I know there are a lot of posts like this. I am not writing this as an attempt to be part of any trend. I have just noticed a number of new people that have joined that I see potentially unknowingly missing out on opportunity. It is likely they don't know. So I am writing this post for those people to give them some tips to perhaps help them succeed.
FIRST: Every post should have an image. You can add an image by copy and pasting it into your post, drag and dropping it, or clicking the select image button to choose one to be uploaded. This is likely the most common approach you will use. You can also add images by linking to them from another site using markdown or html. Let me know if you need help with that. An image (A video works too) tends to make your post more noticeable in the feeds. IF your first image is porn, or extreme violence and you have to wonder if it might not be safe for work, kids, etc then one of your tags for your post should be NSFW. This will show your post in the list, but it will not actually show the content until someone chooses to REVEAL it. People tend to look at them, and they do fine. Whereas images shoved into peoples faces that should have been tagged NSFW can actually result in the post being flagged into oblivion since you were not giving people the option to see it or not.
SECOND: If you post a video it is a good idea to include some original text by you. Even if this text is stating that THIS IS A VIDEO I MADE, because anyone can slap someone elses videos and images into a post. If you don't add anything of your own to it then most people won't seriously up vote it. There is nothing wrong with being a video aggregator of some type and sharing videos you like, but it is important you accompany that video with some of your own text so that it is also something of your own. It could be as simple as a summary, and your opinion about the video. This is important for a couple of other reasons. 1) Currently videos, images, etc are hosted on centralized servers such as youtube, vimeo, etc. So they can theoretically be censored. Your text is stored in the blockchain it is decentralized and cannot be censored. So having text means at least part of your post is not subject to being censored if some external centralized service decides to do so. 2) People are not always in a place where they can watch/listen to videos. Having text gives those people something to interact with. I also read a lot faster than a video. Thus, if I end up watching a lot of videos during the day I am actually reducing the amount I could have taken and learned that day. So me personally I rarely watch videos that are very long. Time is valuable and I have many things to do.
THIRD: Engage! Speak to the people that reply to you. If it is short reply that says something like "Good Post" then it isn't surprising if you don't have much to say to that. Yet you also have a vote. You can up vote comments to let people know you saw them. Initially your steem power is going to be low enough it may not matter much, but eventually it will unlock a slider which let's you adjust how much power you want to put into a vote. I typically vote 10% on comments so that I am not burning through my voting power for the day. Yet up voting the comments also lets people know I saw their comment, appreciated it, and if they didn't get a specific response from me I still acknowledged them. Though it is just as important to engage and reply to comments as you would a person speaking to you about it in life. People that are fire and forget tend to catch some flak for it. Engaging will gain you followers, and it will show you people that you might want to follow. You should browse through the posts so you can find people to comment on their posts, vote, and engage there as well. These are all keys to making steemit into something more personalized to you and to making your experience on steemit get better and better. It also makes you a lot more valuable to the platform and the community.
FOURTH: Stay civil. If you don't like something and feel like talking about it. Feel free. Yet keep it civil. Trolling, and being a jerk on steemit are quick ways to send your account into a crash dive. This is also why we don't have too much in the way of trolling and such. This is also one of the things that makes steemit so incredible.
Good luck, and I hope this helps some of you. It may save me writing specialized comments explaining these things. :)
Great tips for the many new Steemers. Many of them are following lots of people, maybe hoping to get a follow back. I wish them best of their time online here.
This is exactly the kind of helpful, value added post you don't see on other platforms.
Regarding your Fourth Point .i.e Staying Civil @shayne had a great post that really hit home with me.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@shayne/steemit-tips-how-not-to-behave-on-steemit-cognitive-dissonance
I still struggle with it, but it gave me a lot more perspective.
Thanks again @dwinblood
Upvoted and resteemed
Yeah, I read that post by @shayne as well.
I've been pointing follow beggars to another one of his posts too. Seems like there are a lot more of them this week.
I guess that's a good sign?
Yeah... I don't really fault them. They come to a new environment and cannot be expected to just magically know all of these things. So I do personally give them slack and the benefit of the doubt, but I know others who do not.
I give them the link to @shayne's post and tell them they should read everything he posts about being successful here.
I doubt most of them will, but You can't make 'em drink.
:D
I see you slipped another one in when I wasn't looking.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@shayne/steemit-tips-howto-be-humble-and-eager-to-learn
I found it resteemed in someone else's blog.
It's probably my own fault for having 170 people in my feed.
Too much quality content + not enough hours in day + not read fast enough = :-(
Thank you, this helped a lot, I'm going try with my future post, I always try to include at least one photo... I re-steemed and upvoted....I'm new here so all new followers are welcomed and will be followed back
Good luck. Also I thought I'd let you know. You don't need to feel obligated to follow back. Also there are some people that won't follow you if you ask them to. People here tend to prefer to follow you IF they like your posts, or they happen to have had good conversations with you in comments. So just keep at it and the followers will come. Asking for followers may not get you any of the big fish, it may scare them away. You were not doing that... but that is actually a fifth tip that it would have been worth putting into my post.
Awesome sounds good, I don't go around begging I just like to help other people, definitely with me being new here 💯 I just think it's best to put in work and stay busy FOR THE TIME BEING 🤷🏾♂️ Thanks again for the advice 🚀
Also see you're already throwing around the little emojis and things. That is something I never have learned to do. I saw posts on how to do it but, didn't remember to go read them. I am okay with not using them as it isn't really my style. Yet, I did want to compliment you on the fact you are already doing some things I don't know how to do. :) I know I could find out pretty easily, but it isn't really my style. Not that it is bad. It just isn't me. :) I've read a lot of cool posts that use that technique and it is a style I will read and up vote, it's just not one that suits me personally for my own posts.
Good advice...
Good tips that should be noted by new and old members-thanks for sharing
Very new to steemit. Thanks very much for the information tips.
Great post! Thanks for the info, will definitely use this to improve my account standing and posts!
I'd like to support your second point.
I very rarely watch videos, especially "informative" video; I get the information faster and retain it better if I read it. So for you folks that post vids, make sure to post a text summary at the very least!
Yeah someone will link me an hour long video saying "You have to watch that", and had I gotten it in some format other than video I could have covered easily 10 times if not more content in the same time it takes to watch the video.
goes back to an inherent laziness in modern culture; summarizing points, writing them up, and even reading a paragraph or two isn't that hard, and yet people will watch that hour video instead of trying to use their brain actively.
Yeah, and they will say "I don't have time to write anything", yet they apparently had time to FIND, WATCH, and then POST tons of video posts here. I mean I am assuming they watch them before posting them here. To me that says they actually had plenty of time.
LOL
now I can see someone in the third world being very happy to put up a wave a vid posts (or news links w/ no analysis) or any of the other "no effort" posts, over the course of a day, and walk away with a dollar or two, good money in some countries
but for somebody in the first world, this kind of posting shows someone who just isnt interest in contributing to Steemit
Great post! I'm a newbie and appreciate posts like this that help point out what may be obvious to the more experienced users. I'm currently struggling with how to use my upvoting powers (as weak as they may be to start). I'm a firm believer in positive reinforcement so any good post or reply, I'm naturally inclined to up vote. I think I have a good grasp on upvoting posts: if I make it all the way through and felt it was helpful, entertaining, or thought provoking, I definitely vote it up. However, comments and replies are a bit trickier and I'm torn between rewarding positive engagement and lessening the overall value of an upvote. I guess it's something that will start to come naturally with time. Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated as I certainly don't want to offend anybody I may be having a conversation with.
We each have our own technique. Until you get a slider after getting enough power to like it then you will possibly want to be more sparing in your votes as they will default to 100%. This will depreciate your voting power quickly.
If you go to https://steemd.com/@yourusername it gives a lot of good information... in your case it would actually be https://steemd.com/@xistentialshadow
As you vote:
that voting power % goes down and your votes become less and less effective. This is to prevent people from simply up voting everything without thought or creating bots to intentionally drain the reward pool to their own benefit.
Once you get a slider being able to set a % of your vote enables you to vote more often. I tend to vote 10% on comments. That means I can up vote 10 comments before they equal the same as a single 100% vote.
I vote a lot so this tends to be an issue for me.
It is something that each person does slightly different, so you'll really just need to find what works best for you.
Thanks! That makes sense and I had no idea all the information available at the steemd link. Very helpful!
This is all really solid advice and something I'm trying to implement as I try to reintegrate into the community! I think that engaging with others and engaging in an appropriate way makes a huge different to where you end up on SteemIt!
Hey Dwinblood, As a raw, "newbie" I really appreciate getting a little guidance on this community. So far I'm so excited about the possibilities here as a "compulsive content creator" that I'm diving deep into steemit and I can use all the help I can get. Thanks again! - Mark Shepard
"Thus, if I end up watching a lot of videos during the day I am actually reducing the amount I could have taken and learned that day. So me personally I rarely watch videos that are very long. Time is valuable and I have many things to do."
I feel the same, I see a trend where people try to vlog more than blog because they think it is of better value as it surely adds value But I just cannot always watch a movie with sound. Reading though I can do far more often. So I profoundly believe writing will in the end give one much more exposure than video.
It is not helpful to post a video without explaining what the user can learn from it. It is basically lazy posting. Something I would not easily vote for. A good synopsis can really save a post.
I share the same sentiment
As always very informative and helpful. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the tips @sdwinblood
Up voted and following you
Do you have a nomination for the Steemian of the Day draw?
https://steemit.com/steemit/@healthiswealth/steemian-of-the-day-1
https://steemit.com/life/@healthiswealth/steemian-of-the-day-papa-pepper
Thanks @dwinblood! Some good tips for new users to Steemit and aspiring Steem bloggers alike!
Cheers! :)
I never knew about the slider and adjusting voting power. I'm still very new, look forward to seeing that. Thanks for the info!
Someone else recommended i follow your stuff and glad I did. Thank you for this post.
I write about a lot of different things. I tend to go in cycles. So I likely will occasionally write something that doesn't interest you. Hopefully sometimes what I write does. I just write whatever I feel inspired to write at the time. That's likely why it comes in clusters as writing about a topic and then discussing it can lead to writing another that is related.
I'm the same way so I see nothing wrong with that. I also like to just write about whatever strikes my fancy. Some people like to stay niche/topic specific which is cool. I just don't like feeling limited, lol. So it is neat that you write about such a wide variety of things. Someone actually referred me to your stuff because of your political commentary
Yeah I often get sucked into politics and I write a lot of philosophical things. The rest is usually music, game development, or things like that. Sometimes science, sometimes paranormal. Like I said whatever inspired me. Philosophy is likely my most common topic.
I can understand that I've noticed myself commenting a lot on politics as well. I'll have to check out more of your philosophical stuff as well. People like you make this place enjoyable. Good model for success and also down to earth with the rest of us newer folk, lol. Philosophy is never bad to write about.
I am in love with philosophy. Pretty funny when you consider what the word means. Love of Knowledge, love of learning. :P
Steemit has expanded my mind in a little less than a year more than any place ever has done as quickly in my life. It hasn't stopped expanding it either.
I find it to be fascinating. Politics and technology are two of my personal loves although I do like philosophy. Always like to learn. ^_^
I can see that. I'm enjoying getting involved in the community and being a part of it. I hope to learn more here myself.
Thank you. This is extremely helpful for me, especially the third tip.
Your all points are absolutely valid and I am very much agreed with all of your points mentioned to create some fresh ideas and views of the people.... :)
The 4. tip is the best and thats my reason to be on steem :)
Thx for this ^^
I would have added Fifh column:
Engage other people's posts! Not only does it involve you into the community, but it can expose your own posts to those
with more experience than you. You share in their ideas and upvotes! You might even catch the attention of a whale.
Yeah I actually had that part in the ENGAGE comment. It was both about your own and other people's post that was just further down in that paragraph.
Sorry I was viewing it in the context on replying to posts YOU made and responding. My idea was more searching our other people's posts. But yes you got all the columns lol my bad
No problem. I view engage as a big thing, and ultimately it is one of the most important here if you want to succeed rapidly. There are exceptions such as people that are already celebrities outside of steemit. They tend to have it easy. For the rest of us it takes a lot more effort.
VERY informative post. Working on the ENGAGE part right now. 😎
Also, emojis can sometimes be a nice touch! Steem on, my friend.
Yeah I don't use the emojis here. Not my style, but something I do enjoy from time to time in other people's posts. :)
Wonderful tips, they also give a review of why steemit is so cool... No trolling allowed! :D
Oh it is allowed. There is nothing that is not allowed... that doesn't mean it won't make you have a negative reputation, and your posts constantly make $0, and your posts be grayed out so they are almost invisible.
So yeah they can still troll, but they pretty much lose any of the benefits that come with being on steemit in the first place.
People do try to do it once in awhile. They don't last long.
Yes i understand, it is allowed, but i mean you wont get benefits out of it... Not like other social media where trolling and spamming is rewarded with tones of followers and attention...
Yep. The key is to keep it that way. Which is what my post a couple of days ago about other reasons to hang onto steem power besides just wealth was about.
And another great article :) Didn't know u could change the vote power within Steemit. U have any idea how much SP is needed in order to use that function? And how does it work, every time u upvote something u have to choose the percentage at that time or can u change them at hand to act the same way (like steemvoter and streemian)?
I'm not sure at which steem power it unlocks. I remember many months ago they moved the feature down to like 500 steem power. I was higher than that at the time and I suddenly had the slider. I don't know if it is lower than that or not.
It gives you a little slider from 0 to 100%. It remembers your choice for posts and comments. For example I tend to upvote posts 100%, and comments 10% but, you can slide that slider around on a case by case basis if you want.
When you click the up vote arrow a slider pops up to let you set how much you wish to use:
Thanks for the detailed explanation, just 400~ SP to go :P
Unless they lowered it. You'll know it when you reach it. Hard to miss.
well said, thanks for the helpful info..I am a minnow so this is really good to follow...follwed! upvoted.
I'm really glad i followed you. Thank you for the advice!
Thanks for the info this is my first day on steemit and just get the hang of everything.. posted my first post so I am hoping I tagged it correctly.. still have a lot to learn, post like these are very helpful
You should consider editing that inspirational video post and adding some text after it. If you're not sure what to write then maybe why you find it inspirational. I haven't watched it yet.
I will do.. I posted it before I read your post ..
I figured that was the case. That's why I mentioned it. :)
I am new to this and to be fair i am a bit lost into steemit, but i hope that every such post will make it easier for me
Practice may not make us perfect, but it does make us better.
Thank you for this sincere post. It is good to know that even though there are some big steemians out there, they’re willing to share their tips to others that have just started blogging. Thank you again! 😊
Really helpful post! I'm brand new to steemit and trying to do some of what you said re: engagement.... but it's a whole see of posts out there. so nice to see some aimed straight at newbies to help us get started :)
Great post. Thank you for sharing. So true about steemit being great community, whit no trolls or haters.
Some very good tips, not just for new users.
I don't know why my posts are not noticed by members, I am trying but no success.
It is mostly patience. Keep trying. There are a lot of new people. I keep missing a lot of posts as well, even from established members. There are so many it is easy to miss some.
Interesting post
thanks for sharing
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Thanks @dwinblood for helpful tips for me as a new member
I am new to steemit...I posted several stories....see my blog...and 6 days later I suddenly cannot post a story anymore.....why....I did go into live chat and ask several questions about steemit and all and two people were very rude and reported me to abuse where there was no abuse at all I asked 2-3 questions and they went nuts....is there some sort of cult like group in steemit where they know how to shut your account down through computer programs using abuse? Is so then there is no free sspeech in steemit and it is noting more that crazies who are hurting steemit where fewer quality people come to steemit...please let me know about this so I do not waist my time....if steemit wants to be nothing more than bitcoin stories then it will fail....