MY FIRST 120 DAYS ON STEEMIT!

The BIG 120!

Yes it’s my 120th day here on Steemit!
Rip out the bubbly!

WOW, what an interesting 120 days it has been, a life changing experience to say the least.

I’ll start with where I am currently, then work my way to how I got here:

I have learned a thing or two about what Crypto is, how it works, what the potentials of Crypto are. I have taken just over $9,000.00 USD and invested it into Steem. I should say, Invested it into my future here on Steemit. I realize that there is no “easy and quick money” out there, so life has taught me. Life has also taught me that persistence and devotion does bring about a lot of rewards.

I am becoming a true blue Blogger, and not a remnant from other social networks.

So far to date I have tested out the idea of using Steemit for direct business, sales and marketing. Using a number of posts to promote the idea, to try out the ins and outs of this platform for these purposes and the final result of it all was that my wife and I opened up the following pages:

@classifieds
The page promoting Business 101 on Steemit
&
@fundraisers
The page promoting fundraisers on Steemit.

We manage them similar to what one would manage a Facebook page, by resteeming the relevant posts, making it easier for people to find these posts.
If we could delegate user roles on pages (profiles), that would be a fantastic addition to Steemit. As then more people could get involved and this would really help in making things grow here on Steemit. Just a thought!
Basically the platform here is terrific for crowd funding and likewise for promoting business like activities. So the potentials are out there. The Crypto factor here on Steemit opens up a tonne of new potential that the other social networks/platforms just do not offer.

I am running two fundraisers here on Steemit, both in accordance and as a direct result of the efforts described above.

'Women's shelters fundraiser' - Please help a worthy cause with your Upvote.
&
Lets Get A Donation To The SALVO's Stores - Please help a worthy cause with your Upvote.

You can take a look at the two fundraisers I have going in the links at the bottom of the post in the relevant links section.

I am practicing what I am preaching!

Another very personal project that my better half and I have started is a “Family Page”.

@millers

We opened this recently after our kids started showing an interest in what we are doing here on Steemit.

It has been one of the best moves for us as a family, as it adds new meaning to all this for us, not only is it a kids savings account, it is also a great way of getting the kids to learn how to appreciate that their invested efforts are worth something. To have them learn that they are not limited to the “old ways” of earning a living, that their education is important and all the other values that a parent tries to pass on, so as to ensure the best possible future for the kids.

And to finish it all off as far as where I am and what I am doing, ma “Goodnight Posts”. I have noticed that some bloggers out there on the internet have a specific “Trade Mark”, something that they are known for. As things progressed here I found that sharing a post that makes people smile and laugh once a day is something that I would dearly enjoy as “My Trade Mark”. To make it all the more worth it, all the funds raised via upvotes on these “Goodnight Posts” i am forwarding to the total accumulated on the above listed fundraisers i am running. Hopefully in the long run my efforts shall get some more support and everyone will be smiling all over the world.

SO HOW DID I GET TO WHERE I AM?

In the beginning when first arriving here, it was like as with everything, a lot of roaming around, trying to figure things out and so on, as with anything in life.

Like with anything in life, when arriving into a new community a person brings along with them their knowhow, experience and habits.

I remember that the initial reaction was “This looks similar to Twitter” it has “FOLLOWERS” and back 120 days ago a lot of talk was about “the number of followers”. I guess this is what gave this initial impression.
So, after looking around to see who has the most followers and so on, it seemed that the same methodology as with Twitter can be used, namely, follow everyone possible and a large number follows you back and it is all a “game of numbers”.

WRONG!
No need to go further with that topic! The answer is “NO”. N and O. Simple as that.

This is not Twitter, nor Facebook.
I’ll elaborate on this later on, when I get to the “community” aspect of Steemit.

As far as posting goes, it is nothing like the other social networks that I have been on, which were, Linked In, Facebook and Twitter.
I haven’t been on Linked in and Facebook in ages, just not for me. As far as Twitter went, I guess I was enjoying it there, but I used an account under a “nick” because it didn’t feel warm and fuzzy using my real name, same thing applied to Facebook, just wasn’t a place where I wanted to be doing things as me.

While here, from day one it seemed like a place where I could be ME.
Don’t ask why? I am still not sure, guess it was just one of those “Gut Feelings”!

Basically, my conclusion as far as posting is concerned is the following:

BE YOURSELF.

Don’t force it, it’s no competition, if anything, you need to be WHO YOU ARE.
Don’t pretend to be someone else, just be who and what you are and let people respect you for it.
Don’t let the “financial side” of this platform turn you over to the dark side, being a blogger is all about YOU and that is the only way a blogger can be a true blue blogger.

Remember this one thing and you’ll be right:
The Steemit community isn’t obsessed with the number of “likes” a person has on their post, the only person that matters on YOUR blog is YOU!

BECOMMING A MEMBER OF A COMMUNITY

Steemit has its own chat service and many of us Steemians are on a chat service called Discord.
Personally, I didn’t have a clue about any of this, until one of the blokes from the TeamAustralia community approached me and introduced me to all this.

It is here where every person with their individuality makes up a part of a community. Lets not forget that Steemit is growing and the best way for me to describe these communities on the chat services are to the “Groups” on Faebook. (I am comparing to what is known to me.)
Not to say that they are the same thing, far from it, as the chats are “live” and no post like conversations, pure and simple everyday like chatting.
It was through these conversations that I learned a lot, mostly by reading what people were talking about and then using Steemits Search bar and Google to fill in the gaps.

As with any newcomer, somehow I felt a little “alienated” and wanting to prove myself. Basically, there was no need for it, just chat away as you would at a bar with mates. Everything is leisurely and cool.

Ask questions, people will help.
This is what kept me here on Steemit. The people factor.

We are at the very beginning of Steemit, try and go back to the first year of Facebook or Twitter, that is where we are here on Steemit. So when you meet people who are willing to help you along, lead you into the right direction it really means a lot.
So there, is what I have to say about the community factor!

This now brings me to the SUPPORT side of things.

THE SUPPORT FACTOR

One of the best things that I have seen is The Minnow Support Projects (MSP). Where the people who have the knowhow and the means are trying to get projects up and running to support the newcomers here.

It is all a little confusing at first, which is normal, but as time goes along one learns the ins and outs of this all and starts to see what projects one can use to help move forwards here on Steemit.

Most of these are financially based, meaning that they are there to help your posts along financially. No matter whether that be via upvotes or via resteeming or commenting, all in all these projects are there to help all of us. Because I still firmly believe that the minnows (newcomers) of today are the Dolphins and Whales of tomorrow. Once the minnows of today make it up the ranks to become Whales, then Steemit and all of us here have succeeded.

Ok, what I am about to say here is a little unpopular, but I shall say it anyway, not as a bad thing, just as something that I have noticed here.

As with any groups out there in our lives, people form their own little clans, groups and friendships. So too is the case here on Steemit. Human nature is and always shall be human nature. It sometimes seems that many of the people who have a very strong voting power are not noticing a lot of the minnows here who are trying really hard. I’m not talking about the “suck ups” the people who are doing their very best to become brown noses, i am talking about the people who are the exact opposite. The ones who shall make Steemit into a platform where individuality is appreciated and promoted.

Now, this could be just something that seems to be the case to me and to some others out here. It probably shall be the case until the number of users starts to boom into the millions. However until then there could be maybe some way of not letting our human habitual nature take precedence over the potential to make the number of minnows grow faster, the minnows out here who are doing a lot and putting in a lot of effort and work and giving of themselves. Now I know that this may sound romantic to some, this may be taken the wrong way by some. I just don’t know how to wrap things up, usually that has cost me in life, but at least I know that everyone out there knows that I say things openly to their faces and many people respect me for it. In fact, most people trust me very much because of it. So maybe this could be something to be looked at, at this stage of things.

THE ECONOMICS

I mentioned earlier that I invested into my Steemit account, I went out and purchased Steem.

At this point in time I cannot advise anyone out there about this decision. Is it economically sound, I think so.

Why, well let me say again what I said a moment ago:
“Remember the first year of Facebook, and Twitter”
That is where we are right now here on Steemit.

Imagine if you could travel back in time and invest in some things when they were starting out!
This is it, I firmly believe that this is our opportunity here!

Crypto is here and it is here to stay and it is only a matter of time until it becomes just as simple to use if not easier than the FIAT currencies. Technology has boomed out of any imaginable proportion, and is booming to the point where sooner or later “paper” will not be used for currencies anywhere.

So this is the future of economics, at least one branch of it.

That is my conclusion on the "economics" after being here for the past 120 days!

As far as the learning side of things go, I am still taking baby steps, if there is one thing in life that I have learned that is not to rush into the unknown. Look, listen and learn before jumping in. Don’t “hope for the best”, make it what you want it to be!
That is where I am at as far as the economics side of things go!

ALL IN ALL

I am in for the long run, I have finally found a place on the internet where I can be who I am and enjoy my time here. Share my individuality and get rewarded for the fact that I am an individual and not some drone obsessed with the number of “likes” others give me.

Yep, and the best thing about it is that I am a part of something new here. Something that is growing and becoming one of the biggest and best social networks out there.

So, there it is, my 120 day After Action Report (AAR).

Thanks for reading,
I hope that my experiences can in some way help you all understand a little more about me as an individual as I have come to learn a lot about others in similar posts about experiences people have had through their different stages along their timeline here on Steemit.

Relevant links:

You can take a look at the two fundraisers I have going here:

'Women's shelters fundraiser' - Please help a worthy cause with your Upvote.
https://steemit.com/fundraisers/@jackmiller/women-s-shelters-fundraiser-please-help-a-worthy-cause-with-you-upvote
&
Lets Get A Donation To The SALVO's Stores - Please help a worthy cause with your Upvote.
https://steemit.com/fundraisers/@jackmiller/lets-get-a-donation-to-the-salvo-s-stores-please-help-a-worthy-cause-with-your-upvote

Our Projects
@fundraisers - The page promoting fundraisers on Steemit.

@classifieds - The page promoting busines 101 on Steemit.

Our Family Page
@millers

& of course my better half here on Steemit
@sylviamiller

& our eldest son who is either at work or at the GYM or doing what an 18 year old does!
@chrismiller