Meet your Mods: @followbtcnews and @crimsonclad [bringer of death]

When I first met @followbtcnews and @crimsonclad I didn't know what I was going to get. They came into the Minnow Pond full steem ahead with a vision that they were going to help people. In the beginning I thought I would have to do a ton to sell folks on the mission, but these two came in pumped, ready to go, and good to work. It's no wonder that they built a gorgeous webage for the community (minnowsupportproject.org), it's no wonder that they became a witness and having a great run at it, it's no wonder they both took on radio shows, and it's no wonder they keep pumping out new tools and resources for the Steemit Community and the MSP community.

I've gotten to know them both over the last few months. Follow is a shrewd businessman that understand crypto like it's his backyard. I find him thoughtful, insightful, dedicated and talented. He's got southern charm and a mission driven heart. @crimsonclad is well, Crimmy, one of the most passionate and dedicated people I've met on the platform. From day one she's been engaged in the community, beloved by the community, and a tireless advocate for this place.

It's an absolute pleasure to introduce you to them if you haven't met them. Also, since not only are they moderators but also witnesses I can tell you that you need to go to www.steemit.com/~witnesses, scroll under the list of names and add "followbtcnews" into the box. If you would rather not have to deal with it but would like to support minnows feel free to add aggroed as a proxy and you'll vote the same people I do (basically all the new witnesses coming out of the Minnow Support Group).

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When did you hear about the MSP?

@followbtcnews @crimsonclad had mentioned the group to me and i was curious. I was a minnow at the time and looking to get into more communties around Steemit..When i joined the Discord channel, I had a very warm welcome and just knew I had to get more involved.

@crimsonclad When I first started out here, a few larger accounts took me under their wing and gave me some suggestions. I branched out through their followings meeting people, and ended up coming across MSP while networking and observing organically. I came on the server about two weeks after inception, and a day or two after my Steemit join date.

Why did you join the MSP?

@followbtcnews I joined MSP to get help to better myself as a steemian. Then I grew, and now I try to help others as much as I can in MSP. MSP has helped me and now I want to return that favor and help as many minnows as possible.

@crimsonclad I am an incredibly social creature. Open communication is so important to me. It didn't take me too long to realize that this was a place that I could make very meaningful connections. I fully believe in quiet support and service to others...it is, in many ways, a mission in my life both on and offline. I saw MSP as a way to both work on myself while uplifting others who are using Steemit to better themselves. I'm also a giant dork and tremendous, irreverent goofball. The match seemed to be just perfect.

What do you think is the best aspect of the MSP?

@followbtcnews I believe the community itself is the best aspect of MSP.. There are so many people in MSP that are willing to help. Its one of the best initiates I have seen.

@crimsonclad I love the idea of a gift economy; of abundance for all and the ability to pass on income and support to others. It's not all about the money, but at the same time, if we can help people around the world - right around the world and from every country rich or poor, to produce extra income for themselves, while encouraging content creation and self expression, there is literally no downside. I have seen the amazing things some of these people are able to achieve with a dollar a day. It is humbling, awe-inspiring, and I want to be at the forefront of creating more of that. The bonds that are created over goals like this are unshakable. MSP has brought me family I didn't know that I didn't know.

You're a moderator what does that mean to you?

@followbtcnews My Official role in MSP is a "Witness" and as a MSP witness, its my duty to help as many people as I possibly can. I also try to help the mods, but honestly, the MSP mods are so good, they don't need my help. They do an excellent job of keeping the community cleaned up from spammers and abusers. And they work their butts off to help people.. I couldn't be more proud to be part of such a great community.

@crimsonclad Moderation for the Minnow Support Project is both leadership and service. I use that term continuously around MSP; I believe part of the great success of PALnet is the growing trend of selfless giving and kindness towards others. To me, moderation here is more than just enforcing rules and a new coloured role to add to the collection. It means inspiring change by example, and doing my best to live the values that I talk to new members about. Change begins from within. I behave now exactly the same as I did wearing my greys and my red... I just get a little better each day.

What's your service project?

@followbtcnews lo...Well,I don't know where to start. We have so many going right now. To start, @crimsonclad and I took care of building and hosting the official MSP website at http://minnowsupportproject.com Next, we are working on a script for MSP to help out keeping up with the delegations more efficiently and trying to automate everything to make it more easy and better.. next, crimsonclad and I are also building a new website at http://steemistry.com and we have 2 new tools we are about to launch there that we hope will help minnows on the Steemit platform. Next, we have BIG PLANS that we are in the very early stages of that i think will help bring major awareness to Steemit. And last but not least, we do run a Witness and node for the Steem blockchain and we work very hard to represent Steem in the very best possible way.

@crimsonclad My original service project was to create the MSP website. Now, I help with maintenance of that as well as some of the other technical or informational tasks. My ongoing service project since then has been to build stronger, healthier discussion and community in the smaller, more specific channels. When new members arrive, I ask them about their location and interests, and then do my best to watch for places that they may find an even better and more meaningful benefit here. I'll pull people into channels and work on introducing members to each other who I think will hit it off or have value to offer each other. Otherwise, I'm basically everywhere meddling, all the time. whipcrack

How much time do you spend on MSP stuff?

@followbtcnews I spend no less that 8-10 hours per day,7 days a week on something Steemit/Steem related. I work for my self from home online, and have basically made Steemit now my full time job, and I love it!!!!

@crimsonclad I am on the server on and off usually between 12 to 16 hours a day. It's important to me to be as accessible as possible to new and old members alike, so I make an effort to be online and helping any time that I am able.

Why does it matter to you so much?

@followbtcnews I have been in crypto curency niche since around 2011. I love the idea of decentalization and NO censorship. Steemit satifies my no censorship policy, and I love it. I want to see the users on steemit succeed and help change the lives of many people.

@crimsonclad Can I be real with you? I don't know. I don't really think I need to, either. I see avenues to channel good and points of light that I can connect and hearts I can help heal and the occasional face I can melt. If this sounds overly dramatic, come hang out in the pond sometime and see.

We need some channel mods, why should people do it?

@followbtcnews Being a channel mod is a great way to help people.You get to help shape the way people will interact with Steemit and your doing a great service to minnows that need help.

@crimsonclad Channel moderation means finding your niche and being passionate about it. If you're wanting to find friends, network for Steemit, and engage in discussions that really matter to you, that's what's at the heart of channel moderation. It's a fulfilling way to meet others and find content you may not have otherwise, and the benefits to you personally both from a social and Steemit standpoint cannot be underestimated. It's also fun, so there's that.

What excites you about Steemit?

@followbtcnews Wow, This question has so many answers I could give. I am going to stick with the top reasons I am excited abut Steemit. First and foremost, I have always been an advocate of Free speech and no censorship. And steemit provides that. 2nd. its a great way for people to make an extra income and for some it can make a HUGE difference in their life. Its a very euphoric feeling to see someone provide for their family from earnings made by blogging on Steemit.

@crimsonclad This may seem like a strange answer, but I love the way the platform is structured both for anything goes, but also that it contains a control of error (the rep system) to help users decide on what they truly value on the platform. Though we do see some unfair distribution and rep cannot cure all ills, I love the idea that despite having free reign to do whatever you can think up on Steemit, in general, people bond together and seek to do good to counteract the bad. This will change with iterations of Steemit, but the fact remains, we're in the midst of a social experiment with an effective hall pass, and overall, we're still going to classes and studying hard. That tells you a lot about the majority of people here.

What's a long term vision for where Steemit is going?and how do you fit into that?

@crimsonclad Steemit has some growing to do. The base idea is here, and it's solid. There are still a number of UI and just general accessibility issues to be smoothed over, but every day witnesses, driven steemians, and observers make good points about features that would make the platform stronger... and then go out and MAKE them happen. We build tools, we petition the community, we work together from the top to the bottom and back around to change the course of Steemit. The fact that it isn't set in stone yet is where I fit in: the ability to help mold this platform, even just by being here, and the ability to change the lives of others through charity, service, and in a lot of cases, just by reading and enjoying their content, is an incredible feeling. We'll keep those bits, and continue flowing forward from there, carving a new path as we go.

What can MSP be doing better?

@followbtcnews MSP is doing such a great job, it's hard for me to say.Obviously for anything in life, there is always more you can do. I would just like to see MSP keep growing and become its own Steemit ecosystem,which it already is becoming.

@crimsonclad The things that I see that MSP can be doing better are much the same as the things I think everyone could be doing better. We are a huge and growing group, and there will always be issues inherent to that - bot abuse, a bit of cliquiness, the eff-you-get-mine attitude that comes with the worry of not being seen on steemit... But for each, on both a personal level and a moderator and leadership team level, there are plans. We work each day to weed out people who are taking more than their share or filling the chain with crap, to help build communities that support without shunning, and to teach ourselves and others that mindfulness, gratitude and service to others actually will get you ahead here. I would love to see our interest, cultural, and language based channels continue developing into healthy, discussion based places where anyone who jumps into the pond can find a home and people they can relate to easily to help them find their way. We're on the road there, but not there yet - and in reality, we should NEVER actually make it. The day we "finish" is the day that we're not helping Steemit innovate and bring value.

How can minnows contribute to the system and grow their accounts?

@followbtcnews MSP has grown to around 5000 members. the majority of those members are minnows. The best way fr a minnow to contribute is join the P.A.L. discord and communicate with the members there and grow friendships. Just be yourself and make new friends. If that minnow has some spare SP they can delegate,then do it, if not then don't worry about it. MSP is here to help minnow succeed on steemit.

@crimsonclad "You've read a bunch of these interviews, and you'll read a bunch more. I won't lecture, because my hope is that a lot of the stuff I've talked about will just sort of sink in and become second nature when you settle into the pond. But for one: you're not worth a ton of money yet, so don't panic about voting power and your percentages. What you are worth is encouragement. Engagement. Views. Comments. Get the hell out there and vote on stuff you like. Don't blindly vote or resteem people who are already making thousands of dollars unless you actually give a shit about the post. Appreciate people for the work they put in.

My voting power often drops to 60% or so, sometimes lower- are my votes worth as much? Monetarily, no. To the minnow I'm voting on, everything in being seen. Think of how many people are on Steemit, growing exponentially. If you dip below what you can make back in a day...so what? You weren't dropping dollars anyways. You made better things happen with that vote power. You can't take it with you, and it always comes back.Vote with your heart. Connect with your heart. Serve with your heart.

Be better, do better.

KINDNESS 👏 COSTS 👏 NOTHING 👏

What else would you want to share here?

@followbtcnews I want everyone to know that MSP is a great iniative for people to join. It's all about Piece Abundance & Liberty. It's a lifestyle. It's an evolving ecosystem related to Steemit that can literally help change the way you live your everyday life. We have so many great leaders in MSP to help you. I would also like to see the Steem Power of Minnowsupport grow because it really helps minnows. I would love to see more whales delegate to MSP if they have it to spare. I would love to see @ned and a few others delegate to MSP by helping new Steemians on the platform and rewarding them for good content when they arrive here. It will help user interaction on Steemit and it will also help with onboarding new users. When a new user makes even a small amount of money on their first post, it's very exciting, and they are the hooked for life. Additionally, they will go and tell their family members, friends and everybody they know about Steemit.

@crimsonclad "I'm a minnow myself. I'm a big dork. I love metal, and taking photos.

Falling in and out of love in heartbeats with flashes of smiles and wagging tails and the way the sun hits the water just right or how small I feel beneath a monument in time.

We're all just finding our way here. On PALnet. On Steemit. On Earth. Don't be intimidated by the people you meet on this journey, and remain resolute in the knowledge that you bring your own viewpoint and your own value. (And certainly don't be intimidated by me.) I genuinely look forward to serving you."