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hmm, from what i've read, you get a penalty if you vote under 30 minutes but you'll get a penalty too. But sometimes it's better to take the penalty especially if the post does well. Can anyone verify?

The original whitepaper says that before 30 mins it goes to the author (with penalty lessening over time) and after 30 to the curator. Steemit.com also says in the faqs that the whitepaper is old and that some of the content may be outdated. And... they say a new whitepaper is going to be published soon, which should clarify on matters such as this. For now, I'd suggest that if you're concerned about maximizing your curation reward to wait til after 30 minutes. However, if it's more your style, just don't worry about it and use the site in a more "leisurely" way and just earn what you earn and not spend your energy trying to manage this aspect.