Let's start off with how you got here. If you found this on your own, you are very intrigued by the concept of steemit. If you found out through a friend you are riddled with anxiety thinking about all the money you are gonna make, right? Wrong! Hang up that attitude at the door. Steemit is bombarded with new users daily who will post random click bait & junk they find on the internet with high hopes of making the next viral post. Though these posts are permitted they should not be your intentions. Steemit has all sorts of users, the best/profitable users are original. These people spend time taking/creating their own pictures, writing original content, citing sources when needed & communicating with fellow users.
Calling all trolls! We don't take kindly to your kind 'round here. No seriously, trolls have a horrible reputation on steemit. When someone is seen trolling on the regular they will be punished. The higher ups or whales (we'll get into this later) do not put up with trolling and you should be thankful for that. They do a great job flagging most trolling users. When you are flagged by a whale for trolling you will no longer have a chance to make money. Obviously you are entitled to an opinion, just remember that everyone doesn't have to have the same one! Be kind & courteous to all users!
This is a term you're going to see be thrown around steemit ALL the time. Whales are people who have the most power on steemit. The upvote of a whale can be the deciding factor if your post is popular or not. Whatever you do, don't go whale baiting - they're not into it. Instead provide content that is awesome and helps the platform succeed. If you're reading this your probably a minnow. If you know anything about minnows you know that they are only useful as a school. If you have one thousand minnows swimming they can be pretty powerful! Yes, hundreds of them will probably be picked off over time but the ones who make it will grow up to be larger fish. Cliche? probably, but it's true.
This is going to be the most important part of being a newbie. Yes you are a minnow. Yes it will take time to grow. In the meantime you need to start linking up with other minnows. Start browsing some new content! Check out people with similar interests as you or maybe learn something new! Drop a comment and let them know what you thought about the post. If you didn't actually read the post then don't comment. There is nothing people hate more than reading a comment that says: "Hey this is super interesting - I followed you - follow back please!" Does that seem like a way to get long term followers? No!
I can't stress this one enough! If your post doesn't have pictures the views will suffer, it may not even be seen. The thumbnail for your post (the first picture) is going to initially grab the attention of potential viewers. The following pictures will keep the attention of your viewers. Use pictures to break up long paragraphs, nobody wants to read a paragraph that looks like the latest Game of Thrones novel. Keep the reader engaged!
Last but not least! If you have any questions comment them below. I am on here pretty frequently and will get back to you as soon as possible. The only dumb question is the one that is not asked. If I don't know an answer, I will be able to point you to someone who does!