I first heard of Steemit around October of 2017. Honestly, I thought it was a joke. I mean, c'mon, who the hell is gonna pay people to do practically the same thing they do everyday on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. Not to mention when I brought it up to my wife, all she heard was "new social media platform". The conversation died right there.
Then, in December, I saw another ad on Facebook for the site. Intrigued once again, I went poking around.
I found real people, just like me, posting outstanding content. Content that blew away anything I was reading on any other social media site. And they were getting paid, with a real currency that has risen to command respect in the crypto world.
I feel I've been lucky since joining Steemit. I've aquired over 100 followers in a rather short period of time and have even had a few of my posts make some respectable rewards. I've also felt relieved at the lack of hostility in this corner of the internet. There is conflict, yes, but it is (from what I've seen) mostly handled with a civility not found anywhere else unfortunately.
Steemit has pretty much replaced my other social media efforts,. Mainly because it really feels impossible to get heard over the din of political trolling and downright nastiness.
I love this platform and hope to be a useful and productive member of the community..... Also I hope I win this contest.
Peace