There's a noticable surge in new folks on steem lately. If dense old Nate (me, Hive account@nateonsteemit) notices it, you can be sure that it's a trend. As part of our onboarding and introduction initiative, I've been asked to write up a very basic idea of navigating some of the recent steem speak. The next hard fork is sure to make this all irrelevant, and I'll write another one after that if there's a need. Ask us any questions - we'll be sure to clear things up for you. This post is clearing up a few questions asked by Hive account@bia.birch and others. It sure can be a confusing place when you first arrive!

It seems like there's a lot, but we promise you'll get the hang of it. Strap in, we hope this'll help.

Steem vs Steemit, Steemit vs NaturalMedicine.io?

Steem is the blockchain you're reading this on. Each post, vote, transfer, or comment is a transaction on the steem blockchain. There's a lot of ways to access the blockchain, and we call them interfaces. These include Steemit, Steempeak (our favourite next to www.naturalmedicine.io), Esteem (a mobile app), Steemleo for investors, Creativecoin.xyz for artists, and many more. The basic interfaces like these will show you every post on the chain. Depending on your preferences, there are app based and browser based interfaces. With most of the basic interfaces, the URL link can substitute any other interface. For instance, try https://steemit.com/@naturalmedicine and https://steempeak.com/@naturalmedicine and you'll see the same posts by us, just with slightly different formatting.

Tribe Interfaces

Tribe interfaces show specific content on the blockchain, like a filter to show users only things they'd like to see. They're based on Steemit, with a few 'tweaks'. Our example is https://naturalmedicine.io (we call it NMio in conversation). Other interfaces include (but are certainly not limited to) https://www.creativecoin.xyz/ (for creative artsy type posts) and https://weedcash.network/ (for content related to cannabis). A more complete list is available in the Tribes tab on Steempeak. The way the content is filtered is by the tags. #weedcash is for the weedcash network, #ccc for creative coin, #palnet for PAL network, etc. When you use these tags, your post will 'show up' on those front ends and be visible there. If someone holds or stakes lotus and votes on your #naturalmedicine post, you'll gain some LOTUS rewards, and likely some steem rewards too. Some people like to hang out in specific niche tribes to read content they're particularly interested in, and then flip to another tribe when they fancy reading a different set of posts. There really is something for everyone.

Remember, you use the same set of passkeys for ANY of these sites. They're all just different ways to experience Steem. Fun, huh?

Front End Specific Tokens

While steem and (sometimes) SBD are the main tokens for payouts on this blockchain, tribes also pay out in their own tokens via side chains. These tokens are based, traded, and accessed on Steem Engine. When you see LOTUS payouts listed on NMio, there are also steem rewards that aren't shown because the tribe interface only shows it's native token. You can see both on Steempeak. The payout is based on votes and their weight. The weight of a vote is based on how many tokens the voter has staked in their wallet as Steem Power, LOTUS Power, Weedcash power and so on. Someone with 500 staked LOTUS will cast a larger vote than someone with 50.

If someone's kind enough to delegate tokens or steem to you, you'll have a little bit more power to vote with and earn rewards.

To Discord or Not to Discord?

As of now, most tribes meet on Discord. Discord is not a blockchain service necessarily, just a very convenient way for us to all meet up and chat. Some tribes, like Hive account@ecotrain, understandably prefer a less active discord server in favor of more chain-based interactions. Others prefer the busy chat rooms and tipping bots to supplement upvotes. You'll likely find benefits to both approaches, and at NM we like to think we embrace a fairly balanced approach. If you're into natural healing, yoga, meditation, stop on by and we'll be glad to answer any more questions. If we're not your cup of chamomile tea, hop in with one of the other tribes and they'll have someone that can get you squared away.

Hope this can help someone, and improve newcomer experience and onboarding. That's what it's all about, huh? All action for the good of all!

Nate.

Earn Instantly For Writing Good Natural Health Content

If you would like to earn LOTUS and STEEM rewards for sharing your natural health content on www.naturalmedicine.io, you can sign up for an free FREE account by emailing welcome@naturalmedicine.io. Read more about us on our Welcome Page. We support writers sharing about herbalism, TCM, yoga, meditation, vegan and other healthy diets, as well as earth centred practices such as foraging, permaculture and biodynamics.

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We need YOU! Please consider delegating to help keep this collective going. The minimum entry for membership is 20SP (free for members under 150SP), and helps give YOU upvotes, contests, meditation sessions, an awesome discord support group, and so much more!

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If you'd like to learn more about www.naturalmedicine.io, LOTUS and other particulars, please read our WELCOME pages here.

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