Good to meet you, I have caught the "crypto bug " also....

I think you would want to be verified to add legitimacy to your posts by letting people know who you are. Below you will find a couple of posts that will help with your questions above.

How do I make a profile picture of myself that is on my email account.

https://steemit.com/steemit/@kendall2/how-to-insert-a-profile-photo-on-steemit

How do I get myself verified on Steemit. (and what the benefits are)

https://steemit.com/steemit/@joanaltres/get-verified-with-steem-verify-don-t-put-verification-off