For the first time a non-family member of mine has joined Steemit. He texted me asking who he should follow and instead of just sending a list to him, I figured it would be more useful to create a post so that other Steemians could see who I suggest to follow.

Whether you are a long-time Steemian or new to the platform, this list is going to be helpful for you. Of course this is not a comprehensive list as their are thousands of great authors and entertainers on here, but just some of the authors that I follow!

Steemit

@dan-atstarlite - Dan posts useful videos about all things Steemit. Some of the topics he often talks about are security, steem inflation, and how Steemit works. For all new Steemians, Dan is a must follow!

@good-karma - This user developed the popular esteem mobile app. This app continues to improve and allows you to access and post to your Steemit account. He often times upvotes your posts when you post from the mobile app. When you are on the go, this app is perfect to feed your Steemit addiction.

@stellabelle - She was one of the early adopters on this platforms and has been dedicated to helping new users succeed here. She often times delegates her Steem Power to help out new users and encourage them to stay here for the long term.

General

@papa-pepper - One of the giving guys on Steemit, Papa-pepper is loved by everyone here. He is the ultimate outdoors-man and he and is family lives a homesteading, simple life. He interacts with all kinds of animals (snakes, rabbits, lizards, etc.) and posts videos and pictures of his interactions. He is a must follow!

@meesterboom - He is one of the most unique and creative users here. He is the ultimate beer connoisseur and does reviews every week. The interactions he has in real life, he often times documents on here in a satirical way. Whenever he posts one of his animated gifs be prepared to laugh out loud.

@acidyo - One of the greatest creations on Steemit was "OCD" or Operation Curation Delegation, where he has a group of dedicated curators finding out the best and most underrated content on here. He rewards the best comments on his posts with great upvotes as he loves to pose questions to the community.

@kus-knee - This user is one of the most generous users on the platform! He often times rewards great content with an SBD tip. He created these "Steemcards" for some of the whales and other long time users on the platform.

@neoxian - A true entrepreneur, he has created his own bank where he will loan qualified users Steem/SBD. He has always been extremely helpful with any questions users have about the platform and/or Steem delegation.

@nepd - One of my favorite projects created through Steemit was created by this guy. He rewards people through a token he created called Hairshares by giving to those who donate their hair to locks of love or other organizations that help those with hair loss.

Cryptocurrency

@hilarski - Randy and his wife are some of the widely known cryptocurrency social media gurus out there. He highlights the newest ICO's both that he is a part of and not involved with. When news breaks in the cryptosphere, Randy is all over it with his insights.

@jrcornel - He posts daily about the latest news in the space. Whether the price goes up or down, he has an unbiased view of what is going on. Whether exchange, specific coins, or regulations, he is always on top of everything.

@decentralizd - One of the biggest SmartCash proponents, he provides frequent updates about one of the most underrated cryptocurrencies out there. He worked on getting a Steemit billboard in his local area and although he hasn't been as active of recently he will pick it back up soon I can almost guarantee you.

@stephenkendal - This guy has been dedicated to promoting the Steemit platform spending thousands of dollars on printed material and other advertising items. He has had great success in Western Europre, specifically the United Kingdom. For those of you looking for alerts on coins which might be spiking soon, his "dMAmapping" has been pretty spot on.

News

@zer0hedge - This user is not affiliated with Zerohedge.com, but references some of their work daily. Most of the articles they post are financial related, but global issues are often time referenced. If you are interested in keeping up with the latest news, they are a must follow.

Positivity

@kaylinart - Kaylin is a must follow! She is an extremely talented artist, but more importantly she posts some of the most blunt yet realistic bloggers out there. She posts about real life issues and her advice is spot on!

@surfermarly - There are few authors as positive as Marly! She often hangs out around the "introduceyourself" tag and is warm and comforting to new users. She is an avid surfer and always has wonderful advice about life and staying positive.

Contests

@ats-david - This guy is one of the most dedicated contest organizers out there! He hosts sport contests related to NFL Football, Nascar, and Golf. He does weekly, monthly, and season long awards for the top participants. With these contests the more dedicated and consistent you are with the contests, the higher probably you have of winning.

@sportsncoffee - This user runs daily contests for NBA and MLB! Every day there is a tiebreaker and he consistently gets 50 or so participants. If there are not enough games on the slate he will ask each user to pick whether the game be over/under the total score. The payouts for these posts can be pretty big!

@steempickem - Run by @sportsncoffee, he hosts football, both NFL and NCAA contests. For the NFL contests, he usually has one for Thursday night, Monday night, and then the whole slate for Sunday.

@tuck-fheman - For all of the poker fans out there, this guy is a must follow. He hosts Steem Poker League tournaments every few days. These are free-roll tournaments and the pot is often times worth a few hundred dollars. If you are a poker player or aspire to be one getting connected with him is a no-brainer.

@paradise-found - This Green Bay Packer fan hosts a NFL pick'em contest every week with a college football "plus" game. There is a small batch of loyalists who play every week!

@maarnio - Everyday he hosts a contest with a different cryptocurrency that has broken out of the triangle pattern. There are three options for users to pick (stay within the range, take out the peak, or take out the low). If you guess the correct one, you are a winner!

Food

@allasyummyfood - Alla is one of the more popular bloggers on Steemit. She posts some of the most amazing recipes with easy to understand instructions plus videos for nearly every recipe. She also posts videos related to fitness and traveling.

@jaybird - Jaybird is the king of sandwich making! This guy makes some of the best sandwiches on the net. He currently hosts a weekly sandwich contest that has gained quite the following. In addition to sandwiches, Jaybird also is a great singer/songwriter.

Precious Metals

@phelimint - Phil has a small private mint in Canada and helped to produce the original Steem round (a 1oz .999 silver coin). His mint produces some of the most unique silver rounds available on the market. He also runs a bot that upvotes content that is useful and related to the precious metals. He has a vast knowledge about precious metals and you can get some of the unique rounds on his website.

@raybrockman - Maybe the most famous blogger when it comes to precious metals, Ray often times has raffles and other giveaways for real silver. Ray is known to sell silver AT spot price, which is virtually unheard of.

@thedamus - This guy may buy more silver than just about anyone. His unboxing pictures and videos of his new purchases make even non-stackers want to purchase precious metals.

If you found the list helpful, feel free to upvote and resteem this so other Steemians can see it.