Introduction

In order for the Steemit ecosystem to evolve into a respectable reliable source for quality content we need to establish some Steemit Best Practices. These best practices should set a guideline of some of the things a writer should include and consider when sharing information with the steemit community.  This post is meant to evolve over time and I welcome any feedback to improve it.

Summary of Topics Covered

Formatting

• Headers
• Content, Amount and Clarity
• Images, where to get them and how to display them

Post Structure and Outline

• Introduction
• Summary
• Body - Flow is to follow
• Conclusion
• Citing your sources
• Proof read twice

Once Posted

• Answering to replies
• Visiting your supporters blogs and paying forward the love
• Proper etiquette
• Providing evidence
• Editing and Updating

Specialty Blogs

• Finding a niche and promoting it
• Unique URL forwarded

Extras

• Tagging
• Connecting posts
• Leaving your blog link

Formating

Perhaps the most important aspect when writing a post is that of formatting. This includes using a Title and Headings as well as how much content you include in each paragraph and any graphics, images, or videos you would like to display.

Headers

Headers can be found in your text editor where the drop down menu that displays the words “Normal”  can be seen. Do not complicate this as it is very simple. Always start with Heading 1 to introduce your content or a new section or content that you want to discuss. As your content narrows in scope use the appropriate Sub Header in the sequence that occurs naturally. 

Example:
If your subject is boogie boards.

Boogie Boards (Header 1)

Introduction to what this post is about.

Buying A Boogie Board  (Header 2)

NOTE:  You may have multiple header 2, one for each new subject.

Introduction to buying a boogie board

image

Types of Boogie Boards (Header 3)

Type 1  (Normal Bold Text)
Type one information

Image1

Type 2  (Normal Bold Text)
Type two information

Image2

Content

How you introduce and display your content is very important. You want your content to be easy to read and understand as well as contain some images which could include photos, graphics, graphs, or even videos. I will share free sources for images below.

Length of Content Paragraphs

A good paragraph will be at least 2 to 4 sentences in length and not move from one subject to another without starting a new paragraph. Always be thinking about where a good transition point would be between paragraphs since even though it is on the same subject you simply do not want any one paragraph too long otherwise it will be discouraging for people to read.

Keep your content light and happy, that will make people continue to read. This is like a good conversation with a friend where you wonder where the time went. Equally as important is ease of understanding. Make sure you are communicating clearly and not leaving out key points that you may already know but your reader may not.

Images

The human mind's basic interaction in life is mostly through visual stimulus and as such we are naturally drawn to images to get an understanding of what is taking place. As the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Images are also like a well dressed person they add character and create an impression on the reader. Images can be used to draw readers in by calling out things that would catch someone's attention about what you are writing about.

Adding words to an image or altering it can be done very easy these days using built in image editing tools for Windows and Mac as well as doing as search for free image editing tools.

Free Images With A Free License To Use

1. https://freerangestock.com
2. http://www.photoeverywhere.co.uk
3. http://www.flickr.com

How To Display Images

To display images simply click the image icon in your text editor.  Use one of the following free services to host your images and supply you with a link to use.

1. https://www.steemimg.com
2. https://postimg.org
3. https://imgsafe.org 

How To Display Videos

For videos you can simply use YouTube.com. Once you have a video you want to share simply click the share button on that video and copy and paste the link directly into your Steemit post.

Post Structure and Outline

Having a structure and an outline will save you countless time on how to begin writing your next post and help you avoid writer's block.  You see there is only so much the human mind can contemplate and keep track of at one time and this is what tends to happen with writer's block. When you try to imagine building an entire home your mind says no. But when you break down the construction into blueprints it’s easy to see how everything is going to be built.

Creating your outline is half the work. Once you have your blueprints and all the rooms planned out just simply construct them and fill them up with the information that correlates.  If you follow the same structure each time as I will outline below then your work is mostly done before you even start. You can follow the structure to create your outline as well.

Introduction

Your introduction should be one or two sentences that describe what your post is about.

Summary

Your summary should be one or two paragraphs that go into more detail on why you are sharing this information, what it’s about and how you are going to present it.

Body

The body should be divided into multiple header sections in an easy to follow manner as described in your summary. Follow the pointers above for content and make sure your flow follows the beginning, middle, and end principle which takes your reader through a journey of the information you want to share.

Conclusion

Your conclusion should be at least one paragraph that explains in a nutshell what you shared and reinstill any main points you were trying to prove or provide the reader.

Citing Your Sources

As required by copyright law you should cite your sources. You can search online for proper citation formats but for a general rule of thumb if you get your source from a website then simply put the actual URL to the source along with the date at the end of the post. You can call out your sources by using a number in parenthesis (1.) and then displaying that number below with the source if you have multiple sources.

Proof Read Twice

Always proof read twice, let someone you know read your work. I find a good way to pre write my posts is to use google docs. You get a free account and you can than take all the time you need without having to worry about losing your work in the text editor if something happens.

Once Your Work Is Posted

Once your work is posted you are allowing the community to start engaging with your content and as such there are certain things that an author on steemit should do in order to help the community thrive. Some of these are as follows.

Answering Comments

Interaction is a key element in the steemit ecosystem and as such it is polite when possible to reply to a person's comment if it’s warranted. If a person is asking a direct question than that is a situation that a reply would be the right thing to do. If a person simply says, “Nice Post” well no reply really needed there.  Bottom line is it is good to engage with the readers of your content when possible.

Paying Forward The Love

If you see a lot of people jumping on your post and up voting you it is also nice to click on some of the people’s username links and check out some of their posts and upvote the good ones. This is just a nice gesture to show that you appreciate the attention they gave you. It may not be possible to do that with every post all day but just something to do from time to time as you check your comments.

Providing Evidence

In order for other users of Steemit to respect the validity of your work being unique and yours it is sometimes necessary to provide evidence that the images you provided are actually of you or your creation. The standard way to do this is to hold a sign up with writing on it that pertains to Steemit. You may want to add a date or some writing pertaining to your location for additional cohesiveness. 

Editing and Updating

Often times it is necessary to edit and update your work after it has been posted. This can be easily done by clicking edit in the lower right of your already posted post while you are logged into your account.  This is very helpful if you are posting about an ongoing experience or event that is happening in the present.

Specialty Blogs

Specialty blogs are dedicated specifically towards one niche or type of information. They are nice for people who like to dive into specific content and therefore can bookmark the blog and use it as a future ongoing resource.

Finding A Niche and Promoting It

As steemit evolves more and more people and organizations will take to creating specialty blogs. If you are thinking of pursuing this type of blog account you will want to create a unique @accountname that corresponds to your niche along with buying a domain name that you can forward to your blog for easy promotion.

Extras

Tagging

The correct use of tagging is very good since it is necessary for the navigation to work properly. We as users want to find what the category tag says it is when we click on it and not other posts that are not relevant. With this being said you should always tag your posts.
You can use the #tag in your post to be found in search results. If your content contains adult rated material you need to use #  NSFW tag in your post but put it together as one.

Connecting posts

If your content is related or part of a series you can connect your posts by adding links to additional related posts. You should do this in a clear and easy format detailing what each link is for and how it relates to the current post.

Leaving your blog link

It doesn't hurt to leave a direct link to your blog like...
https://steemit.com/@groovy
This will increase the opportunity for readers to engage in your other posts as well and as people begin to see your username they will build familiarity with you and be interested in what other stuff you have to offer.

Conclusion

By following these Steemit Best Practices you will be building a quality content ecosystem that can be relied on as a resource for people to use more and more for the topic they are looking for. Your writing skills will increase and the ease at which you can do it will as well. Please let me know if you see areas that need improvement in this post and I will do my best to address them and make changes. Feel free to share this post with anyone you think can benefit from it.

Wishing you the best of success with your future Steemit posts.