So why is there Steem and Steemit, is it not the same?

As a Steemit user you might have noticed different mentions of Steem and Steemit, and while they are related to each other, they are not the same. So what are they and how are they different from each other?

Steemit is a social media platform quite similar to Reddit. However, it interacts with the Steem blockchain, by storing and retrieving data, and therefor is limited to the rules set out for interacting with Steem. The Steem blockchain is basically like a huge ledger which holds every interaction(transaction) that has ever taken place and Steemit acts like a gateway, allowing users to interact with Steem. However Steemit is just one gateway and one perspective to interact with Steem.

Steemit, like Reddit, can be categorised as an micro blogging social media platform. Yet there are many different types of social media platforms, all servicing their own niche. Some of the most notable would be Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Twitter. The true power of Steem is that is possible to build additional gateways, that copy functions of other social media platforms, and interact with Steem in parallel, while holding true to the same core principles, which I believe set Steem apart. Another article on this another time.

The future of Steem

I believe that in 5-10 years there will be clones made of most of the big social media platforms that interact with Steem in parallel. Users will be able to have only one account and use this for the different gateways, each serving their own niche. Users will have the same voting power on each of these platforms, there will be no need to start from scratch on each platform.

So in essence Steemit is not only just competing with Reddit, but over time as Steem grows and more developers start building layers on top of Steem, Steem will be competing with every other social media platform out there. And as long as the core values of Steem stay superior users from other platforms will gradually migrate to Steem and Steem will dominate the social media scene.

Just wanted to share some of my thoughts on Steem and why I believe in it's future. What do you think? Please share below.