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RE: UPDATE: The Great Steemit Debate: Tone Vays vs @blakemiles84
IMO, many people that calling Steemit a ponzi scheme doesn't know, what a ponzi scheme actually is. In a ponzi scheme there must be a constant in-flow of new money to pay the interest of the "investors". In contrast Steemit is creating a new commodity called Steem. Its like a mine, where something new is taken out of the earth. It's not clear what value this new commodity has, but there is no need of a constant in-flow, because Steemit is creating this new commodity itself.
I think cryptocurrencies in general, and Bitcoin in particular, are still a bit tainted in the eyes of the general public due to such things as Mt. Gox and Silk Road. I tried to explain my Ethereum investments to my wife, and she replied with "you mean it's like that Bitcoin stuff that people use to buy drugs with?" People naturally mistrust that which they don't understand, and Steemit is complex enough with not one, but 3 different crypto-tokens, that you really need to read and re-read the whitepaper before it all starts to sink in. As a new user I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the implications. So I can understand how some people may ignorantly dismiss it as a Ponzi scheme without bothering to invest time in learning more about it. We the Steem community need to educate and teach people about this great new technology, and try to clear up misconceptions whenever possible.