We Are STEEM.
Most of us have heard the news by now. Some call it pure bullshit and others are anxious, annoyed or angry. Some Steemians are relieved, satisfied and glad. It's literally a roller coaster of emotions for people. Dozens of articles, comments and discussions have been made and written since Ned's statement. I will not go into any major details regarding the statement. I let people make their own decisions and assumptions based on the already existing ones.
However, 
That being said, the articles, comments and replies I've seen on Steemit since the statement from Ned worries me. I am concerned for several reasons. That's what I'll try to shed some light upon today. Before moving forward, I'll just clearly say that I am no expert in crypto- or blockchain technology, but I do have a decent understanding of running a business and 2+ years of personal experience on Steemit.
In Case You've Missed It:
"We've been forced to lay off 70% of our organization." - Ned Scott.
At first glance, without looking at a single thing except that, my natural reaction would be:
"Shit happens." - Because it does. Results may vary. Up or down. That's life and that's definitely business.
"We have been relying on basically a higher projection of the bottom of the market." - Ned Scott.
I can personally relate to that. That's exactly the same mistake I made. My current situation is pretty shitty and in these desperate times, I tried to figure out a doable plan to achieve what I'm striving for. I relied on the price of Steem/SBD and I figured that I would be able to pull through as long as the price didn't drop below 0,70.
The price dropped further than that and I ended up in an even deeper pile of shit. That being said, I was (is) literally being forced to use portions of my stake to finance my livelihood so that I can enable myself to continue my education. Despite what others might say, feel or think regarding that decision, it's the best choice I've got.
However, relying on these cryptocurrencies to stay above 0,70 is a pretty stupid thing to do. Even though it's the best option at this time. If it would stay above 0,70, things would be easier for me in life, but that's also why it's a stupid mistake. I am obviously biased and I think about my own well-being. I think of myself in this scenario. I hope.
You can't rely on hope when you're in business. That's a fool's game. Also, a major difference between Ned (Steemit INC) and me, is the actual stake I have to "play around with".
I could easily afford my livelihood, pay my bills and continue my education with a fraction of Ned's Steem Power. I wouldn't have to cancel things like my NetFlix subscription and TV-channels (which I've already done) if I had his stake.
I have delegated my Steem Power to others for almost a year. (I had to stop due to my current situation). Free of charge. I am the co-founder of the 
That said, I have done many different things to help others and to ultimately make Steemit a better place for everyone. I have talked to multiple stakeholders about the opportunity to lease Steem Power for my personal account and for the
None of them where interested, or couldn't offer me a good deal, even though my history on Steemit is pretty decent, to say the least. I obviously don't want to bash people or target any specific users, but it obviously feels terrible.
It shows that you either have to know someone or that the size of your wallet is the only thing that matters in the end. Now, I know that's not entirely true, because some people are able to stand out more than others, and I'm happy for them. But, this is what the average user on Steemit feels. This is what they experience.
I have tried to find curators and people willing to help the
Don't get me wrong here. I know there are other reasons for this too. Obviously. So I don't mean to come off like I'm attacking any of you. That's not my point or goal here.
What I'm talking about, is the "We Are Steem"-phrase. We are Steem. That's for sure... But people don't want responsibilities. People are here to earn money. No matter what they say. Sure, some of them are here for the community too, because that's what they've learned to love and like. All of us, including Ned, is here to make money. That has always been the biggest priority. If we're able to connect, make friends and support others along the way, (which we can with Steem), that's great.
When we saw SBD at $8 or whatever, people talked about how much they would've been buying Steem if they had the chance. Now's the chance. Where are these people?
The same types of people are buying. Mostly whales and dolphins who're already heavily invested. I obviously understand that everyone is not in a position to buy, like myself for instance, no matter how low the price is at the moment, but in general... People are walking away from Steemit instead of taking the chance now when the price is low. - And why is that?
- Because people are here for the money, but they are here for the quick cash. They're looking for an easy way to make money, while the price is high. They can buy some votes and cash out once the rewards are being paid out. As long as the price is high.
To advertise Steemit as a personal-ATM was wrong in the first place. To have a title like: Your voice is worth something was stupid as well. Jerry Banfield and all these other scumbags have literally been destroying Steemit with all the bullshit videos they've been producing.
They have talked about how easy it is to get rich on Steemit. Instead of talking about how people should interact and support each other, they've talked about how people can make easy money. That's why we have greed and selfishness in the first place. Not because of Banfield and those other guys, but due to the overall advertising of this place.
It's weird that I haven't seen 50 Cent on here yet. Get rich or die trying. He should've been one of the first people to sign up. But we have all his fans here instead. Money-seekers. People who're in it to win it. Short term. Quick.
Most people are here for the money. To make money as quickly as possible and to make as much as possible, before it's too late. That's the sort of mindset we have on here... And that's why I personally believe we've never been able to keep people here. While some have focused on doing everything they can to spread the word and get people on board, others have done literally nothing to keep the users we already have here.
Anyone should understand that a behaviour like that is a recipe of disaster. Especially in business. On top of that, we have all the flagwars and censoring. People with more stake than others are able to flag, reduce rewards and make other users posts invisible... And it's a common behaviour here. Even though everyone should be working towards the same goal. To have a great platform that flourish.
I'm not saying that I am a user who deserves more than others for the things I have said or done... Or for the things I'm trying to accomplish. I know a handful of people who deserves more than me for the things they are doing. But, instead of wasting Steem Power in form of delegations to users who're trying to squeeze out as much money as possible 24/7, only to fill their own pockets, stakeholders should've spent that extra second to think things through before delegating in the first place.
Why delegate these insane amounts of Steem Power to authors who shares wonderful stories about their travels, instead of spending that Steem Power on people who're trying to make Steemit a better place for others, including themselves?
- Short-sighted.
That's the only logical explanation I have.
I have talked about the lack of leadership before. The average user on Steemit will never be experts in crypto- or blockchain technology. The average users on Steemit is the same people you find on Facebook and Twitter. A bunch of random people sharing content. Steemit gives these people one benefit over Facebook or any other social media. They have the chance to earn money.
When these people see the "awesome dude who created Steemit" power down... It makes them anxious. Especially when that same awesome person who created Steemit is playing guitar 1 or 2 weeks ago in a live stream. Fast forward 2 weeks or so, and they see that 70% of the entire organization have been fired. (They probably saw the announcement of Steem hiring people between that time frame too. Mistake or not.)
- What do you think will happen?
The same type of people, the people who've already invested in Steem, the true believers in Steem. They continue to invest and have high hopes. They believe we will rise from the ashes as we have before. Meanwhile the average users are starting to walk away faster than ever before.
You can motivate, encourage and inspire people even during the dips. But it's a matter of responsibility. Most people are looking out for themselves more than anything, and many others are looking out for themselves, period.
How in the world are you supposed to have faith in those people? If they never did anything for others while the price where high, do you seriously believe they will step up to the plate and do things now? During the lows?
Before we will be able to "fix" Steemit, we need to fix the inner-problems. People who're working towards a better place, for everyone, should get the necessary support they need in their attempts. Talk about distribution how much you want, but reward authors who are in need of them. People who're doing the most of it.
What's the point in giving someone with 100K Steem Power that extra $2 rewards on his latest article when you can support someone with 200, 500 or 1000 Steem Power instead? - And I'm not talking about justice or poverty.
I don't talk about the starving people here or there. I'm not talking about someone who can't pay his rent or whatever. That's a different story. - I'm talking about people who're doing something for others, which ultimately makes Steemit a better place. I'm talking about givers and not takers.
I'm talking about people who cares about others and not only to rake in as much money as possible in their attempts to become millionaires.
If you want people to believe in Steem. Give people something to believe in. The average users on Steemit are like bricks in a brick wall. Without them you'll never be able to fill all the gaps in your walls.
