The Alternative Music channel is now up on MangoSteem - join us! [Steemit Community]

Mangosteem = Steem Chat with upvotes. Why chat for free?

You may have noticed that I'm excited about Mangosteem. I just think upvotes within Steemit's chat interface make sense - if Steemit Chat doesn't have them, and Mangosteem does, why not go Mangosteem?

Add in the fact that @mynameisbrian is one of Steem's oldest, most experienced users... a talented developer with a knack for getting finished products done quickly... it just makes sense! I predict that, if Mangosteem development continues for a few months, it'll overtake Steemit Chat within 12 months, maybe sooner.

If it goes really fast, maybe before the end of 2017!

The Alternative Music Channel

With Brian's help, I was able to set up a channel for alternative music on Mangosteem. I couldn't have come up with this name by myself - big thanks to @steevc @musicgeek @bonvivian for offering useful feedback.

I originally was thinking of creating a "math rock" channel. The general consensus was that a "math rock" channel would be WAY too specific, Steve thought "prog" might work - which is a wiser, more broad genre than math rock for sure.

I decided to take a huge step back and go for a much broader option: "Alternative Music".

If you're the kind of person who goes for the "left of center", the "alternative", the "weird" - you'll fit in! I don't really care if it's electronic, rock, jazz, whatever. Us weirdos tend to get along. This feels like the best idea in the early days, so we can hopefully get some activity going.

How to Get Started on Mangosteem

Haven't checked out Mangosteem yet? It's easy to do. Brian lays it out in his inaugural post: https://steemit.com/mangosteem/@mynameisbrian/introducing-mangosteem-steem-powered-web-chat

Basically you just go here: http://alpha.mangosteem.chat/ and give them your private posting key. You also have the option to give your password, which is a standard option BUT IT's MUCH SAFER AND SMARTER TO USE THE PRIVATE POSTING KEY. You can find your key in the "permissions" area of your profile. It's here, on the wallet page:

After you log in, you'll see a short list of channels. Right now here's what we have:

Click on "alternative music" and you'll join the channel instantly!

We already have some activity and new people are coming in to check out Mangosteem every day. Check it out!

Of course this IS the alpha version, so features are limited. With that said - it's already quite stable and usable, and I know Brian intends to rebuild the engine and move towards a proper beta as soon as he can.

Oh yeah, and you can earn upvotes IN the chat! This makes chatting on Steem a lot like blogging and commenting on Steem - if you can create a lot of value for other people, you'll be rewarded.

Examples of Chat Upvoting

It's easy to imagine how adding upvotes can enhance the chat experience.

Imagine that you ask a question and someone has a helpful answer... boom! You upvote them. If you have tons of SP, don't worry - the slider defaults to ONE PERCENT so you'll never accidentally give away a bunch of rewards you didn't mean to.

More interestingly, what if you have some SP to spare and want to get something done? You could post in the chat - "I'm offering a $10 upvote to anybody who can help me with X" - making it possible for users to execute quick "micro-contracts" within chat, pairing tiny units of labor to the entrepreneurs that need it.

Lastly, what if you just have some spare SP and want to go to sleep? Don't feel like reading through a bunch of posts? You could scroll up in chat and probably find some nice comments / helpful people to give a vote to before shutting down for the night.

Mangosteem ONWARD!

Here's hoping that Mangosteem grows into a fully featured, well-populated chat service. I'd love it to become the main way that users chat in real time on Steem. It's the most Steemy way to do it.

If you check it out, make sure to say hi in the music channel. I'll be there! And feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments - if you're having problems logging on or using the service, I will help you figure it out.

Alright, it's midnight here! I'm gonna unwind and hit the hay in an hour or two. See you in the chat tomorrow :-)