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How can I become successful in Steemit? I've heard this question too many times. That is why I included it in my presentation at the Steem Meet-up in Ibadan. In this blog post, I'm going to show you how to succeed in Steemit in a rather weird and fun way.

In cryptocurrency, terms like proof-of-stake, proof-of-work, e.t.c are termed as consensus algorithms.

_{A consensus algorithm is a process in computer science used to achieve agreement on a single data value among distributed processes or systems.Source}

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Please note that proof-of-work/stake or proof-of-anything as used in the following paragraphs have nothing to do with consensus algorithms. I've just borrowed the terms to give life to my presentation and make it fun.

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To succeed in Steemit, you need to prove to the community that you are worthy. Every upvote here is worth money, but why should we give it to you. Are you worthy?

_Source

If you are deemed worthy, you will get upvotes but if not, you get ignored. Heck! You could even get flagged.

You basically prove to the community that you can produce "quality content" that will bring value to the community. When you do that, the community gives you value(upvotes, steem) in return.

Who Decides What Quality Content is?

Answer:

The Community! Those who have stacked their cash or sweat in the form of Steem Power here are granted the superhuman ability to print money from thin air. Every time they upvote your posts, they release a portion of the reward pool to you. The whales call the shots around here. They get to determine which post is "quality content" enough to land on the trending page.

So the question now is, what do I need to prove to the community or how do I make such proof?

Well sit tight, let me take you on a fun ride.

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Pay Attention! Use Your Brain!!

It's quite unfortunate that a lot of us don't pay attention. Steemit puts a price tag on your attention and you need to give it to Steemit to earn from Steemit . In a way, you pay for upvotes, that's why people say you PAY attention. You pay attention!

There are many opportunities here. Steemit is a place where anything can be monetized.
Anything is possible but you have to pay attention to get it. You need to be able to make research. You need to show "proof-of-brain". If you are someone who doesn't have a brain or who don't use it or who finds it hard to pay attention or read, you are going to suck here.

_{Read more than you write}

Show that you got some brains and the SBD's and SP's and Steem will come raining on you.

You need to be innovative and creative. You need to use your mind.
Napoleon Hill wrote that more gold has been mined from the minds of men than has been taken from the earth.

There is a saying around this place that was invented by @stellabelle. You mine Steem with your mind.

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Socialize

So let's assume that you get the first point. Which is that you should be able to show proof-of-brain. The next thing you need to do is to socialize. Apparently, this could be more important than quality content. If you write the best quality content and there is no one to upvote it then it would be a regrettable waste of time.

Go for meet-ups. Participate in off-line events. Meet people. Socialize! Join a smaller group.

Join a discord channel or Whatsapp group or telegram group. Support someone else's project. Read someone else's post.

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Be Unique

What do you have that another person may not be able to copy? What's so special about you. Who are you? You blog is an extension of your soul. Let it represent what you stand for. Bring it on!

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Be Passionate

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Be Generous

Give! Reach out to someone in need and change the world for them. You don't have to give money or upvotes. You can give your time, attention, lend your skills to a project, e.t.c.

Steemit is a gifting economy. If everyone should pay for what they receive here then this place won't be as cool as it currently is.

A gift economy, gift culture, or gift exchange is a mode of exchange where valuables are not traded or sold, but rather given without an explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards. This contrasts with a barter economy or a market economy, where goods and services are primarily exchanged for value received. _Wikipedia

Be generous, show proof of positive impact.

An example of someone who has been able to succeed here by showing proof of positive impact is @steem4depoor. There was this time he got some delegation from @stellabelle because he was going around and giving food to poor people despite his own challenges. Just four days ago, I found out that she helped him fund his acquisition of a new apartment. You can read more about this here.

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Cry!

Do not be afraid to cry. If you have problems you can share them here and you would get help. I was browsing through Youtube the other day and I saw a video of @andrarchy. He talked about the most inspiring Steemit story he ever read. He talked about how this dude-@darthnava- who had a spinal cord injury was able to raise funds for his surgery.

@darthnava got the funds for his surgery through donations and upvotes. He got more than he wanted and at the end of the surgery, nobody asked him for the balance or how he spent the money from the donation. The donation even made him become a Steem dolphins. Isn't that amazing!?!

_{A Steem Dolphin is somoene that has more than several thousand Steem locked up in Steem Power.}

A while ago @surpassinggoolge came up with the idea of teardrops to reward people who see genuine pay or joy enough to make them cry with smart media tokens.

So don't be afraid to share your problems here. But don't go around soliciting for funds and begging all the time. It's not good for your reputation. Be genuine and focus on building relationships first.

_source

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Bottomline
To succeed in Steemit, you got to prove to the community that you are worthy. You gotta show any or a combination of the following:
Proof of Brain,
Proof of Sociableness/Relationships,
Proof of Stake,
Proof of Self,
Proof of Heart,
Proof of Positive Impact, &
Proof of Tears.

Thank you very much for reading. I hope it was value for your time.

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_{Where there is darkness, I'll shine the light.}