Reflections and Tips for International Steemit Members and Growth Communities
Members of non-English communities, I give you permission to translate and publish any part of this post in your native language on Steemit or elsewhere (the tips are in the last part). You may post it from your own blog and keep all the rewards that you earn. (By the way, I often write “Steemit”, but I also mean that to include eSteem, Busy, ChainBB, and any other Steem-powered applications that allow you to post good content and earn rewards from it.)
How I began working with international communities on Steemit
10 months ago, 
In addition to Clayop helping with the under-rewarded posts that Curie discovered, we discussed the idea of making some combined votes to support Korean language posts. At that time, there were only a handful of non-English language posts on Steemit. They had not received many votes. So the very small Korean community held an election and chose two curators who would select and review the best Korean posts to be voted upon by staff members from Curie (and later Steem Guild, when the Korean project moved under that initiative).
Within two weeks of this discussion with Clayop, 
Again, the staff members and whale supporters of these initiatives had the foresight to see that this support could help fuel greater growth in the future. They agreed that they would be glad to support both Korean and Spanish language posts; we later expanded to include German, Turkish, Japanese, and Chinese as well.
“Spreading Like a Virus”
These were my first experiences working with non-English communities on Steemit. In the months that have followed, several of these international communities have grown exponentially from where they first began. That growth is due to the hard work of the people within those communities. Confident from the votes they received and with a strong understanding of how to make high quality posts, they went forth and brought many of their friends onto Steemit, duplicating that work many times over.
As my friends in the Nigerian community like to say, Steemit then starts spreading like a virus.
A few months ago, I met two extraordinary Indonesian community members, 
During the period when large whale accounts were not voting this spring, 
Curating posts. Bringing in friends and acquaintances. Running a channel for the community. Posting contests and fundraising for weekly rewards. Recruiting for and holding meet-ups to train members and emphasize proper posting techniques. Creating a website and book. I don’t even know half of the work they do. To say that
…broke the Guinness Book record for the largest (non SteemFest) Steemit Meet-Up: ~ 120 people last week! (Note to Steemit members anywhere in the world: I will gladly help sponsor your writing contests also if you can bring in new members and posts at a rate anything like what these guys have been doing!)
They have earned my trust so much that I gave them a posting key for my account and have moved on to focus on other work. In addition to helping with Italy along with 
Nigeria is both easier and more challenging than some other communities, because English is widely spoken. That opens up the posts to more potential voters (most of whom read English), but it also spreads out the community and gives it less of a cohesive identity. The same has been true of the Indian community, but that one is coming together very nicely also. Additionally, Africa has other unique challenges, but with challenges also come opportunities to help more people.
Fortunately, Nigerian community leaders like 
Based on these experiences, here are my Top 5 Tips for International Members & Growth Communities
(1) Please vote and comment on one another’s posts.
People within a community such as #nigeria can help one another by voting on the good posts that come from others in your region. Also, making comments on others’ posts is essential to creating engaging conversations. The more engagement your community can show (via voting and commenting on each other’s posts), the more likely your community is to get support via voting power and donations for events/activities like meet-ups or contests.
Some people neglect commenting because it generally does not pay as well as posting. But by commenting on others’ posts, you gain followers and future voters for your own blog. And you help others who will help you also, bringing more conversation and more community to Steemit.
(2) Please encourage women to join and post.
There is a gender divide in many countries. I understand that there are traditional gender roles in some societies, but please do not neglect the opportunity that women around the world have to post, comment, vote, and earn money just like men do on Steemit. Please invite sisters, mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, and other women in your life to join Steemit as well.
From 
People may not know that
We should empower more female members of Steemit all around the world like 
(3) What do English language readers and viewers want from your posts?
Many international community members have a desire to reach English-speaking readers. This is understandable, since it can translate to more votes and rewards. Some translate posts via Google Translate. Others have friends who translate the posts. And other members try to translate the posts themselves, either posting in English or in both languages.
And in other countries, from the Netherlands to Nigeria and from Israel to India, English is widely spoken. Therefore, most members from those countries post in English.
However, using a universal language like English does not guarantee that all readers will relate to your topic or your post. So what are readers and viewers in majority English-speaking countries looking for from your posts?
Original content generally earns much more in rewards than summarized or re-posted content. It could be a poem, a story, or a picture you took or drew. It could be a long article or a short description of what you ate for lunch.
Some people like the reflective, self-help posts (e.g. “How to Keep Trying and Stay Motivated”). That is one possible areas for topics, but please realize that we have seen a lot of posts in that genre already. Unless it is a particularly well-rewarded topic area such as photos or travel posts, it is possible that readers/viewers will reach some saturation point and not want to vote as much on such posts. That is not to discourage you from making good posts in that area (please do), but also try some different things and see what works best.
(4) Some Ideas for Posts
I would like to know more about your life and what makes it unique or interesting. You mind find yourself boring. After seeing posts about others’ colorful round-the-world adventures, you might think that you have not done anything as interesting. But you ARE interesting.
I want to learn more about your country, your city, your culture, your holidays, your family, your parents and siblings and relatives, and your spouse or significant other, plus your children if you have any.
Also, I would love to read posts about your favorite teacher or one thing you learned in school that you will never forget.
What do you eat for breakfast and how is it different from what I eat? Where does the food come from? Are there interesting markets or farms nearby?
After breakfast, what do you do next? If you go to a job or a school, what kind of transportation do you take to get there? What do you see along the way? What does the land look like and what do the buildings look like near your home? If you have a camera on your phone, take a picture along the way and tell us about it. Or draw one. Or describe it in words.
Do you like music? What kind? What are your hobbies? Have you read a book or watched a movie or played a game or eaten at a restaurant that you liked and can tell us about?
If there is one person you could introduce to Steemit, who would it be? If there is one business you would like to accept Steem or Steem Dollars, which one and why?
If you earn lots of Steem, what would you like to do with it in the future? What will you do to make the world better? What fun items would you like to buy for yourself? Would you like to take a trip somewhere – where and why?
If you have the ability to take a few pictures, even simple ones that are not good quality, they can help readers visualize your subject in the post. Posts with original photos (or drawings or paintings!) generally get more votes and rewards than posts without them. But if you cannot use pictures, then show us with your words.
(5) Write, edit, and then proof-read your posts.
In many developing countries, people are posting from phones on eSteem. It may seem difficult to edit the text of your post before putting it on the site. But please take the extra time to edit and proofread. It is better to write one good post that has no errors than to push out two or three lesser quality ones in that same period of time. One well-written post can get more votes and earn more rewards.
One of the most common mistakes is that people often do not capitalize their sentences or capitalize the word “I”. This makes your post difficult to read. (for example, this is what i think those sentences look like.) They look unprofessional. Your blog is your brand, so make sure it shows your very best effort.
Typos.png
A Bold Prediction
In the coming months, we need to continue sharing Steem/it with as many people as possible. Steem will surpass Bitcoin (and M-Pesa and other payment systems) in the developing world before it happens elsewhere. These growing communities are the key. I hope that many other Steemit members who have Steem Power will consider using some votes (no, INVESTING some votes) to help distribute rewards on worthy posts in regions where this growth is taking place.
And I hope all of you from countries around the world will continue posting great content that makes Steem and Steemit that much better. When you do, you certainly deserve my votes!