It steems like you need a little help here!

In a recent lively discussion in the Witness chat on April 21 hosted by @shadowspub in the Steemit Ramble, an idea was born. Several key comments were made in a fast-moving chat thread. A handful of Steemians added their approval. Within 20 minutes, a group of like-minded individuals formed a new initiative.

Introducing the Welcome Wagon

Mission: To seek out and "circle our wagons" around Steemit newcomers, providing them with support, mentorship and a "crash course" designed to help them succeed on Steemit and strengthen the platform.

Steemit Crash Course includes:

• Easy-to-follow, updated guides to Steemit (yes the white paper exists, but these break it down on a simpler level)
• Helpful "Under 180" tutorial videos (most people would rather learn visually. We will try to accomodate - and we'll try to keep the lessons under 180 seconds!)
• Quiz (a one-on-one session with mentor to identify any remaining weak areas of Steemit knowledge.)
• "Peer"ship (not intended to be a daily mentorship - but rather, a go-to person to ask for help)
• Helpful tips and para-Steemit programs (the little tricks of the trade that we've all picked up along the way)
• Growing directory of communities (We don't want to form another new community.  Why reinvent the wheel?  There are already fantastic communities in place - let's just point them in the direction of communities that appeal to their individual goals and interests.)
• Incentives (Let's face it. Rewards are tantalizing!  However, our rewards will be less financial, and more supportive in providing the chance for them to establish themselves on Steemit.  Instead of giving handouts that quickly lose their effectiveness, our desire is to give them the opportunity to show their commitment to making an impact on Steemit.  Stronger Steemians mean a stronger Steemit!  We will utilize things like resteems, shout-out Saturdays, features, comments and follows to give them a larger platform to make their voice heard.   We encourage THEM to take our small boosts to springboard into their own sphere of influence.  Though the Welcome Wagon initiative will reserve the right to reward selective financial rewards to exceptional newcomers, individual members of the initiative may use their own personal accounts to reward as they deem fit.)

WE ALREADY HAVE OUR FIRST "UNDER 180" VIDEO READY TO GO! CHECK BACK SOON FOR UNDER 180- LESSON 1: STEEMIT MANNERS

Sounds so awesome, @dreemsteem! Can I be involved?

Yes, please! There are three main roles in the Welcome Wagon. Let's talk to see which one fits your personality best! Feel free to leave me a comment here, or contact me on discord dreemsteem#0695

• Developer: This role is behind the scenes. They look for amazing posts with helpful information from established Steemians. These tools will be shared with the new Steemians by the Steempeers during the 7 day Peership time!
• Sponsor: This role can certainly still share the helpful information, but they also will commit to rallying around our new Steemians... waiting to upvote, resteeem, or feature our newbies' exceptional posts. Starting out in Steemit is tough! Our Sponsors will help give some extra attention to help make the transition into Steemit an enjoyable one!
• Steempeer: This role can certainly still find helpful info and sponsor - but they will also have the most direct contact with the newbie as the one-on-one "orientation aide" that is the newbie's primary helper!

  Our Current Welcome Wagon team (alphabetical order)

Developers: @andysantics48, @artemisnorth, @awakentolife*, @crazybgadventure, @dreemsteem, @maverickinvictus, @monchhichi23, @penderis, @saffisara*, @snook*, @zen-art (petra)

Sponsors: @andysantics48, @dreemsteem, @enginewitty, @ethandsmith, @monchhichi23, @tamala, @zen-art (petra)

Steempeers: @angelacs, @calumam, @dreemsteem, @scuzzy

members with * will begin officially in the next few weeks.

Steempeers of the Welcome Wagon will commit to:

• Find 1 new Steemian to direct to the Crash Course per week.
• Follow up with new Steemian to offer quiz/discussion/reward opportunities.
• Be open to shadowing the new Steemian for 7 days as a Steempeer (unofficial mentor with encouragement).
• Share promising content from the new Steemian with Welcome Wagon sponsors.
• Help plug the new Steemian into a community that fits for them - so they can continue to grow in their new "tribe"!

Thanks for reading! We're starting out small, so we are limited in how many people we can help! But we hope that as we grow, we will bring more like-minded Steemians to "circle their wagons" around MORE new Steemians. We believe that's the key to keeping Steemit growing and flourishing! ~@dreemsteem

Original lightbulb image (edited by @dreemsteem)

Wagon wheel image

Welcome Wagon logo, designed by @dreemsteem