My last post, "An African Sex Technique Where Men Get To Worship At The Throne Of Vagina, And Bow Before The Queen, Clitoris" was upvoted by a Steemit founder (thanks @dantheman), and also inspired many private messages thanking me for sharing such startling and welcomed information.

Despite that, as well as many hours of preparation, it earned about $11 (which is really about $5 if cashed out, as I understand it). Hmmmm....

Because Steemit has attracted so many smart and talented creators, there is a ton of excellent content not earning its reasonable worth. As the saying goes, "Your network determines your net worth." That seems especially true at Steemit.

So what happens if you aren't naturally a social butterfly or media maven? What if you've been holed up somewhere developing your craft, moreso than developing your community? Since the platform is built on content, isn't the merit of the content itself worth as much reward as received by master networkers?

Perhaps. But that's not how this game is played.

Great content does NOT magically rise to the top. In fact, there is so much good stuff that quickly and obscurely sinks to the bottom of the pond, that some Steemsters -- like @dragonslayer109 -- make a daily point of scouting out the gems among newbies, and featuring them for greater visibility. (I'm grateful to him for having given me such a boost.)

So, how can innovative minnows improve our situation?

I've been thinking about this a lot, because I love the Steemit platform, but do not love my ROI of time, thus far. If you want to succeed at something, it helps to study the actions of others similar to you who have found their stride. They don't know it, but observing two of my favorite creators on Steemit -- @kaylinart and @lesliestarrohara -- helped me come up with this simple plan to (hopefully) improve connections, and earnings.

1. Perceive what you can do differently, such as consider:

• Timing of Post: Am I likely to catch as many eyeballs at 1:00am, as I would at 1:00pm? (I tried this before. The answer is "no," lol.)
• Topic of Post: Is it pure self-indulgence, or am I considering the needs and interests of my reader?
• Tone of Post: Am I being a Debbie Downer, full of complaints, with no offered solutions?
• Touch: Am I REACHING OUT (upvoting and commenting on others' work), as much as I'm WRITING DOWN?

2. Persist in posting.

Creators must create. It's a weird mashup between identity and function (that's my experience, anyway). And I have finally understood that unless I create, I am just plain agitated! So may as well -- at least for a determined length of time -- direct those creative energies toward a single, fixed point, like Steemit. Build heat, momentum and traction by showing your followers "Hey, there's PUH-LENTY MO' where that came from! Hop onboard, so you don't miss out." Steady drops of water, over time, create grooves even in something as hard as stone. Drip, drip, post, post.

3. Perfect YOUR superpower.

I wish I could write as humorously as Starr, or create visual art like Kaylin. But neither of those are my gifts. Or my voice. Freeform blogging is freeing. It opens something up in you. It lets you better know your own thoughts. And talents. Be attentive. To your pacing. Your passion. Your personal style. Basically, BE YOU... to the fullest degree that you can. This creates a polarizing effect that will repel the wrong folks, and attract the right ones. If ever you feel you don't know your way (as I did, when I started this very post), you can write to find your way. And as you do, guess what? You will see that you're not little at all. YOU determine your size. Like everything else, you first make it on the inside... and then get the goodies on the outside.

What's missing? This post is incomplete without your thoughts and ideas, so please add 'em in the comments.

P.S. Two weeks ago, in my introductory post, I promised to serve up "Life!... Six Months After An Ayahuasca Ceremony In Acapulco At An Anarchist Conference." It's taking a little longer than I anticipated, but it is coming... Stay tuned. Stay bright.

Follow me at @erikaharris. Now living in Acapulco, via Chicago, I write about the cultivated inner life + liberated outer life. I also advocate the (re)joining of plants + people, because green minds grok better.