This is my post for the #steem2020 contest hosted by @pennsif. If you do not know what it is about, please do check out the [announcement post](https://steempeak.com/steem2020/@pennsif/contest-steem2020-what-should-steem-do-next-year-and-how-will-you-help-120-steem-prize-pool). For more recent details, you can refer to this [recent update](https://steempeak.com/steem2020/@pennsif/steem2020-contest-update-2-1500-steem-prize-pool-and-closing-date).

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My thoughts on what Steem should be focusing on in 2020 can be summarize into 6 characters, "SMART U". It may be a cliche but as you might have guessed, "SMART U" is an acronym and each character has a meaning behind it. I will be using the rest of this article to walk you through each individual meaning.

<center>![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRomJsCnAu2vGQSsiBKJMiV7BsHg2vnJ15xSAZg2Wco35/image.png)</center>

### S -> SMART Goals

SMART is yet another acronym which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. It is a set of criteria for goal setting and it is commonly practiced in many organizations. 

In 2020, I like to see everyone on Steem setting SMART goals. Yes, you read it right, everyone. Not just the developers but also you and me. Let's start off with the developers. I think Steem developers should plan roadmap that is has incremental updates that are SMART. There was a period of time where Steemit seems like it will forever be in "Beta" and Smart Media Tokens (SMTs) is just a pipe dream. Things are starkly different now as we see tremendous progress in the form of SteemDAO and the SMT testnet. All these will never be possible if the goals were not SMART. Hence in 2020, I will like the Steem dev team to keep up the good work and continue making SMART goals.

<center>![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeXV7hNzMvWbcLiEecbajELJQtXyzggw6tC1B2dACEiVj/image.png)</center>
*[Source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SMART-goals.png)*

In addition, everyone of us should be making SMART goals too. If you are looking to grow your Steem Power, think about how you should go about achieving it. For instance, I am setting a mid-term goal of 10,000 SP and a long-term goal of 50,000 SP. However, I aim to achieve that by making incremental steps of getting 1,000 additional SP every month. That means that I will need to generate over 30 SP each day. While that seems like a lofty dream, it is actually achievable given that I can always purchase the shortfall since STEEM price is so low now. With that, I have a SMART goal,
- Specific: 1000 SP each month
- Measurable: 1000 SP is measurable
- Achievable: 1000 SP is in my opinion achievable given that I can buy more if needed
- Relevant: Having more SP increases my influence on Steem which is absolutely relevant
- Time-bound: 1 month to achieve 1,000 SP is certainly time-bound

Having SMART goals motivate the goal-setter to continue on the task/journey. I hope that you and I can set SMART goals to keep ourselves motivated to carry on with our Steem journey.

### M -> Marketing

Steem is a platform which deserves much more attention. Some marketing will certainly do this platform good. In 2020, I will like to see more marketing efforts. Marketing need not be just done by STINC. The beauty of a decentralized platform is that marketing can be done by anyone and everyone. 

We can all help this platform by sharing good articles on other social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and etc). As more traffic are directed to here, more people get to know about this platform.

<center>![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWVx1Umfc9BjACWXjxSLFstrhN9F9EoP1stibUm8GAoYs/image.png)</center>
*[Source](https://pixabay.com/photos/marketing-customer-polaroid-center-2483867/)*

While doing our part to market this platform, we must remember to market it the right way. What do I mean by that? In the past, Steem was marketed for their rewards. This ended up being unsustainable as people who are here for the rewards will leave as soon as this platform is no longer lucrative for them. Money is something we cannot promise. [Even today, only about 20% of articles are being paid more than 1 SBD](https://steempeak.com/steemit/@trufflepig/weekly-truffle-updates-2019-42). Hence, by promising monetary rewards, we are leaving 80% of the people disappointed.

Therefore, we should market Steem for something that it can surely deliver. A censorship-resistant and permission-less content platform which doesn't monetize the users. How does that sound to you?

### A & R -> Accessibility & Referral system

In order for mass adoption, we need to make this platform more accessible. Most platforms do not charge users for creating an account or ask them to wait for days for their accounts. When a potential user attempts to join Steem, he/she might lose interest immediately when they realize they have to pay for any account or have to wait for their account. Another pain point is that users need a certain level of Resource Credits (RCs) to be able to use this platform meaningfully. [In my opinion, a user will need at least the RCs generated by having 50 SP to meaningfully interact on this platform](https://steempeak.com/raiseto50/@culgin/announcing-the-raise-to-50-initiative).

We have to fix that.

<center>![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdP9rsHkvLxKha94Vn9fUrnCKNBraSkeCAyCYpCkFswr2/image.png)</center>
*[Source](https://www.picpedia.org/highway-signs/r/referrals.html)*

In 2020, I hope to see a decentralized referral system where free accounts can be created for users referred by an existing Steemian. Steemians can sign up to pool their unused Resource Credits (RCs) to create the new accounts for this initiative and also delegate some SPs to these new users so that they can start using this awesome platform as soon as they register. 

Instead of the current decentralized manner of onboarding new accounts, I will like to see the above system being the default way to onboard new accounts. This will bring better accessibility to Steem and through that potentially leading to higher adoption.

### T -> Tribes

With the introduction of [Steem Engine](https://steem-engine.com/) comes the possibility of Steem Tribes or communities. If you imagine Steem being a school, then Steem tribes are much like school clubs. Smaller communities usually forge much stronger bonds and sense of ownership. Steem tribes are no different.

<center>![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNz1oX8L64cXhob17dbducZmGe6pzUEGboFBg4SxTUjnc/image.png)</center>
*[Source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:01_Icon-Community@2x.png)*

In 2020, with the upcoming SMTs, I will like to see more tribes focusing on specific niche being created. One prime example I am seeing right now is [SteemLeo](https://www.steemleo.com), a tribe which is focused on investments. I think such tribes will be able to attract users who specializes in a particular topic. Having more of them means that Steem will be a platform for much more different specialties. 

The bonus effect of having these niche tribes is that the tribe site is likely to be ranked higher by search engines algorithms. When a keyword related to investment is being searched, a site that is focused on investment is likely to be ranked higher than a site which contains broad topics. This added effect may then lead to wider adoption.

### U -> Utility

Currently, there is no forced "sink" for STEEM. This means that STEEM will theoretically keep increasing in supply and this is not doing good for STEEM price. Recently, post-HF21/22, there is a rise in users burning their STEEM rewards to @null thereby reducing total supply. This is a good move, but I hope to see more.

In 2020, I hope to see STEEM being forced to be burnt to perform certain tasks. For example, with the upcoming SMT, I think STEEM should be burnt when a new SMT is created and when changes are made to a SMT. This will add utility to STEEM and provide more support to its price.

I also hope to see a decentralized Steem marketplace, where people can buy/sell services and products using STEEM. Transactions on this marketplace will require some fees in STEEM that will be burnt. 

While many Steemians understand the value of STEEM, not many outsiders know it. At the end of the day, I hope to see STEEM having better utilities with clear "sinks" so that outsiders can better appreciate the use of STEEM.

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### Conclusion

My goal for Steem 2020 is about "SMART U" and we all have a part to play. Internally, we need to strengthen the platform, improve its utility and build stronger relationships. Externally, we need to attract more users to this platform through marketing, improving its accessibility and a referral system.

Every user we bring in increases the network effect exponentially. I hope we can all work towards that and make 2020 a remarkable year for Steem. :)

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***5% of this post's reward will be burnt to @null and 5% will flow to @steem.dao***

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#### The "Raise to 50" Initiative

Under 50 SP and finding it hard to do much on this platform? I might just be able to raise your SP to 50. [Check this post to find out more](https://steempeak.com/raiseto50/@culgin/announcing-the-raise-to-50-initiative)!

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This article is created on the Steem blockchain. Check this series of posts to learn more about writing on an immutable and censorship-resistant content platform:
- [What is Steem? - My Interpretation](https://steempeak.com/steem/@culgin/what-is-steem-my-interpretation)
- [Steem Thoughts - Traditional Apps vs Steem Apps](https://steempeak.com/steem/@culgin/steem-thoughts---traditional-apps-vs-steem-apps)
- [Steem Thoughts - A Fat or Thin Protocol?](https://steempeak.com/@culgin/steem-thoughts---is-steem-a-fat-protocol-or-a-thin-protocol)
- [Steem Thoughts - There is Inequitable Value Between Users and Apps](https://steempeak.com/@culgin/steem-thoughts---inequitable-value-between-users-and-apps)
- [Make my votes count! Use Dustsweeper!](https://steempeak.com/@culgin/make-my-votes-count-use-dustsweeper)
- [What caused STEEM to get dumped? Why I think the worst might be over](https://steempeak.com/steem/@culgin/what-caused-steem-to-get-dumped-why-i-think-the-worst-might-be-over)