Getting started on Steemit

Steemit is still in beta which means it's not polished and perfect yet, but it's an incredibly innovative platform (THE future of social media IMHO) with a great community and a whole lot of promise, so if you're a talented (or an aspiring) blogger/vlogger, why would you NOT start using Steemit?? Especially when you can make money (#winn-ing).

BUT, before you publish your first post, take the time to explore the network. Read other people's posts, see how they're tagging content and what kinds of things are being talked about in the respective Steemit categories.

When you've got the hang of things, publish an #introduceyourself post. This doesn't necessarily have to be your first post, but it's a great way to start things off.

The Steemit community is really warm so don't be shy, and here are a few tips to help you along the way...

CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY

This is recommended because it helps combat "blogger theft" and legitimizes your account. It's as easy as adding a picture of yourself holding "today's newspaper" or a piece of paper with the date scribbled on it.

ADD IMAGES

Add pictures to your posts because people love pictures and let's just be honest it makes reading more fun. The first picture you add will be the blog post's thumbnail which appears next to your LIVE post (so it should be an especially colorful/fun/fabulous image). IMPORTANT: Once published, you won't be able to add more pictures to your post, so make sure you get ALL your images inserted on the first go-around. And try not too be scared of the lines of code that appear in the text box instead of the actual image (it's beta, remember?). Look below your blog draft to see how the live version will appear.

ADD TAGS

Tag your post with "introduceyourself" along with other relevant categories but don't use hashtags or commas in the little tag box because your post won't publish and it conveniently won't tell you why (#beta).

ENGAGE

Browse content and engage with other posts (comment and upvote) because it will help you understand how the community works and find cool people to follow.

BE LEGIT

Don't follow people just because they're following you. There are a lot of "gamers" on Steemit who will ask you to follow (and upvote) them. Don't do it and don't feel bad. Follow who you WANT to follow because you LOVE their content. Eff the gamers.

UPVOTE THE GOOD STUFF

Upvote awesome posts (things that are helpful and you actually enjoyed reading). This helps improve the quality of the content and gives you "legitimacy kudos" in the community.

AND DON'T LOSE YOUR PW!

Don't lose your password because it's irreplaceable. Like seriously, write it down or something.

IF YOU HAVE OTHER GREAT TIPS FOR NEWBIE STEEMIT USERS, PLEASE POST THEM IN THE COMMENTS AND I'LL ADD THEM TO THIS POST!