You don't have to steal someone else's voice! You have your own!

Every day I see accounts posting stolen images and content.

But they don't have to.

They could make money on here without stealing content. They just have to learn a few tricks, then start making their own! Of course, it won't be easy, but that doesn't mean you can't do it.

First, know the rules!

1. Don't use stolen content! This means you only post content that you have gotten permission to use. Don't just use random images from Google! The only possible exception to this is memes, which can have their own legal issues that I don't really want to get into.

2. Upvote good content. This means you don't sell your vote, buy someone else's, or trade it. There's a bit of controversy here over bid bots, but sorry to break it to you, they go against the social rules of this place. If you're selling your vote, you aren't curating, which is part of your job as a user here. Upvote content that you like and enjoy and think is what this place needs more of.

3. Don't spam. There are many definitions of spam, but it's really annoying, so just don't do it. Don't post the same or similar messages to a bunch of people. Don't post your links places where you don't have permission to post them. Simple as.

There are other rules, but these are the main ones. So lets get on with how to make posts, and MONEY!!!

Before that though, one small disclaimer. You probably won't make a ton of money here. You might not even make enough to make it worthwhile. You might be better off writing for a freelance site.

With that being said, let's get on with it!

You can use free images!

Images that are free to use are relatively easy to find. Finding various ways to get them is as easy as googling "find free images".

There's a pretty good article linked on the welcome page about how to find free images to use as well. (You did read the Welcome page, didn't you?)

Don't Plagiarize Images! Here are 13 free (and Legal) ways to find high quality photos you can use on Steemit. by @mindover

The way I usually find free images is number 2. I go to images.google.com and after entering my search term, click tools, then click "Usage rights" and go down to "Labeled for reuse".

Finding them is the easy bit though. After you find them, you have to know how to use them.

_(source)

Above is an image that I found while searching google for free images. I used one of the simplest methods to reference a source here, because the image is CC0 licensed, and the source didn't tell me who took it, or when. Legally, I'm not required to reference the source for a CC0 image, but it's good to do so anyway, so people know that you didn't copy it illegally.

Many licenses require more than this though, so you should include who took the image, if it says, as well as a link to where you found it. I suggest you read a few guides on how to do this until you are absolutely sure you are doing things right and that you are allowed to use an image under its license.

Posts don't have to be hard!

Every post you make doesn't have to be super difficult or hard. You don't have to write essays. There are many different types of content that you can make.

Try going through the photos that you've taken over the years, and see what comes to you. Maybe you can write about that trip that you took up to the mountains, or that band you saw, or the time you went with your family to that river. Or maybe you just wanna post about your cat. There are all sorts of things that you can post about!

Try going around your house, and see if there's anything that you can write a post about. Maybe you have some wood carving that you got as a present or a picture of your grandma that took care of you every summer. Maybe you can write a post about sewing, or your stereo. There are so many options!

Try writing poetry or a story! Poetry doesn't have to rhyme. Search for a free image, find one that you like, and see what comes to you.

Talk about your work colleagues, or that girl you saw at the train station, or the old guy that's always sitting on the bench that you walk past every day.

I'm sure there are also lots of things that you like that are worth talking about as well. Maybe there's a movie you saw recently that you really liked, or maybe you like planes or cars. All of these things you can write about!

Search some guides on how to freewrite or write poetry or make memes.

All of us tell stories every day. Blogging is just the art of telling those stories in the medium of the web. You can do it. You can come up with all sorts of new things to talk about every day.

Keep posting quality content!

If you focus on posting unique original content and consistently post it every day, you will get a following! Don't worry if a post doesn't earn much. Just keep going.

It's not much harder to post quality original content than it is to copy someone, as long as you realize not everything has to be super long and complex. This isn't Wikipedia. This is a blogging platform. Let your voice be heard!