The name's Jacob and I'm, as the headline suggests, a journalist, entrepreneur, and all around cryptocurrency fan. I've been shadowing Steemit for the better part of a month and even submitted a piece I had previously written to test out how the entire system. But I decided that, rather than just posting random articles, I should first introduce myself and then go from there.
So here goes ...
I run two weekly newsletters called Crypto Brief and FinTech Brief, which is where I curate the most important news and articles about blockchains, cryptocurrencies, and FinTech. My most recent essay there approaches Steemit from a slightly pessimistic approach in the short-to-medium term, leaving the long-term wide open. My primary concern is that, for the most part, altcoins experience tremendous excitement, but then the early money gets out, sending the coin taking.
But one reason that I am not actually entirely bearish on Steem is because there is a straight-forward, consumer facing use case for it. Even if Steem were to tank in value, people would continue to create content on the site, which should, theoretically, keep the site going. Many altcoins don't have a use case baked into their existence, so it's easy to see them fail over time.
So in the long-term, I think Steemit could have a bright future. I am concerned about network security, but we can leave that topic for another day.
I also run a company called Distributed Studios, which is an explainer video production company targeted toward bitcoin/blockchain companies. Having been a journalist in the space for a while now, I've learned that companies find it difficult to convey their main points to potential clients and investors. These explainer videos help.
And finally, I am a journalist. I have written for Inside Bitcoins, Bitcoin Magazine, and now I am a contributing writer for CoinDesk. My most recent article is about how bloody boring Bitcoin's halving was.
I may just pass on through and I may decide to stick around. But I am impressed with the excitement about Steemit. But more than that, what impresses me most is that non-cryptos are participating. I'm part of a few groups on Facebook about how to get into the mindset to build your own business and, increasingly, I'm seeing people sharing their articles posted on Steemit. I seriously doubt these are people who knew about cryptocurrency before Steemit.
So as a Bitcoin fan, I am excited to see so many new people participating and learning. And as a Steemit amateur, I'm intrigued to see what the future holds. If the inevitable price drop in Steem doesn't scare everyone away--as has always been the case with other altcoins--then this could be a very vibrant community. There's no denying the founders and community have a lot of work ahead of them.
I look forward to communicating with you all. Thanks!
-Jacob