Germany's first official Steemit meetup** took place yesterday in Hamburg's newly developed Harbour City. Around 20 Steemians gathered in a fancy hotel room overlooking Hamburg's port, eager to learn more about Steemit.
@sirwinchester, one of Germany's most successful Steem authors, organised the meetup, supported by @mrs.steemit, @soldier and @agent, who also form a dance company and a social media agency with him.
I came late because I had to publish Friday's Bitfilm of the Day, but unlike the stereotype, nothing in Germany starts on time. After some initial schmoozing, Tony (that's @sirwinchester's real name) opened the meetup by telling his personal story about how he discovered first Bitcoin and then Steem for himself.
@fabio and me, both from Berlin, gave a short introduction into the world of decentralised money, as many in the room were completely new to it. Then @mrs.steemit shared her approach how to explain Steemit to newcomers, ending with @capitalism's dictum "Steemit is like Bitcoin but with Girls".
A short break with free drinks and snacks - thanks a lot, Tony, for your generosity! - gave us another opportunity to get to know each other.
I suppose everyone in the room shared the feeling to be part of a historic event that will be remembered as a milestone for the German Steemit community.
After the break, @pharesim, an early Steem adopter and developer, talked about his experiences as a Steem witness and the current discussions inside the Steem core team. We were glad to hear that they are looking for solutions how to bridge the huge gap between the "Whales", who gained a lot of Steem power in the early days, and the rest of us.
Having taken a group photo, which ended the "offical part" of the evening, many of us still hung out for hours in the hotel's smokers' room to share ideas and enjoy the open and friendly atmosphere. I am looking forward to see many of the wonderful people I met here soon again, at our Bitcoin / Steemit meetup in Berlin on September 10th.
* Digga, literally fat guy ("Dicker", but pronounced with a North German accent), is a widely used expression in the German hip hop scene. It is not an insult, you can call anyone a Digga, even if they are slim or female. The expression was popularised throughout Germany in the 90s by hip hop bands from Hamburg such as Absolute Beginner, Fünf Sterne Deluxe or Das Bo.
** Our Bitcoin Exchange Berlin on August 16 turned into an informal Steemit gathering, but Tony deserves the credit for having organised the first Steemit meetup on purpose.