There’s a fair amount of family stuff going on in my life at the moment (which I can’t share because they aren’t my stories to tell… and don’t worry, mom, nothing that you’re not already aware of), so the idea of writing a Steem gratitude challenge post for @theycallmedan, or sharing my Steem journey for the Power House Creatives community, really didn’t appeal to me.
Then it occurred to me – what better time to write about gratitude and something that’s positively impacting my life than when I’m not feeling it? I’m guessing by the end of this post, I’ll have given myself a much needed reminder that there’s always something to be thankful for, and that all of my blogging and social media sharing over the years is finally starting to pay off in actual dollars and cents.
My Steem Journey
The road to Steem actually began on Ello. Remember that place? Back in 2014 it was being touted as the “Facebook killer.” I joined on October 23rd, 2014 and while I didn’t expect it to drive Facebook to the ground (must be my witchy powers at work…LOL), I did find it to be a pleasant, if small, community.
In my Ello wanderings, I became acquainted with a number of awesomesauce people, in particular @pixelfan and @thekittygirl. Around August/September 2017, after a couple months of quiet, @pixelfan posted and said he’d discovered an amazing social media site that was actually paying him for his photography blogs (or words to that effect). As a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, with a couple of health issues (at that time… I’ve since added to my collection…lol), I was willing to put aside my FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) so I could check it out. I signed up, then waited for my account to be approved.
What is Steem/Steemit?
As I said in a blog post last year…
Imagine that Facebook, WordPress, Reddit, Snapchat, World of Warcraft, and the Stock Market got together one night, had a little too much to drink and did things they regretted in the morning. Then, nine months later, a baby appeared. That kid would be Steemit.
Essentially, Steemit is a social media platform built on the Steem (cryptocurrency) blockchain with many different apps (blogging, fitness, gaming – the list gets longer by the day!) and your participation on the blockchain is rewarded with the cryptocurrency Steem. It’s a wicked simplification, and might not be entirely accurate, but I think it works well enough for this post.
My first months on Steemit
On September 22, 2017, I got an email notification that my account was approved, and I could join in the crypto fun. Awesome, right? Except I had no clue what I was doing – my first few posts (if I remember correctly) only contained a few paragraphs, then a link to “continue reading on my WordPress blog…”
I also ran around upvoting and resteeming everything in sight, because that’s the way F*ckbook social media platforms work, right?
And as if my Steem n00bishness weren’t bad enough, my InternetG33k gamer street cred was in serious jeopardy because not only did I not have a Discord account, I didn’t even know how to work the frelling thing!
@jaynie and @steemitbloggers to the rescue!
I’m not exactly sure what post I bumped into her on, but during our brief exchange, she casually mentioned I should check out the Steemit Bloggers (now known as The Power House Creatives) community on Discord. I believe I mentioned my hesitation because I wasn’t familiar with it, and she said something to the effect of, “Don’t be such a big baby, if you want to succeed you need to step out of your comfort zone and go for it! It’s pretty straightforward to figure out and we can help you out if you have questions.”
Once I got my feet wet, I ended up joining a bunch more Steem related Discord servers (@steemusa, @steemsugars, @helpie, and @minnowsupport all immediately come to mind), but it was finding that one community (PHC for me) that welcomed you in, walked you around and showed you where everything was, and whose coffee cup you should never touch, and who to go to when you needed something (and who could be bribed and with what) that made me feel like this was a place I could be successful.
My Steem Journey these days
Since that time, I’ve started two of my own communities – @SteemitTarot (a small but dedicated group of card readers and enthusiasts) and @SteemitWitchery (which I created in April 2018 and STILL haven’t written an intro post for… oops…😜). I also got the ball rolling on the “Ten Facts, One Lie” game that was going around the blockchain back in early 2018, I started the #SteemBloPoMo challenge in April of this year, and I plan to host it again this November.
Steem Gratitude
I’ve been blogging since 2005, and I’ve actually spent more money on hosting costs than I’ve ever made from my occasional “for pay” posts or AdCents (spelling intentional). While being able to share my writing, photography, and weekly free Tarot card readings is wicked cool, the reality is that bills need to be paid, and every since my post-partum diagnosis after our youngest was born in 2000, my ability and opportunity to earn money has been scarcer than hens’ teeth!
However, after being on the Steem blockchain for four months (granted it was during that amazeballs bull run during late 2017/early2018), I cashed out 10 SBD for just over $70 USD.
Since that time, I’ve been stacking my Steem, and re-invested that $70 more than a few times over. Even in this bear market (and before I got involved on Steem, I had NO clue what any of these investment term thingys meant), I’m excited at the potential I see as a Steem cryptocurrency holder, a blogger, and a member of the international, censorship free community of wicked awesomesauce and ridiculously smart and interesting people from all over the globe (yes I know I already said “international,” I’m just driving the point home!).
Even if I never earned another Steem-cent, at the end of the day, I’d still be here. As I said in my post last year, “Come to the Steemit Side…We Have Crypto” –
Come to Steemit for the cryptocurrency, but stay for the awesome people and amazing community connections. And no, there’s no hidden fees, or kickbacks for getting new members on the site.
Oh, and per the challenge, I’m tagging @dswigle, @blueeyes8960, and @deepsouthpiddlin to write their own Steem Gratitude post!
Challenge and Contest details
Speaking of the challenge, and since I completely spaced mentioning the contest criteria at the beginning of this post…
What has steem done for you?
Have you met some awesome people who have changed your life?
Have you earned some rewards on a post, and maybe bought something useful/cool with the money? (photos please!)
Has Steem been useful as a foundation for you to build an online profile that can never be taken from you?
I want to take these real-life testimonies and blast them all over the internet!
Make a post and use the hashtag #GratitudeChallenge and tag three friends to participate!
PowerHouseCreatives Contest | My Steem Journey (Contest Details)
Despite the low Steem rates against BTC, there will always be one thing that I will always treasure in this lifetime of mine. And that is my Steem Journey. How I’ve met up with people I know through Steemit, both locally and Internationally. How I’ve collaborated with some amazing people to start initiatives, businesses and crypto projects. Most importantly, How I’ve made friends with them.
I can write more than a thousand of how my Steem Journey started and all its goodies, but this time, I would love to hear your story. The Good and the Bad, whatever it is that you’ve experienced and encounter on the Steem blockchain. How you’ve come to know about this wonderful blockchain and platform? Your communities, Your contributions, What you like and don’t like about this platform and many others that you can come up with.
Wrapping it up
I started this post Friday morning (July 19th), and I’m finishing it just after midnight on the 21st, and between the aforementioned family issues, and the current heat wave we’re experiencing here in New England, I REALLY wasn’t in the mood to write this.
And I’m so glad I did.
Reminiscing about my Steem beginnings, and the things that I’m thankful for, REALLY helped to put me in a better frame of mind. While I don’t envision myself becoming a crypto-millionaire any time soon (I’m guessing it will take me at least a year or two… 😂 ), I am teetering on the edge of Dolphinhood, and I’m really excited about all the new stuff and upcoming innovations on this blockchain I’ve grown to love.
Thank you Steem and all you Splendiferous Steemians!
Thanks for stopping by!
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Blog graphics created on Canva
My photographs are taken with my trusty Nikon,
sometimes utilizing my handy dandy tripod.
All words and images are mine (unless otherwise indicated),
and can sometimes also be found on my various social media sites.
Speaking of witch which…
I have one billion many homes on the interwebz.
Here are a few…
- Smoke Blog ~ Traci York
- Steemit Blog ~ Traci York
- WordPress Blog ~ Traci York
- Facebook ~ Traci Cavanaugh York
- Facebook Page ~ Traci York, Writer
- Instagram ~ traciyork_aka_internetg33k
- Pinterest ~ Traci York, Writer
- Twitter ~ @TraciYorkWriter
- My Weku Blog ~ Traci York
- YouTube ~ InternetGeek
- Ello ~ @traciyork
On the Steemit blogging site,
I am a proud member
of these awesomesauce communities
Links: PowerHouseCreatives; steemsugars; steemusa;
anonyvoter/steemians directory; helpie
Still finding it hard to get my head around this blockchain stuff! Maybe if I keep reading it will finally din in. Poets could do with some income injection.