If reputation is everything, @piedpiper is in good shape.
The popular Steemit blogger/vlogger has built his reputation on sharing his experiences and providing helpful advice to new Steemit users. His refreshing style cuts through the noise of blockchain jargon and connects with an audience made up of virgins to the cryptocurrency world.
His actions have given him the 12th best reputation score, according to Steemwhales.com.
But what is @piedpiper 's most embarrassing moment? How long does he think it will take for Steemit to become a household name? And what exactly is Fort Galt?
Let's find out...
20 questions with @piedpiper
1 - What can you tell us about yourself in one sentence?
@piedpiper - I grew up on a farm in Canada, left home at age 14, expatriated at 19, and am now living and running a business in Chile at 28.
2 - You've called Steemit "the new gateway drug of cryptocurrencies." For those who missed your video explanation, why do you feel that's an appropriate description?
@piedpiper - Bitcoin and the other various cryptocurrencies have always been difficult for people to understand at first. You could give free bitcoin away to strangers and they'd never use them. I believe that Steemit has finally provided an app that's attractive and simple enough to lure the masses into using cryptocurrencies. People don't buy hardware for the tech specs, they buy it because of the software that it runs. I think Steemit is that "killer app" that will sell people on blockchain technology in general.
3 – In your opinion, how far away is Steemit from becoming a household name?
@piedpiper - I'm gonna say we're about a year out. Bitcoin did a lot of the heavy lifting for us already and it's really just a matter of marketing something that sells itself now: a social media platform that pays its participants.
4 – As a Canadian, I was excited to learn that you grew up in Canada. What was the best thing about growing up in Canada? What was the worst?
@piedpiper - I like the more relaxed and polite culture, but frankly, I can't stand the rampant socialism.
5 – How would you explain Fort Galt in one sentence?
@piedpiper - It's a new 100-acre community development on the coast of Chile for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and other such self-sufficient people.
6 – If you could travel anywhere in the world that you've not yet been, where would that be?
@piedpiper - I've got a serious backlog of places to visit lined up. High on the list is Zug, Switzerland. There's a thriving cryptocurrency economy made up of a lot of pretty fascinating people.
7 – What is your biggest pet peeve?
@piedpiper - Maybe political correctness, which I just consider to be a fear of honesty.
8 – What is your favorite song?
@piedpiper - I love an awful lot of music so this is always an impossible question for me... but let's go with "Forty-Six & 2" by Tool.
9 – What is your favorite movie?
@piedpiper - I dunno, let's go with The Matrix.
10 - You get to have dinner with three other people, living or dead. Who are you eating with?
@piedpiper - Since I prefer to just quietly inhale my food and move on to more-interesting activities, any three dead people will do. I imagine they would be the least distracting as long as I don't have to dispose of them afterwards.
11 - With reputation scores recently released, you're currently sitting at a solid 8.64 (#12 overall). How do you believe you've earned such a high score? And what is your advice to others who hope to improve their reputations on Steemit?
@piedpiper - I've been on here for a good three months now and have always just tried to add value wherever possible. Do the same and your reputation should firm up just fine.
12 - A lot of your videos explain blockchain and cryptocurrency basics for the benefit of those who are new to this sphere. Why has this been a key area of focus for you?
@piedpiper - My primary concern is encouraging adoption and this is the best way that I think I can help with that at the moment. I want to see the day where governments no longer have a monopoly on the circulation of money and I believe cryptocurrency is the tool that can best be used to achieve this.
13 - What's your advice for someone who is pumping out content; however, struggling to earn up-votes and Steem Dollars for his/her efforts?
@piedpiper - As with anything else in life, if what you're doing isn't working, change your approach and keep changing until you get the results you want. You can speed up the trial-and-error process by modelling other people that seem to be achieving the results you want for yourself too. Here on Steemit, it's important to know who we're working for here. If your goal is to earn money, then you need to give the paying audience what they want. In this case, the paying audience is composed of the shareholders that have a significant stake in Steemit and the Steem power to show for it. Pay attention to them, learn what it is they want, and do your best to provide it.
14 - Outside of the blockchain world, what are your hobbies/interests?
@piedpiper - I play the drums, write music, and right now, I'm establishing a film studio here in Valdivia where hired writers and I are developing original scripts for production.
15 - Do you have any regrets in life?
@piedpiper - Yes, I can clearly remember times in my youth when I initiated violence against others and as a peaceful anarchist today, I consider those memories to be regrettable ones. Growing up on a farm, it was normal to assault animals and growing up in a Christian household, it was normal to assault children. Unfortunately, I didn't learn better until after reaching the age of 20.
16 - Whose Steemit blog are you most entertained by?
@piedpiper - There are a lot of good ones now but I find myself watching the videos that @andrarchy puts out pretty regularly. I like his style. @bitcoinmeister is also a pretty regular go-to for me these days.
17 - What is one food you couldn't live without?
@piedpiper - To me, food is just fuel that keeps me from falling down. I'm not attached to any particular foods but, as a vegan, I suppose it would suck to be deprived of my vitamin B12 supplement. :)
18 - Who is your biggest inspiration?
@piedpiper - I guess there are a few authors that come to mind as having been quite inspiring to me at key points in my life. Tony Robbins when I was 12, George Orwell when I was 16, Ayn Rand when I was 20, and Harry Browne when I was 24.
19 - Tell us about your most embarrassing moment.
@piedpiper - Ha! I remember my parents finding a letter that I wrote to a crush of mine once, when I was in the first grade. My older cousin had helped with its composition and I'm pretty sure that his teenage vocabulary wasn't entirely appropriate for elementary school kids.
20 - What is one thing very few people know about you that you'd like to share with the Steemit community
@piedpiper - I'm always open to discuss any subject, regardless of how personal or uncomfortable it might be for others. I often like to make people squirm a bit and push them out of their comfort zones. That's where the fun happens and that's where we can actually grow. Life's too short to waste hiding out in "safe spaces."
Thank you to @piedpiper for taking time out of his busy schedule to tackle the 20 questions interview.
Also, a huge thank-you to all of you for taking the time to read.
Is there another Steemit user who you'd 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 check out my blog!
