Steemit on Hacker News: I'm Commenting Too Fast!
Steemit was recently featured in Wired, but we're also doing pretty well on Hacker News! Of course, I love Hacker News and was eager to engage with their users (once our amazing dev team had responded to the DDoS attack) and help familiarize them with Steemit. Only one problem:
After 4 comments they stopped me from posting! I've been waiting almost an hour now! This actually highlights one of the reasons that integrating a cryptocurrency into a database is so valuable: it enables you to simultaneously incentivize adding value to the database, incentivize policing the database for low-value content like spam, and algorithmically govern resource consumption. All of these factors combine to enable steemit.com users (and the users of any other platform that leverages the Steem blockchain like busy.org or dtube.video) to post a comment every 20 seconds!
A Common Criticism
Ironically, this is the answer to a common criticism, levied several times in the comments to that Hacker News post, that we simply "bolted on" a cryptocurrency. If anything, the opposite is true. The Steem blockchain was designed first and every component was designed to work synergistically for the sole purpose of creating a scalable and sustainable distributed database capable of storing social content. Content creators have to get rewarded because valuable content is important for creating a valuable database. The economics of Steem have to be sound because no one will create valuable content, leave thoughtful comments, carefully curate content, or run a witness node if the token isn't worth anything. Everything is there for a reason. Nothing is accidental.
This meticulous design enables all of the amazing features we often take for granted, even something as trivial as how often you can leave a comment. I've now drafted this entire post, and still can't post a comment ... and we're undergoing a DDoS attack!
HackerNews Coin?
If Hacker News wanted to improve their user experience and incentivize their participation, they could always integrate Steem or work with us to pioneer a Hacker News Smart Media Token! ;)
P.S. If you'd like to share this on Hacker News, feel free. I still can't :(
That tread is infuriating...what a bunch of sourpuss. I have to leave it, it makes my blood pressure go up.
lol
This is funny, coming from you.
Nice sharing now
hmm yes
Me too
It's such an interesting intersection of differing aspects of society. People are used to sharing, discussing, and talking on message boards. And we're used to the monetary economy, and participating with it.. But mixing the two feels pretty weird for a lot of folks... Even when they come pop in on steemit to take a quick look. I've heard people say it feels cultish, and I understand why.
I think it will take some time for the whole space to settle in, and what it ultimately looks like from the outside will have a big effect on what happens with it.
Honestly, steemit kind of creeps me out at times, and I'm actually pretty obsessed with it. I tell everyone about it.
That's a super insightful comment and I largely agree. One of the things that drew me into the platform and eventually lead me to join the team was experiencing for myself how deeply the site and the community impacts you. But as with anything this paradigm-shifting it can often be difficult to parse the features and the bugs. Much of what I view as features can appear to some from the outside as bugs. Thanks for the great comment!
it does takes some shift in perspective. But much like bitcoin, we dont need people who are the incumbent of the current financial system, There are literally at least 1 Billion people with internet but not a bank account, with internet but without a true voice. Steemit, among other platform that models it, will be that voice for them.
Imagine 100 million people with no bank account but does their daily trading with Steem.
We don't need to persuade the "haters", we just need to empower those desparate for a better life for themselves and the people around them.
Steemit says chill.
The more i read the comments, the more i feel the need to puke.
I respect your patience and how you still manage to be so level-headed even at the vilest of them shit-slingers lot.
I say let them swim in their Steemit-hating circle jerks.
You keep being awesome @andrarchy!
Thanks man, I appreciate the support!
Hilarious! This is one of so many reasons Steem will breakout from the pack and change the world!
I can't see a case where it does not take over in a couple of years if not sooner.
I hope you are right, ranger.
Can someone please answer me this? ( I have asked it before, but just get airy fairy replies).
If the US government, made owning bitcoin(all crypto), illegal -tomorrow, (like they have already done last century, with gold), and they gave a forced exchange rate to get dollars in return.
What would happen?
Actual, practical mechanics- not airy fairy principles, please.
Thanks
Personally I hold my private keys in a hardware wallet. They at this point would not know I had any BTC. Then perhaps with TOR I could still manage to trade on foreign exchanges. They can attempt to ban BTC but I think it will work out about as well as the ban on Weed.
I hope that is not to airy.
no- thanks - not at all. cheers mate.
We the people make the law, and bitcoin is by-the-people-for-the-people, as is all cryptocurrency which uses code-is-law type enforcement to ensure anonymity, privacy, and security.
We will ignore unjust law, and do what is good and right, according to our own minds and wills. We are free, no matter how brutally and violently other people try to oppress us and attempt to force us to obey.
We are always truly above law, for law is weak and law crumbles to our constant desire for true freedom and liberty.
can I come live on your planet please? It sounds much nicer. lol
It is much nicer when the people make the law, and it's nicer when it's easier to forbid a person from entering politics or making a law than it is the opposite. It's always nicer to have full audits of every single person who becomes a police or politician, and we have knowledge of everything they do, as far as lawmaking and government go.
Politicians have no power here. We the people have power instead.
Anyone with a substantial amount of money in their 'Wallet' should feel like a sitting duck after your comment.
I often ponder what will happen if some midnight-hour law passes, and people's crypto accounts are frozen until further notice.
I don't think they foresaw this 'new' monetary concept blowing up the way it has.
Peace.
Thank you for the good news :) Here's to adding more zeros to that number soon, cheers!
I've notice site slowing down and unavailable sometimes. Do you have any news about this?
Thanks. @pal
Very good @pal,, You are worth something in steemit. 👍
Even if that were the case, surely it doesn't really matter which way round Steemit and Steem were conceived...it happened and has potential to be a success right?
I agree partially to this comment. Users with a strong following are inclined to have their content surfaced quicker and easier, through friendship/follower biased as people buy into personalities perhaps more than the content itself? New authors need to work harder to be respected which I agree with but it also means gold content could potentially be missed due to that factor.
This is the weakest point I've found about Steemit - and potentially the deal breaker for newcomers. It's not a personal gripe, there's also the situation where an author complains their "great content" isn't seen or rated. Maybe they think it's great as it's personal to them, but in reality it's boring or shit for the reader. I've been writing some things on here. They mean something to me. But you guys might think it's a load of bollocks! It's subjective...
It's probably too late to matter, but I posted a link of this into that HackerNews discussion. Here's a screen-shot: