Equality Hardfork Is Here
Today has been one of the most interesting days ever for me on Steemit. I have been waiting for linear rewards for a long time now. My most successful post ever was about Linear Rewards and I explain there that I think it can make Steemit what it was meant to be.
It seems clear to me that if influence is directly proportional to stake, instead of concentrated to the highest stake holders, there is more of a possibility for consensus.
It Depends On Us
Not only do smaller stake holders now have more influence, we have more voting power on each vote. We only have 10 full power votes before we start losing voting power, but if you scale it back to 25% you could still vote on 40 posts.
Personally, I will be paying a lot more attention to the percentage I'm voting on. My vote was worth about 20 cents yesterday and now my full upvote is worth about $8. With more power comes more responsibility. I will not vote for curation rewards.
I will vote on what I find value in and if we all do that, the trending page will change for the better. I will be using different percentages based on how much value I find in the post and I will never vote purely for curation reward. In fact, I will look to give rewards to good posts that are undervalued.
As happy as I am to see the new hardfork, today is also the day that I realized that the projects that I have been working may not be sustainable for me to carry on into the future. I guess it may be time to let others run with it and go back to the drawing board to see how I can continue to bring value to the platform.
SteemFest Dreams
Today, I noticed the top trending post is to give someone a free trip to SteemFest 2! I have been trying to do that with my @steemfestdreams account since last year. The campaign was able help some people go to SteemFest, but never got the kind of support that I have seen these new contests receive.
The latest @steemfestdreams post was effected very positively by the hard fork and there is still going to be at least one more big payout to someone and I am thankful that the account has done that. But, now that people like @theprophet0, @joseph, and @aggroed are showing people how it's done, I think @steemfestdreams will get phased out.
It is kind of bitter sweet to realize that @steemfestdreams will most likely come to an end because now people with more stake can do it better. It was never a profitable venture for me and took up more time than I ever originally intended it to, anyway. Even though I was only a small part of @everlove's journey last year and @jacobts's this year, I am very happy about those successes!
SteemSpeak
As I have written about in pretty much all of my last several posts, SteemSpeak has been one of my favorite things I have found through Steemit. I have been saying for a while now that the conversations in SteemSpeak are often so entertaining and informational that there should be some kind of post that showcases some of those conversations.
People seemed to like the idea and be ok with SteemSpeak being recorded so @fyrstikken let me make a post. Today, the hardfork would have more than doubled it, but then for some reason it got flagged. It is still worth what it was so it's not that big of a deal I guess, but it does make me wonder what will happen with the future of that project if major stake holders are against it for some reason.
Pity Party
I know I am being a whiny bitch today, but I guess I am using Steemit as a counselor. I guess that's probably a horrible idea, but I have only ever tried to write about what I am thinking and feeling - just sharing as openly and honestly as I can.
I am losing my father to a horrible disease along with dimentia and a lot of things that have been a part of my life are falling apart right now. Steemit has been kind of an escape for me for the past year. Steemit has actually given me more hope for the future than I have had in a long time.
It's funny that just typing all of this out, is bit like a counseling session it self. Just to try to put my feelings into words. Now I'll probably be sitting here trying to decide if I should clear it or post it.
SteemSpeak is Awesome
So after writing all that, I got on SteemSpeak and just let it all out and the friends that I have there made me feel 10x better. I realize, thanks to @seablue, that part of the journey includes good things coming to an end. I am already starting to think about new possible projects and ways to evolve current ones.
As long as I have a goal and something to work on, something to look forward to, I will be happy. There is so much to work on, how could I not be happy. This was more of a stream of consciousness post than I normally do, so I hope it reads ok.
Steem is better now for sure. The production will really get people using the platform and loving the outcome of doing so!
STEEM is better now! Ready for collaboration!
I strongly agree with you. The concept explained in this post is truly powerful. Together we can make community a lot better.
This post received a 1.9% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @codebreaker! For more information, click here!
This fork will allow newer undiscovered talent to rise to the top and ultimately help accelerate growth for Steemit overall. This is a win/win for EVERYONE!
I think it will definitely ramp up user engagement and hopefully improve the trending page.
Is that why I've all the sudden received Steem "money" - because of this fork? Where can I find more information about this...
Let us spread the word about steem to all our friends and family! No holding back now!
Steem user right now:
hahahah!
You made my day :)
That was what a couple of my friends doing 5 mins ago
Yes same here haha, we are kindy open-mouthed here and hope they wont change this update. At the moment its kindy too good to be true
This is so true :)
So many things in one post. That's a good one.
I'm so sorry to hear about your dad's illness. I wish he gets better.
Your life should not fall apart right now. You are still very important to us. Take it easy with yourself. Things are yet going to be okay.
I also like your idea of voting not just for the curation rewards. Keep it up!
Hello @richardcrill ! I find this post to be quite interesting, and I am also finding the HF19 to be an amazing event. I've been posting, voting, resteeming, following, and checking all kinds of content today and I can only say I love the community and the STEEMIT platform here more and more every minute.
It's because quality people like you, with great ideas, that this community is booming. I agree with you 100% on the quality of the content, and I do the same thing you do, which is only resteeming the good content for my followers :)
You have my full support, keep it up, and good luck with your future plans and ideas! All the best.
Good post, sorry to hear about your father man, must be hard.
I didn't know about your steemfestdreams project...it was a good thing you did. Anyway, you could re-frame this as an opportunity to do something even better. When you'll look back at this moment, you'll realize it wouldn't have been possible if you wouldn't let go the old project...so what i'm saying is that it might all turn better in the end :)
I think you are right. Thanks for the comment
Sorry for what you are going through with your dad. Hang in there. I know new users love the increased clout and will become more engaged. I guess it is difficult for me to related to how someone with a large steem power account might look at it. What influence brought on by the change do you fear the most?
I don't fear any part of it. I am glad it has finally been done. I think the future is very positive for us all because of the changes. It is still up to us to do it of course, so time will tell, but I expect voting behavior to improve as well. There is the opportunity for even more of a circle jerk, but I think we will use our voting power wisely. I know I feel more of a responsibility already.
Thanks for the encouraging response. I have enjoyed using steemit and know that human behavior is tough to predict. Just wondering what unintended consequences the changes will create. I will hope along with you that we will use our votes unselfishly, to recognize what is excellent and useful, not just try to game the system. Again, hope you can persevere through the tough things you are going through.
May you be at peace with your father's condition. My father passed away in July of 2014 after contending with colon cancer for two years. Fortunately, I was able to move back to my home state of PA at the time to spend his last two years with him and my mother. If you have that same opportunity, I would say go for it regardless of your past relationship with him. My father had his issues, but he always let me be me, and there isn't much more a parent can give to a child than that.
That's awesome that you were able to do that for your father. I'm sorry to hear that ya'll went through that. I actually moved to where I live now about 2 years ago so I could help take care of my father. I am so thankful for the time I have with him. Thank you for the kind words.