Fifty days on steemit and I wish I knew half the things I know now. I could beat myself up for some of the mistakes I made in the past but I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to learn about stuff I know. As a minnow on steemit,we tend to beieve we can succeed on our own. I mean how hard can it be? Just research, brainstorm and make and amazing post and it definitely will get upvotes and good comments. Besides, steemit has millions of accounts but the frustration kicks in after some days and the post status quo remains the same. This leads to depression and the ones who were here for the wrong reason find the easy way out- quit.
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Some weeks ago I happened to meet @iconnelly on @euronation a subcommunity founded by @eurogee and I told him how discouraged I was about steemit and he said to me "you feel this way because you are doing something wrong". He introduced me to bloggers heaven, another subcommunity although not very popular but with some amazing programmes put in place to help minnows grow. One of them is bringing in experienced Steemians to give minnows lectures on steemit and how to succeed on it. It was during one of these lectures that I had the singular honour of listening to @olawalium and learned from his feet the topic "How learning and creating relationships on steemit can help you grow". This I will love to share with my fellow minnows and others who I'm sure will still learn something or two.

HUMANS AND RELATIONSHIPS

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People are strongly motivated to have relationships because of a fundamental "need to belong". Humans have a psychological need to feel closely connected to others and that caring affectionate bonds from close relationships are a major part of human behaviour. The world is a global village and no man can exist as an island. As humans, the relationships we have with other people is simply a projection of the type of relationship we have within ourselves. Having a relationship is like having a map. The people you are in the relationship with are the markings on the map. With the right map, you will definitely get to your destination. Relationship is the key to survival on steemit.

STEEMIT AND RELATIONSHIP

Steemit is a social media platform. It is a fact that steemit is mostly about blogging and getting paid for creating and curating good content but come to think of it, who are those who make up steemit? Humans not bots. This makes steemit a community. A community cannot function without interpersonal relationships among it's inhabitants so also it is with steemit. To grow on steemit, you need friends.
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Steemit is not all about making amazing posts. There are times when you don't have the inspiration to write, use it to learn.

Don't just post because you want few cents, post because you are trying to create something for yourself. Be known for something.

HOW DO YOU CREATE RELATIONSHIPS ON STEEMIT

• Visiting other people's blog

As a minnow, one should be more concerned about going through people's posts, upvoting and commenting rather than making posts. Go through the tags segment and search for posts that are on your line of interest and read. Reading other people's work can pop up ideas in your head.

Dont just give comments for the reward pool but for appreciation for what was written.

Give meaningful comments with your thoughts on the post and make your presence felt in their space. This can get a whale to visit your blog and you are on your way to getting some good upvotes if your blog has great contents.

• Learn to read and reply comments on your blog.

If you follow some top Steemians like @damarth you will notice he has this new thing he does when he goes through his comments and any catches his attention and speaks to his heart, that comment becomes his next post giving the author of such comment the much needed popularity in the ecosystem. @surpassinggoogle never misses to reply the comments on his posts and also gives some good upvotes. @suesa would read through the comments to find out those who actually took their time to read through the science post and engages them. If they, as established as they are on steemit could do that, how much more you? Replying people's comments is a way of showing them that you appreciate the fact that they took their time to visit your blog and drop a comment. They could easily have upvoted without dropping a comment. An upvote doesn't mean your post was read. Build a relationship that will lead to followership.
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• Join a sub-community.

Steemit has a lot of platforms for socializing with other Steemians such as steemit.chat, discord channels and even on WhatsApp. Do not join these communities because you want to beg for upvotes on your blog. Every channel or subcommunity has their rules. Follow and obey rules. When you join one, the general room is the first place to make your impact. Join in discussions and make intelligent and meaningful inputs.

Value adders are appreciated. Do not be in a hurry to locate the link room.
The desire to learn trumps everything else because when you learn people will appreciate your knowledge and pay you for it.

Be willing to learn and be relationship conscious. Participate in discussions and make friends. I belong to a subcommunity known as @genesisproject. Before I was invited by @herbecity, I had very few friends on steemit who are minnows like me and whom I depend on for upvotes and it was depressing to know that at the end of seven days, the pay out is actually no payout. @genesisproject I made a decision to make bonding my first aim and which I have achieved to a certain extent. It was a great thing of joy when i was noticed by great people like @ehiboss and @ogoowinner founders of the community and @eurogee the founder of @euronation. He always drops comments on my posts that helps me make the next post better. Other top Steemians like @illuminatus , @drigweeu @ ewuoso have become people easily accessible to me when I have any issues on steemit. The day @camzy and @sweetestglo-eu asked for my blog name I was so excited. @ginabot informed me that they visited and upvoted some of my posts without me begging them to. That's what relationship gives you. I also met an industrious and dedicated Steemian with a personality I admire and I wish I can be like him. He never allows distractions even with his busy schedule and that is @smyle. @drigweeu has given me so many success secrets on steemit and which has influenced my growth. I won't forget to mention @lemmybe and @turpsy always available to help me with the right tags. With this team, I am having a better steeming experience.

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• Do not segregate.

As a minnow, you are tempted to search for people whose reputation is far above yours. how about building a relationship that would last? Keep constant touch with people with same reputation and below or even people with minimal voting power. It is about creating a bond rather than what they can give. These minnows also have a lot you can learn from them.

A minnow of today might turn out a whale tomorrow through hardwork and consistency.

I have some great minnow friends like @preciousimo who always pushes me to go make a post, @morahn, @burlarj, @diamondrich, @ciclony, @adabless, @goddywise-eu, @webclick @savanpatel and someone I call my sweetest of all heart @rebeccafl.we don't beg each other for upvotes because we have created a bond and believe in growing together . Upvoting is by choice and it doesn't really matter if they do although they do most times, i will rather build their trust in me.
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In times of contest, it is this family that will help with votes to win the contest.

• Give back to the steemit community. Organize contest with the little you have made from the community and give back. That is your own way of interacting with a larger audience. It helps your poularity and increases visits to your blogs. I am sure @flysky, @dobartim, @mimy didn't wait until they became established on steemit before giving back to the system.

Never forget, every whale was once a minnow. Go out there and make friends. No one knows it all. Learn, unlearn and relearn. Grow with consistency, sacrifice and leverage on the relationship in your circle of influence.

Happy steeming

Any addition, recommendations and positive criticism are very welcomed. Thanks for stopping by.

Yours truly,
@zizymena
A minnow