The recent post of @theycallmedan, "Why Am I Still Here? Initiative", inspired me to write down my own STEEM story.

Additon to my original text: I started to write this article before I read about "HF22.5". I just decided to publish it anyway, because I still think that both sides in conflict, @justinsunsteemit and the long-term STEEM witnesses can (and have to) find a solution. Whatever happens, there simply must be a bright future for the best of all blockchains! Lets work together to reach that aim!

My STEEM story.

I count myself as one of the early STEEM adopters, as my account was already created in September 2016, a few weeks after I got aware of STEEM by this exact article published on BitcoinBlog.de.

Another few months passed, until I wrote my introduction post at the end of December 2016. Very soon I also convinced my wife, @kobold-djawa, to join, as well. Since then euphoric moments alternated with deep depressions. Let me call in mind just a few:

• I started as author, without investing a single cent.
  My topics were (and still are) my trips to many different countries, nature photography (especially insects), chess, science (unfortunately, since quite a while I didn't find enough time anymore for writing well-researched science articles - and thus supporting the esteemed SteemSTEM community), mathematical sports betting, politics, philosophy and many more.

  I still remember the fantastic feeling during my early STEEM days after receiving one of the rare but very precious upvotes from @blocktrades or @ned.

• At the beginning of 2017 the STEEM price decreased more and more, finally down to 7 cent, but already during these early days I felt the potential of STEEM and the power of its community, and thus decided to convert one BTC into STEEM - my first investment into our blockchain! (Please forgive me that these days I still didn't clearly differentiate between STEEM and Steemit, haha.)

• While I stayed, @dan and @ned left (by the way, this previous link highlights another change happened to the STEEM blockchain: the introduction of an increasing number of DApps, like for example the fantastic Splinterlands game).
  I am aware that both founders have been criticized a lot, but nevertheless, I would like to say "Thank you!": without them all this I am writing about here wouldn't exist at all ...

• At the beginning of 2018, one would have had to spend more than 7 US dollars to buy one single STEEM. That implies the value of my STEEM reached more than half a million dollar (apart from that I owned several other crypto currencies, including BTC). Soon after that, I decided to take a one year lasting hiatus from my work ... but we all know how harsh and long-lasting the following price decline was ...

I am here to stay!

Times may be hard, but it's never boring to stick with STEEM. I witnessed the implementation of a new, very engaged Steemit leadership, the introduction of communities, and, just recently, the acquisition of the company by @justinsunsteemit. I don't know what future will bring (as always when change is happening, there are opportunities as well as risks), but I still hope for the best, and, as always, I am here to stay. :)

If you are following my blog, you already know, how often I am actually criticizing things or making suggestions for improvements (like here, here, here or here). Doesn't that mean I didn't like STEEM or were a 'naysayer'? Not at all! Actually, making suggestions means that I care a lot about STEEM.
But then, what are the reasons for my loyality or maybe better to say: stubbornness?

Well, two main aspects come into play here, one of them based on rational reasoning, while the other one is more emotion based:

Rational reasons to stick with STEEM:

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• Independently of the price fluctuation, I believe in the advanced technology of the STEEM blockchain with its fast and fee free transactions. Furthermore funds are sent to simple user names instead of complicated crypto addresses.

  The development team of Steemit, Inc. introduced Resource Credits, implemented masterpieces of software like for example Hivemind & Communities or MIRA, and currently is testing SMTs.

• The unique feature of STEEM within the crypto sphere is its thriving community which allows to combine the gigantic potential of social media with the advantages only blockchain has to offer.

  Opposite to networks like facebook, STEEM users get rewarded with a crypto currency for their hard work of creating content or DApps.
  Their words are carved into the blockchain where no company, no government can ever delete them.

  Apart from earning money, I use STEEM as a permanent, censorship resistant storage of my own thoughts and ideas.

  There is no limit for ideas how to use STEEM in future, for example as a way to support people in need worldwide, a way for free journalists, musicians or book writers to earn money ...

  Writing all this, and considering current developments, I hope that also the idea of decentralization of the STEEM blockchain will be kept alive ... One essential step towards that diretion would be to reduce the number of witness votes per single account to five to (at maximum) ten!

Emotional reasons to stick with STEEM:

I already mentioned the community as kind of a general asset the STEEM blockchain has to offer. However, there is also a more personal component. Since I joined STEEM, I met lots of unique, intelligent, creative, lovable individuals which are living in many different parts of the world. More than only a few of them I met already in real life, which resulted in many interesting conversations and deep friendships. Especially amazing is the high number of freedom-loving people who prefer a self-determined life, in which they decide where and how to live, as well as what, when (and if) to work.
The possibility to earn STEEM is at the same time the source of personal freedom.

I saved the best for last: while I missed the first two SteemFests, I had the privilege to join SteemFest 3 in Krakow and SteemFest 4 in Bangkok.

Taking part in these two events was a unique, unforgettable experience, which made it clear that nowhere else in crypto space I could ever find something similar. I am convinced that this strong community guarantees survival and future growth of STEEM.

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And apart from that, there will always be new Steemians keeping the community alive ... :) (Picture taken at SteemFest 4.)

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