I do not post seeking validation for my views. That said, it is nice to get some from time-to-time.
It was August 2017 when I joined Steem. For the first couple months, I posted some basically technology stuff which holds great fascination for me. However, as the months went by, I saw so much negativity being posted about Steem that it made my head spin. It was at that time that I decided to counter the naysayers and post what I saw taking place.
Part of my optimism came from the fact that I have an understanding of the general direction of things from a technological standpoint. Blockchain is going to be a success simply because there are a number of technologies that are dependent upon it. The future of manufacturing is 3D. This is a prime example of how necessary blockchain is. Down the road, an order is going to be placed on a website, then transmitted to a print house that is geographically located close to where the order was placed (local/regional manufacturing), it is printed and shipped out. This is all going to take place autonomously without the use of traditional payment system. Hence, we are going to see a blockchain based system.
Another reason for my optimism was the development that was taking place. I admit I am not a geek yet know enough to separate the fact from fiction. In short, Steem had some very cool projects being created. Certainly, not all of them panned out which is par for the course. Nevertheless, when delving into a situation such as this, looking at what is being created is the true barometer.
I also admit to not seeing the massive FUD (so soon) that took place in 2018. We saw a great run to end 2017 and I expected it to continue for much of the new year. This did not take place. Quite simply, I underestimated the timing of the establishment. I thought they would remain asleep for a bit longer. There was every reason to believe the hit would come at some point yet I figured we would eek out another year.
Overall, 2018 was a sensational year for Steem. The cryptocurrency got killed along with everything else but that is okay. The key element is what exploded and that is the development. The year was mostly focused upon the applications yet we got a bit of a different twist at year's end.
Before going any further, it is heart-warming to see 
https://steempeak.com/dtube/@theycallmedan/a7n5dxbd
What he is describing is a lot of what I saw back when I started posting about Steem. I was called a fanboy, pollyanna, Steemit cheerleader, and a bunch of other things. That is okay because the entire time I kept amassing STEEM. As my accounts grows, I know my ultimately payoff keeps increasing exponentially. I do not look at STEEM as $.40 or $.50. In my mind, I equate it to being $50-$100. That is a minimum level for this token.
Personally, I am upset with the recent run up in the price of STEEM. I am hoping this is simply a bounce in the longer downtrend. Some might disagree but I want lower STEEM prices because I am a buyer. My holdings will see a nice jump if STEEM reaches sub 20 cents. Since I do not believe we are seeing a long term Bitcoin breakout, I am willing to wait and see if there is a big crypto pullback in the cards.
If this does happen, trust me when I tell you it is not going to shake my confidence in what is taking place here. I believe one thing to be true: Steem is THE hidden gem in this industry.
Nobody is paying attention to it. The few times it is mentioned, as
There is no reason to get anxious. This is a long term deal. Do not worry about where things are in 6-12 months. It really does not matter. The key is what will the Steem ecosystem look like in 3 years. That is the time frame that we will see a serious difference in things.
Again, I am talking the ecosystem, exclusive of price. The price could well explode during the next year. It is a separate mechanism. What I am most focused upon is the development and baseline growth of the entire ecosystem.
We got a nice surprise in November. Steemit Inc announced they were headed down a road of financial difficulty and was laying off 70% of its staff. Why is this nice? Because it forced that entity to make decisions about how the blockchain is structured and data laid down. With some of the changes they are now implementing, we are seeing two things that was also mentioned in the video I just linked:
Decentralization and Scaling.
Steem is being given the opportunity to scale to incredible heights. With the size of the master nodes being reduced, hopefully a low as 4 GB, this will mean we are going to see hundreds of nodes set up. Almost every application will be able to run its own master node. This not only allows for scaling of the ecosystem but decentralizes it. A present, Steemit Inc controls most of the master nodes (there are a few non-Steemit ones). This will change after Steemit completes the present upgrades.
Hopefully those reading this article see what I am describing. If you do not, that is okay too. That is why it is called a "hidden gem". It is not obvious to everyone.
At this point, I barely acknowledge the naysayers. It really does not matter. Bash Steem all you want That is fine. We are passed the point where anyone's opinion matters. It all comes back to the development which is moving forward at a rapid pace. Couple that with a dedicated community that is active on here and we see a force that is changing things.
Some see it, other do not. In the end, I believe, all will end up seeing it.
Steem is a top 5 blockchain when all is factored in. The price nor coverage might not reflect that yet it will materialize at some point. And when the world figures it out, there will be many kicking themselves.
Let the games begin.
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