Get to know @samve - everyday geography

Already a month ago, @anomadsoul launched a "get to know me"-challenge when RC was introduced and almost no one could engage in any activity. So the ones who could post would pick 10 of their posts and describe with them who they are and how they evolved here on this platform. I really like the concept of this challenge but I will adapt it slightly to make it more personal. I won't pick 10 posts but choose whatever feels convenient for my story. Last week I was nominated by @agmoore to participate, thanks for that!

I still remember how I got here for the first time. I was in a "phase" where I was extremely interested in the blockchain technology. It was around this time, one year ago so during the rise of the bitcoin bubble when crypto got so much attention. But boy that phase didn't blow over! A little while later I discovered a platform called "steemit" and I was hooked. 

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At first it was overwhelming. Not knowing how it worked, it really felt like arriving in a new country, or a new school. So the first posts I wrote where very exploitative. I had no experience whatsoever about writing blogs or creating interesting pieces for others to read. But I saw many people posting photography and I had plenty of pictures! But instead of just posting my photo with some info about my basic camera, I wanted to make it actually interesting to read so I included some sort of background story. A great example of this was my first post, or this second post about the chalk cliffs in Northern France (and also southern England).

I still remember how amazing it felt to see those $0.04 payouts turn into $0.23 payouts! Someone who discovered me relatively early on, and whom I am greatly thankful for the help and support is @mountainwashere. Let's hope he gets back soon!

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It was only until a week later I decided to publish the findings of a small research project I conducted and discovered... @SteemStem

It was so wonderful to discover there was an entire community who was interested in sciences and best of all, my favorite category of geography!

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After this I decided to focus more on linking reality with sciences, which is what I love doing (hence the love for geography). I tried explaining more everyday features using science and started a series called "Everyday Geography". The attempt was show the complex science behind the most simple everyday features. I loved doing these as it makes you look completely different at the world afterwards. For example this post about the different types of dunes, will you ever go to a beach again without determining how the dunes were formed with this knowledge?

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At this point I was only 2 months into Steemit but was confident enough to bring in my second passion, programming, and created what is now @Geopolis. SteemStem is great, but the share of earth sciences was very limited in the entirety of STEM. So as an attempt to get to know authors with similar interest I created a community to bring these authors together (Geo, from earth(sciences) and polis, as the city where people come together  😊). It was really fun to do and I learned a lot, programming and organizational-wise. It is still active now, but as activity on the platform decreased, so did the activity of our already small group of members.

It was thanks to this community I met a lot of wonderfully interesting people such as @agmoore, @alexdory, @effofex, @keephy (how is the reading log doing?), @ravenruis, @roswellrockman, @sooflauschig (with an awesome new bird!), @synick, @valth and really many more! (ordered alphabetically)

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After this not much has changed. I continued writing what I found interesting and worth sharing and I put my best effort into engaging with other authors. Most of my development happened during the first months but recently I am trying to experiment with more "controversial" topics, such as the one about organic food or nuclear energy last month.

In order to increase interaction I chose some more debatable subjects and I am glad others shared there opinions. I had to adjust my own vision and opinions afterwards but I hope the others can say the same.

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What can you expect in the future?

I will definitely continue writing about relevant topics and I am considering to involve other interests of me such as technology/programming and even drawing. We'll see what I come up with! It is hard to combine regular posting with my Masters Program of Geography but I put my best effort in writing regularly.

Is there anything you still like to know? Is there something you specifically like? i'd love to hear it!

I thoroughly enjoyed summarizing my journey and I hope you got to know me a little better! I definitely learned that blockchain is much more than a monetary system, just as Steemit is more than a platform to make money. The social value of the platform is just as valuable as any payout!

I would love to hear the story of some authors who I know are still active. @ravenruis, @sooflauschig and @valth, are you up for the challenge? But I really invite anyone to look back at their past trajectory!