You're here, That's the first step! Read onwards to unlock the full potential of STEEM!

What is steemit.com?

Imagine a site where you can post stories, drawings, ideas and basically anything else you can imagine for peer review leading to profits? Well, stop imagining. You're actually on that site somehow now. Maybe you heard about it from a friend, perhaps advertised somewhere or on a link that happened to get posted on another site you frequent. Either way, Welcome to steemit.com which is the web front end for the STEEM platform.

Is the money is see here real?

YES. Unlike other popular sites where a vote or "upvote" is basically fluff, Here at steemit.com your vote actually means something! I can promise you now that all of the money you see flying around on the site is real, tangible and spendable wherever you would like once you learn how to transfer different currencies with ease. I'll teach you how to easily convert your Steem Dollars and STEEM in to REAL MONEY in a blurb below.

How can I earn money here?

Here's one of the cool parts! Right when you sign up you're actually given a small amount to get you started on the network. However you can't withdraw it all right away, what you need to do and also the easiest way to earn money here is by writing. You can basically post anything you want. A good start is an #introduceyourself post with a dated picture and a bit about yourself. Nearly every post gets something. Once you get your first few Steem Dollars it will help solidify the realness of the platform.

How do I get upvotes?

There is no real easy answer to this. But if I had to try and explain it to someone who'd never used it before I'd state it simple: Bring your own original writing, stories and self to steemit.com and you may very well end up very wealthy because of it. It may take you 100 posts before you finally have one that takes off and makes a large sum of money. Do not give up with your writing. Eventually by writing enough articles someone with a very profitable vote will come along and make your day.

How do I turn this into Real Money?

It's already in a form of currency when you get it.. although it still might be a few years before you can buy groceries with Steem Dollars and STEEM. One of the fastest and easiest ways to convert your earnings here into easily spendable currency is to trade your SBD / STEEM for Bitcoin on Poloniex.com or Bittrex.com

Is this even Real?

I had my doubts in the beginning as well.. But I've actually been lucky enough to have steemit.com and the people upvoting me pay about half my monthly expenses just by writing brief articles and illustrated guides here. You do need to put in a bit of effort if you want to succeed here, but the rewards are real. A lot of people keep asking me the same thing.. "Where is the money coming from? Where is the value?"

The answer to that is the value are in the people, stories and interactions going on within STEEM and steemit.com. You cannot find another community like this anywhere on the internet. Full STEEM Ahead!