Much as some folks might want to disagree, Hive's backbone seems very much to be the social content sites.
Can't disagree with this. Users are mostly write and publish then leave until it becomes a cycle.
I usually comment and reply to make sure the engagement alive. Sometimes I feel that I want people to read my content than receiving a huge amount of upvote.
I'm open to the fact that different people want different things. I'm a writer/blogger first, and everything else is just a bonus of sorts.
Agree with you, nothing beats when someone appreciate and read your content.