Hi Toni! Dedicated Steemian here! LOL! But, seriously, you say that you are working hard but that needs to mean that you are consistently blogging DAILY. And, yes, you need to network. Get out here and find interesting posts to read, upvote and comment on. Follow others. And invest and buy some Steem for your wallet.
Me? I signed up about 6 weeks ago, and I do everything that I just mentioned. But you gotta love it. I do. I love blogging about what interests me. I also do a lot of research to see what I can find out about Steem and Steemit and all the ins and outs. There are plenty of great posts written by some great bloggers that tell you lots of things you should know to help you here. Just do a keyword Google search for anything you would like to know and include Steemit in the search.
Yes, I agree with @mornevd - Steemit is hard. But, it's simple, if that makes sense. It takes work and getting to know people and getting your name and face out there so that influential people will notice you. And, of course, put out quality content. And keep going, no matter if your posts only earn a few cents or a few dollars at first. Keep going. Growth here is exponential once you get the ball rolling.
Good luck!
Following you!
Wow! Thanks for the great tips. I haven't been blogging daily and I think that might be a big problem; though I'm often reading and upvoting - I'm being too quiet! I also love your feedback about doing a Google search for anything but include Steemit in the search - that's great! I'm now officially a fan and follower @amarie :) Thanks again!