The idea for this challenge popped into my head yesterday.

The first two questions, anyway. What kind of challenge only has 2 questions though? I took a few more minutes thinking of the other 3 things I would like to know.

Really it's kind of a survey/interview. However you want to look at it, it will be a great way for others to get to know you. I'm really hoping to get a large response to this from every corner of steem. When I say steem, I mean those on Steemit, dtube, and all other applications connected to the blockchain. I want redfish, minnows, dolphins, whales. I would especially like to know more about some of our witnesses! Then after the challenge dies down, my desire is to write up a report on the findings. Hopefully it will be a fun experience for you to share with us as well!

Earlier this year, when the love it/shove it challenge was circulating, the questions were so easy! 5 things you love, 5 things you don't. The end. Well, deciding on the answers for these questions may be a little more like a real challenge. It was for me anyway.

Forgive me if the questions seem strangely worded. Yesterday, I was corrected away from using the word Steemit as a blanket term for everyone. Since we have so many other applications now, I should have been saying "steem/the steem platform/the steem ecosystem." I still use Steemit.com primarily, and the changes I made in the wording of these questions just don't flow right to me. Whatever, I'm over thinking it lol!

So without further ado...

1.) In my opinion, what are the two greatest aspects of the steem platform?

First off, the freedom to express ourselves without censorship. Steem is where all the people on the fringe go because we are able to express ourselves without fear. We are the misfits, the dreamers, the outside-the-box thinkers, and this is our place to be free! When we create a post or write a comment, 99% of the time we can expect to be treated with respect. I can guarantee that those from the mainstream who find themselves here hold back, because they are outnumbered. We own this place!

The second best reason for being here for me, is the act of creating a post. From the birth of an idea, to finding the right words and phrases, to choosing the right images, to putting it all together in a cohesive way, editing it, and finally sharing it. Then after I share it I read it over, and realize there are still mistakes because of the stupid autocorrect turning to into too, or were into we're. 😂 I love the process though.

2.) What are the 2 largest complaints I have concerning the Steem platform?

Well, one complaint I have is we are losing some wonderful people! Sure it's cozy and all with the few of you who are still here, but this is not good!! I was so surprised to see who some of the inactive users were when I was going through my following list yesterday. Some of them I only interacted with once or twice, but I miss their presence nonetheless. Yes, STEEM is down, but that's not the only reason people are leaving.

Also, I'm just going to come out and say it. WE DESERVE BETTER! I don't want to be reminded of the reasons why we aren't getting what we deserve, and I don't know what I can do about it. It's a matter of right and wrong. Things aren't how they should be. It's not right that a person should spend hours on an amazing product, and not be compensated accordingly. It's not right that some of you have been tirelessly working for the health of the platform for years now, and you earn very little for your efforts. We ought to be thriving!! I could go on, but I'll stop here.

3.) What 2 moments are the most memorable to me?

The first memorable moment I will share is when grumpycat and his dog madpuppy gave me very large upvotes when I ruthlessly criticized them. I couldn't figure out why he would do that and was wracking my brain over it for days. Glad they are gone, good riddance.

Secondly, @papa-pepper's selfie challenge has gotta be up there in the top 2! Not just one moment, but the whole thing. So much fun! By the way @papa-pepper, are you planning another one soon?

4.) What are the two most important lessons I've learned in my time as a Steemian?

Lesson number one: Be knowledgeable about your surroundings before bashing the way other people do things. I wrote one post a long time ago that I regret. In it I made a case against self- upvoting. I also was rude toward those who upvote themselves in my post, without even getting an idea of how many people actually do it! As a headstrong newbie that didn't even know what she was doing half the time, I just went full barrel with my opinion. People on both sides of the fence responded and argued about it, and I lost some followers over it. Now my view has changed, and I really don't care if you self-vote or not.

Lesson #2: Stepping forward in imperfection is better than just staying where you are. @bigtakosensei said something like this to me when I was new. I was afraid to post due to insecurities about not being good enough. His advice got me started! I realized the wisdom of his words and began posting.

5.) Out of my entire time here, what 2 posts am I most proud of?

The first post I will highlight is my mbti article. It is not perfect, but it was the longest time I've ever spent on an article. I think it took 6 hours or so to think of what advice would be relevant to each of the 16 different personality types. Then I found memes on Pinterest for each type to go along with the advice. Even though I mentioned where I got the images in my post, I was accused of not properly sourcing them, but I fixed it, and it was all good. It didn't make much, and it didn't get much attention, but I'm still proud.

The second post I am most proud of is my highest paying post. It's a CPS article that @familyprotection and @canadian-coconut upvoted, and I was thrilled. Then, I checked back on it later and someone who I barely see around named @jamesc upvoted it, and it jumped to more than $170. I couldn't believe my eyes! Good times.

So here's where you come in! Answer these questions in a post, tag however many people you would like, and use the tag #steemandme.

To start this off, I will tag @c0ff33a, @r0nd0, @katrina-ariel, @saffisara, @crescendoofpeace, @honeydue, @timcliff, @empress-eremmy, @jaynie, @abh12345, @ihashblox, @acidyo, @papa-pepper, @paradise-found, @surpassinggoogle.

If you're not tagged, it might be that I thought you wouldn't want to be tagged. Consider participating in this challenge anyway. 🙂 If you are tagged, and you didn't want to be, I apologise.

Have fun!

Love, snowpea ❤