Stage One: Disbelief

---

Nobody is really making thousands of dollars for blog posts. You can't get the money out though right you have to keep it there, no bitcoin or usd exchange. Oh you can do that? Sure you can, let me see the money. How? Does anybody even accept Steem for goods or services?

Stage Two: Greed

---

Well its probably a scam but I will just make a bunch of money and run before it collapses. What kinds of posts do whales like again? Lets go fishing for the rare and illusive green backed whale. Containing within them the Steem power of a thousand suns. The green backed whales were thought to be nothing more than legend until that one comment or post.

Stage Three: Disillusionment

---

It's been a while since I've gotten a whale up-vote it must be a scam but that's ok I'll cash out to Bitcoin soon anyway.
What? that post is crap how did that guy make 8 grand for that! I'm gonna leave angry comments. Screw it ill just go curate all day.

Stage Four: Due Diligence

---

Lets look in to these mechanics further because I have to know if this is real now. I can't sit back and use this platform without understanding the ins and outs of its algorithms and incentives. I must now keep up with the github to see how the devs respond to hacks and malicious activity. I'm beginning to doubt this is just another alt-coin scam.

Stage Five: OMFG

---

This is not a scam. Content really is worth money. Steemit is the first platform to truly monetize individual content. We should be able to vote on where new USD is allocated not just presidents! Steemit is setting a new internet and banking precedent at the same time!