my art collage featuring the founders of Steemit, @ned and @dantheman

The health of the Steemit ecosystem is maintained by people who want to create an engaged and free world.

Part of the reason I got instantly hooked inside Steemit was because I learned it has a mission that closely resembles my own. At first glance, you might come to the conclusion that Steemit is just a place where people can make money and be greedy.

That’s what I assumed when I first learned about Steemit. However, a deeper look into Steemit and its founders revealed a layer that surprised me. I learned that Dan Larimer and Ned Scott, founders of Steemit, are committed to creating non-violent solutions to society’s current problems.

Dan describes himself as a person who never gives up working towards this goal. He studied the way our society is constructed, and is actively working to build a world that is more free, more tolerant, more civilized and more peaceful than the one we currently have.

He realized that building an economic model that sustained people was the key to making it successful.

To understand how you can best benefit from Steemit, you have to understand how to build and maintain a solid reputation. So, how do you do this?

Here are some ideas:

1. When you begin sharing on Steemit, ask yourself this question, “How useful is my post to others?” and “How much authentic energy did I put into creating it?”

Your post doesn’t have to be long in order to be effective. If you address the pain points of a hundred other people, or say, a thousand, your reputation grows and people start thinking of you as valuable.

2. Try to express your authentic voice.

Sometimes, just telling your honest story creates a huge amount of value to others who haven’t learned how to get radically honest with themselves. Be prepared for criticism, though. Being honest creates waves. Learn how to ride those waves.

3. Encourage others, especially those who are newbies.

The more you genuinely help others, the more your reputation grows and the more rewards you reap. Plus, think back to your first day on Steemit and remember how it felt when some stranger helped you out. Empathy goes a long way and generally carries with it an economic reward.

4. Actively recruit others to Steemit.

Spread the word and tell others how you honestly feel about Steemit. This is a sure way to build trust. The more people you help usher into the Steemit world, the more people will trust you. Think about it: if you recruit 10 people to Steemit then those 10 people will be grateful for your efforts. Then, the founders and contributing Steemit members will also be happy that you’ve helped to make the Steemit community bigger. With 10 new members, you’ve actually made 20+ people happier. This is significant. Again, this will result in more economic rewards for you.

Let's get real, though. On July 5, when we've received our payout, there'll be no stopping the floodgates. We won't even have to mention the site to anyone, as it will be splashed all over the place.

5. Understand the difference between honestly desiring to help others and greed.

Most of us have come from a world of pure greed. Greed is systematically rewarded in our current system. Greed also exists to some degree inside most of us. Greed has a sliding scale. Some people are incredibly greedy while others are not so much. I’m not judging those who choose greed over other attributes. People will make their own choices and are free to do so.

However, when greed becomes the driving force within you, your reputation suffers. Acting out of pure greed alienates other people and makes them distrust you. Everything you do in Steemit is recorded in the blockchain. That means that when disputes occur, there’s a hard copy that can be consulted in order to resolve the issue.

I’m not responsible for what you decide to do in Steemit, but I speak from personal experience. Being ultra helpful in the “normal” current system hasn’t personally gotten me very far. However, being helpful on the Steemit social network has resulted in serious economic and social rewards.

The more helpful I became, the more people began valuing me which resulted in me being paid more money. Anyone who knows me, understands that I don’t have extra money. I’m actually barely scraping by financially. Finding Steemit has made me realize that perhaps I’ve been living in the wrong system. The Steemit system has been rewarding me ever since I made my first post. It’s revolutionizing my ideas about what is possible in the world.

My more pessimistic side does wonder however, "when will this good luck streak and economic rewards end?" It certainly makes me feel like I've won a golden ticket and that I'm Charlie Bucket. I feel like I've been invited in to see Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory and I'm trying out all the fabulous experimental candy. I will keep hoping that it's all real and that dreams actually do come true until I'm told differently.

This guide was not endorsed by Steemit. All opinions are mine and I'm 6 days old in Steemit. Feel free to add anything I missed or give me feedback on any facts that are incorrect.