Welcome To Steemit Everyone!

Steemit is a wonderful place where many dreams can come true. Where wishes can be filled and real problems be dealt with. Steemit is the social network and blogging site where a wide range of people get together and truly connect. We are still young and developing, but if you take the time, you will see how many amazing people have already landed on this platform. I joined out of curiosity, but I have stayed because I see how this place can truly make a difference!

Dreams Can Come True

I will highlight a few examples of the beauty I have witnessed here in my first 6 months. The first is from an intelligent, articulate woman with 3 children that had fallen into homelessness. The story is of @hickorymack and you can read her initial post The Fall Into Homelessness.

She reached out and told her story, and the community responded in ways that would bring a tear to your eyes. She received over 600 upvotes on her post and over 350 comments giving her help and guidance, along with sympathy and prayers. Her story also got the attention of some of the larger generous steemians such as @canadian-coconut, @hendrikdegrote, and @v4vapid and she earned well over few thousand US dollars on that one post alone. The community support group of @familyprotection also got involved on that day, and within weeks @hickorymack and her three beautiful children had a place to live and were no longer homeless.

This is Steemit. This is what a vibrant community can do!

Real Problems Can Get Solved

A friend of mine @briancourteau reached out to me to find a way to cash in his cryptocurrency so he could buy medicine to stop his seizures. Brian has terminal cancer and is living out his last days on Steemit with his love @lynncoyle1.

I had an idea to see if we could raise him the money he was seeking ($150), instead of him having to cash in his crypto, so I put up a post Want To Help? Donate To Free A Man From His Pain, Help Love Story End Without Pain. The result was nothing short of amazing. Not only did we raise Brian the money for his current medical needs, but hundreds of people donated both money and advice on things he could do to improve his current situation. All told, the total support was thousands of US dollars in money terms, but immeasurable in love and respect.

This is Steemit. This is how people can care about each other!

A Social Network With Real Friends

A wonderful aspect of Steemit is the people you will get to know. People from all around the world that are experiencing what you are experiencing.

Because the site is only 2 years old, much of the things to be learned are learned together. This forms a bond and enables people who would otherwise never make contact to connect. And these connections are real. I can honestly say I now have friends in Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, Australia, and of course North America. Steemit is still young, but its penetration is deep enough for me to have reached friends in 6 of the 7 continents!

This is Steemit. This is where you make real connections!

A Publishing/Blogging Site Where You Can Earn

Another positive for Steemit is that real life authors, artists, teachers, and bloggers can publish their work and get paid.

Each of these contribute their thoughts, ideas, and products to the community, and a network of support structures evaluate and value their works. While Steemit is still very small compared to the other social networks and publishing/blogging sites, the ability to earn something of value is real nonetheless. Many have been able to cash out hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of dollars from their valuable efforts.

This is Steemit. This is where thoughts and ideas earn real money!

Getting Paid In Crypto Is A Learning Experience Too

One of the coolest features about Steemit is the way in which you earn money. You get paid in not one, but two forms of cryptocurrency. Both STEEM and the Steem Dollar are actively traded cryptocurrencies that can be exchanged easily for other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum, or litecoin. From there, they are of course also convertible to the currency of your choice whether it be US dollars, Euros, Rubles, Rupees or Yen.

I have learned a lot about how the various cryptocurrencies work, like how easy it is to move money around the world in a split-second. When we wanted to get money to Brian in Mexico, we worked with friends in Europe @pennsif and Asia @scrooger to make it happen in literally minutes. The power of these cryptos have uses far beyond our current imagination. By being "involved" directly on a day to day basis, I believe Steemit as a platform offers a unique opportunity to learn firsthand and be at the leading edge of what is going on.

This is Steemit. This is a complete crypto experience!

Many Active Communities For Support

Even though Steemit is young, there have already been many great communities that have sprung up in support of the platform. We have entire groups that support educational and technical endeavors like @steemstem and @utopian-io. These two groups are a major factor in building and sustaining our promising and talented technical contributors.

There are also curating groups like @curie and @ocd which are looking for quality writers and talented artists to reward daily. Also, we have many community support groups like @qurator @minnowsupport @helpie @comedyopenmic @asapers @greetersguild and @newbieresteemday that support the smaller members of the community and encourage participation. And finally there are community support projects like the previously mentioned @familyprotection and compliance groups like @steemcleaners that provide extra support for those in need. Together these communities provide a backbone of support and enable the ecosystem to develop at a fast pace.

This is Steemit. This is how communities develop!

The Party Is Just Getting Started

The best thing about Steemit is the platform is still developing and improving daily. Spend a week here and you will feel how much potential is really within our grasp.

That makes every day a wonderment that will entertain you, enlighten you, and keep you striving for what the future holds next. They say learning keeps you young. If that's the case then Steemit will be our fountain of youth. Many days I have so much fun, it feels like the whole place is having one big party. And the beauty is that party is just now getting started. I am thrilled with my experiences here and I look very much forward to what the future has in store for us all!

This is Steemit. This is where the party has just begun!

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