@happyme - Yes, I'm always happy to help. "Gradual mind shift" is just my thing. But I'll have to pace myself and take it slowly for two reasons: 1) I am fighting a war on two fronts in my non-Steemit life and only God's grace has kept me thus far; and 2) I don't yet fully grasp this platform. My brain works by degrees. I did not understand every word that Dan and Ned said in the interview, but I understood a general concept. And I could also see the pitfalls I mentioned in our conversation, pitfalls that Dan and Ned either could not see or would not acknowledge. Now here is another linked interview by the same whale, @dollarvigilante , in which he himself admits that the $12,000 post was simply a paragraph in "Introduce Yourself." He stated his user name and current media platforms, and invited followers. Both he and his guest admit that his "value" to the platform induced the founders and original investors to reward him heavily because a few thousand dollars out of earnings and profits in the millions would not be missed. After the whales were rewarded, that door closed, share price dropped by 75% , and the floodgates opened to admit the minnow pond. The guest also explains that when only a small percentage of Steem is traded, its value is artificially inflated to enrich the coffers of early purchasers. If those buyers sell at the inflated price, they earn huge sums, but Steem value is reduced by the sale. So, according to the critic, the founders created a trading currency out of thin air, then persuaded others to purchase the invented currency with fiat currency or Bitcoin. The actual value of Steem does not exist until it is purchased with an existing currency that gives it value. When you watch the video, you'll be able to tell me if I understood that correctly. So here it is:
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I believe you understood the video debate perfectly. Thanks for finding and sharing that video. Obviously you are a careful person and are doing your homework. I have exactly the same concerns. The early adopters will come out way ahead no matter what happens as long as they power down a small portion early. They take out real value and speculate with the remainder, but always stay way ahead of the minions because of the way the system is set up. The longer the platform 'works' the more they stand to gain, so it is still in their best interest to keep it going. However, at some point they may get bored and have so much that it really makes no difference to them any more since that early money has already been invested into other businesses. As the argument went... nobody knows how it will go. It is a social experiment and can go either way.
Many people take the view of Jeff who are in it for the excitement and for fun. If it succeeds, great. If it doesn't, there was no real loss. They don't care what anyone else makes.
Others are active traders who trade constantly and have invested their own funds, but because of the volatility of cryptocurrencies in general, they can buy and sell even several times per day and earn a bit on each trade. Once they break even, they can take a loss without actually losing anything of their own. From that point on, anything they gain is pure profit.
Then there are the unqualified investors who are caught up by the hype and the frustration of low earnings so they buy in to increase their VP and hope to earn ever greater rewards. These are the REAL backbone of the platform and the buyers of what the early adopters are selling. These are the people who literally buy the risk that was mentioned in the video. THEY are the ones who the average user SHOULD be supporting and idolizing.
Come join my contests and games and support the new witness that is supporting me. You will earn a few pennies while having fun and at the same time be part of a movement to slowly transform the direction of the platform. There is power in numbers! We need to build those numbers.
@happyme - (Trying this again, first reply disappeared somewhere in the ecosystem.) Here's what I love about you. You always "get it," you understand the issues, and you don't miss a trick. I've just recommended you in a two-month-old conversation between @valued-customer and @igster,
"RE: STEEM is starting to seem about as scalable as the Earth. (not good)." When you have time, read their comments and replies. Excellent discussion.
I almost entered your pick-a-number contest (111-666), but as a Biblical Christian activist, those numbers sent a shiver very similar to the discovery that one of my followers is "Beelzebub" (which "caused a disruption in my serotonin reuptake inhibitors"). Then I discovered that "Beelzebub" is the alter-avatar of my adopted mentor, @carlgnash , who is one of the most generous and helpful Steemians in the community. Just goes to show ya!
Thanks for the mention! It really means a lot to me when someone as intelligent as you would recommend me. You obviously do your homework and get to the nitty gritty of topics, so when you make a comment it is not just some flaky thing off the top of your head.
Igster responded to your assumption of voting power so I don't need to repeat it. The different keys are just a security measure and don't have anything to do with power. You should always log in with the lowest-access key for your needs: in other words ONLY use your posting key for daily use. Enter your active key ONLY when you want to vote for a witness or move some money (un-check the "keep me logged in" check-box when using that key). Use your master key ONLY for account recovery.
666 is the mark of the Devil, but the others? They should all be fine, shouldn't they?
As for your mentor (I was wondering how you got as much rep. as you have in such a short time); names are just names and people have so many reasons for choosing one. It's difficult to imagine what would entice a person to choose a particular name and unless we ask, we will never really know. Even then we can't be sure they tell the truth or if they even understand completely why they chose the name.
@happyme - See what I mean? You always zero in on the "meat of the matter." I recommended you because the concerns expressed in our conversations echo the concerns expressed in their conversations. A meeting of minds?
Reputation scores are another mystery for me, and my poor mentor had no choice. I adopted him and he's just too kind to refuse. His score is in the 50's like yours and he considers himself an "inquiring mind" I think.
Like you, when I finally started here, I only commented and replied. My very first comment was a reply to Carl's comment having to do with reasons other than earning power that might attract Steemit users. Carl encouraged me to post and I explained that I'm not quite there yet. I didn't tell him that I don't know how to use Markdown. So I just kept wandering about finding matters of interest, posting opinions and asking questions. And usually those writers were already well established. Occasionally, they would reply. I consider @mattclarke my cryptocurrency mentor who has been nudging me along with explanations about "the market." I have frankly admitted to him that I don't understand a word he says but as the information is absorbed, it is re-digested much later (like a cow chewing cud). Matt recently converted a large block of Bitcoin into Steem and now offers SP for lease. Since you are forming "an influence community" to address our concerns, I think that you and Matt should talk.
But I still don't know how the reputation scores are calculated. Once I even saw a quick jump from 31 to 33, skipping 32 altogether. (I felt the same way about skipping first grade. How did this happen?)
But you know, @happyme , there's a tiny little voice whispering in my head saying, "Ignore the score and speak the truth." The little voice is warning me that truth is not popular, nor is the gospel. Flags and downvotes are out there. And the subjects that deeply stir me as a "Biblical Christian activist" are very controversial. So I'm trying to prepare myself to be faithful "in season and out of season." - 2 Timothy 4:2
I'm so glad that we met. Your clarity and energy are inspiring. God bless you.
Thank-you @sarahspeaks144.
Reputation scores are of little value other than to indicate how many up-votes one has received and/or votes with lots of SP. Since the system is based on SP, when a whale up-votes you, they can greatly increase your rep. whereas when a Redfish up-votes you, they do very little to your reputation. In other words, it takes a lot of minnows to show approval of your content, but just one whale can make your reputation jump or skip a level. Power is everything. The idea behind reputation is simply an indicator of your status... are you considered by those in power as worthy of reading or not? Its basically a popularity contest, weighted by the SP of those who vote for you.
Congratulations if you are absorbing the cryptocurrency knowledge. I'm a Luddite in that department. I'm not a trader nor an experienced investor of securities. I understand things like bank accounts and real-estate, but that's my limit.
Speaking the "truth" is a complex thing to do, because everyone's truth is slightly different. We see things from differing perspectives and that CAN cause heated discussions. If one is here simply to earn Steem, then it is imperative to speak only of safe topics and stay positive and friendly to all. Make no enemies.
I find it difficult to hide behind a mask and pretend I'm someone that I'm not. I enjoy a good laugh like anyone else, but I can become frustrated and when I do, I say so. If I see injustice, I find it hard not to get involved. However, I'm also not closed-minded, so enjoy a good debate about topics that I can lean and/or teach about. Sharing ideas openly and respectfully is the only way to broaden our understanding of things.
I hope it doesn't destroy our mutual respect for each other if I tell you that I am not a Christian. I am a seeker of the truth and although I have on-going discussions with people of various religions, I have not been convinced by any of them that everything they believe is the actual truth. Of course there is a certain amount of truth in most religions, but they can't all be right at the same time if they contradict one another. I'm not against any religion as long as that religion causes no harm to others. There is obvious benefit for having religion and I acknowledge that. It is in the interpretations where I sometimes have a difficult time finding agreement.
@happyme - We’ve been writing back and forth so often that I didn’t realize I had not responded to this comment. I thought we had moved to the chat room, but when I left a DM there, you had already visited and gone. Such are the challenges of finding an immediate interface. I wrote a very long reply that disappeared into a place called, “loading,” from which it never returned. So here we go.
Your most important paragraph begins with the sentence, “I hope it doesn’t destroy our mutual respect for each other if I tell you that I am not a Christian.”
Of course not. That could never happen. Respect is not based on religious beliefs. Respect is earned by conduct and character. When compared with the standard we claim to emulate, Jesus Christ Himself, most “Christians” are not. I’ve just been stalked all over YouTube by a name-changing avatar and troll who pretends to have been “researching” Biblical text for more than 40 years. But the behavior was so psychopathic and abusive that I finally warned him that cyberstalking is against the law and if he were reported and located, he would be arrested.
The simplicity of faith in Jesus Christ is not initially theological but experiential. “We love Him because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19
God created each soul with an intrinsic desire to seek Him, an intrinsic ability to recognize Him, and an intrinsic capacity to know Him intimately. As Creator, He is the only Being in the universe Who has that power, and by that power He cannot be confused with or mistaken for any created being. He is unique, inimitable, approachable, and His greatest longing is that we, His creation, respond to His love. When we simply ask, “God, who are you?” He answers, “And ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29-13
This is a promise from God Himself which can never be broken. So the journey begins there.
You write, "It is in the interpretations where I sometimes have a difficult time finding agreement."
Yes, it is quite impossible for lies and truth to agree, and that sentence has caused religious wars since Cain killed Abel. But God doesn't begin with theological debates. He begins with an invitation to form an exclusive relationship with Himself, a relationship that will never end and cannot be intruded upon. In that unique and deeply personal union, He reveals Himself. His name is Jesus.
Thank-you!
I suspected you were more logical about such issues, but there are some who claim to be highly "Christian" yet fail to live by the "word". They immediately feel superior and look upon others as less than human if you don't belong to their 'society'.