Dear Dan,
To invest in something profitably requires accurate information. The only source of timely information for Safex is the Discord channel. That means informed investment in Safex demands membership of the discord channel. Yet the discord channel is now subject to something approaching mob rule.
I’m told that recently two members made an accusation about another member. They were perma banned, thus jeopardising the only team who were making regular Youtube videos on Safex. Before that a younger member made a joke about the same member which some thought was inappropriate. Henry effectively got perma banned by a mod who was willing to lie to the community about the decision and about the other mods’ involvement to enforce his way. The mod involved even admitted taking decisions with certain ‘senior members’ wishes in mind. All this can be seen from the chat. Clearly factions are forming…
Why is this important? Because as you, and those who understand a decentralised anonymous platform will understand, absolute trust and the systems we create based on that principle are the only security we have. Unlike in the corporate world there will be no law to help us. There will only be honesty and reputation. We need to get it right at the beginning.
And as we approach a time when your appearances, and what you say, and how you phrase it will affect the market drastically, any hint of dishonesty by anyone within the team, at any point, will be picked up and analysed, potentially spiralling into ill will.
It seems recent events are being presented as some sort of victory for the will of the people in the Discord. It isn’t. It’s simply chaos. Or worse than chaos. And it’s happening because the discord is being pushed towards being run like it’s any other forum, like a woodworking or surfing or MMA posting board, rather than the focus point for information on a project which hopes to attract tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars of turnover.
For a project like this we need higher standards. If there’s a controversy among members it needs to be contained, rather than fuelled. Outrage needs to be minimised and disagreements are resolved, if possible, in a controlled space. After that, instead of stoking fires with authoritarian bans, the discussion needs to be directed back to calm discussion and positivity with the community encouraged to butt out, rather than shout from the sidelines. Flare ups and infractions are managed, not hammered. In short, absolute professionalism is maintained and, most importantly, there should be no place for a mod who reacts aggressively, and who seems to enjoy conflict rather that de-escalation.
Sadly, in what is essentially a power vacuum, cliques are being formed and the loudest voices are determining outcomes within the Safex community. Until things change many new arrivals will be discouraged and we’d be lucky to get a 20c party. Tech alone will not bring success. Until the market is up and running at a critical mass this is still about people and community too.
For my part I’ve spent time and energy talking to quite a few vendors who I hope would be able to bring significant sales to the platform. Crucially one of my closest university friends owns a growing, wholesaling, warehousing and retail chain for a product which is currently being licensed all over the US for medicinal and recreational use. After months of explaining, (whilst he expands furiously, snapping up licenses and premises all over the East coast), I’ve finally got him interested in blockchain, decentralisation and I’ve even got him curious about Safex. He knows that I’ve been invested for over a year, that I mentioned Safex in most of my Steemit radio shows, that I’m holding tokens for a number of people and have quietly brought as many people into Safex investment and the Discord as I could. He also knows that the community is made up of people who have four, five, sometimes six or even seven figure investments in Safex and that many of us, believing in your vision, took your advice and sold our alt coins for Safex. He’s impressed.
Sadly my persuasion, and my role as a conduit for information to all those I’ve introduced is in limbo now as my link to the Safex community and its news has been terminated.
A mod (yep that one again!) banned me when I suggested he relinquish his position. That’s seemingly how furious any challenge to his authority made him. Or perhaps he’s still angry that I called him out on his earlier dishonesty and tried to make the community aware. Remember Dan, people will behave very differently when talking to you as chief architect than they will when they’re being their true selves…
As we expand I hope you’ll consider whether this situation is really the best that the Safex community deserves. And as we inevitably transition to a bigger audience and the initial voices are joined by new ones, I hope you consider additional platforms for information exchange which won’t discourage the more professional world as it begins to arrive en masse.
Onwards and Upwards!
RULES