@sircork

I started to go through your reply point for point to respond, because I think the time you took to write it warrants a response, and because you make good points throughout. I've scrapped the point for point, though, while still replying, because I  think your response has less to do with the heart of my comment as it does with where your own heart is long with whatever lack of knowledge or understanding I might have about how things actually work.

One thing I do need to clear up directly is about the general chat in Discord. I misspoke. I was thinking about steemitchat. After that first sentence in the paragraph where I talk about GINAbot, I should have said if it's anything like steemitchat, I'm not sure I want to be (privy to what goes on on Discord).

I apologize for the confusion. 

From what you wrote, I get that you very much care about the STEEM blockchain and its proper development, be it the actual blocks themselves, or the ecosystem on top of it, and that this caring attitude even extends to each apps actual function and how they're used. I can also see that you take your role in it seriously, and that you're willing to not only defend what you're doing, but also that of your fellow witnesses.

I can also see that you do post, comment and curate. I can see you have a foundation, as well, along with a network. In fact, from what I can more easily find, and in your comments, I think we line up in quite a few ways as far as what is important to us on and off Steemit.

So, it seems to me, that you are actually, by and the large, the kind of witness I want to see more of.

Which makes your defense of your fellow witnesses even more admirable, even though we both know that there are witnesses, some of them higher up then you, that may or may not care as much as you do, and who may or may not be working on worthwhile things, while not interacting nearly as much as you.

I have read about and actually heard your thoughts on grumpycat and seen you take another witness to task over it. I have seen your defense of minnows in other comments. I didn't get to your witness declaration before it was changed, so I don't know much else without taking some serious time to go through what you may have written about your role as a witness in other posts.

I have been trying to work my way though the witnesses to vote for them. It's obviously easiest with the top 20, and then the top 50, and gets harder the farther you go down the list.

As far as what I know, well, I think I understand more than what you might think I do, but I'm not sure how to convince you of that in one reply, or even a dozen. I know I have read and continue to read quite a bit, more than the average user, and maybe even more than the above average user, primarily because I like to know things. Perhaps I haven't been reading the right things. I admit to being confused about one thing or another because everyone seems to have an opinion masquerading as fact on any of a number of topics.

It's hard to weed through all of that. I'm not a developer, I don't understand a whole lot of code, nor do I feel it is a prerequisite for being here. I am new relative to you, just as you are new relative to others. But I do try to stay informed about a whole number of things. If you've read any of my posts about Steemit or seen my other comments, you know that's the case.

I've not wandered out into the Discord channels. I can't say I'm actively avoiding them, however. As you well note, there's only so much time in the day and we all choose, be it right, beneficial or not, how to spend our time. For the time being, I've chosen to spend mine posting, commenting and curating, mainly because I enjoy it, but also because that's what I believe in. I believe it needs to be done. I understand that there are other things that might help me grow faster or improve the quality of my followers, etc., but that does require time, however much it is, away from posting, commenting and curating.

I believe that's my role, at least for the time being. I can't imagine myself being a witness at this point, but who knows. I think there's plenty of others like yourself who wish to do that. More power to you. Someone has to do it, because that's the way the system is designed. I also know someone human has to be around to use it, or else everything else doesn't matter much, at least not the creative part of it. If investors want to throw money at it because of everything else the STEEM blockchain can do transaction-wise, speed and numbers, along with its scalability, great.

I'm not that guy. I have a small investment, mainly for my SP, and to turn some profit. I'm here for the promise of Steemit, real or not. I'm here because Facebook takes my stuff and uses it for its own purposes. I'm here because I believe in decentralization and freedom. I'm here because I do appreciate some compensation, even if it's just a trickle. I've stayed because of the hope that it will become more than a trickle. To my surprise, I'm also staying because of some associations I do have here. I don't call them friends quite yet because I don't really know them yet. I think associations take time. Someday I hope to call them friends, though.

I'm sorry we've gotten off on the wrong foot. I hope you can overlook my mistake regarding Discord. I also hope you can see that we're at least lining up on some things, and that that's more important than where we do not. At least for now. I also believe you have nothing to be offended about in what I said. I was trying to talk about a very specific subset of people, although all of us can produce snarky comments, or have them interpreted as such.

Thank you for your reply.