Greetings! I'll let someone else jump in with the technicals as I'm not much of a miner myself. However, I know that while Steem is mineable, the system is weighted heavily toward what is known as "proof of stake" vs. "proof of work" and I don't believe mining is very casual or profitable for the average user.
In a sense, mining Steem is best accomplished by participating on the site!
Most folks who want to mine to build their Steem Power tend to mine other coins and simply convert them into Steem on a day to day basis.
Good luck!