Scratching the surface to nothing
While Eli works furiously on SMTs at Steemit Inc...
I was contemplating what it would mean to "start again" from scratch at Steem. What I would imagine is that no matter whether there was a zero-point start, pretty soon the system would look much like it does now, as no matter the opportunity, skill and attitude are still going to come into play, and zeroing STEEM holdings doesn't remove skill.
Now, I am not just talking about the skill to create content, yeah, I and quite a few more can do that, but what people do not realize is that there are plenty of other ways to attract STEEM into the wallet, many of which are not healthy. Remember the Dart botnet that was extracting tens of thousands of STEEM through thousands of mini-accounts leveraging the startup Steem Power?
There are some very skilled people here and quite a few of them are smarter than you and I. While the idea of a utopia through a clean slate might seem attractive, I do not think that it would be as attractive as many envisage, much like the shift away from N2 to a straight line didn't turn out as people had hoped.
But, here we are and I have to think about starting again, even though I do not think that it is what would play out on any major forks, as the fact is that not many people can develop for the blockchain. However, there are a few ex-blockchain developers (@gerbino and @vandeberg) who might be looking to do some freelance work.
Personally, I am quite confident that I would be able to capitalize on a fresh start, but I don't think I have the energy to start from scratch. 3+ years of 6-12 hours of work on Steem takes its toll on a person and the thought of that effort being zeroed away, doesn't make me jump with enthusiasm. Although, I guess that I can repost daily for about 10 years without repetition....
But, I do see the benefits of a start without the Steemit Inc stake in play at all and see what could become of a chain that holds the community that is here now and progresses forward. The reason is that over the last two years, a core userbase has built up and most of those with stake now have earned and bought it, as well as being more community orientated. This would mean that everyone's stake would have more relative value as there would be 70M less in circulation, and it would be up to the user base to choose where that goes - as it is now.
While people might have dreams of earning a lot from a fresh start, I would suggest that from a creative standpoint, in the end 20% of the contributors would get 80% of the rewards anyway. The fact is, most people aren't overly creative. What might change is that some of the users who did earn in the past won't earn under those conditions, but the emerging results will look similar to now, with a few new and a few less old faces.
If you haven't been one of the ones who has stepped up to consistently produce over the last two years, do you think you could in a future where the token price is even lower and the listings are on even fewer exchanges? Take a good, long, hard think about your own past here, as it is a very good indicator of your future.
If you have spent your time complaining about the unfairness of the system, I am sorry to say, you aren't likely going to enjoy a fresh start, as there is nothing that highlights differences more than an even playing field. Perhaps you are the fastest, smartest, most skilled and talented. Perhaps not. While people can have the excuse of the unfair system keeping them down, a fresh start would leave no place to hide from one's own reflection and many will find that it wasn't the system that failed them.
I wouldn't support a fork that wipes my account clean of the work and direct investment, but I might work harder on one that rewards my account for being here through the thick and the thin of Steem. I am tired of starting from scratch in my life, as I have done it several times already, so I will do what I can to keep and build upon what I and many others have worked hard toward. In for a penny, in for a pound.
The past matters; it is where skills and relationships are formed.
It is also where time and potential was wasted.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
I can't imagine there's serious talk about taking us all down to even-stevens.
That'd unfairly benefit alt-harvesters anyway. I reckon I own at least 12 accounts, personally. If there were a 'back to the stone age' fork like that, I doubt many people would use it; we'd just have 3 chains.
Yes, I think so...
What do you think about the road map comment above?
I'm with Asher. Ultimately I don't know what he's planning, which is a big part of the problem. If he'd been honest from the start, maybe we wouldn't be here; of course if he'd been honest, maybe we'd have been here two weeks ago.
I trust our witnesses (the real ones) to do the right thing for the actual community. If that leaves Justin with an empty husk of a chain; an exchange nobody trusts anymore and 3 cold office chairs in Virginia, that's on him.
How many devs are left at Steemit Inc? @roadscape?
SMT code going open source?
Yes I saw.
What did they buy?
Four cold office chairs in Virginia.
Anyone left? There weren't that many....
Points 3 and 4 I think were on the way anyway, 1 and 2 not so much.
"in the end 20% of the contributors would get 80% of the rewards anyway."
Yes, that's what happens with the current Steem set-up, because of stake-weighted voting and big stakeholders voting for eachother. It has very little to do with creativity, it has everything to do with stake.
Those who were on the short end of the stick, the creative ones and the real community builders have always been in a rough spot. If there is a way to distribute the rewards in a way more attuned to the people that really add value to the eco-system, it should be considered.
But that's not easy. It has been a huge debate for the past 4 years with no clear vision about what will end up being successfull.
And so, I think the painful conclusion is that as a community, we need strong leadership with a solid vision.
Unpopular question: isn't that exactly what Justin is?
No, it is what happens everywhere. It is called the Pareto Principle.
Depends on the view you take. I am a creator here, always have been. There are others that have started since me who have done well in other ways too.
Yes master. Good master. Smart master.
I agree with your points, and I understand where you are coming from. Principally I'm inclined too towards a liberal mindset where you have responsibility and ownership for your own actions and assets.
But when considering forking off from the JustinSteem chain, I think it should be noted that there are systemic governance risks to having too much stake gravitating to a small group of people. So maybe apply some ideas from socialism into the rewards distribution, care for the minnows first.
The first economic moves he has mentioned is decreasing the powerdown to 1-3 days and more rewards for witnesses.
This completely breaks the voting mechanisms of Steem due to the 5 day voting times.
Reason to do this is:
This might be great for Steem price. I hold my STEEM - do you and everyone else have theirs?
The tap is closing.
Hmmm, if that's ultimately the strategy, it not would be the worst idea actually. I've felt the rewards have been subject to experimentation anyway and the right balance has not been found. Since Steemfest 2017 I've considered SMT's as the ultimate playground to test different scenarios to discover what would work best.
It's been a long wait.
It has been considered and talked about for years, the content creators haven't been happy....
If that came to pass, I'd move my content creation (photography) elsewhere. Probably to a mainstream blogging platform. I'd post to large Facebook groups where some of my photography posts have already gained thousands of likes to drive traffic to my blog. Perhaps I'd set up an Instagram account, too, for the same purpose. I've had people approach me asking for permission to use my photos. If I kept at it, perhaps I could eventually monetize my work, that already includes thousands of photos published here.
Finnish language Quora has recently started to show my answers to tens of thousands of readers. I write about some topics I can't write on Steem at all because there are no people interested in the same topics here. But I'm done with working on platforms owned by Silicon Valley companies for free. After Steem, I just can't bring myself to do that any longer.
At first, SMTs not listed on any major exchange would be worthless. Perhaps I would bother to cross-post if it weren't too much trouble.
If a truly decentralized sister chain were established with a large majority of the Steem communities and apps, I'd be 100% on board with that.
There are other ways of having strong leadership without it being concentrated in one person. I like the ingenuity of the Steem community and, in spite of all the shouting and running about, ideas and opinions do coalesce well enough for action.
Yeah, the psychic energy...And the patience of people around us...Because devotion to anything means a sacrifice. Already done. Repeatedly.
Then again, I have started games over and over. Each time doing better, at least if I am interested.
But I also value what I've built in terms of not only connections and knowledge, but of funds. It feels like already something to prove it was worth it.
And proving it anew will have to beat more doubts. Especially in people whom I know and whom I see as potential future users.
A game for the young :)
@tarazkp, uff, comenzar de nuevo? he leído y comprendo el trabajo que le has dedicado a esta plataforma y que en estos momentos se tome una determinación de esta magnitud aplastando de alguna manera la filosofía de la comunidad. Entiendo también que muchos hemos apostado tiempo y trabajo para llegar donde hemos llegado. Saludos y "LARGA VIDA A STEEMIT"!
I wouldnt start again. I couldnt bear it. The last 2 years have been grand. I dont want to go echo into the void again. This break is making me see things more clearly. If this breaks, I am done. I have always been positive here, but this is all too much.
The words of a Bear participant :)
Whilst I wouldn't be happy at starting from zilch it wouldn't stop me posting. Maybe with a bit less vim though :0)
less vim, more pimp.
I would keep posting too. Just not working quite as hard at it , nor as often. Kind of like the sex life of the elderly.
Exactly like that last part. Aiyee, that makes me feel like weeping!
Aging is a vicious beast.
It is. I'm absolutely dreading it.
But remember...