Dear Steemers,
Perhaps you already know this: Hardfork 19 is here.
Some of you are jumping with joy. Some of you are silently observing. Yet a large percentage of us don’t know what’s going on.
That is what this guide is all about.
This guide will help you understand Hardfork 19 and why it matters to you. It will show you what's happening right now and what you should do next.
I am keeping this article newbie-friendly, so no technical talks. I will also be updating this article regularly, and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below…
Let's get started with the basics:
To understand Hardfork, it is important to know what a fork is.
Simply put, fork is a software change. One can automatically or forcefully introduce fork to any network.
In our case, this fork was introduced forcefully by the developers.
Which means Steem developers have made the following changes:
- They have made changes to the software
- They have made changes to the rules
Both of which are packed in Hardfork 19. So, in a way, Hardfork 19 is really a software change introducing a new set rules (or algorithms).
Remember: Hardfork 19, though, must be accepted.
This Hardfork 19 must be accepted by the Steem Witnesses. We, as users, nominate these witnesses. Just think of all this as an election.
We are collectively making a decision here.
Fortunately, for us, this decision was already accepted. And today, as you read this post, Hardfork 19 has already been implemented on Steemit.
Question is: Why introduce Hardfork 19?
Because the goal is simple:
To effectively spread fairness around the community.
In the past, whales dominated this platform. They have controlled it. And with this new change, minnows (new users) have a little more control than before.
This control is limited as you will see soon.
For now, remember this is a positive change geared towards fairness because...
With Hardfork 19:
- Your voting weight has changed
Now our voting weight should be 4 times more valuable.
For example: If my single vote gives you 3 cents, then the same vote should give you 12 cents.
At least that's how it should be.
However, our voting weight is now significantly higher as I type this. Why? I have no idea. My 3-cent-vote is now worth 40 cents and above.
It gives us enough power to vote and encourage other authors on the platform. It, unlike before, gives us enough control to not rely on "whale" upvotes anymore.
Your game is now simple:
Publish. Connect. Engage. And earn your fair share.
That's pretty fair, don't you think so?
Here is where you should know about Voting Power (VP). Every Steemit account comes with a Voting Power of 100%.
If you, for example, vote everything, then you are reducing your Voting Power.
In the past, one can easily vote 40 times a day without losing this power.
With Hardfork 19?
You are losing it a little too quickly. To simplify, you can vote 10 times a day at 100% Voting Power. This does not mean you cannot vote after 10.
You still can.
It is just that your voting weight (value) will be lower.
For many reasons:
Perhaps you have a friend here who wants your love.
Perhaps you read something interesting.
Perhaps you want to encourage good authors.
Or perhaps, the biggest of all, you are voting to earn curation rewards. Because, remember, you get paid to discover new content.
So you can cast your vote even after 10...
Or, as another way, you can change your voting weight percentage. (Discussed in Tip #2 below).
Tip #1: How to check your Voting Power:
Go to Steem DB. Enter your name in the search bar (top-right). Hit Enter. Then you will notice, under your name, your Voting Power in percentage.
Tip #2: Change your voting weight percentage:
If you have over 480 Steem Power in your account, you will get a voting slider every time you vote. It looks like this:
You can move this slider and decide your voting weight percentage. So, as an example, if you vote on 50%, you can cast 20 votes at full power.
As Hardfork 19 is active right now, you will notice a change in your current posting rewards.
All the rewards you have earned, in the last 7 days, have changed.
For many, your earnings have doubled or even tripled.
And for a tiny percentage — with posts earning well over $1000 — rewards have significantly dropped.
Rewards are actually circulated. They are going back to the less-powerful users.
Just look at this chart:
Here you can see 98% of the Steemers have less than $100 in their account.
Their votes were insignificant before. And now, with Hardfork 19, their votes are much more valuable. So it's safe to say Hardfork 19 was a much-needed change for the growth of this platform.
You have seen the definition of Hardfork.
Then you saw how it works...
And the changes it brings to Steemit.
You also saw how valuable your votes are right now.
Plus you saw why it is important to vote valuable content.
And then, finally, you saw how fair Hardfork 19 really is.
So my question to you:
What do you think of Hardfork 19?
Have you noticed it yet?
Any changes in you rewards?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Cheers,
Sid
thx very useful overview.
so before I could vote 20 x 100% votes and my voting power would charge up within 24 hours to 100% again.
Does this still hold true, with 5 x 100% votes?
My 100% vote was around 20 cent, now I my vote is worth several dollars which seems pretty weired but I am not complaining.
At least you're able to do more now, for yourself and the community :) It's good to have a few dollars to move around. It helps get the posts you want going :)
You are right. It should charge up quickly. Like you, I am always a little weired out... and not complaining. ;-)
I see you got a lot of power. :D
Take my 41 cents!
so the SBD amount created in total is still the same right?
Look at the price of SBD: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/steem-dollars/
You get MORE it! :)
lets see how this how much this will affect the price if so much SBD will hit the market.
This corroborates what I thought HF19 was all about. Thanks.
Personally, I saw a massive positive change in payouts for the last 7 days. I mean... it's astonishing.
I think that this fork changes the game in many ways. It changes the targets of attention and the methods of getting them.
It is geared for the new user... which is interesting. Now, if you're new, you're valuable, because the upvotes of 100 minnows is now worth more than 2 dolphin.
@shayne
Thank you for your sharing! It is very informative and explained in details! I was really shocked by the changes brought by HF 19, I didn't expect it would be that powerful. Before the HF19 has been launched, my votes likely got no impact (less than 0.00), and now I finally saw some number moving! Although my influrence power is still likely low, HF19 does motivate newbie like me to keep on steeming.
As a newbie myself, I understand the pain!
This update is amazing.
And I am so glad to see you are powerful! :D
Keep Steeming!
great post, I think HF19 will change a lot in the ecosystem over time, much more than just the shock value of people noticing their retroactive changes on pending rewards this has a significant impact on the growth rate of dedicated new people, so they actually stand a chance to accellerate up the ladder without attracting the votes of whales specifically. My biggest problem with steemit has been that posts go from 0-100 very fast because so many 0.01 votes then suddenly some huge vote and whale resteem to other big people, it was almost like a big game of luck before but now there's a good baseline where everyone has a bit of voting power. I think HF19 is extremely good ^_^
I didn't even realize that such a large population had less than $100 in their account. And I thought I was small.. That's crazy! Well I'm happy all the small users were affected in such a way :) And I'm extremelyyyyy happy about the bonuses. I'm curious already about HF20!
I know, right?
No one actually talks about it.
98% is massive. And so many users getting such an invaluable power is amazing...
See you got yourself almost $3 there.
Adding my 41 cents to you! :)
Cheers!
Cheers indeed ;)
Hey @sidwrites
This story made it to the ღ #steempearls of @tabea . Check it out at https://steemit.com/steempearls/@tabea/steempearls-11
This will encourage all to invest in Steem Power. Obviously the SP you have the more VP you have, but the value of the VP is what counts. You can can get paid more by minnows who has invested to boost their SP.
Thank you @sidwrites for this explanation of HF19 at one sight. I appreciate your work here! Have a great day!
Learning as I go & with more articles like this one I'll be a Pro in no time! I think the fork was a great thing for us all, my voting power went up significantly, Thanks for the explanation, upvoted & resteemed!
Nice, Sid! Anyone who doesn't understand what a hardfork is, and how this latest one affects us should get it after reading this. I forgot all about the change until I upvoted something a little while ago, and was like, "Holy strombolies, that carried a lot of weight!" I'm in the silent observer category. I've always been an 100% voter, but with my voting power reducing more drastically, I wonder if I'll resort to messing with the percentage bar.
Great overview. A lot of people probably need this info.
Thank you for your continued support @donkeypong.
Upvoted your comment at 100%.
Looks like I am a 41 cent man now...
Thanks for everything you do for the community. I don't even know how to handle comments anymore. My 1% vote gives $3.30.
That is amazing! I can only relate to new users when it comes to HF19. @donkeypong how do you see the changes impacting the way that you vote, if any?
Well, I'm still watching and learning. I suspect these insane rewards will calm down a bit as the system accommodates the changes, so let's see what this looks like in a few days. I'm not sure what my new voting pattern will be yet, but I've been using many of them to support a group of newbies and to support some of the growing international, non-English communities that we have. Will plan to continue doing both of those along with making votes on other good content I find; it's just a question of how many votes I can make at what power before my voting strength declines.
By the way, I found your blog and voted on your active post (which is good), so I don't have to give you a $3 comment vote. :)
Thanks so much for the reply. I am following you and appreciate learning from experienced users. Have a great day!
ME! I needed this info. @sidwrites, you broke it down in simple terms so I could actually understand. :) Knowledge is power, I'm sure many people will also agree that this post was a big help!
Sweet! 5 am here. And it warms my heart to read your comment.
Thank you! <3
Thank you for sharing :) 5 am! I'm trying to think of the last time I woke up that early... I can't lol
Very nice break down my friend....I think the Hard Fork was fair on all parties... I think if I was an outside looking at steemit, I would be intrigued now. I think it is a must to tricky down the money more.
^^^UPVOTED^^^
Outsiders would be more than intrigued haha, that happened a few weeks back when Steem went up like crazy. Now probably people are going to be wanting in on it more than ever before
You have no idea....Begging to get approved!!! lol
Why would anyone be on facebook is my question?!?!?!?
Thanks for the info and my vote actually gave you $.04 instead of $.01, I can feel the power already! Got a ways to go until I can really help people, but for now I'll just keep Steemin' On!
Haha! I love it. So glad to get your vote of confidence.
Let's Steem on! ;-)
Your explaination was clear and precise. As a noobie it's there's so much to learn. Just a few days ago I would joke about how I upvoted a post and then gave nothing, lol. Then just yesterday my upvote became 0.01. I was so please that now it showed that I gave something even if it was a penny :D Then this morning it became shiny and magic. It grew to be 0.14!! Oh boy they grow up so fast these days.
Heh! I love your comment. It's like PURE MAGIC!
I mean, who would have thought our index finger can make $$ just like that!
Love it.
Great post Sid. I am one of the lucky ones to benefit from this fork. I was so disappointed with the Status ICO which I sat and watch for hours tontry and get in, that I forgot about the fork today. Was a nice suprise and your article brings a lot of clarity!
Dude, I missed Status ICO as well. I don't know what happened. I just wasn't into it.
So glad to see you benefit from this fork. You totally deserve it. <3
Your photos are epic.
Just remember the party... for which I can come to your living room! :D
Since all the minnows received super-strength, it may be is time to give a slider for everyone, how do you think?
Sorry I can't get you my upvote, I have alresdy used them all and my VP fell down very fast:-(
Oh yes, I love the idea of giving the slider for everyone. Hope it happens soon!
Hehe! All I want is your love! <3
Appreciate it!
Thanks for this post! definitely helps and simplifies a lot of concepts
Thanks, good information!
Thanks for the info -- my votes are much more powerful now!
This post received a 4.8% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @sidwrites! For more information, click here!
Thanks for explaining this and making it so newbie friendly! Still alot to learn but this definitely helped!
I don't think that is fair, I earned much more before the fork ! I am on the website more than 2 months and I worked hard but after this fork I earn few cents from posting, I don't know what's wrong with my posts, I do my best to write useful posts and I even giveaway money , I give up, I don't know what to do now ! some people join few days ago they earn much more than me, what the wrong I am doing ? will we have an other fork 20 maybe ?
Excellent.
Thank you.
so useful dude...
Great info and it's easy to understand, I've read it before your article and kind of missed it that the author get some distributed earning. Guess I need to te read the whitepaper
Mercedes Benz Museum Review jumped from 0.49 cents to $4.
Im happy about that and certainly this will encourage more people to vote and contribute.
well thought out, and incredibly informative. I will definitely be using tip #2. I'd like to add that you can also change your voting power on the esteem app :)
Thanks for the information m8. In my opinion this update is awesome so far, because small accounts like me got some impact now at least. Our votes count as well. And all the comments and blogs I read so far are positive and the people are really excited.
Let's hope the best for steemit in the future. So far i am really optimistic
Great post....I enjoyed a lot..Initially my eyes could not believe it ...later on I knew its a because of the hardfork19 but not actually undearstand what is the meaning of hardfork .. By reading your post..I understand ...Thank you for the great effort....Cheers
Excellent post and very well explained.
I'll be resteeming this because I think it will help people understand what HF19 was all about without too much jargon.
Upvoted!
Thank you for clarifying this and the link to SteemDB! I just joined yesterday and introduced myself right in the midst of all of these changes but I'm stoked to be here. Following ya!
Hello, enjoyed your article- helps to understand the software change.
amazing write up.. I was wondering why I didn't have that slider :)
Thanks for sharing, makes a lot more sense (but not completely because I'm a newbie) now. :)
Great Read, thanks for the time to write that post ! I think alot of people will find it very useful. I did and i think HF19 is a great thing for everyone.. thanks witnesses, you did well.
The hardfork for me has been amazing for me! Great overview :)
hardfork 19 demystified, thanks a lot for this post, i personally needed it.
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by Sidwrites from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, and someguy123. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you like what we're doing please upvote this comment so we can continue to build the community account that's supporting all members.
Thanks for the clear explanation. I think this is a very important moment for Steemit. I think we will get a flood of new users that will see that their engagement really matters. It will be fun to watch what happens next.
It is a good article explained what happened to us on the hf19! It is also a good news for the new comers ! Voted and resteemed! 👍🏼
Very helpful information @sidwrites I will follow you
Great explanation about hardfork19. Thank you
it's really great hard fork man, my 20$ blog went significantly went to 100$ blog... Feel motivated to do more blog and steeming every time from now... Also, encouraging more people and friends to do steemit because of hard fork 19... resteeming your article @sidwrites awesome blog
Great info! This is a very good help to those who are curious about Hardfork 19. Will wait for the updates!
Hard fork! I love this fork. Unforken real deal! Me minnow growing. Aloha!
Superb article, you made it very layman's terms, cheers!
Nicely explained thanks for sharing ...:)
this is very good explanation. Thanks for coming up with a detailed list. I'm still puzzled as to how the VP increases example mine was normally about 0.03 now i'm doing 0.33 at 100% ... its crazy but I'm definitely NOT complaining
upvoted, resteem & followed
Yep, now I get it. I was wonderng what was going on with my account especially my votes. Will this cause a deflation reaction or inflation i supposed? How does affect the big guys and long time steemers?
Awesome! I understand things sos much better now. Thank you so much for this @sidwrites
To answer your questions - i think it's great, yes i have noticed, yes my rewards have changed