Organic growth is hands-down the most effective way to build and keep a following. From day one, I have never followed someone just because they followed me, I've never traded upvotes. I've simply put my best work into everything I do here, and let the Steem boat go where the wind takes it.
I've had a ton of fun over the last 2 1/2 months, and if it weren't for Steemit, I probably would have been evicted from my apartment by now... I've met some good people, and I've seen Steemit be taken advantage of by unscrupulous assholes who are here for nothing but profiting as much as possible.
Some of the very first people I met here were fantastic in helping me get my train on the right track, before I could derail it.
Hive account@steevc was the very first steemian I ever commented on, and he answered my noobish questions without judgement.
Hive account@aggroed Is probably my favorite blogger here. I've watched him grow as fast as a bull on sterroids because of his compassion for others, and the wit he puts into each of his posts. Hive account@aggroed, if you're reading this, keep on doing what you do man! I can't wait to see the whale you grow into!
I've done a lot of curation work around the 
Hive account@steemgigs tags, and even have a couple services I offer. I love the idea of providing a place for skilled freelancers to offer their services without a third party profiting from their work.
I've contributed to the 
Hive account@steemcenterwiki, and plan to write some more pages for them soon.
Hive account@fingersik has provided me hours of fun and deep thought with his Dungeons and Steem game. I've been playing D&D for over 20 years, and never expected to see it being played here.
I've gotten a few people started on steemit as well. My girlfriend 
Hive account@cryptomomma is still trying to find her niche, but I want to thank 
Hive account@timcliff for helping us get her account set up.
My little brother 
Hive account@kingkinslow isn't very active, but I'm trying to teach him the ways of Steem so he can earn more than a few pennies per post.
An old friend of mine, 
Hive account@jemmajam, joined and made a few posts, but I think she lost faith before ever really getting started...
I'm currently developing an online survival rpg that will have a steem-based reward system over at 
Hive account@thriveordie. I write a dev blog, and will be hosting many contests and giveaways once the idea has gained momentum.
In the last week, I started the 
Hive account@steemparents account to show my support and love for awesome parents. Of all the dozens of "trail" accounts that exist anymore, there still wasn't a real curation effort behind parenting, and I've taken it upon myself to change that.
As you can see, I've kept myself pretty busy around here, and have spread my tiny tentacles into many parts of the community. Just last night, I changed my avatar for the first time from the old english S I was using to something made by a fellow steemian! The picture I'm now using was made by 
Hive account@stargarden. Here's the full size image:
It's certainly been a roller coaster ride, but I plan to stay strapped in for the long haul! I can't wait to see what my next 500 followers have in store for me!
