Hi! I'm Sam. I found Steemit when someone made a comic about one of my songs, now I'm intrigued!

How did I find Steemit? Interesting story...

I'm Sam, I live in Dallas, Texas. I write and record music under the name Grand Commander. I've had a small bit of success with my song "I Hope You Die in a Fire". Occasionally I do a Google search to see if anyone has mentioned the song. Last night I found a wonderful super awesome post by @suesa-random. She drew a comic that illustrates the lyrics to the song, and completely captured the vibe! My jaw hit the floor when I saw it.

Naturally I wanted to reply and voice how much I appreciate the artwork, and express how heartwarming it feels to find artwork inspired by a song I've written. Cool, time to sign up for this new social network I've never heard of so I can leave a reply and then...

What the f?! Cryptocurrency?! Blockchain?

I thought I would sign up 1-2-3, post a comment, be on my way. However, I quickly learned Steemit is completely different than anything I've come across. Some new kind of economic/blog ecosystem where creators and curators can get paid for posting valuable content? Being so new, it's all hard to grasp. Blockchain, cryptocurrency, these are things I knew existed but never really paid attention to... until now. That being said...I'm into it.

So, I figure the best way to learn is to make a post and hopefully interact with real people. I left a reply on @suesa-random's artwork post, I'm making this hello Steemit world post, and we'll see what happens from there.

sam steemit smaller 1.jpg

Passions/interests/what I can offer to the community

  • Music! - I play bass and guitar and sing, I'm fluent in music theory, and I love to teach and discuss all aspects of music. Main styles are funk/rock/prog/metal, recent years been getting more into indie/singer songwriter stuff, some electronic, some hip hop. Favorite artists... MANOWAR, Parliament Funkadelic, Yes, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Busta Rhymes, Tom Waits, Laura Marling. Currently listening to The Knife/Fever Ray.
  • Recording - I write/engineer/record/mix all Grand Commander songs in my home studio. I'm passionate about recording, analog gear, acoustic environments for microphone use (hello podcasters!), DAWs, plugins.
  • Super Nintendo Synthesizer - I turned a SNES controller into a synth using a Teensy 3.5 for Grand Commander shows. Now that it works, I'm taking steps to turn it into a product. Learning Javascript and React in hopes of making a cross platform app to create user accounts, control the controller, and share and save presets. Very early in this programming journey.
    sam snes.png
  • NES - I still have my OG NES from 1987, I love old NES games, I play Contra/Tetris/Dr Mario at expert levels, and loooove talking about old NES games.

To wrap it up...

Sometimes FB and IG feel... I don't know... disembodied. There is so much noise, it can be hard to cut through it all and have meaningful interactions. Steemit feels like it could be different. First step is understanding what the hell it all means, but really really the first step is just meeting some people here and having some conversations. Looking forward to meeting all of you!

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I really did NOT expect you to find that comic, and I certainly didn't think you'd sign up for Steem just to leave a comment!

I'm very happy to see you here and hope that you'll find a great community here on Steem.

As you're making music, I can recommend DSound, which is an interface to the Steem blockchain that looks a bit like SoundCloud.

If you need help with anything, either find me in the #general channel on steem.chat, or message me on Discord (Suesa#4095).

Good to have you here :)

It is really important to me to interact with anyone who expresses interest in my music. As soon as I saw your post I started looking for a way to contact you and express positive vibes for your artwork. Every time I look at your comic I catch new details, there is more there than meets the eye at first, it is quite wonderful. I made a video for the song, not sure if you've come across it, you can check it here if you want.

I'll check the links! Thank you for the warm welcome, I was so happy when I saw that you responded. :)

Welcome to Steem grandcommander! Partiko is officially the fastest and most popular mobile app for Steem. Unlike other Steem apps, we take 0% cut of your earnings! You can also be rewarded with Partiko Points while using Partiko and exchange Partiko Points for upvotes!

Partiko for Android can be downloaded here on Google Play and the iOS version is available here on the App Store.

If you have more questions, feel free to join our Discord channel and ask @crypto.talk, we're always here to help!

Thank you so much for your interest!

understood, I'll look into it :)

What a way to find Steem! Love it!!
I see Freebornangel has already mentioned tribes. I think there are a few you'll fit in with. As a music creator creativecoin.xyz (just use the #creativecoin tag) should be a good fit as well. I don't want to throw too much info at you at once, but I'll leave it here for when you're ready.

I hope you enjoy it here and stick around. We have a hardfork coming up in a few more days, so don't be too surprised when it goes offline for a day (or more, depending how smoothly it goes). It's very different here to the usual social media and can take a bit of getting used to. We're all still feeling our way and the developers still trying to figure out the best ways forward. Patience is sometimes needed. ;D

Posted using Partiko Android

yeah crazy way to find Steem for sure, lol :) :) Creative coin, cool, I will check that out. Thank you for the warm welcome and good advice!! :)

Loading...

Also, most Steemians hang out in Discord. Here's a couple links if you want to join.
https://discord.gg/YWm5STr
https://discord.gg/a75Cfak
https://discord.gg/9Umf3UY

Welcome to Steemit! (Although, most of us who have been here a while just refer to it as Steem).

It can be difficult to make real connections here too, largely becuase people only really focus on their particular interest groups.

But if you dig around you will find different ways of expressing yourself here; dsound.audio for music and podcasts, dtube for video uploads, etc.

Posted using Partiko Android

Oops I hit send too early!
Here's a list of tools that to you can use.
https://partiko.app/shaidon/useful-tools-for-steemians?referrer=shaidon

There's also an app called Partiko that you can use on your phone to do most of your Steem stuff.

https://partiko.app/referral/shaidon

If the links don't work change partiko.app to steemit.com

Posted using Partiko Android

I LOVE MANOWAR! WOW! I DON'T HEAR THAT TOO OFTEN! Hi I'm Francesca @prettynicevideo . I Love that Story metal. That's what I call It. Not quite Maiden but just as powerful in different areas. My fave songs would have to be the sappier ones. Brothers of metal, Spirit Horse of the Cherokee, Master of the Wind, Power of thy Sword. Such an under rated band I think. Their song evoke feeling, nostalgia. You're almost transported to the story. They have harder albums; some where they even sound a little like kiss I think But way cool.


Probably my favorite. especially where it opens up and the drums come in. LOVE THIS SONG! lolololol.

MANOWAR!! I got so happy when I saw this I couldn't believe it. Every once in a while you come across a Manowar fan, and what a glorious day it is. I looove Spirit Horse. My all time favorite Manowar is King off of Louder Than Hell. I love so many of their songs though, too many to name. Their ballads are sooooo good. My favorite Manowar ballad is probably The Fight For Freedom off Warriors of the World. I mean I love everything about Manowar. Also it is soooo rare to be able to discuss Manowar with anyone. Wayyyy cooool :) :)

Look what I found. Lolol. Today is a good day. Tool released new album and I found this guy. Probably all scratched up.

Posted using Partiko Android

OMG!!!! What a find!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) Yes I've been exploring the new Tool album myself...

Cool beans well I'll be following your journey! And I'll be sure to vist or revisit those songs. See if I knew them. I still have a CD .... Oh I can't find it now I'm sad. I have it somewhere it's the one with spirit horse and all that on their. For beans man nice to meet you

Posted using Partiko Android

Welcome to steemit @grandcommander.

Welcome the new steemians. Have a great day!

Hi Tuanis! I'll check out these links, thanks!!

Hi and welcome here! When I started on steemit, my biggest problem was to find interesting people to interact with. So, to help newcomers getting started I created a directory with other interesting and or talented steemians to follow or interact with. Feel free to check it out at https://www.steemiandir.com I am sure it will help you find like-minded people. Enjoy your stay here and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!

Hi!! I will check it out. First question. On Instagram and FB, I've always followed the mantra... like all love. So I like and respond to every comment. I plan on continuing to responding to all comments, but what about "liking", which I guess in this case is upvoting. Is that something to shy away from?

ha, good question... but the answer could be veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy long....
In short, no, liking and upvoting are not the same. On facebook everything is "free" (hm) On steemit when you upvote someone, jou're giving away Steem (a cryptocurrency). So in fact, when upvoting you're giving money to someone.

But hold your horses… it's not that easy of course :-)

When you just start here you are limited in the number of votes you can give and in the so called "RC" RC is the bandwidht at is allocated to you. Every time you post something, or comment, or vote, you're using part of your bandwidh… In fact, I'm not even sure you have enough bandwidth left to answer my comment here :-)

Anyway, just check this free tool here: https://steemworld.org/@grandcommander It's a kind of dashboard for your account. The big number on the upper-left is your vote-weight and value…

In the middle you will also find your RC status. If you can't post or comment or vote, just check that number… it will probably be too low. Just wait a couple of hours until that value is high enough. (regenerating)

The longer you are here, the higher all those numbers will climb… and the higher your gain will be. At least, if enough members upvote your content :)

That's it for now… play a bit with what I explained you and don't hesitate to come back with other questions when all is a bit more clear!

PS: Good song my friend :-)

Hey thank you for the kind word on my song!!

This is all not really confusing... but a lot to take in. Thank you for taking the time to explain it. I'll check out those links, much appreciated!! :)

And it's only the beginning… there is a lot more to learn :-)

Pleasure all mine, always happy to help real content creators because… yep, there is a lot of spam too here...

There is a lot to learn!! Going to take my time and feel my way through it. Thanks for all the help!!

there is a learning curve. but there are also a lot of friendly people willing to help and sites to find out what you need to know. most discords have a help channel and mods who will answer questions or shoot you a link. also, amazingly, google will find answers if you ask the question correctly.

Welcome grandcommander!
eSteem is the application that improves your experience on Steem. You have full control over your data and content, unlike some apps we don't use our users to promote our application or services.

We have Mobile application for Android and iOS users. We also have developed Surfer Desktop application that helps you to gain new followers and stay connected with your friends, unique features - notifications, bookmarks, favorites, drafts, and more.
We reward our users with encouragement upvotes as well as monthly giveaways rewarding Spotlight top users and active Discord users.
Learn more: https://esteem.app
Join our discord: https://discord.gg/8eHupPq

Thanks, I'll check eSteem out. :)

Welcome to the STEEM Bloclchain, @grandcommander! You may find the weekly Open Mic contest of interest. ✌😎

Open Mic!! cool!! I'll check it out, thanks!!

Following with interest! 🤓

Congratulations @grandcommander! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You made your First Vote
You made your First Comment
You published your First Post
You got a First Vote
You received more than 10 upvotes. Your next target is to reach 50 upvotes.
You got a First Reply

You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!

Welcome on Steemit.

Posted using Partiko Android

thanks thales7!!

You are just getting started as there are a number of users and communities here that would definitely make you feel at home! Check out Creative Coin as well as SteemAce. There are plenty of these that you will enjoy engaging with and finding your home at. Enjoy!

Welcome to Steem! You have taken the first step in achieving many goals here at the crossroads of cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and social media. Consistent engagement is needed to progress and grow your following and influence. I am currently working on a weekly post to curate new users and providing them an introduction to the ecosystem. I have selected your post as one I will feature in an upcoming post! In addition, I have published a post that provides great references to assist you in your journey. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or feedback!

You are going to include my post? Cool! Very much appreciated! Thank for reaching out, I'll contact you if I have some questions. :)

It's a steep learning curve I'm going to go search for your song.. Good luck here

Posted using Partiko Android

Awesome, yeah check it out, super cool! Yeah I can tell it's a lot to learn, going to take my time with it. Thanks!!

Welcome aboard.
Steem can be a tough crowd, I hope you power up and hang out long enough to get recognized.

Steempeak is a better frontend than steemit, imo.
It has many features not available on the other front ends.
Be sure to check out the tribes, that technobabble will go well in stemgeeks.

Thanks!! Tough crowd, huh? How so? Yeah I dig Steempeak so far. Tribes, cool. Yeah there are so many options figuring out which way to go is a bit overwhelming. I'll look into the geek tribe, thanks for the rec!

Hi Sam! Please consider using the following tags on your posts:

#palnet - a great intro discord server with its own stable token. (home to mspwaves, a live talk and music "radio" station with several shows a day)
#creativecoin - for all of your creative posts!
#sonicgroove - for original songs and musical stuff
#tunes - for anything musical

CC information * creative coin server invite * sonic groove * palnet/mspw server invite

image.png

will do, thanks for the tips!

"I Hope You Die in a Fire" is one of my favorite silly phrases....glad you made a song with that name!
Welcome!

Same:) Thanks!!

Hello @grandcommander

It is great that you are here, a people who have been here in a long time, I am glad to be Welcome to Steemit & Wish you luck - success with Steemit!

If you are looking for ways to get more rewards with your Steemit account. You can find the way that suits you in this post.

I hope good things happen to you.

Best regards

Please ignore this reply if you do not need the above.

Posted using Partiko Android

I love Nintendo. Welcome.

NES for the win!! Thanks Joey :)

Welcome to steemit! It's really a good platform for the enthusiast writers and for the people who want to share their good work with the world! ;)

Thank you! Yeah I'm digging it so far, so many links to check out... :)

Hi, welcome to SteemIt. Good luck on your Steem journey and I wish you the best. I've been here since 2016 but it was only last June when I fully committed to take Steem seriously. Please feel free to read my STEEMJOURNEY.

Here are also some tools that I use and I hope you can find them useful too:

  1. Use Partiko App from your mobile phone to post to your blog, comment, and upvote content in SteemIt to earn points which you can use to boost your own content.
  2. If you’re into games, you may wanna try playing Steem Monsters, a blockchain game based on Steem. It lets you compete with other players around the world with creature cards which you can sell and/or convert to crypto.
  3. Get rewarded for staying fit and healthy with ActiFit - a Steem-based app which rewards you with tokens (which you can eventually use to boost your content) for being physically active. If you're already using Fitbit or a similar app, then you'll find this easy to use.
  4. Invest your Steem Power at Smart Steem and get daily rewards and earn more Steem.
  5. Earn rewards by sharing links to interesting webpages through DLike and earn Dlike tokens
  6. Exchange votes with other users with
    SteemEngine.Net / https://steemengine.net/join?r=5604
  7. Steempeak and eSteem both offer an intuitive way of using Steem, enhancing your user experience.
  8. Earn free STEEM through The Crypto Faucet and Earn Crypto by completing tasks and watching videos

Cheers
Neil

Cool, I'll check the journey!! Thank you for the links! :)

Congratulations! Your post has been selected as a daily Steemit truffle! It is listed on rank 18 of all contributions awarded today. You can find the TOP DAILY TRUFFLE PICKS HERE.

I upvoted your contribution because to my mind your post is at least 2 SBD worth and should receive 176 votes. It's now up to the lovely Steemit community to make this come true.

I am TrufflePig, an Artificial Intelligence Bot that helps minnows and content curators using Machine Learning. If you are curious how I select content, you can find an explanation here!

Have a nice day and sincerely yours,
trufflepig
TrufflePig

Congratulations @grandcommander!
Your post was mentioned in the Steem Hit Parade for newcomers in the following category:

  • Comments - Ranked 1 with 43 comments

I also upvoted your post to increase its reward
If you like my work to promote newcomers and give them more visibility on the Steem blockchain, consider to vote for my witness!

I ranked number 1?! haha crazy!! very cool. I don't know what witnesses are yet, but i'll check it out. thanks!

Greetings, and Welcome to the Steem Community @grandcommander! I also love old retro video games!

I would love to feature your new introduction post in my weekly curation blog if you don't mind! You can find it on my @Ma1neEvent Profile.

You can also check out the @MinnowSupport Project (MSP) / PAL community on Discord Chat where you can interact, chat, network, and learn with other members of the Steem / PAL Community! There is even a Steem based radio station there with shows and music created by Steemians, @MSP-Waves! Hop in the @MinnowSupport Pond on Discord and say hello sometime if you'd like!

Retro game ftw!! yeah feel free to feature the post, thanks!! I'll check that discord and the radio station, thanks!

Welcome on board! Now that's a great discovery story XD

As you've probably noticed by now there's also multiple front-ends of which steemit is only the first (there's also Partiko and eSteem if you want mobile, SteemPeak and busy if you want nicer catchall and things like palnet and creativecoin if you want more specific interest stuff, just to add a bit more confusion to chaos ;D

There will be people around to ask for help if you're curious or stuck :)

Thank you for the tips. I've been using SteemPeak, I'll check the other links, thanks so much :)

I think if you're using SteemPeak you don't need to use anything else unless you have aesthetic preferences :)

Are you feeling overwhelmed yet or managing alright? XD

haha totally overwhelmed! I don't know what I'm supposed to do next. I had to wait to make some comments because I didn't have enough power. And I read that content creators are going to make half as much as they used to because of HF21. I'm just now understanding what blockchain is, I don't really get what's going on w/ Steemit yet but everyone has been really friendly which is cool. I don't understand what the deal is with % when I like something. And yeah, that sums it up lol :)

If you haven't already blundered onto the Palnet discord there's a great place to get help XD (and be further overwhelmed by the size of the server XD)

You said you were using SteemPeak? (I'm on SteemPeak's response page atm so not looking at the rest of the thread and I really should click on it to check but I'm laaaaaaazzzzyyyyyyyyyyyyy) If you are steemit is the original front end for steem and I don't like it very much so nothing to worry about at all if you're using another one you like more.

The percentage with the upvote is basically you can give 10 (I think) full powered upvotes a day before your vote value starts decreasing, so what a lot of people do is reduce the percentage so they can throw around more decent sized votes rather than 10 huge ones and then several smaller ones. If you haven't bought more steem then you're going to be giving "dust" votes anyway so don't worry about this just yet.

If you have bought more (or you are super patient and build your way up) then you'll see the vote value changing as you move the slider around and you can use it to work out precisely how much steem you want to drop on a post.

Clear as mud? :)

In the not too distant future you'll get to learn all about scot tokens and SMTs too yay XD

Hello Sam
You are one of many who are already here. USA is big on Steemit !
This is not an automated answer its ME and so welcome to Steemit.
You are a Steemian now! And your first blog is online. Better late than never, and I'm sure one day we will say those were the very early days of Steemit, so congrats! Whats essential here is regular posting off good quality blogs.
So start writing ! Tell us about your life, passion, animals or your work.
That Will attract possible followers.
Do be carefull with your passwords, they are yours and yours only.
Maybe read my blog https://steemit.com/community/@brittandjosie/4-o-clocky-steem-keys-key-to-your-succes-so-secure-them
Look up the free Steemify app in the Appstore or read this blog https://steemit.com/busy/@exyle/using-steemify-to-stay-up-to-date-about-the-blockchain-like-project-destiny-please-consider-blockbrothers-for-your-witness-vote Thats helpfull too.
Next to Steemify I use Appics and Partiko to post.

You can also visit our discord server The Steem Terminal is your one-stop location for learning about destinations on the Steem Blockchain & Discord. Here you will find people who are willing to answer the questions you may have as a new Steemian, documents to assist you, a place to learn and practice, and find out about the many opportunities to connect with other Steemians! Or the account @heyhaveyamet ( a coop with @xcountytravelers ) Where we highlight newcomers. And almost all the staff is from USA hihi

Hope this helps for now. Good luck, and Full Steem Ahead! Let me know if you have questions,

Love from the Netherlands
Britt

Welcome to the Steemit community @grandcommander!
We sincerely hope you find everything you are looking for and have found a new home here.

Seven suggestions to consider:

  1. Guard your passwords carefully, and only publish with the posting key,
  2. Use your active key only for wallet transactions, keychain and steemconnect,
  3. The master password is only used to reset compromised passwords,
  4. DO NOT lose your passwords; copy and store offline,
  5. Do not publish other people's work, be it photos or written, without credit,
  6. An introduceyourself tag is used only once, and
  7. When you open your steemit.com, in the upper right corner of the page there are 3 bars. Click on those, and then on the "welcome", and you will get a lot of reading material that will help you.

I found you because @xcountytravelers and @brittandjosie from @heyhaveyamet presented and promoted your publication to get more exposure and help you grow faster.

If you find yourself overwhelmed and need some guidance, or if you have any questions, there are informed Steemians available who can help you; you can click to go to the Steem Terminal in Discord here:

SteemTerminalBanner.jpg

Have fun and happy Steeming!

Hey, Sam!
Welcome to Steem, mate!
You made a good decision to give this platform a try!
And I believe it must be feels good to find others enjoying and even inspired by your art!
Here in Steem, lots of us shared meaningful and personal things.
We are waiting for your posts! Steem On!

Hi!! Thank you for the warm welcome. Indeed, it felt very good to find that post. Steem On!

Hi Sam!! Welcome on Steemit and nice to meet you! :D

Posted using Partiko Android

Thank you pipoune, nice to meet you too!! :)

Welcome to STEEM @grandcommander!
You are gonna love it here. I know there are many things that seem unfamiliar to you here but trust me, you're gonna learn everything about Steem platform so fast. So many intresting things happening everyday, so many ways to earn and so many new people joining!
Wish you the best on your Steem journey.

P.S We have a skate community here called @steemskate and I would love to collab with you. I can film some skate tricks and with your permission I could use your music in my skate edit!

oh yeah, feel free to use some tunes in your skate vids, that would be rad! :)

I got you bro! I'll propably go out for skating today and I might be able to upload an edit with some cool tunes from you.
If you need any help don't hesitate to ask!
Peace!

You have received an upvote, courtesy of @jamerussell via Steem Terminal!

very much appreciated, thank you my friend :)

Welcome to the platform! I found your post through @jamerussell who shared a link in the @steemterminal. Hope you enjoy blogging here and sharing your music while earning a little crypto, too! Here are some SHADE tokens (another crypto) for you, which you can check on the https://steem-engine.com interface!

!SHADE 5

you rock!! thanks for the shade!! :)

I found out not long ago that the bot which distributes tokens from Steem-Engine had stopped working after HardFork 21, so I traced my steps back to your post and see that you did not get the SHADE tokens. 😕 The bot has apparently been fixed, so I am trying it again now! 😉

!SHADE 5



@grandcommander you have received 5 SHADE from thekittygirl!
View and trade the tokens on Steem Engine.


This tip bot is powered by witness untersatz!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
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You have been curated by @thekittygirl on behalf of Inner Blocks: a community encouraging first hand content, with each individual living their best life, and being responsible for their own well being. #innerblocks Check it out at @innerblocks for the latest information and community updates, or to show your support via delegation.

can't argue with living your best life :) thank you!!

a SNES synthesizer - how cool is that?

I feel you as far as the difficulty of understanding all the crypto and what not and how even though i think they are making a mistake, most of the general public is not really down with that (they haven't got the FOMO yet)

but for the average user, i think that once you get past the part about the really long keys required for access (that was tough for me to wrap my head around at first too) it's not like someone has to be involved in crypto to be involved with Steemit.... later, when they have accumulated some wealth, maybe learn about it then.

Anyway, top-quality post and a fantastic story that lead you to be a member of our community! Welome

yeah SNES synth!! I'm rewriting the code right now, trying to take it to the next level.

The password thing doesn't bother me. I guess not knowing if I should "like" a comment, or what the percentages mean when I do like something, that part confuses me at the moment. Everyone has been reallllly cool so far, which is great.

Thank you for the kind words and the warm welcome!! :)

Welcome to our great community!

thank you! Looking forward to getting a feel for it.