create account

An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome by xtester

View this thread on: hive.blog |  peakd.com |  ecency.com
steemit · @xtester · (edited)
$359.18
An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome
<html>
<p><center>http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-a-society-that-puts-equality-in-the-sense-of-equality-of-outcome-ahead-of-freedom-will-end-up-milton-friedman-306123.jpg</center></p>
<p>There is in the world a great discussion today about inequality. Some of it is pertinent and enlightening, yet as with lots of things, most of it is noise. Indeed, this subject is so ideologically and emotionally charged, that one can rarely have a fruitful discussion on it. Still, I think the try is worth it, and a fruitful discussion is what we desperately need.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Equality of Opportunity and Inequality of Outcome</h2>
<p>It seems to me there are two critical things to distinguish when talking about inequality: inequality of opportunity has to do with children born and effectively locked into poverty, lacking the instrumental chance to overcome their condition and reach their full potential. A tragic situation we all should strive to improve. On the other hand, inequality of outcome seems to be a rather natural, and even necessary effect of the free market. Indeed, if high productivity people work and risk 10x more, well, it’s common sense that they should be rewarded proportionally more. If you would want to cut off this kind of inequality, you would end up in a damning situation, where you would also have to cut off startups, inventions and general progress through various innovations(Bitcoin and Steemit included).&nbsp;</p>
<p>In fact, I think it should be fairly clear by now that the latter kind of inequality is, perhaps ironically, also strongly correlated with raising people out of poverty.&nbsp;</p>
<p><hr></p>
<h1><center>Free people are not equal, and equal people are not free. – Unknown</center></h1>
<p><hr></p>
<p>To drive the point home, lets do a simple thought experiment. Imagine for a second that we could start from scratch, redistributing equally all resources we currently have. The next day, each of us would do what he does best. Some of us would immediately start spending and consuming, being able to finally afford what we never could. Others would start building and producing, catering to the thirsty consumers. How would the distribution of resources look after, say 1 year? How about 5 or 10 years? Well, I suspect it would not take very long to be back in the position we started from, namely a rather natural inequality. Indeed, it seems very few of us truly grasp how deep the effects of our decisions run. Producer or consumer? You decide, but the effects come with the package.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Steemit: Equality or Inequality?</h2>
<p>Applying the same principle to Steemit, we should all strive for equality of opportunity, which is granted by being able to join and bring contributions. Equality of outcome however, cannot and should not be granted. Yet decent rewards proportional to contribution should be strived for.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Still, one of the problems I see today is that the platform has not reached a critical mass yet. When this happens, specialization emerges and posts in different niches are curated by hundreds or thousands of people which make sure to reward quality and relevance by incentivizing it.</p>
<p>Indeed, until then people rely on various heuristics or hacks to bootstrap themselves into popularity if they did not have the fortune of joining before July or do not dispose of an already popular reputation.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In fact, perhaps the most effective way to build your profile on Steemit today is to do the obvious: know your strengths, use them to add real value to the platform, be gracious and kind to others and connect with other valuable contributors.</p>
<p>Whether you decide to write science or drama, the one key aspect to keep in mind is relevance to your particular audience(Steemit community). To the extent that posts resonate with the community, they will be significantly rewarded.</p>
<h2>The Minnow Lottery</h2>
<p>Before attempting to deal with the obvious tension points repeatedly expressed by the community, I’d first like to address two flawed premises which seem to distort the discussion and create lots of confusion.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Firstly, the word fair has been repeatedly used, yet as we can clearly see, it has proved useless for all practical purposes. Indeed, I suggest we abandon this confusing term and start using equality of opportunity and inequality of outcome to more clearly articulate things.</p>
<p>Secondly, whether we decide to post things or contribute in other ways, it should be clear that there is no guarantee of reward. This may be due to several reasons, like much more content being created than curators can effectively go though, minor conflicts of interest in rewarding mechanism, content being irrelevant to this particular audience, or simple randomness.&nbsp;</p>
<p>That being said, we do strive for equality of opportunity and decent rewards proportional to contribution, it’s just that our current mechanism still needs some tweaking.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Resource Distribution And Content Quality</h2>
<p>Whenever we are addressing hard problems, it’s useful to take a step back and put things in perspective. &nbsp;Indeed, we have to remember that Steemit has already offered a solution that is 99% functional, it’s the refinement that we are currently debating about. It seems the last 1% we'll only be able to solve through collective effort, persistence and lots of trial and error.</p>
<p>Indeed, if you look at the resource distribution, the one thing we need to improve is minniows possibility to become visible and be reasonably rewarded, even without the blessing of large whales.</p>
<p>I may have a hunch here, though I’m not sure how useful it will be. We could implement a certain threshold of active minnow or dolphin votes, say 30(stage 1) and 50(stage 2), where a synergic effect would kick in, boosting the votes and allowing the poster to become more visible without the need of large whales. The synergic effect would begin boosting when 30 votes from active users would be casted. It would be most potent in absence of whale votes and would gradually decrease with every whale vote being casted. This synergic effect would allow lots of minnows and dolphins to practically serve as a small whale, further empowering the community for effective contribution. This is only a seed, I do understand that it will be tricky to define active users in such a way as to prevent abuse, but I will leave it to more experienced and technical members of the community to decide if this could turn into a feasible solution.</p>
<p>When talking about the quality problem, it seems to me that it is very easy to overreact. The overall content posted on Steemit has been slowly but steadily improving. From mostly drama and introduceyourself posts, people are now gradually diversifying to more substantive posts. Indeed, as the community is being educated and made aware about identity theft, plagiarism and other forms of degenerative content, and more sophisticated detection measures are put in place, the incentives for such behavior will decrease significantly and we will hopefully see less and less of these problems.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The more important note though, is that relevance of posts is a two way street. One the one hand, you are signaling something through your post, one the other, you will only be rewarded for your post however qualitative it may be, to the extent to which the community can relate to your signal. If it’s either too sophisticated or too simple, you will miss your audience. At a meta level, the trending page is a simple yet useful reflection of where we now stand as a community: what our quality level is, what we care about and what we pay for. Apparently we have improved quite a bit, but there’s still long way to go.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Few Pertinent Suggestions: Small Changes, Large Effects</h2>
<p>There have been countless suggestions along the way, and many more will come. What I want to do is help with some suggestions which apparently require small efforts but could bring disproportionate benefits.</p>
<p><h2>1.	<strong>Legibility and aesthetics:</strong></h2> Ever since I first saw the design of the post page, it was obvious that it could be improved significantly. One of the most effective improvements in both legibility and aesthetics would be to restrict characters to up to 70 per line. This seems counter-intuitive, but I suspect it will become obvious once you see it. It’s fascinating how overall user experience can be significantly altered though so small of a change. Just take a look at <a href="https://medium.com/@cdixon/eleven-reasons-to-be-excited-about-the-future-of-technology-ef5f9b939cb2#.a9dgoaria">medium </a>or one of <a href="http://paulgraham.com/growth.html">Paul Graham's essays </a> as an example.</p>
<p><h2>2.	<strong>Adding number of views to posts:</strong></h2> &nbsp;Presumably one of the most addictive features of the traditional blogging platforms is the view count. It is also a very useful metric of attention. I think whoever finds a way to implement it, will surely be well rewarded by the community.</p>
<p><h2>3.	<strong>Mobile friendly apps and tools:</strong></h2> It’s great to see how many devs create tools and apps for Steemit. It would be even greater if those apps and tools would be mobile friendly. You can post about it once you’ve done it, I’m sure the community will gladly reward such efforts.&nbsp;</p>
<p><h2>4.	<strong>Post feed enhancement:</strong></h2> One way to further enhance the value of the post feed section is to make it the default page which appears when you open your own profile page(www.steemit.com/@xtester). By replacing the Blog section with the Feed section you effectively add significant value to the feed section, encouraging more interaction rather than concentration on ones own posts.</p>
<hr>
<h2>References</h2>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-a-society-that-puts-equality-in-the-sense-of-equality-of-outcome-ahead-of-freedom-will-end-up-milton-friedman-306123.jpg">http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-a-society-that-puts-equality-in-the-sense-of-equality-of-outcome-ahead-of-freedom-will-end-up-milton-friedman-306123.jpg</a></p>
<p><hr></p>
<p><center> I've spent the last couple of days thinking hard about these matteres and put a lot of effort into it. Your support is greatly appreciated and will ensure I will be able to come up with more quality material.</center></p>
<p><center>Hope you found it useful, thanks for reading.</center></p>
<hr>
<p><h2><center> If you loved this be sure to follow me @xtester </center></h2></p>
</html>
👍  , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 85 others
properties (23)
authorxtester
permlinkan-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit","steem","fairness","politics","philosophy"],"users":["xtester"],"image":["http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-a-society-that-puts-equality-in-the-sense-of-equality-of-outcome-ahead-of-freedom-will-end-up-milton-friedman-306123.jpg"],"links":["https://medium.com/@cdixon/eleven-reasons-to-be-excited-about-the-future-of-technology-ef5f9b939cb2#.a9dgoaria","http://paulgraham.com/growth.html","http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-a-society-that-puts-equality-in-the-sense-of-equality-of-outcome-ahead-of-freedom-will-end-up-milton-friedman-306123.jpg"]}
created2016-08-22 14:59:42
last_update2016-08-22 19:34:30
depth0
children31
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value314.231 HBD
curator_payout_value44.947 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length10,683
author_reputation6,887,127,798,781
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id935,380
net_rshares48,543,244,400,779
author_curate_reward""
vote details (149)
@allasyummyfood · 
Thank you for sharing, I have definitely found it useful :)) Look forward to more!
👍  
properties (23)
authorallasyummyfood
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t200953003z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 20:09:54
last_update2016-08-22 20:09:54
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length82
author_reputation283,763,839,951,286
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id940,142
net_rshares24,555,200,461
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@btotherest ·
$0.02
First Steemit post ever to be narrated by @shneakysquirrel ! 
( And great ideas and feedback to the community ! )
👍  ,
properties (23)
authorbtotherest
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t184035322z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"users":["shneakysquirrel"]}
created2016-08-22 18:40:42
last_update2016-08-22 18:40:42
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.016 HBD
curator_payout_value0.002 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length113
author_reputation3,211,087,232,972
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id938,683
net_rshares37,374,547,101
author_curate_reward""
vote details (2)
@clevecross · 
Very well said. People need to think of equality and their part in it. Equal rewards are not equality..... completely agree
👍  
properties (23)
authorclevecross
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t151504810z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 15:15:03
last_update2016-08-22 15:15:03
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length123
author_reputation7,635,074,529,912
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id935,618
net_rshares25,782,512,775
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@dan-bn · 
If there is a special treatment for more than 30 or 50 voters, there is a great risk of collusion. Thanks to founders not allowing this.
properties (22)
authordan-bn
permlinkan-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality
categorysteemit
json_metadata""
created2016-08-22 15:39:03
last_update2016-08-22 15:39:03
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length136
author_reputation32,942,175,145
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id935,995
net_rshares0
@grandpere · 
Indeed, there are problems between good content and reward. But there is also the tendency to vote for people with reputation rather than content.
👍  ,
properties (23)
authorgrandpere
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t213925163z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 21:39:24
last_update2016-08-22 21:39:24
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length146
author_reputation39,492,316,522,544
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id941,518
net_rshares29,859,465,962
author_curate_reward""
vote details (2)
@jennsky · 
Great work! Minnows want equality. Unfortunately you failed to read the Steemit white paper, page 20, stating the reward payout system based on Zipfs Law. (Google it) It is used for casinos and lotteries. The top1%, top 10% and everything else is bottom 89%. Hence whale, dolphin, minnow and no medium fish in between. It is not designed to ever have any medium fish.
properties (22)
authorjennsky
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t160053712z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 16:01:00
last_update2016-08-22 16:01:00
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length367
author_reputation602,864,005,938
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id936,345
net_rshares0
@kyriacos · 
Hi @xtester 

I [have written something along your rhyme of thought](https://steemit.com/politics/@kyriacos/debunking-the-myth-of-equality) in the past. Everybody is unequal because everybody is different. If society was to become equal it would destroy itself since all value would evaporate. Much the same thing applies to the periodic table of elements and the existence of our universe.

Now, as far as Steemit goes. Nobody started point 0 in Steemit. People that had followers from other social media got a head start even with shitty content—and they stay on top due to the reward system of the platform. Right now, to the average user joining, Steemit looks like a ponzi scheme. If you are whale, even if you post shit, it will get upvoted for rewards. I never do this but most people do. I only upvote what I heartily like.

I don't see how this would change unless there is a fundamental revision of the reward system. Much like there is an algorithm from 15 to 30 min to maximise profits for curation, the same should apply to one post in regards to a) rewards earned b)followers c)followers reputation d)overall capital allocated in Steemit over the last 24 hours. As time progresses the rewards should be declining for higher value posts and more allocated to the lower strata.

The ecosystem needs some food to grow. Some incentive. Otherwise it will collapse under its own weight before we even start talking about equality.
👍  
properties (23)
authorkyriacos
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160823t054445795z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"users":["xtester"],"links":["https://steemit.com/politics/@kyriacos/debunking-the-myth-of-equality"]}
created2016-08-23 05:44:45
last_update2016-08-23 05:44:45
depth1
children1
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length1,438
author_reputation151,079,958,921,004
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id946,516
net_rshares23,327,544,775
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@xtester ·
$0.16
Thanks for the interesting reply @kyriacos. I tend to agree with your main premise, though I see two options forward: either Steemit continues its growth and manages to bootstrap itself to a critical mass, where I suspect these dynamics could change, or it will lose its growth power and slowly fade into silence. At the moment I see people are interested to understand and change things which is a strong positive indicator. I'm curious to see how things will evolve.
👍  ,
properties (23)
authorxtester
permlinkre-kyriacos-re-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160823t111648384z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"users":["kyriacos"]}
created2016-08-23 11:16:51
last_update2016-08-23 11:16:51
depth2
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.160 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length468
author_reputation6,887,127,798,781
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id949,067
net_rshares788,495,648,604
author_curate_reward""
vote details (2)
@laconicflow · 
Great post all round. The equality of oprotunity V inequality of outcomes works for life and steemit. Your point about the enlargement of the community and the reward potencial that results as  the community has  wider interests is what I've been thinking for weeks. The only worry I have is that new users w Enjoy that Steem your getting, you deserve it! ll look at the front page and say wtf is this fringey shit?
properties (22)
authorlaconicflow
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160823t041549641z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-23 04:16:12
last_update2016-08-23 04:16:12
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length415
author_reputation952,361,754,392
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id945,898
net_rshares0
@limitless ·
$0.07
Intriguing. Have you read this? https://steemit.com/politics/@kyriacos/debunking-the-myth-of-equality

@kyriacos is one of the most thought provoking writers who I've encountered on this platform. 

Many aspects of equality are inherently contradictory. We can get super metaphysical here... Lol
👍  ,
properties (23)
authorlimitless
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t175957931z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"users":["kyriacos"],"links":["https://steemit.com/politics/@kyriacos/debunking-the-myth-of-equality"]}
created2016-08-22 17:59:57
last_update2016-08-22 17:59:57
depth1
children1
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.068 HBD
curator_payout_value0.002 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length295
author_reputation19,764,034,000,124
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id938,035
net_rshares124,485,883,784
author_curate_reward""
vote details (2)
@xtester · 
Thanks for the link @limitless , will deinifely check it out.
👍  
properties (23)
authorxtester
permlinkre-limitless-re-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160823t050419763z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"users":["limitless"]}
created2016-08-23 05:04:21
last_update2016-08-23 05:04:21
depth2
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length61
author_reputation6,887,127,798,781
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id946,237
net_rshares24,555,200,461
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@linkback-bot-v0 · 
<div>  <p>  This post has been linked to from another place on Steem.  </p>  <ul>        <li>      <a href="https://steemit.com/steemigration/@akareyon/my-steemit-mental-model-proclaiming-the-initiative-for-a-sustainable-and-innovative-steemit"> My Steemit Mental Model (proclaiming the Initiative for a Sustainable and Innovative Steemit) </a>      by      <a href="https://steemit.com/@akareyon">  @akareyon </a>     </li>        <li>      <a href="https://steemit.com/steemit/@shneakysquirrel/audio-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality"> (Audio) An Open Letter To The Community: In Defense Of Inequality </a>      by      <a href="https://steemit.com/@shneakysquirrel">  @shneakysquirrel </a>     </li>      </ul>  <p> Learn more about  <a href="https://steemit.com/steem/@ontofractal/steem-linkback-bot-v0-3-released">    linkback bot v0.3</a>   </p>   <p>Upvote if you want the bot to continue posting linkbacks for your posts. Flag if otherwise.   Built by @ontofractal</p></div>
properties (22)
authorlinkback-bot-v0
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-linkbacks
categorysteemit
json_metadata{}
created2016-09-11 00:48:45
last_update2016-09-11 00:48:45
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length1,005
author_reputation1,915,954,976,722
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id1,202,729
net_rshares0
@lukestokes · 
> know your strengths, use them to add real value to the platform

YES! Very well said. As a programmer, it's been fun for me to contribute statistics based on my exploration of the blockchain data (follower counts, exchange transfers, change in Steem Power over time, etc).

> I suggest we abandon this confusing term and start using equality of opportunity and inequality of outcome to more clearly articulate things.

That's a fantastic idea. I really like that perspective. The language we use here is so important.

> Indeed, if high productivity people work and risk 10x more, well, it’s common sense that they should be rewarded proportionally more. 

I can already hear those who disagree reply to this and say something like, "Yeah, sure, but why do they get 100x or 1000x on their 10x risk? How is that 'fair'?" I don't have a good answer for them right now other than, "You can go start a company also, if we have equality of opportunity."

> This is only a seed, I do understand that it will be tricky to define active users in such a way as to prevent abuse

Yeah, I see some problems with any changes from a game theory perspective. I've been learning more about Sybil attacks since coming to Steemit, and I understand a bit more why things are incentivized the way they are right now.

> 4.. Post feed enhancement:

I'm not really a fan of this one. If I click on someone's user name, the first thing I want to know is what type of content they produce so I can decide to follow them or not. Increasing followers, I think, is the best way to get your content noticed.
👍  
properties (23)
authorlukestokes
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t165411707z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 16:54:12
last_update2016-08-22 16:54:12
depth1
children2
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length1,582
author_reputation556,640,380,599,219
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id937,125
net_rshares26,396,382,127
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@xtester · 
Thanks for your contribution @lukestokes. I suspect the response to the 1000x return will vary on your belief about how the market works. If you believe, as I do, that the market is rather efficient and that you will generally not get 1000x return repeatedly without proportional risk and effort, or if you do, it's just due to luck or something really new, not yet exploited by the market, then the answer is quite straightforward I think. 

Indeed, it seems extremely high returns tend to come from betting against conventional wisdom, but then again, it's important to remember that conventional wisdom is usually right.

As for the post feed enhancement, I specifically said that this should be the case only when you open your own profile page(I.e. www.steemit.com/@lukestokes. It should create a separate incentive for people to start paying more attention to their personal news feed as opposed to only the steemit.com front page.
👍  
properties (23)
authorxtester
permlinkre-lukestokes-re-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t175906255z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"users":["lukestokes"]}
created2016-08-22 17:59:06
last_update2016-08-22 17:59:06
depth2
children1
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length937
author_reputation6,887,127,798,781
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id938,025
net_rshares26,396,382,127
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@lukestokes · 
> only when you open your own profile page

Ah, thank you! I missed that part. In that case, I get the idea, but from a UI perspectives, inconsistencies like that are really confusing. Most users should experience the same thing, regardless of who is logged in, IMO.
👍  
properties (23)
authorlukestokes
permlinkre-xtester-re-lukestokes-re-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t182530151z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 18:25:30
last_update2016-08-22 18:25:30
depth3
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length266
author_reputation556,640,380,599,219
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id938,402
net_rshares25,782,613,961
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@mrgrey ·
$0.26
excellent post xtester well done
👍  , ,
properties (23)
authormrgrey
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t150759325z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 15:07:57
last_update2016-08-22 15:07:57
depth1
children1
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.195 HBD
curator_payout_value0.060 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length32
author_reputation3,805,658,080,500
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id935,499
net_rshares410,765,753,203
author_curate_reward""
vote details (3)
@fyrstikken ·
$0.28
I second that, great post. Lets discuss it on http://SteemSpeak.com
👍  , , , ,
properties (23)
authorfyrstikken
permlinkre-mrgrey-re-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t170216777z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"links":["http://SteemSpeak.com"]}
created2016-08-22 17:02:15
last_update2016-08-22 17:02:15
depth2
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.274 HBD
curator_payout_value0.002 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length67
author_reputation377,187,606,449,589
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id937,239
net_rshares441,483,128,407
author_curate_reward""
vote details (5)
@profitgenerator · 
I think we should strive towards social equality, but only using voluntary means.

Using government is the worst possible strategy, as the government will become unequal to us, they gain power, we lose it.
👍  
properties (23)
authorprofitgenerator
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t150529200z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 15:05:30
last_update2016-08-22 15:05:30
depth1
children3
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length205
author_reputation68,549,319,463,075
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id935,456
net_rshares25,782,512,775
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@laconicflow · 
OK, so how should we have desegregated businesses in the south? We had to make laws. How should we have allowed gay marriages to be recognized, in our current society living anarchicly would not have been a satisfying answer to those gays who couldn't marry.  We have laws against child marriage. We have those laws because when they were passed, child marriage washappening. Social cohesion WAS NOT ENOUGH to make the changes you want IN THE REAL WORLD! We're way off topic from this great post, but I couldn't resist.
properties (22)
authorlaconicflow
permlinkre-profitgenerator-re-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160823t042107399z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-23 04:21:30
last_update2016-08-23 04:21:30
depth2
children2
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length519
author_reputation952,361,754,392
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id945,936
net_rshares0
@profitgenerator · (edited)
Because people dont care about their community today, if we can make people more caring and involved, then we would not need the laws, people would do that voluntarly.

Let's not forget that slavery was a government business, going back all way to ancient kings and pharaohs, I do not think people would do such horrible things on their own.
properties (22)
authorprofitgenerator
permlinkre-laconicflow-re-profitgenerator-re-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160823t111500300z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-23 11:15:00
last_update2016-08-23 11:15:57
depth3
children1
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length341
author_reputation68,549,319,463,075
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id949,050
net_rshares0
@rucoin · 
I think you are right, I completely agree with you
👍  
properties (23)
authorrucoin
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t151254654z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 15:11:57
last_update2016-08-22 15:11:57
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length50
author_reputation52,194,170,573,156
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id935,565
net_rshares25,782,512,775
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@shneakysquirrel · 
Marvelous! I found this to hit many major points in regards to the philosophy of this platform, and the challenges ahead. For those who would like to listen to an audio of this, I have included a link.
(AUDIO) https://steemit.com/steemit/@shneakysquirrel/audio-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality
👍  
properties (23)
authorshneakysquirrel
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t181801136z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"links":["https://steemit.com/steemit/@shneakysquirrel/audio-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality"]}
created2016-08-22 18:18:03
last_update2016-08-22 18:18:03
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length317
author_reputation3,632,494,873,193
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id938,296
net_rshares25,168,742,200
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@spookypooky · 
Wanting fairness is inherently 'unfair' to those who may well put in ten times the effort and ten times more hours.

Judge and reward others on their merits, not 'fairness' - it'll help you in the long run aswell!

This is a great learning platform, if you can make it on Steemit you can make it on any venue.
👍  
properties (23)
authorspookypooky
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t152024712z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 15:20:24
last_update2016-08-22 15:20:24
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length309
author_reputation2,591,924,956,536
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id935,708
net_rshares25,782,512,775
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@steemitboard · 
Congratulations @xtester! You have received a personal award!

[![](https://steemitimages.com/70x70/http://steemitboard.com/@xtester/birthday1.png)](http://steemitboard.com/@xtester) Happy Birthday - 1 Year on Steemit
Click on the badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.

For more information about this award, click [here](https://steemit.com/steemitboard/@steemitboard/steemitboard-update-8-happy-birthday)
> By upvoting this notification, you can help all Steemit users. Learn how [here](https://steemit.com/steemitboard/@steemitboard/http-i-cubeupload-com-7ciqeo-png)!
properties (22)
authorsteemitboard
permlinksteemitboard-notify-xtester-20170723t103105000z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"image":["https://steemitboard.com/img/notifications.png"]}
created2017-07-23 10:31:03
last_update2017-07-23 10:31:03
depth1
children0
last_payout2017-07-30 10:31:03
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length587
author_reputation38,975,615,169,260
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id9,402,546
net_rshares0
@steemitboard · 
Congratulations @xtester! You received a personal award!

<table><tr><td>https://steemitimages.com/70x70/http://steemitboard.com/@xtester/birthday3.png</td><td>Happy Birthday! - You are on the Steem blockchain for 3 years!</td></tr></table>

<sub>_You can view [your badges on your Steem Board](https://steemitboard.com/@xtester) and compare to others on the [Steem Ranking](https://steemitboard.com/ranking/index.php?name=xtester)_</sub>


###### [Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness](https://v2.steemconnect.com/sign/account-witness-vote?witness=steemitboard&approve=1) to get one more award and increased upvotes!
properties (22)
authorsteemitboard
permlinksteemitboard-notify-xtester-20190723t084612000z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"image":["https://steemitboard.com/img/notify.png"]}
created2019-07-23 08:46:12
last_update2019-07-23 08:46:12
depth1
children0
last_payout2019-07-30 08:46:12
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length616
author_reputation38,975,615,169,260
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id88,637,707
net_rshares0
@stevescoins · 
I have been thinking about a post along the lines of what you have said here.  You have done a better job than I think I would have done.

Your suggestions would help the Steemit situation.

The only thing I might add is that we consider the concept of "value" (perhaps your quality of content") in relation to  outcome.

I see a lot of posts decrying that the writer's "well thought and excellently written" (in their own judgement) didn't receive the Steemit attraction they thought it should.  This is usually closely followed by the "not fair" argument.

The question that should be put to these judgements is "Did your post provide content to OTHER people?"

Personally, I write things all the time that I, ME, and MYSELF all think are great...but I am also aware that my viewpoints and interests aren't shared by a lot of people.  So I may be disappointed that my work didn't receive the accolades I thought it should, but I also recognize that I have to provide value to OTHER people if I want them to pay me in huzzahs or in SD.

This is a point that folks should think about as far as outcomes are concerned.
👍  
properties (23)
authorstevescoins
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t230807925z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 23:08:12
last_update2016-08-22 23:08:12
depth1
children1
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length1,117
author_reputation96,661,038,698,119
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id942,556
net_rshares24,555,200,461
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@xtester · 
Thanks for the kind words @stevescoins. Agree with what you say and I think this paragraph captures it well, maybe I should have highlighted it: 

**"Whether you decide to write science or drama, the one key aspect to keep in mind is relevance to your particular audience(Steemit community). To the extent that posts resonate with the community, they will be significantly rewarded."**
👍  ,
properties (23)
authorxtester
permlinkre-stevescoins-re-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160823t051115664z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"users":["stevescoins"]}
created2016-08-23 05:11:18
last_update2016-08-23 05:11:18
depth2
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length385
author_reputation6,887,127,798,781
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id946,288
net_rshares24,003,281,014
author_curate_reward""
vote details (2)
@team101 · 
Many good suggestions in the post.  I particularly liked the idea of apps and going mobile since there's so much commuting these days.
👍  
properties (23)
authorteam101
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t205332452z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 20:54:27
last_update2016-08-22 20:54:27
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length134
author_reputation12,700,047,182,916
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id940,897
net_rshares24,555,200,461
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@thechosenwhan · 
I like the idea of 2 stages for minnows. As to the degenerate content... in a free market that will exist. There is a demand for it. It will be interesting to see how a free (freer) society will handle it without an outright ban.
👍  
properties (23)
authorthechosenwhan
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t151953358z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"]}
created2016-08-22 15:19:54
last_update2016-08-22 15:19:54
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length229
author_reputation2,148,154,625,742
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id935,697
net_rshares25,782,512,775
author_curate_reward""
vote details (1)
@ubg · 
https://media.giphy.com/media/EmSCxtcjQCmXK/giphy.gif
properties (22)
authorubg
permlinkre-xtester-an-open-letter-to-the-community-in-defense-of-inequality-20160822t170601669z
categorysteemit
json_metadata{"tags":["steemit"],"image":["https://media.giphy.com/media/EmSCxtcjQCmXK/giphy.gif"]}
created2016-08-22 17:05:54
last_update2016-08-22 17:05:54
depth1
children0
last_payout2016-09-22 17:33:48
cashout_time1969-12-31 23:59:59
total_payout_value0.000 HBD
curator_payout_value0.000 HBD
pending_payout_value0.000 HBD
promoted0.000 HBD
body_length53
author_reputation5,237,585,248,428
root_title"An Open Letter to The Community: Why Equality of Opportunity Matters, not Equality of Outcome"
beneficiaries[]
max_accepted_payout1,000,000.000 HBD
percent_hbd10,000
post_id937,287
net_rshares0
Help/Feedback