Update, Month 1: Engaged with a 4-Figure Stake in the Future

One month in on choosing to begin an online journey with Steem, it seems like a good time to write something down about how it is going. Along the lines of writing in a journal, here is "my story" so far.

First, a couple of "visuals" ...

[Image Source: "Header" of Partiko Android app]

In my personal life, reputation is of great importance to me. How much value can we attach to having a good name? Are we people of integrity who others can trust?

I was pleased then, while working on this post today, to see it jumped up another digit! No idea yet what it takes to get up into the 70s, like some of my fellow Steemians, but of this I can be sure. It is "one step at a time …"

[Image Source: Upper left portion of Steemd profile web page.]

The Beginning

Before getting too far into what I have in mind to write, perhaps it is a good idea to quickly look at where I started. In my introduction, I briefly mentioned starting out as just an investor in the idea of what the Steem blockchain represented. I had no intention of "getting involved." I have a very busy life and no thought crossed my mind that I had time for something like this (still not sure frankly …)

In August 2017, I began researching the whole concept of what blockchains represented. And the current and potential value of the "crypto assets" linked to them. While initially pretty skeptical, I "got over it" quickly as I learned more. I have always been particularly impressed with the free will exercise of so many people, from around the world, in "common cause" to create something which would not have even been possible up until very recently. Lots more I could say here (maybe a dedicated post for another time), but moving on ...

As time went on, there was a growing realization one key aspect of my "crypto asset" investments appreciating in value was simply the number of people using them. I was faced with a dilemma. "Put up?" "Or shut up?" One of my all-time favorite sayings is, "When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done …" So, here I am now doing my small part contributing ...

Status

The experience, so far, has made a favorable enough impression on me that I have decided to increase my stake in the future of the Steem Community. So, long a big advocate of "put your money where your mouth is," as of yesterday, I am now the proud owner of a 4-figure stake. With that, enough on the investing side of being a Steemian.

What have I learned / experienced about being a part of the Community? Highlights of that part of my journey so far follow.

Two Thumbs Up

This "old war horse" has a deeper appreciation than most, for passion and commitment. So, for my first month's posting, I thought I would highlight the two Steemians who have made the greatest impression on me, due to their personal investment of time into my journey.

Early on, challenged with some of the learning curve details associated with investing in the various cryptos "out there," I was struggling with getting my BitShares wallet set up and running. Time was not on my side (in Oct 2017), as there was a looming deadline set by Bittrex to get my BTS moved out of my account there and into a wallet. Bittrex was no longer going to support it. @kimchi-king to the rescue! The details of his assistance aren't important, for this posting. What is was the effort he (successfully) made to help me. I have not forgotten it. I follow his posts and he is a passionate BitSharian, as am I.

More recently, through @happymoneyman's post about a new android-based Steem app, Partiko, I became "acquainted" with @crypto.talk. A key takeaway, for me, in this post, was @crypto.talk's total commitment to the best possible user experience. To accomplish that, he and his team are writing their code in the best programming language. He is making the sacrifice to do it the right way, but it has to be more time-consuming and tempting to avoid it. You can follow and support their progress through @Partiko! I would highly recommend you do that.

On the personal side, I have communicated with @crytpo.talk on Discord, to pass along any issues I have had, suggestions for future features, etc. He is very engaged at all times, as far as I can tell, "reaching out" to make personal contact with as many of his user base as he can manage. Not sure if we would ever meet, but if so, I'm sure I would enjoy getting to know him better.

One Thumb Up

Living through the dramatic technological changes that have taken place in my lifetime, it is fascinating to me to be a part of the Steemian Community and get a sense of the effect of this blockchain connecting people from all over the world. Beyond simply making the world smaller, it opens up opportunities to learn and see that otherwise would simply not be possible. I am truly looking forward to more of that in the weeks and months to come.

So, why only one thumb up then? Probably until my final breath, I will always place the greatest value on the personal time I have with my family and friends. "Personal time" is living life with them in ways that simply can't be "virtually" replicated. Take, for a simple example, the all-important topic of good communication. So much of it is non-verbal, i.e. one's body language, facial expressions, etc. While video connections are helpful, they still can't match the "real thing."

So … I guess it is still very sobering to me to think of how much time (like me right now typing on my keyboard in front of a monitor … alone …) people spend in these "virtual" communities. How are our "real world" communities doing, in the meantime?

I'll stop for now on that point. To be continued ...

One Thumb Down

There are obviously a lot of "bots" roaming around inside our Steem Community. Do they serve any truly useful purpose? Perhaps they do, but what that might be is definitely not clear to me. At all … They seem more like some sort of parasite on this blockchain designed to promote / enhance human interaction.

While I chose to take a light-hearted "poke" at one of them in my "MonstroBot" comment (no, I did not make up that name ...) to @MoneyBadger in his post about his new "pet," my overall impression is definitely not positive to having "them" around.

BUT, I am new to all of this, so for now I will "leave the door open" to the possibility I will learn of some positive benefit to having "them" around. If that day comes, then I'll next be wrestling with what "competitive disadvantage" those of us without a "bot" will be facing.

If one of my fellow Steemians wants to draw my attention to a well thought out (not interested in just another bot self-promotion ...) post on the "value proposition" offered by these bots, then I'll be happy to read it.

Two Thumbs Down

Not going to spend a lot of time on a strong negative, but I have already personally watched the "destruction" of another Steem account by a relentless bot posting "blacklist" comments that I simply do not believe to be true.

The end result? This Steem account's reputation was driven down into the negative range and now you cannot see their postings. Not good!

Favorite Steem Resources

I hesitate to write something down on this, as I am still so new to this whole "ecosystem." Still, maybe as a helpful reference for someone else just getting started, here is what I using right now.

SteemIt

As the "gateway" website to which I was first directed for investing, it is still the one I rely upon most heavily - my "goto" resource.

Partiko

"Coming up fast on the outside" is this brand new android-based app (they are also working on a version for Apple iPhones). When I am "on the move …," it has quickly become indispensable, since it is on my phone and, therefore, always available. With its notifications, you are always current with what is going on with your account. And you can respond very quickly, as needed.

Busy.org

This website is still very new to me, but I already have found one key aspect of it that has become indispensable - you can create a Favorites list of posts. Very helpful! Also, it is very nice to have a draft of a post saved, until you are finished and ready to publish it. There are almost certainly other features which I just haven't learned about yet.

Overall, I use all 3 of these to their best advantage, in ways which compliment each other.

Closing

That is all for now. Your upvotes, resteems, etc. are always welcome, but above all I just hope to stimulate conversations and really appreciate any comment(s) you may wish to make.

On into month two. All the best to you!

On the move ... Posted (in part) using Partiko Android and (in part) using Busy.org.