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First, a confession: I suffer from pretty intense ADD, with a healthy dose of OCD and debilitating perfectionism sprinkled on top of everything . Either my attention is fragmented between a million things at once, or it is razor-sharp in its singular fixation on just one. I need to understand how things work – how various elements fit together in organized patterns. In everything I do, I aim for perfection – often spending far too much time on things. (This post – which took several days to finish – is a perfect example of that!)

And so I joined Steemit.

I did so at my partner's urging, without having explored this place on my own. He'd been mentioning it for a while, occasionally showing me posts worth upwards of $1k. To both our eyes, a lot of what we were seeing didn't appear to be very well curated. So much of it looked hastily drafted, supported by unremarkable snapshots and stock imagery. He insisted that, if such posts were any indication, my original content, in its various forms, would surely do well.

Usually one to undervalue my own work, this time – I actually agreed with him.

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I was pretty reluctant to join yet another social network, but – once I finally relented – I plunged in headfirst.

I didn't even bother to look around first, drafting my intro post within the first few hours, before I had any idea what I was doing. As people began engaging with that post, I felt genuinely excited and inspired. Something about it reminded me of Friendster in its earliest days.

I began imagining all the meaningful ways I might contribute, and I had a lot of questions about what that would look like. Wanting to do things right and hoping to avoid known pitfalls, I spent the week researching voraciously, connecting with other Steemians, entering @juliank's awesome photo contests and, naturally, making a whole bunch of newbie mistakes.

A lot of articles I found were written by experienced Steemians, using lingo and terminology that were entirely foreign to me. Each unfamiliar term sent me further down the rabbit-hole as I grasped at understanding how it all works. I ingested waaay too much too quickly, resulting in a bonafide Steemit hangover.

I figure the best medicine for such an ailment is a little hair-of-the-dog – a big ole' swig, followed by a Steemit purge, if you will – in (hopefully) easy to understand language.

Perhaps these reflections will spare someone else a headache or two.

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Steemit is built using blockchain technology. Once information is entered, it cannot be altered. Read that last part again – it's pretty important.

For example (only relevant to those who've yet to join) – when choosing a username, be sure you're happy with it. Check for typos before submitting your application. During final account validation, you'll have one last chance to change or correct your username.

Once you're past that stage, your username cannot be changed. I repeat – double check for typos – or you may end up like me. In my haste, I switched the 'L' and the 'Y', just enough of a difference to mangle my name but not enough to catch my eye until several hours after I'd made my introductory post. Ouch.

Now I'll forever be zipplyo rather than my intended zippylo – a fact that challenges my precision-oriented brain. Though it pains me, I'm choosing to see it as an ever-present reminder of my own infallibility – the 'wabi-sabi' imperfection of my every post, comment, reply and upvote.

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You've landed in a whole new dimension, kiddo. Things are different 'round here. 'Likes' and 'Upvotes' are not the same thing.

I know – it's hard to resist pressing that button each and every time you appreciate something. Don't do it. Your voting power is limited. Meaning – each vote costs you. Especially as a new user, you have no control over how much. If you're not paying attention, it's pretty easy to drain, greatly reducing the weight (value) of your vote, meaning diminished rewards.

Voting weight is also determined by capital (SP), so – unless you're lucky enough to be starting out with STEEM you've bought yourself – your voting weight is already decidedly low. Voting power regenerates 20% per day, so – until you've padded your wallet (and even then), ensuring your VP doesn't dip below 80% is advised.

Not to discourage you from voting – only to warn against overdoing so. Be discerning, so – when you do upvote – the author knows they truly earned it. Make it count – don't waste your voting power on brief, superficial comments or replies – save it for those who offer thoughtful, relevant words.

Likewise, 'resteeming' shouldn't be treated the same as 'retweeting' or 'sharing'. Doing so uses bandwidth, which –surprise, surprise – is not unlimited.

To monitor your levels, check https://steemd.com/@username (replace 'username' with yours) • side note: 'resteeming can also be done without posting to your own blog – simply replace 'https://' with 're' (before 'steemit') in the post's url.

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Instead of upvoting as a means of passive acknowledgement, take a moment to offer your honest response in the form of a comment, and try to reply to those who sincerely comment on your posts. You may be surprised how engaging the resulting threads may be. I've found this to be one of the most satisfying aspects of my Steemit experience thus far.

Considering that rewards can also be earned for commenting/replying, think of it as investing. Just as you'd be wise about managing a stock portfolio – if you're smart about it – your contributions here might pay handsome dividends.

That said, be aware that everything you do requires bandwidth. As such, you can't simply comment on every interesting post without exhausting your allowance. While I can't yet claim to understand precisely how that works, I believe your daily (or weekly) allotment has something to do with how much space is available on a given block, as well as the present value of your SP.

Just as discernment is necessary when choosing whom and what to upvote, here, too – when you feel genuinely compelled to respond – you'll be wise to offer more than a casual word or two. Of course, sometimes a brief reply is warranted – just keep an eye on your bandwidth levels so you don't find yourself frustratingly 'locked out'.

Also – be aware that your delegated SP (the # that appears in parentheses in your wallet) will fluctuate, for reasons you won't be able to ascertain. A few days ago, mine dropped from 28 to 15, and my bandwidth allowance shrank significantly from 36mb to 195kb.

Perhaps Steemit reduced the amount they 'loan' you upon account activation – I'll never know – but it sure took the wind outta my sails.

Bandwidth percentage and current allotment can also be monitored via Steemd.com.
^{postscript update: This article by @timcliff offers excellent clarification, thoroughly addressing the issue of bandwidth.}

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Firstly, if you haven't done your homework regarding how to format your posts – stop procrastinating and do it now. This comprehensive article by @ethandsmith is a great place to start. As well, @sumatranate has generously created a free markdown course that I cannot recommend highly enough. Though focused primarily on markdown, he also includes some basic html – all in a streamlined, easy to follow format.

So – you've drafted your post with carefully chosen words, awesomely supportive imagery and clean markdown styling. Before you press that oh-so-exciting 'post' button, be sure you've proof-read and corrected any typos and, most importantly, that you're sure you want this to become a permanent part of the blockchain.

Once you've made a post – you cannot delete it. While you can edit after publishing, doing so eats up bandwidth. Same goes for editing previously published comments. I'm unclear as to why comments can be deleted, but it is possible.

Another crucial factor is how you tag your posts. Be aware – the first tag you enter will become your post's primary category. Once you've published, you cannot modify that first tag, so choose wisely!

You may also do well to peruse the trending feed in search of posts related to your own content. Check out the tags they've added, as well as (for recently added posts) what time they were published. Try to publish during high-visibility hours.

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Aside from potential earnings for authoring popular posts, you'll also be rewarded for curation. This means you'll earn through upvoting, especially if you time it right and the post does well.

A post's value is split between authors and curators – 75% for the author and 25% split between the author and curators. Just how much goes to whom, percentage-wise, is almost entirely determined by what happens in the 30 minutes immediately following the post's publication. The way that all works out is a whole lot to wrap one's head around, much less explain, but @stephcurry does a pretty good job of it.

Also worth noting – you've got just one week to charm your fellow Steemians into supporting each post. Once you've received a payout for it on day 7, it'll no longer earn rewards. As such, those first few days are crucial – if your post doesn't gain good traction within the first day or two, it'll quickly be buried, becoming less and less likely to be seen.

While it's pretty tacky to go around asking for votes, there are ways to respectfully share your content. Check Discord for relevant channels, as well as Steemit.Chat – most have dedicated spaces for sharing links.

It's up to you how you'll self-promote, but – however you do it – don't squander those first 48 hours.

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On Steemit, it seems there's a bot for just about everything. Some are free – Some will cost you.

• Upvote Bots – the higher the bot's voting weight, the more valuable their upvote. There appears to be no limit on how many bots one can hire to give you a boost. If you can afford to purchase their support, go for it!

• Autovote – set up automatic voting for your favorite/popular authors (timed right to maximize curation rewards)

• Cheetah Bot – cleverly named, forever on the hunt for plagiarized material, prowling the internet, matching content found here with content found elsewhere. Even if you cut & paste your own, previously published original material – cheetah bot will find it and kindly comment on your post with a link to the original source.

• Original Works – type @OriginalWorks as a comment on your own post to trigger an upvote and comment.

As this comprehensive list clearly shows – I've barely scratched the surface of what's bot-sible on Steemit.

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Perhaps, like myself, you're weary of the endless competition for 'likes' and 'followers' – discouraged by the sense that everything you post on social media is somehow suppressed and increasingly invisible.

You're drawn to Steemit by the idea of incentivized sharing – lured by the possibility of being rewarded for your efforts – charmed by the notion of being seen and acknowledged in a measurable, potentially lucrative way.

You've seen the high-earning posts and thought – 'I can toootally do that! Look at all this high quality, original content I've got – all these interesting ideas I have to share! If all these other guys can do it, I can do it – I'm gonna make a killing!

Hate to break it to ya, but – if that's your primary reason for being here – you're likely to be quite disappointed.

The truth is, it's still a popularity contest. In some ways, one that's even more stacked against you than the platforms you're fleeing.

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It's not nearly so simple as posting quality content and getting paid for it. It's more like playing the lotto, hoping each post might be a winning ticket.

Trouble is, there are a whoooole lotta bigger players out there with a lot more buying power than you. Unless your post happens to catch the attention of a heavy hitter within the first half hour (if ever), your chances of earning much are incredibly slim.

As an author, not only are you attempting to stand out amongst thousands of other newbs, you're also competing with folks who've been here since the Steemit 'Big Bang' – with strong followings, fat ass wallets, substantial voting weight and – quite frankly – little incentive to support the droves of newbies joining Steemit every day.

You'll see a lot of people referring to newbies as 'Minnows', but that doesn't appear to be correct. As a one-week fresh Steemian, I'm technically some kind of nameless 'RedFish'.

Let's be real, though – I'm actually more akin to a tiny speck of bacteria floating weightless past a blue whale's eye, entirely unseen by him.

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Here's the thing: This isn't about rapid growth. You're gonna have to work for it – diligently.

As with most things, you'll get out of it what you put into it, so find your niche and contribute consistently. Choose what to share based on that which inspires you rather than what might earn the most rewards.

Make an effort to meaningfully connect with other Steemians and support them, especially the ones you perceive as being undervalued. If you ever hope to grow into something bigger than an itty bitty red fishie – you'll need each other.

Maybe – if you're lucky and work reaaaaally hard – someday you'll reach 1000SP and become a Minnow, then a Dolphin at 5000SP, and onward to the great magnificence of Orcas and Whales, whose estimated value is beyond my comprehension.

For now – relax into your relative insignificance. You've got nothing to lose, so – dive in – experiment – make mistakes.

Above all else – enjoy your swim.

xo,
Zippy

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Big thanks to all those who've been so encouraging, generous with their knowledge and patient with my questions, especially @juliank, @rimicane, @claudiaz, @mininthecity, @anthonyj, @aussieninja & @mattclarke.

Some of the easier-to-understand articles that contributed to my overall comprehension:

• Steem Part 1: Guidelines for Steem Begineers by @premnakarmi
• Who Are You – A Redfish, Minnow, Dolphin Or Whale? by @pijushmitra
• 'How to check your voting power' for newbies by @brothermic
• ❓Answering Common Questions: Full Guide List ❗ by @sykochica
• Rookie Mistakes on Steemit Part 2 by @looksfarwoman

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