Since I'm probably the least technological person you'll meet, I just may be the most fit person to explain to you in extreme layman terms the very basics of Steemit to get you started. Steemit is at first a very weird concept. It contradicts everything we know about how life and money and social media work. It sounds like a total scam. "Free money." To people hearing this it sounds absolutely preposterous. Yes, crypto currency operates under a completely different paradigm than fiat currency which is banker owned. Crypto currency is created by real regular people, and it's designed so that it can't be corrupted and can always be in the hands of the people. I'm not going to go into this here. This is the very basics of Steemit. As you're here a while and you're in the crypto space, you'll start to meld with this new paradigm. But for the very beginner, no, this isn't a scam, and it's not a fad or an idea that's going to die. This is extremely leading edge stuff. It will take a little time to get used to this new paradigm, but give it a chance. Open yourself up to possibility, and this new paradigm will sink in in time.
If you're not already acquainted with what the blockchain is, give this a quick read before you read on: A Super, Super Basic, Non-Technical Explanation of Blockchain and Bitcoin
Now, congratulations on getting your account approved!
The reason you had to wait for approval is because Steemit starts you off with a little bit of Steem so you have a little something to work with so that you can get to upvoting people.
Steem is the currency we use on Steemit.
What is your upvote? Do you pay for it?
Your upvote to another Steemian isn't paid from your wallet. New Steem is created every day, and when you upvote someone, you're allotting a certain amount of the new Steem that's created every day to that person for that post. The value of your upvote is based on what's in your wallet. You can also upvote yourself. It works the same way as upvoting someone else' post works. You can upvote your posts and your comments.
The more Steem you get in your wallet, the more your upvote to others is worth.
That means that when you upvote someone, Steemit allots a larger portion of the new Steem created every day to that Steemian based on your upvote. You can buy Steem and use the Steem you bought to gain more power on the platform as well as use that money to make more money. The more you have, the more you make.
You get paid for upvoting people.
This is called curation. The more money you have in your wallet, the more money you get for upvoting a person. When you upvote someone, you receive a percentage of the upvote that's allotted to that person in your wallet at the time of that post's payout.
Re-steeming
Re-steeming a post is also called curation. You can re-steem a post by clicking on the little arrow at the bottom of a post near where it shows a post's upvotes. This shows up in your blog . People who are following you will see that you re-steemed this post in their feeds along with any of your other new posts.
How do you get paid on Steemit?
You collect upvotes on your post for seven days. After seven days, upvoting for your post closes, and the money is allotted to your wallet. When you click on your wallet, you'll see that you have some SBD and some Steem available. Remember how I said Steem is the currency on Steemit? Well, we also use SBD. Click the "redeem" button on the top, and that money will instantly be distributed to your wallet.
Steem
The Steem currency you get is allotted to your Steem Power which increases your influence on Steemit. It makes your upvote more valuable. You can power this down, which is how you can actually spend your Steem. This happens over a period of time. When you power down, a percentage is powered down into liquid Steem every week.
SBD
SBD is immediately available for you to spend and trade. In America, if you want to spend your SBD, I recommend ordering a BitPay card, which is a Visa debit card that you can use anywhere you use any Visa debit card. More on this later.
What is your reputation?
This is the number in parentheses next to your username. When a Steemian with a higher reputation than you upvotes you, it increases your reputation. So by posting articles on Steemit, videos on Dtube, streams on dlive, photos on Steepshot, and comments that people like, you gain reputation. Reputation says how much people like your content. You'll start with a reputation of 25. Your reputation can go lower if people flag your comment or post. Don't spam or be annoying. The highest reputations I've seen are in the mid-seventies.
How often should you post?
Steemit as a platform recommends posting no more than four times per day. This includes the dapps like dtube, dlive, and Steepshot. These apps are connected to the Steemit site, and when you post there, they will also show on Steemit. If you post more than four times per day, you lose visibility on your posts.
What do you do with the Steem you earn?
Most people will tell you to hold it because it will be very valuable in the near future, but if you want to use it, you can very easily! If you're in America, you can easily order yourself a bitpay card. It costs next to nothing and is a Visa debit card that you can use anywhere! I've transferred money into my checking account from my BitPay card and used it at every store. I've also paid bills with it over the phone. The only place that couldn't accept it was Dollar General from my experience. Their system was too old to process the card.
Now, you have to get your Steem over to that card, which is pretty easy, yet maybe a little cumbersome the first couple times you do it. Go to your wallet, click the little arrow next to "Steem" or "SBD", and in the dropdown click sell. You'll be directed to Blocktrades. Indicate in the sell field whether you want to sell Steem or SBD and how much you want to sell. You need to sell them for either Bitcoin or Bitcoin cash. You can transfer either Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash directly onto your Bitpay card to use as US fiat dollars anywhere you would use a regular Visa debit card.
You'll need the Bitpay app on your phone. You'll have either a wallet for Bitcoin and/or Bitcoin Cash. You'll click "receive," and you'll copy that address. You'll paste that address onto the appropriate field on Blocktrades. Then you wait for the funds to be received into your BitPay wallet (up to about a half hour), and you'll transfer them over to your card. BitPay is very user friendly.
Ok, how do you actually get somewhere on this platform?
It seems like a giant, chaotic, and confusing pool at first. But you'll find your way. Just start clicking around and reading and commenting on people's posts. You'll make some connections. Post every day! Start finding your voice. When you comment, people will click your profile, and if they're interested in what you share, they'll follow you.
Steemit is positively brimming with opportunity, and the opportunities that are available are too much for a very beginner to really grasp. But there's very good reason for you to stay. Be patient. Be here to connect with leading edge people and share yourself creatively. The money can take time. Let the expression and the connection be enough for a while. But you are getting so much more by being here. Who knows what the small amount of Steem you have now will be worth in a few years. Also, there are a lot of innovative movers and shakers here for you to connect with.
There are going to be a lot more questions that come up for you as you move around on this platform. It's a learning experience for sure! These are the absolute basics to get you started here. Welcome!
I wrote this as a guide that we can share to our friends coming to the platform. If we see someone new, here's an easy to understand intro you can link them to.
What is Steemit?
Steemit is a social media site on the blockchain. The blockchain is a revolutionary technology which decentralizes power and money. Steemit is the hottest new blogging site where we reward each other with cryptocurrency for contributing valuable content by upvoting it. Each upvote gives the content producer Steem, which is a currency on the blockchain that can be held as an investment or traded for US dollars! Accounts are free, and when you sign up you're given free Steem to begin upvoting content you like. You can also start earning Steem yourself!
How do you become part of this vibrant, leading edge community?
Go to https://steemit.com and click "sign up."