My name is Simon Smith, and here’s why I joined Steemit

Nearly two decades ago, I was fortunate to graduate from journalism school directly into a dot-com startup, after discovering the web in 1996 and teaching myself to code.

The growth of the consumer internet was exhilarating—it was full of possibility. And while the startup I joined hit a wall after the dot-com bubble burst, I emerged with even greater passion for technology’s potential to transform the world.

Fast forward to 2017, and I’ve made a career of scaling innovative solutions to meaningful problems. In so doing, I’ve been fortunate to work hands-on with emerging technologies such as wearable devices and virtual reality. Today, I head growth for a startup applying artificial intelligence to scientific research.

But as I look to the future, I see two issues that I’m hoping Steemit can help me address: lack of experience with cryptocurrencies, and lack of rewarding outlets for which to cultivate and apply my journalistic roots and love of writing.

I want to learn about cryptocurrency and find a rewarding outlet for my writing

Let’s start with cryptocurrency. While I understand it in theory, I did not own any until I joined Steemit. Unfortunately, a friend talked me out of buying $10,000 worth of Bitcoin when it was priced at $8! (I’m not really upset. It could have gone either way, and I probably don’t remember instances where people talked me out of doing something that would have lost me money.) I want to get more experience with blockchain-based services because I believe the future is far more decentralized, and that combining blockchain-based cryptocurrencies and smart contracts with artificial intelligence (see, for example, Numerai) will be massively transformative. Steemit helps me gain needed real-world experience.

As for writing, in reviewing my options out there, none beside Steemit is particularly appealing. Sure, I could write on my blog, then struggle to drive people there. Or I could write on Medium, with no hope of remuneration unless I apply to become a “partner.” Or I could write for a mainstream publication (which I have, and sometimes do), and earn little or nothing while they retain reprint rights. Or I could post on Facebook or LinkedIn, and get a few likes, before my post disappears deep into people’s newsfeed.

On Steemit, I hope to write about topics of deep interest to me, including artificial intelligence, automation, basic income (and related economic issues), life extension, and personal effectiveness. I hope that people here appreciate my contributions. And I hope to better understand the mechanics of decentralized organizations and business models. I’ll be writing about my experience for others who aren’t on Steemit to learn from.

Any advice for a newbie?

And with that, please tell me what you think I need to know in the comments. I’ve read the FAQ and etiquette guide, but would love some further guidance—especially to find quality Steemit contributions and contributors on topics of interest as outlined above. How do you all sift through everything? What’s your search strategy?