It's a tough life for a minnow in these waters! Or is it?
We all want to drop that one post and have a whale upvote it or even better upvote and follow us. But let's be realistic here is that even possible? With over 274, 477 post and replies from yesterday alone it's easy to get lost in this huge steemit ocean of content. As I was reading 
It dawned on me that although this seems like a huge number and it is, and we all should be proud of it. It's a very small number compared to the other social platforms which have been around for many many years. Twitter see's daily tweets in the hundreds of millions. Which means we can definitely make some waves with some whales.
But how does a minnow really get the attention of a whale? If we were swimming all alone in the ocean what are the chances of running into a whale? Slim to none. Is it possible of course, but highly unlikely if you are just randomly swimming around. So it comes down how to higher your chances to being noticed.
Now to do this we need to understand how the platform works. This really applies to pretty much all social platforms and in the real world. You need to understand what the value we bring to the table as a minnow. Which comes from what we can do on the site.
1. Post consistent great original content
Great original content will always shine eventually. At some point you put enough great stuff out there, someone will see it and give you some love. Always keep that in mind, great content. It's like being a minnow and now wearing a shiny hat as you swim in the oceans. At some point the sun might hit your shiny hat at the right time and boom a whale spotted you.
2. Engage with others
Now keeping in mind the theme of great content let's start to engage with others. But let's engage with great content. If you read about a post that intrigues you, why not contribute something to the post. But keep in mind great content. By doing this you might spark the interest of other fish in the sea. This is like now swimming into schools of fish and making a lot of noise. You will stand out!
)3. Build a following
Now that we are making a little noise in the ocean with our shiny hat, other fish might like your great content and start to follow you. Wow! Now you have a friend. Anytime you post something they might show some love and add to the post. Which continues to add value to your online presence. Which as you do this over and over again your school of fish that rolls with you becomes pretty big! The bigger your school of fish becomes the smaller the ocean seems and the more whales that might spot you.
4. Trading pennies for dollars
Adding great content and building a following is great. But money talks! As minnows we have 0.01 which seems like nothing. But the value of it is huge and very impactful. Because we can't give 0.01 to just everyone. We will run out. So because of that it's like the nicest thing you can do with your relationships. It's like saying keep up the great work to all your friends and giving them a penny. They might return the favour. Add all these up and now you might have a dollar, or whales might tip their hat off to you and show you some love and throw you a dollar.
)5. Nurture your relationships, don't chase votes
I think the biggest thing people do wrong in social media is forget about the people who have been watching and helping you along the way. Even if you have a big following and don't follow to many, respect those are constantly helping you through the process. You never know who will grow up and turn into that next whale. Why do you think some post that aren't the best receive so much votes and dollars. It's like having your school of fish all tip you for coming out for the day. They add up and pay you out. But it's because they have been rolling together for awhile.
6. It's a Marathon not a sprint
Don't think you can sprint through any social media platform and get results. Even the fastest fish in the sea take breaks and pace themselves. You'll tire out and in this case drown. Consistency is key. It's a lifestyle hanging out in the ocean with everyone.
Steemit is an amazing platform it teaches you how to use social media by paying you to use it. All social media platforms work the same way in terms of engagement and building a following, yet so many people think they understand how they work. But when you watch them on the platform they do it all wrong. Most people are just swimming around and aren't giving themselves a change to make it, or to catch a whale.
But then again what do I know I'm just a minnow haha 🐠
Just my $0.01
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