Some Newbie Tips for well… Newbies!
A few days ago, I had a look at the #introduceyourself tag in the hope of finding someone of great quality.
On this occasion, it did not happen, but I resteemed a couple of posts that were decent enough and then found @natedebate who just happened to comment on my last post about this topic.
While the verdict is still out on @natedebate and if he can write, I looked at what he had done already and found a comprehensive review of a game that is in the Japenese RPG genre, something I have had an interest in the past.
It had gained 3 votes totalling $0.00, and I had a flashback to my third ever post which attained exactly the same amount of votes and reward.
While it’s over a year since I had this incredibly pissed off feeling, it made me think about the lesson I learned from it attending the STEEM equivalent of the Army’s boot camp, and why I should warn other new people of over creating before you have an audience.
If you’re new, then nobody is looking...
You need to gain an audience before aspiring to be Shakespeare and putting out your 800-word masterpieces. Save them for later and work on building that audience.
At first, you will gain more rewards by following the right people and commenting on their posts.
Don’t be tempted to vote others on their wallet size alone
The big lads will likely ignore you if you try and attract their attention by voting and commenting on their posts. When I say likely this is not always the case and there are exceptions to the rules.
While you may have a pitiful vote of $0.00, if you want to comment on another’s post, be considerate and give it a vote. They will notice despite its low value.
Create original content, don’t plagiarise, and cite your images
Make sure what you write comes out of your head and not copied from the internet. You may get away with it once or twice, but there are bots such as @cheetah who will find your copied work and publicly embarrass you on your own post!
Some make rewards by flagging using incentives such as @steemflagrewards. I am one of these people and use flagging as a method to deter plagiarism and abuse. Don't give me the opportunity to make STEEM from your abuse!
If you want to use images that are not your own, ensure they are cited and that you can use them freely. Just grabbing something from google search doesn’t mean you can use it. This filter will help you find things you can use.
In the above example I needed a title page for this article. Look at the filter I used to see how I found one. You can right click the image, save it and then get the URL for the citation.
I'm using the dApp 'busy' to create this post so I can now use the select image option and add it to my post and the add the citation manually.
The top line (below) of code will be added automatically and the bottom line needs to be added by you.
All you need to do is type Source and add square brackets around the word. The the URL goes around the round brackets. Do it a few times and it will come naturally.
What is flagging?
Flagging removes your potential rewards before they are delivered to you 7 days later. Your post may have a reward of $2 but this can all be removed by other Steemians if they disagree with what you are likely to gain.
It is in effect, a negative vote. The general rule is be original, cite your images and you won’t suffer from flags.
These are some flags I get on a regular basis by our old friends 'the sockpuppets', But that story is for another day.
If you are a newbie, ensure your content is around 200-300 words in length or….
This is a loose guide and is what I did when I first started up. It seemed to work for me, so why can’t it work for you?
Mix your content with images or photographs (preferably your own). You can write those longer pieces later, save them and stash them.
So, what’s the ‘…or’ mean?
If you do write that masterpiece, there’s a chance that @curie may spot it and give you a huge vote.
@curie looks after the authors that gain little in terms of rewards and if they spot you, determine you have written something great and it is substantial you may be in for a treat. Don’t expect it to happen though.
Engage, engage, engage..
I really can’t stress this enough, the more you do it, the more you will be seen.
Follow people and they may follow you back. Comment, comment, comment, don’t just vote.. the votes will wash over people, the comments will be seen.
If they follow you, then you will be on their feed when the look, which is frequently in most cases. If your latest content is on their feed, they may read it and give you a vote and comment back.
Join @paulag’s Redish League’s
Paula is from the old club and passionate about growing Redfish. Her latest post can be found by clicking this link.
Source
It costs nothing to join the league and it will give you goals to attain. There are prizes to be won too but I don't know what the rules are. Follow her and go have a look!
Buy some STEEM if you can afford too
This will greatly accelerate your STEEM career. Everything you do, every post, every comment is completely transparent to anyone who cares to look at what you are doing.
This includes powering up STEEM, you will get more attention if others think you are serious about this and believe me plenty will look at your wallet to see what you are up to.
Use the Incentives
One of the the best incentive's in terms of rewards currently is @tasteem. They reward you writing reviews on restaurants and sometimes takeaway food. You need to use post using their dApp which can be found here.
Source
When posting your review ensure you follow all the rules and create something readable and useful. If you don't follow the rules then you wont get a vote, and they will figure out very quickly if the content you post is not your own work.
You can expect a vote of possibly $2-$3 if your post simply adheres to the guidelines. Winning contests will gain you prizes in STEEM, but for now, the reward should be incentive enough.
Write about your Passions
I write about STEEM based topics, Music, Urbex, Restaurant Reviews, Cryptocurrency, Magic the Gathering, Abuse, Travel, and aspects of my life in the format of memoirs.
Keep to what you know best, find a niche which will find an audience. Place these details on your profile so that others can see what your interests are.
1200 - 1300 words and there's so much more that I could say. I may write a follow up to this article if anyone cares to listen or wants me to. Hopefully, some new people will read this and gain some information.
The platform is daunting to start with. The curve is steep and you can make mistakes and fuck up your account if you do the wrong things. I was fortunate and didn’t. Let me know if you want to learn more.
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, resteem, engage me or all of these things.
Love the tips & thanks for the shoutout. Some valuable advice right here.
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It was your post that looked remarkably similar to mine that struck a chord. You can see that I have been where you are now and in my case, @steevc was my rescuer.
There's shitloads to learn and I what I write only covers some of it. I may do a follow up if people want it.
It is rather important, one of the points above that if they comment on a post to vote on it. I have had so many people comment and not vote and I am not alone in just seeing it as spammy however it is intended. Good guide!
Ah yes, the comment with no vote. Its long been a big bugbear of mine. Some think that it's not relevant but it shows some decency I think.
I still get repeat commenters and they generally get ignored, some having a decent amount of SP.
I have mellowed a little on the small accounts, as they have little SP and RC's but I always notice this.
It is a huge bugbear of mine. The excuses are always terrible and usually expose the spammieness. Lol, the big SP holders are the worst when they do it right enough
The big SP holders... I get a few but not as many as I would like. I do know what you mean though and I have seen this on other's posts.
The big SP holders that visit me (and are bigger than me) are generally regulars and always vote.
The wayy it should be!!
Dyou know I've never checked to see if commenters have voted. I just generally assume they have!
Although most of my commenters are regulars. Sure it'll be more of an issue WHEN we hit mass adoption!
Posted using Partiko Android
I used to never check until back in the day when steem was mooning up to 8 dollars and I noticed it almost by accident that people were just commenting like mad to make dollars worth from comment upvotes. It was bizarre and a little insulting. Ever since I kinda check if they are unfamiliar to me and it's astonishing to find so many sometimes!
That paints such a bleak picture of the steem network, but I guess RCs to the rescue to an extent!
I guess with your SP and rep you are still gonna pick them up now.
Funnily enough I'm getting more into commenting more than ever now, and even commenting on comments.
Cheers for the follow, they're hard to come by these days!
You are very welcome!!
It is a bit grim. Sometimes It can make you feel negative because a lot of the people who are really active here now haven't seen what happens when the price goes nuts. Essentially people go nuts too.
I love commenting, it's flipping magic. I do think the key to success is commenting so hats off to ya. Look forward to reading your shit as it were!
@slobberchops has mentioned this to me many times. I don't worry so much about it and don't generally check. Whether a redfish comments on my post makes almost no difference to what I make. I would rather they give their vote to someone who needs it more. In many cases I would rather have a good comment than a small vote. Of course I don't object to a big vote :)
Yeah, it's not the value, it's more of the principle. As in, what harm does it do for them to vote regardless of the size.
I do agree, a good comment is worth it's weight in gold. For those people I tend to advise them that it can be seen as spammy but in the nicest possible way.
The ones in question that I really hate though are the ones which barely relate to the post and are just some generic words slopped together angling for a random upvote on said comment. I find them offensive. Hehe. But I can be a gnarly character.
And who doesn't love a whopper! :0D
A generic comment on my posts is likely to get nothing, but I really do not get many of those. The spam rate on Steem is much lower than I might expect given there is a chance to earn from it.
With redfish/minnows they do not have a lot to give out in votes, so I am happy if it goes to people who need it. I have been encouraging that as part of #TenKMinnows. I tell them to not vote on my posts, but they still do. That has no bearing on what votes I give them.
It is indeed low now. My opinion stems from the time the steem price was high and it was a massive problem then, people were creating many many accounts to farm comment upvotes. If I recognise someone then I am not so fussed. I only get gnarly when I don't recognise the name but I recognise the behaviour.
I hope i was able to have this huge tip when i started my steem journey earlier. It took me months to really discover how it works
I see you have got a decent large delegation now, VP > 90% and yet you are still commenting on the bigger account's posts without voting. You are free to do what you like but don't expect a vote from me.
Look at the dialogue between myself and @meesterboom (above) and start doing it right for god sake. You will find such a difference if you give instead of just expecting votes without contributing yourself.
Yeah, I have pointed this out to him as well. Does it to everybody. Not sure what he votes on. It won't earn him any favour anywhere.
I get this delegation from leasing on the minnowbooster market in order to try and grow my account steem power. Not my own sp now. It is a delegation as a result of leasing on minnowbooster
What you are saying makes little sense to me. You have a bigger vote than most, comment on large dolphin and orca accounts without voting which shows no appreciation for the work the author has put into it.
A I already said, its yours to do what you want with it, but I can see its not just me who is noticing your behaviour.
Very well said, good read!
I think this is outstanding advice. I would simply add that it is worthwhile in the long game to add and get close to people you really like. I mean it sounds simple, but so many people dont seem to enjoy themselves...then it becomes more like work!
Thanks @old-guy-photos, there's a lot more I could add to this but I felt it was getting a little long. You do learn a lot from even a year being on here, and it's good to pass these things on to new peeps.
With STEEM rising there's gonna be a new influx again soon, attracted by the money of course.
So freakin true!
This is fantastic practical advice for anyone using STEEM, let alone newbies!
Your pointers promote engagement, humility and honesty; all things that I’d like to see more of on the STEEM blockchain.
I’ve followed pretty much all of these similar things whilst growing here too and feel like I’m finally in a good standing on the platform. Lots of time and energy to get here though.
Posted using Partiko iOS
Thanks @ashtv, this took some writing and so hope it gets some points across.
Yes, it takes a long time and solid commitment to build a following, but as with most things in life that are not easy, its good when you get there.
Great advice there!
Then all you need do is invest 3-4 hrs a day learning, writing and commenting for 6 months, buy at least 5K steem, spunk £1K on SF4 and by Xmas 2019 you'll be well-in!
Yes, there's lots of other stuff I haven't mentioned, but didn't fancy writing 2000 words at once.
This is just for the mad like us.. it helps to do all the above, but you may lose a portion of your life if you do.
You should've made it into a series!
I honestly think if one of those links was missing my earnings would be 50% of what they are now!
SF3 was the real catalyst - actually meeting a couple of dozen dolphins - the majority of whom have since at least doubled their vest helps with the votes (authentically too).... maybe meet ups are the most important thing?!?
I would drop the cynical streak, but that wouldn't be authentic!
On the 'work' note I've decided to give that @oracle-d summary task a go - I've got 40 pages of steemalliance proposals printed off - THAT I regard as work.
Although structures do interest me, it is wading through treacle with some of them.
Posted using Partiko Android
Considering the attention and number of comments it got, I have enough stuff in my head to do a sequel.
Yes, this is one of the things I will mention, the human connection works wonders.
Both @bozz and @daan have mentioned this, I can have a chat to @starkerz about it next month too if he turns up for SteemCamp.
Will be there!! Looking forward to it!!
It's just come up on my google calendar as today. I also noticed the crypto-event that it was supposed to clash with was cancelled!
Grrr that's annoying.. some people aren't coming because of this re-schedule.
Oh that's a shame if some people can't make it. Mind you, putting it back should work to attract more people, maybe?!?
I just hope its more like 'fest' and not like last years 'camp' in terms of numbers if you get my meaning.
Hopefully, although TBH if it was looking good on numbers you'd have expected a few bragging announcements about ticket sales, the silence suggests otherwise.
Assuming @steevc's going I count @ least 6 so far!
Great tips!! I remember starting out writing how to articles and putting a lot of time into them, only to get 5 votes and maybe 2 cents... It was frustrating. I wish someone had told me this back then, haha!
There are some things like this around if you look, or used to be at least. I remember reading some when I started.
Great to see you following up on these posts as they are great to get to know some new users with potential. It is often hit or miss and if not careful, you can actually run into plagiarism quite often! I think the most valuable tip is definitely to acquire Steem and if that fails or not possible, engagementis key to get noticed and drive view and attention to not only posts but comments as well.
Posted using Partiko iOS
It is, I'll try and explain some reasons why in the follow up to this I will be doing. The comments on this post have gone a bit nuts so I know it did the job.
Thank you for this post. I have been struggling with just getting off of the ground and post anything. But that's the thing ... I don't want to post just anything.
Posted using Partiko Android
It's hard work when you start but you can see by my $0.00 post in the content example that I have been there and witnessed it all. Just don't give up and it will happen for you.
Great advice for newcomers I must resteem this for more t0 see
Thanks @tattoodjay :)
MOst welcome ;)
You might be interested to know that there is a project called @heyhaveyamet (HHYM) which scans the #intrroduceyourself tag on a daily basis and looks for newbies with promise. By tagging the HHYM staff here, they will hopefully see your post, the newbie you mentioned, and the tips you've shared! Bravo! 🙌
That's a great incentive, and feel free to share the post if you think others' can get something from it.
Thank you so very much. If you would ever like to come help answer questions in the Steem Terminal, you are more than welcome. Here is the link to the Discord server: https://discord.gg/XZGPGpz
Ren
I loved this post! I am all about helping the new people and I love this. @brittandjosie, @thekittygirl and I run the Steem Terminal in discord. We are there to give real-time answers to real-time questions, help teach everyone the art of Discord, and help the newbies find mentors and a community to hook onto. Do you mind if we put this in one of the rooms in the Terminal for the people to reference?
Ren
Please feel free to use it, and let me know the discord link. I plan on doing another of these which will feature discord and your room will be a great starting point.
That would be amazing! If you decide you want to talk to someone about it @thekittygirl is the main reason the Steem Terminal works so well. Her official title "Admin Goddess" and it is so true! She makes it all go so smoothly!
Unless you have friends when you start off, most people get pittance for their first few posts and sadly many drop off afterwards, so engaging and getting involved with communities is crucial.
But even then, sometimes that's not foolproof. Having been around for year and a half, I still end up with a lot of one way communication ie engagement on other people's post, but not many incoming ones on mine. So that's another thing newbies have to bear in mind and not be put off by.
Tell me about it, I knew NOBODY when I started and did get very little. I was fortunate to have been picked up by a dolphin very early or I would not be here now... there's no doubt about that.
Very good post @slobberchops!! You covered everything. Most posts like this barely touch on half of what you have.
Some good new tips I hadn't read before. Thanks for sharing.
Posted using Partiko Android
Nice tips
Seconded! The Steem Pope supports substantive comments! (post is past payout) Also, do join the Steem Flag Rewards community. Every plankton flag matters!
I try to upvote most good comments on my posts, and occasionally I upvote good comments I see elsewhere. Contribute to conversation, and you will get a following from others who want to engage with you. Write posts that matter to you, and over time, you will find an audience. It can help to link to recent posts or old related articles every time you write something new so people can find other things that interest them and help then connect with you as an individual.
Thank you Steem Pope, maybe things will pick up soon with the price rise.. or maybe we will get a lot more abusers back again, who knows.
There doesn't seem to be much stuff in SFR to flag lately.. I may have to go hunting myself in search of some crap. its out there for sure.
Want me to send you some?
Sure, if they fall in the guidelines I can post them in the SFR discord section and then the hyenas will be on to it, or you could just put it there yourself... https://discord.gg/hnw9ct
Hi @slobberchops!
Your post was upvoted by @steem-ua, new Steem dApp, using UserAuthority for algorithmic post curation!
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In our last Algorithmic Curation Round, consisting of 173 contributions, your post is ranked at #13.
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Hi, @slobberchops!
You just got a 6.23% upvote from SteemPlus!
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Nicely written and all great information. I wish I had known this 2 years ago
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Thanks, there's more to come when I can get some time to do a follow up. I couldn't get it all in one post.
Good tips for anyone really. Engagement is really key. If you can connect with people and form friendships then it makes a big difference. You may never actually meet them, but you can still support each other. Getting to any sort of meet-up is great and it ought to be possible to organise one in any large city these days. There are many 'tricks' to maximising your income, but for me it has to be fun. I have a job where I get to do a lot of boring stuff. I come to Steem for entertainment.
Hope the boss isn't reading this or following your feeds!, you will need to tell me sometime of this 'boring stuff' you do.
I personally love coding.. and I know this is your line of work.
I didn't say it's all boring, but a lot of jobs have some tedium. We do have to remember everything here is public and we don't know who is listening.
Some of these tips are not only for the newbies but for the regulars and vets too imo
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Good post @slobberchops... Way to go with resteeming @tattoodjay :-)
Congratulations @slobberchops!
Your post was mentioned in the Steem Hit Parade in the following category:
You got a 6.85% upvote from @ocdb courtesy of @slobberchops! :)
@ocdb is a non-profit bidbot for whitelisted Steemians, current max bid is 45 SBD and the equivalent amount in STEEM.
Check our website https://thegoodwhales.io/ for the whitelist, queue and delegation info. Join our Discord channel for more information.
If you like what @ocd does, consider voting for ocd-witness through SteemConnect or on the Steemit Witnesses page. :)
Congratulations! This post has been chosen as one of the daily Whistle Stops for The STEEM Engine!
You can see your post's place along the track here: The Daily Whistle Stops, Issue 449 (04/05/19)
Very useful info. I joined Steemit a couple of years ago, but I have been fairly inconsistent in the past about being a participant in the community. Getting noticed on this platform is quite different than getting your message out there elsewhere, and understanding how the system works is essential.
Hope you get something out of it... that's why I write this stuff!
Interesting recommendation, it reminds me when I started on the platform that I used to publish a lot and in the end I did not receive anything, then I made the decision to win audiences first and that is what has worked so far. Thank you.
Greetings.
Yes, I try to give people that insight so what happened to me doesn't happen to them. To produce something large and then get next to nothing does little for your confidence.
great tips here @slobberchops, and I'm not bias because you listed me :-)
Nice post! You covered a lot of great points there!
Sup Dork! Enjoy the upvote!!!
Although I already do a lot of the things you said like always upvoting others and leaving a comment it was still very interesting for me - gonna check out those posts of Paula :)