![170921_witness-thumb-01.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcftXQ4QbNbiNtcXYdrKTHrLVuuCfdRbaNkaYJeZ1G62e/170921_witness-thumb-01.png)

*For Steemit newcomers there are a lot of terms and technical language that can be hard to keep up with. One term that gets tossed around a lot is “Witness”. Today, we’ll talk a little bit about “Witnesses” - who they are, what they do, and how to vote for them.*

## What is a STEEM Witness and what do they do?
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**In short, witnesses maintain the STEEM economy.** They work hard behind the scenes to ensure that when you blog, comment or upvote that all the internal gears churn smoothly. A team of witnesses create blocks for the STEEM blockchain using super powerful computers that are located all over the world.

This *block-making* routine happens quickly and frequently. Since Steemit is a social media website there are a lot of bits and pieces of communication to keep track of. Literally speaking; new blocks are made every 3 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The STEEM blockchain is a comprehensive and continuous log of posts, comments votes and fund transfers. 

![170921_witness-who-02.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQ4QGUwRJYp9ujw9uLSJhniWCk8BEgvW8WghCHzi1LtHm/170921_witness-who-02.png)

## Who are they?
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**Witnesses carry diverse roles - they're community leaders, programmers, and all-around ambassadors for the platform.** These individuals are elected by the general Steemit public on a rolling basis and are rewarded with STEEM Power to conduct their work. Witnesses are typically those who have a strong understanding of the STEEM blockchain *and* the community surrounding it. These people can apply to become witnesses by authoring a blog post that outlines their expertise, hardware capabilities and community goals.

**Before voting on someone to be or remain a Witness** - consider what kind of value this Witness is bringing to the STEEM network. Everyone's vote is equal when it comes to selecting a Witness so take some time to learn about what each do. Is he/she actively contributing to the value of STEEM? What sorts of projects is this Witness involved in? Witnesses often give reports on their personal accounts and you can explore some of the applications they've created [here](http://steemtools.com/). The ways in which different witnesses contribute are very diverse and we encourage each Steemian to conduct some research and vote responsibly. 

## How to vote!
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Voting on witnesses is pretty simple. [Click here.](https://steemit.com/~witnesses) (Located under the drop-down menu). You’ll see a list of STEEM Witnesses ranked according to popularity (number of overall votes). To the right of their name, you’ll see a link to their “application” to be a Witness. Make sure to read through these applications prior to voting. **Vote responsibly!**

Simply vote by clicking the “upvote” carrot next to the name of the Witness you’d like to support. You can vote on up to 30 witnesses. (You can also remove and change your witness vote at any time.)

![witnesses_image.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPMzShZR65LBP4VF4gA5ioDnw21WbSHcLUAh1yedw3BpU/witnesses_image.jpg)

## Resources to learn more
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For more on Witnesses within the STEEM blockchain and Steemit community, take a look at these posts :

* [Example of a Witness Application by @timcliff](https://steemit.com/witness-category/@timcliff/timcliff-s-updated-witness-application)

* [User Guide to STEEM Witnesses by @pfunk](https://steemit.com/steemit-guides/@pfunk/a-full-steemit-user-s-guide-to-steem-witnesses)

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<center>For any suggestions on potential tutorials or resources, please let us know in the comments below. **Be sure to follow our daily posts and weekly newsletter.**</center>

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