Newbie Guides: Steemit 102

Last month I wrote an article called Feeling Lost? Here Is Steemit 101 where I explained some of the basics of how Steemit works. Today I'm going to address another common newbie issue, and a big reason why so many people leave: "I don't know what to write about!!"

Hi, I'm Phoenix, and I write in chalk a lot

A lot of people get a bit intimidated and stop before they start, because for most of us Steemit is more like a blog than Facebook, and they think, "I'm not a writer." But don't let that stop you from participating! There are plenty of tags you can join in (tags are the hashtags you use to group your posts by category), and they don't require you to be Charles Dickens.

Do Good:

Some of my favorite tags are about doing good in the world. Check out #ophumanangels, started by Hive account@lyndsaybowes, where people do random acts of kindness and post about it to inspire others (and it totally does: a lot of times, someone will post about an act they did, and everyone thinks that's a great idea, and they end up doing it too). Your RAOK can be buying someone coffee, picking up litter, chalking positive messages on the sidewalk, leaving positive notes for people to find, feeding impoverished people, giving out flowers, making donations to charity, volunteering, anything. Some offshoot tags that have sprung up from this are #litterwalk started by Hive account@hickorymack where people post about picking up litter, and #randomactsofcannabis by Hive account@jonyoudyer who often shares his plants with people who could use them for medicine (if you're square like me and don't partake so you don't know, cannabis is hella expensive, so imagine that you need it for seizures or glaucoma or pain relief or anti nausea or anxiety or whatever but it's like the $600 epi pens. That's a pretty big gift to give!).

Share Positive News:

In this vein, you can use #thegoodnews tag, started by Hive account@hendrix22, to share uplifting news stories. Know about a cool program that helps people or animals or the environment? Write about it! Had something amazing happen to you? Share that too so we can cheer you on!

Make Music, Make Art:

If you're musically inclined, you can participate in the running #openmic contest, or share what you're working on in #jamchallenge. And don't forget #music!

If you're a visual artist, you can find lots of art tags pertinent to your craft; you could use #art and #painting or #sculpture or #watercolor or #photography or whatever it is you do! Speaking of photography, there are about ten zillion photography contests and challenges out there. A popular one you can easily jump into is #colorchallenge.

If you are a wordsmith, try #poetry, #writing, #fiction and any such related tags!

Speaking Of Contests:

Just check out the tag #contest and start entering! You can win Steem, SBD, shares in Hive account@steembasicincome, physical items, all sorts of stuff. The variety is huge, there is sure to be something up your alley! You can also make with the haha at a contest called #comedyopenmic. I myself have a contest going right now here.

Get Crafty:

On Mondays, post about your work in progress or completed crafts at #needleworkmonday. Knitting, crochet, sewing, felting, lampshade making, beading, you name it, it's there!

Get Cooking:

You can post in #recipe, #recipes, #cooking, #food, or #steemkitchen and connect with your fellow foodies!

Let Your Garden Grow:

Check out #gardening, #homesteading, #preppers, #offgrid and other related tags for all your green thumb and self sufficiency needs!

Like Shinies?

#steemsilvergold is where you can make like Smaug and bask in the shiny goodness.

Just tell us about your day!

At #ulog, #blog, and #life! If you are a mom, you can check out #steemitmamas!

Got Stuff To Sell?

Try listing it at #steembay!

Explore!

And share your photos and thoughts at #walkwithme. Show us around at #seewhatisee, the view from your window at #windowwednesday, and log your run at #runforsteem.

And if that's not enough,

there are apps and tags for memeposting, article sharing, Instagramming, bargain hunting, and video making: check out Zappl, Parley, Steepshot, Steemhunt, DLive, and Dtube!