My Steemit Experience (My Story)

"Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well."

Most of us would have heard this saying a lot in our lives, but nowhere has it been more impactful for me, than on Steemit. So today, I will honour the invitation post of our wonderful friend and administrator @belenguerra, by telling my own Steemit Experience story, and this is a tale I have not written about before.

If you have been reading my recent posts, you would have remembered that I also promised here to write about the nostalgic feeling I get whenever I think of my early days on Steem.

Well, here it is at last...

MY STEEMIT EXPERIENCE STORY

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Image by yogesh more from Pixabay

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Back in late 2017, I had just finished my project in School and was torn between having to go back home and stay idle, or trying to get by on some low paying jobs which I could find around the campus environment where I stayed. I eventually opted for the latter option, and started working as a content writer/editor for an online magazine focused on students.

The company was a start-up and did not pay much back then, and most times salaries were delayed. So it was quite difficult, especially as no more funds was coming from home as pocket money at the time.

So, one day I was scrolling through posts on Instagram, and I came across an advert for writing and earning on Steemit. I wasn't sure about it, but I joined the WhatsApp chat group that was shared. I even still had my doubts when the person who shared the post (@emilio45) told us about it.

We were many then. There was @djoi, @chinyerevivian, @olatuyimichael and a lot of others that I cannot remember right now. We all joined, and some made their introduction posts, but I did not. Not until seven days later when I realized that my stubbornness had lost me the chance to earn some funds to purchase data. Lol...

There I was, my data was about to finish, and others were speaking of their earnings in the group, and all I could do was watch. That night though, I made my first post. So it began...

One thing about Steemit back then was, until you find your niche, your friends, or your regular online contests, earning was hard. Now, it has been made much better with communities like the Steemit Academy, Newcomers community, and Steemit Nursery. Things are now way more organized than when I first joined.

I quickly realized back then however, that my route to being seen or as it were, being read, was through contests. So I started writing short stories. That is one secret I have never written about before. Steemit actually inspired me to write my very first short story. Prior to Steemit, I only wrote poetry, and I believed I could not do prose. Well, one glance at my page would throw that belief out the window now. Lol...

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Anyways, fast forward a few months, and I suddenly found that the phone upon which I was dependent for staying on Steemit had become bad. At the time, my earnings were just enough to get by, and I had nowhere to turn to in search for funds to get a new device. Guess where help came from... Of course Steemit. Oh, I had the best Steemit family back then, and that's where the nostalgia usually comes from....

The Bananafish family we called ourselves. Family members included the wonderful @f3nix, @calluna, @theironfelix, and a bunch of other super fellows. They came together and donated Steem, and for the first time since I started writing, I started writing with a Steem Powered phone! It was amazing to say the least. But that was not all Steem did, or has done for me.

I remember my first curie vote. Oh Lord of mercy! If you were here in that time, you would know that curie votes were a big thing. Just like the curators votes are now. I felt like I was dreaming. I was at my National Service Year at the time, and I was having dinner outside with other service friends. I remember jumping and screaming like I just scored a goal. Oh boy! People were simply wondering what was happening. Boy, I wished they understood.

Image by André Santana AndreMS from Pixabay

So, after that, I started spreading the Steem gospel. I successfully recruited a lot of people including (but not limited to) @vinacares, @wems, @sublime92, @dubious-altruist, @fadekemie, and a host of others.

Image by GraphicMama-team from Pixabay

Because of the nature of the platform at the time, some of them were discouraged after a while. But now, I think if they can see this, they should return as things are definitely way better now. With organized communities, there is not only a sense of belonging, but a way of ensuring that you have an audience to see your work.

Anyways, I am beginning to feel all mushy talking about all of these now. So I would say one final thing...

What is the biggest thing that Steem has done for me?

Funny enough, it is not the earnings that has been the biggest for me. Instead, it is the fact that it provided a way for me to have an online library for all my writings. I cannot say how big of a help that has been.

I remember when I was interviewing for my current job, I included my Steemit blog in my CV, and when I was asked about my writing hobby, I referred them to the Steemit link. There, they could see that I had written no less than 500 short stories and poems, and it felt impressive even though the job was not necessarily a writing job. For me, it is that pride that comes with having some sort of portfolio for all my literary works. That for me, is the biggest impact that Steem has made for me.

But I must get to work now, and on this note I say... Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well.

The Steem dream lives on my friend, and you too can be part of it!

Feel free to share your Steem Experience too!

Cheers!