I was going through my website and I realized something: I have had the thing for six years. Over those years, I have hundreds of blog entries. But I noticed that there were periods I did not write at all. That is when my buddy introduced me to Steemit. He explained that it was an online blog community (kind of like Facebook) and that I could make Steem coins (or whatever they are called). I thought, “What the hell?” and signed up.

I have been going strong for four months not and I am having a blast. The ironic thing (and maybe it’s just me) is that I really do not care about the currency accumulation much. For me, it is just a score. A way of seeing how much people actually like my blog posts. But I have gained so much since joining this site. Here’s what I got out of Steemit.

I Learned How to Blog

My first few years, all I did was write what I had to say. I did not make the blog visually stimulating. You could see that by looking at my first few entries. But, over the last four months, I have read other blogs and found them not only interesting, but visually captivating. That is when I started to add graphics.

I also learned what people liked to read. And, surprisingly, they like to read about the things I do and see. This has made my weekends more interesting because I find myself doing things I might not normally do because I want to blog about it (look at my posts about Old Town). I also have been taking a camera because I can share my experiences through video or pictures (view the posts about the hikes I have gone on).

I Keep Writing

I have always been a fan of writing. But I am also very lazy. I want to have a reason to write. My website, though read by my friends, gets very little traffic. I have to go through and moderate the comments about once a week and find that most of my readers think I need to build bulk because they think I need steroids or they think I’m Chinese cause that is what the comments are written in. Either way, I have only published two comments since I got the site.

Adding my posts to Steemit has brought my writing and audience and a reason to write. Where I wrote an article once a month, I now write two to three times a week. The Steemit tokens (I do not understand the currency concept yet) for me is just score. How my article was received.

I Learn What People Like to Read

I would write about a myriad of topics. this includes politics, trips I have taken, lists, relationship experiences and my hobbies, just to name a few. I have learned (by looking at Steemit currency, views and comments) that there are certain topics people really like to read. My life seems to be of interest to a lot of people. My relationship news and trips (with pictures) people like. Though I get a lot of comments on my hobbies and politics, there does not seem to be a lot of views or Steemit tokens. In fact, I seemed to have made people angry when I do bring up politics. I have seen my followers drop (though I avoid the truly controversial political topics).

That does not mean I ignore the topics all together. In fact, I still include these topics at least once a week.

In Conclusion

One of the things I try to do is keep things fresh and do not get stuck on one type of post. And keep writing. Steemit is giving my confidence to keep writing. I am currently writing a book that I plan to test by adding inserts and see what the response it. I also plan to add short stories so that I can work on my creativity and possibly write a fictional book in the future.

I have gained a lot from this site. Thanks for everything, Steemit! You have enhanced a life!

Photos courtesy of:
theodysseyonline.com
bcimedia.com
greberwritingaward.com
radicalcompliance.com
sarahmaclean.net