Steemit Inc. CEO Ned Scott, aka Captain Ned, just published a post explaining the difficult decision of having to lay off nearly 70% of the team.
He explained the reasons in the post and in a video. But in a nutshell, due to the harsh bear market (low Steem price) and the extremely high costs of infrastructure, they are providing for Steem, they are forced to trim the team in order to be able to stay afloat.
Which means, Steemit Inc.'s goal will be focusing primarily on development, reducing the costs of the infrastructure running Steemit.com and their public APIs, and ensuring that we (the community) can remain informed of developments.
We are a decentralised community
While this news is very hard and must have been probably one of the most difficult decisions @ned ever had to make, the fact is, Steem is much more than Steemit Inc.
We are a decentralised community consisting of dozens of dApps, hundreds of Developers & Witnesses, thousands of stakeholders and ten-thousands of bloggers, vloggers & amazing Steemians.
Steemit Inc. are the creators of Steem, but we are the ones bringing it to life. Steem Monsters, Utopian, Dtube, Steemhunt, Tasteem, Smartsteem, Buildteam - Steem is thriving!
And now is the time we make sure it stays like that.
Now is the time to take responsibility
Have you had hopes that Steemit Inc. would make sure Steem were to moon? Well, that dream has popped. I'm sure that they will do everything possible to keep Steem alive and improve it, but the lay off was an adapt or die decision.
Before you might try to put the blame on Steemit Inc.'s expenses management, let me stop you there. Debating this won't change anything and they probably know best what they did wrong. At worst, it's energy put in the completely wrong direction.
Instead, now is the time that we, the decentralised community, take true responsibility.
Developer, Entrepreneur, Witnesses, Stakeholders, Steemians - We need everyone!
We have one thing in common: we are all invested in Steem - some more than others. But we all want a Steem that is healthy and growing, right?
Luckily everyone on Steem has a unique skill set. Some can write, some can program and some can bring people together.
While I can't say what each one of you has or should do per-se, there is one thing I can say: focusing on what is valuable for Steem will make a big difference.
I personally will shift my completely focus as a Witness, Stakeholder, Steempreneur, Developer & Steemian effective immediately towards bringing value to Steem.
Regardless of the price, as long as the Steem ship is above water, you'll find @therealwolf on it.
I've already paid for my witness servers in advance, to make sure the blockchain is running.
This is not the end. We are strong enough. We are Steemians!
This might be too daring of me to say, but I know for a fact, there are plenty of people on Steem who share my passion for this blockchain.
It's exactly because of this, that even though these times are rough, I don't fear that the end will ever come to pass for Steem.
My commitment as a Steemian, as Entrepreneur and as a Witness is reinforced by this call to action. And if the community welcomes my ideas and supports my efforts, I have not one single excuse to slow down at all!
We are Steem!
Wolf
Do you believe that my work is valuable for Steem? Then please vote for me as witness.
This post has got extremely valuable comments. Most agree with your suggestions. I suggest you put together a team and start working on suggested solutions. I am for it and commit myself for any initiative that we will take.
Thank you @prameshtyagi, I'm working on a few things right now. Once they are structured I'll make an update, but I'll keep your proposal in mind.
I very much appreciate it.
Fakewolf you piece of whore
Thnx @therealwolf
Bumps in the road, that's all. The community here is stronger than ever in my opinion. The price will not stay down forever.
Thanks for all you do. Your work for Steem is noticeable and I finally voted for your Witness. We need more people who are visible and active all day every day, to develop the platform further and to keep the energy up.
I'm always searching for the best way to be involved since I've always been struggling with my 'Jack of all Trades' skillset, but those who need a pair of extra hands in their team can always contact me - I'm here to stay and work on advancing this place in any way I can.
It's pretty bitter we'll probably see the timeline for SMTs delay even though we need this boost now and people might be willing to invest heavily in projects now prices are so low. But a delay is always better than a naive continuation of something that's not sustainable.
Anyway, as always, Steem ON!
Thank you very much for the vote, it is highly appreciated!
And you are right. Negativity in this situation is not an option. That's why I'm determined to keep the energy and spirits up!
I know this feeling, as I'm very much alike, doing many things - hopefully good :) I will keep this in mind and get back to you if something fitting comes to my mind.
There can always be an upswing, but even though it might be bitter, this is the reality we're living in and we need to adapt and do the best with this situation.
Thank you for commenting and sharing your positivity with us.
You are not the only one @soyrosa! 😁 But yes, it's time to roll up my sleeves and become more active here.
Steem's power comes from its organic energy, not some corporation building it
Really good article I agree let go for it!
I would like to know more about what an "average" member can do to help keep things moving in the right direction. Those of us without technical skills per say.
Honestly all Steemians play a role in keeping this place looking lively... if you help others surf these difficult waters, show them the basics, and the not so basics. If you invite friends, content creators and people who are looking for something different, people who can become core members of this community, you are doing more than your part to help the future of Steem.
:)
thanks @meno . I think a start is that I'm now following you. I hadn't seen your profile before so happy for the discovery . Already heading in the right direction lol
It is true. We need everyone in these Steem to share all the goodness and joy of having steemians.
It very simple, actually. Most developers are not good at communicating the value of their own products and desperately need “average” members to deliver the message to the outside world. You are the best marketing resource Steem community has. In fact, your personal effort in introducing new users to Steem is what we need the most. Also, help developers fix user interfaces so that non-technical people can enjoy dapps too.
Thanks @grampo . I'm now following you. The thing I enjoy most is plucking people out of the real world and getting them on steemit. It's fun but its a process. They want instant success . But I love doing it.
First of, staying active on Steem and sharing your feedback & opinions about things valuable for Steem. But I'm sure @meno has more ideas about the "average" Steemian as community guru.
thanks @therealwolf . You've been someone I've relied on for advice and action since day 1. I appreciate your input.
A video I made this morning addressing this! We are on the same page @therealwolf I believe Steemit Inc and this community will find a way to ride out the storm!
https://steemit.com/steemit/@joeparys/we-re-freezing-how-can-we-make-steemit-and-steem-better
https://steemit.com/steemit/@joeparys/we-re-freezing-how-can-we-make-steemit-and-steem-better
Go suck your dick jerrydumbfield no.2
He isn’t a true Jerry, hasn’t done a fangirling post about me!
Thank you for writing this @therealwolf, and thank you for your work and investment into this platform. It feels good to see that you're motivated to keep moving forward in a time where motivation can be hard to find.
I tip my hat to everyone who's continuing to build great things for Steem and its communities. Truly inspiring!
Thank you - comments like these make me smile and are showing me, that what I'm doing has the right message! :)
Keep on working on Vimm.tv! If you need any help (dev, steem or business related) feel free to message me.
No problem my good man
"I personally will shift my completely focus as a Witness, Stakeholder, Steempreneur, Developer & Steemian effective immediately towards bringing value to Steem."
And how are you planning to do this? Or to rephrase, what will change?
If it means just more features to smartsteem and more "Steem is fine, we just have to believe together" posts, I'm not sure the direction is correct. These might make the insiders more happy, but to outsiders it looks just more of a cult than it already is. Also, some could argue that bid bots have made this place the ghost town it is, I've noticed the change in my behavior since I started to sell votes. Probably about 80% drop in manual voting is the result, I wonder if the effect is common.
Sorry for being a bad cheerleader, I only have little stake here. For the first time ever, I'm afraid Steem will be a total failure though. Seeing Ned's incompetence as a leader and now 70% layoffs despite huge ninja mine. If Steemit inc ceases to exist, which could happen, since Ned's talking about wanting to survive already, I wonder will Steem cease to exist with it? How decentralized are we really? I know there's very little blockchain development happening outside Steemit Inc, but reading how it literally takes millions to run their systems, should we all be powering down before it's too late?
I hope this isn't just seen as fearmongering, but rather serious questions that I'd like to hear answers to and probably thousands of others as well. There's reality and then there's delusions, hopes and dreams. Let's stick to reality, at least for a second. It seems serious discussion isn't happening... at least on these top trending posts. No offense, just wishing for change.
But now, let's continue to sing kumbaya together!
It has contributed, yes. Just another way folks sell out our future for short term gains.
I do believe we will come back from this better than ever, however! The low price has allowed many of my friends to buy #Steem for their first time ever! xoxoxo I believe this deep drop is a real blessing.
What everyone wanted when Steem was at $8. Ooh they just wished it would drop so they could buy some. That's what so many were saying. And now look lol.
The true visionaries of Steem will see this through. The ones who can see the long term. Steem is not going anywhere, even if it hit 1 cent. We are still here. We are the value. Humans are the Value of Steem.
Appreciate the reply. Yes, what we have been lacking is good distribution. The wider we can spread Steem to people that really care, the better our growth will be in the future. The initial distribution was horrible. A social platform where ninja mined stake gets to be the whales and decide what's valuable and what's not? That's like letting Zuckerberg decide where the new Steem would go, imagine that :) We're still suffering from it...
What I'm questioning is can Steem survive without Steemit Inc, that's what I'm hoping to get answers for. What is Steemit Inc spending millions for in a year, and if they go bankrupt, who will run these services? That's what I'm asking, can the blockchain run without them. After that comes the issue of who's going to continue developing it. It would put my mind at ease knowing we could survive these worst case scenarios.
I am sad to hear you say so iggy -- But I have just put some money into STEEM now that it is down so much, it's a nice buy in.
I think crypto as a whole is just crippiling along... so until crypto has some new life breathed into it, there is little hope for Steem. Cause and effect here. That being said I think if it does go down the way you say. Well we need the shake up! We have people who have always believed in the platform... if it is a cult like tribe as you say. So much the better for the people will have to figure out a way to get back that which they knew was always theirs to begin with. Personally steemit will always be my form of expression. I just might put it down sometimes. It is time to change the platform. It is time for someone else to heed the call and take up the mantle.
Steem needs a take over by the people. The stakeholders - you and me IGGY
I challenge you iggy
What can we do together to change this place?
We don't need these people. We find the right people! Talent has seeped through these digital walls. You know that as well as anyone. What can we two do? What can we start. What was your dream for Steemit? What rallying call must be rung so this place can stay for the people?
Well my biggest worry is that Steem the blockchain itself is in danger due to it relying too much on Steemit Inc. If that's solved, I think Steem will survive, one way or another. I do have big hopes for SMT's since they will enable people that care and share ideals and moral rules to organize and build their own ecosystems. One of the biggest problem has always been the distribution of Steem. Those who hold stake in systems like these play huge part in how successful it is, so SMT's that manage to give largest stakes to entities that think long term and can view ideas from far away perspective will prosper.
Now that you mention that, I do have one project that you might be interested in. We should chat on discord about it some time. It's too late
for me to touch upon your comment fully, but I'll just say that I saw Steem as a platform where people would reward good content they personally like. If millions would do this, the trending would be really interesting place to visit, attraction that non stakeholders would also want to visit, every day, but sadly this isn't happening. Perhaps some day though, with the help of SMT's!
The #Steem blockchain can absolutely run without steemit.
Have you ever used any of the other interfaces? Try out steempeak.com, it's awesome! Lots of folks use busy.org, people with phones use partiko app. There are many many ways to access the blockchain!
We are all stakeholders in the Steem blockchain. Not steemit.
Lyndsay, there's a lot more going on beneath the surface... These are just interfaces that show what's on the blockchain, I've developed few myself actually so yes, I know. Thanks for the reply though.
Ok, cool. So what are some solutions you have thought of?
We just need to make sure the system can operate smoothly even if Steemit Inc ceases to exist one day ( they do a lot more than just upkeep Steemit.com ), I'm not going to jump into details with my limited knowledge however.
One thing is bad distribution of STEEM / SP, another is bad distribution of rewards. Of course these go hands in hands, but maybe we could do at least about the latter.
Posted using Steeve
Yes, the latter we can do something about, but that would require offering stakeholders an option to just receive their rewards without actually selling their votes or using it to vote content without curating ( vote circles, self voting through alt accounts and such ), that will just mess up the content discovery and diminish any true curation efforts, eventually forcing everyone to become a rather passive stakeholder if they wish to not feel utterly demoralised and just leave Steem as a whole.
We have a lot of people who would love to find great posts, I'm sure. And I can't be happy with Steem until real curation has an meaningful effect.
How things work now:
Top 20 trending is decided by who pays most to the passive stakeholders, these stakeholders aren't doing anything, yet they get rewards that match about 10 self votes a day + curation. This activity draws a lot of rewards from the reward pool, so the reward pool that is actually in use for manual curation is already diminished. This passive vote selling doesn't care about what gets seen on our trending, that the outsiders see first and judge the whole system by. And yes, it isn't pretty, but what can we expect when it's decided by who pays the most? So since this kind of activity is going on, even I with close to 6k Steem Power won't bother with curating. I don't have an effect, and if I do manually curate, I'm losing out on rewards and on effort needed.
This is a devious cycle that will lead to majority of people just opting to sell their votes, so a trending can be formed that nobody truly likes or is proud of. Quality content doesn't matter, and it will be obvious to anyone who isn't deluded by their stake in the system, hence hoping for better. I'd like to be proud of Steem, but self appointed "community leaders" with their feel good posts, who at the same time sell Steem's dignity to the highest bidder makes it harder every day.
How Steem could work:
Divide the reward pool by rule like it already is, between passive investors and active ones. Doing this we can actually save the curation process from the devastating effects that passive investors currently have on the system and actually make the work of active investors worth more, since they get to decide what gets rewarded and shown to everyone visiting Steem. They'd actually feel appreciated, who knows! Encouraging more curation by people who wish Steem to succeed long term. There are people who would like to do that job, even if it would pay a bit less, but now their work is muddled by passive voting, indifferent to quality of the posts. And it's a sad, sad state. Not sure how long I can take it, I might just take a hiatus and wait for SMT's and hope they can solve this issue.
I share your feelings and agree with your description of the situation. However, what you suggest as a potential solution can be already done right now! At least most of it.. :)
We at Steeve are boosting manual curation. You can read more about how we are doing it in this post published last night.
Our idea is to use AI to process the vast amounts of new content created every day and learn the taste of our users. We can then use the AI for giving personalized recommendations of potentially interesting posts outside of user's regular feed. We will then upvote the most popular posts on our platform. This should improve the reward distribution, as good quality content will have a better reach and curators will be actually rewarded for their manual work, not like now. This should also motivate curators to accumulate more SP and thus improve the ecosystem overall, including the price of STEEM.
Would be curious to hear what you think about it :)
Posted using Steeve, an AI-powered Steem interface
Any steps taken towards quality content being found on here and brought to light is step to right direction. There's multiple ways to do it and AI is interesting approach, but one that tweaked right could provide a lot of value that sets your service apart from the rest.
Actually, I'll be switching over for Steeve for a while to see how it feels in action.
Different Projects that have the primary goal of bringing value to Steem.
No. This post was created to keep the energy and positivity up on Steem. The 70% lay off is huge and should be taken seriously, but Steem is much more than Steemit. Don't you think it's important to act as a positive leader for the community?
Smartsteem will, of course, be maintained and kept on an innovative level. This project gives me the ability to work on projects which don't have a revenue stream and have the single goal of bringing value to Steem
For all of my current projects, check this out: https://therealwolf.me/projects
For future projects, follow me and watch out for posts :)
If it weren't for promotion services, I would have left Steem very early. Who wants to be on a platform where manual curation is flawed and the chance of being seen is based on the luck of having a stakeholder rewarding your post.
I understand and I can sympathize. Fact is, words are worth nothing. So instead of me trying to explain everything, let me work on bringing value to Steem, before it's too late.
I mean this respectfully. That line bothers me. ACTING and DOING are two different things. I'm not singling you out, I know there are more, like you.
If I wanted your support, I'd have to purchase it. I get it. Maybe you look at us and see money instead of people. I don't know what you see.
You can ACT like a leader here, and say the right things, all you want. When will you be able to see the damage your services have done to this community? Specifically, I'm talking about the vote selling and bidbot. You're not the only one, and I know this, but I'm talking to you right now. How have you been able to maintain the ignorance it takes to NOT be able to see the problems voteselling and bidbots have caused? As someone who offers a service that is actively harming the community, for profit, how do you see yourself as a leader? Who are you leading?
This thought also came to my mind. It just seems so paradoxical.
There's no community involved at all when it comes to deciding what posts gets to trend on Steem.
Thank you for voicing this
I mean this respectfully
If you'd open your eyes and stop living in your bubble of Steemit 2016, you'd realize that I'm actually DOING a lot.
I don't want and need to be the leader for everyone. Those who find that my message resonates with them can follow me and those who don't, can do something else.
And you know - you're making a lot of assumptions against me. Just because voteselling & bid-bots don't fit in your world, doesn't give you the right to act as if I'm the profit-driven, unhuman and unemphatic IDGAF devil on Steem.
How about you actually read my posts? Do I write valuable and honest content, or not?!
Read the comments of this post, you're seeing a lot of people who find my post inspiring, who said that it gave them energy and removed their fear & uncertainty. Would they have seen it, without me promoting it? Probably not.
I see the problem of abuse of promotion-services and I'm in favour of implementing a downvote-pool. This would solve the problem of promotion abuse.
Every time I'm seeing one of your comments, it's full of sarcastic, negative energy. And I'm done arguing with someone like that.
If you want to ignore all the other flaws in the system, which gave their fair share on turning away users from Steem, (circle voting, unfair stake distribution, horrible content discovery, low quality of content, spammers) then do that. But don't expect for me to give you any more of my time.
And I mean this respectfully
I was truly hoping you wouldn't take my response and questions personally. I'm sorry that it comes across as sounding negative, that was not my intention and coming to you with respectful intentions was not sarcasm, I truly meant it but knew full well my questions might take you out of your comfort zone. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot.
I've been here since 2016 but I do not live in a bubble for I have been here since 2016 meaning 2017 and now nearly all of 2018 exist as well. I'm fully capable of being able to see problems, regardless of what year it is. If it offends you that I've been here since then, I'm sorry.
One of the biggest problems I've faced since I've been here is the fact that when I come to these places to express myself, I'm consistently struck down and shunned by those who I'm attempting to speak to. It has become frustrating and some of that frustration has been visible in comments I've left around here and there. I am not ashamed of being frustrated, nor am I proud of how these discussions turn out.
I do. I recently started following you. I even took the time to leave a lighthearted comment in the form of a meme for a recent post you did asking for a meme.
I think I now know why you blew me off. The meme was a joke. I typically write humorous comments and have a lot of fun here. We don't get to see that so much on the trending page here, when I speak to anyone. I'm actually a humorist, most days, and an artist as well. Most visit my blog to have fun and smile. It's unfortunate that I can't seem to be that guy here, in this space.
I realize now, speaking to you was a bad idea, and I will stop.
Have a good day.
I respect and appreciate your comment. I guess we started on the wrong foot. I only want the best for Steem, if I could fix all of Steem's problem right now, making it as good as possible for User to be active here, then I would.
But there are multiple depths levels to it, including blockchain relevant coding changes requiring hardforks, which is difficult.
And I actually saw your meme, maybe that's why I took it personal as I thought we were over this topic. The last thing I want on a positive post, is someone questioning my ethics. Especially since I'm all in on Steem.
So, with that said: I apoligize for understanding your comment the wrong way and hope we can start over fresh.
So would I.
So am I.
Good idea.
If everyone, whatever role they play, from all walks of life, here, could meet on the same level, instead of working against each other, or thinking their way is somehow the only way or the better way, we'd be on to something. That's where I've always stood, even though it might not look like it on the surface.
There are things I'd like to say, but until the whole positive/negative everything is black or white; good or bad; up or down; here or there mentality is thrown out the window and replaced with something more realistic, those things cannot be said.
I'll see you around.
Silencing dissent is your answer to criticism?
Again, I appreciate you taking time to answer my lengthy post. Earns my respect for sure even if we might think differently on certain topics involving Steem.
You kind of answered your own question with "Fact is, words are worth nothing." - When I go to trending I'd rather just see some interesting content that community has upvoted through organic curation rather than "positive posts to read when the price is down". Well, I'd settle for just interesting content since bid bots dominate trending :) Imagine if Reddit was a publicly traded company and when the price of its stock plummets for a while, their trending would be filled with "feel good" posts suddenly. I know it would drive many users away and fast. I'd like this place to also serve people who don't actually have stake in here already. That's why I don't like bid bots, the normal end user gets the short end of the stick with them.
Yes, the manual curation was flawed since many stakeholders chose self voting or voting circles instead of actual real curation. These people also happened to be ones with biggest stakes so it set a bad example for everyone. We need to offer a solution where passive investors can have their rewards without messing up the content discovery process, where real people vote on content that a) They actually like b) They think others will enjoy
I think the idea of dividing Steem Power to two camps, passive and active is one of the best ideas I've heard so far that could solve this huge problem.
Has bid bots improved curation? Who wants to be on platform where trending shows posts that just have paid the most? Isn't that just plain advertising? We could call it promotion yes, but there's no difference other than the term used or is there?
That's not the only negative effect bid bots have. I'm sure you've heard them all but most probably haven't seen all the cons. Top promoted posts set certain expectations for people, and when their own posts don't meet them, it makes many feel very negative vibes, the opposite you're trying to bolster with your post here and they'll just leave when they see the system inherently as unfair and broken. At this state buying votes is almost required to have any change of hitting top 20 trending, so we're requiring new users to pay to comment and post and then pay hundreds to have their post seen on trending. How attractive is that on its own? Yes, rewards are paid back but it's still an obstacle.
I'm not even going to bother listing more cons since this reply would turn into a book rather than a comment.
I hope your new projects as big success as Smartsteem, keep up the good work. I hope you consider this input when it comes to deciding on what to improve next :)
It's true - I used to do quality content for this platform until I realized it was completely rigged - So I resorted to shit posting because it really doesn't matter for a little guy either way. The system literally makes you have to find other reasons to stay other than a chance at trending,or reward. Otherwise you feel like shit for putting in the work and not seeing anything come from it.
Painful truth that no one wants to say out loud, because it doesn't get upvotes. But here, have one from me. We need more real talk here
I think there might be more of us who are on the same page, here.. I wrote an in-depth post about our current situation: The Sustainability of Steem - Is Freemium Broken?
Posted using Steeve
Steem will be sustainable when Bitcoin leaves this bear market
you are hooman :O Always wondered who are you haha Thanks for helping me when I was much smaller than today.
woohoo! This made my day
We are Steem: yes
The accounts who voted your post to trending aren't the people of steem. They are bots. Don't you think "we" would have brought this post to trending? Don't you think the community is strong enough to value good content? Maybe bots are one of the many problems steem seems to have.
How about you have the balls to write with your main-account instead of trying to hide behind an alt.
Especially, with such a disrespectful statement. There are many highly reputable Steemians who upvoted this post manually. And I pushed it to trending, as this message is of utmost importance. I didn't want Steemians to be scared or acting irrational, instead I wanted to bring positivity to Steem. I guess this is not something you like - positivity.
I talk about bots not about the other steemians. So you accuse me to be disrespectful against bots? Yeah. I second that for you. I still believe, especially after I saw that some highly reputable Steemians upvoted my comment, that bots are one of the large problems. And we can't save steem or steemit with positivity or kind words.
HA HA!! YES! I found it ironic too.
When a level 31 account starts to lecture those who have been around... I find it funny.
To me it seems a little that the people who have been here longer, think they are better than others. Don't take this offensively, I am just trying to discuss this and I don't hold any bad feelings against you or anyone.
I care deeply for Steem to keep on successing and imo that includes a lot of new people hopping on that train. Which means that we need a lot of new and unexperienced users and we shouldn't be mad if they express their opinions or try to discuss with the "bigger guys." This is how they learn more about Steemit. We shouldn't jump on them madly, but just open their eyes towards what's really happening or explaining our thoughts further more.
Maybe it's an alt, maybe it's a new account, but we should still be as great as we are and be kind to everyone possible. He really didnt offend anyone that bad to get mad. He just asked some questions to be answered.
Maybe it's just me that I am able to stay neutral on those cases and not get irritated, but you big guys shouldn't get mad at everyone who thinks differently or wants some answers. If you want positivity, you need to give positivity. ;)
Be kind!
Level 31 has not even done 2 posts. :) I think that's a little too early to feel you have formed an opinon.
But I do get your perception and think you make some good points. I am not at all offended by being challenged in a very reasonable manner, by someone who has obviously has a point to make and not a snide inuendo.
Yeah I get what you're saying, but for example. I joined Steemit in October 2017, but made the first post in January 2017. The three months were just to look around and get the "hang" of the place. I also know quite some people who aren't bloggers or content writers themselves, but those people should also be allowed to share their opinions via comments. Not everyone is great at writing articles. :D
All what I'm saying doesn't have to apply to that particular user which caused this topic atm. I'm just talking looking at the bigger picture.
Of course there is always a slight chance that someone is just trolling with a second account etc, but this shouldn't always be the first assumption. :D Or if it is, ignoring the comment of that account would be better than to jump on it.
Thank you for the kind response, but it is 100% an alt account. https://steemd.com/@edward.heath
Whats the problem with using alt accounts? Can you please answer to my reply here ? :)
to some extent, reputation is a reflection of the use of bid bots
In some cases, I agree.
What bearing does reputation (a metric perverted by vote selling) have to do with how long one has been here?
Most people pass 32 on their introduction post, before they know what a voting bot is. Nice job at getting a dig in about your pet peeve though.
You know me. ;)
But even an more of less estabished Steemian can get downvoted to oblivion by a whale having a bad day to the negs and we've both seen it.
Wouldn't it be better to engage the ideas versus the identity of the one presenting them anyway?
I think it's an alt though, I'm curious to know who's the main 🤔
@wehmoen or @mkt
Still here and will be for a while.. I've been calling to the community to stop waiting for Ned to fix things for a while.
I'm not even sure what it is that he's supposed to "fix". Other than maybe adding ads, I've been a supporter of the idea since 2016. It's a tried and tested revenue model online, after all.
Other than, I dunno. The biggest problem around here ever since the beginning has seemed to be (in my opinion) dumb and short-sighted stakeholders whose actions have dragged down the value of everyone's stake.
And there's nothing that can be done about them. One can only hope for a redistribution - to which this price slump, as well as whales dumping, gives an opportunity.
What I mean to say is. It's a stake-based platform, as we know. No matter the hardforks or code or whatever the fuck, it will always be shaped by the stakeholders, first and foremost.
Not @ned or Steemit, INC.
I tend to agree. The stakeholders have a larger impact than SteemIt, Inc.
I know! You're an honest voice here on Steem, which I very much appreciate!
I'm wondering if it is time for business minded people invested in Steem to create a voluntary group of StakeHolders, to meet and figure out how we can improve engagement, investment and growth of Steem.
Have any interest?
I sure do!
Hi @therealwolf, smartsteem is one of the best add-ons we have had on this platform. I have reserved my votes for whitelisted members. A post like this has my full support, no matter if I manually upvoted or it was performed automatically by smartsteem.
I stand with everyone who is truly passionate about helping this community grow. I know @crypto.piotr would also have agreed with me.
As a tech writer here for almost a year, this platform has given the chance to hone my writing skills as well as educate me about the blockchain and cryptocurrencies. New doors have opened for me, invited as a media partner for the Blockshow Asia 2018 conference, networking with like-minded people and getting to know real people in the blockchain industry.
As a decentralized platform, we have to realize that we cannot solely rely on Ned to be running the show. If he were to run the show like Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook, we will not be seeing the profits of this platform going back to the people who contributed here.
It is definitely the time for all of us here to take responsibility. It is in times of a bear market that we really see who are the strongest that will survive in this emerging tech industry. I will continue to stand firm and be unfazed by the bear markets, write and produce more high quality content on Steemit because I know it is worth it.
Thanks Timo!
- tysler
Hi @tysler
You've nailed it.
Unfortunately, many users seem to depend on Ned and rely on him to much. Perhaps current situation will open our eyes, that we're trying to create decentralized platform where efforts should also be decentralized.
Hopefully going through those hard times will only strengthen this community (at least those who will still remain here).
ps.
Again I would like to thank @therealwolf for this post. What we need is more awareness and working together as a "decentralized team".
Truly yours
Piotr
I believe that an external source of revenue, ie, advertisement should be a option on the table. I am sure it has been mentioned before, but it should be something to reconsidered.
Does this mean you are no longer running bid bots?
I didn't know that I ran multiple bid-bots. But if you're asking if I'm going to stop Smartsteem.com, then the answer is obviously no.
I was just referring to that service as I don't know who runs the others. I just find it a bit odd that you don't see the contradiction in what you are saying here since bid bots are substantially responsible for the loss of interest among the userbase - but I don't expect you to agree.
Exactly, you don't know about them, because most of them are anonymous/inactive. In contrast, I am not - which makes me an easy target for blame.
I agree. But circle-voting, horrible content discovery & low incentives to vote on others peoples content are also responsible. Don't you think?
The thing is, in my eyes, Steem is not a forum or just a social platform. It is the blockchain of opportunity and hopefully dApps. Which means, that I'm seeing some of these things with different eyes.
Do you think it's unfair that @steemmonsters are promoting some of their posts with promotion-services? Or do you think that this brings value to Steem by making more Steemians aware of @steemmonsters.
I fully agree that some people abuse promotion services and usually, in bad cases, we're blacklisting those users from Smartsteem. And in extreme cases, we're even un-voting.
Do you think that promotion services are somehow part of Steem? And would you rather have them in the hands of some anonymous guys, who don't care, or in my hands - who cares (maybe too much) about Steem and is always available via Discord/Slack/Steem.chat.
We are Steemians
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Well said! Now is the time we hunker down, and put our money where our mouths are in terms of supporting blockchain tech. I know blockchain can, will, and already has revolutionized the world, and it's only to become greater from here on out!
One suggestion I might have is maybe have better info on how other users, such as myself, can help directly support the blockchain infrastructure of Steem. The world of Steem Witnesses, despite myself being fairly well-versed in blockchain technology, is another world to me. I'd love to see some info on how other users, such as myself, could pitch in and help prop up things like that!
In such dark times the community should come together and help keep steem afloat, I voted for you as witness months ago and I still stand by my vote.\n\nWe all should try to bring value to Steem if we have any skills that could contribute in adding value to the blockchain.
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The vote is still highly appreciated!
And yes, a decentralised project is exactly that!
another one of those ‘must read articles’ to our things into perspective.
awesome stuff man and i agree 100000%
we are steem for real!
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Thank you for the feedback - glad you find this post a must read!
Lets make steemit easier for everyone. I think once you sign up you forget just how hard it really is to sign up and understand Steemit. I have friends that tried to figure Steemit out..... I tried to encourage them... and they gave up frustrated! We need to fix this!
We've got @anomadsoul and @coruscate working on @steemonboarding, which will make onboarding of users on Steem much easier & effective.
Very good, this is so important, especially now!
We need a transition app as to bridge people from places like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, onto places like Steemit. One app of Steem that could help might be Dtube. People like videos. But Dtube might also be a little hard for beginners as well. So, what do we have for beginners to start with?
Dtube never loads..... even @ned when he did his video used you tube. Most beginners are staying with Facebook, they can blog to there friends for free. Tell them you can only vote 10 times a day, and in the beginning only post 2-3 times a day....... they are gone......
I really try to on board my friends, no takers......
My reputation went from 55 to almost 50 back in September of 2018 when I talked about Dtube. It was around that time. So, I was downvoted or flagged (are those two things the same thing lol?) for telling people that my Dtube videos disappeared and/or will not play. I wonder why Dlive left to Lino.
Wow............ I need to think about that......🙃
IPFS Centralized?
I've been told that Dtube videos are on IPFS, on these other servers, but NOT directly on the decentralized Steem blockchain servers (witnesses). So, in other words, like another system, possibly a centralized server system stores the Dtube videos for a set amount of time but only for people who make enough money on the Dtube videos and only for about 2 years.
More Money Please
I've read that you have to pay more money to keep the videos on Dtube beyond 2 years or something. People need to correct me if I'm wrong but that's what I've heard & I can't see my older Dtube videos which makes me sad. That's why I stopped uploading to Dtube some months ago.
In the beginning of my Steemit I tried to do Dtube. I got frustrated when only days later I tried to view my videos and they would not play 🙃
Good point @silvertop
Indeed I agree, that Steemit is a very difficult place if you're just trying your first steps here
Anyway right now their focus need to be on cutting costs more than anything. We've enough quality content and solid userbase, but cutting costs of this network should be priority. Otherwise steemit inc. may be a main reason why STEEM value would completly die. Which noone here wants.
Yours
Piotr
@therealwolf,
Are you ready to open a centralized exchange where STEEM and SBD are common trading pairs with everything else?
There is no single better way to do it than this. You will make so much money that you can buy out Steemit Inc. Then you can run it like it should be run.
Opening an exchange and dealing with regulations is very tall order.
Opening an exchange that trades fiat/crypto is a very tall order due to regulations. However, opening an exchange that trades only crypto is much less of a burden. This community will have amazing support. I was amazed that people here rallied around Netcoins contest to list STEEM even though Netcoins is not a real exchange. Imagine the support for a real exchange? This exchange will have something that no other exchange has. STEEM and SBD trading pairs with every currency listed on the exchange. The community will support. I guarantee.
This might be hurting to see as a whole and I'm personally alarmed by the news @ned is bringing. But it takes a lot of courage to inform the community regarding the layoff.
The price hurts and the bear market surely killed potential investors. We'll soon get there, I still believe.
It does hurt, but I'd argue that the price is actually good for investors looking to get into Steem. A high price is a barrier, while a lower price attracts those wanting to get in.
Thank you for commenting!
You speak like a politician. Have you ever been in politics @therealwolf?
Thank you! I haven't but Steem feels sometimes very similar. :)
Very awesome, keep the positive vibes going
Yes right we are steem and it time to take responsibility.
How about we support advertisement on steem. Buy steem to show ads and those steem tokens go to null.
Great article @therealwolf!
Thanks for sharing this powerful message of unity!
@vimukthi wrote this article it is basically touching the same topic, maybe a bit more on the practical side, there is also a poll/vote so you can choose which of the different solution you as a user would/could prefer.
@vimukthi suggested that "Keyword based ads" would be the cheapest and fastest way to implement, ads.
I suggested hiring an "emergency elite sales team", no initial salary but very generous commissions for those who managed to close deals with potential advertiser?
This is just a couple of solutions to get a new revenue stream, fast, to solve these temporary financial difficulties...
Stay strong! And sincere condolences to the people who lost their jobs...
/ @friendly-fenix
And now I voted for you as a witness @therealwolf
oh man, you got my vote long time ago, we are steemians and we must stay together! :)
yes. and i feel like too much focus is on ned and steemit inc. this is clearly not the end because steem is meant to be decentralized. they may have created it, but they should've started focusing down on just providing the api and nodes right from the start.
sheeps will sell and leave (and they'll be back when the prices go up). personally i see this as an opportunity for the community to make some changes. or at least start the talks. even in the worst case scenario, a decentralized platform shouldn't even be affected by one company going bankrupt.
I think STEEM has a bright future!!
I love your service @smartsteem yet in the past few times I've purchased upvotes return was around 100% not the 110% you promise on smartsteem, how is this possible? Normally it works perfect :)
When the request for votes for netcoins was made, we showed that together we could be in first place, and now is the time to come together to move forward and grow in this great platform.
Great point with the Netcoins reference. Community will keep STEEM alive and we'll all be stronger for it.
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Good to hear, we are living in a day and age when automation is in fact more efficient than the human form and the human needs to adapt to the changing environment.
나는 10 일 이상 동안 여기에 있었지만 나는이 장소가 훌륭하다고 정말로 말할 수있다. Steemians은 항상 도움이되고 환영합니다. 모두가 상호 작용하고 있습니다. 여기에 가입하면, 내가 속한 것처럼 보입니다. 그리고 나는 cryptocurrency에 대해 거의 알지 못해도 동료들과 연결되어 있다고 느꼈습니다. 이 플랫폼은 그대로 남아있을 것이고 그 힘은 투자자뿐만 아니라 모든 스팀 회원의 의지로도 발생하기 때문에 더 높아질 것입니다.
저는 Steemian이되어서 자랑 스럽습니다. 저는이 지역 사회를 돕기 위해 제 역할을 할 것입니다. 나는 이것을 잃고 싶지 않아. Steem On!
I'm not goin anywhere my man.
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Harsh economics have taken a toll on Steemit Inc and others, such as witnesses, are struggling too. Don't users despair at the low Steem price, but many of us see a thriving community that still has great potential. It's only really suffering bec general confidence in crypto is low. It's up to us to bring in people who can help build the community. We need developers who will build exciting new dapps. There are massive opportunities as Steem can do things that other platforms cannot. It offers freedom, but also freedom to fail. How much do we want it to succeed?
My confidence was boosted at Steemfest. There was very little talk of the steem price there.
Do you know what will happen with the SMT target date?
It will be pushed back even further. There isn't the monetary structure behind $STEEM to add another leg to this blockchain.
Steemit Inc. has failed to grow the user base as the entire cryptocurrency whales were heavily interested last year.
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Postpone the SMT target will not be a good business decision!
I love this place, regardless of whether the company can hit the targets it set for things like SMTs. It's disappointing, since so much seemed to be reliant on that happening in early Spring, but my daily experience of STEEM remains unchanged.
I still create content, pretty much daily. I still love interacting in the comments on my posts and those of others. I still recommend the place to others and try to teach them the ropes so that they are successful on here. This is still a community I really enjoy.
I am aware, however, that there is a new risk to my stake. And that honestly makes me take a pause on additional steem purchases I was going to make to power up. There is too much uncertainty for me to go in further in that particular form at this time. But neither am I powering down. I also don't think the coin is in danger of going to zero, and as long as things keep running, I'll keep posting, upvoting and commenting.
Wir sind gekommen um zu bleiben und wir gehen nicht mehr weg. 💪
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Do you suck ned's cock every single night?
Its sad, but "due to the harsh bear market (low Steem price)" in business one has to expect things like that could happen. We will all support #steemit no matter what, and i am a newbie here and of which has noticed a true value of steemit not just on value but family.
What a powerful article this is @therealwolf. Of course, the ultimate goal of all Steemians is that our "Steem" must never run out of "steam" at any cost. And we appreciate your commitment for the same. This article, in fact, pushes us all to go beyond the boundaries and do whatever we can to lift the "Steemit" back to its original position. Your blog fired up our spirits, thoughts, and goals and fueled our killer instinct to make the impossible, POSSIBLE! Take a bow!! A beautiful hug to you @the realwolf.
Awesome article..realy this post brings value to steem. Already Upvoted ..all the best
you are right although am new to steemit... I have seen the revolutionary change and effect it has had to the world .... I want to encourage as u help steemit grow from strenghth to strength ..... Steem on!!! 🤛
Yes we are steem and even though the news were not appealing we should not fear and complain. We should take action, meet and create value so that we grow
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like everything in life, there are things that have their ups and downs, at this time it is up to Steemit but we can assure that we can leave this as a group, organization and community, as they say it is necessary to keep ressommable and firm, that this is just a trick and all of Steemit are in the task of seeing us grateful for this page and help her that if she falls we help her to get up, that if she goes down we help her up.
Great way to launch the vision going forward as this attitude will be needed to sustain the ecosystem going forward. As a community member and having experienced great moments here, I want to see it not only survive but succeed so I will be looking at how to support as well.
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I have a terrible fear that STEEM could drop to zero value(or close to it) and then no exchanges wanna sell it anymore, and no one wants to pay to be a witness; and then it's over. I doubt that'll happen, but it is a fear of mine. I believe it'll pump again. I still believe in STEEM very much as a long term investment, and I'm buying when I can afford it, and I'm certainly not selling for a loss. I'm here for life or until there's no more blockchain.
There's plenty of opportuion nities here for smart people.... someone can make the new dapp that pops. Only question is that is the grass greener here than anywheres else .... i don't know hardly anything to be able to answer that ,
Thanks for the positive vibe @therealwolf you are truly bringing value to Steem. I just wonder why is Steemit.inc the only ones who are developing the core-code of Steem? Why is a cooperation running the development of a decentralized Network? Why don't we have more freelancers as developers who contribute to the code and Steemit.inc is more or less the coordinator?
I'm not really into the field of coding so would br great if you could explain about it.