RE: I Am Sorry for My Last Post!
I thought it would have been a great product. Maybe tweak the idea a bit and still charge $50 so that people who only have fiat and zero crypto can quickly get on the platform...
For whom would this be a "great product?"
There's an argument (as weak as it may be) that some people, somewhere, might want to sign up instantly, cannot get in with the normal STINC sign-up process, don't know anyone on Steemit that can create an account for them, and have no cryptocurrency to pay for the minimal fees with the @anonsteem service (or a related service). They desperately want to get on Steemit and start posting right away and any waiting period just wouldn't be short enough.
How does a $50 option just to get on the platform help them...or help the perception of the platform? This perception aspect is where you seem to be oblivious, but we'll come back to that.
Let's assume that there's a potential user out there that fits the description above. They want in, cannot instantly join, don't have crypto, and they simply cannot wait a few hours or a day to be approved for free. Knowing that sign-up is usually free, would they even be willing to spend $50+ to sign up, or would they see this "only other option" as a rip-off/scam? And do you think this would frustrate them more, or less?
The perception that Steem/Steemit is a scam already exists and has existed since its inception. The sign-up process hasn't been good for some time. We all know this - including Jerry. He even stated in his post that his steemfail.com project would likely be temporary, as STINC is allegedly planning another hard fork in the maybe near future. So, we have a guy trying to capitalize on the poor sign-up process by doing what? Charging people ridiculous prices to sign up for a website? And this would be a positive for the existing perception that Steem/Steemit is a scam?
It would be easy to excuse this as simply a "capitalistic" venture, but given his history, you'd have to be quite naive to think that. He attempts to rip people off by offering "services" or "courses" for information from him (that's usually inaccurate/bad) that is readily available for free, in abundance. For example: He offers a "witness tutorial" for $180...which actually was causing issues with people wanting to become witnesses. They couldn't get started and their witness nodes weren't functioning properly because the "tutorial" just wasn't good/accurate. So other witnesses actually had to help fix the issues for these users, as they freely do every day.
Add to these things his constant shilling of Steem/Steemit/STEEM and promoting it as a get-rich-quick scheme for both users and witnesses and the perception that he - and Steem/Steemit as a result - is a joke/scam is simply reinforced.
I know you probably didn't have a complete picture of the competition out there...
This is just false. But even if we assume that he had no idea about "the competition" - why the hell is he pretending to be the spokesperson for everything Steem-related? Again, this just adds to the persona/perception issue.
...you let everyone intimidate you into dropping the idea. That doesn't mean it was a bad idea.
He dropped the idea because he was afraid of losing his precious witness votes and post payouts...because it was a bad idea. And it wasn't a bad idea because it was "capitalistic." It was a bad idea because it reeks of scammy BS that turns people off, for the reasons already stated.
They don't understand that prices are set by the amount market can bare, not your costs.
The prices he wanted to charge are only one aspect of this.
I suggest you ignore those jackasses.
Jerry ignoring users isn't anything new. In fact, that's what gets him into these situations in the first place. Then, he comes with his faux mea culpa and pretends that he never tried to screw people over for a few more bucks. It actually takes a real jackass to not notice this routine...and to praise/reward him for it.
"as a rip-off/scam?"
I don't think it's a good idea to conflate these two. A scam and an awful price are quite different, as most stores would be "scammers" on at least a few products otherwise.
Having said that, this is an excellent comment with good points. The perception of Steem as a scam is a natural starting point for many and a big PR issue.
I think inertia is responding to you as if Jerry was just "some user" and he was being "commie witch hunted". He would have a good case there.
Problem is, Jerry is an aspiring top witness. I assume it is beneficial for the community to enforce higher standards on the behavior of those in this important position. Some might argue the "reach" Jerry has, whatever that is, merits bending some rules for him. I'm not making that argument, but without having his metrics, it's at least plausible.
Of course, as you point out, any perception of Steemit being a scam is another negative that could come with this "reach". Objectively valuing and comparing these seems impossible.
I see these comments as the community working out the lines on this in real-time.
Michael Jordan got to wear any shoes he wanted and just paid a fine every night. Maybe Jerry should learn to dunk from the FT line.
Another relevant product that didn't pan out:
Once, I bought a mac a month before they replaced the line. Turns out, the mac I bought was (basically*) moved down one spot and a new configuration took its place. I called Apple and complained. They offered me a $100 credit to stop complaining and free up the phone line.
From then on, I would pay closer attention to the revision schedule.
But at no point did I consider Apple a scam. And at no point did I think they even did anything immoral. I just wanted them to know how unhappy I was about the situation. Heck, I didn't even feel ripped off.
*I was testing their pricing policy to see how far they'd let me take it. I remember they had some kind of price guarantee. But they didn't technically violate their guarantee because the model I had and the new middle model were technically different (though functionally similar).
Ah, yes, I have had to time a mac purchase before. Pain in the butt.
That bastard!
I figured you'd have nothing of value to contribute.
Still.
Well you're basically just repeating your emotional anti-capitalistic stance. I'm familiar with it.
I'm quite familiar with you're inability to comprehend. What about my comment was "anti-capitalistic?" Are you capable of explanation? Or is meme-ing about the extent of your intellect?