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<center>[Source](https://hr-gazette.com/4-ways-blockchain-is-going-to-rock-the-hr-world/)</center>

Blockchain is absolutely exploding.  Not a single day goes by without a major announcement.  This is something that is really starting to take over.

My view is that blockchain will be a central part of most everything in 10 years.  Presently, due to limitations, a lot of things do not belong on blockchain.  Thus, some projects might be ahead of their time.

This morning, just on Cointelegraph I see these articles:

https://cointelegraph.com/news/bahrains-central-bank-launches-sandbox-for-blockchain-companies-report

https://cointelegraph.com/news/la-kings-confirm-release-of-blockchain-merchandise-authenticator

https://cointelegraph.com/news/japanese-banking-giant-mizuho-to-launch-its-yen-pegged-stablecoin-in-march

https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-in-health-insurance-more-accuracy-more-transparency-and-more-efficiency

https://cointelegraph.com/news/report-bank-of-china-joins-new-blockchain-platform-for-property-buyers

That is what was posted on there in just the last 12 hours.

Personally, I do not feel that "permissioned" blockchains are really that.  Instead, they are just glorified databases.  Nevertheless, even if a lot of it is a marketing ploy, many companies believe they are adopting blockchain technology.

This will only bode well for the public ones.  As more people are interacting with it, especially IT people and developers, we will see a radical expansion.  The innovation that is being applied to this arena is only just kicking off.

While everyone is watching the prices of cryptocurrency, I prefer to focus upon the development.  This is where the true story is hidden.  As more useful applications appear, we will see adoption rates increase.  This puts Steem in a fabulous position.

The lull in the excitement regarding this industry is the time for the foundation to be laid.  Some get upset at the lack of exposure and diminishing user rates.  To me, the fact that development, across the board, is increasing is what tells the story.

One area that the corporate "blockchains" help is in the area of training.  There are a lot of developers learning this technology who will, once the illusion of the corporate projects is exposed, switch over to chains like Steem.  This will further increase the development over the coming years.

With exponential growth, there is a point when we hit the "knee" of the curve and things take off.  While it is hard to say whether we are closing in on that point, it does appear the overall activity surrounding blockchain is accelerating.  We obviously went passed the hype cycle and saw the bust that followed.  Now it is the picking up the pieces and the pushing forward of solid projects.

Technology follows a similar curve.  Blockchain is no different.  It is easy to look down upon Steem when it is based upon outside barometers that really do not matter.  Cryptocurrency market cap, marketing, or coverage do not tell the story.

Here is the way to size it all up:

Today, February 21, Steem is light years ahead of where it was as of January 1, 2018.  

The difference is monumental.  

And I surmise, when we look back at the end of the year, we will say that the change between February 21 and December 31 was also enormous.

Just look at the different applications that appeared in the last 14 months and how they are progressing.

That is the only barometer that matters to me at this time.  Development means expansion and a growing ecosystem.  This will forge us ahead.

The first 50 days of 2019 were sensational for blockchain.  I expect the next 310+ to be even better.

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