It's been a long and crazy journey so far, and I really wanted to use this post to thank the Steemit Developers, Curators, and Community for definitely living up to the hype of being a great and growing social networking platform! Everyone works extra hard to provide functionality, and to look for good content, and to create a fun and rewarding atmosphere. ![thank you banner.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcniseGe8iGhtiUi4amER4rXX1PdSaAXm67NEUjUdW3Kq/thank%20you%20banner.png) In this post I will talk about a little bit about my journey, some things I learned to be very important, and things I do to write good posts. Also there's a surprise at the bottom for you to enjoy! <3 WHO AM I? ================ My name is Sheryl, but I liked to be called Shello. Hello! ^_^ I'm 27 and from Hawai'i! ![Colored_In_Photoshop.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQddTN4RybKWVBmP8bHDFw8XF61MSfb7fepioNGqeKvs4/Colored_In_Photoshop.jpg) I like computers, cryptocurrency, food, andventures, video games, and many other things! My posts could be about any subject if I want to write about it that day. My first introduction made a whole $3, and I was very excited about it. Since then, some of my posts have done really well- some of them... not so much. The real reward is to enjoy writing about what you already like! This week I wrote about many different topics like: [Genesis Mining's Newest Email](https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@shello/genesis-mining-back-online-with-friendly-email-detailing-bulk-payouts-moving-in-a-positive-direction) [Selfie Tips and Tricks](https://steemit.com/selfie/@shello/beauty-is-in-the-eyes-of-the-phone-holder-the-perfect-selfie-without-editing-your-pics-tips-and-tricks) [Law Comparison in Honolulu and Portland](https://steemit.com/life/@shello/destination-portland-part-2-controversial-aftermath) [A Secret Item You Can Order at Sushi Restaurants](https://steemit.com/food/@shello/hamachikama-god-of-the-sushi-bar) The most important things I can say to someone new to Steemit is to Try your best and be yourself! It's not as generic advice as you think. =============================================================================== You are getting paid to be you. Even though not every post will make a lot of money (or any lol), you will make lots of friends, build connections, and improve your writing. Keep at it, and you will make great posts and go trending when you least expect it. The are bots, groups, and teams of people that look for good writing on this site. No matter how buried you think your content is, someone will find you- and many of them are working on finding good content creators more often. Some of those include, but are not limited to... @curie @minnowsupport @originalworks Edit! You can also promote your own posts at @promoted if you want more people to see it! Since I am 6 hours behind Florida, and 3 hours behind California, when I was posting around midnight most of the time- I was pretty sure all of my blogs would get missed. I was surprised to see curation trails going through my posts, and sometimes huge upvotes! As I recently dug deeper to find out what was going on I stumbled across a curie post that listed me as a recommended author for this week. I was extremely shocked since I didn't ask anyone to read my posts nor send anyone SBD... They found me. >>![recommended by curie.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmURRhKyHTwwH37JiC1w77Uq37bK2VBFEEEGVUq2df94gE/recommended%20by%20curie.png) Seeing my name there was more important than any reward I could receive. It means that there are people that find value in my writing! Some of the Things I Do That I Think Help Make Good Posts! ========================================================= suuuuurprise! ITS A DRAW THREAD! :D * for my pictures I don't use stock photos, try to take pictures, draw, or make 3d graphics if you can (this is my first drawing post!) ![2.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbT2FrH3fxJuHnZBwNvex9Eu3Zm8BVd6JNsutxJS2689e/2.jpg) * You can use images found on websites if you credit the owner (think work cited). Always credit owner of image. ![3.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmY7xHZi7QzdrTqJ9xTMAF18CkwAtLeTKGifHHTEsUMe5G/3.jpg) * Don't copy/pasta what other people have written. @cheetah stops plagiarism. ![4.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdYP6u7xCBTQpyYTxRmg6eahGCGWqmarPy1TJeonxLZMZ/4.jpg) * Use images to compliment your post. A wall of text is boring and unorganized, pictures help your formatting! ![5.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSUACiHUQ1cPRnrb56MdQUoS35cjmDh9drPFYGhDSp7UH/5.jpg) * I search on Steemit in advance to make sure no one posted about the exact same thing yet. My idea should bring new things to the community, and add new information. ![magicwand_40 tolerance.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNihoaUT8AZHSps1PUetQwUqWZh9Y9ZoVEJavmx44KEyy/magicwand_40%20tolerance.png) * I read and reread my post out loud so I can catch spelling and grammatical errors. (The easier something is to read the better your ideas/concepts can be understood). ![adjust level.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTPtjKJ1CiKPVBMRf72a7eBW9k6ft3a1AWMS3bicsg2Ri/adjust%20level.png) * "good post." is not a comment, I explain myself and try to further the conversation. You really learn a lot! ![zoom to erase.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeTRRHcBqYWNbrdrTHZ4RGhPuHLXt9Px2T3tjZ8guWGWo/zoom%20to%20erase.png) * I plan most of my posts at least a few day ahead, and think about things I want to include and how to present them. ![colorize bottom layer.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYX6i8u6yjrsCZehzC4E9xwHjRGLb6UuZUAao4HYcaSp7/colorize%20bottom%20layer.png) * I include my personal experiences in my writing. Only YOU know your experiences. ![add layer.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYquhAdWM47oAQdYFtdztaMb7H6ewEKXwV8kwYCvGgq9g/add%20layer.png) * Write something you yourself would be excited to read about. Try to teach someone something new! ![hollow layer out.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXRRyzK8BiscHCF3HKzyaZWH6RSSgNo9AMCBJ1c1qanG7/hollow%20layer%20out.png) Most importantly! ![tiny_bubbles.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZin3G4urywj3xe9HrxztXB2DoVV33Ufx2LEwJu7rp1Wh/tiny_bubbles.png) Try your best and be yourself! You would be amazed at who likes you for you. Everyone has something special and unique to bring to Steemit. ![transparent.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmaZGNZFrEG9urq84VcMakSaJjqQJo96YAA2UQzscymUx3/transparent.png) It's up to you to choose what that something is. ![steemit_render.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmepgRekYyhyvF8EXreuWYRrRyXm4CjVWktDm4tsXatySz/steemit_render.png) Feel free to use or modify either one of these images for your own use. No credit needed. Everyone can give something back to others on the platform. This is a little something I wanted to contribute. If you like my post and want to know what I'm up to, please be sure to UPVOTE, FOLLOW, and RESTEEM! ... I should really make myself a banner next.