Hi Friends!
It’s been a little over a week since I started using PALnet on all of my posts, and so I thought I’d share my thoughts on the new platform. I’ve been keeping note of the questions that came up for me this week so that I could share those with you in case you had similar questions.
Overall First Impressions
Before digging into the various aspects of the site - here’s a little tidbit on why I think using PALnet is so fun. Because someone with a lot of Steem, doesn’t necessarily mean they have a lot of PALcoin (and visa versa) you could have vastly different earnings between the platforms. A post that earned a dollar on Steem, could have earned 10 PAL because a large PALcoin holder noticed the post.
This really helps to gamify things and gives content creators a more diverse income stream. It’s honestly so fun to check both platforms to see how your post is doing!! Because a lot of people are still learning about PALnet - now is a great time to start using the platform and get noticed by curators on PAL.
Curation Potential
Speaking of curation - I think this is worth mentioning. I have heard more and more people say that they are specifically looking for posts using the #palnet tag so that they can earn additional income through curation rewards of PALcoin. Especially since the curation and author split are 50/50 on PAL.
I honestly think it seems like a no brainer to start using PAL alongside your favorite Steem UI because you are giving your content more opportunity to be noticed, and are broadening your income potential - all just adding a tag to your post!
Usability and Ease of Onboarding
For anyone who is accustomed to using the Steemit Platform - getting used to navigating PALnet will be a total piece of cake. It looks pretty much identical to Steemit with a few tweaks here and there. Only posts with the tag #palnet will show up on the site, and so the trending page and your feed will look a bit different. There is also easy navigation to Steem-Engine and a few other slight changes.
Branding Strength
I really like the colors, branding and logos they have developed for this site. The phrase “Peace, Abundance and Liberty” is a value set that resonates deeply with a lot of people - especially those attracted to the values blockchain technology represent.
I also like the gradient blue colors on the PAL logo as it looks more modern and visually appealing than the Steemit logo. (Not that it’s a competition - but just pointing out that I think Steemit would do good with a major logo overhaul.)
That being said - I think the combination of PAL logos are a little confusing and not all that compatible looking together. I really like the modern "PAL" but the swirly logo with words no one really understands is kind of confusing. You know the old saying:
The clearest, not the cleverest, marketer wins.
On a side note - I would actually like to know what this phrase means!
My main Questions and Observations
As I said in the beginning, I kept note of all the questions I had while using the platform this last week so I could address them in this post and hopefully help some of you guys out!
I have a post worth 13 Steem and only 1 PAL… does that just mean the people who voted for my post don’t hold any PALcoin?
Yes… you will notice that if you click on the votes - it will display a different order of names. It is always listed in descending order of the top voters down. The lists may look completely different between platforms. You may also find the reverse - where a post is worth a dollar on Steem, but 10 PAL! This is part of what makes it so fun.
Where can I find more stat’s on who voted my post with PAL?
I’m actually not sure about this one and am hoping a team member can chime in. I love that on Steem we have so many third-party tools such as SteemWorld or UI’s like @steempeak that display more detailed information on your account. If something like this exists for PALnet, then I haven’t run across it yet. I imagine as PAL grows in popularity and daily users - we will see more third-party tools pop up.
Can I add the #palnet tag after the post has gone live and still have it show up on PAL? Or does it need to be tagged that way from the start?
Yes, you can! I forgot to add the tag to one of my posts and was super bummed for a second, because I thought that meant it was too late. Luckily - I edited the post, added the tag and it popped right up!
Can I use the PALnet tag on other Steem based dApps such as Dtube, Actifit, Appics, etc.?
Yes! I’ve started added the PALnet tag to everything I do on the Steem blockchain, regardless of what dApp or UI I’m using.
Why does the amount of PAL earned on my post seem to fluctuate so much?
I’ve actually noticed it stabilizing more the last few days, but at first I would noticed some pretty big swings in the amount of PAL on my post. At first I thought maybe people were downvoting me? Thankfully, I think it was just the fluctuation of the PALcoin price. Steem has been pretty stubbornly placed around .40 for what feels like ages - so we aren’t used to seeing fluctuation of our Steem earnings anymore - but it is totally normal. The price of the post will change depending on the coin value at the time .
Can I just vote with my PAL or Steem… or do votes automatically reflect on both platforms?
The votes are exact mirrors between platforms. So if I’m cruising on PALnet and give someone a 100% vote, it will also give them a 100% vote in Steem. Keep that in mind when curating content. PALnet does have a vote slider just like Steem, and so you should be able to continue your usual curation habits. If you want to vote on posts that have the #palnet tag to increase your curation rewards between platforms - the easiest way to do that is just to jump on palnet.io and curate there!
Have you Gotten Your PALcoin Claimdrop Yet?
I think there is still a week or so left! PALnet offered a claim drop to a large list of steemians that is just sitting there waiting for you to claim! The amount is based on the amount of Steem you hold - but with a cap.
I did a video tutorial last week on how to claim your PALcoin that you can check out - HERE.
Closing Thoughts
I hope some of you found this helpful and it helped clear a few things up for you! I’m a huge fan of PALnet and am excited to continue using it on all of my posts. Like I said above, it is super easy because you just need to add a simple tag and it can not only increase your rewards - but your visibility as well. Not to mention it’s fun to check both to see how your posts are doing!
Great job to @steem-engine, @yabapmatt, @aggroed and team for bringing this to life! I think it’s pretty darn cool.