UNDERSTANDING STEEMIT: MUST READ FOR NEWBIES

Hello Steemians and hopefully future Steemians! I am largely writing this for my friends who have not yet found this diverse and revolutionary platform. However I hope that this is valuable to new users from every background, and inspires the readers unfamiliar with all of this to bring their A game to Steemit! Here are the things I will be discussing in this post:

What is Steemit, and why should I care?
What benefits does a Blockchain social media site offer?
How does Steem have value, when it is just a virtual token?
Why do you keep telling me to join Steemit Amy??
Getting Started

What the heck is a Steemit?
In 2012 a share of Facebook would have cost you about $38, today that same share is worth $173. Just three months ago Forbes posted a story about Mark Zuckerberg after the social media innovator gained 3.8 billion dollars in a single day, taking his estimated worth to 72.7 billion dollars and making him the 5th richest person in the world!
Aside from these personal qualms, I'd like to talk about my distaste for the how the platform gains value. When signing up for Facebook a user is given a free account, provided they follow the terms and conditions of the site. In return, FB nets incredible sums from advertising and sharing the interests of those who scroll and "like" content. Without the users who log in daily to contribute, Facebook has no value. However, no one is rewarded for this- in fact sometimes netting too much attention can bring repercussions. It remains true that controversial topics are valuable, despite any actions that may result from severally crossing the founders politics. Because of the censorship and the general vapidness of social media historically, FB users are encouraged to post insincere and weightless content. I'm not saying that there isn't an audience and a place for genuine creativity, I'm suggesting that it is a waste of energy in many cases. I have seen so many users take the time to write insightful, detailed, and incredibly thought provoking material, and accept a handful of heart reactions in exchange. I believe these vibrant souls should be offered a better opportunity, and have the freedom to speak uncensored. If what they write inspires and intrigues others, shouldn't they be rewarded for bringing value to the site? Dan Larimer and Ned Scott, the creators of Steemit thought so.

When you post on Steemit you earn equal parts SBD (Steem Backed Dollars)and Steem Power when other users Upvote you. It is free for anyone to Upvote a post or comment, just as a "like" is free on Facebook- except the recipient of the Upvote is paid for the value of their content. SBD are tokens that will always be worth roughly a dollar of Steem. Steem Power is also worth money if you power it down into SBD. This is a slow process, and a waste of it's real value- the ability to earn more when you post, and give more when you Upvote. In my time on Steemit I have chosen to invest the Steem I've earned into more Steem Power, as I feel strongly that investing in this community is worthwhile. As far as I can discern the People who earn the most here are individuals that consistently bring value to Steemit by posting, helping others along, and spreading the word about what makes Steemit great. For each new user that comes along to contribute and earn Steem, the community gets a bit stronger. It is in all of our best interests here to do exactly what we do on Facebook for free! Commenting helpful tips or a thought out response to a post can earn you Steem, just as posting does! This also helps us find one another, and become friends as we earn together! Additionally, when you Upvote a post that becomes really successful you are awarded for that curation! Imagine if every time you liked a post on Facebook that ended up getting a lot of attention, you were given some change. It seems small but adds up quickly! If you just want to make money here, it's also not a bad place to do that. Anyone who dedicates enough time to posting quality photos, stories, blogs ect. will be able to make money here. Transferring Steem into cash is fairly simple, as is transferring it into another crypto. I have a feeling that if you stick around, you may be convinced to invest your earnings as well though! I will leave that task in the able hands of Steemit.

What is a Blockchain, and where does Steem come from?
To completely simplify something you could write a book on, a blockchain is a ledger kept on every computer that participates in the use of a cryptocurrency. Each transaction becomes part of a "block" that is stored and updated across a web formed by all of these computers. There is no central location of this information, which makes a blockchain improbable to hack. Additionally every transaction can be viewed by anyone, anywhere as the contents of the blocks are 100% transparent. Don't worry- the transactions only trace back to a wallet, the coded source of your coin. It is possible to keep your ownership of a wallet private. All of this makes cryptocurrency something that can be transferred peer to peer without the involvement of a 3rd party, instantly to anyone in the world! So, where does the value come from? Cryptos are started with an ICO, initial coin offering. Think crowd funding mixed with investment, a risky bet at first.One thing that has become clear to me however, is that Steemit IS a wonderful investment of time. This platform has been around since March of 2016 and has consistently grown as the community has developed. This is one of the few places where you can earn crypto without putting any of your own cash in! Despite what Jamie Dimon may say, I feel that a BTC or SBD is just as real as a USD as both are really just backed by the faith of their owners and the frequency of their use.

Why buy stuff with virtual tokens when there's cash?
Anyone who was brought to this post by knowing me in real life has probably heard this rant. As an environmental and human rights activist, using USD leaves a layer of slime on me- real or imagined. For most of my adult life I have thought of the money I spend as the real form of voting in the US. By choosing green items, and avoiding the purchase of products that go against my morals I can make a tiny difference. Another way I have thrown my small amount of weight around as a consumer, is by avoiding banks. I don't like that the easiest, safest way for me to store my earnings also funds all sorts of nonsense. Cryptocurrencies represent a new age of global influence to me. With transparency in the use of a blockchain, we now have an open monetary system. If you had asked me if I believe a global currency was a good idea a few months back, I would have said hell no! Now my thoughts on this are very different. As much as I may like to think I've made some big difference by avoiding banks, I have to be honest with myself. Focusing my wealth on USD perpetuates the same awful things. Endless war, big oil, and militarizing our police are some prime examples of what I'm helping to keep a float. My Labor belongs to me, my ethics denote that it goes to furthering community. If I want to work with people globally to improve life, I have to get on the same page- and this is a world of money. Cryptos are great, from taking away the tax of remittances to giving people back some power. Steemit is a dream to me, people growing together without a third party influence. Earning money directly as we all become more valuable together. Perhaps global currencies controlled by the people are exactly what we need to shift the world into a more fair playing field for the everyday person- to help us be heard.

How do I get Started?
Steemit is a diverse place, and there is an audience for whatever talent you have! Do you travel a lot? Are you a foodie that loves to try new restaurants, or cooking a new dish? Are you crafty? Maybe you make jewelry or refurbish furniture. Perhaps you grow food, pickle veggies, or just have fabulous flowers? Maybe you love taking photos or making music? Do you raise animals, or know a lot about a specific type of technology? Do you just like to write- blogs, short stories, poems? Bring it! I've seen stories of travel make as much as photos of bugs with an informative paragraph on them.All we really ask here is that you take the time to submit original content that you have put effort into. Posting a youtube video alone, or copying and pasting something is not valued here. In fact a copy and paste alone will get you a warning from cheetah, and if repeated many times will earn you a place on the black list as it could be considered plagiarism. However, both are fine if sources are cited and these things are just a supplemental part of your post. Also, abusive or mean behavior will not get you anywhere here. Outside of flagging spam and plagiarism there is no censorship here, but that doesn't mean there is a place for picking fights. Constructive criticism and honest feedback are welcomed, as all of us can learn and grow. Just as commenting something mean is a waste of characters, so are fluffy compliments like "great post!". Some people will Upvote a two word comment, but most will scroll past it to find connection in thought out replies. This is a place of substance, and for every personality there are people who are interested in hearing you express it honestly. Outside of those two key parts of etiquette, it is also important that you tag posts NSFW if they aren't boss friendly. From my point of view the only criteria for a successful post are: original content, proper tags, at least one photo, and effort.

Tags are something you should explore if you are new here! The first one you should check out is the introduceyourself tag- a standard way for new people to announce their awesome choice to join Steemit. Typically people include one photo of themselves holding a paper with their user name, and a bit about themselves. Why did you join? What will you write about? What goals do you have? Where are you from? These are the sorts of tidbits you will find in most introduction posts. I recommend reading a few dozen before writing your own to get a feeling for what works. I found it helpful to explore different tags, and interact via comments initially. Find a few people with a high reputation (the number in the circle next to their name) and check out what they have brought to the table to earn that score. Once a post has over 20 Upvotes, only the most valuable 20 are visible. So if you are a new user and you Upvote a post with 62 votes, chances are the author will not see your vote. That is why commenting is so important- drop in and tell them why you liked the post. Ask questions and share relevant information if you can, this is a great way to gain a follower/new friend! I would discourage you from soliciting follow for follow ect. as some people are really annoyed by it and may even downvote you. I wouldn't worry too much about downvotes just yet, since you really have to bother most people for them to do it! Mostly, it is a way for us to make spam less visible and knock down the reputation of those who are harmful to Steemit. If you follow the few guidelines I listed above, you will probably never get a downvote.

Did I miss something that you are feeling confused about?
Comment and let me know! I'm happy to answer any questions new users may have, and to help you here on Steemit! If you are one of my friends, and I have finally convinced you to join- let me know below! I hope that this post has been helpful in understanding what steemit is about, and leaves you excited to be part of the buzz :) Cheers!