Continuing to blog on all the fascinating aspects of my experience on our Steem blockchain, here is my eleventh monthly update.

Since posting my introduction on 14 May 2019, these updates represent my "log" of sorts, giving my readers a monthly window into my "journey" through the Steemisphere - a new "virtual world" based on the creation of our Steem blockchain.

So ... "What are you doing 'in there' Hive account@roleerob and how is it going?"

Status or "Executive Summary"

To begin, here is a brief overview to answer the "how is it going" question we should probably be "checking in" with ourselves and answering, from time to time.

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Statistics

There is an old saying, "numbers don't lie." Yes, well, there is also an old joke about the executive asking the accountant, "what do the numbers say about how we're doing?" to which the accountant replied, "what do you want them to say?" ... 😉

Required to issue a monthly report for most of my career, with numbers to quantify progress, here are a few:

To date on my Steem "journey," these numbers are the most important. The first three quantify our influence on adding value to the Steem blockchain. And the second two, the actual work we are putting in to add value ourselves. Given all of our rich diversity, I trust we all have one focused objective in common - adding value to the Steem blockchain.

We want the value to go up!

How is that working for us? Well, you see here the market numbers, i.e. the "bottom line" of how our investment is doing. Both STEEM and SBD are down significantly from last month, even with a nice bump in the overall crypto market! I have seen it referred to as the "end of Crypto Winter" and the start of a bull market. But, for the Steem blockchain? Maybe next month?! Hmmm ...

_{Source: Tim Cliff Post - SBD Explained}

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Bogged down "out there" ...

This year I had to file for an extension in getting my taxes done. For the first time. Ever. Why?

The need to "accurately" account for our investments in this new "Digital Asset" class. The challenges are, I believe, far greater than most realize. Or are even aware. Key word here being "accurately." I could also add "honestly," but that would be a different topic ...

Suffice it to say, for now, I am still "stuck" in the "tar baby" which I now realize I have created for my family. And building a database (my professional skillset applied to the challenge ...) to resolve the problems and fulfill my responsibilities. When done, I may write a Steem post about it. We'll see ...

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Engagement "Formula"

A steady work-in-progress, is attempting to maintain the following "rhythm" in the investment of my time:

1. Engaging "down" with all of the many great Steemians steadily adding value and working hard, who have a smaller stake and doing what I can to encourage them.
   
   
2. Engaging "up" and adding value, as much as I can manage, to the posts of those who may chose to ... uhhh ... increase my "influence" ... 😉 ... to help those in #1 ...
   
   
3. Adding value by writing my own posts, so #1 and #2 have some idea of why they would want to hopefully "engage" with me ...
   
   

I don't have my stopwatch out or anything. I just try to be mindful of switching from one to the other. Part of the "flow," as I have written about elsewhere, is naturally regulated by your decline in voting power.

Awards and Accomplishments

In this section of my monthly update, I highlight anything which stood out to me in the way of an award or accomplishment. As much as anything, it's for my reference, when I look back over time and ask myself,

"Are you really accomplishing anything meaningful 'in there' Hive account@roleerob?" So ... Let's see about this past month ...

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1,000 SP in Post Rewards!

While a quiet month, I did have a very significant "milestone" I reached on my Steem "journey" - 1,000 SP earned!

I was quite pleased with this. I am not likely to invest any more of my hard-earned income into the Steem blockchain, until I see some significant improvements in key aspects of it, but I will still remain relatively active (for me anyway ...). I like the idea of measuring progress with 1,000 SP earned "mileposts" along the way ...

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Publishing "Road to Recovery" Travelogue Series

Beginning with my Reflections: My "Road to Recovery" Trip post through to my Recap of "@roleerob's excellent adventure!" In winter ... post, I wrote 28 posts in a little over 5 weeks, including my new record of posting 15 days in a row!

Blessed with this wonderful opportunity to both relive and create lifetime memories, I made the most of it. These posts are an important part of both capturing and preserving these memories. Others seemed to enjoy them as well, as the awards I collected represent the most recognition and support for anything I have written for the Steem blockchain to date.

For new readers of my posts, I would like to have this achievement easily accessible to them, for their reference. Not for hopes of gaining any more SP from upvotes, as they are long past payout. More to let others of my fellow Steemians know about the work I have put in here. Who knows, as a result, perhaps one day I will end up on the "whitelist" of Hive account@ocd / Hive account@ocdb, who placed a number of upvotes on this series of posts ...

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Publishing my Steemisphere Posts

Until further notice, these posts are what I consider to be my greatest accomplishment in contributing to the Steem blockchain. Why?

Here is what I said in my introductory comments:

”You are reading what I would like to have been quickly introduced to, when I was where you are right now.”

I wanted to help others avoid what I had been through, as much as possible.

Designed to be complimentary to each other, here are the two posts created:

1. Welcome to the Steemisphere! Getting Off to a "Flying Start," Version 1.0 – Covers the full spectrum of what a new Steemian needs to know to get off to a “flying start.”
2. User's Guide to the Steemisphere, Version 1.0 – Covers the recommended apps and tools a new Steemian needs as they begin to engage with our Steem blockchain.

_{Source: Steem Artwork contributed by talented Steemian @dandesign86!}

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Those are the highlights of my main contributions to adding value to the Steem blockchain over this last month.

What about the contributions of others? I cover that next ...

Monthly Highlights

Beginning with my first monthly update post, in this section I was inspired to try to capture "the good, the bad, and the ugly" every month. Specifically focused on my interactions with others on this "social network."

So ... What do we have this month:

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👍 👍 Two Thumbs Up 👍 👍

Working with ”systems,” as well as managing the work of others, for much of my career, I have always emphasized ”people” over ”process” believing that is the right priority. From a lot of experience, I know the best systems are greatly diminished, if not ”manned” by competent, engaged people. A great team will always solve the problem of less-than-ideal systems. I have never experienced the reverse to be true ...

This section, then, will always be about the people I “meet” in our Community. Specifically, those who have had the greatest impact on my "journey."

My standalone Steemian for highlighting this month is the exceptional Hive account@cicsaja who, after 15 months of remarkably steady effort, became a 💥🎈💥 Minnow 💥🎈💥 this past month!

🥇 Congratulations Hive account@cicisaja! 🏆

So, putting something behind my words, this month all of my support will not be spread out, but given to this one deserving Steemian. Nothing asked for or expected in return.

Well ... except for ... perhaps 🤔 ... that you figure out how to clone yourself! Or, short of that, "go forth and multiply!" 😉

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👍 One Thumb Up 👍

At "press time," there was a lot of excitement about the launch of a new interface for the "normie" users out there who may find logging into and engaging on the Steem blockchain more complicated than they'd like. It has been called SteemLogin and is introduced in this post here.

_{Source: SteemLogin - a new and easy way to sign in to Steem! by @steemlogin}

The good news is it allows interested parties to ...

"... enable their users to sign in using their Google, Facebook, Twitter or GitHub account!"

And the bad news?

"SteemLogin allows users to store once and for all their Steem username and private posting key on a secure Cloud Firestore database, a solution provided by Google ..."

[emphasis mine]

I will celebrate the hoped for outcome this brings more "normie" users to the Steem blockchain. God knows we need something to improve the overall standing of it in the "digital asset" marketplace.

I will not myself likely ever use it, as a matter of principle. I am not a fan of Google. Or any of these global giants who relentlessly work to ... uhhhh ... "manage" our access to information. For me, this flies in the face of why I elected to invest in blockchain technology in the first place ...

_{Source: Steem Artwork contributed by talented Steemian @dandesign86!}

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👎 One Thumb Down 👎

While working on our family tax challenge, I had not posted to Steem in ~ 16 days. "Bad" news. Right? How bad was it? 😧

Well ... After writing my Update, 2019 Apr 18 post, according to Steem-UA, I guess I should do that more often! 🤔 I guess. Since, by far, this was the highest increase I have ever experienced from one post.

Seriously, this did not impress me. As much as the next man, I welcome encouraging news. However, what value does it really have if not genuine?

While I don't know enough (nothing really ...) about the algorithm(s) behind this program, I can't help but think this result indicates problems somewhere. Fewer Steemians enrolled in Steem-UA? Fewer Steemians overall? I don't know ...

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👎 👎 Two Thumbs Down 👎 👎

While my engagement this past month has been less, I still saw evidence of the messed up "flag wars" continuing on. And on. And on ... Spreading to other accounts now, so I see evidence of it almost like one might view graffiti, when walking about in (typically) urban areas. To be nice ... Or like the spread of a nasty virus ... To not be nice ...

Also, the performance of STEEM in the recent overall crypto market upturn. As in not encouraging ... Surely these two things have nothing in common ... Right?

Closing

So, overall a quiet month for Hive account@roleerob. Thank you for reading my monthly update. I trust you have found something of value in it and hopefully even some encouragement.

Next month, I will have passed the one year anniversary of electing to "jump in" to actively engaging on the Steem blockchain, rather than just remain only passively invested in it. Perhaps I will put together a "special edition" of my monthly update.

Until "next time," all the best to you for a better tomorrow, as we all work together to build our Steem Community! 👍 😊

Respectfully,
Steemian @ roleerob

Posted using SteemPeak and “immutably enshrined in the blockchain” on Thursday, 1 May 2019!

Interested to read more of my monthly updates on my Steem "journey"? Great!

• Update, Month 1: Engaged with a 4-Figure Stake in the Future
• Update, Month 2: Still Engaged with an Increased Stake and "Growing" ...
• Update, Month 3: Still (Somewhat) Engaged with an Increased Stake and "Recalibrating" ...
• Update, Month 5: Still Engaged with an Increased Stake and "Doubling Down" ... - Won Hive account@trufflepig's #1 "Truffle of the Day" award!
• Update, Month 6: "Fully" Engaged with Increased Stake and "Resolute" ... - Won Hive account@trufflepig's #1 "Truffle of the Day" award!
• Update, Month7: 🐬 Starting 2019 as a Dolphin! 🐬
• Update, Month 9: Safely Home and "Working" on the "Next Chapter"
• Update, Month 10: 🥛 Glass Half Full? Or Half Empty 🥛
  
  

SteemPeak: An awesome interface for our Steem blockchain.

Check it out!

_{This account is protected by Hive account@dustsweeper}