Can We Get Still Closer?
Steemit is a great way to bring people together. The blogging platform, the communities sprouting up around it, and the strong incentive to keep interaction positive, productive, and real (e.i. free from spam, verbal violence, and plagiarism) are things we all learned to appreciate. In order to draw interested members even closer together, I came up with this challenge, which (thanks to the eager reception of some keen individuals) is slowly maturing from a pipe dream into a realistic challenge.
Self Made Gifts
I want to combine the evolving on-line connection between steemians with the tangible experience of sharing the results of our skills and efforts. Born out of homesteading, it can be applied to the production of anything: art, food, cosmetics, handicrafts, tools, jewelry, even treasures unearthed with the help of a metal detector. I'm sure, most of us have something unique we can share, even if we don't live on a farm. To emphasize the sharing part of this exchange, I'd like to keep the nature of it free, meaning sending all items as voluntary gifts. This way, the only cost that would have to be covered is the shipping.
What is the Challenge Exactly?
So the challenge is to form a link between everyone who wants to participate, by sending something to each other, from person A to person B, then from B to C, from C to D, etc. until the chain has circled the globe, and person A receives something from the last person in the chain. A notebook and a small USB-drive would accompany each shipment, where each participating member could add messages, pictures, poetry, music, or any non-tangible things they want to share with the rest of us, eventually completing their trip around the world.
Who's Gonna Pay for All the Shipping?
The answer is: everyone! I believe this is another crucial part of the whole project: to cover all shipping fees just by using Steemit, that is by writing articles and upvoting them, collectively as a group. Now we tend to do that already, in order to accumulate steem power for more rewarding upvotes. So why designate certain articles exclusively for this project? The most important reason, I believe, is to tighten the existing connections between us steemians, who produce something and would like to participate in this exchange ring.
The Secret to Success: Large Numbers of Active Members
If I wanted to send a bottle of my home-made mead from Mexico where I live to India, where another steemian expressed their interest in it (a real example), the shipping would cost me at least 75 USD. Trying to cover that only from my own posts, it would probably take months. Sending it to another steemian in the US, however, would be a lot cheaper. Having a bunch of other people write articles as well, the costs could be covered in a much shorter time, and one happy steemian could enjoy my fine product very soon, thanks to the help of all the rest of us.
Posting About the Challenge
Now this already provides material for two posts: that of sending and that of receiving it. But wait, there are many more potential ones: Where should the chain start, and which way should it go? How should we decide these questions? If everyone who wants to participate shares their opinion, that gives another bunch of potential posts. If we manage to work well together, the series of these posts may even provide entertaining enough for readers, who would check in regularly to see our progress.
When the Snowball Gets Rolling...
Encouraged by this experience, more steemians would want to join, meaning more people to post, more people to upvote these posts, and more people in the chain, resulting in shorter shipping distances. Eventually my companion in India would receive some other home-made item, even if it's not my mead. By the time we've spanned the world, there would be a multitude of eager participants posting and voting, and enjoying each other's products. There would be stories about the many different ways these items could reach their destinations, by regular mail, by courier, or by alternative means (having it delivered by a friend who's going there anyway, etc.).
No Need to Start from Scratch
Since I came up with this idea a couple weeks ago, I've written about it in a number of posts. The first of which was for a contest, asking what I would do with 50SBD. I did not win that contest, and thus didn't get the 50SBD, but I kept spinning the idea around in my mind, writing about it. All of these posts have generated a certain amount, which is stored safely in my steemit wallet, ready to be used for the first shipment. Some very enthusiastic members have also provided a donation for this project, which I also want to use for that purpose. The numbers so far:
Post Rewards:
Post 1: 0.027 SBD, 0.025 SP
Post 2: 0.125 SBD, 0.115 SP
Post 3: 0.335 SBD, 0.245 SP
Post 4: 1.336 SBD, 1.007 SP
Total: 1.823 SBD, 1.392 SP
Donations:
July 29 5 SBD
July 31 30 SBD
Grand Total: 36.823 SBD, 1.392 SP
There are also a number of folks who expressed their interest in participating:
- @ecoinstant --- Tolima, Colombia 371048 --- 1lb hand picked and finely roasted organic coffee (mmmhhh).
- @stortebeker --- Mexico City 11850 --- a bottle (750ml) of home brewed mead or a jar of spirulina pesto.
- @nerd-minion --- Missouri, USA 65742 --- a lost treasure, found with his metal detector!
- @greenacrehome --- North Carolina, USA --- a hand-made soap or an item from his woodworking shop.
- @spaingaroo --- Southern Spain 23670 --- medicinally modified extra-virgin olive oil (or, depending on the local laws, maybe another non-food item).
- @ecoknowme --- India --- soap, oil, and spices that you would expect from South India AND COFFEE.
- @overthewait --- Queensland, Australia --- a handmade steempunk item.
So How Do We Proceed?
Things are looking quite good so far. The accumulated money could even cover the first shipment, provided it is a short distance, transporting a small and lightweight item. But to turn this into the raging success it could potentially become, we still need more people, and especially more articles posted by them, specifically designated for this purpose, and upvoted by all other participants.
To get this project off the ground I proposed a contest in my last preparation post, combined with the explanation of this challenge. Hardly anyone submitted anything, so I'm going to try again. This time, however, I want to announce it in a separate post tomorrow, one that will hopefully be seen my many interested people. I'm also going to use the 5 SBD from the first donation as a prize for the winner. The rest I want to keep as the basis to pay for the first shipment in the gift chain.
Does All This Sound Interesting to You?
If you are interested in joining this challenge, please leave a comment. Also, any ideas to add, or questions to be clarified are welcome. Please feel free to browse the previous posts for any details I may not have gone into here. Even if you're not sure about it, I encourage you to take a look at the contest, once I publish it tomorrow. I look forward to many members around the globe sending and receiving things, and posting about it of course.