Firstly I want to note that this post may be totally baffling and probably annoying for most of you Steemians because you appear to be more computer and programming savvy than the average Joe or Sue. However, it’s YOU specifically whose attention I want to draw to this blindspot on Steemit.
Initially I thought it was just me and that maybe I'm just clueless, but I now see it's not just me and far from it...
As I understand it, all of us agree that quality content is key to the success of Steemit. This means that Steemit needs to attract people from a variety of fields who have a depth of expertise - people like my friends who are amazingly talented scientists, artists, gallerists, teachers, writers, PR people, psychologists, dog trainers, etc..… However, people like me have spent 80 hours a week developing mastery in ceramics or in another specialized field and have NOT developed expertise within the esoteric aspects of computer programming, cryptocurrency, or even within the stock market/ trading. As all of you know, experts in any field are busy in their own corner of life.
For someone like me to enter the world of Steemit - to gain a very basic understanding of what this thing called Steemit is, create an account, and make a post, the learning curve was prohibitive - it literally took me hours and hours. If I didn’t have a friend encouraging me with constant plugs of how incredible Steemit is, I would have given up after an hour.
It was like learning to get around a foreign country that doesn’t even use the same letters to form its language. I felt like I did when visiting Egypt years ago as an American - I had no idea how to read a shop sign or how to ask a question. Yes I could walk down the street and see that there was a city bus but where it goes and how much to pay were elusive. It was tough to find enough common ground to ask a question and get an answer in some cases. And yes, I used guide books etc..., but just go with my analogy here.
Every time I looked up a word like “blockchain” or “mining” the answer just raised more questions and it took time to find satisfactory answers. Actually I still have no idea what on earth mining really means.
The post that was most helpful for me:
And I believe we need MUCH more of this. Even this assumes I know about Reddit and bitcoin and what a blockchain is and about cryptocurrency - all of which were 100% new words and concepts to me. I’ve felt like an idiot, stupid and clueless in the process of navigating this platform and no one wants to feel that way!!
And what about when one wants to convert Steem Dollars into cash? In the Steemit for dummies guide there is some advice but it was not close to enough to walk me through the process.
White pages (https://steem.io/SteemWhitePaper.pdf) are recommended often but while yes this document is essential to read, it’s not going to help the newbie get his or her foot in the door. It’s far too long and speaks to an understanding of this “blockchain world” that is far beyond what I had or that any of my friends will have upon entering.
My point here is not about venting frustration, it’s about raising the awareness that if we want to bring in people outside of the esoteric world of Steem, we have to make this more accessible, we have to give people the tools for understanding the most basic concepts and then for increasing their knowledge. There is quite a bit on steemit for someone who is beyond the basics, but not for someone like me.
Some of you have plenty of knowledge and are very good at explaining things clearly, and I want to encourage you to create step by step how-to guides, including clear definitions of terms using layman’s vocabulary - no jargon. Pretend that you are talking to your 7 year old who knows how to use a computer really well and social media but now HOW they work. Also assume s/he knows money but not how the stock market works.
Since my initial frustration I’ve been very fortunate to have support from a seasoned steemian who has generously taken the time to clear up some of my confusion, but not everyone will have this and nor should they have to.
A few examples of the confusion one encounters in trying to understand:
When looking up the definition of “blockchain” (and yes there are millions of us out there who are very smart who have NEVER heard of this).
According to Investopedia:
“The blockchain is seen as the main technological innovation of Bitcoin, since it stands as proof of all the transactions on the network. A block is the 'current' part of a blockchain which records some or all of the recent transactions, and once completed goes into the blockchain as permanent database.
Basically mumbojumbo to me!!
Wikipedia offers a much better definition but still a giant mouthful and isn't there a better explanation?
A blockchain[1][2][3]—originally, block chain[4][5]—is a distributed database that maintains a continuously-growing list of data records secured from tampering and revision. It consists of data structure blocks that may contain data or programs—with each block holding batches of individual transactions and the results of any blockchain executables. Each block contains a timestamp and a link to a previous block.
The blockchain—conceived in 2008 and first implemented in 2009—is the main technical innovation of bitcoin, where it serves as the public ledger for bitcoin transactions. In this case, every user is allowed to connect to the network, send new transactions to it, verify transactions, and create new blocks, making the bitcoin blockchain permissionless. The bitcoin/blockchain design has been the inspiration for other applications.
Another word that still remains completely mysterious to me is “mining” . I have yet to find a definition in layman’s terms. All have jargon or vocabulary unique to what I call the “cryptocurrency world”.
https://www.bitcoinmining.com/ offers some really great resources for understanding mining but one has to take 45 minutes just to understand the word and the concept because “mining” on Steemit bears no resemblance of the concept of mining out in the physical world.
In the early 2000s as a minimally computer literate adult, It took me about 20 minutes to understand enough about Facebook to get started and effectively use it. Steemit should be user-friendly within 30-45 minutes if we want to attract a variety of experts outside of the computer world.
We need a play by play guide with lots of definitions and hand-holding. You might ask - “why don’t YOU do it?” A good question and maybe I will but I still feel like I don’t know enough and there are so many of you out there who do know SO MUCH!!
Maybe there are already the kinds of posts I’m talking about and I just didn’t find them. If so, maybe we can all agree on a #hashtag that can be referred to at the top of “white papers” so that new people can find it (?)
Ok, I’ve had my say, thanks for listening and I hope this helps the Steemit community!!
