As I am new to Steemit, I do not understand what a 'witness' for Steemit means. I have read your first 'witness' report and am truly lost, as I do not understand half of what you described. Although I am not technologically stupid, I am not anywhere near as tech-savvy as you. Forgive my ignorance. I would be interested in what a 'witness' does for Steemit, but please send the information in small amounts and in layman's terms (lol). From what I read, I would likely have questions even about some of the basic things you 'witnesses' do.
I did catch on, however, that you are dedicated to this site. I am truly honored by your upvote to my first post. Thank you very much.
Witnesses have 3 roles for Steemit:
Technical
They rune nodes (i.e. a software on a server) that ensure steem network security. Every blockchain runs similar infrastructure to enable its decentralization concept. They also have to ensure their node are available 24/7 to provide network reliability and low latency.
Social/Political
Witnesses do their best to promote Steemit and attract new users. They relay information from developers to people and from people to devs. They act a bit like a hub.
They also have to make this community a living one. This is why I welcome new authors ;)
Economic
They monitor relation between the cryptocurrency (STEEM) and "external" world. They have to regularly publish a price feed to define the value of STEEM token.
Hope this help.
Thanks, understand the first two, but the third one threw me for a loop, LOL. But, I'm so new to cryptocurrency I squeak when the word gets near. I'll get it, though, eventually. I've caught on to many confusing things in life and I have somewhat of an accounting background. Once my mind is in the right frame, it will all click.
Thanks again, :-)
Oh, and I appreciate and respect what you do. Thank you for doing it.