So many reasons to join STEEM, and now many different ways.

Right now is a great time to join STEEM.

If you have not heard of it, STEEM is a Social Media Blockchain. Basically, blockchain is just a different method of storing data, spreading it out in a distributed way so there is not one central entity controlling it. STEEM is also the name of a cryptocurrency that is rewarded to users participating on the Steem blockchain.

You can earn STEEM in many different ways, and it is real money, that can be exchanged back to normal money (called fiat) if you wish. There is also many things you can do with STEEM that can help you increase your earnings.

_{Short note to those already on STEEM, this post is aimed outside STEEM, if you are on STEEM at all, this post is not really news for you. If you would like to help promote it off-steem with a re-tweet or share to other social media sites, feel free.}

Why join?

It's early days for Steem, but there is a rapidly growing list of reasons to join. More apps are being added and growing quickly. Maybe you are a writer, there is a great community of writers on STEEM that you could join and share your skills. Or maybe you like photography, likewise there is a community where you can share your work and build an audience.

There is no Censorship on STEEM. It is censorship resistant and your voice cannot be silenced. A growing number of voices of dissent have been banned from the major social media platforms simply for voicing their opinions.

There are so many other reasons to join, but I want to focus on how to join next.

How?

You can apply for an account through https://steem.com/. This process is free, but slow. It can take up to a couple of weeks to get your account approved. OK if you are patient, but if you can spare a few dollars, there is much faster ways.

Join through Hive account@steemmonsters for $10 US (around $14 Australian)

https://steemmonsters.com?ref=jk6276 - _{This is a referal link, I will get a benefit if you join through this link.}

For $10 you get a STEEM account you can use anywhere, a pack of 30 cards you can play Hive account@steemmonsters with, plus some STEEM Power to get you started. If you like playing games, and want to play a game that you can have fun and make money at the same time, this is the way to go. The game itself is a digital trading card game - where your cards are actual real digital property. They are worth money, and you can win more cards, buy and sell in the marketplace, or trade privately if you wish. Can you do all of that on any other trading card games. Tournaments have begun, with big prizes (some are in the hundreds of dollars of value). If you are a gamer, this is the best way to join. Mobile phone Apps for Steemmonsters are in development and will be coming soon.

Join through Hive account@actifit (minimum $10, paying more will give more benefits)

https://actifit.io/signup?referrer=jk6276 - _{This is a referal link, I will get a benefit if you join through this link.}

Actifit is an App on Steem that rewards you for your daily activity. The app will track your daily steps (like many other phone apps do) but you can be rewarded for your activity. Yes, thats right, you can earn money for taking a walk. At the end of the day, if you hit at least 5,000 steps, you post a report to Steem. The Actifit team then vote on these reports and when you vote on Steem you allocate a reward to that person. This screenshot sourced from the actifit website explains the joining process:

If you made getting fit a new years resolution, or just would like to be rewarded for what you already do, this is a great way to join. It is a bit more tricky, but the Actifit website (click my link above) will guide you through the process.

Join through Steem-ninja

This is a new service launched by a STEEM based company called Hive account@oracle-d. https://account.steem.ninja/?ref=jk6276 (again a referral link) charges just $2 us to set up your account. This is the cheapest and easiest way to get started.

Whichever way you join, (and there are others, these are just a selection of options) I would highly recomend downloading the Partiko App for android or ios. Hive account@partiko is an awesome and easy way to interact with STEEM, and find interesting people to follow. You can make your own posts, see, comment and vote on other peoples post and so on.

Please let me know if you do decide to join STEEM after reading this post, so I can help you get started. Also, please feel free to get in touch if you would like more info on anything in this article.

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

John.