Changes and what may never change
You might have noticed the site running slowly for a few minutes and then, all of the changes that just flooded the system.
Before
After
I hope that wasn't Hivemind
Unfortunately, @acidyo's post was the only one open that hadn't refreshed so now it makes me feel inadequate. I actually don't know what else has changed other than most of the links on the site including the wallet. It looks like there is some more space between options too on the dropdown lists.
It is funny how fast the "old" UI gets wiped from memory. That 100 Steem sitting in my wallet will go to pay for delegation on Sunday. Pretty crazy really to think about that but, despite my initial misgivings about trialling it, because of the SBD spike it has allowed me to ditribute a great deal more to people who would have got much otherwise. It costs me though and not using it to its full potential on myself has cost me a massive amount also.
I always took the view that I can wear the cost if it helps others grow but for the last 6 months I have helped many people extract more. It is their choice what they do with the steem and SBD they get though, it is my choice whether I learn from it.
Talking of not taking advantage, @acidyo posted today about an upcoming bot for @ocd and you can tell by the tone, it was a hard decision for him to make. These are the times we live in though and as annoyed as I may be about people not using what I have distributed to power up and become active members, it is nothing in comparison to what he has sent out into the ecosystem for the last 2 odd years. It must feel pretty bad for one of the largest manual curators left to see the state of the platform, knowing what has been personally sacrificed for it.
It has not been easy to hold on to your stake for this long, trying to do what is good for the long term health of the platform and sacrificing rewards while most others are just maximizing theirs. Although I don't really prioritize money as much as some others do, it is not just about that. It is also about the future stake and influence over the rewardpool, knowing how many are earning so much more stake through SBD, whether they are just dumping it or using it to power up to have a bigger influence over the pool in the future but having been the first to drop curation or self-vote 100% to maximize gains is not something I am feeling reassured over that they will do what is best for the community in the future.
That is a quote from the post and a sentiment that I have held for a while also. I am not confident that maximizers and optimizers in any area or industry have what is best for the community at heart, especially when how they maximize is harmful to that community. But, on a stake based platform, it is going to be the stake that will make or break the community, and I plan on having some stake to at least have a chance at some influence over the reward pool in the future. A future that has a long way to go and many Hardforks in the road ahead.
It is definitely easy for those who haven't necessarily put a lot into this yet, haven't sunk their energy each day and have been working on the platform itself, working for engagement, to judge. Tonight I went to the shops to buy basics and had to check my account to see if I could cover it as the last 2 weeks has been monumentally destructive to our little account.
To those who have cashed out and are complaining about not getting manual votes, screw you and the horse you rode in on because I have been here supporting what I can, when I can with what I have as have many others at their own expense. Their own futures, their family's futures.
Six months of upvoting some people and they are still unable to provide a 1 cent vote (40 SP) to the community that has given them many hundreds and in some cases, many thousands of dollars in value. Makes me feel like an idiot and they might say, well, you could take some out too but, who the hell do they think is left to upvote them then? Sure, you might just use the platform for fun and don't care about the rewards, that is fine, decline payouts so that people can enjoy your posts and burn their VP on someone else. Yeah, people do care about payouts don't they?
I know that one day I hope to have a future where this struggle has less of an impact or at least, the struggle is much less financial and more about striving for a better world in other ways. Money is retarded in so many ways when the concept of it stops people having the space to flourish yet, that is the world we live in. We have to spend our energy chasing an illusion to collect enough of the magic to be able to give the concept to someone else so they can return to us what we need to continue our growth. Pretty bloody stupid system if you ask me but, who the hell is going to willingly volunteer their resources without a return of some kind? What kind of psycho would help people at their own expense?
This platform has so much potential yet is also so broken is no many ways but, it isn't the bots or, distribution and definitely not the rudimentary UI, it is you and me, we, the people. The ones that despite all of our words of freedom are unwilling to do any more than free ourselves by enslaving others, by reducing others.
So many people here say if I had the Steem to... but the numbers tell the true story, most people will never have the Steem to do anything as most people on the platform have extracted what they have earned while complaining about others who have more than them.
129,866
That is my ID, there are 129,865 accounts that were started before mine. How the hell am I in the top 400 Steem Power holders when my average posts are 10 dollars? Yep, I got lucky at times, I got some support at times but, damn, you do not know what I have had to do to get to this point. I would suggest, that you cannot even imagine it, let alone do it. And still, at least 50 percent of all my potential goes into the community.
I don't know everything @acidyo has planned but, I would back him as a community orientated stakeholder over just about anyone else I have ever encountered on this platform. They are so few and far between and the potential he has given the community rather than to himself has likely cost him millions in the future. But, those millions he has foregone in the future, have gotten sold for hundreds over the last two years.
There is a massive sense of entitlement and a massive lack of gratitude for what others do on this platform. While some people work, others sit back, while people are developing,others are criticizing. While some think they have the best of the platform at heart, how are they supporting it? For the vast majority it isn't with voting power so, what do they offer for their place here?
This is the thing with being a part of a community, there is always a cost. I am paying mine and a few others are paying theirs but, it isn't sustainable. The lower end needs to grow themselves too, the higher end needs to distribute some so they can. But, even when the higher end does, how many from the lower are powering it up to add their voice to the collective, to support others? You can't pay any forward if you have already spent it.
And, this is the problem with power isn't it? When human behavior indicates that it is better in my hands, than yours.
The cycle of charity and tyranny, oppression and privilege continues. Life chasing illusion.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
Maybe I'm naive? But I want to push back against you on todays post.
Are you worried that their selfish power downs and cashouts will kill steem? Or steemit?
Or just lamenting that steemit isnt growing as it would have if more people were eagerly reinvesting?
People do reinvest, I reinvest. People do curate and content create, I do. People do invest in and work to grow steemit, I do. Not all, maybe not most people but I am hopeful that enough do.
Do you disagree? Are you hopeful or just over it?
I hope you remain hopeful. I like your content. Thanks. Please keep working to encourage growth and commitment, but I do wish you'd be more hopeful.
No, not enough do which is why the bidbot market is flourishing. If enough people had powered up enough stake, they would have a decent pull on the pool also but, most stake is in bidbots now. There are 60,000 active accounts a week. only 1500 have more than 5000 SP, most of that is in bots or sold delegations which are used to self-vote at 100% to pay it off and make a little profit. There is definitely not enough free SP in the pool to maintain the 58,000 accounts who are active and have less than 500 SP, 48,000 of them with less than 100 SP and Most of them with only 15 SP (these numbers are approx) but, all want to earn without paying for it and very few can give anything to the community.
I have hope but then, I have SP too.
Do you mean that I will get some delegation on Sunday? 😂
I am very curious how this bot will differ from the other ones!
I am number 512xxx and even I am almost within the top 10k.
And to be honest I am not the best writer in the world! You know because I did score an upvote from you once (I mean on my own posts)
I do see that there are a lot of genuine Steemians trying to climb the ladder.
I decided today that I will support one untilhe/she gets to 50 Sp and then pock another one. You learned me that the stronger I am the more I can support other. And I have to admit that I maybe didn’t upvote your posts enough because most of them deserve a 100 % upvote.
The problem for is that I am always running out of power. Trying to keep above 80 these days.
Luck was maybe involved but to hineat you just write great posts (okay not all of them but at least one a day).
So yes you deserve tour spot!
Cheers,
Peter
It isn't about my posts, it is about any posts tha are of some kind of quality. if 100,000 more people could offer a cent.. that is literally 40 SP, it would make a difference.
It for sure would. But why don't they? That is the big question. Losts of them get lost, others don't understand how things go around here and others are just powering down I guess!
Would it be useful for you if I accelerated the timeline for automating and open-sourcing my tool for tracking the SP of accounts? That needs to happen pretty soon anyway but I was thinking it might be fall; I could probably move it up to July at least.
I wonder about adding an account-growth score of some sort to it. Though people seem to be just as angry at accounts that grow quickly as at those that don't grow at all.
It does sound interesting but take your time and do it right :)
Hi Taraz. I think the most telling and sad figure you have posted yet is the number 129 866. You are in the top 400 that is an achievement. I am not saying that is bad or am I? You shouldn't be close to the top 400 should you. Where are the other 129 466 members? Yes you would have climbed up using your natural talents and work ethic but jumping up by that number. You must have been shocked when you first saw that and can understand why you are pulling for everyone to pull in one direction.
It really surprised me considering some of the people on here were getting posts for thousands and collecting very cheap steem returns. remember that at 7 cent steem i was happy to get a dollar post but that was ~15 steem worth. Others where getting 50 dollar posts at that time still. 700 steem.
That makes it even worse. I didn't realize that.
"Kill the messiah," they cried, demanding their wretched ways be not threatened. Better the devil they know, they reasoned as they hoarded the little crumbs they felt was all they deserved. Everyone knew that one didn't share crumbs with the neighbors. No one shares them with me, why should I share any of mine, they reasoned?
The messiah sighed as he heard them clamoring about outside. Their greed having fueled their violence as they demanded more from him. Demanded more as they refused to become that which they wanted from him. He had really wanted the best for them, sacrificing more for them than he should have, his followers told him. He could see their nervousness as they glanced at him fearfully.
Despite the gravity of the situation, he found himself smiling. Despite the thousands who had listened without hearing, these few here with him now had. They would carry on his message to others, becoming messiahs in their own right. This battle may be closing, but the war had only begun.
@tarazkp, I understand from just the short time I have been here how frustrating this all must be for those of you putting in the effort for awhile now. Not sure if in any way what I say here can help you feel any semblance of peace with the results of your efforts for the community. But you do have an effect here. From the story above, I am one of those few who have listened and heard. There are others here as well, I encounter them every day. They pull me several times a week to push my voting power into the low 70's. Because they are worthy and I want them staying and doing what they do.
We are coming to join you in our stake holdings. Not all of us feel entitled, so please don't feel your actions here haven't mattered. You may be one of the single most influential people on how i approach this platform as I have weighed many of your posts carefully against what I see taking place.
And maybe the power is better in your hands. Let others earn their power. If they want more, let them rent it like I do, until such a time it is at a level they feel no need.
I have absolutely no idea what the answers are . I struggle every day looking at the question . the amount of time I spend here on Steemit on a daily basises would make the average person laugh . Time does not equal effort but if you have to you make the time in order to produce the effort . no matter how small or large it produces .
The learning curve is high and the only way to overcome it is with time and effort
If one is not getting the results desired then time and effort is required . Or you can through a line in the sea and hope a whale bites your hook . Hope in one hand and shit in the other which one fills up faster . Then of course you could always rely on the old adage of failure , its not my fault . The whales are not doing enough . because as a minnow you have the inside track on what they are doing .
Nothing in this world is free . For the life of me I do not understand how people don't know this
experience. or, lack thereof.
I notice the change on my account too of recent but what I thought was probably it's the network am using that caused it never knew it a new change.
You very much on point with your words about this community but I would like to ask what can a minnow with $0.002 give back to the community? Aside that I think there's politics every, basically you played your own row here but there are some big guns out there who don't care about giving a penny back all they're after is themselves. Although change begins with you and I but the big guns here need to step up and from there we would see what gonna happen. Not to forget this is my own opinion thanks.
There aren't many big guns when there are only about 1500 accounts over 5000 SP but 998,000 under 100.
1500 can also make the change but I guess it probably 30 outta the 1500 that as a heart of gold. And for does under 100 it not really easy to grow here it take a lot of dedication and hard work and for does outside this number I think most of them take this community as a business and investment their money on it. Must people under 100 just earn and spend without investment and that's because they have to pay their bills. My opinion though.
Everyone has bills to pay, I know I have a wad of them, and many more coming.
You're right but we are more financial okay than one another.
Thank you for another insightful post that helps me (and others in my position) to better understand the whole workings of steemit, SP etc. For people starting out on this, it is extremely difficult to know what is good and what is harmful for the community and how I can be a useful part of it. I know you can read up on pretty much everything but that takes more time than I have, and it's not easy to always know which opinions and values are in line with mine. I find myself agreeing with what you are saying a whole lot, @tarazkp, so I trust that I also agree with what you say about things I don't understand so well (yet). I much appreciate your contributions and I like learning from you. Slowly but surely things are starting to make sense and I can figure out where I fit in.
Is not easy to change the mentality of people. Today I called out some people about cashing out and not invest in SP on a discord server of spanish speakers and I was criticized and almost insulted by two ofended users that asked me if I'm a millonaire. Hahaha I'm just a dude facing the same economic crisis as they do.