On the 11th December 2018 the Steem Blockchain received a new update to the Steemd software that runs it, the release notes are:-

This is a security release that only impacts serialization logic, not the serialization format or consensus logic. We recommend all node operators update to 0.20.7 as soon as it is convenient.

I was able to update the @c0ff33a Witness backup server this morning, and the main server has been updated this evening. The Witness c0ff33a is a team Witness supporting the @dstors project alongside @derangedvisions and @kaliju - I am the admin for both Witness servers leaving our team free to continue the development of @dstors - this project has massive potential and is making big waves throughout our blockchain communities. We all appreciate the continued support from all members of the community in providing Witness votes - right now we are focused on getting the beta stores opened by Mid January and adding value and investment into Steem that will benefit everyone with increased value of Steem.

The delegation rounds for @dstors have now started, and you can read more about how delegating SP to @dstors can benefit you both in STORS tokens and also upvote from the account. This is a massive project and both @derangedvisions and @kaliju have invested an incredible amount of their own time going above and beyond to take this from an idea to a reality - if you value your stake in Steem I highly recommend you support this project because long term it is going to benefit everyone - not only store owners and the people given the ability to make purchases on a decentralised selling platform.

It might not be immediately obvious to the wider communities of Steem, but I am seeing an incredible amount of background activity concentrating on building the Steem blockchain up - adding value to bring people in and working to bring in investment. The Witness @oracle-d is currently doing some incredible work on promoting the blockchain around the world at cryptocurrency events - and focusing on the sustainable future of Steem by bringing more investment in. You can see their presentation at decentralised 2018 and also the share2steem project enabling app developers easy access to through api to create new Steem accounts. I was impressed with @starkerz talk during the MSP waves show on PAL last Thursday - hosted by @pennsif every week 8pm UTC there is always a great deal of positive discussion if you value the blockchain.

My Witness Votes

Some time ago I promised @katrina-ariel I would do an updated post with my Witness votes and reasons why I vote for them, yesterday @shanibeer commented on my most recent post requesting I did the exact same thing in the same way @blockbrothers had done in this post

When I joined this platform in March 2017 it was a good 8 weeks before I voted for a single Witness - it is not immediately obvious what they are, that you should vote for them or even why it helps anything. Slowly I realised that they were important in keeping our ability to post, upvote, comment and generally be active on the Steem blockchain - and like many I then found https://steemit.com/~witnesses - but with little guidance on how to use that list I made the assumption that I am sure many other do - I have 30 votes and the top 30 people must be there for a reason - so let's tick the boxes from 1 to 30.

What is a Witness

A Witness runs a server that holds the entire Steem Blockchain on it, every post and transaction that occurs is processed - a BLOCK is produced when one Witness presents a series of transactions - and another "Witnesses" it to confirm the transaction. You can learn more reading this post by the Witness @someguy123. When a Witness server processes and confirms a BLOCK - they are given a producer reward - this varies according to rank and the rank is dictated by the Steem Power holding of the people Voting for that Witness. In this Witness Earnings Report by the Witness @quochuy you can see how rewards drop as the rank drops - Witness servers cost money to run and we all need to support people throughout the ranks - not just the top ones because it seems obvious.

But who should I vote for as Witness

This is entirely your own choice, it has to be - your vote matters. Steem uses the Delegated Proof of Stake system to give Witnesses rank - who you choose as Witness will give them a greater chance of earning rewards to pay for the Servers they run. I have been asked before "I only have a few hundred SP, is my vote worth anything?" of course it is - every vote counts - and speaking personally as a Witness every Vote given to me shows that you - the community appreciate what I do on the Blockchain. 1SP or 100000 the fact someone out there thinks my contribution is worthy of a vote is a reward in itself, I always appreciate every single Witness vote that comes in and do my absolute best to give something back to every single one of you.

Will you ever tell us your Witness Votes

Sorry, I did get a bit Sidetracked. My own Witness votes actually change regularly. Two points to remember - it costs you NOTHING to vote for a Witness - and you can change the votes whenever you want. You can vote 1, 10, 15 - 30 - however many you feel is appropriate. But remember - Witnesses are helping to keep the Steem Blockchain running - if you want to ensure the continued value of your investment using all your Votes will help. Right now we have 146 Active Witnesses - that's a massive amount, it reassures my own investment in the Blockchain and every single one brings their own unique aspect and support to the Steem Blockchain. I personally support a broad range, from the very top to the lowest ranks - and if you want to keep Steem active and alive I would suggest you support the people you feel are going to give you the biggest benefit - and ensure you own Stake in Steem will grow in value.

Account: c0ff33a
Reputation: 68.06
Vote value: 12.86 MegaVests + 0.92 MegaVests proxied = 13.78 MegaVests
Votes for 30 witnesses

1 adsactly-witness

adsactly is a powerhouse of community, you only need to look up the #adsactly tag to see how many well known people on the Steem Blockchain are involved. They go above and beyond to support the people involved in their own community as well as those outside it. Look out for Adsactly-city, a new game that encourages engagement.

2 arcange

A long term and active Witness, very much appreciated and respected throughout the blockchain. He brings many community features that are much loved including @steemitboard and [the daily hit parade for newcomers])https://steemit.com/hit-parade/@arcange/daily-hit-parade-for-newcomers-20181211)

3 c0ff33a

I like this guy, he's humble and dedicated

4 c-squared

I supported the UK Witness @markangeltrueman when he ran his own Witness, and when he closed it to run this account I followed him - when a Witness is supporting growth and development in the blockchain it is a Witness I want to back.

5 dsound

This is a brand new vote for me, sadly due to increasing costs @steemcreative have had to close their server - I supported them but like many Witnesses I know this is a delicate balance of funds - as I have said above the biggest proportion of our Witnesses are paying their own money to support the blockchain - they are not earning from doing it. @prc has closed his Witness to bring in the @dsound Witness and this is an amazing opportunity for our musical talent - it's backed by some amazing musicians - read the dsound Witness proposal

6 emrebeyler

Is a Witness based in Turkey, anyone that follows my blog will know I have a business relationship with Toper a worldwide brand based in Turkey for coffee roasting machines. @emrebeyler is an active and supportive Witness and has given his vote to many of our hardest working and lowest ranked Witnesses - it's essential we support our hard working Witnesses and I really appreciate his enlightened approach to voting - be sure to look at his posts and interaction this is a Witness you might miss - but your vote would be very valuable to.

7 enginewitty

Anyone that even vaguely knows me, will also know how much I respect "Goldie". @enginewitty has the most respect from me of anyone I have met online, a true kind and caring individual with a family that is so incredible - you can not see a post he makes with his daughters, the "princesses" and not have your heart melt. An incredible family man who does so much for the Steem Blockchain, for our active users and supports anyone who cares to ask. If I have a problem, or someone else does he is the first person I DM - and he always solves it if not himself he knows someone else that can. If I had one Witness vote, including myself - I would still give it to @enginewitty - he puts the "C" in community and works harder then anyone else I have ever encountered. One day he will be a top twenty Witness, and I will be happy to see him there because the Steem Blockchain will be all the better for it.

8 followbtcnews

One of our top 20 Witnesses, @crimsonclad is actually incredible - and I do not say that lightly. Every discord I am in she is active, when there were minor issues with HF20 she was there - everywhere telling people what was happening and making sure they were not worried and concerned. When she talks on voice in chat you listen, and you learn. This is another vote I would never change, and thank you so much for making our experience on Steem so much better.

9 fulltimegeek

In November 2017 I woke up one day to a 5000 SP delegation from @fultimegeek. Why? I still do not know, but this whale made an inspired decision to delegate all his massive SP to active accounts on the platform. It changed my own outlook and drive posting on the Steem Blockchain, and I will remain forever thankful for his selfless giving to so many - you can find out a little more by looking at the @friendsofgondor account I delegate to.

10 gtg

Our top Witness - No.1 in the ranks and very rightly deserved, he posts clearly and concisely and does exactly the same thing in the Witness Chat. He is the Blockchain, and he is very, very, very intelligent. Every time he replies in the steem.chat Witness channel it is clear and precise - I have never known someone so adept at saying so much with so few words. If you value your stake in steem - this is a vote you MUST make.

11 guiltyparties

One of the hardest working accounts on the blockchain, we have a massive Veteran community and I have so much respect for anyone who risked, or gave their lives so that our own lives could be better. @guiltyparties is another account who will answer your questions and solve your problems if you ask, everyone I know well and respect thinks very highly of him and what he stands for - and I do as well. I know @theycallmedan has a great deal of respect for @guiltyparties and the help and support he gives people, this is another Witness vote I would never change.

12 helpie

The @helpie community is massive, and filled with incredible unique content creators. @meno as the leader is totally absorbing, every time I listen to him talk in voice I become totally absorbed - you can really feel his dedication to people and community.

13 jackmiller

A Witness for the people, and always happy to help. Approachable, kind and caring he deserves his rank because everyone appreciates how much he dedicates his own town to improving and developing the blockchain.

14 jrswab

A solid family guy with the best interest of the blockchain at heart.

15 noblewitness

A witness team supporting the most Needy, a fine team of inspired Steemians combing @gmuxx , @sircork, @anarcho-andrei and @rhondak. They are nice people, I respect them all and combined they make a massive difference on how we experience they blockchain - they are active and dedicated.

16 oracle-d

A new vote for me, and as I have already covered they know a great deal about Blockchain technology and are actively travelling the world speaking about it and promoting Steem.

17 pcste

A British Witness and very dedicated long standing member of the community.

18 pfunk

A popular community Witness doing a great deal for the musical community with openmic

19 pjau

Another British Witness and active advocate of the Steem Blockchain.

20 poetsunited

A witness team majored by @AngelVeselinov , we have some incredible Poets on the Steem Blockchain and they deserve all our support.

21 sapphic

@sapphic is a coding genius, a team Witness with @underground they bring a great deal to the Steem blockchain that helps and enables people to progress.

22 someguy123

The Witness that enables Witnesses.

23 steemcommunity

Making community from engagement, Witness team of @abh12345 and @paulag they are incredible people who do so much to promote and enhance the Steem Blockchain.

24 stoodkev

Talented developer with many projects including SteemPlus

25 thekitchenfairy

Absolutely the nicest person you could ever hope to meet, a beautiful family and so kind and caring, incredible posts featuring a wide range of culinary delights - a fantastic Witness that sets the standards we all should adhere to.

26 themarkymark

A long standing account that everyone loves, excellent Witness that does so much for the entire community.

27 therealwolf

Honestly a real standard for professionalism - A Witness trying his absolute best to improve the blockchain and increase the value of all our Stakes - bringing dApps and investment opportunities to the blockchain.

28 timcliff

One of our Top Witnesses that is active supporting and helping community, always has time to help people in the Witness Chat and presents the weekly round up of posts from Witnesses.

29 ura-soul

A British Witness that consistently impresses, always looking to promote and develop the value of Steem his latest project @steempassport will truly bring more people and investment to the blockchain.

30 whiterosecoffee

This is my own holding place account for my coffee brand that soon will be opening a @dstor account, as previously mentioned I run a main Witness Server and also a backup - the option on the Backup is leave the config with blank Witness details - I choose to run it with this Witness account which I vote for. Every 48 days it will get a block from my Witness vote - every little helps in covering costs.

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That is my current 30 Witness votes, they will change again in future - your Witness has to do something for you - Vote for your favourites that are bringing value and community to the blockchain.

Some of my previous posts you might have missed

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Witness Update by @c0ff33a 20.6 @dstors and more

Coffee’s of the World

Sublime Sunday by @c0ff33a ☕️

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Last Confirmed Block Number 28,510,972 Last Aslot 28,606,652
Steemd v0.20.7

Kind thanks to @enginewitty for employing his Ninja graphic design skills and producing this 🔥 banner

If you enjoyed my post don’t forget to leave an Upvote, feel free to comment on what you liked or where I can do better even. Follow @c0ff33a for regular and varied posts, photography, my weekly VLOG, posts on coffee roasting and brewing - just follow and see.

To grow your presence and following on Steemit, be active in the community Discords that offer the chance to learn, network, share and be found. The #SteemitRamble discord https://discord.gg/HZYzEry hosts a range of shows where you can join in and get your name shown, every Thursday there are two Pimp My Post Thursdays which are hugely popular and give you an opportunity to get your posts seen.

For fun and entertainment then #SteemStar is the discord to be in, https://discord.gg/ZDANjzy with regular shows during the week it’s the best place to relax, and also network the friends you make could be your future biggest upvoters.

All photos are my own, taken with my iPhone. All my Steemit posted pictures can be freely used by other Steemit users in their own blog posts - all I ask is that you follow me and credit @c0ff33a linking to my post you took it from. You can also follow me on Twitter

You can view my current Witness Statistics using this tool produced by Witness @justyy

The picture to the right kindly sketched by the wonderful @bridget.art , be sure to check her incredible art out https://steemit.com/@bridget.art

" A Shy Old British Geography and Biology Geek, is a Nut addict and loves Coffee and obcessed with Jax Jones" as @steemflow describes me.

The greatest challenge we face on Steemit is getting our posts seen, I have always believed the simplest and best value way of doing this is by commenting on the blog posts of others, the more you engage people and interact with them the greater the chance they will visit your own blog and return the favour. Other then spending all my free time commenting on Steemit posts, I also distribute coffee roasting machines and also espresso coffee machines and roast my own Speciality Coffee Range. being one of the premium coffee suppliers Yorkshire including a wide range of filter coffee sachets

!steemitworldmap 53.766547 lat -1.801500 long Bradford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. d3scr

This awesome animated Banner has been kindly been created by the wonderful @snook

Don’t forget to vote for Witnesses https://steemit.com/~witnesses

I am the official Witness supporting the @dstors project by @kaliju and @derangedvisions, buying and selling products worldwide with Steem and @dstors contributing to the shipping with the reward pool. Learn More

You can vote for the Witness team c0ff33a and @derangedvisions if you like what we are doing for people and communities throughout the Steem blockchain - click below to vote easily

If you are uncertain about Witnesses and who to vote for you can set c0ff33a as your Witness Proxy and you will vote for the same Witnesses as I do.