I just don't get what you're after, @ebryans
It's not like you're going to divert people from their voting preferences by parroting the same ambiguous message 15 times within the same post. All that you're accomplishing here, by acting the way that you are, is getting more people to make a note of avoiding you (and your content) in the future.
That's my honest assessment.
You may well be right ... I may be crazy - Billy Joel
I am the arse who sees things for what they are and exposes the Truth.
I have no personal vendetta, I just see how a great idea has poor protocols and is being exploited by people who have been entrusted with the pollination of this platform.
120,000 have signed up - about 4,000 active names, many of which are duplicates - 67 names hold 80% - ok - take out steemit - about 180 - is this the model upon which this was built? Guilds are over 50% whales/dolphins - was that the idea?
My disposition requires integrity ... to my loss ... to your gain!
Namaste
I understand your position and I'm not blind to the issues that you pointed out.
If you don't mind me positing a bit of my own philosophy into this discussion, I'm convinced that every monetary system MUST work out to this heavily skewed distribution, in favor of those responsible for bringing it to society, because of the simple fact that it's designed by humans and it's our nature to rig/manipulate conditions, when and where we can do it with relatively little risk involved, in order to secure the most peace of mind for ourselves and those whom we care about.
It all comes back to the Darwinian model of evolution - survival of the fittest. We seek out efficient methods to secure as many resources as we can, ideally without bringing ourselves too much negative attention, as a means to put ourselves and our genetic line into the best position to thrive. It can be difficult to notice this happening in real-time, at the individual and community level, because society is so complex and it creates so many risk factors to consider that it tends to cause people to hesitate and become indecisive, regarding their inner drive to "take the world and make it [his/her] own". That being said, some people find the courage to risk life and limb at the chance to "enter the club" of the elite, which are generally ancestors of a bloodline that managed to set up a system that would secure a replenishing supply of resources for several generations.
To me, Steemit is an example of a small group of people whom decided that the potential rewards of setting up a rigged system were worth the potential risks (possible law/ regulatory issues with the government/ IRS, and let's not forget about all of the crazy lawsuits that happen in the great US of A, to name a few). 100 times out of 100, individuals in this type of position will set up their system(s) to favor themselves, in some way - at the very least, to give themselves a leg up on the competition. As I've alluded to, this is only human nature. I, for one, will not judge them harshly for it, because, I see it, to get down to the most basic level, as a collection of trillions of cells pushing to achieve the "next level" of security and thriving conditions for their next division and future divisions. They're driven by an impulse that we all share, at a most core level, only some happen to be more predisposed to suppress it and/or condemn acting on it.
The way I see it: you're fighting a battle against a collective human psyche that's had little to no evolution since the inception of humanity and stands little chance of making any noteworthy headway in the millenniums to come. Indeed, you're exposing a nasty truth, but you aren't really changing anything by bringing light to it. Rather, you're confirming something that we've long known about ourselves, which most of us readily admit to ourselves - we're greedy/ selfish/ manipulative creatures.
In other words, it's a futile pursuit...
...in my opinion, of course.
Wow! What a wonderful and well composed riposte - it is not often that I hear such acumen.
I agree to a very great extent until it gets to the point where the reality is realised and the action is taken. Steemit and steem are symbiotic - 100%. Neither are the blockchain - that is entirely indpendant. If this steemit is to prevail, there has to be a distribution of ownership which is seen to be beneficial to the steemit community. At present I hope you would see that there has been very little genuine demonstrable benefit.
The selling down of SP is a fear which the whole steem community is afraid of.
I strongly suspect that there are background buyers of steem to support the price.
In the meantime the data is hardly compelling: 120,000 subscribers and about 4,000 active accounts in about 6 months.
Over 80% of the value is held by the top 67 names.
How is this great idea going to achieve sustainable value?
The value will be achieved through a burgeoning of the subscriber base to a level which a Capital Markets perspective will deem 'real'.
At present nobody could deem this 'real' because there are too many fake accounts and the system relies upon votes for posts which are barely read.
I am one of the few who actually reads - though I do have an auto voting account. (Just demonstrating my adherence to integrity).
If steem, as a cryptocurrency disappeared tomorrow, the world would not even blink, let alone shed a tear.
So, what are the parameters? The parameter which is most acutely pressing is time. Over the next few months there will be further reward for content social media platforms and their functionality will show steemit up for what it is - poor.
The functionality of steemit is not just poor, it is antediluvian!
Would you join it were there no rewards?
Not a cat's chance in hell! No messaging, no voip, no storing of posts - it is possibly the worst functionality of all sites in the world, disregarding rewards!
So, how is it going to succeed?
If it is going to succeed it has to succeed fast - 'busy' - almost a cousin or step-brother to steemit is coming soon, 'yours' is too - I bet there are many more quietly watching.
If the power elite believe that the retention of SP is to their advantage, they will qualify for one of the most outstanding Darwin Awards ever - RIP!
I fight this fight because I have come across writers whom I admire. I read the posts, unlike the vast majority.
They will find a new outlet.
Steem, upon its current course, is more than mortally wounded by its system of command. A great idea; bad protocol; simply diabolical expression of control by a bunch of absolute prats.
Namaste.