Hello Steemians,
Today I will write about Steemit ecosystem in my tutorial series where I will be telling you more about different hierarchy on Steemit as a community. But before I proceed to the topic of discussion, here are my previous tutorial series:
- BASIC STEEMIT FUNDAMENTAL TUTORIAL PART 1; THE USE OF MARKDOWN WRITING STYLE.
- BASIC STEEMIT FUNDAMENTAL TUTORIAL PART 2;Steem, Steem Dollar, Steem Power.
Steemit Ecosystem
There is a hierarchy in every community. Steemit Ecosystem is usually represented by an aquatic ecosystem where we have different aquatic animals like minnows, dolphins, and whales.
Individuals on Steemit are placed in this category on the basis of their Steem power i.e. the higher your Steem Power the higher your hierarchy on the Steemit ecosystem. The categories on Steemit is quite subjective with some people believing we have more than three hierarchy or rank in the Steemit ecosystem but in this post, I will like to believe we have three basic level in the ecosystem which is: Minnows, Dolphins, and Whales.
Minnows: Minnow is a general term used for small freshwater and saltwater fishes. In the Steemit ecosystem, the minnows constitute the bulk of the platform including the newbies(dead fish) and Steemians that are yet to make over 500SP(Redfish). Minnows are so numerous and constantly depending on the dolphins and whales for survival in the Steemit ecosystem. Minnows can further be categorized based on their SP and Vests in the Steemit ecosystem; Dead fish or newbie, Redfish(< 500 SP) and Minnow(>500SP<5000SP). The minnows have less influence on the distribution of rewards since they have less SP.
creditDolphins: Immediately above minnows are the dolphins. The dolphin has a lot of influence on the reward pool since they are highly vested and have a reasonable or enormous amount of SP. They have a very good understanding of the platform and minnows look up to them for mentorship and upvotes. It is believed that Minnows and dolphins have a better relationship than minnows and whales. I can't say precisely the amount of Steem power needed to be a dolphin all I can say is, for you to be a dolphin you have to have over 5000 SP. Don't be surprised if you get over $10 on a single upvote from a dolphin; that's how influential they are in the distribution of rewards.
creditWhales: I will like to categorize Orcas as whales as I can't really put a clear distinction between the two. Whales are the Jagabans(Nigerian patois for Most influential) of Steemit. They are always a blessing to every blog they visit and personally as a minnow I have always hoped for their touch on my blog. The population of whales on Steemit is quite a few on the platform compared to minnows and dolphins yet they are the highest investors in terms of Steem power.
Stat on the population of Steemians
The journey to becoming a whale as a newbie is not a day job but it is achievable with persistence and consistency. So work continuously on your blogs and try to invest more on SP.
Here is a tip from 
@stellabelle to becoming a notable Steemian.
Discover the richness inside of you by
You need to take a deep dive into finding out your core strengths.
Once you have done that, you need to find creative ways that you share that in a new way.
Note: I am very much open to criticism, contribution and correction. If you think there is something worth sharing or correcting in this topic of discussion I will be glad if you can share as I know I still have a lot to learn.
Thank you for reading. You can follow 
@harbysco
for more tutorial series.