I'm here because BitShares can absolutely transform the way society functions, because we can render existing structures of control obsolete, because we have a chance to rewrite the rules of the game.
BitShares is a socio-political pioneer species in the present day wasteland of fractured communities, failed states, wars: both financial, physical, digital, and extending into the realm of thought itself. We are among the first in a whole new species of organism, which holds the potential to restore balance.
I recognize that BitShares must provide valuable services, and be profitable, to continue growing and developing. And although I know there are a number of community members who share the vision of life, liberty, and property for all... I often feel a great mist shrouds the eyes of many into confusing the marker with the game, as they seem primarily focused on profit alone.
Everyone has their own reasons for being here, and I see no reason why we can't all succeed in our aims together.
The financial world, the exchanges; these are currently churning through trillions, and it would likely benefit us to capture even a fraction of this, but personally I'm focused on other applications, other use-cases, and don't have a whole lot of interest in this arena, though I do think there's enormous potential in capturing this energy for other developments, as economic jiu jitsu, to power all manner of other projects. However if we gain the world only to lose our soul, then we will have lost.
I generally feel that everyone is severely underestimating the population of the planet which is ready to throw off it's chains and turn a new page in human history. These are the people I intend to reach, and the tools are almost there.
We can make BitShares better, and provide for a multitude of use cases. As to the fee debate, my only desire is that I wish there were an elegant solution for providing regional fee scaling so countries like China, and the US, could be on a more level playing field. Everyone would benefit.
I'm still here because of the original vision though i do feel i have lost sight of it. Bitshares can provide the tools that will create the new systems of immutable freedom of voluntary cooperation that will be crucial in bringing about a new system of control that is localized squarely with the individual. I am whole heatedly on board for the ideas of civil disobedience and I see the state or government as the largest obstacle to a free and prosperous, peaceful society. The state is the biggest instrument of organized crime. It does nothing to protect any of us from anything. Any effort to bow to state demands or regulations personally I feel is a shame and a waste of otherwise valiant efforts. Though I completely understand the desire for cookie cuter, safe, draw within the state approved lines avenue its just not moves me personally, not what I'm here for. I'm sure we can all make some money playing into the hands of the ruling class but that is not my core motivation for being here and ultimately a far greater opportunity lies outside these lines.
I think we've made great progress and built a monster of a platform. The exchange is a great feature but my heart pulls for greater ambitions and I'd be thrilled to see a wider scope and renewed focus on the core principles that brought me here.
I too am here for the original vision and I have never lost sight of that. I have been very disappointed on several occasions this year as one pivot after another seemed to move this community further and further away from that vision. So many efforts that diluted and weakened our resolve sent many running away in disillusionment. Why DNS was sacrificed and FMV deemed more important still puzzles the hell out of me.
I was almost asleep waiting for this community to regain the passion that would sharpen our focus back to the original vision.
@bytemaster, I am grateful for your passion, creativity and stamina to see this project through to the success I know it can be, if we C A N J U S T S T A Y F O C U S E D ! It takes skillful leadership to set short, mid and long term goals in this crypto space. Sadly, to be honest, I just haven't seen much of that here in terms of the business decisions. You R O C K i t on the tech and innovation side, not so much with timing, marketing, PR and business.
I agree with many of the posts in this thread. I am surprised not to see more of those who prioritize profit express themselves here as a counter to the OP. There's nothing wrong with profit, but like BM said we must not loose sight of our vision or we'll loose our primary reason for our efforts. Core values matter!
@bytemaster, it's admirable that you wish to see this community take over the governance of this project in a manor similar to how a father wants to see his son take on increasing responsibility as he matures. However, a good father will not give more responsibility to his son than he can handle for the level of maturity he is at. It takes wisdom to know the right balance to be given so as to lead and strengthen the son, to groom him for leadership. You know this, that's why we still have init committee members in place. This is one area you seem to have gotten it right. S O glad to see that!!!
I can't tell you how great it is to see this thread. In the face of all of the current challenges before us I needed the reassurance your OP provided that tells me you haven't departed from your original vision. I seriously questioned that when Identibit was announced. However, the empirical evidence of our progress since 10/13 has not inspired confidence. I concur with the others that say we must stay focused on completing the exchange functionality to support traders and ease of use. Define clear objectives and stick with them. Jakub is really doing a great job for you, don't hinder his efforts but rather strengthen them by demonstrating to this community you are making measurable progress towards identified goals / milestones. You need a good project manager, someone that knows how to use Microsoft Project and keep a team focused and on task. Project is good to measure progress. I've seen it used very effectively and it actually helped the team's morale, b/c it allowed everyone to see everybody else's progress and stumbling blocks.
Finishing these will provide a major positive impact. In no particular order:
UI / UX improvements using popular exchanges as a model
Referral program - refine as necessary, get Max Wright or SolomonSollarsNSense to create a video to highlight its use and benefits
Documentation, both for users and developers (i.e. API docs, examples and use cases)
UI for privacy features, if even just a minimal subset
I could add others, but these represent plenty of work and will be huge! Devise a plan of attack (i.e. schedule, milestones) to reach these goals and show progress each week until completed.
Topic: Why are we Here? Why BitShares? Why this community? Why Me? (Read 35734 times)
