I spent well over 5 hours writing and editing this post. So if you find it helpful, I'd be SUPER grateful for if you could share this with anyone you think might get value out of it.
14 Tips For Steemit Newbies I Wish I Knew When Starting
I've been fortunate to be a part of the Steemit community for the last month so I'd just thought I'd share a few tips for those of you who just joined the Steemit family.
I'll be the first to admit, when I first joined Steemit I was a bit overwhelmed. It took a little bit to get the hang of things, but boy am I glad I did.
I hope these tips help you get more out of the Steemit community. :)
1. Get A Basic Understanding of How Steemit Works
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This of course isn't mandatory, but in my experience spending an hour or two trying to understand the technology behind the platform is super important.
You don't have to nerd out about this by any means, but I suggest you first start reading the Steemit White Paper. It took me several reads before I really felt I had a 'passable' knowledge of it, and I'm still by no means an expert.
You should also spend some time browsing the tag Steem-Help. There's a ton of really good information being posted daily, from how payouts work to how to properly format your post - hint using HTML might cause things to freeze.
Don't be afraid to ask questions, and engage with the community. The vast majority of Steemit users are more than happy to help -- they were new once to.
2. Introduce Yourself Using the #IntroduceYourSelf tag.
After you feel you have a baseline line knowledge of how things work stop sitting on the sidelines and jump in!
The first post you'll want to make is a post introducing yourself to the community. Remember, first impressions matter! So be sure to take your time here and really stand out.
You can title your first post with a quick line about yourself. For example,
"Hi, I'm Bud - digital marketer, travel enthusiast, from Chile."**
When choosing your tags for the post, including "Introduceyourself" is all you need to be good to go.
Here are a few pointers when it comes to writing a good introduction post!
Keep it short. It doesn't have to a single paragraph, but at the same time don't make it 103194 pages either. The point is to give the community a quick overview of who you are without boring them to death!
Include a recent photo of yourself: preferably with some kind of "proof" it's really you. Many Steemit users have been writing "Hi Steemit with the date" and it has been quite successful.
As far as sharing your story, If you're not sure what to write about here are some suggestions -
Share your what you do for work. Are you an entrepreneur? Writer? Do you travel the world? Be sure to let us know.
Share how you'll contribute. What is your skillset? Do you know excel better than anyone else? Do know how to cook a mean breakfast omlette? Did you create the first tipping bot on Reddit for Dogecoin? Let us know!
Share why and how you joined Steemit. How did you find Steemit? Did a friend encourage you to sign up? What made you pull the trigger and join the community?
You don't have to hit every point above, they are just suggestions after all.
After you write your post give it several reads and hit post! Congratulations, you're an official member of Steemit!
3. Proofread Your Posts
The best way to start off on the wrong foot is by posting a sloppy post! Part of bringing your A game to the community is taking your content seriously.
Make sure to proofread your posts! You *DON'T have to be a *professional writer or know exactly where each comma goes, but give it your best effort.
It's important to note, not everyone who uses Steemit is a native English speaker. This is perfectly okay.
For example, My good friend @dudutaulois is making a killing on Steemit even though he doesn't think his English is very great.
If English is not your first language it might help to have a friend of yours give it a quick read or two.
Do your best and you'll be fine.
4. Dabble In Steemit Chat
Steemit Chat is actually one of my favorite parts of the community.
It's still relatively new and can be a bit noisy at times, but there's no better place to start building relationships with users from around the world.
Take some time to spend time chatting in each of the various channels.
Start with the "general"** channel and engage there. Overtime you can pick and choose a few different channels you find interesting.
The purpose of the chat is to have actual conversations. Don't go around posting links to your post without permission.
Instead, take some time to listen to the discussions going on and jump in when you think you can provide some value.
One thing I like to do, is see who is following me on Steemit and reach out to them directly via DM.
I'll usually leave a genuine comment and just introduce myself. I've made several very strong relationships by doing this.
It goes without saying, don't be pushy or inauthentic. Which brings me to my next tip..
5. Don't Spam
OK, this tip I knew before I joined Steemit. It goes without saying, the aim of the community is to bring value, so please please please don't spam.
How do you know if it's Spam?
You can ask yourself a few of these simple questions,
- Does it bring value?
- Am I just trying to get upvotes for little or no effort?
- Am I proud to post this?
If the answer is no... Don't post.
Nothing ruins the community faster than spam. So please do your best to produce/share content your proud of!
Don't worry if what you have to say has been "said before." As long as you're adding your own unique position it potentially valuable to the community.
6. Experiment!
For the most part, this community is very understanding and welcoming. Assuming you're not a spammer, it's perfectly okay to try a new things!
Maybe you've never written a poem before! Now is the perfect time to do it!
Maybe you normally write long posts but want to try something short! Go for it!
Intent matters. As long as the community thinks you have good intentions you should feel comfortable and free to share your voice with the world.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes.
7. Don't post more than 4 times in 24 hours.
This was something I actually had no clue about when I first started.
Thanks to Crytopgee @Crytopgee I was informed that you are actually penalized if you post too frequently.
Remember this a marathon not a sprint! It's tempting to want to post 10 times a day, but do your best to resist this urge!
If you're intending to be a part of the community for the long haul, you'll have plenty of time to share your content.
A good rule of thumb when starting is 1-2 posts a day if you're feeling ambitious!
Try and pick a posting schedule that works for your lifestyle and stick with it. :)
8. Start building relationships early.
Steemit is a relationship driven platform. It gets pretty lonely if you just show up to post and then call it a day.
You can start building relationships by not only producing/sharing valuable content, but by also engaging with the community!
Leave comments on posts that moved you! Add to the discussion, share your two cents!
Don't leave a comment just for the sake of leaving comments, instead try to contribute a new thought or idea.
I normally try to leave at least 10 meaningful comments each day. Since I've started doing this not only have I made a lot of cool friendships, I've always seen the engagement on my own work skyrocket!
Drop a comment and say hi!
9. Experiment With Tags
As with any great social network, there is a ton of content for you to consume here.
Don't be overwhelmed. Seriously.
Start with checking out the homepage, and then explore some other tags that you find interesting.
There's plenty more to Steemit than the homepage!
Check out some the awesome photography. Or the amazing travel stories. Learn more about the government.
Just make sure you have some time to spare, cause it's quite the rabbit hole.
Not only will reading other tags make you more knowledgeable, it might give you some great ideas for future content and posts.
10. You don't "suck" if you don't make money at first.
Don't become discouraged if your first few posts don't do much. It's normal and completely expected!
It's not fun looking at your first few posts that failed to make a few cents. Believe me I know.
At the time time it's important to remember you're new here!
If you look at the posting history of the "high earners" you'll notice that it took them time to build some momentum as well.
This is not a get rich scheme. You have to keep posting consistently before you'll see lasting results.
11. You Can Disagree — But Please Be Polite.
It goes without saying this is a community built upon mutual respect. You may believe anarchy is the answer but that doesn't mean everyone is going to agree.
Don't feel afraid to share your opinion by any means, but don't result to name calling or putting someone down.
I've had a few 'heated' discussions so far here but in the end everyone involved came out more knowledge upon.
Just because Steemit is new and a "free" social network doesn't give you permission to act like a dick.
Remember, everything you do and see on the Steemit platform is recorded in the blockchain. :)
12. Use Markdown NOT HTML
Make sure to edit your posts using the Markdown language, not HTML. If you're unfamiliar there are plenty online tutorials to help get you started.
When I first joined, I would write my post in a wordpress blog and transfer it over. This worked at first, but eventually started causing the post to freeze.
For my current writing process I use https://stackedit.io/editor to write and https://www.steemimg.com/ to host all my images.
After I upload the image I just copy the link into my post.
13. Don't upvote every post!
Your upvotes matter! Make sure you're using your upvote power to reward content you find genuinely valuable, not just out of habit.
Unlike sites like Reddit, where you can upvote haphazardly, your upvotes have limited power on Steemit. The more you upvote in a period of 24 hour period the less effect your action has.
So use your upvotes wisely. I've heard a good rule of thumb is to only upvote 20-30 times in a 24 hour period.
Your upvote gauge is like a stamina bar. It goes up slowly over time. Use them wisely.
14. Make Money But Have Fun
It's no secret that the appeal of potentially making good money by doing something you normally do for free is an awesome proposition, but don't overthink it!
Think of Steemit as a giant experiment. You might not ever make a "killing" on Steemit! You might not be able to retire after posting 3 posts!
But if you come here with the right intentions and add value to the community you will come out on top.
Build relationships. Expose yourself to new ideas. See if you have what it takes to produce popular content.
The Steemit community is exactly what you make it!
P.S Feel free to reach out to be directly if you have any questions, or if I can help you in anyway. @aboundlessworld or bud @ aboundlessworld .com
If you enjoy writing on self improvement, Steemit tips and tricks, and travel be sure to follow me here
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Thank you for this great post, very helpful
Yes, this is an informative post for beginners.
I am new here and after reading this I think I love you....okay maybe not but I am sending happy thoughts your way!
Makes me SUPER happy to hear. The 5 hours + I put into this are officially worth. :)
Glad I could help! Don't hesitate to reach out if you ever have any questions.
And you have been followed, thanks for offering help! I think this is going to be an awesome place, not like so many other social media sites I have been on.
Great post! It is always appreciated to see more experienced users helping newbies. We were all newbies once.
May I suggest the following post written by another steemian to help understand the three financial instruments on Steemit:
Steemit, Steem, Steem Dollars and Steem Power for Dummies – Yes, The Mud Will Settle
Steem on,
Mike
Thanks for the link Mike!
Will definitely check it out. I'm always down to learn!
My Strategy:
-10 Votes and 10 Comments on Posts of Non-Followers
-Read/Watch at Least 2 Instructional/Informational Articles or Videos
-Comment on at Least 3 Follower Posts a Day (this will likely be more like 10)
-Enter 2 Contests a Day
-Publish a Unique and Valuable Post Every 2 Days (will try for every day though)
i will for your strategy soon it good soon
I'm so happy I read your post, I'm a newbie and I haven't even introduced myself yet it gives me mixed feelings..but most importantly this post made me feel not alone. I'm super excited to start my content.
Thanks!
I am a newbie and I have already posted 19 times without even introducing myself.Thanks to you now that I know the truth
Nice coherent piece. Thank you (: Just joined chat and am working on an intro post.
Thanks! It's posts like this that make me wish I could figure out a way to save pages like I can on Reddit. Do you know of any good in-depth tutorials for how to use Steemit chat most effectively?
Great post thanks for sharing. Although you cover some amazing Steemit tips, it may still benefit you to read the following post as it goes over a lot of things you didn't mention, in extreme detail.
8 DETAILED Tips for Steemit Users Who Want To Get The Most Value From Their Steemit Experience!
https://steemit.com/steemit/@budz82/8-helpful-tips-for-new-steemit-users-who-want-to-get-the-most-value-from-their-steemit-exerpience
Anyways, keep up the good work, and FULL STEEM AHEAD!
Repainted my view of the community, and I've only been a member for an hour now. Any way we could chat further?
Upvoted and Im happy about your visit at my blog too! Best regards, Jonas
Thanks, Jonas!
HELL OU....I FOLLOW NICE POST AND UPVOTED AS HELL
Good tips summary . Thanks for posting.
Thanks, as a newbie here this is one more post that's helped me understand steemit. I will not haphazardly give you an upvote but will based on your content. One more thing, thank you for not stooping to the level of putting a hot chick picture up fishing for upvotes, just plain tacky in my opinion.
Humbled, @bluehorseshoe!
Hope to write many more posts on how to use Steemit!
Enjoyed this post- very helpful Thanks aboundlessworld! upvoted
Appreciate the support!!!!
This was extremely helpful. I have only been on steemit for about two weeks, so every bit of information about this platform is helpful. I didn't know about the 4 posts per 24 hours or steemit chat. Thanks so much.
Thanks, very helpful post. Still getting used to the platform -- the editor link will be useful.
Oh! I didn't know it was a detriment to upvote your own post, and since it's done automatically I figured it was the thing to do. Thank you! Will stop letting that happen asap. I think the 15th thing in your list is that you (and a lot of people on Steemit) are so willing to help the new people out. That's actually a tip for noobs because i think a lot of people out of the gate here assume this is a place of cut-throat competition. Not so at all. In fact, just the opposite. Thank you!
Good stuff!, Helpful too! :)
Great points! I am on Steemit about a week now, and have been reading literally 100's of posts, but I still learned something new in this one.
Didn't know about https://stackedit.io/editor Thanks for that!
Also, I think many could learn (including myself) just how to layout a post in terms of sentences, paragraphs, photos, links etc. by reading and studying yours.
Lastly, and sorry I can't reference this off-hand, but I read that if you post ONE post and it for example earns $100 Steem Dollars in the initial 24/30 hour period, then this is what you get.
However, if you put up 4 posts, and say post 1's Upvotes are valued at $100, but posts 2,3, and 4 are like $0 each, then you would only get $25 because you have diluted your initial post.
I could be wrong on this, and maybe someone with more knowledge than me will weigh in, but I believe the idea is to post your best content only, rather than spamming and overwhelming the platform with content. One great post is better than 3-4 average ones.
Wow, this is a really useful advice. While, I have figured most of it on my own, some parts I haven't figured out. I mean, I've got more mileage as far as connections go on russian steemit chat on trlegramm, then steem.chat, because I find steem.chat to be too noisy.
Still it is a good post to translate in different languages. I could do the Russian translation, if it is ok with you (or maybe point this post out for someone else to do that).
Thank you! I didn't even know about the Steemit Chat!
Hi. Thanks for the great information.
For your "7. Don't post more than 4 times in 24 hours." point. Do comments count? I know they add to your post count... I'm hoping the 4 times in 24 hour thing is only for blog posts from the "Submit a Story" link and not comments.
This was 11 months ago so you've probably figured this out by now...but just writing in case other people stumble on this like I have. I'm a newbie too, but I've learned there are no limit to comments and in fact you can go crazy writing comments - as long as they are coherent, thoughtful and people can tell you actually read the post ;)
Hey aboundlessworld,
After having spent a day or two on a new post, it seems to have frozen before i can send it. i really don't want to start over because all my computer pic files are not yet properly organised and it is a real pain attempting to find the pics i want! ( Got some work ahead lol!)
i 'm wondering if you can tell me if the freeze is fixable without going thru all that trouble again. THANKS in advance!
Does the post limit of 4 a day apply to comments too?
@aboundlessworld,
I appreciate the vast amount of beginner knowledge that you provided in this post! I recently joined and posted a few pieces, but your article has just changed my entire strategy with Steemit. I have shared your post with a few friends and have convinced them to join Steemit. Thank you for your post and I look forward to seeing your future work! Take care.
Great post, love it. Found it a week too late. :-) But still, some points are new to me.
Great article - thx from a noobian.
Happy greetings Bud!
I'm entering my 4th day on steemit and use the search engine relentlessly, that's how I found this post and you.
There is so much to learn about steemit, it is very daunting...
I would appreciate any help you care to share:
https://steemit.com/whaleshares/@ronmamita/observations-from-a-3-day-old-steemit-minnow
Other minnows could benefit from your comments too :)
thanks
Thanks for the tipps! :-)
Upvoted! But just t o let you know your link for the hosted images wont work with https it needs to be http ;)
That is a great post! I'm new on Steemit and your tips make me feel confident to continue this journey.
You are very pretty :)
@aboundlessworld This article feels so serene. Like you were sipping coffee and taking your time to slowly present the matter.
couldn't agree more .... Yes, this is a marathon and not a sprint.
quality must rule over quantity, and our votes do matter.
I have become your fan and started following you! :)
Upvoted because I felt a connection with the article, we must take this slow- one article at a time, and spend 5 quality words instead of 50.
Thank you!
Totally agree! This is all super valuable and relevant even months later
Hey, thanks for the tips! I'm brand new to the site. Very intrigued so far. About the section on upvotes where you said to limit them to around 30 a day: I noticed the money was going down around my 8th up vote so I stopped in order to not hurt anyone's post. Did I do something wrong? Are you penalized for up voting without clicking on the content? I was mainly just trying to get used to the functionality. Thanks for the help!
Thank you! This really helped!
upvoted! and this one counts! really used your tips for my first blog. many thanks man
I'm new to Steemit, so every bit of help goes a long way as I try wrap my head around this new platform. With these tips, I look forward to getting started and contribute to the Steem community.
thanks a lot man, I'm new to steemit and in need of mentoring. this helped me a lot. you're awesome!
followed you!
Great information. Thank you ;)
What a fantastic, meaningful and informational post!👍
Keep up the good work, @aboundlessworld - you got yourself a new follower 😉
Awesome post. I just started today so I am going to try out these tips, especially about the Steemit chat. Thanks so much :)
i am new to steemit, and still finding my way through - your article is really a big help - thank you very much :)
Thanks for the post
Super informative. I am a total noob. I already posted too much and I am only two day new. Ooops! I guess I need to slow my roll. :-) Good tips.
Thanks for the tips. I gotta admit steemit is a bit overwhelming but thanks to community contributors like you, you're making the learning a lot easier.
Thanks for the great, well written post!
Very helpful
Thank you so much for this! I've just joined Steemit and I've been really lost. This really motivated me to write more and not lose hope when my posts aren't gathering enough upvotes or engagement yet. Will definitely follow your tips!
I've been using steemit for the last hour trying to get my head around the platform. I found your post very informative. Thank you!
Thanks for the tips...seems really helpful :D
I read this post , each and every word . I m feeling a connection with your post like a son's connection with his guiding father. You genuinly guide new members on steemit. I m also very new here and i knw the value of this post. Thankyou very much sir for your guidence. I m following you sir for future guidence. Plzzz be connect with me @akash04