Using Steem For Noobs

I decided to put together an introduction on how to get started on steemit after 2 weeks of intensive study and experimentation. I have read all the steemit introduction material, devoured everything I can find on the internet and more.

One thing I have learned is that there is a lot of confusion out there for steemit noobs. I hope to dispel some of that confusion here.

First off, save your password. When steemit tells you that they cant recover your password, they mean it. Save your password on your computer in a safe place and on a USB stick as well. This is a one time only thing. You lose it, you lose your access.

Setting up your steemit account and personal settings.

In the top right corner of your screen you will see the word "Post" and next to that the space where your logo will go. Click on that and a drop down menu will show up as in the image below.

Click on "Settings". Note - you can also click on the "Settings" button on the menu bar. But I wanted to show you the drop down menu as well. There is a lot you can find on there, including "logout".

Now you can upload your logo and background images. The screen will be something like shown in the following image.

I host my own images on my server. You will have to upload images to your favorite image hosting site and then paste the link into the appropriate slots as you can see in the image above. You may really have to experiment with the image sizes. My banner image ended up being 950-1000 by 150 pixels. It was something in that ballpark.

You can also choose your display name. This will be on the big title banner on your personal page.

In the "about" section tell us a little bit about yourself. Just a sentence to let newcomers see what you are all about.

Next you can share your location. This will be shown publicly.

And your website, if you have one.

How to use steemit.

I am going to go into much greater detail later on this topic because its huge.

On the top right corner of your screen you will see the "Post" button. Here you can write your own blog posts. Be sure to use the preview screen below so ensure everything looks good before you send off your post.

You can also click on the "trending", "new", "hot", or "promoted" links on the top left of the page and browse articles you like.

In steemit you are rewarded for things you do. You get can be rewarded if someone likes your post or comment. You can also reward others if you see something you like.

You can up vote a comment or blog post if you like something.

The best practice is to write unique articles and comments. Do not copy and paste things. Play nice and dont have a heavy hand on the down vote "flag" button. This can harm your own reputation if you over use it. In my opinion if you dont like something you see on someone else's post, just leave.

Below, in the comments on my own post, you will most likely see some abuse of the flags and abusers of the comments. I have a following of trolls who will certainly be a very good example of a bad example. Check them out but do not interact with them.

The more you write and are up voted, the better your rank will become.

Be patient, there are thousands of articles posted all the time. People may see your posts right away and they may not. Experiment and be creative to learn what works best for you.

Use the correct tags. Tags are like categories. I would advise browsing the most used tags by hitting the "new" button on top. Then on the right side of the screen you can find all the tags. A little bit lower down and you can click "show more topics".

This will give you a list of most commonly used tags and the value of each one.

Be sure that your tag fits your post or you may be flagged.

Have fun. Interact with others. Play nice.

Dont forget to give me a vote up if you like this article.

Follow me for more updates coming soon.....