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I'm not the right person to ask as I haven't mined Steem....one of the witnesses should be able to answer.

@onthewayout had an answer that I can understand, especially with the comments by @proskynneo. There is a lot to take in, for folks like me that are new to the cryptocurrency world, that's for sure! So nice work in providing some explanations in understandable terms!

It was new to me 8 months ago, and I finally figured out what a blockchain really is.

And then there's still more to figure out == specifically how the Steemit blockchain works, how that's different from other blockchain projects, and why the Steemit blockchain then should have more value over the long term than others. So much -- it's so cool.

What is being removed is the Proof of Work mining (POW). The majority of the blocks are produced via Delegated Proof of Stake (DPOS) by the Witnesses.
Currently 1 out of every 21 blocks is produced with POW. The other 20 are produced via DPOS.

Thanks. That actually helps me understand this, with the comments elsewhere here. So the witnesses get assigned a place line to create blocks. Will every block be produced by only one witness, then? If so, how do they ensure that the one witness produced the block correctly? In the video, being able to compare the hash for a block was an important part of ensuring that the chain has not been corrupted somehow. Thanks!

The way i understand it is that if a witness is unable to produce a valid block the next witness in line will do it.

Thanks. I do wonder how they are ensuring that each block is valid -- without relying on that one witness to say that it is. Maybe someone will post a nice video or graphic sometime. Learning about blockchain technology is one of the side-benefits of Steemit for me. A little at a time, lol! Thanks again! : )