Because of the joint existence of STEEM, and Steem Dollars, it is sometimes dfficult to understand what these are used for. Here's a short guide to help you figure out what they could be used for.

Steemit creators could have decided to reward us with only Steem Power, but @ned and @dan were wise enough to create the Steem dollars.

Albeit STEEM has more important value and importance, Steem Dollars are probably the first thing you notice on steemit, and for some people, the reason to be here.
They are called "dollars" but actually are not. In order to withdraw them and get real Dollars (or Euros), you need an account on a partnering cryptocurrency exchange platform like bittrex, where can exchange them for bitcoins.

---

Steem dollars, called SBD, are more than just quick money or an illustration of your stories success. They can be the fuel of your success if you use them wisely.

Here are 3 options to make the best out of them:

---

OPTION1: Keep them, and wait for the interest rate to kick-in

Steemit wants you to keep your steem dollars, and therefore has an interest rate of 10% annually (edited).
It's a lot, and if you are not ready yet to use them (because you did not finish reading this post) , it's a great incentive for keeping them. Special perk: your credit-score does not matter !

---

OPTION2: Invest in STEEM POWER

What to do with your first $10 of SBD (Steem dollars) ?
A great way to empower your account and trade these SBD into STEEM (the other cryptocurrency running on steemit).

Once you have STEEM, you now need to power up your account.

Powerin up will convert STEEM into steem power, and will allow you to:

• give your (self upvoted) posts more immediate visibility.
• yield more rewards when upvoting content
• and therefore act as a steem-pump to help you become a power-user

---

OPTION3: Invest for the Steemit community. Use the money to make something unique !

If you decide to get the cash out (US$), then the best ay to invest in steemit, is to reinvest this cash.
It can be cool t-shirts, billboards, or even a tattoo.
I like this example where the user @guerrint got a video crew and created original content. She invested in a cool t-shirt and interviewed people on the street to tell them about steemit. As you can see by the rewards on her blog, it was a very smart investment !

And if you are powerful enough to generate big bucks, why no go on a holiday and post the story here on steemit ?
This is what @heiditravels did: she simply cashed out the steem dollars and decided to go on a trip in Peru. With the help of fresh money, she can continue to write the great posts that made her famous for.... and continue to generate money.

---

In the end, I hope this post it helped you figure out more what you could to to invest in steemit using your only steem dollars rewards.
It's a great starting capital which can help you make the difference between the other minnows.
In the end, what matters is not the money, but what you will do with it: *your stories.

As I like to say:

If you are here for the money, then you are probably not worth staying.

@sebastien