Hello! Welcome to Steemit!

I invited some more friends recently. First off, thank you for joining! I put this Quick Tips post together for all of you, but now I'm thinking that maybe this will help some other new users/newbies (also known as minnows). If you have been here awhile, please comment to correct any mistakes I made, so I can edit this. Thank you kindly.

I am going to keep this post very brief, because every time I read or watch a "how to" post or tutorial, I get overwhelmed. Information is only good if you utilize it right now. So here are some basic tips that will help you earn rewards.

Now Lookie Here
Look at the payouts. I am a newbie. For me, this is awesome. Now keep scrolling for a breakdown of the payouts.

Last week it was cool to Upvote your own work. Not anymore! :D

Authors get 75% and curators get 25%. As an author you can choose 50/50 or Power Up 100% when you are about to post your blog. 50/50 means you get 50% (of your 75% cut) in Steem Backed Dollars (SBD) and 50% in Steem Power (SP). The 100% option is Steem Power, so you can power up. Think of Steemit like a video game. You need to find rewards and power to stay healthy and survive.

Remember, every follower is a real Honor to have, and every Upvote is a Happy Cookie!

Formatting Tips
You will earn bigger rewards if your posts are laid out nicely. This is important. Especially, if you're brand new. Remember, everyone is judging you by your content and how it looks. Votes are worth money. You want their votes and you want to look professional, right? So it's a win-win situation for everyone. Think of Steemit as a magazine or newspaper, and you are a content creator.

Markdown Styling Guide
Almost everything else you need to know about formatting (headlines, sub-heads, bullet lists, etc) can be found here at GitHub.

I made a huge list of tools that will help you, but today I am going to pick just one to share with you. I don't want you to get overwhelmed.

SteemStats.com by @jesta

This is an amazing site. Briefly, you can check your voting power, easily see the users (curators) that have voted on your content, see your most recent comments and your earnings for each post, as well as, recent replies. That is the short version for newbies. Take some time to explore the site and it will make a lot more sense in time. It has taken me six weeks to finally get it. :D

Here's the link: steemstats.com by @jesta

A Quick Word About Resteeming

Resteem everything I post if you want me to like you. Haha. Just kidding. Resteeming is not really like sharing on Facebook or Retweeting on Twitter. One reason being, the author probably won't even know you shared his or her post. We do not seem to get any notifications about it. One other reason is, I really don't have time to search someone's wall to find their posts when it is filled with Resteems. If a curator visits your wall they want to see your work. Some users have fifty resteems and you can't find any of their original posts quickly and easily. If you really love something and want to support an author, Resteem, of course. If the post does well and you Upvoted it, you will earn some rewards, too.

Ask yourself: Why did I join Steemit?

What are you passionate about? The best posts, in my opinion, are genuine, and based on someone's real interests and passions. Keeping it real will not only help attract the right followers, you might earn some big rewards.

Tip: Still, try not to focus on rewards right now. Just knowing that they exist should be enough to keep you motivated. You'll have good days and bad days. If you feel frustrated and need to vent, direct message me or email me. Do not post a rant on Steemit (that's my job haha) --- you will lose a lot of new friends very quickly. :-)

Contests, Promotions, and Comments
If you just joined, post less and learn more. Read the FAQ and Quick Start Guide, please. In the meantime, if you like earning money, enter Steemit contests (hashtag contest) and jump right in. Contests here are fun and a great way to make new friends. If you're a musician, enter the weekly open mic contest!

Remember, Steemit is about making friends, earning rewards, building networks and rediscovering communication. This is not YouTube or Facebook. I love Steemit because negative, sarcastic remarks are not welcome here. Trolls here are usually punished and Downvoted into oblivion. It's much easier to be mature and keep scrolling. It is not worth getting into an argument over differing opinions or beliefs. Some people have tried to bait me since I've joined, but I find it silly. In a pending business deal would you fight with a potential buyer of your goods or services? Your blog is your product.

Commenting
Don't post a comment on someone's blog just to expect a valuable Upvote. I never do that. I say what I mean and mean what I say. Write something thoughtful. A meaningful comment is worth money here, but I don't suggest you write solely because you hope to get paid. Stick to topics you enjoy most and rewards will come naturally.

You're a writer? Search the writing and story hashtags. Hashtags are Topics on Steemit. You love art and photography? Gardening? Music? Poetry? Movies? Pizza? Check those topics out. The rewards will come if you are legit. Sometimes, I make more commenting on someone else's post than I do posting my own blog. Be genuine. You will thank me later.

SteemSpeak

Most importantly, please join SteemSpeak on Discord, which I believe was developed (or founded) by @fyrstikken. The people there are very friendly and highly informed. You can direct message me there, as well. I'm not saying I'll reply anytime soon, but you can DM me if you want to. Haha

SteemSpeak - You're Invited

Edit: The Giveaway has ended. That was FUN! Please check your "Wallet" if you won. Thank you for playing!

I hope this helps you! Any questions?

Wishing you all a magical day!
Love, light and peace,
@Magick323

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