First, sbi1, sbi2, and sbi3 are real people. If a real person did not spend their own Hive, which they earned by writing a post and then gifting a friend a vote for life, there would not be a sbi1, sbi2, or sbi3 vote on that person's post.

When I started, I gave out a vote of one cent. Unless someone else came along, my one-cent vote was turned to dust on a person's post. If I remember correctly, back then, you needed votes of about three cents for it not to be turned to dust. HSBI helped everyone get over the dust thing.

Also, if you didn't post or someone left, that money I spent on them was/is gone. So that is a risk I take/took. It hurts no one. It is up to me where I decide to spend my Hive and who I want to spend it on.

Most of the people I have gotten HSBI for I also have on auto-vote. :D

Auto vote, to me, I use on long-time Hive people that I have followed forever and have been there for me. I can not always read or leave comments......... The past few years, with taking care of my Mom, it has only gotten harder and a reason I have not been writing as much either. So using the auto voter for that makes me feel better knowing I can still help my friends.

So I guess, in the end, I use auto-voting very differently than I do HSBI.

HSBI is to help new peeps get a vote on their otherwise zero-payout posts, to give them the incentive when they are new here to keep posting. I do not think you realize how important that one-cent vote can be to someone, even if there is no comment. If I send someone HSBI, I let them know, so they see the vote and see a person behind it. Plus, I know how thankful I was for those votes when I started.

I hope this helps make things more straightforward.

I have never seen gifting someone HSBI as buying a vote. I see it as using my Hive to give out a gift that keeps giving IF they stay on Hive.

HSBI = my personal onboarding initiative