STEEM does not need an overlord. We do not need a person in charge telling everyone what they can or cannot do. Events recently are showing the STEEM community is perfectly capable of handling its own issues.
We have some really intelligent people around here. This is resulting in some fabulous developments which will only serve to make the ecosystem stronger.
There are a host of problems on the STEEM blockchain that people refer to on a regular basis. Occasionally, we see someone take the initiative to do something about it. Hence, we often get a solution.
We are in a technological age. These days, algorithms are the answer to a lot of what is taking place. This is often the case when combating an issue that is algorithmic in nature.
This morning, I noticed a couple of examples of this. They show how the community responds.
The first deals with downvotes. Have you noticed some of your posts getting downvoteed for no reason. All these votes are coming from smaller accounts but you get hit with a number of them. What did you do wrong? The answer is nothing.
People are aware of this. It apparently was a disgruntled Steemian who decided to create a series of flagging bots. Some of the recipients are targets as payback; others simply at random.
Here is a post about it.
https://steemit.com/flag/@guiltyparties/the-flag-ring
Ignore his flags and if they hide or damage your post, ask your friends or the Freezepeach team for help at https://discord.gg/3DpG2CF
If you see a fellow Steemian whose posts have been negatively impacted, give them an upvote.
A community based solution. Word is spreading about this among communities members and we can come together to help offset this activity.
At the same time, the witnesses and Steemit are getting into the act.
Ourselves (
) and
are updating and compiling the list. This is a contribution for the betterment of the ecosystem.
Steemit Inc and its developers know about it, already removed part of the delegation, and will remove the rest of it. The flagger can try all he wants to make these faucet abuse accounts but they will all lose their delegation, making them useless.
It's not an instant button we can flip to remove delegation but it is happening in the normal workflow of things and everyone is aware and acting on it.
Once again, we see actions taken by those who have the ability to change it. Steemit is involved since they are the ones who issue the delegation. Hence, removing that SP will reduce the voting power and kill the bandwidth of these accounts.
Another instance was a phishing story. These are becoming quite common on STEEM. As more people join, this will only continue. Directing Steemians to a non-STEEM account and coaxing one to turn over passwords is becoming a pastime for many. This is why it crucial that one be very careful with his or her keys. Nevertheless, one advantage to STEEM is that there is an account recovery system and all is not lost if keys are taken.
In this instance, one followed a link posted in a comment warning about a post being stolen by another. Plagiarism is something that every blogger is mindful of and a comment alerting one of this happening will garner attention. It also could result in one getting scammed.
Following the link, to a non-steemit site, the individuals provided the active key to the account. This led to funds being taken while posts were put up to try and lure others into the scam. After a while, the account was used to downvote others in an effort to destroy the reputation.
https://steemit.com/photofeed/@irvinesimages/peaceful-essence
It would be remiss for me not to mention 
STEEM is one of the more advanced blockchains in terms of community. We are all engaging upon a lesson in anarchy. There are no regulators or Steemit police. Self ruling, monitoring, and regulating is what we are establishing. It is up to the community to not only decide what to do, but also to do it. This can be a collaborative effort or, as in the case of
As I noted, we have a lot of talented people on this blockchain. The next few years will see in explosion in technology which people will use for nefarious things. It is comforting to know that same technology can be used to prevent their actions also.
Obviously, an algorithm that is creating a problem can often be countered by another algorithm. There are other issues on the STEEM blockchain that are still subjects of debate. The solutions to these are not necessarily a piece of code. Instead, we are forced to look at cultural issues and our beliefs as they pertain to the STEEM blockchain. Some of these will take a while to figure out since self governance of ecosystems like these is still being worked out.
STEEM is a very young toddler. We just entered our terrible twos. We barely mastered walking at this point. A lot of this is being figured out as we proceed along. A major paradigm shift tends to take awhile to fully work itself out. Consider the fact that humanity was controlled for thousands of years. Suddenly, having a system of freedom means there is going to be a time period of acclamation. None of us are truly accustomed to operating like this. Even our digital lives were tightly controlled by the like of Daddy Google and Uncle Facebook. And we need not forget Cousin Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.
To every STEEM problem, the answer is always the same. What is the solution? We are. The STEEM community is responsible for directing where things go.
We are going to see many more examples like these over the coming years. As situations arise, the community will decide how to handle it and take action. This will apply to those in both technical in nature and cultural.
The future of this blockchain is in our hands. This is true for both the success and failure of it. A strong community means that destruction can only come from the inside.
We all need to put forth effort to ensure that does not happen.
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