The idea of it being a ponzi scheme is such useless FUD. I mean, I haven't invested one cent into this thing, yet I have about $200 worth of value in cryptocurrencies that I've converted from steemit earnings and an account that's worth over $100. So, like... that's something.
People really just seem to be afraid of new technology. And I get that. I've seen websites since forever that claim to pay out for doing nothing, and they're always a scam of some kind and never pay out -- there's usually some catch like "you can cash out once you've referred 100 friends!" or somesuch bullshit. Steemit is not that. It's really the first promise of its kind... it's moral, it's sound tech, it pays out, it costs nothing to join.
This is the future.
I agree, but we have to overcome the ignorance and suspicion. I proved to myself that it's simple to withdraw even a small amount. I used Tsu, but you needed to get to $100 to cash out and that took me a year! Mind you, that had to be manually verified by the company. We can be the pioneers who prove that it works and can benefit by building up a 'good head of Steem' before the masses pile in.
I'm legitimately excited about all of this. And actually, our conversation here inspired my next video: https://steemit.com/video/@shayne/the-power-of-steemit