Continuing to blog on all the fascinating aspects of my experience on our Steem blockchain, here is my ninth monthly update.

Since posting my introduction on 14 May 2019, these updates represent my "log" of sorts, giving my readers a monthly window into my "journey" through the Steemisphere - a new "virtual world" based on the creation of our Steem blockchain.

For those following these monthly updates, you'll note I have jumped from Month 7 to 9. Month 7 was a bit late, then I was "out on the road" for over a month, so I just skipped Month 8 and am now back on track for publishing these more or less on the 1st of each month.

So ... "What are you doing 'in there' @roleerob and how is it going?"

Status or "Executive Summary"

To begin, here is a brief overview to answer the "how is it going" question we should probably be "checking in" with ourselves and answering, from time to time.

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Statistics

There is an old saying, "numbers don't lie." Yes, well, there is also an old joke about the executive asking the accountant, "what do the numbers say about how we're doing?" to which the accountant replied, "what do you want them to say?" ... 😉

Required to issue a monthly report for most of my career, with numbers to quantify progress, here are a few:

To date on my Steem "journey," these numbers are the most important. The first three quantify our influence on adding value to the Steem blockchain. And the second two, the actual work we are putting in to add value ourselves. Given all of our rich diversity, I trust we all have one focused objective in common - adding value to the Steem blockchain.

We want the value to go up!

How is that working for us? Well, you see here the market numbers, i.e. the "bottom line" of how our investment is doing. Basically, while SBD is up nicely and close to being restored to its $1 USD "set point," STEEM is a "wash."

Maybe next month!

_{Source: Tim Cliff Post - SBD Explained}

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Safely Home "Working" on the "Next Chapter"

Working? What?! I thought you were retired @roleerob?

Well ... Not quite. I retired from my previous employer, as per their policy, etc. In my "road to recovery" trip, to make decisions about the "next chapter," I made one very important decision. That is, I am going back to work. While we might be okay financially, it would be better for us, if I keep working for awhile yet.

Far more important that the finances is keeping productive and engaged. In the real world. I am sure the day will come when I simply couldn't really work, even if I still wanted to, but that day is not now. It is off in the future somewhere ...

Now ... There is just the small matter of what I am going to do. Stay tuned! 😊

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Engagement "Formula"

A steady work-in-progress, is attempting to maintain the following "rhythm" in the investment of my time:

1. Engaging "down" with all of the many great Steemians steadily adding value and working hard, who have a smaller stake and doing what I can to encourage them.
   
   
2. Engaging "up" and adding value, as much as I can manage, to the posts of those who may chose to ... uhhh ... increase my "influence" ... 😉 ... to help those in #1 ...
   
   
3. Adding value by writing my own posts, so #1 and #2 have some idea of why they would want to hopefully "engage" with me ...
   
   

I don't have my stopwatch out or anything. I just try to be mindful of switching from one to the other. Part of the "flow," as I have written about elsewhere, is naturally regulated by your decline in voting power.

Awards and Accomplishments

In this section of my monthly update, I highlight anything which stood out to me in the way of an award or accomplishment. As much as anything, it's for my reference, when I look back over time and ask myself,

"Are you really accomplishing anything meaningful 'in there' @roleerob?" So ... Let's see about this past month ...

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Published my "Road to Recovery" Travelogue Series

Beginning with my Reflections: My "Road to Recovery" Trip post through to my Recap of "@roleerob's excellent adventure!" In winter ... post, I wrote 28 posts in a little over 5 weeks. "Ho hum, big deal" for a prodigious writer like @tarazkp, but far and away the most posts I have written in that short a time span, including my new record of posting 15 days in a row!

Blessed with this wonderful opportunity to both relive and create lifetime memories, I made the most of it. These posts are an important part of both capturing and preserving these memories. Others seemed to enjoy them as well, as I collected the following awards on these 28 posts:

• @curie: 2
• @ocd: 5
• @c-cubed: 3
• @c-squared: 12
• @travelfeed: 9 100% upvotes, 5 partial upvotes
• @steemitiworldmap: In their daily Travel Digest posts - 6 Features, 14 Honorable Mentions
• @trufflepig: In its daily "Truffle Picks" posts - 5 in the "Top 10", 5 Honorable Mentions
• Resteems: 35

These awards represent the most recognition and support for anything I have written for the Steem blockchain to date. Nice while it lasted. Safely back home in my "comfy chair" ... 😉 ... I will have to find something else to write about ...

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Supporting Steemians via Comment Upvotes

@abh12345 is well known for some of his statistical posts. Recently, he made another great contribution to our Steem community by offering to show us what our voting counts and weights had been over the last 30 days - split out by whether they had been applied to posts or comments.

In the engagement between @abh12345 and I, on my request for the results on my account, I said this:

"I make a very intentional effort to vote on comments, for a very simple reason. Seems like it should reinforce the desire to create more of them!"

But ... I really had absolutely no idea about how well that was going ... "Lights on" please!

_{Source: @abh123345's Post on Vote Count / Weights}

Well, I was pleasantly surprised by the results, as shown above. As well as encouraged by the suggestion of @abh12345 that I not change anything. Okay, sir, I'll get right on that ... 😉

👍 A big shout out to @abh12345 for all that he does to add value to our Steem blockchain! 👍

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Publishing my Steemisphere Posts

Until further notice, these posts are what I consider to be my greatest accomplishment in contributing to the Steem blockchain. Why?

Here is what I said in my introductory comments:

”You are reading what I would like to have been quickly introduced to, when I was where you are right now.”

I wanted to help others avoid what I had been through, as much as possible.

Designed to be complimentary to each other, here are the two posts created:

1. Welcome to the Steemisphere! Getting Off to a "Flying Start," Version 1.0 – Covers the full spectrum of what a new Steemian needs to know to get off to a “flying start.”
2. User's Guide to the Steemisphere, Version 1.0 – Covers the recommended apps and tools a new Steemian needs as they begin to engage with our Steem blockchain.

_{Source: Steem Artwork contributed by talented Steemian @dandesign86!}

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Those are the highlights of my main contributions to adding value to the Steem blockchain over this last month.

What about the contributions of others? I cover that next ...

Monthly Highlights

Beginning with my first monthly update post, in this section I was inspired to try to capture "the good, the bad, and the ugly" every month. Specifically focused on my interactions with others on this "social network."

So ... What do we have this month:

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👍 👍 Two Thumbs Up 👍 👍

Working with ”systems,” as well as managing the work of others, for much of my career, I have always emphasized ”people” over ”process” believing that is the right priority. From a lot of experience, I know the best systems are greatly diminished, if not ”manned” by competent, engaged people. A great team will always solve the problem of less-than-ideal systems. I have never experienced the reverse to be true ...

This section, then, will always be about the people I “meet” in our Community. Specifically, those who have had the greatest impact on my "journey."

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In my two thumbs down 👎 👎 section in my last monthly update, I sadly had to report that Ned was reportedly powering down his stake and moving it. For safety ... 😞 You will find the details in that post.

I am happy to report that this has now been stopped. I am not the best source for the details, but I believe @aggroed played a key role in bringing this about. As part of what came out of this mess, there is a new initiative to improve the Steem blockchain, which appears to have at least some support from Ned.

Again, I am not the best source for details. I would encourage you to check the new account - @steemalliance - associated with this initiative and their latest post.

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The usual recognition of specific individuals and communities found in my normal monthly update, was covered this month in my Gratitude and Paying It Forward post. I gave a total of 82 SBI shares to 4 community and 9 individual accounts. You may want to read that post for the details.

While not totally decided, in the future I am likely to continue giving away SBI shares to those I highlight. To do my small part for their encouragement ...

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👍 One Thumb Up 👍

I have written extensively in past monthly updates, about my disgust with some of the "flag wars" that are going on. Well, they are still going on, the last I knew ...

But, it appears @theycallmedan has created a new account - @curatorhulk - with the stated objective of taking steps to help the situation. Here you will find The Curator Hulk's introductory post and here you will find The Curator Hulk's post in which any abused Steemians may leave a comment for his follow-up.

• Note: While my primary focus is stopping the devaluing of our Steem blockchain through flag wars, @curatorhulk is also doing some curating, in his spare time. 👍 When he is not out "smashing" ...

That is the end of the good news. For now at least. My related section below sadly is a counter to this one. For the record, I would love to be proven wrong ...

_{Source: Steem Artwork contributed by talented Steemian @dandesign86!}

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👎 One Thumb Down 👎

Ever on the lookout for encouraging news about the future of our investment in the Steem blockchain, I cannot turn a blind eye to news which is not.

As referred to above, I was awarded the 2nd and 3rd Curie curation awards of my time on the Steem blockchain for some of my "Road to Recovery" Travelogue posts. The first one was very memorable, as detailed in my True Story: Encouragement on our Steem Blockchain post.

It resulted in the largest single upvote I have ever received. From @hendrikdegrote. His upvotes have historically been linked to Curie curation awards and are part of the reason they are so cherished on the Steem blockchain.

The two upvotes received from @hendrikdegrote linked to winning these latest Curie awards were nothing like what I had received before. I am fine with whatever someone wants to upvote, but what caught my eye were the %s with the $$. On investigating, I learned @hendrikdegrote has a massive powerdown currently underway. 😞

To underscore the importance of this to me, for those who are unaware of this account, this is very far from an ordinary Steemian. This account currently holds approximately 1.7 million STEEM or SP. And it appears it is on its way out of the Steem blockchain.

Not good news on the surface. If anyone has some reasonable explanation for this, I would welcome whatever can be publicly shared. My concern is wondering what someone with this size of stake is seeing that has caused them to take this step.

Read on for one possible answer ...

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👎 👎 Two Thumbs Down 👎 👎

While I have dutifully listed a potential positive in the creation of the @curatorhulk account, I sadly have more to say ...

From the moment I decided to "jump in" and begin my "journey" on the Steem blockchain, downvoting individual accounts for no good cause has really bothered me. In some cases, into oblivion ... I am not going to cover what I have written in the past, as I have grudgingly acknowledged there is probably a place for downvoting - if used sparingly and judiciously.

My focus in this post is on the use of it in "flag wars" which are completely and totally destructive - a "war" of attrition where there are no winners. Only losers. The only question is the extent of the losses ...

To get an idea of what I am talking about, if you have the time to waste and the constitution to stomach the garbage, in the section just above I have provided you links to posts written by @curatorhulk. Read as much as you can handle in the comments section, then you can come back to finish what I have to say here. Or you can simply take a quick look at the following excerpts ...

_{Source: @curatorhulk Post #1}

_{Source: @curatorhulk Post #2}

In its infancy, blockchain technology has fascinated a lot of people with its potential to fundamentally alter a lot of the way the world works today. It is potentially that powerful. As part of the attraction, many people understandably react very favorably and enthusiastically to a technology that promises freedom from the "shackles" of traditional authority structures.

How is that working for us "in here?" I could write a whole post in response ...

For this post, suffice it to say we have a long way to go in resolving matters like this one successfully. While @llfarms should be acknowledged for her valiant effort at peacekeeping, the last I knew no agreement had been reached.

Even if there is a "tentative ceasefire" currently, I have heard before that it was over. But it hasn't been ... At its core, the Steem blockchain has no absolute authority mechanism to handle a situation like this one. As a result, not only are the principal adversaries damaged, but so are all of those who chose to take the side of one or the other.

And there is no effective remedy ...

I would sure like to see the day come when we can say this problem is 100% resolved. And behind us. Until then, it is very difficult for me to imagine, when it comes to investors with a lot of money at risk, to accept the risk, if they were ever to stumble across what I have written about here.

Closing

With "work" now underway on the "next chapter" in my life, I cannot say for certain how much time I will have available to contribute to the Steem blockchain in the next little while. My number one priority is to get the details worked out on some sort of employment "out there."

I will do my best to keep up with some engaging, etc. I am not gone. I may do some limited posting, but I cannot return to a fuller posting and engaging schedule until Priority #1 is taken care of.

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So, overall a very memorable month for @roleerob. Thank you for reading my monthly update. I trust you have found something of value in it and hopefully even some encouragement.

Until "next time," all the best to you for a better tomorrow, as we all work together to build our Steem Community! 👍 😊

Respectfully,
Steemian @roleerob

Posted using SteemPeak and “immutably enshrined in the blockchain” on Sunday, 3 March 2019!

Interested to read more of my monthly updates on my Steem "journey"? Great! Here you go:

• Update, Month 1: Engaged with a 4-Figure Stake in the Future
• Update, Month 2: Still Engaged with an Increased Stake and "Growing" ...
• Update, Month 3: Still (Somewhat) Engaged with an Increased Stake and "Recalibrating" ...
• Update, Month 5: Still Engaged with an Increased Stake and "Doubling Down" ... - Won @trufflepig's #1 "Truffle of the Day" award!
• Update, Month 6: "Fully" Engaged with Increased Stake and "Resolute" ... - Won @trufflepig's #1 "Truffle of the Day" award!
• Update, Month7: 🐬 Starting 2019 as a Dolphin! 🐬
  
  

_{This account is protected by @dustsweeper}