I recall working in sales in Key West in the mid 1990s. At that time, the Internet was still a new thing to most of us. One of my prospects was a guy who was involved in web site design. He was one of the forerunners offering that service in the area.
His company, which was him, would build websites for companies that needed it. I remember him explaining that he learned Java for that. I was thinking what the hell does coffee have to do with this?
The pages were all static and, if memory serves me, he was charging $250 per hour. Of course, any changes had to be done by him. This meant another fee to the company if they wanted something different on there. Obviously, most companies did not have the money to have full time website people on staff. At the same time, there weren't a ton of people out there with this guy's ability. Do not forget there were few geeks running around.
We all know the Internet changed greatly from that time period. One of the biggest advancements was done by Wordpress. The entity is probably responsible for more websites than any single one out there.
What was Wordpress' secret? They made designing a website simple. They created templates which allowed novice people to create what they wanted. It was a simple process which most anyone could do. Essentially, they brought website design to the masses and they offered the service for FREE.
Certainly, we know there are paid services that Wordpress offers which is what allows them to stay in business. However, for someone who is setting up something simple, Wordpress offered all the tools at no charge. This led to a massive explosion of sites.
Even today, many of the world's most known sites are built upon Wordpress. Publications like the NY Times and Wall Street Journal are clients of theirs.
Are we starting to see a parallel on Steem?
We know there are few blockchain designers out there at this time. It is still a new industry. Unlike the 1990s, there are a ton of geeks running around. People with programming skills are all over the place. This is making the conversion much easier.
Of late, we saw a number of announcements by the PALnet team about their future plans. This is exciting because it is really something that is offering simplicity to the masses. The idea of providing a template for everyone to follow which can support any type of community is ground breaking. From what was stated, communities will have the ability to not only create their own token, but also have blogging, live streaming, video uploads, and a forum all housed under one Tribe (website).
This really helps to drive home the vision of Steem. It is not a blogging platform even though that capability if offered. It is not even a social media platform.
Instead, we see Steem evolving into a platform that allows people to easily place projects on the blockchain. Like Wordpress did with the website years ago, Steem is looking at doing for blockchain.
We are finally to the point where there are enough tools developed that allow for further innovation. This is how we see the development rate grow exponentially. Open source software allows for a lot of shortcuts since programs do not have to be coded from line 1. This makes things a lot easier for the entire community.
I predict we will see more activity on the growth, both development and in projects, than we saw the past 3 years. The pace is accelerating with what is taking place. Having tools that provide turnkey solutions make a huge difference.
The blockchain also had a built in advantage. Steem is Fast AND Free. This sets it apart from many other blockchains. Never do you hear an issue raised about the cost of transacting. This same is not true for those chains that have mining charges which can get out of hand at times. We also see situations where the cost of RAM can go through the roof. Steem does not have these issues.
We are entering a time when blockchain could be starting the transition for geek/mega-corporation to the average Jane or Joe. Mass adoption is still further down the road yet it is coming.
It is vital to remember we are in the ultra early stages of development. That said, I expect things to evolve quickly.
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Thank-you kindly @taskmaster4450, for this morning dose of hopium to go with my morning cuppa herbal tea aka java. Love seeing this platform grow & grow! Have a wonderful day! ;-)
It is easy to be optimistic when one truly looks at what is taking place. Delving deep yields great rewards. There is a lot of negativity from those who focus upon the surface problems while missing the larger picture. It is easy to do since it does require a great deal of time and insight to thread the needle. Technology, for all its chaos, does have a model it tends to follow. This makes it a bit more predictable than most people thing.
At the core of all that is on here is technology. Hence we can see how the progression mirrors what took place before it. Some laugh this off like mythology of yore. Yet, for those who sit back patiently, things start to unfold clearly.
I started writing about this on here a little under 2 years ago. After being called a fanboy and Steemit Cheerleader, others are starting to see what was clear to me back then. Open source software built upon a cooperative platform is very powerful.
I think that might be the basis for another post. Stay tuned. 😘
I definitely think this is the basis for another post. Your optimism is always refreshing. I simply feel bad for those who call you a cheerleader. They miss the point which is having a vision and a passion for something greater than yourself. They will never understand the deep sense of well-being that comes from this. Your analogy of WordPress and Steem is on point 🙌🏽 Never stop doing what you’re doing man!
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I would love to see someone build a front end for Steem that offered the customization that Wordpress offers. It probably wouldn't even be that hard.
You may want to talk to people behind @engrave
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I think Steem Engine is doing exactly that. With their idea of Tribes and offering the service for anyone to create their own front end with videos, written content and a forum (and who knows what else is to come). The interface may seem crude now, but WordPress was also crude in the beginning — hell, I was developing on there even a few years ago and it wasn’t all that intuitive.
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Thanks for sharing this valuable information @taskmaster4450 and have a great weekend.
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