Could Steem Be Changing The Face Of Advertising?

Many are talking about the need to bring in money from outside the Steem eocsystem. This is true and it is a step we are getting closer to making.

One of the main ways money is generated online is via advertising. As much as most of us hate the pop up ads and videos that use our CPU, it is the model that sites use to generate funds. Nobody does it better than Facebook which is what makes the company so powerful.

The obvious problem with the present model is who benefits. When one is on Facebook and hounded with ads, the beneficiaries of that are the stockholders for that company. Hence, unless you are a shareholder in Facebook, there is no advantage to you. The company will tell you that it is the advertising that enables it to have a "free platform" that people enjoy and love. I guess the selling of data is a story for another day.

There are a few initiatives on Steem that are working on this. We know Steemit Inc is turning to the ad-model to help alleviate the outlay for its AWS bill. @yabapmatt put together a very good post about this and why all of us should help out with that.

https://steempeak.com/newsteem/@yabapmatt/how-you-can-help-steemit-inc-make-money-and-why-you-should

Matt is right. This is a cooperative and we all share. Each of us who has even a single STEEM token has a vested interest in every single application on Steem. They all feed into the value of the ecosystem. When one is a scam, which is going to happen, it reflects negatively. The flip side is when one takes off, it really helps the value of the entire platform.

Having a strong Steemit Inc is preferred over a weak one. While I admit we should not depend upon them, they can add value outside of just programming the blockchain.

Another venture into the world of advertising is very targeted. I loved what @steemhunt was doing from the first time I saw the road map. They are setting up a community of technological "experts" who are there to review and promote those type of products. The first phase saw the formation of the community via the finding/posting of technological products and applications. They soon will be moving onto Reviewhunt which is what enables companies to pay the hunters to review their offerings.

This idea is being extended by a new project called @buzzi.

Here we see the concept of taking user generated content (UGC) and having products tied to it. Each day, we all generate stuff online yet it has little commercial value. Buzzi is seeking to change that. By having an application that allows one to post about different products and services while rewarding that.

It created a "Discover" section where the top rated products are found. This enables a community to form around these different categories, meaning individuals can find those with a shared interest. Also, as the communities expands, companies are also going to be very interested. After all, companies seek to have the most qualified prospects when they advertise. Here is another case where the proper community is being identified.

What is most interesting to me is that individuals can earn for any sales they drive. This is like having a Facebook marketplace on each post. There is the potential to drive commercial traffic off each post.

Engaging takes on a new meaning in this regard.

Here is the entire introduction post:

https://steemit.com/buzzi/@buzzi/introducing-buzzi-a-steem-based-ugc-to-commerce-platform

Blockchain and cryptocurrency allows for so many possibilities. I believe we are at a point where the only limitation is our creativity. Over time, as more experiments are run, we are going to find ways to generate more efficient systems. This applies to commerce, communication, and distribution.

Steem might be a small community relatively speaking. However, it is a tight one and that is one of its greatest assets. This is something that will hold great attraction to those outside. As we expand the ways people can receive tokens, interest will certainly grow. There are a number of models which are helping to provide people with ways to generate tokens on a bigger scale. This is only going to continue.

For all the faults that people point out, Steem has a lot going for it. Being ranked in the 70s on Coinmarketcap means that this is an undiscovered gem. Once we come out of the woodwork, people are really going to take notice.

Today, Steem is much different than it was even a year ago.

Personally, I am thrilled with the progress we are making.

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