Last month I had the opportunity to go to the niTRon Conference in San Francisco on behalf of @steemmonsters, you know.. the coolest game on Steem.

Tron is a blockchain as well as a cryptocurrency similar to Steem/STEEM in some aspects, but also very different in others.

I was asked to go represent Steemmonsters as well as Steem since I was somewhat nearby and as a “exclusive to STEEM” crypto newb, it was quite an experience. So I figured it was about time I made a post about the event.. better late than never right?

So, I hit the train with some Steemmonsters gear in hand and headed to San Fran!

First Impressions

Ok so full disclosure here, I had never heard of Tron before seeing someone on Steem talking about a Twitter exchange between Ned and Justin (ceo of Tron) and didn’t really do much digging. Crypto/blockchain newb remember?... heck, I don’t even have a twitter account 😬 moving on...

Anyways...when I started to dig into the chain as I knew I would be heading to the conference, the first thing I noticed was that they had great marketing. It was eye catching, consistent and they really succeeded with having a distinctive “look”, something I always felt we had been missing a bit on Steem. But, I had a hard time understanding what it is they had to offer exactly.. so I was looking forward to learning more at the conference.

They really get that marketing thing...

One thing I can say is that first impression of their grasp on marketing did not disappoint, as that seems to be a major focus of theirs. Arriving at the event I was met with beauty queens, mascots and paparazzi... they really put on a show.

When the conference got started things calmed a bit, and it moved on to talks and such. I was actually quite surprised with the small crowd once inside, as it seemed to be the biggest show in town when you came in the door.

Overall they had some interesting talks, with focus on many of the same things we at Steem are working out; onboarding, bringing crypto to newbs, dApps, and the potential future of crypto and decentralization.

But something was missing

While sitting in the talks I was digging through their sites, and I didn’t see a “Platform” or somewhere to actually be a part of anything other than to buy their token.. which is great, but I was looking for something similar to Steem.. the Steem platform.. the community.. you know, the visual and I wasn’t finding it.

Turns out, they don’t really have that🤷🏻‍♀️. They have some dApps and have partnered with some interesting platforms that sorta are similar to the Steem Platform, but nowhere near what we have here.. and that became more and more apparent in the talk on Blockchains and Content Generation...

Where our very own @andrarchy stole the show. It was never more apparent than in this moment that Steem was eons ahead of everyone else and really showed how Steem stands out from the rest, because we have something they don’t...

Community

And everything that comes with it...


After the talks I met up with Andrew in the “networking” areas and we were constantly approached, not to talk Tron.. nope, they all wanted to know about Steem. Turns out his talk was their favorite as well, and they wanted to know more.

During this we also introduced them to @STEEMMONSTERS and watched them immediately become fans. The idea of having a card game built on the Steem blockchain that also included this community itself, really was something that every single one was really impressed with. We signed up a few accounts and spent hours chatting about Steem and Steem Monsters and it’s when I realized.. we’ve got what’s missing elsewhere.

1.) We Have Steem Monsters

A game that has been kicking ass and has actually proven that a viable business can be built on the blockchain. It also opens so many doors for attracting individuals to the platform that may have no interest in blogging or cryptocurrency for that matter. A way to bring money into the ecosystem while also providing a service that people actually enjoy.

2.) We Have Community

Yeah, the people really do add value. Even though sometimes it gets a bit “Jerry Springer” here.. the idea that we have this place that not only has some great content, but is full of individuals building things together. Things like Steem Monsters as well as tons of amazing dApps that in my opinion, as well State Of The DApps, are some of the best in the industry. Just scroll through that list and seem how many Steem dApps are on the top.

We have everything we need here to be successful, we just have to get our shit together.

We have a user base many blockchains would love to have, and I think they have tried.. and failed to acquire it. We have a community of talented individuals, that when pulled together, can do extraordinary things.. not to mention insanely fast transaction speeds, tons of amazing dApps, an active user base that actually gives a shit about the place.. we have it all..

Well, except a mascot...

Tron may have us beat on marketing, maybe some of the glitz and glam they project to the world, but to me that’s an easy fix.. we just have to get our shit together.

Steem is more than just a blockchain, it’s a community, and that important detail makes us unique.

We as a community have such a great opportunity to be an active part of pushing Steem to where we need it to be. The Community foundation that @steemalliance is helping to organize is just one of the ways for us to be apart of the change.

Individuals have already shown the potential of crowdsourcing the much needed marketing aspects of the Steem blockchain. I hope that this opportunity allows us to take that head on, as well as so many other things.

It’s time for this community to come together

The Steem Communty, It’s what made Steem steal the spotlight at the NiTron conference and it will be what makes us steal the spotlight in the mainstream arena as well... we just have to, well you know.

_{@steemcafe, me, @andrarchy, @daveonarrival. I had so much fun with you guys and I’ll see you in Austin ❤️}


Thank you @yabapmatt and @aggroed for building such an amazing game here and allowing the community to be apart of it. It really feels like it’s become more than a game, rather an example of what is possible here. Also thanks for letting me represent your stunning achievement at the conference. It was an absolute honor and to say people were impressed with it would be an understatement. Keep being you!

The conference was a great experience for me, a total crypto newb who discovered cryptocurrency through the bridge that is Steemit, to really see what made us unique.. and it’s why I’m bullishly determined to help show the world what he have to offer.

I hope you’ll all join me 🙂

Much Love and Steem On,

Justine