What do you want from Steem? I'll build it — but I need your suggestions

in #dev8 days ago

🇬🇧 English first · 🇩🇪 Deutsch weiter unten

We all see the price going down. And we all talk about it. But over the past months I've learned something else: there is no shortage of developers who want to improve things. There is a shortage of feedback from you.

I became a witness to improve the system, not to collect votes. And I promise you this: if I see a direction in your suggestions that several of you share, I will build it. If I can't manage alone, others will join in.

But I need you for that.

My questions to you

  • What do you want from Steem? Concretely, in daily use.

  • What would have to change to make it interesting again?

  • What's missing in the frontend? What annoys you every single day?

  • What's your view on the falling price — and what could be done about it?

You don't need to be a developer. Quite the opposite: the best improvement ideas almost always come from people who simply use something and notice it's awkward. Write it in the comments, no matter how small it seems.

And I need something even more important: testing

There are developments. There are people building improvements for you. But nobody can be reached, and almost nobody tests anything. Without feedback, nobody knows whether something works or is heading the wrong way.

So here are two things you can try right now.


1. The frontend study

https://steemit.steemapps.com/

This is not a second Steemit. It's a study: what could the most-used frontend look like if a few things were done differently? Fully functional — log in with your own keys and try everything.

What's already in it:

A search that actually works. Steemit's native search has been dead for years — it pointed at a service that was switched off, so every query returned nothing. The new search runs on @steemchiller's SDS API: full-text across all posts, with filters for author, tag and time period. And it works without a search term — "everything by @someone since June" is a normal question that finally gets a normal answer.

Account analysis with eight optional insights. Enter an account name and choose what you want to know:

  • Profile — account age, first and last post, reputation, Steem Power, account value

  • Where the income comes from — author rewards, curation, beneficiary shares, witness blocks, interest, proposals, as shares and over time. One glance tells you what someone actually lives on here

  • Who supports the account — the biggest voters, and how much of the payout depends on just five of them

  • What the account writes about — most used tags and communities with average payout, plus the most successful posts

  • Activity over time — active phases and quiet ones, month by month

  • Rhythm and best times — posting by weekday and hour, against average payout

  • Connections — delegations in and out, most frequent transfer counterparties, mentions

  • Witness and governance — which witnesses the account votes for, and if it is one: rank, missed blocks, version, price feed

Results are shareable — the link carries the account, period and selection, so you can drop a finished analysis straight into a comment.

Translation. Read posts in other languages at the press of a button. Steem is multilingual, but most of us only read a fraction of what gets published here.

API switcher. When a node is slow or down, switch to another one yourself instead of waiting. Current node and response time are shown at the top.

Emoji reactions. Not every post deserves a vote, but almost every post deserves a sign that someone read it. Exactly the low-threshold feedback Steem is missing.

Sharing with QR codes. Send posts to WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram or email with one tap. QR code for printing or for the screen — useful when showing Steem to someone offline.

Direct links to comments. Link a single comment without the whole post.

All of it is open source under Apache-2.0: github.com/greece-lover/condenser-plus

To be honest about it: I'm not offering permanent hosting for this site, and I won't create accounts for you there. It's a study. What ends up in the real frontend is decided by the people who maintain the original condenser — which is exactly why I need your feedback. The more people say "I need this", the better the chance it gets adopted.


2. Welako — a completely new platform

https://welako.app/

Not a Steemit clone, but its own social platform on the Steem blockchain, with things that don't exist anywhere else. Try all of it:

  • WelBnB — holiday rentals with booking, calendar, payments and reviews. The difference to Airbnb: zero commission. Payments go directly from guest to host through the host's own Stripe or PayPal. The platform never touches the money

  • WelMart — shop for crafts and handmade goods, same principle

  • WelBook — sell and lend books. Authors set their own prices and keep the proceeds. For comparison: on a €19.99 book, Amazon KDP leaves about €7; here it's about €19.40

  • WelSnap — photos and stories

  • WelYum — recipes

  • WelAway — work-for-stay, ride sharing, neighbourhood help, skill search

  • Community groups — with their own member management

  • Your own landing pages — anyone can build their own presence on a subdomain, with own logo, colours and content blocks

Plus things that make daily use easier: multiple languages, AI assistance for writing listings and descriptions, buying without an account, a help assistant.

It all runs on Steem. If you have a Steem account, you can use it.


What I'm asking for

Three things, none of which cost you anything:

Take a look. Both sites, ten minutes is enough.

Tell me what's broken. Honestly, not politely. One broken button reported to me is worth more than ten upvotes. A few days ago someone from the community told me the register button did nothing — it had been broken for everyone, for years, and it came from the original code. Without that one report it would still be broken today.

Tell me what you want. That matters most to me. I'd rather build what you need than what I come up with on my own.

We have to do something together. Talking alone hasn't been enough these past years.


One more thing: I'd be glad if you voted for me as a witness.

https://steemitwallet.com/~witnesses

I know that for many of you a single vote counts for very little. That's not the point for me. I want to know whether you think my work is worth something. Who actually makes it into the top 20 is decided by a small handful of accounts anyway.



🇩🇪 Deutsch

Wir sehen alle, dass der Kurs weiter fällt. Und wir reden alle darüber. Aber ich habe in den letzten Monaten etwas anderes gelernt: Es fehlt nicht an Entwicklern, die etwas verbessern wollen. Es fehlt an Rückmeldungen von euch.

Ich bin Witness geworden, um das System zu verbessern. Nicht um Stimmen zu sammeln. Und ich verspreche euch: Wenn ich in euren Vorschlägen eine Richtung erkenne, die mehrere von euch teilen, setze ich sie um. Wenn ich es allein nicht schaffe, finden sich andere, die mitarbeiten.

Aber dafür brauche ich euch.

Meine Fragen an euch

  • Was wünscht ihr euch von Steem? Ganz konkret, im Alltag.

  • Was müsste sich ändern, damit es wieder interessanter wird?

  • Was fehlt euch im Frontend? Was nervt euch jeden Tag?

  • Was ist eure Meinung zum Kursverfall — und was könnte man dagegen tun?

Ihr müsst keine Informatiker sein. Im Gegenteil: Die besten Verbesserungsvorschläge kommen fast immer von Leuten, die einfach etwas benutzen und merken, dass es umständlich ist. Schreibt es in die Kommentare, egal wie klein es euch vorkommt.

Und ich brauche etwas, das noch wichtiger ist: Tests

Es gibt Entwicklungen. Es gibt Leute, die Verbesserungen für euch bauen. Aber man erreicht niemanden, und es testet fast nie jemand. Ohne Rückmeldung weiß niemand, ob eine Sache taugt oder in die falsche Richtung geht.

Deshalb hier zwei Dinge, die ihr jetzt ausprobieren könnt.


1. Die Frontend-Studie

https://steemit.steemapps.com/

Das ist keine zweite Steemit-Seite. Es ist eine Studie: Wie könnte das meistgenutzte Frontend aussehen, wenn man ein paar Dinge anders macht? Voll funktionsfähig — ihr könnt euch mit euren eigenen Schlüsseln anmelden und alles ausprobieren.

Was dort schon drin ist:

Eine Suche, die tatsächlich funktioniert. Die native Steemit-Suche ist seit Jahren tot — sie zeigte auf einen abgeschalteten Dienst, jede Anfrage lief ins Leere. Die neue Suche läuft über die SDS-API von @steemchiller: Volltextsuche über alle Beiträge, mit Filtern für Autor, Tag und Zeitraum. Und sie funktioniert auch ohne Suchbegriff — „alles von @jemand seit Juni" ist eine völlig normale Frage und bekommt endlich eine normale Antwort.

Account-Analyse mit acht wählbaren Auswertungen. Ihr gebt einen Accountnamen ein und wählt selbst, was ihr wissen wollt:

  • Steckbrief — Kontoalter, erster und letzter Beitrag, Reputation, Steem Power, Kontowert

  • Woher das Einkommen kommt — Autor, Kuration, Beneficiary, Witness-Blöcke, Zinsen, Proposals, als Anteile und im Verlauf. Ein Blick genügt, um zu sehen, wovon jemand hier tatsächlich lebt

  • Wer den Account unterstützt — die größten Unterstützer, und wie viel des Payouts an nur fünf von ihnen hängt

  • Wovon der Account schreibt — häufigste Tags und Communities mit Durchschnitts-Payout, dazu die erfolgreichsten Beiträge

  • Aktivitätsverlauf — aktive und stille Phasen, Monat für Monat

  • Rhythmus und beste Zeiten — Beiträge nach Wochentag und Uhrzeit, gegen den Payout

  • Verbindungen — Delegationen hin und her, häufigste Überweisungspartner, Erwähnungen

  • Witness und Governance — welche Witnesses der Account gewählt hat, und falls er selbst einer ist: Rang, verpasste Blöcke, Version, Preis-Feed

Ergebnisse sind teilbar — der Link enthält Account, Zeitraum und Auswahl, ihr könnt also eine fertige Analyse direkt in einen Kommentar setzen.

Übersetzung. Fremdsprachige Beiträge auf Knopfdruck in eurer Sprache lesen. Steem ist mehrsprachig, aber die meisten von uns lesen nur einen kleinen Teil dessen, was hier veröffentlicht wird.

API-Umschalter. Wenn ein Node lahmt oder ausfällt, schaltet ihr selbst auf einen anderen um, statt zu warten. Der aktuelle Node und seine Antwortzeit stehen sichtbar oben.

Emoji-Reaktionen. Nicht jeder Beitrag verdient einen Vote, aber fast jeder verdient ein Zeichen, dass er gelesen wurde. Genau die niedrigschwellige Rückmeldung, die auf Steem fehlt.

Teilen mit QR-Codes. Beiträge mit einem Tipp nach WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram oder E-Mail tragen. QR-Code zum Ausdrucken oder für den Bildschirm — brauchbar, wenn man Steem jemandem offline zeigen will.

Direktlink auf Kommentare. Einen einzelnen Kommentar verlinken, ohne den ganzen Beitrag.

Alles davon ist Open Source unter Apache-2.0: github.com/greece-lover/condenser-plus

Zur Ehrlichkeit gehört: Ich biete für diese Seite keinen Dauerbetrieb an, und ich lege dort keine Konten für euch an. Es ist eine Studie. Was am Ende ins echte Frontend kommt, entscheiden diejenigen, die den originalen Condenser betreuen — und genau deshalb brauche ich eure Rückmeldungen. Je mehr Leute sagen „das brauche ich", desto größer die Chance, dass es übernommen wird.


2. Welako — eine komplett neue Plattform

https://welako.app/

Das ist keine Steemit-Kopie, sondern eine eigene Social-Media-Plattform auf der Steem-Blockchain. Mit Dingen, die es so nirgends gibt. Ihr könnt alles ausprobieren:

  • WelBnB — Ferienvermietung mit Buchung, Kalender, Zahlungen und Bewertungen. Der Unterschied zu Airbnb: null Provision. Zahlungen laufen direkt vom Gast zum Vermieter, über dessen eigene Stripe- oder PayPal-Anbindung. Die Plattform sieht das Geld nie

  • WelMart — Online-Shop für Kunsthandwerk und Handgefertigtes, gleiches Prinzip

  • WelBook — Bücher verkaufen und verleihen. Autoren setzen ihre Preise selbst und behalten den Erlös. Zum Vergleich: Bei einem 19,99-€-Buch bleiben über Amazon KDP rund 7 €, hier rund 19,40 €

  • WelSnap — Fotos und Stories

  • WelYum — Rezepte

  • WelAway — Urlaub gegen Hand, Mitfahrgelegenheiten, Nachbarschaftshilfe, Fähigkeiten-Suche

  • Community-Gruppen — mit eigener Mitgliederverwaltung

  • Eigene Landingpages — jeder kann sich unter einer eigenen Subdomain einen eigenen Auftritt bauen, mit eigenem Logo, eigenen Farben und eigenen Inhaltsblöcken

Dazu kommen Dinge, die den Alltag leichter machen: mehrere Sprachen, KI-Unterstützung beim Erstellen von Angeboten und Beschreibungen, Kaufen ohne Konto, ein Hilfe-Assistent.

Alles läuft auf Steem. Wer ein Steem-Konto hat, kann es benutzen.


Was ich mir wünsche

Drei Dinge, und keines davon kostet euch Geld:

Schaut es euch an. Beide Seiten, zehn Minuten reichen.

Sagt mir, was nicht funktioniert. Ehrlich, nicht höflich. Ein kaputter Knopf, den mir jemand meldet, ist mehr wert als zehn Upvotes. Erst vor ein paar Tagen hat mir jemand aus der Community gemeldet, dass der Registrieren-Knopf nichts tut — er war für jeden kaputt, seit Jahren, und kam aus dem Original-Code. Ohne diese eine Meldung wäre er heute noch kaputt.

Sagt mir, was ihr euch wünscht. Das ist mir das Wichtigste. Ich baue lieber das, was ihr braucht, als das, was ich mir ausdenke.

Wir müssen gemeinsam etwas tun. Reden allein hat die letzten Jahre nicht gereicht.


Noch eine Sache: Ich würde mich freuen, wenn ihr für mich als Witness stimmt.

https://steemitwallet.com/~witnesses

Ich weiß, dass für viele von euch die eigene Stimme kaum etwas wert ist. Darauf kommt es mir aber nicht an. Ich möchte wissen, ob ihr meine Arbeit gut findet. Wer wirklich unter die Top 20 kommt, bestimmen ohnehin nur ein paar wenige.


Veröffentlicht mit Welako

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I'm not sure how it can be done, but I think it would be great if there is a way to communicate privately via direct messages or private comments. As far as I can tell, any proper SNS provides these features.

It's unfortunate that STEEM is losing its SNS appeal. People - even including witnesses - seem to use other services like Discord or Telegram instead of Steemit. Hopefully it will change by your effort. Thanks!

My understanding is that the Blockchain was designed to NOT be private. Blockchain information is stored in such a way that EVERYTHING ever written is stored openly, for everyone to view. That is the beauty and the curse of Blockchain.

If we use the steem Blockchain to send messages, then they will always be readily available for everyone to see.

We already have encrypted transfer memos, so I think there may be a room for consideration.

You are completely correct. I forgot about them 👍

Hello, nice that you got in touch here. In principle, it would certainly be possible to implement something like that: a messaging system, similar to Facebook, to exchange private messages with each other. However, if you want to make it blockchain-based, that is already a much bigger programming task. It also always assumes, of course, that the other person actually reads these messages later. A small technical detail that people like to overlook, because apparently messages are understood simply by existing.

On my new social media platform https://welako.app/, there is already a messaging system. However, since it is not blockchain-based, it requires the respective people to be registered on my platform. But they can do that with their existing Steem account. You can then see there whether someone is registered, and you could also send that person a private message.

I will think about how something like this could perhaps be integrated into the Steemit frontend in a simple way. But even if I create a test environment here, the messages would only be sent within that test environment. Whether something like that will ever be included in the official frontend, I obviously cannot say.

Unfortunately, none of this is quite that simple, even though it would technically be possible in principle. In the end, it is more about whether a decision is made to integrate such a feature into the official version.

Veröffentlicht mit Welako

I think there might be a way to use memo keys with some kind of argreed upon standardized procedure, so that any front-end can employ the feature. But I didn't dig deeper, so it's just an idea.

Hello @greece-lover, thank you for asking ❤️

As a #thediarygame user, what I wish for from Steem:

  1. Faster loading when uploading photos - sometimes it takes too long

  2. Better mobile app for Ecency/PeakD - it will help us post easily

  3. More visibility for new users like me so curators can see our posts

Thank you for building for the community. I support you and I will check out Welako.app 🙏

Published with Welako

Good morning. I'm a community moderator for the #steemsilvergold community. We were one of the first true communities on here, way back in 2017.

We've lost a few members along the way, but we still have our community account here on the steem Blockchain. I've been looking for a way to autovote members quality content on a daily basis..

Are there any programs I could use to vote on my community members quality content daily, rather than me doing it manually? Our community account misses out and large amounts of daily curation rewards because I sometimes don't upvote their posts till several hours after they've been posted. A way to automatically upvote after 3 to 5mins would bring in more curation and make our community account stronger.

Hello, nice that you replied. At the moment, something like this does not exist. But here, too, there would be the possibility of implementing it through the integration of AI. For example, the founder of a community could initiate a connection via the API of ChatGPT or Claude, running directly within the frontend. Then posts by community members could automatically be checked and evaluated based on previously defined criteria.

For example, this could also be used to assess whether posts may have been created with AI. A rating system could be built, and the result of this rating could then be viewed by a curator of that community. In theory, the whole thing could even be automated in such a way that a corresponding vote is given, with the vote weight depending on how the AI has assessed the post. However, it would of course make more sense for a curator to still read the post themselves. Technology is nice, but in the end, there should perhaps still be a human somewhere who does not just admire blinking numbers.

The most important thing is communication among the members, and that is exactly what hardly happens anymore. Posts by other members are also barely read anymore. An incentive would have to be created here so that real communication within a community can take place again. A rating system using AI could provide strong support for this.

The costs would remain very manageable. Depending on the integration and usage, it would probably be under 5 dollars per month. At the moment I have a lot to do, but I will definitely keep this in mind and look for the most affordable way to implement it.

Veröffentlicht mit Welako

This is a great initiative! I would love to see a simple tool for beginners that explains voting power, resource credits, rewards, and the best ways to grow on Steem. A user-friendly dashboard with clear earning statistics would also be very useful. I’m excited to see what you build!

For members who are new to this platform, the best thing would be to first join a community. There you can exchange ideas and also ask questions. I know myself that when you are new here, it is not easy to attract attention and receive corresponding rewards.

The easiest way at the beginning is to find a niche and regularly post about that niche. This could be travel reports, recipes, poems if you like writing, or something completely different. The more unusual, the better. Maybe someone else will comment here and recommend a few suitable communities to you.

If you want to see how high the rewards are that you receive, converted according to the current exchange rate, you can do that through my platform: https://welako.app/wallet

You can log in there with your existing posting key.

Published with Welako

Great idea! I would like a simple all-in-one Steem tool where users can easily check voting power, resource credits, rewards, account growth, and useful community information. A beginner-friendly guide with clear explanations would also be very helpful. I’m looking forward to seeing what you create!

I use https://steemworld.org/@welshstacker (simply change the user name to your own)

I find it's got a lot of useful tools on it I use.