Fresh back from the land of darkness, I emerged wielding a mouse and keyboard, full of determination and drive, to lead our community closer to the LIGHT!
Similarly to new golf players, baseball players, tennis players and almost anything we do in life, there is often a hidden set of rules. Ways to respect the people, and the event/sport/platform itself! Sadly sometimes they are "hidden" rules, not stated clearly for everyone. In this platform, we NEED to throw this "private club" mentality AWAY! SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE FOR WE ALL HAVE TO GAIN!
FIRST OFF!
Dont get me wrong, I love the fact that Steemit is becoming a bigger platform, and more people are joining in on this lifetime journey/ experience. BUT, I do feel it is the "dolphins, and whales" (anyone who has been on steemit/ a steemian veteran) job /priority to educate SUPPORT and guide the "minnows" in a positive direction! For they are the future of Steemit!
So heres the way I look at it!
Whales
Whales are the selfless "rewarders" on the platform. They are the accounts that physically upvote and curate/promote awesome content (we all know theres alot of it on here). They are the ones that make STEEMIT grow, thus increasing user/awareness and increasing the VALUE of Steemit (since they are whales, they have so much STEEM/SP that they should be focusing on increasing the value of Steem, not upvoting their own posts (making pennies in comparison to if they built the platform and increased the value of Steem (blowing up their already spent investment.)) This may sound crazy but I feel it is a whales duty to not self upvote, but rather to spread the rewards to those who will then spread the word of STEEMIT in a positive light.
Dolphins
The dolphins are the "finders". They are the accounts that have been on STEEMIT and have an eye for talent and great content. They are the ones who, through upvoting original content, bring the truly great content to light for these deep sea creatures known as the whales, who we all know only come up to the surface for air very rarely. Dolphins are a vital part of steemit, as they bridge the seemingly GINORMOUS gap between the minnows and the whales. In other words, they are able to talk to whales and spread great minnow content. They also have a dual factor. These are the most likely in my opinion to hit the trending page (as they bridge the gap between the $ upvotes (whales), and the # upvotes (minnows). They are in the perfect zone if they do their job correctly. With this in mind they must use their keen eye for great content in two ways. To both create their own content and to also find minnows content! The dolphin earns its rewards via both small personal investment into SP as well as author payouts etc.
Minnows
Your jobs are "simple" and by that I mean straight forward. Create great content, market STEEMIT, and earn crypto in the form of STEEMIT! Find your passion, and push it and connect with those on the platform. Create really original, creative and eye popping content!!! Keep swimming, we know there are THOUSANDS of you! You will be seen in due time (any of us who have been here for a while know your pain, Trust ME.)
Some Minnows and Dolphins may be looking at me like...

And a bunch of Whales are probably looking at me like this...
But hear me out...
The fact is that this platform is more or less ran and guided by the users themselves. That is the double edged sword that is Steemit! There is free reign here, but we all must look out for each other and teach each other to become better and to understand the "rules" of this platform. We all control whether Steemit makes it or breaks it!
With this said, I have several tips on ettiqute for the new Steemian user! Keep in mind this is my opinion, based on what I have seen and experienced personally. This is my advice to improve your experience, minimize the learning curve!
As the saying goes "you are only as strong as your weakest link, so lets hit this metaphorical gym BRO! PUMP IT!"
*WARNING*- TIPS BELOW MAY PISS SOME OFF, THESE ARE PURELY MY OPINION and THINGS I HAVE LEARNED ON MY STEEMIT JOURNEY!
TIP #1:
THIS AINT INSTAGLAM, FACECROOK, SHITTER OR SNAPCLAP! Followings are earned, not given!
People will not upvote garbage. Put some time, effort and most of all, THOUGHT! Post with integrity, passion, and courage. Put that thing out there that you love but have never shared. Make that dance routine, sing that song, create that idea that you have had weighing on your brain!
TIP #2:
Nobody is gonna wipe you ass for you, so why would they market your content for you?! NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!

Networking is 90% of setting yourself up for success on Steemit. You could post great content, but not be able or willing to network that post. Think of it like this, If Steve Jobs or Bill Gates never left the garage where the creative genius was occurring and pushed it to someone, they would have never become what they are(were). You must get out there via Steemit.chat or Discord (I prefer discord because of the voice chat) and promote yourself, your ideas, your posts etc. That is the key to truly unlocking Steemits full potential.
YALL GOT ANY MORE OF THEM TIPS??!

MATTER OF FACT, YES I DO!

OKOKOK sheesh!...
TIP #3:

Ultimately, its your time being spent... ENJOY THAT SHIT!
We are all on here to improve our financial standing, this is true. Although some may say not, ultimately this is the purpose. But that needs to be left at the door. DO NOT LOOK TO STEEMIT FOR MONEY! This will do two things as I have personally seen and felt:
- Diminish the happy feeling you get from sharing something you worked hard on, enjoyed or poured you heart into (personal story) etc.
It will lead to more stress and more unhappiness if you expect to post something in the beginning and make a bunch of money off the post. I have had this happen to me! We all understand how much time it takes to perfect a post, which is why the upvotes and resteems dont come easily. So you should be posting about something you love, enjoy, etc! Enjoy the process, and people will enjoy the resulting product! VIBES ARE REAL! ITS ABOUT QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY!
- You will get discouraged and your posting process will show.
You will notice you wont post as much, wont care as much about post quality, or will stop posting all together. This is the exact opposite of what you want to do! Keep the posts coming my friend! The more you get out there, the more people will see you! LOVE WHAT YOU DO AND DO IT WITH LOVE!Love all my Steemian followers and appreciate every upvote and resteem! I am so proud and happy to be on this journey with you all.STEEM ON!"FOR THE STEEMIANS, BY THE STEEMIANS!""UNITED WE STAND STEEMIANS"
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Steemit is the Key...
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