Hello Steemians (?).

I ran into Steemit through a post by Fred Wilson where he talked about Steem as a viable way to fund content without advertising or monthly subscriptions. I was intrigued and decided the best way to learn about steem was to jump in. 

Personally, I am the co-founder of Gladly, an ad tech startup that is hoping to fund content through ad experiences that internet users actually enjoy (I know, that probably makes me unpopular around here). In college, my friend and I built Tab for a Cause, a browser extension that allows you to raise money for charity each time you open new tabs in your browser. Watching Tab for a Cause grow and evolve showed me how quickly a small, dedicated online community can start to make a real difference. I'd love to see (and help) this community build up a head of steam (sorry...) and change the way online content is shared and funded.

Outside of work I enjoy playing music, hiking through the many parks of Northern California, playing board games, and making really terrible puns. 

I am excited to learn more about Steemit in the coming days, weeks, and months and I appreciate everyone's patience as I get up to speed by asking lots of questions. In fact, I'll leave this post with a big one: 

What is one thing that has surprised you about Steemit/Steem so far? 

Thanks for existing!

Alex