Building a relationship with a Steem Witness

A few days ago I got an invitation from Hive account@aggroed to be on his show, which he runs each Sunday night on his Peace, Abundance, Liberty Discord channel.  This is the same channel that Hive account@pennsif used to interview me a few times in the past.  Hive account@aggroed is the #12 ranked Steem Witness and I was surprised and honoured by the invitation.  What was supposed to be a scheduled one hour talk on his show ended up being nearly three hours!  We covered a lot of ground and it was all recorded!  Here is what @aggroed had to say about the event last night.  

I know that the term 'witness' can be confusing for a lot of people.  So I thought I would give a brief explanation of what a witness is and why it is important to build relationships with these individuals and how to go about doing it.  

The Steem blockchain technology was developed by Steem Inc. as an open source and distributed application.  What that means is that nobody owns the technology as the corporation gave it to the people.  A number of people stepped up to run the software on their servers which are located all over the world.  Those people are called 'Witnesses'.  The top 20 witnesses, out of a pool of over 14,000, are the ones that are responsible for the majority of the blockchain and also must provide unanimous consent for any changes to be made to the blockchain.  As such, there is a great responsibility to the community by these individuals and it is important that the right people are holding those positions to ensure the integrity of the blockchain.

How is the ranking of witnesses determined?  By the users of the Steem blockchain voting for them; you and I.  We each get 30 votes and it is our responsibility to cast those votes in order to ensure a healthy blockchain.  Witnesses that don't perform well can see their votes disappear, ones that do perform well can see an increase in votes.  Unlike elections where we can only vote once very 4 years, our vote for witness can be done or undone at any time.  Here is the link so that you can cast your 30 votes.

https://steemit.com/~witnesses

For me, I really struggle as there is no information that I could find that would allowed me to evaluate witnesses in order to make an apples to apples comparison.  This one page lists some data on the performance of the servers, but what about the values and integrity of the individuals?  I had to looked through dozens of witness blogs to get a sense of their character and integrity.

A few months ago I found Hive account@aggroed who I felt was one such individual that personified the spiritual integrity that I demanded within myself.  I cast my vote for him and 10 others.  I looked for witnesses that are dedicated to peace, freedom, prosperity and integrity.  Little did I know at the time, his work was influenced partially by my own.  

I just found out that he is responsible for the formation of the Minnow Support program which is dedicated to helping new users get started on the platform.  Many witnesses have worked hard to add value to the community and many of us use their tools without giving any thought to who developed them or why.  

We can support them through our vote and they support us through their dedication to being a good witness and developing tools to help the community.  There is no corporate policies and procedures governing this blockchain.  This is a self governing community and we all have a duty and responsibility to each other to ensure its health and integrity is maintained.  This requires that each individual step up and do their part, no matter how small that part may be.  

Who knows, with casting a vote you may even get their attention and receive an upvote now and again.  I know I have several witnesses who upvote my content and for that I am very grateful!  Hive account@teamsteam and Hive account@curie have often upvoted my work as another way to support their community.  They need our help as well.  This is one time where a vote does not actually carry any violence, not like the abusive and coercive power of the state.  This vote is peaceful and free.  If you are unsure as to how to do all this, you can setup a proxy and let somebody else vote for you.  That is done on the same page I listed above.

So check out the tools you use, review the people that upvote your work.  Some of them are witnesses and we all have a voice as to who supports and runs this blockchain.  Who knows, perhaps we can even be friends and get to know one another.  They are equals who dedicated their time and resources for the benefit of the whole community.  I appreciate and honour that dedication and commitment.  I show that through my vote and interacting with them every chance I can get.  

For me, I really struggle as there is no information that I could find that allowed me to evaluate witnesses to make an apples to apples comparison.  This requires some work in order to make an informed decision.  Welcome to being responsible and accountable adults in a self-governing community.  It is our duty to ensure we support those who work hard to maintain the integrity of this blockchain.  

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