[thisisit]

Each user maintains its own copy of the tree. All paths through the tree are followed and scored. The path with the highest score is designated as the active chain.

The active chain is what many people think of when they use the term "Blockchain."

This is where many people falter when thinking about blockchain. When you tell them that their esoteric blockchain needs to ensure lowest possible latency between peers (nodes), they blank out. They had never heard of the terms fork or the highest amount of work (at least if the chain is secured via PoW).