Hi wicky, sorry for the bad welcome to steemit. Lots of users make these mistakes and have to face repurcussions before getting any warning which I do find unfair. Try not to worry.

Just talk to people, interact and make friends. Here's a post of mine that might help you.

https://steemit.com/steem-help/@beanz/the-unwritten-rules-of-steemit

Feel free to share with your friends so they can avoid mistakes too.