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Who is this article for?

First off, this is not for the 'seasoned' Steemit user, you will learn nothing new - you probably already know what it is and how it works and there are many good articles here that explain it in detail better than here.

What I would like to write here is an "end-user experience" version of how Steemit works from a practical point of view.

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What is Steemit?

Steemit is a blogging website where users post their content, blogs, videos, photos etc. It's similar to other blogging sites in that you can post html, photos and videos. You have your own blogging page where every blog post is neatly arranged for people to view and follow.

What makes Steemit unique?

What makes Steemit unique is that everything is recorded on the STEEM block-chain which makes everything transparent and permanent. And good content and a loyal following is monetarily rewarded based on the upvotes they receive.

Block-chain? Too complicated. Nevermind.

Wait! Hold on! It's not that complicated. There are many articles defining and explaining how blockchain works, but the simplest explanation is one word:

decentralization

Everyone knows that decentralization is... right? To be decentralized:

Decentralized
verb (used with object), decentralized, decentralizing.

1. To distribute the administrative powers or functions of (a central authority) over a less concentrated area
2. To disperse (something) from an area of concentration

What makes the blockchain so useful is that it is not sitting on a giant computer bank in California somewhere. The content is not filtered and affected by a central authority like YouTube or Facebook. It is decentralized in that no single corporation or institution can attempt to control the content based on their ideology (ahem... YouTube Adpocalypse).

But don't we want some regulation? I don't want to see bad stuff.

Steemit is self-regulating based on self-imposed community standards. Basically, every Steemit user carries a carrot and a stick.

• The Carrot: Your Upvote. The more invested (influential) into Steemit you are, the bigger your CARROT is.

• The Stick: Flag (or downvote). The more invested (influential) into Steemit you are, the bigger your STICK is.

If you are posting bad stuff or plagiarized stuff or content that is not appreciated by the community, you get FLAGGED. The value of your post is reduced, sometimes to 0, and your reputation decreases.

If you are posting quality content, original works, creative and appreciated, the Steemit community will UPVOTE your posts. Your reputation will grow and you will enjoy the esteem of the community.

So how do I become 'invested' into Steemit, I want to help influence steemit for the good!

The best thing a person can do to influence Steemit for the good is to write good blog articles, gain a following and encourage other good writers to join and post more good articles. This is what makes Steemit so great!

No you don't understand. I want a bigger carrot and stick.

Now, now, don't be so power hungry!

You can do two things to gain influence on Steemit: one carries a risk, the other is FREE!

• You can EARN STEEM by writing good articles and posts. It's free, but takes a long time and a lot of blogging to build substantial influence. This is your safest option though, especially if Steemit is something you can't spend a lot of time on.

• You can BUY STEEM by exchanging your CASH money for Bitcoin, which can be traded for STEEM as an investment into Steemit. The downside is that it's like investing in shares of a company, the value can go up or down. The upside is that you would have instant influence with your upvotes - you can more substantially reward other steemit users for their content.

Wait what? What is STEEM? Why would I want that?

STEEM is short for Esteem: it's a token representing your esteem among the steemit community based on approval through upvotes of quality blog posts

What makes STEEM valuable is that it can be traded for Bitcoin, (which is in high demand) or other coins and can be sold for cash money.

Yes, that means your blogs and comments can earn actual money!

But what if I don't want to blog? I just want to comment and upvote.

You can still earn STEEM!

Everytime you write a comment on someone else's blog, it's like a mini-blog you wrote yourself! Users can upvote your comments and you earn STEEM, just like it was your own blog post! If you enjoy the posts of the bloggers that you follow and comment regularly, you will find yourself receiving plenty of upvotes as you build a genuine relationship.

And how cool is that, your favorite bloggers can upvote YOU!

Another buzzword... Curation

Upvoting is sort of like what a curator at a museum does. They select which artwork goes where for display. Every upvote helps organize the posts based on upvote trends and influence:

Curation
verb (used with object), curated, curating.
To pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content

The cream of the blogs should float to the top based on upvotes. And for your 'curation', you receive a small share (based on your influence) of the total reward that post of comment earns.

That means every time you give an upvote, you receive STEEM back!

In Conclusion

I hope that this has been helpful as an overview of Steemit.com There's a ton more to talk about and lots more to say, but I think that's enough for now. Thank you for reading all the way through without lots of gifs!

I encourage you to comment below. I enjoy talking Steemit and what better platform than on Steemit.com?

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