I was going to have a productive day at work and then I read this and used up the few brain cells I actually possess to process all those lines. (Ok, not really, I have several brain cells, not just a few.

I'm never going to feel comfortable about lack of effort, especially when there's something riding on it: A work promotion, accolade, pay rise, award and, on Hive, votes. The quality of the effort is subjective of course, but valid, relevant, and interesting interaction is not as easily or lazily created...So, engagement is the thing here that makes a massive difference.

For example, I get a few comments now and then on my posts...but they come from "known sources" mostly, those who regularly comment. A lot of them gain votes from me in return, for their quality work and effort.

With my #weekend-engagement concept run in my Weekend Experiences community I get many entries each weekend, 70-80 I guess, and those people are there for many different reasons, but my votes and potential curangel support is certainly two of them. (I also ask tarazkp to vote on some I select, and he does.) Ok, sounds legit...But how many of those random entries (the users) interact on my posts during the week? Not many, sometimes (mostly) none. They ignore me.

My point? Damn, I forgot.

Not really.

My point is that people seem to have the wrong idea a lot of the time. They enter contests regularly, concepts like my own also, but fail miserably when it comes to building actual relationships with interaction and engagement. Sure, they may get a 0.30-1.00 vote from me if they enter my concept, maybe a curangel if it's a good post...but if they did a little more, made some effort to interact with validity with me on my own posts...Hmm, maybe they'd get those votes on their own (from me) regularly. I understand that many may simply not like me or my content and that's ok, but the point still stands...Engagement and valid interaction!

Sorry, I know this is not quite an on-topic comment, but considering people on Hive are seeking reward I felt inclined to make it...Reward comes through effort and, in my opinion, more readily through interaction with people and the relationships that interaction creates. Point in case: Your relationship with tarazkp (and others).

Lastly, ecency-points self-voting...I don't like it and think those votes could be better-used to open relationships and support others. I see a much greater reward coming from that than the few cents a person gets through self-voting with those points. I wonder what you think on that point.