Lessons from 50 days on Steemit

Image Credit: @artsteemit | Source: GIPHY

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Est. Reading Time: 1:39 min

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Intro

Today is my 50th day on Steemit. In keeping with my regular posts about what I am learning about the platform, I've decided to continue with the pattern I started a few weeks ago and do an update every so often on these particular lessons.

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Good comments are just as important as posts

One of the most important observations I've made for myself is just how important a good quality comment is. While the comment quality was an important contributor to my decision to sign up for Steemit, actually living it out changes you.

Platforms like Facebook and Twitter incentivize quick and emotional responses. Steemit's gift economy culture removes the need to speedily dismiss somone. You can engage someone's ideas based on their merits, be rewarded for that engagement, and trust that they are more inclined to take the time to thoughtfully respond to you as well.

Steemit's community thrives on quality posts and comments because they drive the kind of positive engagement that generates value for the platform. Simple comments of approval, or begging to be followed back, do very little to this end. Instead, demonstrate that you read and considered the ideas in the post you're responding to by contributing with a quality response, and people will likely recognize that.

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Vote and comment often

This is important for several reasons. As I learn more about the payouts, I'm realizing that it makes sense to vote and comment on people's posts as often as you're able to do so without hurting your own earnings. Not everyone votes or comments on your posts or replies. And the price of Steem and Steem Dollars fluctuates. So generating consistency with your posts and comments ensures that your awards earnings flow regularly.

But more importantly, if you come to Steemit in the spirit of giving to others, people will see that. Whether it be with your words, your art, your development skills, or you votes, giving increases the value and generosity of the network. People won't come here to "make money," they'll come here because they want to be a part of a community that values their worth.

If you're on mobile, use any of the mobile apps or mobile pages. This makes it easy to stay up on the conversation.

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Witnesses

Voting for witnesses is a serious thing. And the events from earlier this week regarding a former witness made me realize how important it was for them to reflect the values of the community if Steemit is to succeed.

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Conclusion

Steemit is fun, and each day is a journey of self-discovery as I learn how to be on a network where social interaction has value besides virality and amusement. I'm glad I found this place.

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Image Credit: @stellabelle | Source: GIPHY

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If you liked this post, please consider sharing, commenting, and upvoting. 20 percent of the earnings from this post will be split between the creators of the artwork used in this post to show my appreciation for their work.

Thank you for reading,

- Josh

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Related Posts by Josh Peterson

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• Welcoming Digg co-founder Kevin Rose to Steemit
• Lightening up on Dan Bilzerian over his Las Vegas Shooting reaction
• Why I don't want to talk gun politics after Las Vegas with you right now
• Lessons from 37 days on Steemit
• Why am I angry all of the time and where did my friends go?
• My first Steemit post: Introducing myself, and some initial thoughts

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View History

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View Steemit blockchain activity/edit history | View draft edit history on Github

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Josh Peterson is a 2016 Robert Novak Journalism Program Fellow and a writer living in Denver, CO.* *Follow Josh on Steemit and Twitter. Keybase for secure chat. PGP Fingerprint: 4507 3000 1A40 2691 DAB8 ED65 A3EA 3629 73FD B7FF.

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For more information on STEEM and Steemit

If you're new to Steem and Steemit and would like to know more, check out the platform's FAQ, and Steem.Center, a Steemit-focused wiki built and maintained by the platform's users. Also check out @minnowsupport.

• Interact with the Steem blockchain through several different platforms: Steemit, Steemd, SteemDB, Busy.org, ChainBB.

• Other Steem apps include dTube , dSound, Steepshot, and dMania. Mobile apps include eSteem, Steepshot, and SteemApp.

• Enhance your Steemit desktop browser experience by downloading the Extreemit browser extension for Chrome.

• New to blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies? Check out @heiditravels' videos on Steemit and YouTube to learn more.

If you're not on Steemit, but would like another way to show your appreciation for this piece besides sharing it on Facebook or Twitter, or you'd like to comment on it, please consider signing up for a Steemit account and voting for this piece. It doesn't get cost anything to sign up, and votes are really important because that's how I get paid on here. Thank you in advance. - Josh

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.