Welcome Fellow Steemians!
For today's post, I wanted to give a little checkpoint on where I am on Steemit, and also point out some things I have noticed. There is a wealth of knowledge out there, and what I have experienced on this amazing platform isn't necessarily new either. I also am no professional on the matter of self promotion, and could probably even use some tips myself! We are always growing. I have gathered some valuable information, though, and my account steadily grows every day. The amount of growth I see on my Steemit account is far greater than my accounts on all other social media platforms I've used. A big reason for this, as I see it, is because Steemit (and the community) provides a wealth of tools to assist in increasing your reach and engagement.
There are also simple things you can do to increase your engagement, and a lot of that comes from exercising a good amount of empathy, common sense, and basic human psychology. We are all people, after all, and because you know what you like, you also know what others like (or have general ideas). This post will focus on simple things you can do differently, as well as how you can better use some of the tools at your disposal.
How Steemit is philosophically different than all other social media platforms
For this simple fact, one must be very conscious where they place their upvotes, comments, etc. Just like you wouldn't go throw your money at something you don't agree with or believe in, you don't want to give a user your upvote/resteem or follow unless it is well deserved. Conversely, if you truly support something you see on the blockchain, you should be compelled to support it with your upvote/resteems. It is not helpful for you, the community, nor content creators to withold your upvote because you feel like they have enough or got more than you. Being bitter about other's success on the platform (and how you aren't as successful as you think you should be), is not healthy for you nor your progress. So.... If it is deserved (in your eyes), give them that upvote! I think new people coming to Steemit, and those that still have the mindset of being on other social media platforms, could benefit from thinking about how Steemit is so different from anything we have ever seen before.
The Human Element
It sounds funny saying this, but we are all human. We all want the same things. In context of Steemit, those things include upvote, resteems, and thoughtful comments. Being on Steemit, we all know how much time goes into a good post, and we want good feedback or comments in return! Think about all the comments you have received. Are you going to go check out a post of someone you know read and appreciated your material, or are you going to go check out the page of someone that says something like, "I upvote you go upvote me!" You can almost think about these comments as applications, of sorts. Applications that may compel someone to go visit your page and see what kind of great content you have. If you leave generic comments, you may also have a generic page, which no one wants to visit. If you leave such an interesting comment on one of my posts, I would be much more likely to go see what else you have.
The key here is literally finding content from others you believe in. If you believe in it, chances are whoever wrote it has a lot in common with you, too, and they would be very likely to check your page out and leave equally thoughtful comments and may even follow you. This is a much more organic way to meet like minded individuals, and grow community. Steemit is much more centered around building community and interactions, and there are a lot of people out there just like you! It just takes time and engagement in the community to find them. Which leads me to my next topic. "Ok," you may ask, "I understand the basic psychology behind showing people legitimate support and receiving that in return, but how can I find more like minded people?"
Tools of Discovery/Discovering
Another amazing difference Steemit has over other platforms are the tools users can make use of to meet new people. My two absolute favorites are Steemfollower and Discord. Steemfollower, simply put, allows you to see a wider variety of posts, and also gets your post out to a wider variety of users. After you upvote 5 posts each 24 hour period, using the service, your post becomes visible over the platform. What affects how high up or down the list you appear are your author points. You get more points by upvoting through the service, but you can also purchase points, allowing your post heightened visibility. This is not a guaranteed upvoting platform! If your content is good, and it is noticed, you should generate new upvotes using the platform. When I'm active on Steemfollower, I usually get an extra 3-10 upvotes a day. Not bad!
Discord could be the biggest game changer when used in conjunction with your Steemit. Basically every community you will be involved with on Steemit has an associated Discord group, and this is THE place where the true networking is happening. Discord is where you go to get to know users more personally, and get more involved in the community. The group that got me into Steemit, 
Another favorite group is the Whaleshares Discord. This one could be the biggest game changer, and that is mainly because this server hosts community involved radio shows! I have never seen a place where you can go, get interviewed by a host (
I also want to share a couple other amazing discords. The PAL Discord has an awesome Minnow Support Project (MSP) initiative that helps users get more upvotes, views, and they also have an amazing community involved radio channel! In fact, I will be working with some of my Rocky Mountain Steemers to start our own radio show on MSPWaves Radio! I am also heavily involved in the Discord created by content creator/curator 
What are you waiting for?! Dig in!!!!
The Steemit community is so helpful, so if you have any questions on how to do better, go ask someone who has been more successful than yourself. They are full of insight! Finally, as mentioned above, if you dig what I said, toss me that upvote, resteem for others who may be struggling, and follow me for a wealth of other posts like these:
Blog about my experience and insight in the Education field
My series of Fractal art
