Sort:  

Yes I have done some research and while there are MANY articles on it there is no real formula and there are MANY factors. Ultimately if one keeps curating good content then it is likely to get some good payouts. However the REAL influence are the Whales as they call em. One vote from a Whale equals more than a hundred minnows....Its kina shitty and unfair in a way but really its awesome and in the end will be part of why this platform is so successful. In life you never get anything for nothing.

Well, it SEEMS unfair...at first. But you're right, it's part of what makes this platform successful. If it were the other way around--where minnows had all the voting power, everyone was a minnow, and content went viral, maybe that would be fine from the outset. But it would not be sustainable. The money would run out and the site would have to rely on external revenue (advertising, fees, etc.) There would be little incentive for users to reinvest Steem Dollars into the system if they could just cash out from a good story. Investing into Steem Power gives users incentive to keep some money in the system because it not only gives them huge voting power, (which is reward in itself if the story goes viral because the curator can earn on its success as well) but it also generates a very healthy interest. It's friggin' genius.