Very few people reading this sentence joined Steemit before @kevinwong.

A devoted Steemian since May 2016, Kevin's reputation score is among the top 20 of all Steemians. He is opinionated, yet respected by the vast majority of the Steemit community.

He has put countless hours into helping improve the Steemit experience for everyone. His work as a founding member of Project Curie (@curie ) is one example of how his efforts have helped identify and reward quality content, while increasing retention of talented writers.

So why does he bother?

According to Kevin, it's simple:

"We're breaking new grounds and making history here."

20 questions with @kevinwong

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1 - How would you describe yourself in one sentence?

@kevinwong - A human being?

2 - You've been around Steemit longer than most (May 2016). What is your cryptocurrency background, and how did you first hear about Steemit?

@kevinwong - Stumbled upon Bitcoin in 2009. Mined it with just the laptop. But I guess I wasn’t in the mood, so I just forgot all about it pretty quickly. Much later, I got dragged into the cryptocurrency rabbit hole and went all-in with Ethereum because it frankly blew my mind. I soon discovered Steemit during The DAO era when someone posted a link to Dan Larimer’s post on Steemit with a critical exposition on the concept. It came at a time when I wanted to explore some writing and was bummed out when I found out that Medium.com was (and is still being) blocked by the local ISPs, so I started using Steemit. The ~$200 sign at the bottom of my first post certainly made me stick around.

3 - Not everyone who joined Steemit in the early days decided to stick around. Why have you chosen to remain an active Steemian over the past 20 months?

@kevinwong -

We’re breaking new grounds and making history here.
I like creating and sharing content.
(To) keep the distribution going!
(I like) spending time with Steem, writing about it every now and then.

4 - As one of the founding members of Project Curie, it's clear you've always been passionate about helping discover quality content. When you spoke at SteemFest in Amsterdam, you said the goal of @curie was to "retain a valuable user base." Do you believe @curie has accomplished that goal?

@kevinwong - Yes, I would like to think so. A good number of Steem’s top authors and long-time users used to be @curie recipients. The project has also been retaining a valuable userbase of dedicated curators.

5 - You recently wrote that trying to keep up with notifications, comments and messages has been taking a toll on you. Since setting some communication ground rules, have you felt a sense of relief? Would you encourage others to try unplugging or taking a brief vacation from Steemit and/or technology?

@kevinwong - Yes, it has been a great relief to me although admittedly I’m not completely off-the-hook. I'd highly encourage unplugging, even from the phone every now and then. It’s easy to fall into the trap of on-demand (that’s only for machines). I recently came across this interesting link which might describe just about every “disorder” induced by technology: https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/intermental/

6 - Several months ago, you wrote a nostalgic post called That Village Boy. Under a reader's comment, which was about the idea of people currently being addicted to technology, you replied, "...I think the new gens will face their own challenges, but gain new superpowers." Is it fair to say you see the positives of technological advancement outweighing the negatives?

@kevinwong - Yes, as long as we’re capable of loving and caring.

7 - How important do you feel it is for Steemians to interact in person (at meet-ups such as SteemFest)?

@kevinwong - I’ve never been active in any online communities before so the first Steemfest was quite a magical moment for me. Large gatherings are probably something I’m not going to do too often, but I do think it’s important to meet up in-person and just hang out, getting to know each other. After all, meeting up is like the last 5% of the way we absorb information and connect with others, so it’s quite precious especially if you’re into the idea of Steem.

8 - Your reputation score is in the top 20 among all Steemit users. Does that number matter to you?

@kevinwong - It’s good feedback and also a way to stand out, for good or bad.

9 - In your opinion, what is the biggest problem currently plaguing Steemit?

@kevinwong - (The lack of) a map of active communities on Steem. I think we can create a community that actively builds upon this aspect.

10 - What is your opinion on popular Steemit bloggers focusing on quantity over quality when it comes to content?

@kevinwong - If they’ve been taking a considerably huge % from the rewards pool consistently, I’d think they’re being exploitative in a social setting. But in the end, it comes down to the voters.

11 - What effect do you think Smart Media Tokens will have on the future of the Steem blockchain?

@kevinwong - Steem could become the liquidity layer for SMTs, (generally, different configurations of Steem) which could add to a level of stability on the network. There’s also a great information bloat that needs to be solved on the blockchain level if SMTs become wildly popular, but I think that’s just another technical hurdle and a good problem to have anyway.

12 - What/who are your top 3 favorite Steemit accounts to follow?

@kevinwong -

@donkeypong - I think the account captures the heart of Steem well.
@dan - I do enjoy reading his writings.
@berniesanders - It’s the account that pops bubbles.

13 - Your meme game is strong. What original meme are you most proud of creating?

@kevinwong - A (I’d like to think) funny one for a Bernie Sanders meme group on Facebook, when Leonardo Dicaprio didn’t win an Oscar for the longest time.

14 - Name 3 cryptocurrencies (other than Steem/SBD) that you think have a bright future in 2018?

@kevinwong - EOS, Substratum, Ethos (note: highly speculative)

15 - What is your favorite memory from attending SteemFest or SteemFest 2?

@kevinwong - Taking a very long walk all around Amsterdam. It was my first time being in the European region so the experience is rather memorable. It’s like I have a different heartbeat being there.

16 - Who inspires you?

@kevinwong - Steem users!

17 - What is your favorite song?

@kevinwong - "The Girl from Ipanema" by Stan Getz & João Gilberto

18 - Where is one place that you've not yet traveled that is on the top of your list to visit?

@kevinwong - The Himalayas

19 - You get to have dinner with three people, living or dead. Who are you eating with?

@kevinwong - Satoshi Nakamoto

20 - What is one thing very few people know about you?

@kevinwong - I like to have my meals alone most of the time.

Thanks to @kevinwong for taking part in The Steemian Series by answering these 20 questions.

As always, thanks to all of you for taking the time to read.

Who would you like to see me throw 20 questions at? Drop me a comment below and I'll work on setting up the interview.

If you like what you read, be sure to follow my blog!

Previous "20 questions" interviews:

20 questions with @kevinwong (The Steemian Series)