Starting out on any social site can be intimidating, especially if you don't know anyone and Steemit has a steep learning curve. I know it took me a while to earn anything. It was a matter of trying to write good posts and engaging with others to build a following. I expect some may give up when they don't see early results.
Here's a suggestion for something we herring (big minnows?) can do. We don't have enough SP to give much with a vote, but we can still encourage people.
- Look through the New feed for people with a low reputation, e.g. under 40
- Check out what they are doing
- If it's good then vote them up and leave an encouraging comment. Can include tips, e.g. use more formatting and use the rights tags
- If you like it then follow them
- Publicise any cool new people you find, e.g. with #followfriday
I just did this with 
You can also let people know if they are doing it wrong. I found one today who was just copying from elsewhere without attribution. I told them that is not good practice and will get them flagged. Maybe they will learn from this or they will soon find out what happens.
Just helping a few each week may encourage a few more to stick with it long enough to start earning and building something special.
I think this needs a cool tag so we can discover new people. I use #followfriday for all sorts of users. What about #newblood ? I welcome suggestions.
