Come for the money and stay for the community ~ Unknown.
It's been a month since I joined Steemit, and I can safely say that I've never been part of a more endearing global community, brimming with life lessons. The beautiful stories and adventures that spin out of the steeming blogs day after day, astonish me. They bring a smile to my face, a tear to my eye and hope in my heart.
You know you're in the right place when a social media behemoth starts paying attention. Fellow Steemians have posted proof that Facebook is shadow banning Steemit related posts. With Steemit's user base constantly growing by the thousands each day, I imagine Steemit's communication with Facebook is something like this:
Hello Facebook, this is Steemit and I just ordered a million high-quality humans to turn into Minnows, Dolphins and Whales. I'll return the spammy ones!
“Never surrender your hopes and dreams to the fateful limitations others have placed on their own lives. The vision of your true destiny does not reside within the blinkered outlook of the naysayers and the doom prophets. Judge not by their words, but accept advice based on the evidence of actual results." ― Anthon St. Maarten
A blockchain community? That was my reaction, when I first heard about Steemit. But I’m a believer and risk taker. People I know say that I live life on the edge.
If a door doesn’t open, I believe in kicking it open first, instead of worrying about it. (literally)
I decided to see for myself.
The first thing I saw was 
Sometimes, actions speak louder than words. The way this community reached out to a fellow Steemian, touched me. And as the epigraph of this post says, I stayed back for the community.
Doomsayers and pessimists may speak a different language, but I'm blessed with the power of positive thinking.
If empathy is the word that defines this Blockchain Community – I Want IN. I want to be a part of this experience.
I may not yet be in a position to really know the outcome of any action on Steemit. However, I do have my thoughts on how, as minnows, we can try to make our presence felt:
Give It Your Best
There is no use whatever trying to help people who do not help themselves. You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he is willing to climb himself ~ Andrew Carnegie
All the support groups and all the individuals we have access to, cannot help us, if we don't help ourselves. I’m no saint, and I need money too, perhaps more than anyone else in here. But nothing has ever been achieved without working for it.
Be YOU
A blog is our own little space in the virtual world, where we share our thoughts and feelings. Pen down your feelings about ... anything that interests you. No two people are the same. You're unique. Allow your uniqueness to shine through in your blog posts. Be true to yourself, without getting overwhelmed.
Be Prepared
I may not have a single post to my credit, but my initial excitement waned a bit when I noticed new posts vanishing without a trace, within minutes of being posted. I found some really beautiful posts tucked away in the depths of Steemit, where not many Steemians venture.
Here I was, thinking that the only thing to focus on is quality.
What Works
As you might have observed - travel, photography, crypto and Steemit related posts tend to do better. Don't forget the contests. Come up with a contest that's really innovative and put yourself out there. You might say, that's common knowledge, but wait..
There’s something else:
Posts with whale votes are the most successful
When one whale votes, other whales follow
Resteems by whales or even popular dolphins work wonders
That's common knowledge too? Well, not for me!
Does that mean a minnow, with no power in terms of steem or elite votes, has no option but to suffer the pain of isolation?
Absolutely not! I think we minnows have every chance to get noticed.
There are whales out there hunting for minnows worthy of their appreciation
There are plenty of dolphins supporting minnows
Several support groups have formed and continue to form, to help minnows get noticed
The ball is in your court.
If there's one thing I've learned from experience, it's that nothing happens overnight.
The Steemians we see doing so well - they're reaping the rewards of their efforts. If you look at the performance of their past posts, you'll notice that they had the same problems like you and me. Of course, there are exceptions.
This is not a guide. I'm a newbie myself. But I like sharing my thoughts, in the hope that this will be of benefit to someone.
Involve in the community, help where I can, offer quality and enjoy the monetary benefits that come my way.
My first hundred dollars from Steemit!
It's just a little over $100, but all I did was comment. I'm happy and I choose to look at it as a token of appreciation from the upvoters.
Thank you for reading this. I hope to get to know you better. Minnows, let's help each other and grow together. I may not have much voting power at this point but I would most willingly help you in any way I can.
This being one of my first posts, I would like to thank these awesome Steemians who are doing their best to help Minnows.
#minnowsupportproject - 
Join Minnow Support here.
For the help he extends minnows. Check out his high SBD Steem Pocalypse game
@rOndOn
For his honest feedback on the content of this post
@joeyrocketfilms
@patelincho
@whatamidoing