I recall working in sales in Key West in the mid 1990s. At that time, the Internet was still a new thing to most of us. One of my prospects was a guy who was involved in web site design. He was one of the forerunners offering that service in the area.
His company, which was him, would build websites for companies that needed it. I remember him explaining that he learned Java for that. I was thinking what the hell does coffee have to do with this?
The pages were all static and, if memory serves me, he was charging $250 per hour. Of course, any changes had to be done by him. This meant another fee to the company if they wanted something different on there. Obviously, most companies did not have the money to have full time website people on staff. At the same time, there weren't a ton of people out there with this guy's ability. Do not forget there were few geeks running around.
We all know the Internet changed greatly from that time period. One of the biggest advancements was done by Wordpress. The entity is probably responsible for more websites than any single one out there.
What was Wordpress' secret? They made designing a website simple. They created templates which allowed novice people to create what they wanted. It was a simple process which most anyone could do. Essentially, they brought website design to the masses and they offered the service for FREE.
Certainly, we know there are paid services that Wordpress offers which is what allows them to stay in business. However, for someone who is setting up something simple, Wordpress offered all the tools at no charge. This led to a massive explosion of sites.
Even today, many of the world's most known sites are built upon Wordpress. Publications like the NY Times and Wall Street Journal are clients of theirs.
Are we starting to see a parallel on Steem?
We know there are few blockchain designers out there at this time. It is still a new industry. Unlike the 1990s, there are a ton of geeks running around. People with programming skills are all over the place. This is making the conversion much easier.
Of late, we saw a number of announcements by the PALnet team about their future plans. This is exciting because it is really something that is offering simplicity to the masses. The idea of providing a template for everyone to follow which can support any type of community is ground breaking. From what was stated, communities will have the ability to not only create their own token, but also have blogging, live streaming, video uploads, and a forum all housed under one Tribe (website).
This really helps to drive home the vision of Steem. It is not a blogging platform even though that capability if offered. It is not even a social media platform.
Instead, we see Steem evolving into a platform that allows people to easily place projects on the blockchain. Like Wordpress did with the website years ago, Steem is looking at doing for blockchain.
We are finally to the point where there are enough tools developed that allow for further innovation. This is how we see the development rate grow exponentially. Open source software allows for a lot of shortcuts since programs do not have to be coded from line 1. This makes things a lot easier for the entire community.
I predict we will see more activity on the growth, both development and in projects, than we saw the past 3 years. The pace is accelerating with what is taking place. Having tools that provide turnkey solutions make a huge difference.
The blockchain also had a built in advantage. Steem is Fast AND Free. This sets it apart from many other blockchains. Never do you hear an issue raised about the cost of transacting. This same is not true for those chains that have mining charges which can get out of hand at times. We also see situations where the cost of RAM can go through the roof. Steem does not have these issues.
We are entering a time when blockchain could be starting the transition for geek/mega-corporation to the average Jane or Joe. Mass adoption is still further down the road yet it is coming.
It is vital to remember we are in the ultra early stages of development. That said, I expect things to evolve quickly.
If you found this article informative, please give an upvote and resteem.
