I don't know about you but I feel like getting drunk after reading about the latest scam, the Steem market going down and the account known as @msgivings being written by the latest and greatest AI writing program. Robots making more money than talented human writers.......

All of this leads me to the realization, and with the fun conversation I had with @nanzo-scoop on chat today, that Steemit needs a VIRTUAL BAR. (Or perhaps I'd open a chocolate factory of pure imagination instead of a bar).

I feel that Steemit is a highly cerebral place, with intricate rules and ever-changing micro-threaded minutae. I love intellectually challenging topics and I am grateful that we can be learning so much new information from experts. I like the crypto topics and the highly technical stuff, but after a day on Steemit, I find myself wanting to decompress somewhere else. Why not create a decompression area within Steemit, that functions like a bar?

I want nothing more than to get access to a room where other Steemians are getting drunk, and gush my troubles to a bartender. And I'll just say, this VIRTUAL BAR will be modeled after the ones in Japan, where it's customary to buy your bartender a drink while you're drinking, too. Bartenders offer advice, listen to your f$&@ed up life stories and offer temporary solutions to complex situations. Good bartenders are skilled in communication and the listening arts. The hook with the bartender would be that there would be an actual human in there who would listen to your problems and offer advice. You wouldn't need to pay the bartender unless the bartender did a great job and you benefitted. But there would be no rules about paying the bartender. Some customers would tip nothing but others would tip handsomely. The poor would be served just like the rich. The rich would cover the costs of the poor for the most part. There would be no hard and fast rules about this though. Everything would work on a voluntary basis. If you were a bad bartender, you'd quickly realize it, and probably wouldn't continue doing it. Good bartenders would be valued and would quickly gain a reputation, and they'd have a badge which would indicate this standing.

So, how would a VIRTUAL BAR work in Steemit?

First of all, individuals could open up their own private bar. Nanzo-scoop said his bar would welcome anyone, while my bar would only be open to people with positive reputations. People would take turns being the bartender. And the bartender, if they were good, would get tips from the customers. Only people interested in being a bartender would be one. And a bartender could leave at any time. There would be times that no bartender was working. People coming to this bar would want a stress-free environment, so that would mean that upvoting content and comments wouldn't carry any monetary value.

The main activities at the bar would be meeting others, forming bonds, getting help from the bartender, buying virtual drinks for each other and getting drunk (happiness would be alcohol in this scenario).

Happiness levels would be created by all kinds of things, all of them would be social in nature. Also, happiness could be achieved by tipping the bartender for doing an outstanding job of offering advice and making happiness drinks. These drinks could have a value, too.

People would be free to post silly memes without the threat of flagging. And then there would be rooms with signs overhead that would say, "BLOCKCHAIN-FREE BITCHING ROOM" where people would go to vent stuff they normally would not say in public Steemit world. Nothing would be recorded in that room. They could complain and bitch about whatever was on their mind without the fear of someone flagging them or damaging their reputation. Basically though, anyone entering the Bitching room would not enter unless they too, had something to bitch about. Usually, the people drinking to excess would be the ones entering this room. (I see this room has having lots of issues, though, so maybe it's not a great idea).

Then there could be all kinds of various sub-rooms.

There would be a sober-up room, a place where people are calm. Then I am sure that sub-rooms in the bar would form all by themselves.

The idea for a bar came to me this morning as I visualized Steemit as a multi-level bar, with different floors. Each floor contained a different kind of music. Each floor has a distinct flavor, a distinct look and a distinct personality. Of course there would be a floor for Anarchists, a floor for The Originals, and you get the idea. I thought it would be a beautiful place full of diverse interests and unusual characters. Being an adventurous person myself, I would delight in being able to visit the different worlds that comprise different aspects of being human.

Now, how would the bar idea work in reality, in a virtual space?

Separate areas of Steemit would need to be designed. How would the visitors to my bar get their drink tickets? It would be really amazing if many different people created their own bars, then the bar wars would be on. What kind of bartenders would emerge? How many cool creations would be made? I suspect a lot.

Oh, while I'm discussing new ideas for Steemit, my suggestion for the founders moving forward is to have an Official Steemit bulletin area. That way, people know it's a post coming directly from the founders. It's also a good way to create more visibility moving forward.

What do you think of the bar idea? What could happen if different people on Steemit opened their own bar? Wouldn't it be fun to let off some Steem while sipping a Stoli?

Let me know what you think.

By the way, I am not actually advocating that people get drunk and go into the Steemit bar although I suspect many might. Some people could open coffee or tea shops instead of bars. I guess it would be nice to have a variety of places in which we can talk and discuss things inside of Steemit. Places that show a distinct personality, a kind of environment that is friendly or whatever. A relaxed, and fun environment. That's what I can envision.

A place of pure imagination.............is a place people will not want to leave.