After missing 1 block since July 2017, my Steem witness server experienced a hardware failure taking it completely offline and requiring an entirely new server setup! Fortunately I had just finished setting up my backup server with an automatic switch thanks to @furion's conductor and @someguy123 configuring it correctly after I spent several hours with it before asking for help!
For four months, my witness server worked without missing any blocks because of its fault and one block because I switched the signing keys incorrectly. On November 21, 2017 I awoke to text messages from https://www.wachete.com via a Zapier integration telling me I had missed 3 new blocks at which point my backup server kicked in and processed every block since then until today smoothly. With my hosting through @privex, the support staff did everything quickly to get me a new server setup and @someguy123 even ran the steem-docker installation for me to speed up the process.
Today I finished the setup and got some great help fixing a few errors on the new server from @klye, @prc, and @jamzed within a few minutes of posting in https://steemit.chat/channel/witness. Two blocks ago I switched the main server back online and it looks like it is running smoothly again which is ideal because the backup server is still setup to automatically switch over if anything happens to the primary!
Thank you very much to @furion who motivated me to setup a backup server before I thought I would have needed it after reading https://steemit.com/witness-update/@furion/lessons-learned-from-failing-as-a-witness. The easiest way to lose votes as a witness is to be disabled and fortunately a backup server almost completely eliminates the need to disable for upgrades and single server failures. If I would have had no backup server, I probably would have been disabled for days.
To make sure my backup is ready, I check it every few days to make sure the logs are synced because it would be silly to have an automatic switch to a server that was not running correctly! I hope sharing my experience with this quickly is helpful for witnesses with just one server running to see the value of having a second server!
Witness Earnings to Promoting Steem!
100% of my witness earnings (rewards minus costs) are still going towards marketing and advertising Steem as seen at https://airtable.com/shrXuoYTnODWA0QG1. In the last 14 days, an average of about 60 blocks a day equals about 750 Steem power earned from witness rewards with no new server hosting or management expenses. I have credited 375 Steem power to the budget for delegations and contests along with $350 more dollars to Google and Facebook ad budget.
Help Increase Funding for Promoting Steem?
Would you please vote for me as a witness at https://steemit.com/~witnesses because just a few more votes will push jerrybanfield into the top 20 witnesses and therefore provide an additional 200+ Steem a day for advertising and marketing Steem through the witness earnings?
Every $1 extra in the advertising budget equals about a thousand people seeing ads for Steem which means a top 20 witness spot for me equals hundreds of thousands more ads every day and hundreds more Steem power every day to fund authors and winners of contests creating posts that we can advertise!
While some have said it is too early to advertise Steem and/or I am not the right person to advertise Steem, these points may be valid with a few users. Many people have seen my ads for Steem which motivated them to make an initial reaction to not like Steem because of it which is okay when we understand how advertising works.
When the iPhone first came out, I saw ads for it and was disgusted. Compared to today, the phone was crap and I hated Apple as a company. I told everyone who would listen how much Apple sucked and bought anything but Apple.
In 2014, after many of my family and friends converted to Apple, I bought a new iPhone after seeing how much better it was than my Android. Now I own my second iPhone, a Macbook Pro, iMac, and a Mac Pro with having spent in total about $20,000 with Apple in the last four years.
A critic like me years ago easily could have said that Apple ran the ads too early and then simply made people hate them as a result. The fact is the ads worked for Apple in the long term to get me as a customer and likely to convert more to Apple from my "I Hate Apple" word of mouth marketing.
Whoever advertises Steem and whatever the reactions are to Steem, all attention is good for our growth. More ads equals an increase of value for all of us and I have years of proven experience with effective online advertising to the point where I have millions of followers online mostly from advertising but now growing naturally without needing ads.
We have placed me in the position to bring as many new users to Steem as we will provide funding for. The witness rewards are the best way to make an ongoing advertising fund for Steem because no one can downvote the rewards and as the price increases, the ad budget will increase along with it.
Here is my latest update with what we have done so far with the ads: https://steemit.com/witness-update/@jerrybanfield/18-777-386-ads-shown-for-steem-in-2017
In summary, I have shown over 18 million ads for Steem in six months on Google and Facebook with about $10,000 in advertising budget provided by author rewards and witness earnings. At least half of my followers came from ads which is equal to almost 10,000 or around $1 per follower (likely $0.50 or less for a signup). Advertising and marketing COMBINED with everything else we are doing works.
Here is the latest post and video I am going to makes ads for
https://steemit.com/steem/@jerrybanfield/best-usd25-000-000-investment-for-2018
While I realize most of us do not have $25 million laying around, I can easily focus the ads in places where the odds of people with $25+ million to invest seeing the ads is high. Even if most come to scoff, 1 investor buying millions of dollars of Steem will make a huge difference.
When we keep making the effort with the ads, we will keep getting new users like @elear who joined Steem and started https://utopian.io after seeing an ad for my video course about Steem on mashable. Getting more users that add amazing value to Steem is as simple as spending more money to advertise. Today.
Vote or Proxy?
Would you please vote for me as a witness at https://steemit.com/~witnesses or set jerrybanfield as a proxy because 100% of my earnings are funding our growth on Steem through marketing and advertising?
Thank you very much to @freedom via @pumpkin, @clayop, @hendrikdegrote, @thejohalfiles, @roadscape, @glitterfart, @fyrstikken, @adsactly, @tamim, @netuoso, @buildteam, @xaero1, @nanzo-scoop, @neoxian, and @teamsteem for the top witness votes because these votes have helped fund thousands of dollars of ads for Steem when combined with the 2200+ more of us voting for jerrybanfield as a witness! It is an honor to serve here with you each day!
Love,
Jerry Banfield
PS: I just started a power down for 52,000 Steem to make the payment for the witness servers for the next three months. After the first week, the power down will be canceled.
One thing that I liked Steemit so much is the support that I received from this community. Thanks for the witness update and I have already voted for you as witness.
Charles thank you very much for voting for me as a witness at https://steemit.com/~witnesses !
I just voted for your witness. because you are helping us a lot. i learnt so much from your vides on youtube. I discovered steemit through your video your shared on facebook. after watchign your ad on facebook I start reading about it and I open account on steemit immdiately. thanks dear @jerrybanfield
Khaled thank you very much for voting for me as a witness at https://steemit.com/~witnesses !
you are welcome dear jerry, I apperciate what you are doing for us. So our upvote is just little thing compare woth your efforts on all facebook and youtube. I also invited and aske dall my friends to upvote you and wish you be in top of the list this time. Good luck Jerry I am at your service always.
Just voted for you again, @jerrybanfield. For some reason the vote was eliminated. Well, we can't have THAT happening! I made sure it is in there again. Upvoted as well here! Keep up the good work!
Terry thank you very much for adding jerrybanfield back to your witness votes at https://steemit.com/~witnesses !
YOu betcha, @jerrybanfield. I don't know how it got "unvoted" (is that a word???) but I would vote for you twice or three times (you know, like they do in Chicago!) if I could! Keep up the great work you're doing for us here at Steemit.
I understand your frustration @jerrybanfield, with the backup node and having to setup everything by yourself when you do not have the full package of skills yet (myself included). Luckily as a witness beginner, I will learn with time and get there. Just takes time...
=) A bit of positivism is all that is needed to keep going =)
Cheers
i love your YT Videos, i've subs and i've voted for you
I checked and at https://steemd.com/@walner it looks like you have no witness votes so far! Would you make one at https://steemit.com/~witnesses because witness votes are the most important we have on Steem?
I've already voted for you as a witness
Yes we are
because i like became one of the weakest sanctions.I have signed up
before this I am happy
became one of the voters
for you.
hhh. even i have
look for @jerrybanfield name to twitter and somerelated web with you...
really fun...
Thanks @jerrybanfield for your posts.. Your such a great mentor
Yes he is.
@jerrybanfield you are a great person i came to know about steemit because of you and i voted you as my steem witness. i want that you will become the top steem witness one day.
Very useful information you are the one you which help me to know about this platform i watch your video on youtube and i joined steemit and i vote you for my witness i wish you you the best of luck for the top 20 witness . thanks for sharing
Me to . i joined steemit due to the @jerrybanfield i use to watch his video on youtube and one day i came across with his one of the video about steemit . His video that i earn $500 every day in one month and by watching his video i joined steemit and i start working on steemit thanks to him .
many people join steemit due to @jerrybanfield hard work.
Good call w/ the back up server set up. The Steem blockchain needs you, Jerry!
great job jerry.. I launched a promo also today..
Hi sir could you please make a separate video for the setup of witness server as how new comers like me can setup own server and support our best to make steemit great.
I am going to set proxy witness for you, thank you brother and best wishes.
I asked you holy monk several times with my friends because due to your one of most inspiring post ever I am here on steemit.
So it's completely credit goes to you the holy monk for me.
Thank you Jerry.
Thank you the guides to setup everything are linked in https://steemit.com/witness/@jerrybanfield/a-steem-witness-voting-system
I'm going to follow you, and you follow me, please, I'll give you upvote every day
Great backup, good job doing the right set up
Hi Jerry....I am currently unemployed and I would like to translate your posts into Portuguese on my blog and redirect it to you of course....Could I count with your fool upvote on it to encourage that work? I am also wanting to write fiction and I wanted sponsors to my posts(with their upvotes) if they like the posts...I could send them a draft, they would tell what I could improve or change, and I would do it....Since there are people selling votes, this is a much better thing to do.
I would be happy to add you to my autovoter for that at currently 20% per post! Tag jerrybanfield on each post to help me see it and get started.
I started translating this post....Translating properly takes time, I will try to post it tomorrow at least....All the best
translation done and published...all the best....I also made you my proxy for witnesses votes
Thanks for the honourable mentions JB!
Congratulations on your success to securing assets, once again the world gives evidence that results will never betray effort.
Because you like me and I'm a follower of you in YouTube and here also has become one of the voters
is yours.
look for @jerrybanfield
Do you also have a seed?
Yes!
@jerrybanfield Really you are great mentor in steemit. I am trying to watch you video tutorials and it is helpful for me. Thank you very much.
good work @jerrybanfield
thank you for youre informations in youtube and facebook @jerrybanfield
resteem
you are a great man.your all post always good and good information give us. thank you
A while ago, I voted!
I believe in you!
Thank you so much for this information
Another awesome post from Jerry!
Oh yeah dude you are obviously on our voting list of witnesses :P
I want to thank you for forgetting on Facebook. Steemit is a real story, a real job that meets 24 hours. Thank You Jerry
yes this is true. that why i want every one should vote for him for steem witness. if you did,t vore for him as you witness you can vote for him as a steem witness here https://steemit.com/~witnesses
Thanks for sharing your experience on this matter jerrybanfield, this will help A LOT! specially to others with the same problem you had! keep going with your plans! they are just great!
Jerry you are the one who made me want to try out this site. Thanks for the video from Facebook I'm gonna follow you here too!
nice post plz you are great i follow you sir steem and youtube sir
Thank you For This Great Information. You are a great person. O:-)
Upvoted! Hope you get more visibility
@twentix. I agree with you
i am always folow you sir youtube i talk plz sir
Leaving shallow comments in response to posts damages your reputation. When you comment on a post, try to put a more thought into it.
Add something to the discussion, or put specific reasons why you think it's a nice post.
Here are some guidelines: https://steemit.com/steemit/@miti/newcomers-minnows-and-spammers-this-post-will-save-your-reputation
You may be surprised at how quickly you can improve your reputation!
ok dear
Thanks for doing what you do!
ow great update to witness.It's very important for our steemit user.
ok done dear banfield @jerrybanfield
hi, thanks for open a new way for people of steemit.com. but how can everyone get the facility?
Finally nothing is easy, it needs reliable equipment and enough knowledge of the object to to go all well! :)
Awesome Best Of Luck
I have been seeing you around the web this last year and I can see you definitely put in the time and effort being helpful & Friendly. Hope my vote helps! good luck!
with for sometime
Congratulations @jerrybanfield, this post is the fifth most rewarded post (based on pending payouts) in the last 12 hours written by a Superhero or Legend account holder (accounts hold greater than 100 Mega Vests). The total number of posts by Superhero and Legend account holders during this period was 33 and the total pending payments to posts in these categories was $1280.52. To see the full list of highest paid posts across all accounts categories, click here.
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Thank you very much. You have discussed an important topic. It took me much to your point and came to me
very informetive post beautiful post beacuse its my need. thank you so much
Voted for you!
This post has been ranked within the top 10 most undervalued posts in the second half of Dec 01. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $52.03 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.
See the full rankings and details in The Daily Tribune: Dec 01 - Part II. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in our initial post.
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thanks for the information @jerrybanfield.
Congratulations @jerrybanfield!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
You were the first witness I voted for :-D
Just a quick question - in the witness view on steemd, what does it mean when a witness is greyed-out and strikethrough'd?