With my limited knowledge about technology, I find my self making this terrible comparison whenever I am asked about steemit. It usually happens when I see old friends and they ask that bone-shuddering question "Where you been? Are you not on Facebook anymore?" (Nowadays, not having a FB account is akin to having done a Reggie Perrin)
No, I tell them, I have not fallen off the edge of the earth and I haven't joined a cult ( I have actually had this said to me before! Absolute fuck-wits, some people ).
"I've left Facebook, it's toxic. I have found a website named steemit and I get paid in crypto-currency for my post" (Always said with a slight hint of smugness).
"Eh...?" (Always said with a hint of mugged-offishness) "What's steeming.com?"
"It's called steemit, you should come take a look. The site works by using Blockchain technology and incorporates it's own crypto-currency to reward good content"
And that is how it usually pans out. This leaves me frustrated because I know that steemit is so much more. Far more than FaceBook could ever wish to be and even more than just Crypto-currencies too.
steemit is so much more and I want to celebrate it, by showing how much you gain from being part of this great platform.
Before I had been shown the way to steemland, by James Corbett, I was writing for a site named deouncethedeception.com. At that time, my writing was even more basic than it is today and any mention of 'coding', would begin to revert me back to my Neanderthal roots. To cut a long story short. I was in a happy little rut. It's fair to say that I knew no better and I was doing the best I could, with the tools available, or so I thought...
Welcome to steemit. (Your life will never be the same again)
From the moment I recieved my green-light, I couldn't wait to see what this site had to offer. I had become totally disillusioned by FB and I relished having a new platform to connect with other folk. I must admit that I came onto steemit all guns blazing, took no notice of the welcome message and ploughed in, like British tourist at happy-hour.
What a error that was. I missed so much and now have to deal with a twinge of envy, every time I see another great @Introduction post. For anybody who is new to steemit and hasn't yet done there introduction post. Make the effort and go the extra mile to produce something with heart and passion. The steemit community is one of decentralization and it seems to hold a lot of love, so just be you and don't worry about your grammar!!
(That part can be improved, but we will get to that later).
I want to show you how good steemit is and the benefits you can receive by being an active member of the site.
Welcome to steemit. A community that wants it's members to flourish.
No, it isn't like FaceBook.
This is a school of free willed learning, with an open-sourced library that is second to none!
Unlike its evil-twin, Zuckerborg, steemit has a heart and does not wish to steer your mind in any direction, other than the one YOU CHOOSE. In-fact, while sites like FaceBook wish to twist reality and dull your mind, with a joint-effort system of social conditioning and data collection, steemit likes to work in the opposite direction. It wished to enrich it users with new talents and information that was once buried in sticky government algorithms.
Although I can only speak from my own experience, on steemit. I feel that I have shared an experience that many other steemians have gone through. I have been a part of the steemit community for approximately a year now. Only in the last 6 month's have I given the site any real attention. As I said before, it is VERY IMPORTANT TO READ THROUGH THE WELCOME PAGE. I did not do this and it spoiled my initial experience, through no fault of the platform. Luckily, I was wise enough to realise my haste. This has been the making of my profile and I have been rewarded. Not only have I been rewarded in SBD, I have been offered the opportunity to expand my mind.
The latter of these 2 discoveries has been the the most valuable part of this journey, so far.
I can not deny that the payouts I have received from the steemit community I have found, have been life-changing. And that is no understatement. Some would say that I am one of the lucky ones and I have just managed to find a whale pod. That may have some truth to it, but I can assure you that I have changed my ways and the effort I put into my article, deserves some reward. It has not happened overnight and I spent a good few months shouting into the wilderness. My first article may have been a little rough around the edges, but the content and effort matches much of what I produce today.
Elbow grease is one of the few thing not supplied by the steemit platform. That bit, you will always have to bring on the train, yourself.
PERSEVERANCE IS KEY TO SUCCESS ON STEEMIT. DON'T GIVE UP!
This post is not going to be about payouts. I am no whizz when it comes to the finer points of Bots, crypto-currency, mining coins, and probable out-comes. For that you will be better off going elsewhere. This post is about the knowledge you can gain and the talents you can acquire, just from being an active member.
It really is that easy.
Human Beings are instinctively curious, so just do what comes naturally and you will soon find yourself opening doors that you never even thought to try, before now.
Going through this self-improvement program, has involved many pen's, many note-pads, many hours reading and lots of cups of Tea! But boy has it been worth it!!
It is testament to the the design of steemit and the main reason that I have written this post. Whilst I have had to do much searching, to gain the production skills I now have. I have not had to leave steemit once. It has been the efforts of other steemians that have allowed me to access tutorials and other articles that have directed me to more useful steemians.
It is the gift that just keeps on giving!!
And this rule is not just tied to wanting to learn new skills. I have met most of my best, steemian, friends, through others recommending them to me. Through this and my own curiosity, when using the robust explorations tools available to steemit, I have managed to create the most varied community of virtual friends. At the click of a mouse I can now access information about subjects that would have been cut-off, at the pass, by Zukerborg cleansing bots. I have learned about Un-schoolin. I have learnded how to be more sustainable in my living. I have even learned how to use the markdown tools.
For anyone who knew me a year ago, they will know that I was a complete technophobe. I knew NOTHING about markdown, and I had no knowledge of any other platform to upload my videos, other that YouTube.
As of today, I have created my D-Tube account and have already begun uploading videos. This fantastic website is linked in with steemit and the compatible features it offers are exemplary. I doth my cap to who ever put that site together.
This brings me on to my final point about steemit.
This site is only in its infant stage and the work going on behind the scene will blow your mind!
As I have said, I am starting to take this movement a lot more seriously now. I am actively searching for posts that concern new add-ons, chat-rooms, editing tools and so forth - This should be the case for all steemians, as it only goes to benefit the website if you actively support those who try to improve its features - Because of the fantastic people who have seen what this site stands for, I have found this search an easy one to undertake. My own development has been a transformation of grand proportions, in relation to where I started.
I thank the steemit community ,so much, for this. You have enriched my life with a source of information that has allowed me to return to school and re-boot my corrupted files. Not only have I began to educate myself with this bounty of information, but I have also passed this hidden knowledge on to my young Daughter. For now Dad is un-cool and she fights to protect her abusive school education and main-stream social media platforms. But this won't last and as any parent will tell you, you just have to plant the seed and stand back.
Kid's are like horses. You can lead them to water but you can't make them drink it.
My daughter now has the inside track and for now, that is enough. She will come to her senses before long and hopefully be one of the many young inspirational characters to join steemit and enrich it with youthful imagination. I have been so surprised at the quality and integrity of some young authors here at steemit. You are a fine example of your generation and you help smash the myth that Millenials are a lost cause. Love is withing every human being and it is glowing bright on the shores of steemland.
Like a light-house for lost minds and frustrated creators, steemit must carry on raising the bar and showing how our technology can be used to our advantage. Intelligent technology does not have to control our lives and when the social media has been allowed to be developed with good will and intent, we find that it actually works with us and not against us. This beautiful website has the ability to enrich the lives of anyone who wishes to use it for that manner.
To give back to a website that has given me so much, I would like to pass on what I have learned and connect you with some of the great steemians who have helped me transform myself. More importantly, they have brought back a part of society that has been hidden from our view for too long. Please realise that steemit is a micro-society, and one that is modelling itself on a decentralised world.
I look at steemit from afar and see a hive of activity.
I look at steemit a little closer and I see a community, made up of many different beings.
I stop looking and pass through the door...
Now inside, I see its beating heart.
Many people.
Many nations.
Many religions.
Many beliefs.
One love.
THE WELCOME PAGE!! - https://steemit.com/welcome
A beginners Guide to Markdown by @gmuxx (Tools to help you with you writing and production) - https://steemit.com/markdown/@gmuxx/a-beginner-s-guide-to-markdown
@team-solutions - This is my second steemit profile that I use to promote post about life-hacks and anything else related to solving problems.(Use team-solutions as 1 of your 5 tags and I will up-vote and re-steem your post)
@familyprotection - As described above. Please support this group and if you have the capacity to donate, then that would be much appreciated( You can do this through your personal wallet. But don't worry if you don't know how to do that yet, I have some great tutorial links below)
How to steem by @gmuxx - https://steemit.com/steem/@gmuxx/how-to-steem
Watch out for scams!! by @blacksheepblog - https://steemit.com/keybase/@blacksheepblog/keybase-authenticate-steemit-users-avoid-scams-on-steemitchat-or-slack-encryption-conversation-team-work-the-safe-way
D-TUBE!!! Please register your account here. The whole idea of steemit is to help us break away from the main-stream. This can only be seen as a productive step towards a better society. WE MUST LEAVE YOUTUBE!! D-tube is awesome and just as easy to use - https://d.tube/
Reward system explained and why it pays to report spam!! A great post by a stemian I have only recently encoutered. by @vimukthi - https://steemit.com/steemit/@vimukthi/steem-reward-system-explained-why-it-s-not-a-ponzi-and-how-to-hunt-sophisticated-spammers-and-earn-few-bucks
You can use this page to report all kinds of STEEM abuse: https://steemcleaners.org/abuse-report/
@miti downvote: Just call for a downvote when you meet a spammer.
AN ABSOLUTE GEM!! A MUST SEE FOR ANY NEW STEEMIAN. By @flauwy - https://steemit.com/steemy/@flauwy/60-steem-video-tutorials-for-beginners-the-grand-steemy-collection
Very good explanation about voting. by @brettcalloway - https://steemit.com/upvote/@brettcalloway/new-upvoting-strategy-i-m-giving-away-upvotes-to-those-who-comment
How to use D-tube. By @yoshiko - https://steemit.com/japanese/@yoshiko/enjoy-steemit-how-to-use-dtube-dtube
Just some good advice. By @misterufem - https://steemit.com/promo-steem/@misterufem/4bseeb-getting-frustrated-on-steemit-take-this-advice
Familyprotection awareness campaign. by @entrepreneur916 - https://steemit.com/life/@entrepreneur916/update-family-protection-awareness-campaign
Worthy steemians - @vickiebarker, @trucklife-family, @richq11, @misslasvegas, @steeminganarchy, @outwalking, @canadian-coconut, @solarsupermama, @daykini5d, @informationwar, @enjoywithtroy and last but not least, @markwhittam.
enjoy your time on steemit and try not to take things to serious. Peace and love to you and yours.
Written by Rebel Dan.
Neanderthal Image sourced from - https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjg39rLiYrZAhURZFAKHYu3AUsQjRx6BAgAEAY&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdavidwhiting.today%2F2013%2F11%2Fporn-makes-you-dumb.html&psig=AOvVaw037dH5QSGHmuDbblQTIDWH&ust=1517758603306076
Evolution image sourced from - https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiDuPT-iYrZAhWOY1AKHQ7EA70QjRx6BAgAEAY&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cafepress.com%2F%2Bsteemit_evolution_puzzle%2C2025378253&psig=AOvVaw1jIFjDjzxVF4mTBkASP2dG&ust=1517758696488565