Let's face it, Steemit isn't for everyone. Something about decentralized ledger technologies running on nascent infrastructures seems to keep people away. I will admit there is quite a learning curve for Steemit, as well as all cryptocurrencies. Having a general knowledge of Bitcoin before joining definitely gave me an advantage over other newcomers into this space.

Since signing up over a year ago I have told many people about Steemit and STEEM - including both the pros and the cons of the whole ecosystem here. The biggest response I get back from people is that they aren't creative or they don't have anything to post about. While this certainly may be true, that won't stop you from making money here because you can also earn through curation and commenting on content that interests you.

However, there are several barriers that both prevent people from joining and keep them from coming back. First and foremost the signup process is not immediate and in this day and age people forget will simply forget or lose interest at this point. Then after they sign up they are expected not to lose their password, which inevitably a significant amount of people I know have done. After that you have to convince them that it's actually worth pouring their blood, sweat and tears into their creative works only to get a penny or two. "Yeah no thanks."

If you just came to Steemit for the rewards then you will be greatly disappointed. If you came for the community then you can be greatly rewarded- but nothing happens overnight. New Steemians are often discouraged by their lack of presence in the social sphere when they have done little to network and expand their influence on the platform. You have to not only post great content but do so consistently while also engaging other people in your niche. The important thing to remember is that Steemit is what you make of it. If you put no effort you will get no reward.

This brings me to my original idea which is "Why did you join?" Of course everyone is going to have different reasons here. Some people saw it as an opportunity to try something new and different while earning a few bucks on the side. Others take advantage of Steemit for the potential exposure to new contacts and clients in their particular field, such as art, photography or even journalism. I actually joined Steemit mainly out of curiosity but also for my love of crypto and Bitcoin. I found that Steemit was an entirely different kind of social media where new fresh ideas could flourish without getting drowned out by all the useless noise on traditional social site. Free thinkers are gathering here without fear of censorship and that is what really got me hooked.

As time has passed we have seen the effects of the censorship and data scandals rock the foundations over at YouTube and Facebook. I always had a funny feeling about them and for good reason! Steemit presents a new avenue for authors, journalists, artists and more to express their work without any fear of being stopped. I enjoy using this site as a creative outlet and for an alternative source of information in this rapidly changing technological age. I did not have many expectations when I joined but they have certainly been blown away since then. There is a lot of potential developing in this community as more networks expand and projects are created.

What are your hopes dreams and expectations for Steemit? Why did you join and why did you stick around?