I think people come for community and shared interests as well. Money and freedom are quite individual attributes, whereas what makes Steem fun and valuable is the social interaction. Sometimes this verges towards the dramatic - some people enjoy that and I must admit that, although I don't engage with it, I do sometimes enjoy watching it play out - and sometimes it's a bit quiet, like being in the pub and there's no one to play darts with. But generally, on the whole, I've made some good friends and come into contact with a whole range of people with similar interests ... or they just know things :)
It's also a great place for learning, whether that's an interest, or about the blockchain itself. That, I find infinitely interesting, and the ingenious way that people develop to both game the system and to counter people gaming the system. Rapid, fearless iteration!
We haven't even started to see what social and economic benefits Steem can bring, I'm not sure we can even imagine them yet, the way this new technology works brings so many new affordances. We're (where I work, I mean) continuing to work on our ideas for how Steem could benefit charities and I don't doubt that in ten years time, Steem will be commonplace :)
I want to see people come here for shared interests. If you can get enough people around those then it can be useful and fun. I like to follow the developments of the platform too as I'm excited to be involved in something this radical.
Can I ask if you consider yourself tech-savvie? Ease of use does seem to be a problem for many new users. Some I know have joined, but do not use it.
I'm not sure what tech-savvie means :)
I'm more interested in the social impact of digital communications networks and digital social environments. I knew blockchain was important long before I arrived at Steem, and I was looking for an opportunity to learn about it and understand it.
I knew it could help musicians and other creative people, although not exactly how, and I had an idea and still have an idea that it could bridge the gap between the growing social care needs of an ageing population and some of the underemployment and poverty we have in some areas. I'm still working on discovering how that could happen, but I know it is about a matter of time rather than it isn't possible.
I think to have De Montfort University interested and starting to get to grips with some of the myths is a bit of a coup, a marked change from my first meeting with them in August. I'm really looking forward to SteemCampUK, because I think once the University staff meet lots of ordinary people who are engaged with blockchain technology everyday, we will start to see some greater movement. I'm interested in who their experts will be: they told me that Derbyshire Police Force have developed an expertise around Bitcoin fraud/scams and any incidents from anywhere in the country are referred to them - I'd like to hear meet someone from there.
I very rarely (if ever) feel downhearted on Steem.
I just meant if you consider yourself a technical person when it comes to IT. All the talk of keys and markdown can be bewildering even before you consider the blockchain. Other sites just need a password.
Getting the university involved could lead to new ideas and charities could make use of it too. I guess they have to consider how they account for any income. Not sure the tax man has really caught up with crypto.
Great to hear you are still upbeat about it and I am really looking forward to SteemCampUK. Ought to get that hotel booked.
I'm not a technical person, my niece had to show me how to turn on data usage on the phone I've had for five years last weekend :)
I forgot to serve you a !BEER :)
Oh, thank you, that's what I need after a hard evening on the keyboard 😎