2017 Social Media Predictions are Missing a Game Changer.

Sometimes a Disruptive Technology is in Front of Your Face and You Still Can't See It.

Many of the social media professionals who wrote in their predictions for this article, "2017 Predictions for Social Media and Content Marketing" are connected with me all over social media. I have known most of them for four years or more. Anabell and I have great respect for our peers. Without their trail breaking I would probably not be as successful as I am today.

Predictions for Social Media in 2017 that are Huge.

1. User Generated Content will Continue to Grow.
2. Data Mining will Grow as Companies Try to Improve the Bottom Line.
3. Video will Continue to Grow.
4. Live Streaming will Mature.
5. Our Mobile Device is Where the Action Will Be.
6. Automation will Increase
7. Content Needs to be Top Notch in the Attention Economy.
8. Influencer Marketing will Increase for Brands.
9. Niche Marketing will Flourish.

My 2017 Social Media Predictions.

1. 2016 was the first instance of a successful launch of a Blockchain based social media platform. The success of Steemit in 2017 will attract attention from the media. Neil Strauss of Rolling Stone was just the first influencer to notice. It was great meeting you Neil!

2. When top notch content producers realize they can have another revenue stream via sites like Steemit or Busy.org they will flock to the platforms. Why would I post my content on Medium first when I could earn income on a site like Steemit? I then can repost my content on Medium with a link back to the original content on the blockchain.

3. User content will shift to paid in the attention economy. Youtube was the first successful test of paying content creators. Now we will see it for every aspect of content creation.

4. The ability of blockchain companies to offer almost instantaneous digital money transfers via mobile wallets will bring millions of the unbanked into the world of content creation. Imagine a young woman in Venezuela who earns less than $1 a day at her job earning an extra $100 a month via Steemit converting that Steem currency to Bitcoin and buying products on Amazon sent directly to her home. Oh wait there are people already doing it in Venezuela! Look at @luisucv34 as a perfect example.

 

 

5. Social media companies will continue to struggle to find new ways to profit off the use of their social networks. I believe we will see a continued shift of companies like Facebook forcing users to stay on its platforms and a throttling of content with links off platform.

6. Censorship will continue unabated as pressure from government and media companies force social media companies to crack down on any content they deem does not fit their narrative. Forcing content producers to seek alternatives.

7. Steemit will be the platform that brings flocks of non crypto currency users to blockchain technology.

An Amazing Conversation I had Last Night.

Anabell and I were at a hotel in old town Panama City and we struck up a conversation with a local lawyer. She was in her early 30's. I asked her if she knew what Bitcoin was and if she was using it yet. She said, "what is it?" Ten minutes later she is wide-eyed and super excited to start using it for herself and her business. She said she could speed up her business many times over and maneuver around currency controls in countries like Venezuela.

I showed her our Wirex Bitcoin debit card. I showed her how to open a Bitcoin wallet. We told her about the Bitcoin embassy we will be opening in Panama City and she was thrilled.

The key is that most people still have no idea about blockchain technology, Bitcoin or even social media platforms like Steemit. When they take the time to learn they will be blown away! I think you will be also.

To Read the Original Article on Steemit Click Here, "2017 Social Media Predictions are Missing a Game Changer".

Post Source Here: 2017 Social Media Predictions are Missing a Game Changer.

How My Love for Blogging Returned Thanks to Steemit

Blogging Became a Chore for Me. I No Longer Enjoyed Doing It.

Then back in July I was introduced to the blockchain social media platform Steemit. My love of blogging has returned with a vengeance. I have written more in the last three months than I did in the prior four years on my personal blog RandyHilarski.com.

I started blogging back in 2011 for a few clients. I was paid nicely for my blogging. My blog posts about gold, silver, economics, trade and Panama would earn me $100-$250 per post. I would sit and write 3-4 posts in one day and take the rest of the week off enjoying time with my wife Anabell and beautiful Panama.

At the same time we were perfecting our social media skills and growing an amazing following on Google Plus. We became masters of getting content to go viral on the social network. I was motivated to produce content because my following rewarded me with accolades. It sure felt good even though there was no financial reward.

Then the money from blogging dried up as the precious metals market went into a tough period financially. On top of that the travel website I was writing for about Panama pulled their funds due to issues with the parent company. We were in a pickle. It was time to start monetizing our social media skills since blogging money evaporated overnight.

Blogging for My Personal Brand.

This may seem odd to my fellow bloggers on Steemit but there was a time when a blogger had to find other ways to earn an income. Thousands of bloggers are still struggling and trying to find ways to monetize their work. Here are some of the ways bloggers traditionally make money.

1. Affiliate Marketing
2. Brand Ambassadors
3. Product Reviews with Links to the Products on Amazon.
4. Blogging for Brands.
5. Blogging for Media Outlets.
6. Producing and Selling eBooks and Training Courses.
7. Google Adsense Revenue.
8. Selling Ad Space on Their Blogs.
9. List Building.

Over my years of blogging I have known people who have used each of these techniques to monetize their content. In our case we used our blogging to build our personal brand in order to sell our social media services. It has worked like a charm because over time we built a great reputation online. The hardest part for us is complete. Now it is all about maintaining and growing our presence online. I like to use the term, "rinse and repeat". That is the key to success online.

My Blogging Hit a Wall in 2016.

In early 2016 my love of blogging really took a hit. Our favorite social network Google Plus was no longer fun to participate on. My favorite way to collaborate with fellow bloggers Triberr.com was loosing its brilliance. My blogging traffic was down about 30% over the previous year which sure did not help my motivation. Our business VIP Panama Tours was floundering after the Zika Virus news broke and traffic to our site was down 50%. I was dismayed with blogging.

Then the Blockchain Blogging Platform Steemit Appeared!

I don't know why it took me so long to take Steemit serious. When I say a long time I mean a few weeks. Since Anabell and I are heavily involved in the crypto currency and Bitcoin communities it just made sense that we would start blogging on Steemit. Like I said above, the joy of blogging disappeared. Then one day my friend and client Jeff Berwick of the Dollar Vigilante wrote a post where he made $15k on Steemit. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw it.

So without hesitation all of that drained energy came back in a rush of excitement. My first post on Steemit netted me $5,209 worth of Steem.

I was hooked and I decided that I was going to write everyday on Steemit for the next 30 Days. In that time I made about $8,000 in Steem. It was good times indeed. At that time the price of Steem, the crypto currency used on the Steemit Blockchain, was valued much higher than it is currently. Today I typically make between $10-$20 worth of Steem per post.

Those numbers are deceptive because the great thing about Steemit is that when I blog half of my earnings go back into my SteemPower which is my investment in the platform. During my first month I would immediately sell my liquid half of my earnings. Today I choose to invest 100% of my earnings back into SteemPower.

I know you are wondering how we are paid on Steemit. Well we earn when other members upvote our posts. The more SteemPower an account has the more you can potentially earn when the account upvotes you. We like to call the big accounts on Steemit, whales. Medium accounts are called Dolphins and small accounts are minnows. Everyone starts off as a minnow. Most whale accounts are founders and part of the development team. Most of the dolphin accounts are people like myself who rose up through blogging on the Steemit platform.

The next question you might ask is, "where does this magic internet money Steem come from?" Steem is mined like many other crypto currencies. The difference is that a portion of the mined Steem are used to reward content creators when a fellow Steemian upvotes your content on Steemit.com. This is how bloggers are paid in the steemit attention economy. Steems value is based on the perceived value of people holding and trading Steem within the crypto currency economy. The price fluctuates minute by minute like any other currency.

Infographic Explaining How the Steemit Economy Works.

Why Bloggers Should Get Involved with Steemit Today.

If you are a blogging veteran then you understand first mover advantage. I went through this once before when Google Plus launched. I joined early and took the platform serious which helped my growth immensely. The same is happening on Steemit. The platform is currently in Beta but that won't last for long.

We recently had our first SteemFest in Amsterdam the first week of November and it was amazing. The applications for Steemit are groundbreaking. The Steem blockchain will be used to power many other social media applications where you will be able to earn an income in the attention economy.

CEO Ned Scott Opens SteemFest in Amsterdam.

Join Us Today on Steemit and Make Sure to Engage with Other Steemians.

Warning, once you go down this path you will no longer enjoy creating content for platforms where you do not have an opportunity to earn an income for your time and energy. See the Original Post on Steemit.

More Articles by Randy Hilarski Here: How My Love for Blogging Returned Thanks to Steemit

The Adoption of Crypto Currencies will Accelerate Faster Than Anyone can Imagine

Predicting the Rise of Digital Money.

Humans are not very good at predicting the future. Predicting where the use of digital currencies will be in 5, 10 or 20 years is a fools game but I am happy to be one of the fools. I saw this article electrek.com talking about the adoption of autonomous vehicles and it got me thinking.

I truly believe people who are betting that crypto currencies are not going to spread like wildfire have their head in the sand. Imagine if your business was horse carriages in 1900. You were humming along making a good living and then you saw a car on the streets. You might have thought, "that is cute but there is no way regular people will buy those things". Within 3 years the numbers flipped and if you were in the horse buggy business you were crushed.

The Power of Decentralized Crypto Currencies.

Last week we saw India ban the 100 and 50 Rupee notes. The War on Cash is well underway. The great thing about the internet and free markets is that we don't have to use the digital currencies that the governments force upon us. Their currencies rob the wealth of the people through inflation and control.

If you have been a user of Bitcoin over the last few years you have seen your wealth protected. Bitcoin and most crypto currencies are much less inflationary than government currencies. Banks are now paying negative interest rates to hold your cash! Did you know that if you had 1,000 Dash set aside in a Dash Master Node you would be earning 1% monthly? What bank can compete with that?

Crypto Currencies also offer us the opportunity to transact securely, rapidly and if you desire anonymously. The competition for digital cash is underway and the century of government cash monopolies is threatened. The benefits of going digital with crypto currencies is immense.

This year Anabell and I decided to take our business $200 Social in a different direction and that meant accepting crypto currencies. We want to be the Social Media Company to the Decentralized Economy. So in order to do that we had to start accepting crypto currencies as payment for our services. It was the best decision we have ever made for our business! If you are wondering how we manage to run a business using crypto currencies you can read these articles.

Access Your Bitcoin Using the Wirex Bitcoin Debit Card.
Paypal Shenanigans? Time To Use Bitcoin and Crypto-Currencies.
Panama Cost of Living
Bitcoin and Dash CTM/ATM Now Available
How I Just Bought Plane Tickets to laBITconf in Argentina Using Bitcoin on aBitSky

Where is Crypto Currency Adoption Heading?

The great thing about the adoption of crypto currencies is that it is not going to be the typical players that make it happen. The unbanked people of the world will be the ones who provide the fuel of growth. Did you know 2.5 billion of the worlds population do not use banks? This makes me giddy with excitement. The only entry requirement to use crypto currency is a smart phone! Imagine what happens when companies like Tigo CTM have thousands of Bitcoin/Dash CTM's deployed around the world. It is already happening here in Central and South America.

 

 

You can Either be Involved or Sit on the Sidelines!

I don't know how you feel but this is the most exciting thing I have ever been involved in. Whether it is blogging on Steemit, promoting Arcade City and their decentralized economy, chatting with Christoph about the direction of BlockPay or opening a Bitcoin Embassy in Panama with Ira Miller. All I know is that the direction of growth for crypto currencies is to the moon.

Find the Original Article on Steemit.

More Articles by Randy Hilarski Here: The Adoption of Crypto Currencies will Accelerate Faster Than Anyone can Imagine

Twitter Censoring Alt Right Groups, What is Next? Use Steemit Instead!

Twitter has Decided to Go Down a Slippery Slope.

For many the idea that a private company would censor a group that they do not agree with is palatable. The only problem is where does this censorship end? If every time we disagreed with a group, we shut off their voice we create an echo chamber of our own voice. We all know what happens when one groups ideas are the only prevailing voice in media.

One of My Teachers Showed Me This Long Ago. It Touched My Heart and I Have Been a Fan of Free Speech Ever Since.

Pastor Niemöller created multiple versions of the text during his career. The earliest speeches, written in 1946, list the communists, incurable patients, Jews or Jehovah's Witnesses, and civilians in countries occupied by Nazi Germany. In all versions, the impact is carefully built up, by going from the "smallest, most distant" group to the largest, Jewish, group, .... and then finally to himself as a by then outspoken critic of Nazism.

What Can We Do to Fight Censorship.

The key is to understand that it is not about the content of what the groups say. It is about group think. If we just allow a very small percentage of people to control the content we consume then the result will be a controlled society with little chance for an opposition group to rise.

Is this the type of world we want to live in? I sure don't want to live in a world like that! Over the years my ideas about life have changed thanks to exposure to other opinions. 20 years ago I was a Patriotic, flag waving Republican. Today I am a happy voluntaryist who does not believe in forcing others to accept my opinions. I can't imagine having a conversation with my former self, it would have been so frustrating. Thanks to other peoples opinions and my open mind I have changed the direction of my life.

Try to let people know that it is ok for companies like Twitter and Facebook to choose to censor but in the end they will become echo chambers of group think. It will no longer be a place of conversation but rather just echoes!

Why Use Steemit?

Steemit has been a breath of fresh air for me. It has been a place online where I can express my opinions freely. Sure I still have people who don't agree with my thoughts but that is ok. Conversation is part of life! What I love about Steemit is that people who are positive are rewarded and the negative troll types are left on the fringe but they are not forced to leave, like on Twitter.

Is their censorship on Steemit? I imagine a few people think there is due to the downvote button but in the end very few people use that option. We saw what happens when a small group of people start a downvote war.

Thor Says it Best.

 

 

I Will Continue to Use Twitter but I Understand that the Day Might Come When My Opinions Differ Too Much.

Start using other social media channels today to avoid what is happening on Twitter. I believe that Facebook will follow closely behind. If you are a free-thinking person then your opinions will probably clash with the group think. Prepare yourself today for the possible events that can happen tomorrow.

 

Find the Original Post on Steemit.

More Articles by Randy Hilarski Here: Twitter Censoring Alt Right Groups, What is Next? Use Steemit Instead!

Arcade City ICO, Whitepaper and Hackathon #Blockchain

Arcade City ICO Launching Today November 1!

This post was originally published on Medium a few hours ago. So I expect Cheetah the content detection bot to stop by and say hi.

Introducing the Arcade City Whitepaper, Token Sale, and $100K Hackathon
(Adapted from last week’s Reddit thread and updated with new information.)

Token sale address (confirm on our website and Twitter): 0xAc709FcB44a43c35F0DA4e3163b117A17F3770f5

At long last, we’re excited to present to the Ethereum community the release version of our whitepaper, including plans for our token sale now scheduled for Ethereum block 2547923, or November 1st at approximately 3pm UTC.

We’ve been banging on pots and pans since January that we intended Arcade City to be the decentralized, Ethereum-based answer to Uber.

In April we laid out our multi-stage path to complete decentralization over time, then announced plans to submit a DAO proposal — oops! — and just recently added a crew of experienced Ethereum developers who’ve built a functioning Ethereum ridesharing prototype in record time.

In the meantime we’ve made substantial progress ‘on the ground’ in cities all over the world, with our flagship ridesharing network in Austin giving tens of thousands of safe rides in a completely decentralized manner.
Now we’re ready to combine our decentralized organizational model with the solid decentralized tech that can propel our project further into the mainstream.

Arcade City Resources

Download Whitepaper PDF
Token sale address (confirm on our website and Twitter: 0xAc709FcB44a43c35F0DA4e3163b117A17F3770f5
Live demo of Arcade City ridesharing app prototype on Ethereum testnet
Arcade City website
Arcade City GitHub — Direct link to token contract
Zeppelin’s security review of the Arcade City token sale contract and our subsequent code changes
Arcade City on Twitter and YouTube— More updates than you can shake a stick at
Video: Ethereum Developers Join Arcade City— Stefaan’s introduction of our Ethereum development team
Hangout Video: Introducing the Arcade City Whitepaper
Video: Latest demo of the Arcade City Ethereum ridesharing app
Video: On the need for the ARC token
Video: Why participate in our token sale

A hackathon, you say?

Assuming our token sale sells out by the end of November, we’ll be throwing an online hackathon open to any Ethereum developers, with a minimum of $100K USD value in prizes, payable in ETH or ARC.

We’ll announce super final details about start and end dates, judges and such, after the sale, potentially as soon as the first week of November.

The basic idea of the first hackathon will be to build out the functionality described in the Arcade City Infrastructure section of the whitepaper: the offers, disputes, guilds, referrals, reputation, and assurance systems, with a likely priority on the reputation system.

We intend to crowdsource the majority of our Ethereum development via multiple hackathons with everything open-source on GitHub.

Check out the eye-popping revenue projections in our whitepaper! Then imagine the majority of that revenue flowing into the Ethereum community by way of incentive prizes to accelerate the decentralization of the sharing economy…

Some Arcade City Press

IBTimes UK —  ‘Decentralised Uber’ Arcade City wins Europe’s biggest blockchain competition
Bitcoin.com —  ‘Decentralized Uber’ App Delivers 1,000 Meals in Austin, Texas
Our Austin push was featured in TechCrunch, The Guardian, National Review, VICE, Austin Inno, CoinTelegraph and more, with mentions in Newsweek, Bloomberg, The Economist, The Atlantic, Reason, Business Insider, and countless local media outlets.

Arcade City Team Bios

Christopher David — Janitor

Christopher David founded Arcade City in December 2015. A former Uber driver, Chris initially envisioned Arcade City as a decentralized, driver-run competitor to Uber. As a blockchain enthusiast and proponent of radical decentralization, Chris was the first to recognize the larger potential of Arcade City as an unstoppable engine of mass peer-to-peer transactions across countless industries and countries all over the world. Using skills acquired during years of grassroots political organizing, he led the growth of Arcade City from an idea into a global movement on a shoestring budget. After much trial and error, he somehow managed to attract an amazing team of talented visionaries passionate to fulfill on the greater vision of Arcade City to ‘decentralize all the things’. Chris has a bachelors degree in international relations, a black belt in tang soo do, and a really loud mouth. And he thinks you should read Swarmwise and Freedom(tm).

Jennifer Williams — Vice Mayor

Jennifer Williams is a founding member of the Arcade City Swarm and has served as the Director of Support since February 2016. She contributes on a full-time basis to expanding operations globally with the other founding members. Together they give new members the necessary tools and resources needed to efficiently and effectively navigate the Arcade City ecosystem. Her primary motivation is to guide, educate and liberate individuals by making information accessible through email, social media, and the Arcade City Help Desk that she designed. After her studies in graphic design and holding several corporate managerial positions she decided to exit the proverbial ‘hamster wheel’ and pursue her entrepreneurial goals which led her to ridesharing. Jennifer has 2.5 years of rideshare experience, has mentored 400+ new drivers, and served as a marketing coordinator, brand ambassador and recruiter, which has given her extensive knowledge of the industry. Through her work with Arcade City she has gained interests and insights into cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, and she believes that implementing the latest technologies will help Arcade City supercede the ridesharing competitors by eliminating the middlemen and allowing drivers to earn fair wages and build stronger communities while saving riders from price gouging.

Lauren Slade — City Manager

Lauren Slade is an accomplished operations and support professional with over four years of direct experience providing tactical strategies ranging from small startups to large scale teams operating globally. As a forward thinking tech leader she believes in pairing laser-focused user observation with a great amount of drive to constantly improve ways of operating as the most definitive route to unstoppable success. Lauren is steadfast and committed to collaboratively solving meaningful problems with a team who values getting things done. She joined Arcade City full-time in June of 2016 to direct the V2 integration of decentralized management systems and develop operational growth processes. Lauren looks forward most to ensuring Arcade City becomes a self-sustaining business model, free of a central governing council from the top down. Her passion for process-minded management and developing teams inspires her to successfully scale and balance hyper growth within talent and project recruitment. As a natural planner she enjoys getting down to the detail on performance and tracking metrics.

Kristien De Wachter — City Planner

Kristien De Wachter has over 10 years of experience in project management and operations. In the beginning of 2015 she reinforced A-Labs, the City’s digital innovation lab. As lead of A-Labs, making the bridge between experiments and the “outside world”, tackling all problems that obstruct the way towards a good end-product, making sure all team members can work and think freely towards the common goals. Working on decentralization for more than a year. She joined forces with Arcade City on the 23th of September, as a liaison between the dev team in Antwerp and the swarm and swarm leaders, making sure all the cats run in the same direction, always with respect for everyone’s individuality and strengths. Believes Arcade City will bring freedom to every individual.

Stefaan Ponnet — Engineer

Stefaan has 15 years of experience in software development, design and architecture. He managed a software company for 6 years and worked for large companies as well as emerging start-ups. Interested in the possibilities of decentralized systems, he was an early Ethereum follower. Since september 2015 Stefaan has been full-time involved in developing Ethereum prototypes for government in the city of Antwerp. Stefaan has a passion for open source methodology and loves to solve technological problems.

Stefaan and the Antwerp team joined Arcade City in September 2016 by publicly pledging our support to the community. Stefaan will add his expertise by developing all necessary building blocks — like Smart Contracts , Dapps, APIs, and anything else needed to make this new economy a reality.

Michael Thuy—Construction Worker

Michael Thuy has been studying and working on decentralized technology for the past 2 years, mostly from within the City of Antwerp’s digital innovation lab ‘A-Labs’. In the past year he has been working on concepts like Blocktube and Locals World. From a strong ideological and technical background he manages to mash up cutting edge technology to come up with all-round concepts. Meeting Arcade City, he felt he had no other purpose in life than to contribute to Arcade City’s swarm. Michael is co-authoring the Arcade City whitepaper/concept and building on the Polymer/Ethereum prototype. With Arcade City, Michael wants to make sure his kids grow up in a different economic model than he did. He also would like Arcade City to be the de facto economic model on Mars.

Ben Adriaenssen — Brand Architect

Ben Adriaenssen after finishing his studies in ‘Visual Arts — Graphic Design’ found that working in advertising agencies or graphic studios was not fulfilling his strong urge to do something good for the world and the people in it. Applying his skill-set to communicate about random services or products wasn’t enough; he wanted to make a difference. Working for the City of Antwerp was a big step in this direction. While starting and working in the City of Antwerp’s digital innovation lab ‘A-Labs’, his lifelong passion for creating digital interactive things has been reignited. Focusing on blockchain-technology was another big step to combining the love for design with the passion for people. Ben is thrilled to be able to contribute his value to a project like Arcade City. Working in this innovative decentral way, with like-minded people in a swarm structure, is for Ben a dream come true. He hopes Arcade City can put the power, literally and figuratively, back into the hands of the common man.

More Arcade City Information

Video: Arcade City mayor hands over his key to the city
Video: Introducing Arcade City’s first external keyholder & advisor, Bernd Lapp.
Video: Arcade City developers’ interview with Coin Interview
Video: How to create a new user in the app
Video: Our path to a totally decentralized ecosystem
Video: Arcade City revenue models

As Many of you know I am helping the Arcade City team with their social media.

I truly believe in the Decentralized Economy. Join us in bringing crypto currency to the masses!

The original article was found on Medium.

Originally Published Here: Arcade City ICO, Whitepaper and Hackathon #Blockchain

The Rise of the Decentralized Economy

There is an Extinction Event Coming That Threatens to Wipe Out the Old Economy

The event is the rise of the decentralized economy. Since the early days of Bitcoin we have seen the decentralized economy grow before our eyes. The great majority of the world has no idea that this meteor is about to strike.

Banks and Fiat Currency are Quickly Becoming Obsolete.

The first sign of the future came with the rise of the crypto currencies that allowed us as citizens of the world to go unbanked. These were currencies such as Bitcoin, Dash, Dogecoin and some of the newer ones like Monero, ShadowCash and now ZCash. Did you know that you can have a Bitcoin debit card and not even have a banking account? Read "Access Your Bitcoin Using the Wirex Bitcoin Debit Card.".

This is an epic shift. How money is used will never be the same. We no longer need intermediaries to carry out transactions across the globe. I can't wait until my Crypto Currency transactions are 100% peer to peer or from me to a company without Visa or Mastercard in the middle. The shift is happening! When the population of the world that is unbanked begins to wake up to the power of crypto currencies a great force will be unleashed and I want to be there!

The Decentralization of the Economy.

When the Ethereum network launched there was great excitement in the tech world. We looked around and noticed that this technology could make lawyers, accountants, governments and other intermediaries obsolete. This shift will transform the way the world works as we know it.

Enter Arcade City, this Ethereum based Crypto Currency is going to upset the current sharing economy. Companies like UBER, Lyft and Air BNB are in the cross-hairs. First Arcade City is going after the ride sharing economy. Literally a decentralized economy of peer to peer service providers and consumers.

Don't Miss the Upcoming Token Sale for Arcade.City.

An amount of 100,000,000 tokens will be created to start this new economy. 84,000,000 tokens (84% of the total supply) will be offered to the public during a 28-day token sale, starting November 1, 2016 at 3pm UTC.

Social Media is a Slow Moving Behemoth and the Decentralized Economy has Noticed.

We have build out company $200 Social on the backs of these centralized social media giants. The days of social media companies syphoning off our data for their investors benefit are going to come to an end. The public blockchain will be available for anyone to see which makes their data less valuable. This will literally opensource our lives. I appreciate all that these titans have afforded my family but every dinosaur will become extinct in the coming decentralized economy.

Social media platforms like Steemit are quickly taking a foothold in the world of the decentralized economy. Other notable decentralized social media platforms include Yours Network and Synereo which are still in development. I am sure we will see a private social media channel similar to what ZCash is doing with crypto currency.

"Just think the Centralized companies (Facebook, Twitter, Google, PayPal) are like dinosaurs. They think they are the rulers of the land but a meteor is on its way that is called decentralization. Soon they will be fossils." - Randy Hilarski

Don't be left behind. You can be part of the largest shift in wealth in history. We are largely invested in the future of these technologies and I recommend you put a portion of your net worth into the decentralized economy also. It is the most exciting time for me in my life!

Meet Anabell and I at the upcoming laBITconf in Argentina next week or in Amsterdam in two weeks at SteemFest. We hope to see you there.

Find the original article on Steemit. [The Rise of The Decentralized Economy.](https://steemit.com/crypto/@hilarski/the-rise-of-the-decentralized-economy)

Post Source Here: The Rise of the Decentralized Economy

Arcade City WhitePaper Published

Arcade City has Released Their WhitePaper Prior to the Upcoming ICO Sale.

To see the full Arcade City WhitePaper go to the link. The Arcade City ICO has been one of the most talked about Ethereum based Crypto Currencies of the year.

The Crowdsale.

The ARC token sale will start on November 1, 2016 at 3pm UTC and will run for a period of 28 days.

During the 28-day period, people can purchase tokens by sending ETH to a smart contract. The contract address will be announced on the website a few days before the start of the token sale.

What is Arcade City?

Arcade City is a decentralized global community of peer-to-peer service providers and consumers. The core technical offering is an Ethereum-based app for web, Android and iOS. Arcade City features an open ecosystem with forthcoming APIs to enable developers and entrepreneurs to easily create their own apps and service offerings as part of the Arcade City network. Initial service offerings focus on the ridesharing industry, with plans in motion for peer-to-peer deliveries and short-term home rentals.

Arcade City aims to reinvent the sharing economy by combining the power of blockchain technology, open-source development, platform cooperativism, and a decentralized ‘swarm’ organizational model open to all.

How is the Token Distribution Broken Down.

What is My Part in the Project?

Over the last week I met with the team multiple times. We $200 Social have agreed to help the Arcade City team with the ICO process across social media. We look forward to seeing what the team comes up with and promoting the ARC token across the web.

See the Original Article on Steemit.

Post Source Here: Arcade City WhitePaper Published

Panama Cost of Living in 2016

How Much Does it Cost to Live in Panama in 2016?

This has to be the most common question I get about life in Panama. How much does it cost to live there? The biggest misconception people have is that the cost of living in Panama is super low. The truth is that if you want to live like a North American then your costs are going to be around the same.

I am part of every major Panama Group on the social network that shall not be named. I watch with amusement as I see expats complaining about the cost of living here. They talk about the cost of having a maid, living in the expensive parts of Panama City, shopping at the most expensive grocery store and dining at the upscale restaurants.

The thing is these people move to Panama expecting that they can take their North American income and magically turn it into a lavish life here. Then they get upset that the life they desire costs the same as living North of the Mexican border.

How We Chose to Live.

Over the last three years Anabell and I gave up on the expensive tower life in Panama City and decided to move 30 minutes over the Panama Canal. We live in a gated community surrounded by other young middle class Panamanians. I like to joke that I am the only Gringo in my neighborhood.

Our house is a one year old 3 bedroom 2 Bathroom 100 square meters home. It is perfect for the two of us and our cats. The development is surrounded by jungle. We have plenty of animals around domesticated and wild, "Panama Critters". Things I don't have here that I had in my beautiful tower apartment are a balcony, pool and security.

10 minutes from our house we have one of the largest malls in Central America. We also have every major grocery store in the vicinity except the one super expensive one expats in Panama City complain about. All of life's necessities are within 10 minutes of our home.

Athanasiou Upscale Coffee Shop, Bakery and Chocolatier

 

Our Monthly Cost of Living in Panama.

Rent- $450

Electric- $25

Gas- $5

Cable- $50

Internet- $20

Food- $300

Auto Insurance 98 RAV4- $10

Medical Insurance- $200 for Both

Mobile Phones PrePay- $40 for Both

Total $1100

Prior to Moving Out of the City $1150 was Just My Rent!!

$8 Worth of Veggies and Fruit From the Farmers Market.

 

 

The key to having a low cost of living in Panama is to live like the local middle class. My friends think Anabell and I live this life of luxury but the truth is we live like any other Panamanian that works a job. The difference is we work from home and get to enjoy the benefits of having the extra income to go out.

We are frugal people. We would rather spend money on travel and going out. We also don't think twice about spending money on our business or investments. In a few months we will be buying a newer vehicle, so our car insurance rates are sure to climb. We also want to buy our own home in a gated community. Due to not having Property taxes on new homes our monthly home costs should go down. The only way our housing costs will go up is if we have a mortgage over $100K.

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Randy and Anabell Hilarski at AltaPlaza Mall.[/caption]

 

Tips to Live Cheap in Panama.

1. Live Outside of Panama City.

2. Buy a Used Car for Cash.

3. Live Like The Panamanian Middle Class.

4. Shop at the Farmers Market.

5. Eat Food that is Local.

6. Work from Home.

7. If You are Retired Get Your Pensionado Visa

Watch the Video and Subscribe.

 

See the Original Post on Steemit.com

More Articles by Randy Hilarski Here: Panama Cost of Living in 2016

Blockchain Programmers, Developers and Marketers Shake Hands!

Two Sides of the Same Crypto Currency Yet Miles Apart.

Over the last few years I have been watching from the sidelines as the programmers have been doing their best to educate the world as to why they should be using Bitcoin and Crypto Currencies. I have found myself wishing there was a way to simplify what the programmers do.

Then about a year ago it dawned on me that what the world of Bitcoin and Crypto Currencies needed were people who love the technology for what it can do, not so much how it can do it. I am so jaded watching talks from programmers talking about the tech behind a Crypto Currency while many turn around and bash other Crypto Currency entrepreneurs for not building their coin to the specifications that they would prefer.

This Cartoon is How it Looks to Those of Us Who Are Not Programmers.

The Masses Don't Care How Something Works, They Just Want it to Work.

The great thing about society is that we will start using something if we find it to be useful or appealing. When we see people fighting over block sizes, hash rates or any other word found in the crypto-currency world it just turns us off. We are also good at dropping something in the waste bin if we find it to no longer be a good product or tool.

Does anyone remember Yugo cars, Commodore computers, Blackberry phones or Rotary phones? Faded memories of these things correct? That is because society moved on to better tech or higher quality.

Yugo Flying

Commodore 64 in Action.

Blackberry Phone and Charlize Theron BONUS.

Rotary Phone

Enter the Marketers and Influencers.

We have this uncanny ability to reach the people who will be using these amazing technologies the Crypto Currency Programming gods create. You can have the best product in the world but if you shut yourself in a padded room, with your amazing tech, there is no way for the masses to learn about it.

Taking bats to the knee caps of your peers is no way to build trust in your product or brand. Why should I trust you if you spend your time talking down others?

Stop Running Your Mouth and Get to Work Creating Epic Tools!

We will help you get your good work into the hands of the people who will tell their friends and their friends and their friends. It is amazing how that works. When the masses want something you find a way to deliver it or somebody else will.

Get Thor Another Drink!

It Comes Down to Trust.

When the programmers decide to let the marketers be the face of the Crypto Currency brands this is when the technology will really take off. Trust me, we don't want the Banksters to coop the industry! If we want this technology to be the peoples currency we need to include the folks who know how to win followers. We are not your enemies, we are your connection to the end user.

Less Brash and More High Fives!!

 

Join Me on Steemit and Get Paid to Blog! The Original Post on Steemit.

 

 

More Articles by Randy Hilarski Here: Blockchain Programmers, Developers and Marketers Shake Hands!

Prepare for the Unexpected in the of Fall 2016?

The Jubilee Year is Coming to an End are You Prepared Just in Case of...?

All around us it seems the world is in upheaval! It has been just over 12 months since the stock market crash of 2015 occurred. Last year when Jeff of The Dollar Vigilante made the prediction I was in awe as he made a near flawless prediction. Like many of you something like the Shemitah made little sense to me prior to the prediction.

A year later and we are coming to the ultimate crescendo.

The violins are being played at an increasing and more violent pace. The chaos around us seems to be increasing so much that I have actually become calloused to the daily news on social media. What would have been headline news for weeks just a few years ago is lasting less than 24 hours before something new happens.

I have to admit that I actually prefer having awakened from my stupor. Prior to 2006 I would have been walking around in fear due to not understanding the events going on around me. We all know many who prefer to stay asleep. My awakening due to people like Peter Schiff, Mike Maloney, Jeff Berwick, Tekoa Da Silva and Dr. Ron Paul have strengthened me mentally to the point where I no longer have fear about what happens in the economy and the world Geo-Politically.

We Could Be in the Midst of a Very Difficult Time for the World.

I am not going to sugarcoat it for you. The coming months and years may be quite a trying time for us all. The world economy looks like it is going to go through a reset. Whenever we have a global reset economically it takes a few years to get running optimally.

There are some things that you can do to protect yourself and your families. I am not a Prepper myself but I believe in what they teach. We should all prep for emergency events. Thankfully I made the move to Panama over five years ago! My recommendations are mostly for those of you living in Europe, Canada and the United States. I personally have lived like this since 2008. Peace of mind is always a good thing.

1. Have some cash on hand.
2. Own some silver bullion and maybe some gold bullion.
3. Stock up on canned goods and dry goods like rice, flour and nuts.
4. Arm yourself, even a high-powered pellet gun can come in handy.
5. Own Bitcoin and store it in an offline device like a Trezor.
6. A means to stay warm during the winter season.
7. Plenty of Water.

Now my list may be super simplified for my Prepper friends but this list is based on a temporary reset. I have no idea if anything will happen but it pays to be prepared in the event something does.

Always Be Prepared for the Unknown.

I grew up in a family that always had a giant garden, hunted, canned and were carpenters. I take for granted that my family taught me so much. Sometimes we forget that there are people around us that have zero survival skills. These are the people that we have to worry about in a reset. These folks will be desperate and will not think twice about hurting others.

If You Want a Picture of What Can Happen, Just Imagine Black Friday on Steroids.

Believe me you don't want to be heading out into public during times of desperation. If you think ahead you can avoid what will inevitably be a very difficult time.

All I Know is That I Know Nothing.

Now everything that has been predicted could turn out to be utter BS. In this instance the little bit of work you did to protect yourself and your family will have gone a long way to help you sleep better at night. I personally have had piece of mind for over a decade.

Once you realize that everything around you is meant to keep you under control, then you have been liberated. So Break yourself out of the matrix and take responsibility for your own life and security. It is amazing how great life can be when your mind is free.

See the original article on Steemit.

 

Read More by Randy Hilarski Here: Prepare for the Unexpected in the of Fall 2016?

Fascistbook is Labelling You Politically Learn How.

Do You Know What Facebook Thinks of You?

My readers know I am a social media and online marketer. So when I saw this articleFacebook is Categorizing You Politically — Here’s How to See What they Think of You I had to respond. Matt is an author on Steemit as well.

For the last five years I have built a business which helped clients find their audience via social media and advertising. I have to admit Fascistbook is a very powerful tool. One of the ways I can target people is through their interests.

For example you if you are a fan of Killary Clinton on Fascistbook. I can actually target fans of hers. Your interests are a powerful tool for marketers. This also goes for Twitter, Google and any other Big Data driven network online. Your data is for sale!

How Do You Know What FascistBook Classifies You As?

First of all go to this FascistBook Link while logged in to FB. Scroll down to Preferences--> Lifestyle and culture --> Find more. When I reached the bottom of my Lifestyle and Culture it said, "Expat US". Near the top this is what I saw and I had to chuckle.

Yes, I have to agree Facebook I agree with all of them yet none of them! The funny thing is that they did not call me an Anarchist anywhere. I follow pages that represent many different political ideologies so I can troll them as often as I can. Confusing Fascistbook is more fun than letting them label me. I did not find the Political party box that Matt mentions in his article.

Jeremy Merrill also breaks it down in a NY Times article. Liberal, Moderate or Conservative? See How Facebook Labels You

So What Can You Do?

Absolutely nothing on Fascistbook. Those F#%$ers will not allow you to turn off your preferences. So the best you can do is confuse them. Like pages that represent all of the parties. Be as ambiguous as possible.

Find My Original post on Steemit.

Be Like a Chameleon

Originally Published Here: Fascistbook is Labelling You Politically Learn How.

“Optimize Images” for Google

My How to Optimize Images so that You Show up In Google Image Search.

Have you ever wondered how the media and prominent bloggers get their images ranked so high in Google and Bing image search?

Here on Steemit and with most of my clients with $200 Social I have noticed that people in general do not utilize this powerful tool to rank high in Google and Bing Search.

Why bother teaching the community? The world is changing and I believe our personal brand is far more important than any platform or non personal brand. Look how well Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Lebron James, Jeff Berwick and others do utilizing their personal brands.

People love to see the person behind the idea. Did you know if Facebook, Twitter or Steemit disappears tomorrow many people who do not build their personal brand will have to start from scratch? If instead those same people build their personal brand they can take it anywhere and if one platform closes down the effect will just be a bump in the road.

There are a few things I would like to see the Steemit community do that other communities are too lazy to do.

1. Use Images to make your content more interesting.
2. SEO your images so our content ranks above other communities content.
3. Make your images look good across social media.
4. Share your content across the internet.

Tools Needed to Make and Optimize Images.

• This guide is for Windows users. I have Windows 10, which works similar to Windows 7.
• Use an image creation tool like Pic Monkey
  

The Results of Optimizing Images.

This is a result of doing an image search on Google for my name. There are two types of results here. The first type is ones where the post did very well and it helped raise the value of the image. The second type and the one we are focused on is images that rank well because they have good SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Step 1 to Image SEO

Make your image, please do not borrow images. Be creative and make your own content to stand out in the crowd. Once you have created the image you must save the image with an image title and store as a jpeg file.

Step 2 to Image SEO

Open the image in your Photos manager and right click on the image. Click on open in Photo Gallery.

Step 3 to Image SEO

You are now in Windows Photo Gallery. Click on Edit, Organize in top left.

Step 4 to Image SEO

Double Click the image you would like to edit.

Step 5 to Image SEO

Fill out each of the sections on the right.

• Tag Yourself, Friends or Brands.
• If you are a local brand by all means GEO Tag a location.
• Add a description. This is where I tell people you can add a blog post within a blog post. Very Powerful!
• Don't forget to add your tags. These are words that match the image and tell Google and Bing what the subject of the image is.

Completed Image SEO

This is what your image should look like after you have completed all the details.

• Click the Red Close File at the top.
• Now you are ready to load your image to your image hosting service.

Optional SEO for Wordpress Image Hosting.

If you do not have your own website based on Wordpress you can also set up a Wordpress.com blog for free and accomplish the same result. Why do I do this? I host the images on my own blog because I want ownership of my images. If you use an external hosting service you give up ownership of your images.

If you are serious about being a content producer you should own all of your own images and this means loading it first to your website. If people borrow my images I am ok with it because Google knows I am the original creator. Use Wordpress.com if you don't want to build a blog from scratch.

• Add Alt Text (Alternative text)
• Add Description
• Copy and past the image URL into your Steemit post.

Why Go Through all This Extra Effort to Optimize Images?

• Rank highly on Google and Bing Image Search.
• Higher Quality Content for the Google and Bing Bots.
• Rank High on Sites Like Google Plus, Pinterest, Blogger and Tumblr
• Outrank Your Competitors.
• Do You Want to be Ordinary or Extraordinary that is the Question?

Follow Me on Steemit and Across the Web.-->

 

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Post Source Here: “Optimize Images” for Google