2017-01-29 22:11:57

That's the time my Steemit account was created, according to Steemd.com.

I'm not a fan of self-congratulatory and self-indulgent milestone posts-- however, I'm "borrowing" an idea from @lukestokes-- basically using the fairly permanent record that is the blockchain to chart my progress, as a sort of personal journal entry.

This post is as much for myself-- to mark a moment in time-- as it is for anyone else.

I write this on August 2nd, the 6-month anniversary of my first post.

I didn't think this would work

I'm skeptical. Skeptical and jaded. I arrived here, skeptical and jaded.

Having been part of 50+ user-generated content sites across almost 20 years... and having watched every single one fail... I came here with a bad attitude.

No, seriously. A bad attitude.

Here's a line from my original "introduceyourself" post: 

"I find myself slightly hesitant to even write and post these words, as history shows that I represent what many have come to think of as a "trailing indicator." That is, if I'm onboard with something and think it has potential... that's the inevitable signal that the venture in question is old news and about to fold up its tents and vanish."

So far, I have (thankfully) been proven wrong.

Has my skepticism left the building? Not exactly... but I'd say I've moved from the ranks of "skeptic" to "realist."

By The Numbers:

In six months, I have managed to publish 275 original blog posts. I feel sort of self-congratulatory about that... this is the first time since the "Xanga days" (2002-05) I've actually managed to "stick to" a general blog. Woo-hoo, go me!

5846 total posts. I guess persistence and consistency pays off... somehow, I've managed to squeeze into the top-100 most active posters, according to SteemWhales.com. That wasn't really intentional, but certainly testament to the fact that Steemit has a strong sense of community that invites engagement. Farcebook bores me far to much to invite that much engagement. People here actually interact. What a concept!

6426 Steem Power-- that's another pleasant surprise for me. There has been so many content sites over the years that promise "rewards" and you bust your butt for two years as a thank you for which you end up with $2.12. 

Tsu comes to mind, as do a few others. What makes me happy about this is that I was able to do that (I hope!) largely on merit... not because I'm some semi-celebrity with with two million followers on YouTube. Of course, I was also consistently powering up while Steem dropped to 10 cents and many were ready to just quit and go home. Maybe it sounds like "quite a lot," but I'm actually only ranked #1083 in this category. 

1369 followers. To put some perspective around that, it has taken me almost ten years to get 1546 followers on twitter. So that's pretty impressive... in some sense. Rank: no. 520. Thanks to everyone who has found my rantings and ravings worthwhile enough to warrant a follow. I hope I can continue to earn that trust.

Reputation: 67.9... which is probably pretty good, all in all. Top 300-ish... will keep working on that, although it remains somewhat unclear to me exactly how it grows. It seems to be logarithmic-- the higher it gets, the slower it grows.

Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies and this thing called Steem

When I got here, I knew about Bitcoin. I also knew that Ethereum was a Bitcoin alternative, because my friend Ben worked on it. Otherwise? Cryptocurrencies... what's that? I've learned quite a lot since then.

It's odd, and interesting, and a little weird to get rewarded in something that fluctuates in value... but I am pretty content with this system-- it's a bit like being paid in stock options. Or stock. And I'm good with that.

Just to record this, Steem is trading at $1.27 on Bittrex, as I write this. In the past six months, the price has fluctuated between about 9 cents and $2.00+ 

The Good Bits

Definitely the level of engagement and intelligence I see here... especially among those who have been using Steemit for a while. Some of the "challenges" are great too, as community building tools.

The friendships-- to the degree you can call them that-- are great, too... probably the most connection since Xanga. So that's super cool.

The fact that the site is not uber-cluttered with ads is a definite plus, too... which leads to another "definite plus" which is that Google looks very favorably on web sites without ads... meaning that my context ranks well. Which is more than can be said for other venues.

I really love the idea that this is potentially a "gift economy" where everyone can benefit from a pay-it-forward type od system. That really IS a game-changer!

The So-So Bits

Whereas I'd love to think Steemit is a meritocracy, there are some limitations on that.

Like almost all sites "of its ilk" there's a definite "elite" on Steemit... but I don't gripe too much about it. People who own 50 million shares in a company generally have more say at shareholder meetings than those who own 50 shares. 

Unfortunately, it results in occasional skirmishes and localized power struggles. I guess that's normal, as writing sites go... but it doesn't look really good to potential newcomers.

Like the old Tears for Fears song goes: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."

Another so-so bit is the organization of the content. There's no accurate or efficient way to look at (for example) just travel articles, or just psychology articles. Tags are only minimally useful in that sense... besides, a lot of creators "mistag" to get their work into popular categories.

Ugly bits and concerns

Almost as soon as I started here, I started warning anyone who'd listen about the imminent inflow of huge numbers of spammers and plagiarists who would pick up that there were rewards here... much like a hound picks up the scent of blood.

I'm not surprised... but I was largely stonewalled with "Oh, that won't happen here" or "it won't be a problem."

Well, now we're sitting here, and it IS a problem: Vote-for-vote begging, follow-for-follow begging, self-upvoting, botnets, paid upvote services that mostly serve to fill the pockets of those who already have full pockets.

Some people are starting to pay attention but will it be enough? And in time?

Some like to point to the fact that since Steemit isn't paying with fiat money, there's no "going bankrupt." Absolutely true... but if Steemit becomes known as the world Spam Headquarters, the price of the Steem token will soon enough head south. 1/2-cent Steem, anyone?

But that remains to be seen. However, unless something is done, there will be no more Steemit, as we know it. Been there, done that. 

Goals?

Not really planning to set any goals for the next six months. Just want to keep creating good content... and to support the part of the community that's focused on creating and promoting quality content. It would be cool if I could continue building to 10,000 Steem Power by next February 1st... but not holding my breath on that one.

And that's sort of about IT. Going to commit this little screed to the blockchain for safe keeping... and move forward with the next six months!

Thanks to everyone who has supported and followed me! I appreciate your confidence.

How about YOU? How long have YOU been on Steemit? Has the experience been mostly positive, or more negative for you? Some of each? What do you see as the major problems facing the community? Do you think they are solvable? Where do you think Steemit-- and the price of Steem-- will be, six months, a year, five years from now? Any personal feelings about Steemit you'd like to add? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170802 18:12 PDT