STEEM LOCAL would be an initiative for Steemians in the United States. It might not work the same in other countries but I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts on the adaptability of the concept.
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My first run in with alternative currency wasn't really Bitcoin. Bitcoin was my first digital currency. However, I didn't know this when I was younger but we here in the U.S. use complimentary currency all the time. A few examples are:
- Manufacturer's Coupons
- Starbucks Points
- Disney Dollars
- IOU's
- Barter Bucks
- Laundry Cards
- Loyalty Programs
I remember visiting some friends in Berkshire County, Massachusetts about a decade ago. I went over there because I was invited to learn how to pan gold as an activity. I didn't find anything significant, but it was fun. What I did find is that this county had a county currency, Berkshares. They used this currency alongside USD as a local currency.
Like the Ithica Hours in New York, this enables the community itself to have it's own economy alongside the national economy. Now, something like Berkshares is often weighted alongside USD. But Ithica Hours is not so much. I welcome anyone reading to do some research on these two currencies.
The cool thing about these currencies is that you can use them in real life for real things. And I'm not just talking about conversion purchases– such as when we use Shift VISA and the store still receives their money in USD. No, the stores accept the local currency. You can buy a buy a bag of Doritos with Ithica Hours.
What does this have to do with STEEM?
A big problem with STEEM (and other alt-coins) is that their use is limited. Bitcoin has a similar problem even though it's far more popular. It's slow, and complicated (satoshis?) so only a fraction of society adopts it. Lack of adoption means it's not useful. I can't walk into a grocery store and use Bitcoin to pay in most locations without some go-between device like a Shift card. What I'm getting at is not to repeat Bitcoin's mistakes but take the local route. Make STEEM real, but at the local level first.
STEEMIT already wants to encourage meetups. I've never been to one yet (I REALLY want to) but from reading the recaps I see two models going on: Seminars and Hangouts. What I'm thinking is something less intimate than hangouts and less expensive than seminars.
I'm thinking along the lines of opening my usual craft tables this summer at various events around Cambridge, Massachusetts- but having a small table tent "WE ACCEPT STEEM" with a pile of business cards directing people... to something (I'm not sure yet– a landing page?)
I'm thinking along the lines of steem swap meets focused on trading locally between Steemians– but it has to be BIG enough in a single community to make it worth it.
I'm thinking along the lines of directories of Stemians for localities with their products and services listed where I can find a lawyer, hairdresser, or DJ that accepts Steem.
I really don't want to get super complicated. Perhaps this is a good idea for a SMT: Local Currencies. And I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. But perhaps it could get some minds thinking on the possibility here.
STEEM CAMBRIDGE... I could do that. In fact, I could STEEM Hip Hop as well. Because I know who to know to do that. But is it worth it? It really depends on the direction of the community. And frankly, a lack of direction (or seemingly) is why I (and probably others) just look at it like a way to pay our favorite bloggers & get paid for blogging– and transfer it back to BTC... no bueno.
Such visions couldn't really happen in reality yet. The kinks aren't really worked out. But I have a gut feeling that those with the power to work them out will be more inspired to work them really soon. I'm going to be (eventually) investing more around these parts- if anything, to support my favorite Steemians.
I like that STEEM is FAST. I love how NICE people have been to me in the community. And despite the flag wars, front page, and pool rapists– it's real. It feels real. And Steem is FAST. That's something it has to a great advantage. In addition to the fact that it's very neutral sounding. So it can be widely accepted without triggering many people- unlike Satancoin, Potcoin, Jesuscoin, etc.
Paper Wallets/KEYPAIRS as CASH
Something I didn't here in the Toolbox is a paper wallet generator. Paper wallets are cool because they're transferable and without any logs of what's going on. People are scared of them because they're so easily lost, messed up, copied. But have a look at Bitcoin Wiki on the subject. These could be used for so many things from onboarding, to prizes, to physical commerce in a local setting like a swap meet.
Integration With Local Events
Think STEEM BBQ & Basketball at a Public Park in a local city with sponsors. It's not that crazy. These kinds of things happen ANYWAY. In my City, we have over a hundred semi-public events year round. We have literacy night on City Hall. We have parades for everything from Honk Festival, to Gay Pride, to Caribbean Night. We have FAMILY DAYS (a better idea) on lawns across the city with Jumpy Houses and cotton candy. This is an opportunity for local businesses and residents to get exposure and to and interact with each other in a very real way. Why not involve Steem? I know, I know, at present, meetups are small and self-funded.
Woo-Steem is a Thing
There is a Wordpress Plugin called Woo-Steem that let's Woocommerce websites accept steem with just a username. I haven't tried it but I plan on it. Since Wordpress, Woocommerce, and the plugin are free– it presents the opportunity for people to go into business and accept Steem directly.
- Businesses can offer a small discount when paying with Steem
- Musicians can sell their downloads and merch for steem
- An Etsy-like portal for Steemians
- Online schools powered by Steem
- Selling information products
and just about anything
When it's not a Steem website, but just your own website, and your own traffic notices the option at checkout– many will wonder, "What is that?" Is this not how Paypal really got popular. Once upon a time it simply popped up everywhere as a payment gateway and donation button.
Puppy in a Cuppy says, "Thanks for Reading!"
GFX made with Canva and background pictures via Pixabay.