@bonniepiesse I would add for newbies to be prepared to take things offline as well. I'm in Los Angeles too and I've made real life friends and colleagues on @steemit . I think when we all want to succeed on steemit it encourages us to get together once in a while and figure out how to work together. I find that different than other social media which stays online. I hold meetups and it's been great to give and get support both creatively and financially. It's something that newbies should look forward too, especially if they are in a big city like LA.