Does anyone feel the tide turning? I am not talking about the price here of course as that is pretty steady but, do you feel it in the community with all of the various announcements? https://3speak.online/ by 
Notice something?
These aren't @ accounts, these are dedicated sites on Steem that are getting traction and they have independent stake and support behind them. They aren't the oldest ones, there are others like https://steemhunt.com/ but the charge is coming, the space is expanding and the decentralization of stake, resources, use cases, developers, consumers, investors and all that is on Steem, is speeding up. The Steem community is moving the blockchain forward - as was the plan.
How long til the critical mass point, how long until one of these use cases strikes it big, hits the news and floods the Steem blockchain with new users? I don't know, but it is just a matter of time and when one does, it drags the others along for the ride because they are still all connected in some way, they are all in various forms of a relationship with the Steem blockchain, through direct connection, user base, token distribution, free transfers and all of the other points of contact.
While some people are worrying about the immediate future of Steem, the future of Steem is already happening and has been happening for a very long time already. All through the bear market and before the run up to the all-time high (ATH), Steem has been developing and it hasn't just been developing apps and bidbots.
What has been happening over the last two years is that there are an increasing number of people who are seeing the benefits of the Steem ecosystem and the future potential and are buying in. While you might not believe me, I should actually be in the top 400 Steem Power holders these days yet, I keep getting pushed down the list and it isn't by people earning more, it is from people buying more. I feel a growing sense of urgency for those who are looking to buy in heavier.
What low prices have done has increased the spread of Steem in the lower reaches to those who believe in some kind of future here and I can name a handful of close people who were relatively small minnows a year ago and are now mid to large dolphins. These are just the ones I know. I also see people who have earned their way from near zero to dolphin in the last 1.5 years too.
I was talking to 
Before HF19 there was a very steep curve which meant that there was not a great deal of vote value down in the lower SP holders. If I remember (2 years ago), I had about 5000 SP and a vote value of a cent or two ad Steem prices were 2-3x what they are today. 5000 Steem today has a 10+ cent vote meaning it would be 30 cents at the same price back then. That means there was 5-10x less reason to hold Steem and when Steem was easily earned, selling for a dollar was a good deal, especially because the circles meant that getting more wasn't going to be hard.
That has changed a fair bit since though, hasn't it? steem is not easy to come by for most people (unless buying) because not only did HF flatten out the curve taking a bit of power away from some of the circles, it also created the delegation and bidbot market that meant many supporting the circles started selling their stake instead of curating. That left the easy earners high and dry, little Steem after selling, little support.
The new crop of users however have gone through a different experience, struggled without the circles and put their own funds into buying up Steem too. If you have never taken a paycheck and converted some of it to Steem, you likely have a different connection to the ecosystem than those that have. This process has not been easy for many people and likely crushed many completely out like a grinder but, those that have made it through have become resilient, and if anything, antifragile.
Now, rather than just putting up with poor conditions, users are growing from them, getting stronger, developing, expanding and benefiting more and more from the ecosystem. The harder they are pushed, the more creative they are getting, the more able to withstand. That is what you want from a foundation isn't it? One that gets stronger and deeper the more pressure that gets applied to it.
While people get drawn into the FUD of those who are getting ground out, others are developing their skills and learning how to interact with Steem in all new ways. Rather than focus on those who don't make it, wrk out what makes those that do special. Have you noticed that no one has questioned 50/50 curation on palnet.io? This is the thing with the tokenized Steem-based platforms and applications, They can choose the way they distribute. People even got airdropped PAL tokens on https://steem-engine.com.
Things are happening and it is already getting to the point that it is near impossible for any one person to stay ahead of it all, and it is onlyjust starting. We are still in the infancy of what is to come, not yet walking but, here we are standing. All that vomit that people have spewed out over the last 2 years is going to look increasingly ridiculous and five years from now, all of those ups and downs that caused so much drama will be a smooth curve upward.
Many have fallen off the blockchain and I believe most will return but, that is not who we should worry too much about yet they tend to get the lion's share of attention. Instead, have a look at the people who have taken the risks with their assets and lives to underpin this blockchain for the millions of people who will follow and benefit from their investments in time, money and thought. Thank them.
Tick tock, tick tock - every 3 seconds a little more Steem gets distributed.
FOMOing yet - Or are you are hard ass Steem MOFO?
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
