It’s time to take off for my 2 weeks vacation in Spain and I would like to thank Steemit for my 1st month on this awesome platform! Almost 100 followers, thank you so much for your loyalty!

Before catching my flight, I would like to share some thoughts on my Steemit experience up until now:

1. The idea of creating a Blog

Before even becoming a member of Steemit, I thought about creating a Blog. However, creating a Blog on any other platform takes time and a lot of effort, if you want it to be great.

My loving partner, who is a crypto-enthusiast saw my interest in writing and sharing with others. He talked to me about Steemit and I immediately fell in love with the concept.

After taking a course on Udemy by Hive account@joeparys, I created my account and got started. At first, the platform seemed a bit overwhelming to understand. So I did some more research till I was ready to create my first Blog post. It turned out to be pretty simple and I learned the basics of Markdown for editing. In my opinion, Steemit is a great platform for anyone to start out a Blog and ‘’test’’ their marketing skills by getting rewarded!

2. Small fish in a big sea

Like many minnows out there, I wondered how I could get my Blog posts noticed and build a following. With so many members in the great big sea of powerful dolphins and whales, how was I going to achieve that?

So I did the first thing Hive account@joeparys and Hive account@jarrybanfield suggested: invest in Steem and power up! By investing in Steem, you gain more Steem Power and therefore your upvote is worth more. You also contribute to making the value of Steem and the platform stronger. So for me, it’s a win-win situation.

We want Steemit to thrive? Well, investing is definitely a great way to contribute to its long-term success. Investing helps you gain influence on the platform and may eventually help you grow from a small fish to a dolphin or whale.

3. Steemit is a marathon, at least at first

I read this phrase in a couple of Blog posts (sorry, I forgot the names of the authors) and I believe it is 100% true. From what I’ve learned in the past weeks, having a Blog on Steemit comes with a certain level of commitment. Especially if you want to evolve in the platform by gaining followers, upvotes, having people comment and resteem your posts. I have committed to Steemit daily (except Sundays) by doing the following:

• Draft quality posts daily (including editing) and publish 1-2 posts weekly. For now, publishing daily is impossible for me and I am not really sure about how efficient that is.
  Read all the comments in my Replies tab. I will normally upvote and comment them as well. If they’re not spam, all replies deserve my attention.

• Take the time to go through my Feed and read the articles of members I am following. If the post interests me, I will take the time to upvote, comment and maybe even resteem. I figure, if you follow someone, the least you can do is read them and encourage them!

• Visit the #introduceyourself tab and welcome new steemits. I try to do this daily but if not possible, at least 2-3 times a week. I feel it is really important to encourage new members.

• Read articles of my fellow friends on Steemit Discord servers like Steem Quebec and the Steemit Promo Server. I’ll upvote, comment and maybe resteem any post I find interesting.

4. Community vibes, joining Steemit Discord servers

This has probably been one of the most positive experiences I’ve had since joining Steemit. I had never been on a Discord server before, but it’s pretty simple to navigate. Just by following the rules on each server and introducing myself kindly, I have had the pleasure to interact almost daily with fellow steemians everywhere in the world.

I encourage ALL minnows to join several Steemit Discord channels and make the best out of this whole innovative blogging experience. Here are some of the servers I have joined:

• P.A.L. by the Minnow Support Project: https://discord.gg/6ghv54
  On Channel #TeamCanada-eh, special mention to: Hive account@kubbyelizabeth, Hive account@crimsonclad, Hive account@jfolkmann, Hive account@thekitchenfairy, Hive account@juliakponsford and other really nice Canadians who have been very welcoming

On Channel #Love and Light, special mention to Hive account@staceyjean and Hive account@ecoalex

• Steem Québec: https://discord.gg/hRhXNK
  Special mention to @Soushi888, Hive account@helo, Hive account@natashayacinthe1 and Hive account@orlandumike. It feels so great to be part of this community and I can’t wait to meet you all in person!

• The Steemit Promo Server: https://discord.gg/SE6eYW
  Special mention to Hive account@denoxblogger who started the server and Hive account@tristanoliff, who is also part of our Canada team on P.A.L!

5. Delegation, Steem Power sharing

Earlier I mentioned that investing in Steem is a great way to gain Steem Power and contribute to the value of Steem. So let’s say you’ve invested and would like to share some of your steem power with other members. You may ask yourself, how do I delegate?

Here is a post that explains it well: https://steemit.com/delegate/@zeartul/how-to-delegate-steem-power-the-easy-way-if-you-have-over-30-sp-you-can-delegate

I’m a generous person, so even if I’m not a dolphin or whale, I love the concept of sharing with others. I decided to delegate some of my Steem Power to two community projects-accounts that I hold dearly:

• Steem Québec: https://steemit.com/@steemquebec
• The Minnow Support Project: https://steemit.com/@minnowsupport

Both community projects have helped me grow and I would like to return that favor. Besides, my little contribution can help many other members of those communities as well!

Awwww, isn’t it a great feeling to share?

Alright, so that is about it for now and my steemit experience. I might have forgotten some stuff, but I can save it for future posts. Overall, I am loving the Steemit experience!

I am heading out for my Spanish vacation extravaganza, but....

I’LL BE BACK!