SteemChallenges - Behind the Steem ... with Paolo Beneforti

In this series we will get behind the scenes with the people running imaginative, innovative and inspiring challenges here on Steemit.

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Paolo Beneforti

For our first behind the scenes interview we meet @paolobeneforti from Italy who runs the Steemit Art Contest and who is known to many, not only for his amazing art, but also for his regular contributions to Steemit and the Steemit community.

Paolo is organising a meetup for Artists in Lisbon at Steemfest2, check it out this post if your going. https://steemit.com/steemfest/@paolobeneforti/a-meeting-for-the-artists-that-are-going-to-be-at-steemfest2-in-lisbon-who-will-be-there

Steemit Art Contest The Interview

Eroche	How long have you been on Steemit and how did you hear about it
Paolo	My wife and I are on Steem since January 2017. I discovered it for a link I read on Twitter. My stepdaughter is on Steem too.
Eroche	Has Steemit inspired you to create any works of art
Paolo	I would say that Steemit ispired to me a way to think about artworks, but not directly some subject.
Eroche	What is the greatest benefit to Artists, of being on Steemit
Paolo	It surely the reward. For artists, it is often very hard to get a real feedback for their work. Getting a reward for sharing artworks means not only receiving money, but also having a real appreciation.
Eroche	Who is the most influential person on Steemit in your opinion
Paolo	I don't know. There are many users I follow daily, but I wouldn't say they are the most influential. Some of the indipendent developers are very considered, of course.
Eroche	Why are challenges and contests important for Steemit
Paolo	Challenges and contests are a good way to know more users and create a more strong community. And, of course, some of the contests have very good contents created for them.
Eroche	What inspired you to create the Steemit Art Contest
Paolo	I am an artist myself. I worked as an artist since 1980 – professionally since 1992. It seemed natural to me to make something in that area. I collaborate for a while with the Art-Trail, as a curator, but now I'm trying to create a more strong community of artists on Steem. At the moment we are working to have a great event for artists at Steemfest2.
Eroche	Do you have any advice for new steemians who just started on Steemit
Paolo	Reading some of the many tutorials. Many users did post about it (I did one myself, months ago). New users have to learn how this social media works. This is not Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You have to spend time on Steemit and find your own following.
Eroche	Who is your favorite Steemit author
Paolo	I love @meesterboom 's post – so funny! But there are many other talented authors I read almost everyday, like @kus-knee, @mammasitta, @richq11, @everlove.
Eroche	What is your favourite Steemit App
Paolo	I use daily some applications: Steemstats, Steemviz, Steemnow. Yet I miss apps for creating subgroups of users so to follow them more easily.
Paolo	I hope I answered satisfactorily. Thank you for your interview. Paolo Beneforti
Eroche	Thank you Paolo.

Paolos contest will be featured on SteemChallenges for the next week but we will also be adding new challenges to the site daily. Looking for a place to get started on Steemit? Why not enter one of the inspiring challenges and meet some great people!

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Thank you for reading this. I write on Steemit about Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Travel and lots of random topics.