Reflecting on my time at Steemit

Edit: Just thought of this and had to add it in... sung to the tune of 'The Future's So Bright (I gotta wear shades!)'

Well, I'm a content creator, I post my photos
I got a crazy handle that says I'm alphaccino
Things are going great and they're only getting better
I'm doing alright, getting good pays,
The future's so HIVE, I gotta wear shades...
I gotta wear shades!

All the recent BUZZ concerning the future of our community, has made me reflect on my time here at Steemit as a content creator and it's also helped me to FULLY realise the community that stands behind me.

As I've said before, I'm a total crypto noob... I initially came into Steemit with Steemit's delegation being my only 'stake' in cryptocurrency, thinking it was a platform where I could showcase some artwork and maybe sell some paintings. My knowledge of Steem and cryptocurrency was something like... I'll learn as I go.

When I look back at my first handful of posts, I remember how awkward I felt at the time... but somehow I found my niche and started posting content that was focused more around my love of photography, nature and gardening. In a short time, daily posting had become a routine, it made me feel like I'd accomplished 'something' for the day but more importantly, it quickly became work that I was really proud to share.

Being able to overcome my 'shyness' and write posts featuring my own original photography ~~(out there in the world, open to criticism)~~ was a huge achievement for me at the time, and without Steemit, I may never have shown them to anyone other than my family. Responding to comments was a nerve-racking experience for me in those first days but I managed to make some connections while finding my 'sea-legs'.

My first ruffled feather came in the form of a comment from Hive account@cheetah... (what? they think I've plagarised?) That was definitely, a moment XD... however, after a little bit of ~~investigating~~ research, I suddenly realised, that in fact, this was a community that not only cared about original content but was actively involved in identifying 'cheets' while doing their best to keep the chain clean. This was something that really appealed to me on an ethical level and it made me feel like I wanted to sail with this crew.

It was around this time that I really started learning, I learnt about Witnesses, Decentralization and Markets... I also learnt some new terms like hodl and FUD; I learnt about bull markets and bear markets and I started to understand some of the talk I was hearing/reading... damn, I even know who Carlos is! XD

This was also around the same time I discovered MSP Waves, there are several shows that fall within my time-zone (me, being down-unda) with hosts and audience members that I've come to know and love.

Besides all the fun and entertainment, MSP Waves has been another great source of knowledge for me. I've learnt so much more about how the blockchain works, the meaning of community-consensus, the role of the witnesses and how, I as a part of the Steemit community (albeit, a very small part) still have a small 'say', which is exercised through my witness votes.

The whole concept of decentralization was an admirable one and I felt it was a movement towards a better, brighter future - a path that governments would never even find, let alone walk but overall, an experience I was too happy to take part in.

So, like many others, the recent news regarding Steemit and the new guy, came as a shock and I really had to stop and wonder where all of this was heading. (ngl, there was a distinct moment when I considered that maybe I'd come out of this with nothing afterall...)

Watching everything unfold and seeing the response from witnesses and the community, I felt that it was important to show my support for the current decisions being made. While I have very little understanding of how things work behind the scenes, I very much appreciate that there are people here that do.

While the ethics of recent actions could be morally debated till the cows come home, (you can't please all of the people, blah blah blah...) for me personally, the witnesses have demonstrated that not only do they have the best interests in mind, for the future of the blockchain AND the community BUT they've also demonstrated that they're NOT AFRAID to take a stand against the system and STAND UP for what's right!

And I like that... !!!

As a community member, I wanted say Thank You to the (~~concensus~~ what I meant was LEGIT) witnesses and others who have put in the hard work and/or made the hard decisions, also to ANYONE who has been involved or provided support for the project.

It's remarkable to see what you've accomplished over the past weeks and how you've been able to come together to provide a working solution for 'all of us'...

I'm really looking forward to the new HIVE

So, I guess I'll see ya on the other side...

BUZZ BUZZ... xxx