The Lack of Easy Onboarding Hurts Our Opportunities At Adoption...
So how was your day Jon?
Thanks for asking....
I popped on Twitter and the first thing I saw was this....
Not a bad start huh?
One of the largest video game developers on earth shouts out, what we've all been doing for a while now.....
Invest in crypto :)
Bullish yet? Well you should be...Electronic Arts and the entire gaming community are pretty much the perfect audience for crypto currency adoption. They 'understand' a digital landscape and the days of lining up at your local EB Games to buy a copy of the new Call of Duty are long gone. It's all digital downloads and yup...Is screaming for not only purchases to be made via crypto...But also rewards and tokens that gamers could earn while creating their content for their viewers...
Ahh the possibilities....
But then we hit...The onboarding problem!
It's rant time...And while I'm not the most experienced Steemian or have the most Steem Power, I do spend a HUGE amount of my day...Working with new Steemians, that are brand new to Steem.
And here's what I see....
Add a few of these for good luck....
This was from two people...Brand new to crypto and to the Steem blockchain....
The first new Steemian was greeted with instructions to go to Github to get more info about Steemconnect...Are you kidding me? Github? You want people, who are BRAND NEW to crypto, and are getting their first taste of what Steem can offer...To go to Github?
I know this may not be evident from all the technical talk that goes on here, but the user base we are trying to attract....Has never heard of Github not to mention try to navigate it. This is the last place we should be recommending people to go to when they are just trying to 'become active'.
The next Steemian I was working with gave up after about an hour of trying to figure out what an account key was versus a password. Now I know that's all part of the Steem blockchain, and people WILL learn it as they go..But for a brand new USER of this stuff..It's just way over their heads.
This is my issue, but I get it...Blockchain is different. And signing up here isn't like signing up to Facebook. But my goodness...We are missing on SO much opportunity by making this so complicated for everyday people just to....Use.
Steem 'Lite' seems to be a solution for account creation that was talked about and I truly hope this becomes a priority for the powers that be here. You cannot ignore the 'normies' as they are called.
Just look at that Tweet by Electronic Arts...The masses are coming, and they will start poking around on Steem sooner rather than later...
But if we make this stuff more complicated than it needs to be. And new Steemians require a PHd in computer science just to sign up and use an application here...I can't help but think of the lost opportunity we have to showcase how great Steem is.
I'm just a passionate user. A nobody on Steem really...
However I've spent the better part of my almost 2 years here working hands on with people and introducing them to the blockchain....And nothing has stopped my ability to onboard people, more than ease of use.
They will learn, just like we all did, the in's and out's...But what we need is for them to be able to use this blockchain, from day one. Without the complicated steps...
Please remember us...The USERS of Steem. Keep it simple! Adoption will be there!
The Union Is Here!
Blockchain meets Affiliate Marketing....
=> CTP Condenser - https://www.CTPtalk.com
=> CTP Token on Steem-Engine - https://steem-engine.com/?p=market&t=CTP
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://plus1daily.com/the-lack-of-easy-onboarding-hurts-our-opportunities-at-adoption/
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now if only the powers to be will listen and take your rant to heart, and fix it the masses will come
I'm no techy...So maybe I'm completely out to lunch on the ability to even make it easier than it already is...But all I hear from the powers that be is...Hiveminds. Communities. SMT's....Which are all fine and I'm sure play a part in easier onboarding...But there has to be a solution to make it easier for the everyday person now....
I have no background about Steem or crypto, but I'm determined to find out and learn more. Others could do it too, if they're willing to get out of their comfort zone once in awhile. ^_^ Thanks for the constant push!
Absolutely. And I'm not saying there should be some learning involved...That's why I created @SteemSavvy :)
But the problem is people need to actually start using it from the get go...And then start learning....
Everybody is not like you @iamraincrystal
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EA is a big name drop awesome
fact :)
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And then try to do it all on mobile.
This is critical. I'm thinking about it all the time.
urgh it would be a nightmare i’m sure. and that is. a huge opportunity that is missing now with partiko’s dev team missing. they understood ease of use.
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Thank you so much for participating in the Partiko Delegation Plan Round 1! We really appreciate your support! As part of the delegation benefits, we just gave you a 3.00% upvote! Together, let’s change the world!
Thanks Jon. I joined Steem 8 days ago. Without the training I got (and still get) from you and fellow CTPtalkers and from CTP, I'd be completely lost. What we all need to do is to get newbies here, where they get a taste of the action, then off to boot camp. To me, the best place for that is with ClickTrackProfit, which means that our wee massive downline builder will need to adapt and embrace the flood. You said it the other day Jon, embrace the SUCK!
lol thanks man. yeah i’m trying my best and there are amazing people in the ctp / steem savvy communities that are working hard. we just need to keep things easy for everyone.
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Just got a cool idea (at least for me it looks cool :) )... Is it possible to add to CTPtalk some kind of FAQ page? With the most important things about STEEM? Like, keys, steemconnect, keychain... I know that those are other apps, but maybe it would be helpful for new users.
Thanks for bringing this problem up... It's one of the most important things... No, IT IS the most important problem.
absolutely. we can customize the condenser as we need. just gotta get blain to learn how to do it lolol
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Yeah, that's a good rant and so necessary from time to time.
We understand it's a race. But sometimes you gotta wonder who wins the race: the most advanced product, or the most used one.
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ahhhh. the most used one for sure. and the easier you make something to use. the people will :)
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I agree! But there will always be a gap between early adoption and mass adoption.
@jongolson. This is the most important problem we're having on steemit. I believe if the onboarding is easy. We'd have more than twice the number of active accounts we have today on steemit.
I got a message from a friend (Newbie to crypto) on WhatsApp yesterday. I was frustrated😧
I've been trying to onboard the masses over here. That's the major problem I'm having
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oh man. i could only imagine. i think mobile apps are the way to go. partiko is awesome but the team is missing lol
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Lol 😂 hehehe.
I hope something better comes up soon. We're lagging behind
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The onboarding is really really bad here. I do not understand why they are not fixing this. It is way more important than the stuff they are developing now.
agreed. it should be priority number one. we don’t need accounts that can do it all at first. just an account that lets people take part and play around. learn as they go.
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That is why development like the Keychain or even the Steemconnect desktop app are key. I find it intimidating as well but browsing the internet and developing e-commerce solutiom wasnt easy either and look how the world spins today. Adapt or be left behind should be the thought!
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the problem i find with the desktop app. it tells newbies to go to github to download it. or am i reading it wrong?
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Yes, you can log in via the web but the desktop version works like the Keychain extension in that it stores the keys for use onced open and validating with password. However, agree that going to a weird webpage to download it is a bit skeptical (was for me). I still prefer Keychain but thought it was cool. A good tutorial from that team should be done and shared.
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Yeah they tend not to speak with normal people language LOL
absolutely: I also am not a tech guy, although i do pretend to be one around my friends who have iPhones.
The "lite" option is talked about a bunch and i dunno if this is even possible but an easy signup that lets them at least participate would be a great place to start, even let them see the "SP they could have access to if they sign up for a full (and free) account. Perhaps even store it somewhere for them until they decide to. Of course their upvotes would have no weight but it could give them a chance to at least have some interest in going further.
Anyway, i don't know if this is even possible but I really agree with you when i say that I too think this should be of the utmost importance right now.
Ha ha ha ha ha iPhones make me look brilliant lol
But yeah it's so important...Just let people use the stuff...Not everyone is here for the rewards and most of the newer Steemians might not even understand the rewards element...They just wanna participate.
Bravo amigo. Been harping on this for ages because I see where things are going.
Thanks man...Oh I could only imagine how long you've been on it. It's crazy cause it should be priority. The more people just using this stuff, the better
The masses will NOT come unless it is made easier to get an account and to use. Currently, there is a huge NOT WELCOME mat at the door. You have to "want to" to go through the mess the first few times. I would not have done it if I didn't "want to" learn about the CTP token. I would just continue to do my crypto business on CoinBase and say "What's a Steem, is that anything like Steam? Are Steemians the groupies of Steam Powered Giraffe?" Both of which I had heard of years before I heard anyone say the word "Steem". Folks, you are fighting an uphill battle unless you reach out to the "normies"
^^^^^ 10000% agree man. The welcome mat should be rolled out from day one.
Yeah the onboarding process is brutal, I have talked to 3 people in person and trying to show them how to create an account, only one ever did, so this really needs to be addressed.
Right now it's what we have to work with, so all we can do is have awesome instructions for how to do this, like step to step instructions with great details and such, keep up your great work and stay awesome.
Yeah oh dont get me wrong, there are services and amazing Steemians out there helping people jump on board. My thing is that it shouldn't need more than 30 seconds to sign up and get active.
That is exactly right, maybe lite tribe accounts of some sort, if it can be done.
People nowadays just want a Phone App on iOS or Android and registration with their existing Gmail or FB or Twitter account. People are lazy and I am feeling their laziness. We must help the lazy onboard. Seriously.
That's a great point...We've become accustomed to one button sign ups and using other social media accounts to sign into things. Not sure that is 100% possible but I do know the 3Speak team has been playing with the idea
I totally agree with you. Not everyone has a PhD degree on here.
Make it SIMPLE.
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Yup and that's the problem...We need to cater to everyday people if we want more adoption.
Yep, I think it should be following the KISS rule = keep it short
stupidsimple. Most successful system works using that principle. Karen barely has time to learn what keys are or even reading TOS.Great post @jongolson, this post was submitted into the HoboDAO contest #6 by @hobo.fund.
Awesome, thanks very much!
I have to agree that for the simple steem user, these keys need to be abstracted away like they are with keychain. Better still, that needs to be combined with a 2FA solution and some sort of key escrow method for account restoral. Something where advanced users could still function as they currently are, but also an easy-button solution for the unsophisticated user. Perhaps a 3rd party integration with a project like Civic or something similar to handle authentication.
Yeah man...Big fat red easy button would be great for everyday people. Who may not yet understand the need or importance of decentralized platforms like this...But just wanna poke around and test the waters.
Well, look a that.... Sometimes you see some reasonable people around steemit..
Until the devs realize that having an usable user interface is one of the most important features in any app today, steemit will still be half-interesting/half-shithole.
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LOL Thanks :) I try to tell my wife I'm reasonable but she just shrugs her shoulders lol
But seriously, i think it's a lack of communication between devs and 'the everyday Joe'...And yup, until that is worked on, we will continue to have issues.
It really does hurt adoption @jongolson, and the job that you have done with CTPtalk and SteemSavvy does help a lot of people get started, but as you said a "lite" version is needed, and if I understand correctly that will also be possible with SMT's and communities, since only the community needs RC for it's users to be able to post, but it's still a while away, thanks for a great post, it's awesome.
This post is AWESOME!
It has therefore got a manual 100% upvote from @thisisawesome, for the Awesome Daily Upvotes in category CTPtalk, I give out 1 such vote in that category per day, plus 3 more in other categories, and your post will also be featured in todays Awesome Daily report for more visibility.
The goal of this project is to "highlight Awesome Content, and growing the Steem ecosystem by rewarding it".
Yeah, everything is 'coming soon' lol Been like that since I joined Steem lol They are making strides and some of the stuff they have been doing is amazing...But wow, they seem to ignore two critical things...
Thanks @jongolson, yeah fully agree on that, maybe they should just hire you, it would probably pay off rather quickly.
I did some helping yesterday. I've only been a Steem guy for a few months. Some things, you helped me with, other things I googled. Now it all feels second nature to me. It's far from a perfect system. Gamers are perfect for this kind of crypto platform. I was thinking about this yesterday. Any in world "money" in whatever game they play is loosely a crypto currency. Especially if they can get it back out and trade if for that dirty F word fiat.
A big red easy button would be great.
Join Steem -> Click Here
Would be awesome for sure...
I so feel your pain. Lol wait till you hear this one. I onboard some people and they have done learn and earn activities, which I rewarded. They have still to collect their rewards because I didn't tell them it was a manual thing. Some rewards are a few weeks old....... so much hand holding...
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Oh no doubt....We had someone in our Discord that JUST claimed their rewards....Almost 3 months later LOL
Great post @jongolson You are truly poking the right question. I couldn’t agree more with what you said.
People are focussing all the changes to try and change the rules and mentalities for the users already in here. But never hear the ones that leave steem or struggle to get in. This is without a doubt one of the biggest problems here not only keep people active and interested but also recommend this to others (that can understand and pass throw the sign in process).
The excuse of 'this is not like Facebook' is always the same and we all understand that since it has the blockchain and payments on it. To be sincere no one wants steemit to become Facebook. We should all want a better thing and in order to do that the platform must become even simpler than Facebook itself. To archive that we should at least try to think and even gather ideas on how should it be possible to implement and improve such a thing... To be honest on the short time I have been here I never saw a discuss like that or even worst... the care to do such so. So this is still the perfect playground for the ones already in here that gain with it. Without shaking those pillars... Steemit will always be the complicated place to be around or even try to enter.
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Thanks so much for the comments...And so true. This isn't supposed to be Facebook, and I dont think anyone wants it to become...But I do appreciate their ease of use and ability to just...Get people using their site.
Indeed take always the best from other apps or competitors and leave out the shady and bad things and you have a success in your hands.
I think with some time and more polish steemit can get there. They have to stay focus improving and making the UI better but even more important listen to the audience.
The people here on steemit are not the same on Facebook. So I am 100% with you the interface needs work to be easy to use but they can’t forget their target audience and there unique needs.
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its hard but I think its a good thing. there are still a bit of problems we have to work out before the masses really jumps on
That's why we at @travelfeed developed EasySignUp and EasyLogin: https://travelfeed.io/@travelfeed/easysignup-easylogin
This post has been included in the latest edition of The Steem News - a compilation of the key news stories on the Steem blockchain.
Great post @jongolson, this post was submitted into the HoboDAO contest #6 by @hobo.fund.
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See my post on travel.io new onboarding strategy, I think it could help you with your gamer recruit problem.