And we're back! I took a break over the Christmas holiday, but the Steemian Spotlight resumes today with a Steemian who is doing great things for new users!

He is known simply as Inspector Gadget.

Hailing from the Steemit accounts @gogogadget and @gogogadgetupvote, the Inspector has been around for a while, but he's only recently been making ripples in the pond. So let's get to know him.

When I asked the Inspector how he first got involved on Steemit, he answered:

I learned about Steemit from my brother @justinashby. I mostly just dabbled in crypto and lost my ass on HYIP scheems.

It seems his luck has turned around since joining Steemit. Leaving the HYIPs behind, the Inspector is knocking on the door of reputation 60 after having only been on Steemit since September! After only 61 posts on the @gogogadgetupvote account, he's averaging a very respectable $26.80! (Stats via SteemTracked

When I asked what he enjoys blogging about the most, he responded:

The other people here on the platform! I truly believe Steemit is the best place to spend time on the internet because of the community feel and all the awesome people you get to meet!

Since I met him, the Inspector has been an advocate for new users on the platform. His focus is on showcasing content from other users.

The Daily "Introduceyourself Post" Bounty

Normally, I wait until the end of each Spotlight post to discuss the user's unique contributions to the community, but now is a fantastic time to talk about what Inspector Gadget has been doing. He loves to promote content from other users. In fact, that's what the majority of his blogs have been about. Therefore, it was no surprise to hear him say this when asked about the types of posts he enjoys curating:

introduceyourself, obviously. Ties in directly with my previous answer about all the awesome people you get to meet on the platform!

The Inspector currently hosts a semi-regular contest called the Daily "Introduceyourself Post" Bounty, where he invites anyone who reads the post to search Steemit's introduceyourself tag looking for exceptional posts. He has established criteria that he's looking for, but if users comment with a link that fits the criteria, they are rewarded with an upvote from his account, which at the time of this post is worth $2.26. These posts have been overwhelmingly successful, accounting for most of the Inspector's high reward posts.

Not long ago, the Inspector posted an introduction post for the @gogogadgetupvote account which outlines his vision for the effort. In that post, he states:

I want to help spread that excitement to more new users joining Steemit! Getting new users ON the platform is only one part of making this the best place to spend time on the internet. Making new users more excited to create posts by increasing the value of their posts, will help us all grow on the platform.

An admirable sentiment, indeed. I think we all should embrace this attitude when helping new users. I don't believe the Inspector had any idea how successful the project would be when he wrote:

This is just an idea that I had, and wanted to give it a try. You never get anywhere without taking that first step.

Fantastic advice from a great Steemian!

If you're interested, check out the most recent Introduce Yourself Bounty here!

I encourage you to take a look at some of the past posts as well, especially in the comments where the submissions are made. The Inspector also seeks to reward the submitted posts as well. He visits new introduceyourself posts and comments with helpful information and links. An admirable effort, indeed. Here are some examples:

• Daily "Introduceyourself Post" Bounty #22
• Daily "Introduceyourself Post" Bounty #21

I believe that welcoming new users is instrumental in keeping users on the platform, as I have discussed in past spotlight posts. The Inspector dedicates the majority of his time on Steemit to this cause. Rewarding other users for finding promising new Steemians is a fantastic initiative that I will continue to support. I encourage you to follow @gogogadgetupvote and participate in future bounty posts!

Life, Offline

I asked the Inspector what his life away from Steemit is like. He said:

Much like a lot of other people's, I would imagine. I watch TV and play console video games in my free time (Nintendo all the way, I have a Triforce tattooed to my chest). I like to go to the movies, when my budget permits it. My brother Adam and I recently went to see "Thor, Ragnorok" and "Star Wars, The Last Jedi". Both movies quite possibly the best installments in their respective series!

So now we know that the Inspector is a serious Zelda fan. It's fun to know what he does while not on Steemit. I personally enjoy gaming from time to time. I wonder what a gaming review post from the Inspector would look like... I suppose when he chooses not to host the bounties any more, maybe he'll get into game reviews.

Movies are also fun. I asked him further about his taste in movies and TV shows, he had much to say:

There is so much fantastic cinema and great TV shows out there that it is really hard to choose any favorite, or just one. I will say that there has not been a movie in the current "Avengers/ Iron Man/ Captain America/ Thor/ Marvel Universe" series that I haven't liked (some of the X-men movies are a different story), and I can always watch "The Simpsons" or "Family Guy". "Bleach" is most definitely my favorite Anime. My daughter is going to be named "Nelliel". (Mother picked it, not me, I SWEAR! I love the decision, though!)

So it seems The Inspector enjoys the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I personally also enjoy those movies, so I can identify for sure. Glad to know the Inspector takes some time to enjoy things when he's not curating on Steemit!

Thoughts on Steemit

We'll close this spotlight by discussing The Inspector's thoughts on the Steemit platform. When I asked him to describe Steemit in a word or phrase, he said:

AMAZING!!!!!!!! (You said one "word". you didn't specify punctuation, LOL)

A clever response, indeed. I would agree that it is amazing. Especially to someone who is just breaking into the crypto world.

When it comes to being involved with groups, many of my previous interviewees have stressed the importance of communities on Steemit. I asked the Inspector if he had any communities he wanted to highlight, and he said:

If I had to pick, I would say Moonbot and Qurator. There are a bunch of people in both of those groups trying day and night to help others on the platform. @steemitqa, @scrooger and too many people for me to list. All just fantastic Steemians!

I am a member of Qurator, so I can certainly vouch for the effort there to promote great content. I've not gotten involved with Moonbot, but I know I've heard great things about their efforts.

If you want to check out either of these communities, you can find them on Steemit at @qurator and @moonbot, respectively.

With any community, there is room for improvement. I've made a point to ask each Steemian in the spotlight for ideas on what they would improve about Steemit. The Inspector had this to say when asked if there is something he could change about Steemit:

More of a way to fight back against spammers and scammers on the platform other than downvoting them. A lot of new Steemians WON'T downvote that kind of behavior, and even people who have been around a while still won't downvote it because they are afraid of being downvoted in revenge. Some of these spammers have a decent amount of Steempower, and downvote fights don't really help anyone.

This is a hot-button issue for many Steemians, and the Inspector recently dedicated an entire blog to this topic after this interview. The platform is evolving, so discussions like this need to be had. I appreciate the Inspector sharing his thoughts, and I'm sure he would be happy to hear yours as well.

I always ask my interviewees if they have a witness they would like to promote. The Inspector responded:

@klye: he is the only witness who I ever came across one of his "witness update" posts randomly in the "new feed". He is a little guy himself and he helps support other little guys. @ausbitbank and @neoxian are also a couple of great guys out to help others on the platform. All tying back in with my kind of ongoing theme of loving the community feel of Steemit!

If you're looking for witnesses to vote for, check out the Inspector's picks. Witnesses are an important part of Steemit, so if you haven't cast your witness votes, I encourage you to do some research and cast them as soon as possible!

Final Thoughts

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I've enjoyed following @gogogadgetupvote's efforts across Steemit since I first met him, and I look forward to seeing how the success of his bounty posts helps promote user retention.

Here's what The Inspector leaves us with:

I really appreciate all the help and support that you have given me since I started my project! I am really happy to help you supporting other great Steemians all over the platform! If there is anything I can do to help you out, don't hesitate to ask, my friend! I'm @gogogadgetupvote and I'm Always On Duty!

While he was directing these comments directly to me, he truly means it for anyone. If you are interested in supporting his efforts, get in touch with him via his blog. I'm sure he would appreciate any help you want to give. If you want to curate excellent intro posts, feel free to follow his curation trail!

That's all for this edition of The Steemian Spotlight! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Get caught up on the Steemian Spotlight Series:

• Volume 1: Inertia
• Volume 2: HopeHuggs
• Volume 3: topkpop
• Volume 4: ShadowsPub
• Volume 5: carlgnash