Unlocking the story of me: An introduction to Steemit #2: More confused -- conclusion I don't need to understand!

Unlocking the story of me: An introduction to Steemit #2


So I've been on Steemit about a week and a few days, and it feels like I understand it less and less every day. Mostly I really don't understand what makes some of my comments/upvotes pay out, and why others don't.

It was exciting to get a few payouts, but I don't really understand why those payed and others didn't.

I look at a bunch of different sites to try to understand what is happening and what posts will pay and which will not - for instance:

http://steem.supply/
https://steemd.com/
https://steemviz.com/pendingpayouts
https://steemnow.com/

All of this sites ARE helpful in letting me know which posts will be paying and when, but I guess what I really want to know is WHY?

Also, I understand why my vote is not worth much (because I'm a newbie/minnow), but for awhile it was worth a little bit (maybe .01) and now has gone back to not being worth anything.

Is is good for me to still up-vote posts when it is worth nothing?

And when is the best time to up-vote - 20 minutes after someone posts, 30 minutes?

Should I up-vote my own post? And if so when? Should I power up the upvote?

AHHHH - it is all so confusing!!

What is all of this telling me?

Do I really need to understand all the workings of Steemit to enjoy it? NO!

...So I'm going to just do what feels natural -- post images - some manipulated digitally and just some straight from the phone. And interact with posts that I enjoy.

I really don't need to understand!

Also, I want to take better pictures of my actual paintings, but have not been pleased with how the photos have come out so far so that will be upcoming.

Here is a mash-up of a couple of photos. (I'm a big double exposure fan):

locks_2.jpg

♥ ~ Ellen

Sort:  

I will reesteem your post! You're welcome!

Hi @abstract-reserve!
Welcome to Steemit
It's a nice big double exposure mash-up

Hey @abstract-reserve! Let me try to answer some of your questions. The pay-out from your posts is depending on two things: people upvoting it and the price of steem. There are three "kosher" ways to increase your rewards:

  1. Write good content
  2. Be consistent
  3. Increase your followers by engaging with the community

You want to engage with many people in a meaningful way. So look at some artwork and share your impressions. I would also recommend to get engaged with other minnows in your niche and grow together with them. Steemit rewards you if you engage with the community (and that is kind of the point of Steemit).
Personally, I do not think upvoting your posts is bad, especially when you are a new user. If you get to the higher steempower levels, when your upvote actually is worth something, people expect you to upvote new users and not upvote your own content. However, you can do what you want.
As for upvoting strategy: there really is no single best way. If you upvote 20-30 min after the post, you will get a higher curation percentage. However, if you are one of the earlier upvoters and the post goes trending, you will get a higher curation reward. The best strategy: upvote content you enjoy.
Also, disregard these "follow me I follow you" or "upvote for upvote" comments. They are not legitimate most of the time. Engage with people who actually read your post.
I hope this helps you out a bit.
Cheers!

Great - thank you so much -all that you say makes perfect sense @lesshorrible -- and make things much less horrible :)

Absolutely! I think I heard that you are an artist. So maybe start writing more about your life as an artist and share some of your work. It is a competitive tag though. But if you start to get in a group you should be more succesful and you should also enjoy the platform more. I am sure you heard this but "come for the money, stay for the people". It really is true! Anways, good luck and cheers!

Yes! Thanks. I think it is one of those zen koan kind of things like -do what you love and the rest will follow. So it is sort of a mind trick I have to play on myself to give my best and don't worry about the rest. :)

Welcome To Steemit! Your biggest challenge now is how can you grow from a minnow to a dolphin and then to a whale. Fortunately, it’s not as hard as it seems.

If you post great content and involve yourself in the Steemit community you’ll grow a large following in no time at all.


SteemitVideos is a project created by @spencercoffman dedicated to helping you grow on Steemit. All videos will be posted here directly from the YouTube channel.

You're welcome! I hope the videos help.

Just do it...and just keep doing it!

Ok - Great! I'm gonna try! :)