I've been planning to write about this for a long time but the Universe always had other plans for me. So here I am today, "putting on paper" all I need to say to newbies and not only!
Feel free to share what you think about all these things and let me know if I left something out. Any constructive opinion is welcomed!
I've been on Steemit for nine month now and have seen many things, good and bad and wors! Some people choose not to care and let things go saying it's none of their business. Passivity is not going to change things, that's my humble opinion, so today I'm going to try to summarize a few things and maybe help a few people to get better.
Content
This is one of the most important things on Steemit. Good content could get you a lot of followers, a high reputation, upvotes and Steem. What should you post? Don't ask me! One thing I can tell you is BE ORIGINAL! Post your own content, find a niche that suits you. I know it's easier said than done but it's not impossible.
Text Length and Formatting
Text Length
This is very important and not only for me, and the topic also divides people. Some people say the photo should speak for itself, no additional text is needed. others say text is always needed and I'm one of them. Many times I see a photo posted and would love to know more about the place or building on the photo. Sometimes I ask the poster, other times I don't.
You don't have to write a novel, but say something, add a short description, especially if you are hoping to get an upvote from the well known curators. Make an effort and write at least 50 words!
Another thing that I have to mention is posting for contests. Many of you are participating in photo contests that require a photo of a certain subject, which is great. The problem starts when you post a photo accompanied by a text like this: "This is my entry to ... or my contribution" and you name the contest and that's all. Some people copy the contest guidelines and post the photo. Don't do that! Apart from the photo, the text is not yours, even if you post the source. Make an effort and add some description, say something about that photo! You might get more than a few cents, have you thought about that?
Text Formatting
I still see people neglecting to use capital letters and punctuation marks. There is no character limitation here, this is not twitter,text formatting is essential if you want to get noticed.
Commenting
This is an interesting one. Some apps have a rewarding program regarding comments which is a double edge sward. It rewards users but also helps users to spam, especially those who have no idea or just don't care about rules. I could write a novel about this but I'm going to limit myself. 
"Examples of spam comments include (but are not limited to): "Nice post"; "I like your post"; "Nice picture"; "Good song"; "Great story", etc."
"A few words of advice on leaving good, thoughtful comments
- tell the post author what in specific you liked about the post, why you liked it and/or how it made you feel. If your comment is so generic that it could have been left without reading the post, it will not qualify for the Curie Comment Contest." source
Selfies
Some users are posting a selfie every day, and only selfies, nothing more! Well, sorry to disappoint you but no matter how beautiful or good looking you think you are, people are going to get bored of your selfies pretty quickly. There is fcb**k for that and other social media sites.
Following Others
Follow people for the right reasons! High reputation seems to be a magnet for new users, which can be good. Follow people with high reputation to learn from them. Don't ask for following or upvotes. Such actions can and are reported to 
Helping Others
Some people are really spammers and don't care about the rules, but others simply don't know. Before jumping to report them, try to help them by explaining what and how. English is not the first language for many of us and there can be language barriers. Helping new users is the best thing you can do!
Voting For Witnesses
This is another important matter that many people seem to neglect. Life here is possible due to witnesses. Voting for witnesses does not cost you anything. So please use your power and vote for the max number possible! Read more about this here
Voting
Voting someone's post reflects your support and appreciation. Your voting power is limited, I know. Some people are casting 100% upvotes, others less and there are people alwas commenting, always saying nice words about your posts and never upvoting. Don't do that!
I've seen cases where the user was only voting his own post. This is the ugliest thing you can do and can't get you far.
Using Your SDB and Steem
If you want to grow, the only way is to power up, to sell your SDB and buy Steem Power. You can invest your own money, of course. There are people powering down and taking out everything because their day to day life depends on what they are making here, I understand that, but if you're not in this situation, power up and don't let your Steem and SDB just sit there, use it!!
And the most important thing!!! Dont forget to vote!!!
VOTE HERE: Netcoins Coin Listing Contest
STEEM IS CURRENTLY #1 ON NETCOINS!
Check out my #SevenDaysOutside Challenge!
These are the days and the categories:
#WindowMonday – Windows
#DoorTuesday – Doors
#RustArtWednesday – Rust
#GateThursday – Gates
#StatueFriday – Statues
#BrickSaturday – Bricks (bricks only, no pavement elements or cobblestones please)
#StreetlampSunday – Street Lamps
Make sure you write a description of the photo you are posting. Share as much details as you can, like where that statue is placed (in a park, at a museum), what it represents etc. Make it enjoyable.
Use the #sevendaysoutside tag along with the daily tag and tag me, 
Goes without saying that you can only use your own photos. No paintings, no drawings, no digital art please! There is no prize here, this is just for fun.
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