STEEM isn't Steemit. Have you heard that before? Yes? Good. Read on.
No? Ok, no problem. Read on.
This isn't a moon post, sorry to burst your crypto bubble. But I've been seeing some, maybe you would call it resentment of sorts lately, and by people who were very active, and I thought I would share what I believe STEEM is....and isn't, but most of all, what it could/will be.
For some context, let me give you a brief synopsis of my time here:
Got my account created in July of 2016, just a few months after the initial launch. Things were way different than they are today. It was basically just steemit back then. The amount of crypto-centric and anarchist members were outlandishly high (imo) compared to the total # of members. The price of STEEM went as low as .06 cents and as high as $8 dollars. I've seen forks, kinks, flag wars, and more in the negative column. I've seen donations for surgeries, floods, deaths/funerals, random accidents in the positive column. I've seen people come and go, take leaves, post daily multiple times a day, or make an intro post only to never post again. But what I have seen of late is the reason I am writing this.
Disillusionment.
noun
a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be.
source
The reason for my opening synopsis was to try and convey that things have changed drastically since Steem's inception. Starting at day one, you could now literally monetize your content via crypto without a true third party. I think the highest payout on a post back in the hay days was something like 50 grand. That's insane. If someone wants to correct me on the exact # or share the highest paying post feel free to do so for clarity. The point is, people were raking in real money just by sharing things on the internet. Some people invested their own money and others lived off the rewards. People built followings and gained curation trails. If you had a whale auto-vote, you could have shit-posted 30 times a day and made a killing. Or you could be like a whale who upvoted himself daily multiple times a day. Its all happened, for better or for worse. Some people got used to certain rewards, and when those rewards dried up, expectations weren't being met.
But lets get back to what was available for the early users....steemit.com.....and that's about it. I'm sure there were other small apps out there running on the chain in the early days, but nothing like we see now. Partiko, Busy, Dsound, Zappl, Steepshot, Dtube, Steemhunt, SteemMonsters, Actifit...not to mention communities, yes, communities! PowerHouseCreatives (formerly Steemit bloggers), Canna-Curate, the 50 words group, the fff family, the family protection group, and there's of course a diverse group of people who share their crypto content, video game play, philosophy & political/anti-political views, and last but not least, the massive amount of self-sustaining homesteaders who share their trials and tribulations while living off the land.
This place has come a loooooooongggggg way from where it began, for certain there were bumps in the road, but I think that was to be expected to a degree.
If you haven't yet heard the saying "STEEM is NOT STEEMIT" you need to be paying attention here as this is of most importance. I believe a lot of the disenfranchisement here from veteran users is mainly blasted at the fact that Steemit.inc has powered down and Ned seems like a huckster. Throw in the fact that the price is massively depressed which leads to lower user activity and retention and you have a recipe made for riots on the blockchain. Luckily this is all virtual, otherwise I would anticipate a few people with Molotov cocktails at the ready.
But lets remember! STEEM is NOT STEEMIT! STEEM is the blockchain that allows other people to build on top of it. It is also a currency. There has been much written about this topic so I will save myself some time and share with you two of the articles I think best describe this, I highly recommend giving both of these a read and follow the authors if you aren't already. Luke Stokes Post & The Post by Taskmaster4450 They both explain in great detail what I am trying to say as well.
STEEM is not a get rich quick scheme. Some people in the early stages did get very lucky and make a lot of money, but those days are long gone. But that doesn't mean you still can't do well here. It all depends on what your motives are. If you're in it simply for the rewards, you will most likely be disappointed. If you are in it for the community, with the possibility of reaping some Steem, you will probably fare pretty well. Just be sure to alter your expectations as to not get disillusioned.
As I said at the beginning, this isn't a moon post. I can't be certain that STEEM will not go to zero and end up in the internet vortex that swallowed myspace and AOL. I am ok admitting that. But I do think it will not only survive, but thrive in the coming years. If Steemit dies, there will be another blogging interface to take it's place. One that will cater better to its user base than Steemit ever did. I am currently writing this on busy.org as I prefer the UI over Steemit's.
The blogging platform that Steemit.com is/was, was a test. A test to see how viable this blockchain and its intricacies could be. I would say the test proved that that blockchain itself is a winner...steemit.com, most likely not a winner, without some massive upgrades on almost every aspect of it. But that is OK!! We don't need Steemit to survive, not in the least bit.
Like I said earlier, when the price of STEEM is low, people tend to drop off. But what I have seen time and time again, is that when it rises again, people flock back like they were never gone, and new people come in waves too.
I have been invigorated lately with not only the dapps that have done really well and I believe have great futures, but with new users (to me anyway) that are very active and excited to be here regardless of the depressed price of STEEM. These are the people we need here to make this place a great community, which I believe if we keep at it, will eventually turn the tides on the price overall.
So if you are a veteran spurned at Ned because of Steemit.incs actions, you have that right and I won't fault you for it. Be angry and upset if you want. But don't abandon the STEEM blockchain because one of the apps (possibly the worst albeit the first) isn't what you thought it should be. Forget that steemit.com even exists if you want, just don't give up on this amazing technology that was gifted for us to use and to collaborate on. Too much time has been spent and too much energy invested to just walk away.
I believe this blockchain still has a lot left in the tank and I am (still) excited to see what is on the horizon for us all. STEEM is NOT dead. It just isn't what it used to be or what you thought it should be. STEEM is very much alive, and I hope you now think so too.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you have a wonderful day and as always, STEEM ON!