Can Steemit Transparency Live Up To Its Claims?

Ever since I joined Steemit I’ve been plagued with technical problems. I realize that Steemit is in beta, and most of these earlier problems have been worked out, but my latest wedgie has given me pause to question the Steem blockchain’s claim that all transactions are recorded and traceable, the very basis for trusting blockchain technology as an accounting platform, the very thing that gives credibility to Steem’s value as a fungible monetary unit.

Like most minnows, I’m having problems gaining traction. I’ve stopped upvoting myself and I’ve shied away from bots. None of that has made much difference. I now realize that bots are what drive Steemit awareness leading to bot trails that eventually lead to human curators who resteem which eventually gets eyes on my posts. That is important to me since I’m here to be read above all else. People don’t have to agree with me or even upvote me as long as I see lots of little eyeballs at the bottom of my posts.

With that in mind I decided to give Hive account@qurator a try. Yes, I thought maybe buying exposure would help. Here’s what happened:

I went to my wallet and then clicked on my SBDs which opened up the transfer window. I entered Hive account@qurator in the recipient slot and $2SBD in the amount slot, the amount required for membership. I typed a little thank you in the memo slot and hit enter. Another window opened that asked for my Active key. So far all kosher and good.

I’m fairly klutzy on the computer and as I was getting ready to enter my key, I must have hit another key by accident, possibly the “enter” button. The password and memo slot disappeared and that little circling circle appeared in the lower left corner of the window. I waited for quite awhile but realized that the transaction wouldn’t go through because I hadn’t entered my password. I shut the window intending to try again. Herein lies the problem:

When I returned to my wallet, the $2SBD had been deducted from my total SBD. I contacted Hive account@qurator and they told me that they hadn’t received the funds. I asked them to trace it but they were unable to. I then went to #help channel on Steem Chat and asked them to do the same. I got the same answer. I went to Steemd but the transaction wasn’t there, either. The transaction did not record. I refreshed my wallet and the $2SBD was still missing. That was yesterday. Today that $2SBD is still missing.

Here’s where you, dear Steemian, can perhaps help, especially if you are more technically inclined than I am and are more familiar with the blockchain or know who to approach with this problem. A good portion of the blockchain’s credibility is its claim to record and trace all transactions.

Isn’t there a way to go to my wallet and see what was in there prior to the transaction I attempted to make at about this time yesterday? If the transaction was not recorded then the $2SBD should still show up in my account. It shouldn’t just disappear into thin air. Of course, it’s not about the coins. If it was $2000SBD I’d be a bit pissed. This is really about blockchain credibility. I don’t believe that someone is trying to scam me out of a couple of bucks.

If I’ve discovered a flaw and it only cost 2 Steem dollars, that’s a wonderful thing. If this platform is to work and continue to grow it needs to be bullet proof. I urge you to please help me and our community. Find an answer to this dilemma or get me in touch with someone who can. I think you’ll agree that this is very important. Thank you.

Image: Master Tux