Interesting read @denmarkguy - I enjoyed it
I can't speak from much experience as this is only my 8th day here but this is what I feel: initially I too was skeptical, after all who in their right mind would pay for you posting a story or a few pictures? However yesterday I had my most rewarded post and I was staggered. Here I am, posting about a hobby I enjoy, and 200 people upvoted it, many great comments were made, I was on the trending page for a while and I made quite a pretty packet into the bargain! As a bonus in the 24 hours since then my number of followers has shot up.
While this is a hobby I am writing about, it would be awesome if I could make some regular income from it - however small - as being disabled I cannot go out to work and I am on a fixed income - I won't lie about that. However I know that success will not come overnight, yesterday was a happy fluke. I know that to succeed I must build my following, engage with my audience and support the wider community. We are all in this together and we must be prepared to help, advise where we can and nurture this beautiful place.
Thank you for your post
The thing is, pretty much everybody has something interesting to talk about. Combine getting rewarded for it and its unstoppable. Most people don't understand cryptos even a bit, so its just fake "internet points" to them still.
Upon receiving my first rewards in the community, I was also thinking if could really cash it out. So I went on around asking questions and finally was able to cash it out. Amazing. That moment mysel this going to be fun and indeed is fun. Started to gain friend and build connections with fellow steemians.
@gmuxx, thanks for the thoughtful comment... and congrats on having a post make it to "trending!" It's exciting when that happens. I actually had a vaguely similar experience when my intro post unexpectedly was picked up by one of the "Guilds" and I was their "author of the day." Talk about a welcome!
Every post is its own challenge, and I remind myself that this is not a job and I was not hired here by someone who "owes" me a salary. What I get to do is try my best every time and then it's up to our peers to determine whether the content is "good," "bad" or indifferent. For me, the reward is both a privilege and a bonus... none of my other blogs reward me with more than a pittance in Google AdSense revenue.
In a sense, we are all "gardeners" here, tasked with keeping this amazing ecosystem healthy.
That's such a great analogy