I found myself in a brief discussion on crypto today and in a strange position where I had to actively defend crypto, as opposed to me remaining silent or letting it speak for itself. Yet the central theme was that most of what we considered positive developments happening in the space were nothing but far fetched optimism and enthusiasm which often led to wild exaggerations.
In a way my friend did make some really good points, which has influenced my decision to put my thoughts in writing. A lot of projects out there, even the good ones, are simply blown out of proportion. There is a tendency to oversell the true nature of things in the space just so we look good in the eyes of outsiders. It might be a business strategy employed by traditional companies, but such moves usually have their own consequences.
There is a difference between stating that something has a high ceiling and potential for growth compared to simply stating out figures that are non existent. For instance, we talk about what Hive could become in the future all the time on this chain, but I don't think anyone is under the illusion that we are marginally close to mainstream level as of right now.
I find being realistic about our positions and predicaments does help us to have proper assessment of where we are at, and the right kind of expectations moving forward. Branding around deluded stats and figures simply will not only discourage us in the long term, but dampen the trust of other people as well. This is why I am an advocate of selling value rather than figures.
When value is sold, it is more difficult to be oversold because there are clear demonstrations of what it does. Figures on the other hand that are blown up can be taken to extreme cases until there are assessments to verify them. Even if your innovation is revolutionary, the chances are that there won't be much of a revolution if nobody is actually using the product.
Value isn't something that needs to be oversold, as it very so often speaks for itself. The optimism we express here on Hive is based on what the chain has to offer. Everyone knows where we currently are but the expectations are that the chain would fulfill its potential. Nothing needs to be oversold here.
