For today's chat with @Mrs.Steemit we discuss the currencies of the platform with special focus on Steem Dollars.
I'm not their biggest fan but I'm sure some people must like them for their added stability. When I'm paid on Steemit, I either cash out (sell steem on an exchange) or power up (invest in Steemit buy locking up my steem as Steem Power). Personally, I have no use for Steem Dollars but I'm sure some people must like them for the added stability they promise.
For newcomers that aren't already versed in cryptocurrencies, understanding steem is hard enough but they also have steem dollars and steem power to wrap their heads around too. Is it asking too much of the average newbie to figure them out all at once? Sure, the relative stability of Steem Dollars is nice but perhaps they are adding to the intimidation factor more than us older dogs realize? Does use of the word "dollar" make things sound to serious and/or risky for those who aren't that economically literate? Would a lighter, more game-like approach work better for attracting and retaining people?
Personally, I like the idea of just having a binary choice between steem and power but I know this is probably a controversial opinion and many will disagree. I'm certainly not advocating their establishment or anything drastic like that but I won't be leading my pitch with references to them either. When I introduce people to Steemit for the first time, I try to keep it as simple, safe, and fun-sounding as possible and I don't think that making the discussion about money is very useful unless the person is specifically looking for online income opportunities.
What do you think? Does the financial language help or hinder adoption? Do you use Steem Dollars? Do you like the idea of hitching the Steemit wagon to a specific government-issued currency or would you prefer we detach from that world and work towards developing a separate, parallel economic system entirely? Drop your thoughts bellow. We're very curious to hear everyone's opinion and maybe some things we haven't considered yet.