It's been 30 days since I made the decision to fully engage Steemit as an active user. I had just been laid off from a good job and was not having much success in landing a new one. I was looking at picking up some side gigs writing when I remembered I had a Steemit account I wasn't using.
I had opened this account in the Fall and didn't know what the platform was all about and let it lay dormant. I had to dig through my email to find the password I had been given. From there it was off to the races.
So far I have met some very cool, very intelligent and very driven people who have steemit's best interest at heart as they create ancillary platforms and create networks of steemians with common goals. The people of Steemit are the most important asset the platform has, aside from all the technology.
Advice On Day One
Unless you've been doing a lot of lurking in the shadows, remember that you don't know anything about the platform. Sharpen your pencil, open up a fresh notebook and prepare to go to school, before mucking around the place like a bull in a china shop. This is your brand. You don't want to blemish it at the start and have to recreate first impressions.
Start with the FAQ's tab, read it and absorb. Start googling searches like "steemit how-to". There are so many videos out there to advise you on your new adventure. You can literally spend a few days reading and watching videos in order to get your feet wet. Try watching 
Introduce Yourself
Once you have a better sense of where you are and the expectations you'll be expected to live up to, you are now permitted to engage the masses. No better way than putting together a kickass #introduceyourself post. I mean it when I say kickass. You only have one true shot at this and it can propel you from zero worth to an account with $100's in your first payout.
I crapped the bed on my first attempt and partially on my second attempt because I was in such a rush to get started, must be the ADD
Your introductory post needs to have a great picture of yourself, with a cue card in the frame with the date on it. It needs energy. It needs to tell the community who you are, what your interests are, what your plan is and why you're excited to be joining the platform. Add cool pictures throughout the body of your text, pick the appropriate hashtags and you're all set. Go ahead with posting it.
Make sure to proofread your work
What Now?
This post, if done right, will bring you attention. Make sure to curate the responses that come to your feed. Greet the people who've commented, upvoted and maybe even followed you now.
Next up, you're going to need an audience before you start posting on your blog. I don't care if your name is William Shakespeare or Rembrandt, if you don't have followers, nobody will see your content.
Begin your quest on the hot or trending tabs and start investigating the posts that interest you. Read them and leave an insightful comment. Feel free to follow anyone's work you enjoy, it doesn't cost you anything.
Check out the new tab and greet the people who just introduced themselves. They make for great allies because you will both be going thru the same learning curve at the same time.
With that, you've cast off the line and have begun sailing the steemit seas. Remember to engage the community. Join the peripheral communities. Have fun and let it show through your writing. Don't plagiarize. Do site sources. Keep it civil. Show respect for your neighbor and you should succeed on your new adventure.
2nd image source: pixabay.com