For the little Steemians, such as us who try to survive in Venezuela, Steemit is a hope for some profits and at the same time make our points of view and our creativity known. I guess for @ned and many other whales Steemit is just a cold transaction, an anonymous financial operation, which is understandable because it is a private initiative... But I think it's important to find a balance between profitability and solidarity if they want to make this platform sustainable over time.
Greetings from Venezuela, or Webnezuela ;-)