Hey, I'm new to steemit. Nice succinct post that helps me get an understanding of how it all works. Upvote for teatree! I plan to have a careful read of the whitepaper. Any other recommended posts and documents would be appreciated. I was also shown various other sites that use and repackage the steemit content and data. Still trying to get my head around it all.

In response to beowulf's comment about the potential for steemit being usurped due to the game turning people off - for my part it was friend explaining some of the nuance of how steemit reinforces desirable behaviour that got me to signup. I feel it will be (or at least should be) the platform which is most functional that will win out. The question is what's "most functional". For me this is the platform that most effectively supports good debate and sharing of knowledge. Based on my limited knowledge thus far I'm very impressed with the mechanics of steemit. I guess it will be an arms race between platforms with those non-complacent platforms that are responsive to their own limitations who will win out???

I'm getting ahead of myself here but I really like that "correct" behaviour is being reinforces. I think this is something we struggle with increasingly in society, e.g. it is often the pushy argumentative customer who complains loudly that get their concerns addressed, thus this type of behaviour is reinforced. I think it would be tots amaze balls if the mechanics of how best to encourage desirable behaviour could be developed in a microcosm such as steemit, and subsequently integrated into society more broadly. I want to see a better world where you don't get rewarded for being an asshole. Am I being naïve to think steemit could play a role in this?... or perhaps naïve in my general outlook, but that's a whole other debate.