Photo credit: Wikimedia
Hello Steemians,
I've had a great first week on Steemit so far. I've met some nice folks and am learning a lot about the platform. While I still have a ton to learn, I'd like to take a little time to discuss what I've learned so far. Even though I'm one week into this, I hope to be able to help another newbie who is brand new and looking for guidance. Like I've been saying to my new cohort here: we newbies have to stick together!
My advice for those who are just getting started:
Commit to reading the FAQ page and all posts on the Welcome page in full. You do not need to read them in their entirety before you start posting; however, there is a ton of great advice on these posts. They were written by established members who want new people to succeed. Read a few of them each day, and by the end of the week, you'll have read all of them. The content here is well curated and thoughtful. They also serve as good examples for what we should aim for in our own posts.
Explore your interests. You don't need to be pressured to choose a niche right away, but eventually choosing a niche distinguishes your blog. At this point, I know that I can visit 
Engage. This is a platform where give and take is essential. We need to make sure that we are taking the time to comment on others' posts in addition to sharing our own work / thoughts.
Enter contests. This is a great way to get seen and receive some possible upvotes by influential Steemit members, assuming they like your work. The people who put these contests together are project managers, marketers, practitioners and fundraisers all in one. They have to promote, get others to help them promote and raise steem in order to reward winners. By entering contests, you're validating their work as well. This is another good example of how the platform requires give and take.
Say thank you to those who are taking the time to help you out. If there is a well-established Steemit member here who has stopped by your blog and left comments on your posts and/or upvoted your comments on their posts, be sure to thank them. And, with that in mind, I'd like to call out (in alphabetical order) some Steemit members who all either took the time to leave comments on or upvote my posts or who provided guidance / advice: 
Make sure your posts are well formatted. Taking the time to clean up your post in Markdown, the editor or raw html will ensure that others take your posts more seriously. I will admit that I've clicked away from posts that were not well formatted. With so many things competing for our attention, it's important to meet the minimal requirement so that people will want to keep reading your content.
My goals for this week:
- Learn difference between Dtube and Dlive.
- Finish reading the Steem whitepaper and bluepaper. (It may not be necessary to read these in order to succeed but I'd like to understand the ins and outs of this platform. Yes, I am a nerd this way)
- Enter at least two more contests.
- Continue to explore possible niches. Possibilities include learning how to program, cooking and writing / poetry.
As I learn more about these different areas in Steemit, I'll be glad to share my thoughts. Thanks for reading, and whether you're new here or well established, I look forward to connecting with you!