I'm a natural- born skeptic and like a few of my fellow users here at Steemit saw the name flash across my screen in a few posts on Facebook, and through emails. So, I decided to sign up a few weeks ago, and see what all the fuss was about. I can honestly say, I'm glad I did although I've not seen any monumental financial gain yet. Considering that I've only recently started posting , I wasn't expecting much. What I have found here that outweighs any financial reward system is the amount of valuable insight, advice, and intelligence from users. I mentioned in one of my earlier replies today the reasons why I came here other than out of sheer curiosity being the necessity to build outside of my normal networking circles, and to learn new information from others I would likely have never made any contact with online. Steemit has been conducive to finding the information I've been looking for but wasn't able to find via different avenues I've frequented such as Twitter, Pinterest, Google + (just to name a few).
I'd recommend the site to anyone who is looking for a working knowledge of cryptocurrency, for starters. In the years that I've looked into Bitcoin, I've come across quite a bit of intel that I feel wasn't always up to par, accurate, or honest which has for the most part been a major factor in my procrastination in pursuing BTC. Steemit gives a risk-free platform (from what I've seen) where you can begin the journey of using cryptocurrency, and learning how blockchain enterprises work. As a beginner, I think I'll be able to determine if cryptocurrency is the route I'd like to take in the near future and if it's worth the time and energy for me to follow up.
I also feel this is a good outlet for anyone who wishes to improve their writing skills, and seek out constructive criticism from others in a peer to peer network environment. For example, the upvoting system can help in discovering what works in capturing an audience's attention and what doesn't. The "follow" option can help an individual in finding what one can do in maintaining an audience, and keeping that attention and dialogue flowing easily, to build a social network of followers who are more likely to engage with one another consistently.
My personal goals here are to remain an active member of Steemit for at least a year, and to use the knowledge I gain here to improve my skills, and increase opportunities for growth. Likely, investing the time and energy necessary to build a substantial following will aid me in achieving those goals.
Either way, I've decided to dive headfirst into Steemit and give it a fair shot. It can't be any worse than hanging out on Facebook, and giving your information freely to those fellas, right?