A Chat With Bittrex Co-founder, A mini “Vox-pop” - Steemians Speak and This Week On Steemit ….. SteemMag – Steemit’s Weekend Digest #5 p.2

@cass ;)

Bittrex was one of the first exchanges to recognize Steem and SBD. In fact, 4 months ago, they conducted an AMA with Ned and Dan to introduce steem to their users. Here’s the link to the transcribed AMA

So in the spirit of Steemit 4 month celebration, SteemMag reached to Bill to have a chat with him.

SteemMag:
Hi Bill

@bittrex-bill:
hey.

SM:
Bittrex is one of the largest crypto platforms in the world, what attracted your team to list Steem and SBD in the first place?

Bill:
Bittrex exists because we're huge fans of blockchains and wanted to provide a platform where little known coins could trade and let the market decide which ideas had merit.

When Dan and Ned originally pitched us the idea of Steem, it was a white paper that made very little sense but they were passionate about it and had a track record from Bitshares so we decided to take a chance on it. Little did we know that 3 months later, they'd deliver such a compelling platform.

SM:
Bittrex has been one of the few crypto entities to have a blog on Steemit. What are some features you like and some changes you wish for?

@bittrex-bill:

We're fans of blockchains and want to experiment and use them when we can. Steemit provided a compelling blogging experience and community. I've enjoyed reading the content.
I'd like to see sub-steemits in the future so that not all content is mixed together at the top level.

SM:
What are some features on Bittrex that you think would enhance the experience of Steemians using your platform?

Bill:
We work closely with Ned and Dan to ensure that transfers and trading are as simple as possible.

SM:
Bittrex was crucial in containing the recent accounts hack. For many Steemians that make use of your wallet, what is your advice to them?
Bill:
The most important thing is to secure your private keys and only use your publishing key on the steemit site. When using Bittrex, ensure that you have 2FA enabled on your account.

SM:
What's your opinion on the current prices of BTC, Steem, and SBD?

Bill:
We own an exchange because we're terrible at trading. :) That said, I think Bitcoin prices will bounce back. It's unfortunate but exchange and blockchain hacks have become commonplace and traders have been quick to move on from it.

In a few months, I expect the price of Bitcoin to have shrugged off the Bitfinex news. As far as Steem and Steem Dollars, I think prices will continue to improve in the long term as Steemit as a platform continues to gain mainstream adoption.

SM:
Where do you see Steemit in next 12 months?

@bittrex-bill:

Steem's price increased rapidly to a market cap of a business that had users in the 7 and 8 figure range. In the next 12 months, I'd like to see the Steemit platform reach those user numbers. I'm personally excited to see how the platform evolves as this is one of the first major projects that have used blockchains in a non-fintech scenario.

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Thanks so much for this @bittrex-bill. It’s refreshing to get some ‘outsiders’ perspective on the future of Steem. If you’ve got further questions for him, please drop a comment.

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Steemians Speak – What’s The Nicest Thing You've Done With Your Steemit Earnings?

A major goal of Steemit is to reward content creators. As Steemit clocks 5, SteemMag reached out to a number of Steemians asking them:

What’s The Nicest Thing You've Done With Your Steemit Earnings?

We received some interesting replies and I hope you enjoy the answers as much as I did.

@razvanelul
Ok, I bought a super expensive aged t-bone steak and cooked dinner for my gf and I bought my father a very nice cologne that he actually liked [that’s a small victory in itsefl]

@Repholder
Send it to other Steemians at the start of their journey that were not getting paid well enough for their effort

@camilla
I have not taken out much yet, I guess paying the rent

@liberosist
I'd say "Powered it all up so my votes have a greater impact in bringing forward diverse and niche content from new authors."

@dragonslayer109
Helped my mother a bit with her financial struggle.

@coinbitgold
I have donated to save the children. I donated via my paypal. ( She made a post a couple of weeks ago detailing that)

@kevinwong
So far I've spent 300 Steem Dollars getting super snacks and toys for my best friend (a dog). Is that a nice thing to do? My buddy here have no objections

@bacchist
I filled my grandmother's car up with gas and took her to lunch.

@acidyo
I'd have to say it was when I ran into this artist on twitch and asked if he wanted to draw a Blastoise for me with a logo on it from the social platform I had started using. He accepted and it turned into this

I stumbled upon the "creative" section of Twitch and noticed not many viewers were there but so much talent instead…

A couple days later, he joined Steemit, I gave him half of the posts reward in SD and he checked the site out and liked what he saw.
Now out of his own initiative he came back to Steemit and converted his SD into Steempower and wrote a blogpost, check him out if you are interested, he still streams on twitch! https://steemit.com/@kiddarko

Giving artists a reward for their talent and time, and at the same time showing them the opportunity of Steemit that lay ahead of him, felt like one of the nicest things I had done lately. Many other friends have enjoyed it so far too!

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I would like to say a big thank you to all those who made this weekend’s edition possible with their contributions.
P.S If you’ve got any suggestions, please make a comment using the reply box below or send a message to me on steemit.chat @infovore.
Ooh. And don’t forget to follow my blog.
You’re awesome.

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