Well you came in to read-on I hope that means that title intrigued you and inspired at-least a little excitement!
We've all seen it...Read it...Heard it...Witnessed it and perhaps even taken part in it during our more pessimistic moments. I can only be referring to one thing of-course...
THE FUD!
Yup it's everywhere these days...My buddies, friend's sister's cat told me this whole blockchain thing is about to collapse...The feds are about to close it all down...The Russians hacked it...Trump bought it...Aliens invented it...You name it, recently we've all witnessed it.
Not so long ago, everyone was hailing it as the bringer of world peace, the nourishment that would end world hunger the crucial final piece to bring ABBA back together Crypto...Mankind's saviour...
Isn't it amazing how a bear market changes the mainstream opinion?
We all know how market forces work and when we find ourselves in a bullish market we are able to lucidly and emphatically explain this to others with an authoritative, understanding and jovial tone Expansion follows recession follows expansion follows recession and so on. We know how a negative or positive announcement can trigger a run in the aforementioned direction. We assure the newcomers that this is nothing whatsoever to be alarmed about and everything follows it's natural order...
But in a rampant bear market...The panic is equally rampant...
OMG...Noooo!...The sky is falling!
But deep down on a less emotional, analytical data processing, number crunching level, we are all far more rational, right? Don't get me wrong much of this has come from the volatile roller-coaster ride that thus far been cryptocurrency. Not so long ago, the day traders merely had to stay awake to make gains in crypto...The rises were epic, the lows were vertigo inducing...BUT...Crucially we all knew that the price was gonna come back up soon!
Not anymore the poker-face of the market has gotten people spooked...The market held it's resolve and the HODL'ing masses blinked first! Once the doubt creeps in and that uncertainty gets a HODL of your psyche you are doomed.
So what can we do to turn the tide, maybe something, maybe nothing but if this really is a battle of psychological wills, I think a potential solution is pretty simple...
- Do not engage in too much unfounded, speculative cynicism on the blockchain, that can spread like the plague.
- Be mindful of how the masses of new people here have their perception shaped by more experienced communities.
- If you perceive yourself to be a community leader, promote great practices and if you have the time a little mentoring can go a long way!
- Promote community endeavors wherever you see them, this is how we really want to be known for, right?
Note; I am not suggesting we are act in a naive manner or ignore actual problems that may arise and pretend everything is rosy. As of yet though I have seen no empirical data that has given any credibility to the state of the blockchain being in free-fall. Personally all I see at this stage is just another market-cycle driven by Bitcoin which we are still all measured against...I see nothing that relates directly to Steem itself.
SO! We have to start somewhere in creating a more positive space for us all to inhabit, right?
Back to basics time...Whats the number one golden rule and something that has become forgotten in many parts of the blockchain? Almost all of us instinctively understood it when we arrived on the platform...
Engagement!
We are not just keyboards, screens and cables...We are individuals...People looking for an adventure, an outlet or just looking for community, let us act like it. Up-votes are fabulous, being curated is awesome but honestly, there's an even easier way to make this whole adventure worthwhile and cultivate that sense of community we all crave. I have heard it from Steemians time and time again, often the most satisfying part of the Steem journey is when you see somebody has left you an awesome comment that genuinely brightened your day.
Encouraging, thoughtful or simply kick-ass comments make everything better.
That is the antidote to feeling undervalued, anonymous or ignored (in a bear market or otherwise). With that in mind I am gonna tell you about a rallying cry that was issued by two of the most community spirited Steemians I have had the pleasure to meet whilst listening to the "Ma1ne & Snekky" Show last night on 
It is truly genius in it's simplicity!
Checkout @ma1neevent's original post here
The premise behind the challenge is pretty simple as I am sure you already guessed from the name. There will never be an easier way to create widespread engagement on the platform and start cultivating that amazing community spirit we all know is the very juice of the platform...
Simply commit to making 5 great comments on the post of 5 different Steemians everyday and hold yourself accountable to the challenge.
- Will it work to massively improve the platform?
- Does it actually matter? A little more engagement can only be a wonderful thing for the platform, right?
- Will it make the price of Steem moon to $100?
I doubt it...The crypto market is a little depressed right now, that will not change in the blink of an eye. It certainly will not harm and can only give brand new wide eyed Steemians the very best impression of our community. I believe that ultimately that's what we all want. A massive benefit is that the people who are sticking it out and are still here during this dip, those who have nailed their colours to the mast will get a greater share of awesome comments.
Remember a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, we have to start somewhere, let's start by creating a ripple that has the potential grow into a torrent and increase in size to become a gargantuan tsunami of awesomeness. Who knows what this may do, what we can accomplish? I for one am looking forward to finding out.
Some of you have obvious superpowers and already engage way more than that...You should also be able to claim your chair at the table of immortal epicness and take part. So what I would suggest is that you take the time to seek out 5 new people to comment on, spreading the net of love even further and wider than ever before which in turn will increase the potential to make even more friends than before and discover some amazing new people.
Are you a Steemian who says "Pah! I laugh in the face of 5 comments a day" make it ten! Let's just run at this and give it our very best attempt.
If you really want to show your commitment to the cause