STEEM 2020; What I am going to do!
This post is my entry to the competition offered by @pennsif here.
Perhaps I was a little early as I only wrote something about SMT’s in my very recent post and only noticed this competition as it had been stuck in front of my nose due to @pennsif mentioning it in the Discord ‘Brits’ channel.
STEEM is as low in value as I have ever seen the token. When people say it is going to the moon I have to scoff a little.
Not that I don't believe in its potential value; I do. I wouldn't have bought enough to become an Orca otherwise.
For things to happen, we need change. Some of these are out of my control.
I can't change the default user interface. The SteemPeak one is decent but the main entry point of Steemit is fucking awful, to put it bluntly.
I still use Steemit at work as Steempeak is too garish and the images are too large. I can't have the bosses seeing what I'm doing.
So SMT's are almost upon us, but we still have little insight as to what we are going to be presented with. Clones of Steemit are not going to cut the mustard. It's plain ugly, and the search facilities are laughable.
Can we learn a little from the Facebook Communities? I touched on this in the post mentioned above. Even with a niche hobby such as Urbex, I can see these many groups contain thousands of members.
So why don't they cross-post that content…, (and some of it is damn good) on to the STEEM blockchain?
Let’s look at the problems. They need an account to post content. Accounts are not free unless you wait. Accounts ARE free on Facebook and instant. This has been an ever on-going issue. The wait time.
We have very large accounts and services that can create instant accounts using their RC credits and claimed accounts.
They are still charging for the privilege. I feel this is the largest problem for mass on-boarding.
I can give out FREE accounts. I have almost 400 claimed. I collect them for no other reason than to use my RC’s. Maybe someday I can give them out. It costs me time, and time is NOT free. I guess that’s why there’s a charge?
Image by @katharsisdrill
Over the last year, I have tried to on-board a few people. Only @goblinknackers has stuck it out. He's bought over 30,000 STEEM in a short period of time. When he posts he doesn't get much feedback.
I have told him to be patient, and I know he will but that 30,000 STEEM does not buy followers. There simply is not the audience for his content..., yet and he struggles to gain traction
He’s an active futures trader and works his scalping skills in with good effect. His last post didn’t get much in the way of comments, though it did gain him a @curie.
Photograph by @mender1
I dropped a small hint to a photographer friend this morning. He makes good use of Adobe Lightroom to create stunning images. He is semi-professional and has his own website to show off his work.
He could have posted that on the STEEM blockchain, and used the #creativecoin and #photo tags to gain multiple tokens.
@mender1 is one of my Urbex buddies. I created the account for him and could well hand over the keys. The account was created so I could reference him by a STEEM name and not a real one.
What are ‘keys’ he will say?
‘It’s all really complicated’… he will say.
‘can I not just have one password and set it to #password# so I won’t forget it?’
This is what we have to deal with when we tell people about the STEEM blockchain.
You can dangle the carrot of, ‘you can make money’, but we all know that it's almost lies.
The money angle is not going to cut it when STEEM is 14c per token.
So what can do to entice people to post?
Right now, very little. We are still waiting for SMT’s and something wondrous. Is it going to be truly wondrous?
But getting back to the photographer friend, his retort to my suggestion was a ‘thumb up'. Does that mean, yeah OK, or yeah, but I can't be arsed with all the complexity?
He knows I post here but could he do the same? I will mention Partiko next time I see him and casually describe the #photo tribe.
‘You know people post single images and get tokens, you could do the same’
Tokens to him are about as useful as stickers from a Weetabix box! I know the next question is, ‘what can I do with these tokens?’
If I manage to overcome this problem, I then need to explain to him that when posting on Partiko mobile, you need to use these tags to get your content seen on these other tribes.
‘Tribes? Are we heading to the Amazon for our photographs??’
OK so there's a learning curve, but we need to get to a stage where the learning curve is a simple one and not one requiring a degree in blockchain science.
Can SMT’s do something to bridge that gap? Can @mender1 post directly using a #photos website using an SMT named ‘#photos?
Will there be separate mobile dApps or one dApp for all? Mobility is essential, though I prefer using a desktop app personally.
So how can I persuade @mender1 to shift his content from general Facebook to the #photos tribe? Well I have told him about this post, that the focus of it is on him and he does seem interested. Do we have a bite?
In 2020, it may well be easier to on-board if new easier methods are available, but I’m not in a position to code something to make that so. I can only highlight what is needed to do it.
If we can get more users and the interface is simpler to use, word will spread. From what I can gather Steemit has got a terrible reputation outside itself. This needs to change and HF21 is helping.
The perception of ‘since HF21 people get fewer rewards'
Not everyone will agree with me, but as a @curie curator, I struggle to find content worthy of submitting for a vote.
In the case of @mender1 and his photography, @curie would not come into this but there is a serious lack of quality ‘long content’ on the block-chain.
I can tell you those good authors are getting more rewards. If you do not then try harder and re-read the above-quoted sentence.
I can tell you something else. We curators are ’dying’ to put forward your work for curation. We get something out of it as well you see.
Don’t make it too hard work for us by writing a load of crap complete with stolen images and text full of spelling mistakes will you now?
On a more serious note, I am more than willing to mentor smaller accounts on how to get noticed by the curation groups… but don’t do it for the money or you will be sorely disappointed.
This is a message that needs to get outside the blockchain. Yes, you can get something other than the fresh air rewards you get on Facebook but don’t expect it to be substantial.
However, I can guarantee it will ‘WILL BE MORE THAN FACEBOOK' gives you.
Another thing I would love to happen in 2020 could possibly be done with the help of @blocktrades.
Maybe things would need to be done in the background, such as the transferring of USD to LTC and then to STEEM, but surely this can be achieved, not one way but both ways?
Integration to bank accounts would be a necessity if an intermediary cannot be used. Can you imagine what a direct route could do for STEEM?
I will say no more on this matter and will be talking to Mr. Blocktrades if he is in Bangkok in the next 2 weeks.
Likewise, I will be forwarding this article to @mender1, asking him to ignore the technical bumf that we all take for granted but looking for an answer from him.
I think it's up to non-STEEM people to decide just what would it take to do this, and not for us blinkered horses?
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If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, resteem, engage me or all of these things.
Thank you for your entry in the Steem2020 contest.
Some great ideas in there.
If anything it highlights the problems we have mass on-boarding. There's an enormous market of people out there. You can see the number of people in those Urbex groups. How many in photography ones?
Access is still too difficult and people are inherently lazy and don't want to move from their comfort zones. If STEEM was $2 again then dangling the carrot would work, but right now our carrot is quite thin and weedy.
Yes still plenty to do on the onboarding, retention and temptation fronts.
Nice post! These are things that we have been dealing with for a long time. I understand now why I haven't gotten a curie in forever, I just figured it was because my account was too big but I see it is because you don't want to show favoritism :) I left a pretty good comment on Goblins last post. I hate how steemplus only allows you to favorite ten people. I'd be super happy if that cap were closer to 15 or 20.
The things I look for for a @curie are not the same as everyone else's. I can't discuss it any more as it wouldn't be prudent on a public post.
@goblinknackers like comments much like everyone else! He was a little miffed at the lack of response. HF21 has not helped much when it comes to comments but he's quite generous in that area.
I think you share a common interest in whiskey? He's very much into that.
I was kidding about Curie. Like I said, I think my account is too big anymore for that. As a matter of fact, that was the main subject of my comment!
The big problem which Partiko partly delivered is the historic emphasis on desktop. I have always said and always believed that for steemit to get any traction at all it needs a slick and polished app for mobile. People love to tell me how this isn't a priority but frankly that is idiotic. Desktop is dead. Only old people use it. (Or people at work ;0))
I am quite sure a good app could obfuscate or simplify in a front ends manner the keys situation
eSteem have an app but I still can't get the bugger to work. Keeps complaining about bad password or something when I'm pasting the posting key in. Shame as it looks really good.
If @good-karma is at SF4 I'll bring it up much like last year when I did the same.
So for now Partiko is 'the app' to use but we have a developer who has gone AWOL. More dApp's are needed and easy to use ones.
You are going to have a busy steemfest!
Man, I can't wait... Last year I was overwhelmed but how much has changed in a year!
Get yourself a ticket and we can wash down some fried grasshoppers with that weird beer of yours!
Lol, if it was an option I would!!
Throw your suitcase out of the upstairs window..., sneak out of the back door wearing this... it always works ;)
Lol, I might be mistaken for the singer of Judas Priest. Hehe
:)
While partiko is shit I am that dinosaur loving desktop at work especially for playing splinterlands 😁 - however mobile app us key for masses once dinosaurs leave the planet
I works love it if I could play splinterlands at work!!! Then I would think desktops are cool :0)
I personally will never ever use mobile apps apart from between meetings and if nothing else can be used. But I am old! Let us see how user friendly these new apps will come especially on the gaming front and how / what they are able to integrate.
I must admit, I am app daft. If it aint got an app I think it's shit. I was absolutely horrified by steemit when I first started three years ago that it had no apps and now real web formatting for mobile... Lol!
I am the contrary - when a working platform invests tons of money in app dev i usually was the one to claim: Who the Hell needs a shitty app lol?
Hehe, well, I do wait until I see the app before I like it!
Problem on Apps on a mobile phone always the same issue - fucking too small for my eyes and thick fingers lol - and the issue i can not switch fast enough between apps on the device - gosh I am old!
Get a big screen phone!!! There you go! Big massive screened job and you are laughing! :OD
:-)
Completely agree about the hurdles of bringing new people to steem - out of five, one has got as far as posting, it feels very complicated to him already and I've only told him half the story. We've not touched on tribes, claiming rewards, powering up ... the list goes on. Actually getting him an account was a job and a half, eventually I set up one of my claimed accounts. I would guess so far getting one person on to Steem has taken about fifteen hours of my time, never mind his, and I'm not sure he is even going to post again.
Your idea about mentoring is brilliant, and so needed. I think it's needed at every level, whether people want to write long form posts or engage people with shorter posts.
I talk about Steem now in terms of owning part of the platform rather than earning. Even if Steem was greater in price, I don't feel that's a helpful idea because withdrawing that value from Steem is implicit. Being able to buy Steem directly from fiat would be marvellous!
Good luck with your entry and pursuing these ideas at SteemFest.
It's like owning shares in a company, that's why I feel I have to do some of the tidying up that many are complaining about.
It's way too complex. I like the complexity myself, but that's because I know how the cogs turn. For outsiders it is bewildering. @goblinknackers is getting into it now, but months in, he's still learning about the intricacies.
Tribes, though fantastic in concept made it even worse for newbies. I know there are users who are still unaware of them. They don't use the tags..
Yes, you're good at the tidying up. I appreciate it 😊.
No short cuts to fame here.
Ya gotta shake the hands, or folks don't know you are here.
Very true and it takes time.. a lot of it!
hi @slobberchops, . well done at conveying the onboarding and other issues, i have the benefit of you drilling me on the current goings on in the steem arena such as the tribes and token almost on a daily basis and after about 5 mins of explanation you must see the shutters come down. And i consider myself an internet savvy techi, . .. what hope has the John in the street got, .. needs to made much simpler, to join and to cross post articles - a message which you conveyed.
Then shutters coming down is an unfortunate side effect of talking about STEEM which mystifies most people.
It's something that must be simplified before the masses arrive, but can still be delved into by the like of us if we like.
A sleek front end with the technicalities all hidden is what is needed.
It surely will be a great year wotn steem in 2020.
I like the way you speak of this. I have tried a few times to get people on board... It was too say the least a challenge...... Lol.
I have asess to a webnair platform, prehaps we can host a weekly or monthly steem webnair to help on board, talk about steem news and updates?
Also, if your looking for content to curate, check out my site :D I try to mane quality.
But, webnair... Let me know if you want to talk more about this, I am not a good talker, but can host. :)
Posted using Partiko Android
I feel like I'm trying to sell something, as people expect me to be doing this and so I appear to be.
Re-direction of content and THEY get the benefits. I or you, get nothing but another person is dipping into the reward pool. It's nuts if you ask me!
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I am favouring Steempeak. You can switch between three different feed modes and one of those has small pics. There's a button at the top to switch.
The Steem Keychain simplifies the key issue on desktop at least. The decentralised nature means we have to take more responsibility for our own security and the financial aspect makes this extra important.
I hope we will see more ways to use Steem soon that will encourage more users. Maybe there will be fresh news at Steemfest.
I'll look into that thanks, this is the reason I'm stuck using the old dinosaur!
That's why I want to be there on day one this time. That's when everything happens. I'll do regular posts over there to keep you informed as will 300 others hehe...
I wonder if I'll be able to keep up with the news. I'm sure I won't watch all the videos. Will look out for those of special interest.
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Hey there stranger. I haven't been around in a bit but I'm back to my regular shenanigans lol. I see what you mean. I wouldn't mind challenging myself to onboarding a few thousand people from my travels to join steemit tbh since I know that once they are here, there are guys like you who will happily point them in the right direction. That said my main issue with steem is the scalabity aspect to it. Like I don't know how many users we can comfortably onboard without affecting the speed? Because of that I see us going in either of two directions. One where we have at least six million users with each having an average of 10 000 sp? I know its a long shot but the numbers for me are definately doable. Take quora.com for example, its a great place to introduce steemit by anyone to anyone through answering crypto specific questions. There are many platforms where people are searching for answers and using them to onboard new steemians is the easy part. If only like you say the user interface improves and the joining process becomes instant. I think I read somewhere that the latter will be rectified soon. Or, the platform becomes a niche for the uber wealthy where thanks to skyroketting steem prices, we wake up one day and everybody goes like f the masses lol. How do we raise the price of steem with a few users on steemit? I think dapps come in handy on this one, I've been thinking lately. 1:) We create blockchain shopping dapps where steem is the currency of choice. I think we would call them Shapps lol. As well as monetizing dapps for every need in the blockchain like education, travel, flights, acommodation booking where everyone can pay in steem, incentivise cafe owners that are already on steemit as well as those off it to accept steem in their establishments. Then get the users of steemit to patronise those cool spots and review them aka spread the word both on and off steemit. It's a win win for all. Reach out to more of the established online stores and again incentivise them to accept steem for payment. Basically what I'm suggesting is creating a whole ecosystem for the steem blockchain on and off steemit, which in turn creates a raising demand for steem. More like secondlife on the blockchain minus the porn or the need for the masses. Just a great steemit where ecommerce is possible first for the devs creating and maintaining useful dapps that fullfill a need and second for all the creative steemians earning through offering any of their work. Be it physical or digital. For me the bottom line is raising steem prices either way. That said I'm excited about bitcoin halving taking place next year, for steem prices there are fun times ahead thats for sure. Meantime clarifying the direction that works best for all the investors on here sooner rather than later would definately help to steer the ship in the right direction thats for sure.
Many of these things may happen next year when SMT's are unleashed up on us.
As for scale-ability.., we as you see it now is the least amount of activity I have seen. When I joined STEEM was $2.85 each and there was a LOT more activity then.
More people means more servers needed and witnesses, but if the token price rises then we will get those anyway. They need STEEM to pay for the hardware and utility costs, that's why witnesses are often in a constant state of power down.
Feel free to try and incite people on, I can create accounts complete with keys if you need any. It's a hard sell in its' current form.
"Many of these things may happen next year when SMT's are unleashed up on us." Fingers crossed.
Posted using Partiko Android
PS; did you see the post by @themarkymark? Your name is on there, I hope you sorted it out?
Posted using Partiko Android
Didn't see my name in mentions, which post?
I resteemed it hoping it would be easier for you to find. Apparently accounts in that list have been compromised through a site named steemengineteam.net. Note its not the same as the real steemengine. I mentioned you in the comment with the link to view the list of accounts that popped up. Crazy I know.
I see it now, thanks :)
!BEER
for you
And then there's the issue of people spamming Actifit reports all over the place. It's just a horrible welcome for newcomers. eSteem is rather attractive, though a bit slow but it might do the trick in time.
I think Steemit really has to get more interactive and engaging. Browsing through tags is crap, as the most common tags will mean nothing to newcomers. You should be able to search filtering tags, word count, reading time, popularity and amount of comments.
As you said before, an easier way of accessing communities would be just as welcome. There is just so much to improve here, and doesn't seem to be happening at the appropriate speed. Nice article, solid arguments there.
There's lots to improve and besides Steempeak not much has changed on the UI level.
I didn't realise about the Actifit stuff, I don't tend to look at much of that. You see it from a different perspective.
At this point it doesn't bother me either. But I'm thinking on how newcomers might be put off when having difficulties to find the good stuff on Steemit. And there is a lot of that to be found.
Posted using Partiko Android
View or trade
BEER.Hey @slobberchops, here is a little bit of
BEERfor you. Enjoy it!View or trade
BEER.Hey @slobberchops, here is a little bit of
BEERfor you. Enjoy it!