Upon request of some fellow Steemians, I re-post the following essay which was originally written in German.

While celebrating New Year's Eve it came to my mind that good news about Steemit should not remain among us but spread all over the world. The following is first of all meant to readers who have not joined Steemit yet. Yes, this article is not meant for the Steemit portal at first place, but maybe you find it useful for your contacts. I am grateful for feedback. Please be active it in your way. We all can contribute a lot to make Steemit well-known and appreciated.

In my former life so-to-speak, the life before Steemit, I wrote a lot, using many blogs and many sites on social media. How good. Now I can use my other blogs to recommend Steemit!
I intended to write a short introduction about Steemit for beginners. But it became long.
Maybe there's something I mistake oder miswrote that needs correction, or have not mentioned important facts. I did my best but would like to improve.

Steemit – The Beginning (Part 1)

Introduction

The Steemit logo (and its variations) will probably soon be as well known as the logos of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Why? Because it's one of the new social media that's growing extremely fast. And is revolutionizing our communication and collaboration.

Why? There are multiple reasons for this. Especially convincing is the following: You do not need to invest anything (but can) and get money for every contribution - in the form of a cryptocurrency called Steem.

Here is a first report about it.

My statement is divided into three parts. In my part 1 I describe soberly the start on Steemit and what to look for. In Part 2, I will describe my first personal experiences on Steemit. In Part 3 you will find the evaluation and an outlook on how Steemit will develop in my opinion.

Everything is, of course, subjectively colored. This is not intended to be a guide, and of course, not even an approximate overview of the very complex global project can be conveyed in the near future.

Annotation: Part 1 is for me a kind of "compulsory exercise", because of a first orientation. The contents of. Originally came to my mind Part 2 - this is my actual review, which I still write, and Part 3 - the attempt of an assessment and prognosis (also still in work).

Part 1 – A Start into Steemit

In mid-December 2017, I started blogging on Steemit. A relative recommended this community to me with the words, "It's like Facebook, but you can make money from it, I've already started." Cool! How To Work To Make Money For Posts? A new concept! That made me curious, of course.

For many years, I had spent too much time on thousands of pages on the Internet, never getting a dime for it. I never liked the common advertising methods. Begging for donations even less. I have never been impressed by traditional journalism, as it offers little freedom and is accompanied by enormous time pressure. So I said to myself, with my posts, I contribute something in the company.

In the previous year, however, I did not enjoy it much. The positive feedback was limited. I started late, but still writing books. Then came a surprising biggest construction project and the started books and all other projects ended up in the drawer. Now I am erring from the horror and starting with shorter lyrics again. And now I came across Steemit and am happy and happy about it.

Help in the beginning

It's hard to get started, especially if you're on your own. You can quickly find terms and instructions, even on YouTube. There are also groupings within the Steemit community, which provide the beginners with help and advice. Even when it comes to writing and formatting posts. These aids should help to make a good start even in the less experienced writing. Also, such support measures serve the level of contributions in Steemit.

My review will soon be one of countless. I'm aware of that and still write it. For the simple reason that I would have been especially grateful for such explanations and tips at the beginning. If only one "Minnow" (freshman) helped with my report here, the effort was worth it.

What is Steemit?

Steemit took its exit in Virginia, USA. An ambitious group developed this novel concept of a blockchain, linked to a community with monetary compensation. The "Süddeutsche"(a renowned German journal) explains in its article from 5.12.2017 quite vividly (http://www.sueddeutsche.de/digital/steemit-dieses-soziale-netzwerk-gestzahl-seine-nutzer-1.3776291):

"What's new about Steemit is that it pays its users - which currently has about 350,000 accounts - to its activities, and so far the generally accepted business model is that user-generated content is bringing billions of advertising revenue to social networks, the people, the Steemit is different, the more successful a post is, the more the author can earn, and since the launch the network has been distributing about $ 30 million worth of digital coins to its users.“

The German-speaking community (the author is a German native speaker!) is growing rapidly and that naturally arouses the attention of the German media. On Steemit itself group formations are recognizable. Also first Steemit meetings take place. Newcomers get from "older hands" good tips and useful links to better cope with the vast world of Steemit.

Of course, this assistance is not wholly unselfish. Curating, so supporting fellow bloggers, also fills your own wallet, so it is one of the many means to build up together on Steemit. But a rogue would be the one who thinks evil ... In a well-functioning community is a balanced give and take instead.

This seems to me the best possible realization after my first observations with Steemit. This community is built on interaction. Thus, there is inherently no place for pure self-actor. It is therefore easy to get in touch with other Steemians. One makes an effort to say something nice (all comments are available for all readers!). Only constructive criticism is wanted. There is a pleasant conversation culture that favors the networking.

Every new contact in Steemit can be the beginning of a lasting friendship. And here is another further important argument for Steemit for me: Steemit is growing and getting richer every day in high-quality information material. And while preserving the freedom of the press, which has long since become only one word among the mainstream media. It is hoped that Steemit will remain the community that it is now.

It has the makings of a global forum in which all those involved work together to make our planet even better each day. There are already clear signs that Steemit is growing far beyond the role of a communication platform.

But I have already anticipated much of the planned part 3, but more in part 3.

Links and tags

To give you some useful starting points for newcomers (I may come back here later and complete this list):

The Steemit community itself: https://steemit.com/

Search by tags: The posts can be tagged with up to five tags. The tags "steem" and "steemit" contain a lot of useful information about Steemit. Also the day "dtube" is worth visiting, because Steemit also has its own video channel, as an alternative to YouTube.

This is a typical and quite useful guide for newcomers, "A Minnow's Guide to Steemit" https://steemit.com/minnowsupport/@shinyforest/a-minnow-s-guide-to-steemit More info: https://minnowsupportproject.org

This guide is in English, because in this international community English is prevalent. Gradually, other language groups form. If you tag the posts, for example, with "German", the German-speaking users have easier access. The Austrians meanwhile began marking their contributions with "steemit-austria".

For a small fee, you can get started with tools like the Minnowbooster: https://www.minnowbooster.net/

Steemsearch helps to find entries at http://steamsearch.com

Steemchat is a VoiceChat that I have not tried yet.

A collection of applications can be found here: http://steemtools.com/

New on Steemit ...

So, now to the point. The registration is relatively easy. But beware! Since #Steemit is based on a #Blockchain, the password can not be regenerated once it is forgotten. Absolutely note extra! If possible, multiply and in different ways, because gone is gone! This can be a bitter experience if you have already invested a lot of energy and are already values ​​in the wallet. Luckily, I made it, because after only a few days I came into a situation needing the password again and - had it been!

How good, if you already know someone who is active on Steemit! At the beginning, questions really arise about questions. My relative was already well advanced when I started posting. Unfortunately he is traveling a lot. Therefore, I could only get a few explanations from him. At first, of course, I took his blog @yourmate as a model. But there was still quite a fuss in the dark.

How should I get involved? And with what? Should one introduce oneself? Oh, I know that, so is similar in the various forums. First of all, look how the others do it ... I went on researching. Steemit works not only on the desktop, but also on the smartphone very well. I started reading posts here and there and was fascinated. New worlds opened up. Like a big magazine with themes from horticulture to science, from art to travel.

For me as a multi-cultural freak, of course, the joy is huge that on Steem people from all over the world cavort. You can choose which cultural circle and which language you want to follow, so to speak! As I am currently learning some languages ​​and some am already speaking, this multilingualism is a big plus.

Upvoting and other terms

Below each post, be it just a photo, be it an extensively illustrated article, there is a box with a tiny dollar sign and another small box to upvote as well as a checkered symbol to the radicals, so what you on Facebook as "Like "and" Share ", as well as other symbols that are almost overlooked. In my ignorance, I was initially enthusiastic about updating posts that I liked.

Later I came to the fact that you need to upvote a contribution the so-called Steem Power (SP) and that contributions that are older than seven days, cannot be voted up.

About the Steempower status one can inform oneself on the following site: http://steemd.com/ (plus the own user name eg @martinamartini.

For each account, there is a wallet, an electronic purse, which informs about the status of the blog or the account. And not only the user himself, but also all other users who visit a blog and want to see how well the blogger is on the go.

The transparency

Yes, everything is revealed on Steemit. Ratings, Revenues, Savings, Comments ... Moreover, the community does not like it that you reveal nothing about yourself. Is it obvious, isn't it? I would like to know who I am talking to. Who likes to sit opposite a fully masked figure? It irritates me already, if the name on a blog does not let me know whether the opposite is male or female. Some times I was wrong in the beginning!

One should not comment on Steemit anyway not rashly, but to deal with the author. That's why I'll click from the article to the blog and find out before I comment unless I'm in a hurry.

There is seldom anything that you can not say about the opposite at the same time ... So here too! A user who wants to get up very quickly and wants to gather as many followers around, can not respond to all followers. And above it was said that comments should refer to the content of the text, that one appreciates the author ... Let's just leave this contradiction up! It is both true, depending on how we move in the Steemit world!

Rating, reward and reputation

For the evaluation of the contributions complex algorithms were created, which are however also exactly explained - who searches, will find! - and which one should look at.

For example, the distribution key of the upvotes between authors and curators is detailed in "A Minnow's Guide to Steemit" (mentioned in the introduction!).

Your earnings will be paid in STEEM Power (SP) and STEEM Dollar (SBD). More about that later.
STEEM Power can be converted to STEEM with a power-down process and thus act on the marketplace.

Yes, is it all about cash and not content? Not even close! First of all, this "game", one could almost say competition, is about winning reputation, which is expressed in a number behind the name. The better the reputation, the greater the influence. It starts with the level 25. The first steps will soon be rewarded with level 26 and 27. If you can make it to level 50, it is already well under way (I am only now on the way there with my 46!). At level 70 and more it has brought only a small group.

We are pleased with the first comments on Steemit and realize very quickly that friendly answers to the comments, not just plain phrases, are welcome. Fascinating in our fast-moving time. It is as if courtesy and chivalry, in real life almost anachronisms, are being re-established by Steemit. This is not a mistake!

Quickly there are also first bots on the spot, which automatically detect a new post and tell you this and that. Sometimes they invite you to enter deals with them. For a relatively small fee you get votes from these bots. Truly confusing and difficult to understand in the beginning! It still does not seem to me that the rise can not only be achieved through merit, but also with the aid of bots. But I am convinced that one day this puzzle will be solved for me.

Astonishingly, the newbie, the nondescript Minnow, gets spiky soon, that you can buy upvotes and Steem (ie the basic cryptocurrency) not only buy by contributions, but can also buy, with other crypto currencies. Is not a condition, not at all. But as it happens, I stumbled upon the book in search of instructions

Is not a condition, not at all. But as it happens, looking for instructions, I stumbled upon the side of a Steemian, who makes no secret of how he managed his rocket-like ascent. Not with diligence and daily high quality posts alone, he announces. He gradually invested a small sum in the crypto currency Steem and thus bought Steempower. He advises this to all newbies, if they want to get ahead faster.

STEEM Power

With your posts, upvotes of your posts, and comments on other posts, your reputation will increase, increasing your level. Due to a misconduct, reputation can also be quickly lost. Why is this reputation so important? Because your STEEM power increases with your reputation. The little fish, the minnow, as they are called in the Steemit jargon, count almost nothing. If they upvote - the great majority of the participants - that is also a recognition and very nice, but it is hardly significant, unlike the big ones ... but later.

A combination of character, diligence and tactics

When you get first glimpses in this way, the tactics begin. From time to time, you meet lucky knights who urgently demand attention and support. Begging for upvotes or a donation to the account occur. Of course, if it is to be expected that no quality and consideration can be expected from this side, such efforts are not supported. This is always the best way to bring down any inconvenience. Black sheep are everywhere....!

Steemit favors the cosmopolitan, communicative, the humorous, the mentally strong, in short the "winner". It's a natural selection, I think. You start believing in the good again, because at Steemit you finally meet a social form that appreciates and even rewards character and good manners. People who did not have a good nursery are offered education here by the way...

Who wants to stay longer on Steemit and bring it to reputation and well-being in the community, will be interested in his fellow human beings. It also suits a mature character to observe the progress of others without jealousy. It is simply not about Steemit, to strive for the favor of other users and instead to be friendly, alert, appreciative and helpful. Happy, who already brings such qualities.

Those who do not yet live that way can either go again or make an effort to develop. Maybe I notice such details, because I worked as a coach for some time. Loafers and freeloaders are not carried along on Steemit, but remain at a low level, which I just love. Unfortunately, I have all too often experienced this in real society to the contrary, and here I sense many attempts to realize a prosperous utility utopia, which some time ago was still considered unrealistic.

The Steemit world is also colorful

But I do not want to glorify Steemit. Of course, the „zoo“ on Steemit is as colorful as everywhere, and only through the benefit of Steemit alone, not all people are generously helpful and good. You can also do a bit as if to achieve a goal, right?

Unfortunately, the first criminal elements are sneaking in too. "Evil is always and everywhere," as a well-known Austrian band humorously sang. For example, rogues wanted to gain access to the account by trying to lure out the password from unsettled users. So please do not wear pink glasses, but be vigilant, not discard the common sense or even fall into the sectarian!

Steemit is constantly evolving

There are also some things to improve here and there. To name just two examples: The tags seem to have grown wild and therefore the list of tags is a bit strange. You can set your own tags that do not appear in the official tag list, but you better go to use the most frequently called tags.

Secondly, there should be better guidance for newcomers, for example on an external website and / or in the form of a manual and / or in the form of an introductory video. There is still a lot to do on an open source basis! Where can I find support? The participation in a network with peers gives momentum to the Steemit life.

It is also advisable to orient yourself to successful Steemians. Many of them like to give advice. Some even support specifically eligible offspring. Many users with great Steem power are rightfully angry when they are begged for upvotes. On the other hand, they are inclined by constructive contributions and comments to use their powerful vocal power. They have to deal wisely with their resources, and their resources are not endless, and they alone carry a greater responsibility due to their role model function.

The dear money

An essential factor of the Steemit community is the reward in monetary form. Everyone hopes, many crave it. So far, I have not found anyone who would not come to Steemit because profits lure through crypto currencies. It's an incentive, and that's okay. Some dedicate some or all of their income to a charitable purpose. Many are happy to announce to the entire world how, thanks to Steemit, they have been able to restructure their accounts within a very short time and now acquire wealth.

Of course this kind of spurs on and I think it can still be a real Steemit-Gold fever kindled when Steemit speaks to the masses, similar to the crypto world in recent years.

Quality first

Yes, now we are finally at the important keyword "quality", which is capitalized on Steemit. Hopefully it will stay that way. May the rapidly growing Steemit not be gradually flooded with trivia. May quality journalism and other good contributions continue to set the tone. The community is based on the win-win strategy, and that feels good! Quickly people with similar interests find each other. It's best to progress if you support each other.

It is the participants who continuously select, give their upvotes contributions that touch or inspire them, are instructive or exciting for them, in short, they should please, with the sympathy factor playing a role, as everywhere else in life. Posts that fall like or contain the useful content ... Useless blabla is ignored and not worth it. There may be exceptions! :)

Estimating the level of one's own contributions is certainly not easy. How easily do we tend to overestimate or underestimate ourselves! The Steemit community offers instant feedback. Of course, as always, a portion of luck is required, because it depends on who is currently online and finds the newly published post, reads and comments. This luck can be a little helped by announcing the publication in his circle of contacts ...

It should always be possible to separate wheat from chaff, possibly with the introduction of additional rankings or quality criteria. The factor quality was decisive for me, in the future to bother me to post on Steemit. Bother? Yes, admitted. Even if the enthusiasm is great, writing a good article takes several hours, if not days.

I'm not finished with my part 1 explanations yet. This article will be supplemented in the next few days with information about Steem Dollars, Ranking, Bandwidth, Originalworks, Copyright and Witnesses.

I'm working on part 2 - My first experiences with Steemit and on part 3 - Evaluation and Outlook

This report has been published on one of my other blogs already, on my lifestyle blog "Clarissa Smiles": https://clarissasmiles.wordpress.com/some-texts/steemit-a-first-report/ and perhaps will published in some more blogs.

Upvoting, Steem Power and Steem Voting Power - a link

Nearly simultaneous the following post was published https://steemit.com/steem/@gold84/chapter-3-of-11-understanding-where-the-funds-from-upvotes-come-from-focusing-on-steem-power-and-reward-pool-this-is-part-3-of

@gold84 gives useful explanations about Upvoting, Steem Power and Steem Voting Power - really worth reading!
deutsch utopian-io steemit steemit-austria community

(will be continued)