Well, it has been two weeks for me on Steemit and I like what I see so far. One aspect that has taken me a little bit to understand is the post rewards dropdown.

**You have the choice of:**

- Power Up 100%
- Default (50%/50%)
- Decline Payout

I have experimented with both the 100% and 50% options to see what works best. I've come to the conclusion you should be powering up 100% every article you post (which I will be doing every post onwards). 

On Steemit your influence is dictated by your STEEM Power, the more STEEM Power that you have, the more your votes will be worth. This means if you automatically upvote your own posts (and you should) instead of earning between $0.00 and  $0.01 as a newbie you might earn $0.05 or $0.10 (depending on your power). 

**STEEM Power = money**

The more power you have on Steemit, the more money you earn, it's simple. If you're planning on being a long-term user of this platform, you need STEEM Power and lots of it.

While earning SBD via the 50/50 option might be nice if you're looking for short-term profits, the 100% will accumulate and make you more influential. People with influence on this platform attract a following, chasing elusive well paying up votes.

Feel emPOWERED and start going 100%, it will work out better for you in the long run.