Today, it dawned on me that we, the Steemit users, have more power than we think.
First of all, Steemit is implemented on blockchain. That means its data is open to everyone to be accessed and used, if I'm not mistaken.
I have already come across great projects that make use of the Steemit data and serve it in various ways. Here are some nice examples I came across.
- Steemd.com
- Steemdb.com
- Busy.org
- Steemwhales.com
- Steemreports.com
My Favorite Steemit Tool: Steemd.com
I use steemd.com almost more than use Steemit.com.
I check steemd.com to see how much voting power I have to make sure that my voting power never reaches 100%, because that's a waste of my steem power. Check the post 10 votes a day keep the abuser away for more about that.
Moreover, I use steemd.com to check whether someone followed me or replied to me recently.
The only problem I'm having with steemd.com is that all the actions on the blockchain concerning my account are given in a single view.
I'd prefer I could filter out some activities such as my actions and author rewards, because I'm only interested in other users' actions in relation to my account.
Wake Up! We Are in a New Era!
We are conditioned to see a platform like Steemit as a single entity. For example, when we want a feature from YouTube, we expect it from Google.
However, with the blockchain, we have the ability to build an interface ourselves. Think about Steemit.com as a proof of concept project.
My Top 3 Feature Requests
Developers other than the core Steemit team could develop much better websites and apps on top of the Steemit blockchain.
If someone could come up with the following three features, I'm sure they could overtake Steemit.com in being the most used interface built on the Steemit platform.
- Use machine learning to serve the users the most relevant and high quality content based on their past choices, just like YouTube.
- Provide relevant posts at the end of each post, again just like YouTube.
- Develop useful mobile apps for smartphones as well as tablets, for Android as well as iOS.
My Top 2 Rule Change Requests
Moreover, we can use our power not only to develop new interface, but also to change the rules of the game in a way that would benefit the ecosystem more.
If I'm not mistaken, following rule changes are possible if 51% of the Steem Power holders agree with them.
At the moment, I don't know how that power is concentrated, so maybe, some entity already holds such decision power.
In either way, here are the rule changes that I'd like to see on the Steemit platform.
- Get rid of the 7 days rule. I don't get what's the reason for this rule. Please let me know what the motivation of this rule is. Why can the posts older than seven days not be rewarded or resteemed?
- Get rid of the reward pool for authors and curators and introduce a tipping system to replace it.
How to Make a Positive Change on Steemit?
It comes down to making some noise to discuss these issues. So, if you have any change requests from Steemit, just write a post about it and discuss it.
Maybe some developers might pick your idea and build a system around it, which would benefit all the users.
If you want some rule changes to happen, just discuss it in your posts and comments. If your idea receives enough support, it might be implemented in a hard fork in the future.
Really exciting this blockchain stuff! I'm looking forward for all the changes that will happen in the future on Steemit and other platforms.
Your Turn
Do you know any other useful projects built on the Steemit platform?
Which changes would you like to see on Steemit? What would be your top three? Did you write any posts about them?
Do the requests explained in this post resonate with you? If not, why not?
Comment and let your voice be heard!