It is no secret that I believe STEEM is going to be one  of the leading blockchains going forward.   There is some fundamental reasoning for this.

When looking at blockchians and what is taking place, it is important, in my view, to understand some of the capabilities that will make it attractive to users.  This can often be hard to see initially because users are satisfied in a round about way.

I think it important to use a bottom up approach when analyzing this.

###### Blockchain
We start by realizing this is a Graphene based blockchain developed by @dan Larimer.  This provides tremendous capabilities over the previous versions of blockchain, most notably, the number of transactions per second that can be handled.  We see extreme scaling problems with Bitcoin and Ethereum at the moment.  No such problems exist with STEEM, at least at the blockchain level.  

It is crucial to have a solid foundation and this is what STEEM has.  Hence, this is not a dirt road with potholes but the Autobahn.

##### Infrastructure
Having the greatest blockchain in the world would mean little if it is being run in conjunction with a bunch of 486s.  

The Steemit development team is dedicating a lot of attention to making sure the infrastructure matches the abilities of the blockchain.  There are a lot of variables that go into this including how memory is used and how particular software loads.  I will not go into most of is since, quite honestly, I don't understand the Xs and Os.  However, with the different posts the development team put out, I was able to garner enough feedback to realize they are on the right path.

###### Hivemind
This is something we do not have today but it in the works.  It is going to be a very important component for STEEM.

WIthout going into too many details., it is a layer that is being added which will tie into the communities feature.  This allows for developers to determine the level of decentralization they want to embrace.  For example, with communities, adding and deleting moderators is something that will be possible.  It is Hivemind which will allow that.  Information such as this will not be posted to the blockchain yet there will be syncing between the two.  

Hivemind will also extend outside STEEM.  From what I understand, this layer will blanket the entire Internet meaning that any site can take advantage of this.

###### Applications
At the end of the day, the average users cares nothing about what I wrote so far.  His or her interest lies simply in the applications being used.  That is what attracts people and retains them.

Think about it, do you care about the technical basics when you go to a website?  Most of us do not.  We log on with the expectation the site will work.  If it is flawless, we notice nothing.  It is only when something goes wrong that people start to question.

STEEM is not being designed, at this point, with the user in mind.  They are not on the radar of the development team.  Instead, their focus is upon developers.  That is what they are wanting to attract.  Having a blockchain that is friendly to the developers mean more will start hacking away at code and hanging applications on here.  The Ruby project is an example of this.

Over a 6 week period, we went from 350 applications listed on the app page to over 400.  I have not looked recently but that is quite a jump.  This is the real value of what is taking place.  

![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcfSz524D64oX9nasTvj9HnRbZnUTfvB55EUgEX5C63Se/image.png)
<center>[Source](https://coinstocks.com/use-cases-blockchain-retirement-planning/)</center>

We all get excited about the prospects of some of the applications that are evolving before our eyes.  @dtube just had a major update.  @dlive is streaming ahead (pun intended).  @steemhunt came online like a house on fire and hasn't let up.  @busy.org is seeking to become a multi-chain application that takes on Whatsapp or Snapchat.  @actifit is seeking to become the largest fitness tracker that pays people for moving around.

Ultimately, we are seeing the beginning stages of Web 3.0.  For this to evolve, it is going to require the users onboard.   That will take some time but it is the applications developed that will attract people.  We are seeing the foundation placed with STEEM.

This is why I am so optimistic about STEEM.  It did not lose it early adopter advantage.  In many ways, STEEM is ahead of the pack.  A lot of time and effort went into us getting where we are.  From my perspective, things seem to be snowballing.  We are seeing production of applications increasing.  

Try to keep this in mind when you find the FUD is getting a bit much.  Look at what is taking place instead of the conjecture of the media or the pricing action of the casino.  This is what will, ultimately, tell the true story.  Too many people are looking for the house when the concrete foundation is being poured.  Obviously, when doing this, the house is not seen.

This is what people do with STEEM.  They are looking for the end product when the foundation is not in place yet.  

I guess you could say we are not even to the point of being a ground-floor opportunity.

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