Source Pixabay

Too many people unfortunately confuse the SIMPLE FOLLOWING with FOLLOW AS WITNESS.
So it's right to explain what it's a WITNESS.

THE BASICS

As already explained several times Steemit.com is a Blogging platform based on a decentralized Blockchain called STEEM.
As for Bitcoin, the Steem Blockchain generates Blocks like the "mining". Unlike Bitcoin, however, the concept based on the Steem Blockchain is:

Delegated Proof of Stake (DPOS)

In the DPOS systems witnesses are delegated by the collective Steem Power taken by received votes in the dedicated section:

https://steemit.com/~witnesses

more upvote a witness receive and more will be able to find blocks to get rewards from the Blockchain. However, you can vote up to 30 witnesses in order to prevent any abuse on the system.

WHAT IS A WITNESS?

A Witness is a Steemit account generally upvoted because its contribution to the platform is really important. In addition, the witnesses are responsible for establishing the minimum Steem Power deposit required to create an account and to stabilize the price of the Steem against the Dollars where possible.

What does a Witness do?

Anyone who decides to become a Witness must make available a server (generally Linux) used for find Blocks. In addition he can make availabe a Seed Node used for the P2P Steem Blockchain.

What's my mission as Witness?

1- Create a series of interiew to witnesses
2- Create a series of guides about my job
3- Maintain the STEEM REPO site
4- Support Minnows

You can read more about me into this articles:

https://steemit.com/witness-category/@yanosh01/the-time-to-introduce-myself-as-witness-has-arrived-yanosh01

https://steemit.com/witness/@yanosh01/incentive-to-steem-users-part-6-how-to-support-minnows

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOLLOW SOMEONE AND FOLLOW AS WITNESS

Follow someone is only a gesture of pleasure and it's used to follow someone when he publish new posts.

This is how we do it technically:

we simple click on Follow and every times he write a new post we see it on the FEED PAGE:

FOLLOW SOMEONE AS WITNESS

Follow someone as witness give him the cumulative VP to "climb the rankings".
Cost users nothing but gives to witnesses the possibility to have more Cumulative VP. More Cumulative VP they have and more rewards they can take by finding Blocks.
What i think is:

Witnesses earn should be given proportionally to the community (but this is not usually done)

This is for example my cumulative VP: 37 (very low to do somenthing)

Now if you want to give someone TRUST as witness, you have to vote him on this page:

https://steemit.com/~witnesses

Now you have learned how to upvote and follow someone as witness.

If you think what I'm doing is somenthing you like, please upvote me as your Witness.