Newbie Steemians | Do's and Do Not's | 8 Tips

(Photo by John Jason. Used with Permission)

After reading @brandonscalera post about things not to do on #Steemit, I second his argument. There's dozens, if not hundreds, of random articles about how to "get rich" or make it big on Steem, but not many practical articles about things to avoid here on Steemit.

My hope is to give you something to think about as you start blogging here. I'm fairly new to this platform and have learned a few things at a rapid rate.

So here goes :

1 - SLOW DOWN
Don't be so quick to type the first thoughts that come to mind. Do some reading before you go nuts on posts. The more you read and think about what you want to do, the better your articles will be. There's a million things you can discuss, so slow down and think about what you can do that would be a good contribution.

(Photo by Daniel Monteiro. Used with Permission)

2 - STICK WITH WHAT YOU KNOW
What is your passion? What is your favorite restaurant or type of food? What makes you happy? Talk about things you have a good understanding about. Posting articles about random things doesn't bring much information to the table. Tell me why I should try your favorite spot? We want to know what goes on on your side of the fence. Writing about topics that you have no passion for, aren't into or have no working knowledge about will become very evident, once people read. You won't get loyal followers or repeat visitors by writing about nonsense.

(Photo by Harm Weustink. Used with Permission)

3 - USE IMAGES
Don't just google a term and rip off the first image you see. Visit free photo sites or google the term "public domain images". You can't just go and rip off pictures you didn't take. There's a whole hierarchy to the types of attribution you have to give. I just stick with the easiest options - Public Domain or images from my own camera. Occasionally, a photographer will give me permission to use their photos however I see fit, but I try to stick to easier things. I'm not making money at it and the least I can do is give proper credit, if it's warranted. Once in awhile, I might see an album cover to use on discogs or amazon, but that doesn't happen very often. My preferred free site of choice is UNSPLASH

(Photo by Joe Yates. Used with Permission)

4 - SPAM IS TRASH - SO DON'T SPAM
This platform, like most, is littered with poor people from all over the world. Everyone is trying to make a buck doing this. They'll post about the latest coin offering, hype up an affiliate product hoping you'll click the link and buy it, or try to create other meaningful ways to get you to buy stuff, so they can put food on their table. I don't blame them. Hell, I've even been in that boat before. The trick to developing a good reputation and loyal following is to be honest, show us your personality and stop trying to sell us something. We're all doing the same thing. If you want to stick out, let us into your world. Bring something worth my time and the rest will take care of itself. If people resonate with your writing, they'll retweet, share and spread the word. You don't need to con anybody to do that. Your sincerity will ring true.

(Photo by neONBRAND. Used with Permission)

5 - SCREW THE QUID PRO QUO
Upvote For Upvote is bullshit. There, I said it. The Facebook Groups and "schools" are full of people claiming "I'll upvote for an upvote". This is rigging the system and can get you into trouble quickly. Not only do many of these people not reciprocate, they usually will get banned or flagged within months. There's no reason to get mixed up in that, if you are here for the right reasons. If you don't care about #steemit and are only here to make a quick buck, you should probably stop reading my posts or this article. It's not for you. I'm striving to make this platform a better place by bringing honest feedback to the table. I'm searching for articles and thoughts that inspire me to be a better person. It's hard to do that in the sea of crap known as UFU or QPQ. If you want to find your Upvote rings, go to Facebook.

(Photo by bamagal. Used with Permission)

6 - DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE
Thousands of people on this platform are having you believe that they are someone they are not. Think about it. You go to Linked In and you see all of these people doing amazing things. We all have accounts that are putting our best image forward, in hopes that we will meet peers/colleagues/future employers that will hire us. There's some truth in our profiles, but there's a lot of Utopian "feel good" vibes that makes us look more important than we are. For example : I'm the owner of 15th Street Marketing. This looks great on that resume, but in actuality, I've been a disabled freelance copywriter for over a decade. Most people can't handle reality, so we all run the rat race and put on our best clothes and hope to be "liked." I'm just as guilty of this as anyone else. Just because you read something online, doesn't mean it's 100% accurate. Be dilligent and don't fall for any quick pitch or idea. The reality is that there are many people on here desperate to earn money and if they can be friends with you for 5 minutes, earn your trust, they'll try to get some of yours.

(Photo by Verena Yunita Yapi. Used with Permission)

7 - AVOID CRYPTO CHATTER
If you have legitimate experience in the cryptoverse, buying crypto, working your portfolio on an exchange or have a great rig for mining, then you should totally be writing about your experiences. If you don't know much about this stuff, quit posting recycled garbage you get from other sources. The experts need to be our guide. If you have nothing original to contribute to the discussion, why are you clogging up my newsfeed with "Bitcoin going down" or "Ethereum going up" articles? What makes you the expert? Why should I trust you for crypto news? Go against the grain and stick with what you do know.

(Photo by Thought Catalog. Used with Permission)

8 - STAY IN YOUR LANE
This goes back to #2. We're meeting you for the first time. Be who you are. Don't present a false image of yourself, in hopes I will "like" you. I either will or I will not. If you stay true to yourself, you'll meet better quality people and build a better follower base here on steemit. Don't chase the money. Everyone else is doing that. If you are impatient and can't wait, you might as well quit now. If you are wanting to meet people and be a part of a community, then seek out posts that interest you. Leave comments for other writers. I mean decent comments of thanks. Tell them WHY you liked their post. It makes their day, as much as yours. You will see your reputation score go up, as you continue to leave comments and search for articles that you like.

(Photo by Israel Sundseth. Used with Permission)

Most importantly, have fun with this. We're all here to learn. Some want money and don't want to put in the time. Others are here to educate themselves. Be yourself. Comment when you feel inspired to. Ignore the rest. I hope this article has given you some perspective and helps you avoid some of the pitfalls and traps that are out there.

#socalsteemit