This is my first entry on Steemit, so let me introduce myself

Hello. I'm a veteran of Google Blogger. I've been blogging for more than 10 years now and I have thoroughly enjoyed the adventure on the trail of blogging. I am the owner and author of The Digital Firehouse blog (http://thedigitalfirehose.blogspot.com/). That trail has led me here. I'm not sure exactly how I found Steemit, but for about a week or so, I've been dancing around the edges of it, poking at it and looking at it and reading tutorials about it. Then I remembered something someone told me long ago: we learn by doing. So I uploaded a profile picture like the tutorials suggested. And I'm doing an introductory post.

So you can get a better idea of who I am, my name is Scott C. Dunn. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah where it snows while the sun is shining. Here is my picture so that you know that I'm a living, breathing human being:

I'm just a regular guy who happens to be an IT guy, a father, husband, and aspiring writer. I love to write and I have no plans to stop anytime soon.

In a past life, I used to write letters to the editor. I actually got inducted into the letter writers hall of fame at the Orange County Register for an article I did about the Microsoft antitrust trial. I wanted to write more over the ensuing years, but it was a hit and miss operation, and that tempered my enthusiasm for writing letters to the editor.

Sometime around 2006, I discovered Blogger by Google. I had found an outlet! I'd get up before the crack of dawn in the morning and write an article here and there and was pretty lackadaisical for a few years. Then around 2012, I started to get dedicated to writing articles for my blog and as my enthusiasm built up, I started writing articles almost every day. I have more than 800 published articles at my blog. But I must admit, it's quite a slog to see any financial reward for it. Ad-sense does not seem so generous.

In all that time on Blogger, I've earned enough for maybe a fast food lunch, and I'm not even a fast food fan. I've written for The Deseret News and KSL here in Salt Lake City, too. They were paying peanuts but I got huge pageview numbers and that got my attention.

Since then, I've been promoting myself on Google+, Facebook and Twitter. Lately, I can't help but have the feeling that my efforts to promote myself have been attenuated somehow. Maybe it's my lack of experience, choice of content to publish or some other factor I have not yet considered. All I know is that I'm getting a bit frustrated.

Then one day a couple of weeks ago, I discovered Steemit. I read some posts, and found some real enthusiasm from people who didn't really blog or write that much, but they enjoyed the idea of making a little bit of money here. "Come for the money, stay for the community", was what I got out of a post from a guy who spent 6 months on Steemit. So yes, I may be here for the money, but I want to be a part of a community of people. I love feedback just as much as writing. Let's just say I'm an optimist.

When I read the writing of other people, especially people I know well, I feel a certain kinship. When I read the writing of other people, I get a sense of their thinking, how they organize their thoughts and messages. I sort of try on what they're thinking to see if that works for me.

One thing I try to do in all endeavors is to leave my ego at the door. I also strive to err on the side of peace. I'm not interested in trolling, profane, or vindictive debates. I like polite and civil discourse and I promote it when I see it, and I have seen evidence of that here.

I just put the facts out there as I see them. I'm not here to convince you that I'm right or that anyone else is wrong as so much in life is subjective. I'm willing to be wrong and to admit the same. In all of my writing, and social media posts, including debates, I come willing to change my mind. I'm agnostic about life and outcomes so that I can accept new information, even if it contradicts what I thought I already knew.

I work in IT and I enjoy it a great deal, but writing is a lot more fun. I hope to share with all of you my thoughts, ideas and suggestions as they come. You'll find that I'm political, but I'm not zealous. I won't unfriend people over politics, because friends are more important than politics.

I've done Google+ and Facebook and Twitter and I'm ready for something completely different. I've read reviews by people who have been on Steemit for awhile I have found their posts very encouraging. That's what sold me on Steemit. So I'm going to wade in and see what happens next. That's all I'm here to do. I'm not here to prove or disprove if Steemit is right for me. I'm just here to see if it works for me as much as I work for it. I'm looking for a bit of symbiosis here.

As I wade in, I'll find people to follow, make a few comments and upvote a few posts. I'm patient and willing to try new things just to see if they work. Everyone has to start somewhere, so I might as well start here.