates the extent to which the power holders want to rip off the rest of the community. When I say rip off, I mean ensure the centralisation of power and the non-distribution of rewards. Theft is a better description.
I love reading the ideologies of the people who are in these positions of power; their hated for the Googles and Facebooks of this world. When they turn to their own management behaviours, they are about 100,000,000 times more culpable than the people whom they vilify.
The structure of steemit is in a serious mess. It would do you no harm to say something truthful along those lines to the audience which votes for you.
Suggestions and Rationale
You know what ebryans? You hit the nail on the head I think.
There are some parts in HF17 that for lack of a better term are garbage.. Not all of it though. To be honest I was conflicted on if I'd even bother running v0.17.0 on my new server but opted for it as the other options in my mind were just going to delay potential progress.
I do like the way you've spelt it out here for me and everyone else here though. Truly appreciated. I'm going to read through what you have linked here and consider rolling my server back to a less contested version..
Perhaps I martyred myself here a little bit in the hopes of progress an change.
I'm only human and seemingly have made a mistake in showing my intention to try and push through this HF17 to collect feedback once implemented so we can get rid of the crap and keep the good bits in it.
I have some thinking to do here tonight for sure.. Lot's on my mind at the moment in regards to how STEEM is running. Bah
I cannot tell you how grateful I am for that, @klye. I put myself at risk in the name of the truth of what is going on. I do not expect to be liked for that by the whales and so forth but it just happens to all be true.
I now have witnesses such as you and @timcliff whom I respect very much actually realising what HF17 amounts to. I raised the point about comment values and voting quite a while ago but nobody cared to listen.
Now look at it!
My suggestions and rationale document needs ONE solution. How to verify one person one account. The resolution of that in an economic manner will resolve the protocols and there are very large fish who get it.
If we - and I mean we - can resolve that, we have a chance for a healthy platform with all parts of the community recognised - equitably.
Rolling back my server now. Just switched to my backup..
I did NOT do enough research nor understand how FUBAR this hardfork could potentially be.
Retracting my push for HF17. After reading what you have there I'm actually horrified.
I will happily send you the research i have been doing which will show you the reality of the platform and how it is being abused and why there are many people who have absolutely no idea.
There is more toxicity going on than you would believe. I am sure you think I am being a bit overly dramatic. I can assure you it is worse than you can imagine!
To be fair man I've had my suspicions for a while but have been trying to stay out of the politics and crosshairs for the most part..
You've got my upvote! If anyone should be running a witness server it's you. Now if only I could downvote the others on the list...
By upvoting other witnesses you may be able to displace others.. But I'm kind of glad there is no such thing as a witness downvote.. That would turn into a battlefield waaaay too damn fast.
Thanks for the support dude. <3
As ordinary user this platfrom, I just follow your decision as witness. Only I think about this that is hope the best thing for us. :)
To be honest there are certain parts of HF17 I do not agree with in the slightest..
However, with that being said there are plenty of parts that I'd love to try out and see how the community reacts and adapts to it..
I'll always try and make the decision I think is best for the whole collective. From the new to seasoned user. Shrimp to whales.
This is the first time I've ever seen such a stand against a hardfork from such a large % of the other witnesses. While I understand where they are coming from I simply cannot stand in the way of progress.
If we hated v0.17.0 we could easily in a months time switch to a newer improved version.. Lets call it v0.17.5 or something.. With enough time to get feedback and dial in the machine so to speak I believe we can get this platform to where it needs to be.
Yes, @kyle you are one of "member of house representative". I count and trust to you as witness. Nice!
I try and do what I think is best for all of us at the end of the day. Sometimes I'm wrong.. :P