Improving Steem: Tools of the Trade

There are lots of complaints about Steemit/Steem and he way it handles the organisation of data for things like Trending however, there is very little to be done without applying algorithms of some sort. But currently, this has its own challenges as the data itself doesn't give a great deal of filtering options as it is fairly rudimentary, meaning, there are only so many data points to use as filters.

Like I mentioned last night in my post about some possible uses for Reaction, Hivemind is going to add a great deal more data points that are much more community orientated. This means that stackable filters can be applied and increase the range of variations possible exponentially.

Essentially, with more diverse data sets, developers will have the tools available to be able to create the filters and algorithms required to much more accurately and compellingly build community focused interfaces, apps and Dapps that can more usefully service niche markets.

This is going to be great for the communities to build themselves around. And, if the ease of accessing and using the data is also improved, the hurdles to enter into the interface market place is reduced so we are likely to see more specialized options being born. Great.

Another thing that is going to get very interesting is that with more data points and patterned usage statistics available, interactions of accounts are also going to become easier to identify and potentially, the system harder to game, at least on the large scales we are seeing now.

For example, it should become increasingly easy to see what is human or bot interaction by following the way an account operates ad create various filters that adjust for them in numerous ways. For example, an interface might filter out all bot comments and be able to catch a great deal of them. The bots will evolve too of course but, this puts the cost in time and development to use them up which may discourage some current users.

The us of filters is of course going to lead into areas of censorship concern even though technically, everything will still be viewable on the blockchain. However, this has other benefits for thing like under 18 content, education and just general search functions.

With more data points, there is the opportunity for a decent blockchain browser to be created that can present findings in a much more sensitive and usable way. This could of course lead to various other implications such as an SMT having longer than 7 day payouts by keeping content open on their platforms longer.

If we only have a hammer, nails and planks of wood to build a house from, no matter how skilled the craftsperson, there is only so much that can be created. At the moment, the blockchain and scaling issues Steemit Inc. is spending their time developing is the foundation we as a community will build upon and we want the foundation to be able to support a very large, interesting and diverse building.

It is frustrating to see all of the issues going on here and assume nothing is happening but, the foundation is the most important stage of the building as it will shape what is to come. Hivemind and HF20 however will hopefully drop new materials and tools that we can use to start building up and out and that is going to include walls, new apps, interfaces and filters.

It will be these things that attract niche users and specialized funding in the future as content/usage specific interfaces will compartmentalize needs. Music, charity, art, science content and the like will all be anchored to the blockchain but act very independently of each other. In time, the blockchain loses its public persona and just becomes an invisible infrastructure that most users will never need to concern themselves with. this is what will signify mainstream.

The other thing I am excited about with the coming data sets is that not only will the discovery potential of bad actors be increased, there will be tools available for interfaces to limit the harm they can do and potentially with some clever code, demonetize and shut them out almost completely. Of course, no one can complain abut this as 'Code is Law'. There are always ways to game systems but perhaps these changes puts some power back in community hands.

I am not a coder/developer type but I am very interested to see how all of these things are going to come together and whether the additional tools will be used to creatively help this place reach its global potential. At the moment, most of the apps are trying to replace the centralized versions, perhaps soon they will not only be better able to mimic them, but outperform them in usability too. It could also be that since all of this is opensource, all new ideas develop that the world hasn't seen before.

Pretty exciting times ahead. Or at least, it isn't all doom and gloom.

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]