10 Simple Steem.io Update Requests!
Would the Steemit team please make these few incredibly easy changes to steem.io because these updates will help convert more readers learning about Steem into new investors in Steemit and reduce new user confusion?
Why have I requested these changes on behalf of all of us?
- These are REALLY REALLY easy changes that I hope will make a significant impact in making Steemit easier to use based on my experience on Steemit for a couple months now. If all ten of these changes were done, I believe it would take one person less than an hour and make a significant impact on the price of Steem because with a few simple updates, I think we can greatly increase our conversion rate of users on https://steem.io taking action and buying Steem!
- Is it worth taking the time to update https://steem.io even with the rebranding in progress? YES because when I was learning about Steem and deciding to invest, I spent a lot of time on Steem.io which led to a lot of confusion after spending more time on Steemit. Fortunately I was referred to Steem by a friend I trusted because if I had just been curious about Steem on my own and visited steem.io, I would have figured Steem was just a startup cryptocurrency with no real value and left before I even found Steemit because of a few simple website design issues that I will offer very quick fixes for in this post.
Will the Steemit team please make at least one of these ten simple changes for us?
- Update https://steem.io/blog/ with an RSS feed of the Steemit blog at a minimum or link it directly to the Steemit blog because seeing an empty or low quality blog on a website is my number one trust red flag. When considering becoming a client, I almost always visit the blog first because the quality of the blog almost always equals the quality of service. Most companies I am a customer with have an outstanding blog and most every website I have been scammed on had either no blog or a sketchy blog. Steemit has a great blog which should be immediately obvious on Steem.io.
- Replace Shapeshift with either Blocktrades.us or changelly.com at https://steem.io/#intro-ex because Shapeshift is not currently taking Steem or SBD and it has been this way for at least a month. Sending users to an exchange that has Steem disabled is another red flag for trust.
- Remove the link to the whitepaper or nest it alongside a list of changes or replace it with the 2017 roadmap because this will stop confusing new users and/or provide updated information. After reading the whitepaper in May 2017, it has been one shock after another in actually using Steemit. I felt like I had been punched in the gut when after powering up 10 BTC of Steem and expecting a very high interest rate as explained in the whitepaper, I discovered it was only 2% annually. I thought about powering down immediately and quitting Steemit before I even made my first post because of what I considered a huge betrayal in trust from outdated information in the whitepaper. Fortunately, I stuck with it because I was already filming a video course about why Steem was the best investment in June 2017 and I had already filmed the first half of the course.
- Update the broken Forbes link to https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogeraitken/2017/01/17/fintech-steemit-migrating-servers-to-amazon-unveils-blockchain-roadmap/#6f77b42a7dd5 because the current Forbes link is broken which is another red flag trust signal. Scammers love to try and make fake trust online by using logos from what many consider reputable websites like Forbes. The scammers never link the logos because they never have any actual story in them and most people are not likely to take the time to Google Steem Forbes when the link is broken. Rather they are simply likely to be annoyed and leave.
- Switch the links to "what people are saying" to actual Steemit user profiles or results from https://steemit.com/trending instead of quotes from people most of us have never heard of because it is critical to get new users to actually see what is happening today on Steemit. Pick a few top authors and feature them or recent trending posts instead to give people case studies to what is actually happening today on Steemit because that is what impressed me into signing up.
- Update the payment terms at https://steem.io/#intro-ex to what they currently are with an average USD daily payout value. For example, I believe the actual data is close to authors earning $63,000 a day in payouts while curators earn $21,000 a day for upvoting content. THAT is useful to know and would motivate me to invest right away.
- For the social links at the bottom of Steemit, shouldn't the official Steemit account be linked first instead of slack?
- The https://steem.io/#rewards link at the top does nothing currently which would help to either remove it or link it to something!
- Update the FAQ with "How is Steemit 10x better than existing social media platforms? Steemit allows authors and readers to earn money when they contribute to the value of Steemit while existing social media networks do not compensate users for submitting valuable content to their websites."
- Add another YouTube video below the animated explainer video that goes more into depth because I personally learn very little from videos like this and generally avoid watching them after having seen so many. I have two videos which have received mostly positive feedback which might help a few people learn more instead of leaving right away. I am sure others have videos that would be worth considering in the same position!
Thank you very much for reading this post which I hope was helpful! If you agree with even one of these changes, would you please upvote this post because it will help it reach the developers?
Love,
Jerry Banfield
I visited Steemit.io many times before creating this account (it took me an entire year!). There was always a reason or two why I never signed up, despite being interested in the project.
I think you hit all of them (and more).
The outdated info in the white paper (inflation and staking period), has repelled many investors. I know, because they always mention it!
It was fairly hard for me to get an account. I was so frustrated and ready to give up. I had a lot of interest due to my investments in Bitcoin. Now that Im in I agree Steem is one of the best Cryptocurrencies for your money. My money is primarily in Bitcoin however as a new member to the Steemit community and getting a inside look I have to say Steem offers content that other cryptocurrencies do not. I like BTC because it is a stable financial cryptocurrency but I see a whole different category of value in Steem.
Glad you got in! Steemit is just reddit + coins on the outside. But it really is a much more ambitious project than that. Yea it’s a blogging contest, but already there’s a lending market @minnowbooster and it’s used for p2p payments #steemGigs.
It’s achieving bitcoin’s dream...
Also, btc is headed for a potentially catastrophic hard fork in a couple of weeks. I’ve sold all mine to be safe. (Whatever ‘safe’ means in crypto xD)
GREAT screen name.
Yeah the outdated whitepaper is a problem coming up so often lately!
@jerrybanfield I think you make quite a few valid points in your post. If I had discovered some of the issues you had as an investor.... there would have definitely been some red flags raised in my mind. Thank you for bringing these issues to our attention, and for trying to motivate the proper individuals forward to a positive change.
@mcdevlin 182 You nailed it !!
I'm not entirely sure we can expect as much from Steemit as we once did. But I'm happy others see where there needs to be changes made.
For now, I would suggest we all support alternative user interfaces for Steem, such as eSteem, Busy.org, beta.chainbb.com, Steepshot etc.
Also please support the Steem Cooperative =)
Yeah, a March 2016 whitepaper is hardly reflective of how the platform actually functions today... it doesn't exactly need to be equivalent to a living document (that's not a whitepaper's purpose), but some additional detail regarding more recent changes/developments would be much appreciated.
A great breakdown and some good points of improvement that I agree with entirely.
Your point regarding updating the exchanges to remove Shapeshift and add others is especially key, as it is always a big concern to many users as to how fluid the currency can be exchanged. If a currency is not seen as being able to be actively exchanged, it could be argued that many potential investors in the system would be turned off due to fear that their investment would be unable to produce a return that could be capitalized upon. Additionally, the more exchanges listed that take Steem, the widespread the system seems and thus the more appealing it becomes.
I also greatly agree with your point on changing the "What people are saying" part to a more useful set of people as I also had no idea who the people quoted were and thus just ignored the entire section entirely. This comes as a big shame because that section could be used in much better manner. If regular users' quotes are posted there in a more fluid and continuous stream, I think that some key benefits can come of it. Firstly, a vast amount of different quotes from people makes the system look greatly used and highly popular, thus appealing for people who are unsure about the system. Secondly, the ability for these posts to be verified on the blockchain and the knowledge that they are immutable can give confidence to more crypto knowledgeable investors that the posts weren't edited or redacted for optimal results. Lastly, given how people seem to be on Steemit, it should not be hard to find a large amount of posts that talk in favor of the system.
Thanks for reading the long post and some great ideas you have here.
TLDR; Agree with you, more marketplaces = better looking platform, revamping what people are saying is really important and makes the system look better + wouldn't be hard to find praise of Steem from Steemit.
Thanks for taking the time to write this up. I'd add that if they have a github page, this is often times the best place to post these issues. Additionally, since many of your changes are non-programmatic in nature, if this is a github project, you can actually make the changes yourself on the codebase and submit a Pull Request (PR).
Jerry for President!
Well I'm pretty sure if @jerrybanfield was the president of my country Things surely will be way more bright and successful here in Brasil
Indeed we Really are in need of a Honest, Smart and skillful president here in Brazil
Jerry, do you want to be my dad?
What about steemit ? This looks like an outdatd blogging website. Posts gets lost after 10minutes. No serious work on the theme. Cant find anyout good feature like saving articles, suggested articles, learn something from facebook.
@waqasaps u nailed it!!
Hello Jerry you should join us in steem speak one evening Would be great to have you in there with us. Head over to www.steemspeak.com - create an account and download the software. It is a great tool to use and network with Steemians. It is a 24/7 live radio + chat community always active. You are a great member of this community @jerrybanfield. Take care.
@thejohalfiles thank you for giving so much with your voting power on 20 of my recent posts and inviting me to steem speak. I have added it to my links and will give it a try when the time is right!
thank u for the informations thejohafiles about the chat and i already follow u ...hope to see ur postes soon x
@thejohalfiles I got your message to get on discord but couldn't find you there in the user list.
Hello @thejohalfiles How do we get in contact with you?
They have good info there, sometimes rap battles haha
Once again a GREAT post from you Jerry.
Keep on steeming :D
Also Jerry. Remember, You're a genius!
how about using smart phones to post easier.