The End of Engagement on Steem?

It is very likely that this coming Sunday, there will be no Engagement League post for the first time in over two years.

Current happenings in both the outside world, and where I spend the majority of my time when (not at work and) facing a screen have left me deflated/anxious/confused.

The Engagement League post has been my weekly addition to the Steem chain for a while now. Providing account data and, due to the hugely positive feedback, feeling like I has something worthwhile to contribute each week has been key for me. I know that when I'm lacking ideas, I have the Sunday post and that entry has usually sparked some inspiration for other posts during the week.

With a new chain incoming, SteemSQL (HiveSQL) up in the air while Hive account@arcange ponders what to do, as well as the community thinking through their next steps (mostly to Hive by the looks of it), I've decided to take a break from publishing the EL post while the dust settles. I think it's highly unlikely that Hive account@arcange will want to manage two databases (and their increasing costs), and so one of the main sources of my content is now uncertain.

Pity I didn't do a weekly beer drinking post - highly suitable for both chains I am sure!

Just because the EL post won't be around, that's not to say that the content and commentary on Steem will evaporate, but reading around this evening does tend to suggest that a number of accounts I follow will be migrating over to Hive, and potentially dumping their STEEM.

From what I gather, the Steem accounts snapshot has taken place already, and so we'll get 1-1 STEEM/HIVE tokens, as well as the SP/HP, including delegations. Also in Hive account@hiveio's post, was a section about STEEM on exchanges, and to me it read that the snapshot their would be taken at a later date - when an exchange has agreed to list Hive tokens. I could be wrong here, but if not, it seems that those holding liquid STEEM in a Steem account prior to the announcement, could now move this STEEM over to a exchange and get a 2nd Hive token drop?

Hopefully someone can clarify this?

The other main virus in our lives at present, Covid-19, is steadily pushing the UK to take the same measures as every other country (bar Holland I think?). The initial plan was to build a 'herd immunity' and just let people get on with their business, but that has now changed (due to estimates of 250,000 deaths), to stay away from people, hide the elderly, don't go to work if you can work at home, and don't take ibuprofen.

Cases have shot up again today and it's likely schools will close at the weekend. I suspect we are about a week away from lockdown as the NHS reaches breaking point. Luckily for me, I can work from home, although I think my role is high risk considering how long I've been at the company, and the company relying on healthy volunteers. I think the business will close for a period at some point - but at least we have 87 beds to rent to the NHS if need be.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very interested to see what happens next on Hive, and if the STEEM tokens I've earned will be worth anything in the near future, it's just all a bit uncertain right now.

Right, I'd best go and see if the supermarket has any bread/pasta/toilet roll - probably not.

Stay safe, see you soon I hope,

Asher

For me :)