You register. You join. You login and start posting, commenting and voting. Simple, right? Well, it just got a little more complicated than that. With the introduction of RC's after HF20, a new dynamic on the steem blockchain was born. And with it, a whole slew of new features and even more damn politics. Nobody ever said this was gonna be an easy ride...
So, it came to my attention this morning that there has been a potentially problematic issue raised concerning RC's. Most of us are aware by now that a welcome result of implementing this new feature is the absolute dissipation of spam. A problem that has plagued Steemit for many months now. But on the flip side, because RC's are founded on "bandwidth" usage, newer users to the platform may find themselves limited in terms of their posting and commenting abilities. I heard it to be around 3 comments a day with a brand new account (and without the 15 SP delegation stemming from signing up under Steem Inc. themselves) but please feel free to correct me if this is wrong. Anyways, this gave rise to contention for some. And the main crux of the arguement is this: People should, and deserve to be, treated fairly as a user of the Steem blockchain. But what constitutes as "fair" in this particular context and paradigm?
Well, to answer this, it'd be easier to relay my own personal experiences and understanding whilst here on Steemit. And it goes something like this. From almost the get-go, I learnt to view the Steem blockchain as primarily an "investment" model of growth. In that, I soon realised that to increase my influence and grow my voting power, I'd not only have to write original content that I assumed held some relevance to garner upvotes but also perhaps throw some of my own skin in the game. I quickly ticked off both those boxes. As I've mentioned before, never once have I powered down because I always envisioned Steem as a PoS (proof of stake) based blockchain. Power equals stake. So, I never at any point tried to change the system to fit my own requirements but rather attempted to adapt within the infrastructure at hand. Hence, here I am today.
The message "I" get from all this, and have always seen, is stake matters. Is that a bad thing? No, not really. I simply accepted that this is how the blockchains in general work, bound by their own uniquely programmed digital laws. Which brings us back to RC's and the "fairness" factor. Now, I'm not saying that I think new users should start throwing their life savings in to further there progression here, but if a mild outlay allows them be more freely interact with all the various Dapps on the Steem blockchain, then so be it. Remember, those Steem tokens are not "spent". You will always have the option to cash them out via powerdown if you so feel the need. In those early stages of newcomers using the platform, Steem is something that should be seen as a tool to gain exposure on the blockchain as well as in the community at large. It must be seen as a desirable commodity. It cannot be stressed enough that each user who ever joined the blockchain with nothing, had the onus placed upon themselves to build their brand up and account value. Be it by buying Steem or blogging alone. And in turn, where you stand today is basically a sum of all those parts put together. This train of thought will be compatible with some but maybe not for others. The choice lies with that individual as one forces anybody to remain here.
So, where does this leave people starting out and their constraints due to RC's? Well, I'd say some responsibility must lie with us, the end user. Guided by the knowledge of how the mechanics of the platform work. If it does not suit their requirements, then go elsewhere. The Steem blockchain is simply not for everybody and will happily continue to perpetuate and serve others as long as it stays functional. That's just the blatant truth of the matter. Either we mould ourselves to fit around the Steem model or not. Simple as, I reckon...
