Hiya :) happy Tuesday!

Only a week of steemit and I've already hit my first 100 followers! Wow. This has been the most inviting, exciting and addicting platform I've ever been apart of and its all thanks to this incredibly supportive community. Unlike most mainstream social media platforms, the people of steemit are very kind and I havent seen any hate or drama (knock on wood). So far every person I've encountered, whether I stumbled upon their post or they commented on mine, seem to want to lift each other up and this creates such an incredible place for inspiration. During this short but incredible week, I've learned quite a bit that might help a fellow minnow or inspire a fellow developer. ;)

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Three things I've Learned:

1. There's no shortcut to gain engagement/followers. And even if you find one, dont take it. One of the biggest enjoyments is the process of engaging and creating genuine connections with fellow minnows and dolphins (and maybe even whales). When I see familar names pop up in my comments on various occasions, it makes my heart flutter a little with the thought that these people have returned to my page and post because theyre genuinely interested in what I have to share. The sense of community that you build ends up being much more rewarding than the "rewards" anyways.

2. Contests are the key for creators/artists looking to get more engagements. There's no one that showcases your work better than you. I know that's a bit redundant but it's very true. There's no better way to get involved in the community than by showing your support and spending time on a piece of art for an entry for a fellow steemian. It's a win win for both parties. Especially if it's a contest that isnt very popular, you're showing your genuine support by participating. There are tons of different types of contests everything from writing to music to artwork. As an artist it's refreshing to be taken out your comfort zone every once and while and hell, you might even win!

3. There's a lot more shit that I don't know. I've never been in love with a website or game or anything this much that was still in Beta. So things are constantly updating and changing and there are devs who are create different tools for new features. So after spending hours on hours daily trying to teach myself as much as possible I've learned that there's a LOT more to learn. Which goes right into my next point..

Three things I would change/add:

(hey devs, wink wink)

1. Private Messaging. Okay okay so I know some of you are thinkings well there's steemit chat and there are tons of discord servers! Well yes there are, but it would be so much more convenient to directly message a person instead of having to comment on their thread when it may not even apply

2. Saving Posts. As a minnow, I've come across some extremely helpful posts with various links to other site and tools that I would have loved to save. I'm not the type to go digging through my history looking for "that one thing that that one person said that was really important but I cant remember" even though I probably should be. Unfortunately, I've never been the type to bookmark things either. There are so many great stories that I've read that I would love to archive for a future whim of inspiration. My go to "saving" process right now is commenting on the post and if I want to find the post again I look through all my comments. There has to be an easier way..

3. Notification Settings. There are a few things that I love about the notifications and a few that I think would thrive with minor improvements. I love the fact that I get a little red number whenever someone I follow posts, but I would like the option of toggling that off and on. I like the fact that ig/twitter has option to turn on/off post notifications for different account I follow, I think that option would do very well on this site as well. Lastly I think being notified of a new follower is very important, especially as a minnow/newbie. Those first hundred followers are cherished and getting the notifications that the number has gone up slightly can make someone's day. (I know I'm lame ok I just like you guys)

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And last but not least most importantly, my steemit animation!! A few days ago when I uploaded my first animation I told you all that as this community grew, I would add more to it. And I, as a lady of her word, I had to uphold my promise (ps I've been binging GoT hardcore for the 2nd time before July 16th eee! Anyone else??)

Anyways I'm posting later than usual today because it took me literally 3 hours to finish this gif... and its 3 seconds long lol. I didn't realize how difficult it is to draw a fish facing forward. But still.... I have to figure out a more efficient way of making animations that wont break my bank.

lots of minnow kisses,

Lauren