Thanks @stellabelle I don't know about 100 high quality and engaging comments. I might try to aim for posting better comments over time.
I'll admit, I would not have believed that you have not put a single dollar into steemit, had somebody told me. I did put money into steemit. Quite a bit, in fact, so now I feel a need to make that money grow and it feels a bit like curation is my only way for now.
After a few days, and a few cents later. It started to feel like I was giving everyone else money through curation and was getting nothing in return. I had a mental picture of a mountain of people formed from the bodies of those who had scrambled before them. Each one, desperate to reach the top.
I have been trying to get my head around the monetary incentives steemit offers to high quality content and have made a mental commitment to not focus on the anxiety stemming from not receiving the monetary rewards that inspired me to come here to begin with. Instead, I am thinking of content which interests me that I can share which has value. All the while treating steemit like a skill that I want to develop.
All in all, here is still a fun place to be.
As a matter of fact, I have begun to disregard curation rewards altogether, and I now am trying to focus on minnow frustation, which is growing. As more and more people enter, there will be more people posting. It's not possible that all those posts can end up on the 'hot' page. It's just not possible. The next phase of Steemit might be in a marketplace, or in small tribes that have formed around certain interests. I have decided, just like in the beginning, to refocus my efforts on something that I can control: helping the reputation of those people who provide real value to my publications like the Secret Writer. A commuinty has formed around that content, and it is community that I crave more than anything. Money is important, I am not going to lie, but I do feel better about myself since I have refocused my efforts around trying to solve bigger problems like minnow frustration.....
Yes, I have been thinking along the same lines.
There is minnow frustration and perhaps a focus on less #minnowsunite and more growing of communities. Me, for example, my interests which spring to mind are: family, fatherhood, investing, prepping, crypto and photography. I just invest time into other peoples posts which interest me.
I have only wrote two posts and do not intend to write any more until I am ready and the irony is that I have been gaining followers without writing content on my blog. So I think, just get involved in the community and other things will follow.
I didn't realise until yesterday that my powering up earns compounded interest. This has really fired me up and led me to realise that every bit of steem I can power up is pure gold.
To sum up, if people could just put just a little bitcoin or ether into steemit and get involved, their votes would add up and they can get that compounded interest. It really is so addictive.
I have really got so much from this blog entry, thanks again.