It's easy to make yourself look like a fool in uncomfortable territory. Even easier to do it when you aren't paying attention in the first place. I ended up in that arena yesterday when I decided to start using the downvote button more often.
I've read some opinions from others about downvoting on HIVE and it seems like the general consensus is that it should be used on plagiarists and scammers. I can understand the thinking behind it since nobody wants their earnings to be affected, although it seems like a waste of learning opportunities and growth if this kind of limitation is the general perspective.
I downvoted two posts yesterday in the Proof Of Brain community, one of them ended up in a healthy discussion, one of them ended in me revoking the vote after realising I'd misjudged the intentions of the author. Oh boy, I felt foolish.
Both opportunities provided experience which will help me in the future and it also allowed me to learn about my emotions and process of reasoning, something which isn't necessarily present from just going with the grain.
Nobody wants to feel vulnerable. It's hardwired into us to avoid embarrassment and the feelings associated with being wrong or fearful. Is it wise to live your life covered in bubble wrap shielded from all potential pain though? I think not.
If people want to approach POB with the same proof of brain mindset that they've fostered since the wake of STEEM, then they will likely be concerned about the potential upset that may occur if their precious HIVE reputation and rewards are blasted into oblivion.
Did anyone expect the price of LEO to be higher than HIVE? Do some people use LEO exclusively and still deal with downvote conflicts on HIVE (some carried over from STEEM)? Is there an opportunity for POB to break the mold, creating a space on HIVE where the proof of brain mechanism actually rewards integrity and originality?
Food for thought.
There was a small change made to the front-end not long ago. The tags on the left have changed and the community tag is sitting there at the top underneath 'All posts'.
This small change is a good example of how the front-end can start to separate itself from the general way of thinking and begin empowering the users who are interacting directly here on POB. There is still the ability to see posts within other communities that are using the #proofofbrain tag here on the front-end but you can see how this small change can begin to expand further as specific tag uses increase.
People are already starting to use the pob-whatever method of tag categorisation and we can start to see how that left-hand list of tags could start becoming more diverse based on the interests of the growing POB community.
If people are willing to question the general perspective and take steps into bold new realms, maybe this generic tribe with not much going for it can gain the reputation it needs to put itself on the map.